Counterfeit Gospels by Trevin Wax

Counterfeit Gospels by Trevin Wax is about naming the six major false gospels out there and countering them with the true Gospel. The six false gospels he writes about is the therapeutic, the moralist, the activist, the judgmentless, the quietest, and the churchless gospel  I probable read this book a lot slower than I should but I wanted to let it soak in.  Unlike some discernment books I have read where they just point out the false gospels out there and never point us to the true Gospel of Christ this one does both it points us to the true Gospel of Christ then shows us the false gospels out there. The judgmentless, the moralistic, and the the activist false gospels out there are the ones I really was glad he broke down as I see them happening so regularly even in my small community.    The judgmentless gospel is about how this gospels says that God will not judge us.  We can forget as Christians that we  are actually being saved from God's judgement on us (Romans 2:5-11).  The Moralist gospel is about how we try to change ourselves or the society around us to be a more moral people when that is not the gospel.  My favorite quote from this book comes from this section and it as follows "The moralistic gospel may fill our churches with well-behaved people.  But the result will merely be an improved version of the old man - not the new man that the Biblical Gospel promises.  Without grace, we miss out on true life transformation."  That to me is a good quick explanation on why trying to be moral is not the gospel of the bible.  Now the activist gospel to me goes hand in hand with the moralism gospel as the activist gospel people are bent on trying to change the society around them to what they deem as the moral correctness even if that means forgetting that what really changes society is the inward change of individuals by Christ himself and not us washing/cleaning up the outside of people.  Yes us trying to end abortion, fighting sex trafficking and such are all good things but they still are not the gospel.  As I heard once in a sermon is we can give some one clean water all we want but if we don't give them the gospel also we are just giving them clean water as we watch them head to hell.  How horrible is that?  So what is the true gospel then? We see it in the scriptures and not anything we do. Its that we are wretched sinners that deserve death and punishment but God has sent His son Jesus Christ to fulfill all the law (we could not do it are selves), His substitutionary death for us sinners, and His resurrection and exaltation.   If you can't tell by now I highly recommend this book.

I was given this book by Moody Publishers and was not required to give a positive review.