Dividing the Body: The Subtle Danger of a Distorted Gospel

O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified. Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? . . . Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles [inherent power] among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith. –Gal 3:1-3, 5

…the Greek word for “bewitched” can also be translated “traduce,” which means: “shamed by means of falsehood” (Marriam-Webster). The Judaizers misrepresented the law and shamed the Galatians into using their flesh (self-effort) to fulfill the law. This is a subtle form of deceit, which all Christians need to recognize and reject. Therefore, any Christian being shamed for fellowshipping with other genuine believers in Christ is bewitched or traduced. Such distortion of the gospel bewitched these Galatian believers. This bewitching has a Satanic intention. The Satanic intention of preaching a different gospel complicates the simplicity of faith resulting in divided believers. Excerpt from the book “Galatians: Uniting Divided People” by Henry Hon - chapter 3

Believers in Jesus who are sincerely dedicated to following their Master will find plenty of opposition in this world. As 1 John says we have to battle the world, the flesh, and the devil. But, sometimes there is opposition from those inside the camp as well! In the quote above we find that this kind of attack has the nasty aspect of being “shamed by means of falsehood.” The falsehood had two prongs on its ugly pitchfork. The first falsehood was that Jesus alone is not enough for the believer. The Judaizers, steeped in a ‘law equals righteousness’ mentality, wanted to remake Gentiles into their own image. The second falsehood was that fellowship is based on ‘sameness,’ when in reality, our unity is based solely on the person and work of Christ. He is the one and only and chief cornerstone and He sets the stones in place in His house as He wills. We are obliged to honor the plans and purposes of the Master Builder alone and not lay on anyone’s back anything but His yoke which is easy and light!

In the opening chapters of his letter to the Galatians, Paul confronts this grave issue threatening the unity of the body of Christ. He warns the believers about the consequences of a distorted gospel—a false gospel that complicates the simplicity of salvation by grace through faith. This distortion is not just a matter of theological error; it has real and divisive implications for how Christians live and function in fellowship. In Chapter 2, Paul uses the example of Peter’s actions to illustrate how such a false gospel can lead to division, confusion, and the abandonment of the true gospel. How it must have hurt those dear Gentile believers. Imagine the courage they must have had to even attempt to fellowship with people who had before hated them so much. Think of how they had probably already been shunned by their pagan friends and family. Now, they are being shamed by their “brethren”? 

Paul recounts how Peter, who had previously enjoyed fellowship with Gentile believers in Antioch, withdrew and separated himself from them when certain Jewish believers from Jerusalem arrived. Peter, in his fear of the circumcision party, created a barrier between the Jewish and Gentile believers—an act that Paul vehemently opposed. Paul accused Peter of acting “against the truth of the gospel” (Galatians 2:14), and rightly so. By separating from the Gentiles, Peter had not only contradicted the unity that the gospel of Jesus Christ brings, but he had also effectively negated the essence of the gospel itself—”for God so loved the world…”.

The Gospel of Grace vs. The Gospel of Division

What was the essence of Peter’s mistake? It was his failure to understand that the gospel is not just a doctrine to believe, but a reality that must shape how we live in everyday community. Christ died for a purpose, and that purpose was to unite diverse, broken people into one body. As Paul explains, “For in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith” (Galatians 3:26). The gospel calls us to be one and it is only through faith. We are one regardless of our differences—racial, cultural, or social. Peter’s actions, driven by the false gospel of the Judaizers, effectively undermined this reality by suggesting that Gentile believers needed to become like Jews to be fully accepted.

This division that Peter caused was a direct contradiction of the gospel’s power to bring reconciliation between all people—Jew and Gentile alike. Peter's separation was not just a personal mistake; it was a public denial of the binding quality of God’s grace that is available through Christ alone. Paul rightly points out that this action would imply that Christ’s death was in vain. If the gospel doesn’t unite us, then it has lost its power. If we still rely on human distinctions to define our relationships, we miss the very point of Christ's death: to destroy the dividing wall between people and create one new humanity (Ephesians 2:14).

The Subtle Danger of Adding to the Gospel

This incident underscores the danger of adding anything to the gospel of Jesus Christ. When the gospel is distorted—whether by legalism, self-effort, or the need to separate people based on human distinctions—it stops being the real gospel. Instead of bringing people together, a distorted gospel builds walls. Peter, who was a leader in the early Jesus movement, fell prey to this temptation, and the consequences were disastrous for the unity of the body of Christ in Antioch. 

If Peter can be fooled by the subtle “form of deceit” then anyone can. In the same way, we, too, can fall into the trap of complicating the gospel. We might not advocate for circumcision like the Judaizers, but we still subtly create divisions when we refuse to fellowship with brethren who are different from us. Whether through judgment based on different doctrinal views, cultural practices, political stances, or personal convictions, we can inadvertently preach “another gospel” by elevating non-essential matters above the core message of salvation by faith through grace alone. These divisions weaken the Body and tarnish our witness to the world.

Returning to the Truth of the Gospel: Unity Through Faith

The truth of the gospel is simple yet profound: we are justified by faith in Christ alone, not by works of the law, and certainly not by human distinctions. The gospel of grace has the power to break down barriers and unite people across every divide. Paul’s challenge to the Galatians is the same challenge we face today: to reject any gospel that complicates the simplicity of salvation through faith and to live in the unity that Christ has made possible. 

As Paul reminded the Galatians, the gospel is not about our efforts to fulfill the law or live up to any extra human standard. It is about what Christ has done for us and the new identity we have in Him. When we live out of this truth simply by faith, we find that the walls we’ve built between ourselves and others begin to fall, and we can embrace one another as brothers and sisters in Christ, despite our differences. I have seen this happen and it is absolutely wonderful! 

Sometimes disagreements or policy or people will cause a temporary “division of the labor” where ministries might have to work separately for a while. This happened in the case of Paul and Barnabas, who after a disagreement over Mark, decided that two ministries are better than one, and they went different ways for a time. But this narrative (from Acts 15:36-41) does not label their separation a bad thing. Ministries are led by men with specific visions, methods, and goals that differ from other ministries. Nothing is said in Acts 15 about people breaking fellowship, or about Paul and Barnabas not remaining united for the gospel. In fact, the Bible records Paul later on asking that a colleague bring Mark along because he was useful for his ministry. So, Mark had been at one point a drag on Paul’s ministry and then, after some time, he was welcomed back as useful. I am sure he grew a lot because of this whole situation. From this account we can deduce that ministries need people who think alike, have the same vision, and methods as the leader of that ministry, but also that our actual fellowship with each other need not be broken by our differences. 

We may not have to “work” with everyone in the Lord’s Assembly in the same exact ministry, but we do have to “fellowship” with them and love them. Even if our ministry does not align with someone else’s we do not have to resort to fighting or name calling. The power of the gospel ultimately lies in its ability to unite, and the moment we lose sight of this—whether by legalism, fear, or division—we deny the very essence of Christ’s work on the cross. Let us embrace the truth of the gospel, which calls us to live in faith and oneness, demonstrating to the world the power of reconciliation in Christ.

May we not be like Peter who led astray by the subtle temptation to divide. Instead, let us live out the truth of the gospel and as Paul did remind others what the gospel is really all about, the love of God allowing us to fully embrace the unity that Christ’s death has made possible for all believers, regardless of our differences.

Prayer

Lord, thank you that you have provided me a place in your kingdom. Simply by faith I have come “into” your sphere–the place beyond the veil where true and godly intimacy of fellowship awaits. Oh Lord…what a place - this “good land ”is that I cannot find an end of! May my security be only in You so that I can then embrace all my brothers and sisters unabashedly in grace and truth! Anything in me that is of the Old Man let it be done with, in your mighty Name! Restore us Lord into the place of the blessing of unity that David spoke of in Psalm 133. May we obey Paul’s exhortation to:

 Let all bitterness, anger and wrath, shouting and slander be removed from you, along with all malice. 32 And be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving one another, just as God also forgave you in Christ.

Ephesians 4:31-32 

That we all may be one…

Dear friend, 

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