What is the “Gospel”?

1 Corinthians 15:1-4 CLV
“Now I am making known to you, brethren, the evangel which I bring to you, which also you accepted, in which also you stand, through which also you are saved, if you are retaining what I said in bringing the evangel to you, outside and except you believe feignedly. For I give over to you among the first what also I accepted, that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, and that He was entombed, and that He has been roused the third day according to the scriptures”

The key facts of the Gospel:

Christ lived, taught, and loved perfectly
He died for our sins (and He became sin for our sakes)
He was buried
God raised Him on the third day
The Gospel brings life, peace, and freedom through truth

What makes the Gospel life-giving?

Christ Jesus, fully human and fully divine: He lived on earth, teaching God’s love. He was opposed by religious leaders and put to death.
Jesus truly died for all: Unlike Adam, He bore no sin Himself; His death was for the sins of the world.
His burial proves reality: Jesus was fully dead, asleep in unawareness, not pretending. Not in some ethereal mystical realm preaching, or suffering.
Resurrection by God: God raised Jesus on the third day, showing death does not have the final word.
Gospel as life and freedom: The evangel awakens trust, hope, and love. It is never meant to produce fear, shame, or condemnation. It is a promise of life, leading to more life!

Sharing the Gospel

True sharing of the Gospel is about freedom, not performance. People do not need to rely on religious institutions or human approval. The message is: “What Christ has done is complete. You cannot earn it, you receive it by belief and trust.”

“The Gospel is recognition of what was done for us, not a call to prove ourselves by what we must now do for Him.“

What are examples of sharing The Gospel?

These examples are seen in people who do not rely on religious institutions. They live freely and lovingly, without façades or the need to perform. Their confidence rests not in what they might accomplish, but in what is already true because of Christ. The Gospel is the recognition of what was done for us, never a call to prove ourselves by what we must now do for Him.

Acts 2:23 (CLV)
“This One, given up by the specific counsel and foreknowledge of God, you, by the hand of lawless men, nail to a cross and assassinate.”

To understand how profound the death of Jesus was. It stands simply as:

The greatest evil in history:
Was counseled
Was foreknown
Was executed by lawless men
And was not morally transferred to God

Acts 13:38–39 (CLV)
“Let it be known to you, then, men, brethren, that through This One is being announced to you the pardon of sins, and that from all from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses, in This One everyone who is believing is being justified.”

Now, lets witness a scene of how Religious men operate from a scene of the TV Series “The Chosen” we can understand how Lawlessness operates in response towards Jesus (in the flesh) of then, and now in (2025) to true believers of the gospel when it’s shared.

What is happening in this scene is not simply Jesus showing anger or temperament. It is the reaction of religious men who see themselves as godly when they are confronted face to face with the Son of God. Instead of responding with humility, they respond with pride and resentment. The criticism of their hypocrisy exposes them, and rather than repenting, they defend their institution, status, and authority.

It would be well said that Christians today are not so different from the Pharisees Jesus confronted back then. We often see outward displays of righteousness, especially from Christian leaders, street preachers, and content creators, who boast before crowds while implying that others are more dangerous & sinful than they are themselves.

Christians always miss the mark when they posture themselves as representatives of Christ Jesus. They deny the goodness of God’s love & power when fear and damnation are used by their own institutions as the main motivation for attitude & behavior. This kind of teaching discourages real participation in life and trains people to resent, shame, or condemn the very lives they were meant to live & love.

When Jesus confronted the Pharisees, His concern was not simply rule-breaking, but the way religious systems distort God’s character. Fear-based religion produces outward compliance while leaving the heart untouched. It creates people who appear righteous while quietly becoming resentful, anxious, and detached from compassion. This same pattern repeats today, even when the language and platforms look modern.

What should you absolutely avoid 100%
What is not the Gospel?

The following are examples are of what to repent from if you have in any manner come into trusting. Run away!
They all sound charismatic, gentle, even sincere. But they are the very ones we have been forewarned by both Jesus & Paul in the scriptures.

Matthew 5:20 (CLV)
“For I am saying to you that, if ever your righteousness should not be superabounding more than that of the scribes and Pharisees, by no means may you be entering into the kingdom of the heavens.”

Matthew 7:15-16 (CLV)
“Take heed of those false prophets whoa are coming to you in the apparel of sheep, yet inside they are rapacious wolves.
From their fruits you shall be recognizing them. Not from thorns are they culling grapes, nor from star thistles figs.”

2 Corinthians 11:12-15, (CLV)
“Now what I am doing and will be doing is that I should strike off the incentive from those wanting an incentive, that in what they are boasting they may be found according as we also.
For such are false apostles, fraudulent workers, being transfiguredinto apostles of Christ.
And no marvel, for Satan himself is being transfigured into a messenger of light.
It is no great thing, then, if his servants also are being transfigured as dispensers of righteousness–whose consummation shall be according to their acts.”

Note: Not one, not one single person in these examples below. Ever proclaims that Salvation came from the cross. But in some manner brings it back to the self of the individual they are speaking to in having to do the “un“finished work.

The work was done on the cross by Christ Jesus Himself. Not me, not you. That is how simple it is in requirement to “Believe” through realization.

Either Christ accomplished everything, or He did absolutely nothing for anyone, but for Himself. Which one do you truly believe upon? The Father in the Heavens already knows this answer, but do you? It’s worth a reflection.

Street preaching that centers almost entirely on threats of hell or eternal punishment is one clear example. The method Ray Comfort assumes that fear is the proper doorway into repentance. While it may produce emotional reactions, it often reduces God to a threat rather than revealing Him as a loving Father. People are pressured to agree outwardly, not transformed inwardly. The result is often shame, not freedom, and compliance, not love.

If I were to rebuke the video recently created (on bottom) of Ray’s. This is what I would infer to the Christians.

Fear over reconciliation
He repeatedly frames salvation as avoidance of being a “false convert” or exposure of sin rather than God reconciling the world to Himself (2 Corinthians 5:18–19). The gospel is about God’s initiative, not policing human behavior.
Behavioral tests instead of faith
He teaches that confessing every sin publicly and performing ongoing moral “proofs” is necessary to be a Christian. That is works-based, humanly enforced validation. Paul never prescribes that (Galatians 2:16, Ephesians 2:8–9).
Retroactive invalidation of belief
He claims people who leave the system were “never really believers.” Scripture never says that about those who fall away (Luke 8:13, 1 Corinthians 3:15). That creates fear, not true faith.
Public shaming and manipulation
His methodology markets guilt and shame (exposing addictions, sexuality, personal trauma) to coerce compliance. That is not the ministry of reconciliation. It teaches people to obey men instead of Christ.
Commercialization of salvation
Selling coins, tracts, and “proofs of law” attached to fear-based guilt demonstrates he profits from keeping people in anxiety instead of teaching the gospel of grace (Matthew 10:8).

In short:
Ray Comfort’s system is about producing behavioral Christians under fear, not raising people into the life of Christ in the Body. That is why he is leading many to the Great White Throne judgment, not true early salvation.

A similar pattern appears in Randy Kay’s sensationalized testimony culture, especially when near-death experiences (NDE’s) are framed primarily as warnings of punishment rather than invitations to life. When stories are exaggerated, commercialized, or selectively told to reinforce fear, the Gospel becomes entertainment mixed with control. Instead of pointing people to trust God, these narratives teach them to fear being wrong, fear death, and fear God Himself. Never recognizing that death is sleep, where life ceases completely.

Experience elevated above revelation
Randy Kay centers authority in near-death experiences rather than the completed revelation of Scripture. Paul never points believers to visions of the afterlife for truth, but to what God has already disclosed in Christ (Galatians 1:8, Colossians 2:18). Testimony replaces doctrine, and emotion replaces evangel.
Contradiction of biblical death and resurrection
NDE narratives promoted on his channel depict conscious activity, choice, and warning while dead, yet Scripture consistently teaches death as unconsciousness awaiting resurrection (Ecclesiastes 9:5, John 11:11–14, 1 Corinthians 15). These accounts subtly deny the necessity and centrality of resurrection.
Fear-based afterlife imagery
The testimonies repeatedly emphasize terror, judgment scenes, and narrow escape, training listeners to fear death rather than rest in Christ’s completed work. Paul describes death as sleep and resurrection as victory, not a trial run for torment (1 Corinthians 15:51–57).
Reinforcement of eternal torment theology
NDE stories are used to validate the traditional hell system, even though that system contradicts the evangel of reconciliation (1 Timothy 4:10, Romans 5:18, Colossians 1:20). Experience is used to override clear apostolic teaching.
Undermining Christ’s sufficiency
Salvation is implicitly framed as surviving the afterlife rather than being reconciled through Christ’s death and resurrection. The cross becomes background scenery while experiential warnings take center stage (1 Corinthians 15:1–4).
Selective discernment and confirmation bias
Only NDEs that reinforce popular Christian fear-doctrine are platformed. Contradictory accounts (or scripturally incompatible ones) are dismissed or reframed, creating a closed loop that protects tradition rather than truth (2 Timothy 4:3).
Psychological conditioning through testimony
Repeated exposure to vivid fear-laden stories conditions viewers emotionally, not spiritually. This mirrors religious control systems, keeping people vigilant, anxious, and dependent on ongoing “warnings” instead of settled in grace (Romans 8:1).

In short:
Randy Kay’s platform does not proclaim the evangel Paul delivered. It replaces reconciliation with experience, resurrection with afterlife tourism, and faith with fear-conditioning. Rather than preparing people for life in Christ now and resurrection later, it trains them to interpret salvation through unverifiable visions, placing many back under judgment-thinking instead of resting in God’s completed work.

Institutional authority figures like John MacArthur who emphasize doctrinal purity, strict hierarchy, and exclusion often reinforce the same dynamic. When theology is built around who is “in” and who is “out,” obedience becomes survival. Grace becomes conditional. Love becomes secondary. This is not the fruit of the Gospel Jesus proclaimed. It is the same heavy burden He rebuked in the religious leaders of His day.

Lordship salvation replaces the evangel
MacArthur teaches that submission, obedience, and transformed behavior are necessary components to prove genuine salvation. This collapses the distinction Paul makes between faith and works, turning the evangel into a probationary contract rather than a proclamation of what Christ has already accomplished (Romans 4:5, Ephesians 2:8–9).
Conditional security undermines assurance
By teaching that believers who fail to persevere demonstrate they were “never saved,” MacArthur installs perpetual self-examination and fear. Paul never retroactively invalidates belief; he speaks of loss of reward, not loss of salvation (1 Corinthians 3:15, 2 Timothy 2:13).
Behavior as evidence rather than fruit
Obedience is treated as proof of regeneration rather than fruit that may or may not mature over time. This reverses Paul’s order: justification first, growth later, and sometimes painfully slow (Galatians 5:22–23, Philippians 1:6).
Judgment emphasis eclipses reconciliation
His theology is dominated by warnings of judgment, false conversion, and self-deception, while the ministry of reconciliation is minimized or framed narrowly (2 Corinthians 5:18–19). The cross becomes a gateway to scrutiny rather than the declaration of peace.
Works quietly reintroduced through discipleship
Though denying works-salvation verbally, his system effectively requires doctrinal precision, moral consistency, and submission to authority structures as validation. This places believers back under law-like assessment rather than freedom in grace (Galatians 3:2–3).
Suppression of Paul’s universal scope
MacArthur explicitly rejects or marginalizes Scriptures that declare Christ as Savior of all mankind (1 Timothy 4:10, Romans 5:18), favoring a narrow salvific outcome that contradicts God’s stated intent to reconcile all (Colossians 1:20).
Clergy authority over spiritual liberty
His ministry model centralizes teaching authority in the pulpit, discouraging doctrinal exploration outside approved boundaries. This fosters dependency on institutional interpretation rather than Spirit-led growth (1 Corinthians 2:15, Galatians 5:1).
Fear of false faith replaces rest in Christ
The repeated warning against being “self-deceived” conditions believers to look inward endlessly instead of outward to Christ’s finished work. Assurance is delayed until death, not enjoyed in the present (Romans 5:1, Hebrews 10:14).

In short:
John MacArthur’s system redefines faith as performance, assurance as perseverance, and salvation as conditional outcome rather than settled reality. While verbally affirming grace, his theology functions as works-validated Christianity, keeping believers under introspection and fear. This does not proclaim Paul’s evangel of reconciliation but instead prepares many for judgment-thinking rather than early enjoyment of life in Christ.

A similar issue can be seen in certain charismatic and supernatural-focused ministries today like David Diga Hernandez, where fear is subtly reinforced through obsession with spiritual danger, demonic activity, or constant self-examination for hidden sin. When teachings emphasize maintaining spiritual protection, avoiding contamination, or staying under the correct covering to prevent deception or attack, believers are trained to live anxiously rather than freely. God becomes someone who must be carefully managed instead of trusted. Rather than producing confidence in God’s love, this environment often cultivates insecurity and dependence on the institution or leader for safety and assurance. The Gospel, however, does not invite people to live guarded and afraid, but grounded and secure in the faithfulness of God.

Experience-driven spirituality over revelation
Hernandez centers the Christian life on subjective encounters, feelings, manifestations, visions, and “atmospheres”, rather than on what God has objectively accomplished in Christ. Paul anchors faith in declaration, not sensation (2 Corinthians 5:7, Colossians 2:8).
Spirit sensationalism replaces Spirit sealing
The Holy Spirit is portrayed as something believers must repeatedly “enter into,” “activate,” or re-receive through special practices. Scripture teaches the Spirit is given once as a seal, not an experience to be chased (Ephesians 1:13–14).
Hierarchy of spiritual elites
His ministry implies levels of Christianity: those who “walk in power” and those who do not. This contradicts Paul’s teaching that all believers stand complete in Christ, not graded by manifestation (1 Corinthians 12:4–7, Colossians 2:10).
Emotional conditioning mistaken for spiritual growth
Music, cadence, repetition, and atmosphere are used to induce emotional responses that are labeled as the Spirit’s movement. This conditions feeling-based validation rather than faith rooted in truth (Romans 10:17).
Shift from Christ’s finished work to ongoing encounters
The believer’s focus subtly moves from what Christ has done to what the believer must experience next. Growth becomes a pursuit of encounters rather than a response to grace already received (Galatians 3:3).
Neglect of reconciliation and universal scope
The message rarely proclaims God reconciling the world to Himself. Instead, it centers on personal empowerment and intimacy language, sidelining the evangel Paul delivered (2 Corinthians 5:18–19, 1 Timothy 4:10).
Soft reintroduction of works through spiritual disciplines
Though framed as relational, the system quietly pressures believers to maintain prayer intensity, worship states, and spiritual sensitivity to avoid stagnation, reintroducing performance under spiritualized language (Galatians 4:9).
Authority through mysticism rather than doctrine
Teaching authority is grounded in personal spiritual experience rather than exegetical clarity. This discourages discernment, since questioning the message is framed as resisting the Spirit (1 Corinthians 14:37–38).

In short:
David Diga Hernandez’s ministry trains believers to chase encounters rather than rest in reconciliation, measure growth by sensation rather than truth, and seek ongoing activation rather than settled assurance. While using spiritual language, the system diverts attention from Paul’s evangel, replacing the finished work of Christ with an endless pursuit of experience, leaving many spiritually stimulated but doctrinally ungrounded.

Another example of how religious teaching can drift from the heart of the Gospel is seen in the ministry of Pastor Gene Kim, a Bible Baptist pastor and teacher who has attracted thousands online through his strong emphasis on specific doctrines such as dispensationalism and the belief that the King James Version is the only true Bible in English. While many appreciate his deep study and passion for scripture, his style also illustrates how heavy focus on specialized doctrinal positions and rigid interpretations can lead people to view faith through the lens of fear, exclusion, or strict boundary‑making rather than through the life‑giving love Jesus revealed. When teaching centers on what is correct in every detail instead of the goodness of God’s love, it can unintentionally reinforce the same attitude of self‑protection and separation that Jesus rebuked in the Pharisees.

King James Onlyism elevated to doctrinal authority
Gene Kim treats the KJV not merely as a translation but as a divinely preserved final authority. This places English textual tradition above the original Greek and Hebrew and creates a secondary revelation standard foreign to Scripture (1 Corinthians 2:13, 2 Timothy 3:16).
Textual fear replaces confidence in Christ
Salvation assurance is often tied to holding the “right Bible” rather than resting in Christ’s finished work. This conditions fear of deception instead of faith in God’s faithfulness (Romans 8:33).
Dispensational hyper-fragmentation of Scripture
Scripture is divided so rigidly that large portions are treated as doctrinally irrelevant or dangerous to believers today. Paul used the Scriptures as illumination, not exclusion, and never taught believers to fear reading them (Romans 15:4).
Works subtly tied to perseverance and endurance
Although verbally affirming salvation by grace, the system emphasizes endurance, separation, and doctrinal militancy as signs of being genuinely saved. This shifts assurance from Christ to personal consistency (2 Timothy 2:13, 1 Corinthians 3:15).
Perpetual warfare mentality
Believers are trained to view most of Christianity as apostate, deceived, or dangerous. This breeds isolation, suspicion, and pride rather than the ministry of reconciliation Paul describes (2 Corinthians 5:18–19).
Fear-based eschatology and spiritual survivalism
Heavy emphasis on end-times deception, Antichrist scenarios, and loss conditions keeps believers alert but anxious. Paul presents the future as a consummation of victory, not a survival contest (1 Corinthians 15:24–28).
Doctrinal aggression replaces edification
Teaching tone frequently prioritizes refutation and exposure over building up the body. Paul warns that knowledge used without love inflates rather than edifies (1 Corinthians 8:1).
Authority rooted in polemic rather than proclamation
Influence is maintained by positioning the ministry as a rare remnant of truth against widespread error. This creates dependency on the teacher rather than maturity in Christ (Ephesians 4:11–13).

In short:
Pastor Gene Kim’s system substitutes textual loyalty for faith, fear vigilance for assurance, and doctrinal combat for reconciliation. While claiming fidelity to Scripture, it shifts the believer’s confidence away from Christ’s completed work and toward correct alignment, endurance, and separation. This produces watchmen under pressure rather than sons at rest, missing the freedom and scope of Paul’s evangel.

Marco Ponce of Watchman Report has built a small online following by interpreting current events through Bible prophecy and warning people that the end times are near. His teaching often focuses heavily on the beast anti-Christ figure, the lake of fire and the idea that people must “get their name in the Book of Life before it’s too late,” framing salvation more as escape from punishment than as life in God’s love. While many appreciate his zeal and scriptural interest for only the KJV, repeatedly presenting faith primarily as avoiding eternal torment can promote anxiety and spiritual fear rather than inviting trust in the goodness and grace of God revealed through Jesus.

Marco Ponce (Watchman Report / beingjustified.com) — Summary Critique

Watchman identity replaces the ministry of reconciliation
Ponce frames the believer’s role primarily as a watchman exposing deception rather than as an ambassador of reconciliation. Paul defines the present calling as announcing peace accomplished by God, not constant warning and exposure (2 Corinthians 5:18–20).
Error-hunting eclipses evangel proclamation
The channel emphasizes identifying false teachers, corrupted doctrine, and end-times deception more than proclaiming Christ’s death and resurrection as finished good news. This trains discernment without hope and vigilance without joy (1 Corinthians 15:1–4).
Fear-based vigilance culture
Listeners are conditioned to remain alert, suspicious, and defensive against widespread deception. While discernment has value, fear-driven alertness contradicts the settled confidence Paul teaches in Christ’s victory (Romans 8:15, Colossians 2:15).
Salvation framed as doctrinal alignment and endurance
Although affirming justification by faith, assurance is subtly tied to holding correct positions, avoiding deception, and remaining within the right theological camp. This shifts confidence from Christ’s faithfulness to personal correctness (2 Timothy 2:13).
End-times emphasis over present reconciliation
Heavy focus on prophecy, apostasy, and looming judgment overshadows Paul’s emphasis on what God has already accomplished in Christ. The future is treated as a threat to survive rather than a consummation of restoration (1 Corinthians 15:22–28).
Us-versus-them remnant mentality
The ministry often presents itself as part of a small faithful remnant surrounded by widespread error. This fosters separation and suspicion rather than humility and patient instruction (1 Corinthians 4:7, Galatians 6:1).
Doctrine used as a boundary marker
Teaching functions to define who is inside and who is outside acceptable belief rather than to build up all believers toward maturity. Paul warns that knowledge wielded this way produces division, not edification (1 Corinthians 8:1).
Limited scope of God’s saving purpose
The message restricts salvation outcomes and minimizes Scriptures declaring God’s intent to reconcile all through Christ. Judgment is emphasized more than restoration, narrowing the scope of grace Paul clearly proclaims (Romans 5:18, Colossians 1:20).
Textual loyalty used as a measure of spiritual safety
The Authorized King James Version is treated as the only reliable standard, and modern translations are portrayed as dangerous or deceptive. This positions correct textual alignment as a proxy for spiritual security, subtly replacing faith in Christ’s finished work with fear-driven obedience to a translation, something Paul never prescribes (1 Corinthians 15:1–4, 2 Corinthians 5:17–19).

In short:
Marco Ponce’s Watchman Report reframes Christian life as surveillance, assurance as doctrinal vigilance, and faithfulness as resistance to deception. While claiming to defend justification by faith, the system conditions believers to remain guarded and anxious rather than resting in God’s completed reconciliation. This produces watchmen scanning for threats instead of ambassadors announcing peace, drifting from the freedom and confidence of Paul’s evangel.

These examples above are just a (small) pool size within Christianity that reflect the very kind of people Jesus forewarned about when speaking of His return to the earth. Everyone shown will likely be put to death by Christ, if they take the Mark. If they do not, then as Gentiles, they will be resurrected at Christ’s second coming & be welcomed into the earthly kingdom. Not the heavens as the Gospel today stands to be believed given by Apostle Paul.

Matthew 7:22-23 CLV
“Many will be declaring to Me in that day, `Lord! Lord! Was it not in Your name that we prophesy, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name do many powerful deeds?’
And then shall I be avowing to them that `I never knew you! Depart from Me, workers of lawlessness!’”

This should no longer be of surprise once we understand what lawlessness religions often do to those who place their trust in themselves and their institutions, rather than in God. When fear and control replace love and trust, people are slowly led toward self-preservation, greed, and narcissism. Instead of participating fully in life through trusting God’s intention for the world, they become consumed with behavior, status, and avoidance, even while claiming obedience to Christ. – Are these people evil? No. Many mean well. But meaning well does not mean being right. Sometimes God is working quietly in ways religion does not recognize.

Jesus did not motivate people through fear of abandonment. He revealed the Father as already present, already loving, already giving life. His call to repentance was not a threat, but an invitation to see differently, to turn from dead ways of thinking toward life. Wherever fear replaces love as the driving force, the message may use Jesus’ name, but it does not carry His spirit.

The Gospel is meant to awaken life, not suppress it. It does not teach people to withdraw from the world in disgust or superiority. It teaches them to enter the world with humility, mercy, and hope. When Christianity produces shame instead of healing, condemnation instead of compassion, and fear instead of trust, it has stopped reflecting Christ and started defending a system.

Jesus did not come to scare people into obedience. He came to show them who God truly is. And when that goodness is seen clearly, fear loses its power. And the truth is what truly sets you free!