Photo by Miltiadis Fragkidis on Unsplash
Full disclosure, this is an AI adaptation of a sermon I preached. I wrote the sermon all by myself! But AI took my sermon notes (which are typically very detailed) and adapted the content into a blog for your enjoyment. I reviewed and made minor adjustments to this post.
One of the most dangerous things about a lie is that we don't always recognize it as a lie. Sometimes we believe something because we've heard it our entire lives. Sometimes we believe it because someone we trust told us it was true. And sometimes we believe it simply because we want it to be true.
This is especially dangerous when it comes to our faith.
There are plenty of things people believe about God, Jesus, and Christianity that sound good but aren't actually true. And if we're not careful, those beliefs can shape how we understand God and how we live our lives. Interestingly, this isn't a new problem. Christians have been dealing with it since the very beginning of the Church.
When Christians Started Believing a Lie
In the first chapter of Galatians, the Apostle Paul is clearly frustrated. Paul had spent his ministry telling people about Jesus, particularly people who weren't Jewish. His message was simple but revolutionary:
A right relationship with God comes through faith in Jesus Christ, not through our ability to follow religious laws.
This was a big deal. For generations, the Jewish people had understood obedience to the Law as an essential part of their covenant relationship with God. Circumcision, dietary restrictions, and Sabbath observance were all important markers of that relationship. But Paul taught that Jesus had changed everything. Through his life, death, and resurrection, Jesus had made a relationship with God possible for everyone, regardless of their background. Unfortunately, some Christians struggled to accept this. They began teaching that non-Jewish believers still needed to follow the Jewish Law to be fully accepted by God.
In other words, they were teaching that Jesus wasn't enough.
When Paul heard that Christians in Galatia were beginning to believe this message, he couldn't believe it. He writes in Galatians 1:6:
"I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel”
Paul wasn't simply upset about a theological disagreement. He recognized that these Christians were being convinced of something that threatened the very foundation of their faith. They had believed a lie about God. And that makes me wonder:
What lies about God have you and I allowed ourselves to believe?
The Lies We Believe Today
I doubt many Christians today are seriously considering adopting ancient Jewish dietary restrictions or circumcision as requirements for salvation. But that doesn't mean we're immune to believing things about God that aren't true. Consider some statements you've probably heard before:
"God just wants me to be happy."
"God won't give me more than I can handle."
"I should always follow my heart."
"I don't need to be involved in a church to have a strong faith."
"Because I'm saved, continuing to sin isn't that big of a deal."
"I have to be good enough for God to love me."
And then there are beliefs that strike a blow against the very heart of the gospel:
"If I'm a good person, I'll go to heaven."
"There are lots of different ways to God."
"Everyone goes to heaven when they die."
"I grew up in church and got baptized, so I must be a Christian."
These aren't insignificant misunderstandings. They shape how we think about salvation, our relationship with God, and what it actually means to follow Jesus. The Galatian Christians had Paul to write them a letter and point out where they were going wrong. We don't have an Apostle speaking directly to our modern lies. So how do we recognize the lies we've allowed into our faith?
Thankfully, God hasn't left us to figure it out on our own.
1. Look to the Bible
Paul reminds Timothy that Scripture is useful for teaching, correcting, and training us in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16–17). The Bible doesn't just tell us what to believe. It also helps us recognize when something we already believe is wrong. That's why regularly reading Scripture is so important. And I don't mean occasionally searching for a verse that supports something you've already decided is true.
I mean genuinely approaching the Bible with a willingness to learn, even when what we discover challenges something we've believed for years.
For example, if you've always believed that God's primary desire is for you to be happy, spend some time looking at what Scripture teaches about suffering, sacrifice, holiness, and following Jesus. You might discover that God's plans for your life are much bigger than simply making you happy.
One thing I've discovered through studying Scripture is that the more I learn about God, the more I recognize how much I still have to learn. And that's a good thing.
We should never become so confident in what we think we know about God that we stop allowing his Word to correct us.
2. Listen to the Holy Spirit
Jesus told his disciples that the Holy Spirit would guide them into truth (John 16:13). As followers of Jesus, we believe that God's Spirit is present and active in our lives. We aren't left to navigate our faith entirely through our own intellect or understanding. But I think sometimes we struggle to recognize the Spirit's guidance because our lives are simply too loud.
We're constantly surrounded by information, entertainment, social media, opinions, and distractions. There's always another video to watch, another podcast to hear, or another notification demanding our attention. And somewhere in all that noise, we're trying to hear from God.
What would happen if we intentionally made more room for silence?
What if we spent a little less time scrolling and a little more time praying?
What if, when we were wrestling with a question about God, we spent time quietly seeking his guidance rather than immediately looking for someone online to tell us what to think?
Sometimes recognizing a lie begins with creating enough space in our lives to pay attention to what God is teaching us.
3. Learn from Christians Who Have Walked Before You
There's another resource God has given us that I think we sometimes overlook: each other.
In 1 Peter 5:1–5, Peter describes the importance of spiritual leaders who shepherd God's people and serve as examples to the Church. We weren't designed to figure out Christianity alone. There are people who have been following Jesus longer than we have. They've wrestled with difficult questions, walked through painful seasons, made mistakes, and learned valuable lessons along the way. We would be foolish not to learn from them.
This is one of the reasons I believe being connected to a local church is so important. Church isn't simply a place where we listen to a sermon once a week. It's a community where we build relationships with people who can encourage us, challenge us, and help us grow.
If you're struggling with something you believe about God, find a mature Christian you trust and ask them about it. Talk to a pastor, a small group leader, a teacher, or someone whose life reflects a genuine commitment to following Jesus. And if you don't have anyone like that in your life, perhaps it's time to become more intentional about building relationships within your church.
We all need people who love us enough to encourage us when we're right and gently correct us when we're wrong.
The Truth Is Worth Pursuing
Toward the end of this passage, Paul makes something clear: his goal isn't to please people. His goal is to serve Christ (Galatians 1:10). That's an important reminder because sometimes the truth isn't what we want to hear. Sometimes Scripture challenges a belief we've held for years. Sometimes the Holy Spirit convicts us of something we'd rather ignore. Sometimes a trusted Christian tells us something we don't particularly enjoy hearing. But following Jesus means being willing to pursue the truth, even when it's uncomfortable.
The Christians in Galatia were beginning to believe that they needed Jesus plus their own religious obedience to be accepted by God. Paul reminded them that the gospel was already enough.cAnd perhaps that's the most important truth we need to remember.
Our relationship with God isn't built on how good we can become. It's built on what Jesus has already done.
That doesn't mean obedience doesn't matter. It means our obedience is a response to God's grace, not a way to earn it. So here's my encouragement to you this week.
Take some time to examine what you believe about God.
Is there something you've always assumed was true but have never actually examined in Scripture? Is there a belief shaping your relationship with God that might not reflect who he really is? Open your Bible. Spend some time in prayer. Have a conversation with a trusted Christian. And most importantly, be willing to discover that something you've believed might be wrong.
Because the goal of following Jesus isn't to become increasingly confident that everything we already believe is correct.
The goal is to become more like Jesus as we grow in our understanding of the truth.