Therefore the Lord said:

“Inasmuch as these people draw near with their mouths and honor Me with their lips, but have removed their hearts far from Me, and their fear toward Me is taught by the commandment of men.”

If our fear of God is according to the commandments of men, then we shall perish. These are lies and doctrines of devils that don’t help the soul [1 Tim 4:1-5]! It is not enough to be sincere: we must have the truth; it is not enough to quote the Bible: we must get it right. Let your fear towards God be according to the gospel.

There is only one gospel, and it is the gospel of God’s grace through Christ - the gospel of God doing everything and giving it to us freely for His glory. There is no gospel of human will power; it is not of him that wills, or runs, but of Him that shows mercy. “Therefore He has mercy on whom He wills, and whom he wills He hardens [Rom 9:18].” There is no gospel of God did His part, and now we do our part. The gospel is God giving to whom He pleases and irresistibly choosing us from the foundation of the world. Eph 1:4, “Just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love.”

The gospel is Christ dying for the sins of particular people who were given to Him. He says to the Father, “I pray for them. I do not pray for the world but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours [John 17:9].” The gospel is God making us holy by the Spirit and causing us to do good works. The gospel is by grace through faith, and it is not of ourselves, not even the faith that we have to receive it [Eph 2:8-9].

The gospel is God giving life to the dead, even to as many as He predetermined. He could have raised EVERY DEAD PERSON, but He chose to raise Lazarus, and for this we worship Him in His sovereign and distinguishing mercy, poured upon us through Christ, so that our affections run upward. “Then Mary took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil [John 12:3].”

Do not fear the commandments of men. They have no power to burden you, unless you give it to them. Worship Christ in truth, and you do well. The gospel is according to Scripture, and if it is not according to God’s written word, then it is useless and vain. We follow One Master and never two: We owe allegiance to One.