Another Gospel? Is Justification by Works Still Taught in ChurchesToday?

I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel - which is really no gospel at all. vs. 6-7

In his letter to the church in Galatia Paul takes dead aim at the legalism of the Jews calling it "a different gospel." The issue? They were teaching the Gentiles they had to be justified by works. They were turning from the blood of Christ to something that was no gospel at all. They promoted a justification by works instead of the Christ-centered gospel of grace. In chapter two Paul writes, 

“We who are Jews by birth and not sinful Gentiles know that a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. -vs.15-16

It's plain and simple: a person is not justified by works. This is in keeping with many, many other scriptures. Paul continues...

So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified.

It is by faith in Christ and not "by the works" of the law that we are made right with God. It seems so easy. But is justification by works still taught today in churches? Unfortunately, yes. 

There are many churches today which teach "another Gospel," one that leads people astray into insecurity or self-righteousness. Insecurity takes root in the heart when he or she thinks they are not doing enough to please God. Self-righteousness comes when they think they have done enough. 

Any and every "gospel" that does not rely solely on the atonement of sin by the blood of Christ is by nature a works-based gospel. And, honestly, these performance-orientated gospels are not gospels at all, because gospel means "good news." There is no good news to the idea that what you do somehow makes you right with God. So where does this corrupt thinking come from?

The works-based teaching in churches comes from two places: 

1. A distortion of scriptures
2. A need to control or manipulate people

The most common abuse of scripture is when a proof text takes place in order to support the teacher's previously held opinions about works. This teacher most often fails to place the single scripture in the wider context. Here's an example: 

In chapter one, Peter's letter reads: 

¹⁷ Since you call on a Father who judges each person’s work impartially, live out your time as foreigners here in reverent fear. 

Stopping right here the teacher might note that the Father judges our works. He might begin to build a case for works based on this one passage, failing to read on to very next verse: 

¹⁸ For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, ¹⁹ but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.  

The true gospel is clear -- that we were indeed "redeemed...with the precious blood of Christ." This redemption, this true gospel, is the primary theme of the entire new testament. Furthermore, that a Messiah would come and be a perfect sacrifice for our sins is prophesied over and over throughout the old testament. Truly, someone who teaches that we are somehow justified by what we do must distort and ignore a great number of passages in the Bible. This leads to manipulation and spiritual abuse. 

The only motive that a teacher has for promoting a works-based "gospel" is in order to manipulate and control people. Since the teaching that we are justified by works leaves the soul devoid of true Joy in the Lord, as well as leaves the spirit still dead in sin, the teacher has no choice but to increase the false-teachings in order to promote fear. This was the case with the Jews in Galatia. And, unfortunately, it's still the case today where fear is used to keep people from leaving "the church." 

But are we really ever justified by works? No. 

On the contrary -- what we "do" should be the result of what we "believe" by faith. Grace leads to works. Because we have been justified freely by God's grace we desire to please Him; to labor for His Kingdom. The proper motivation is the response we have to the free gift He gives us. We do not work to earn the gift. It's a gift! This allows us to live by faith in the Son of God...

¹⁹ “For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God. ²⁰ I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. ²¹ I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!”

Christ did NOT die for nothing! Christ died for YOU. Christ died for ME! He shed His blood by choice when he could have called on a vast angelic host to rescue Him. Instead, he willingly walked a road of pain and humility, of torture and abandonment. He did this for one reason and to prove one thing --- GRACE! 

For God so loved the world that He gave...