Below is a helpful summary of Seven Conterfeit Gospels that continually find their way into our churches and our thinking. These are cited in How People Change by Tim Lane and Paul Tripp. (HT: Justin Taylor). I've found them to be very helpful and convicting as I am prone to wander from the Cross of Christ.
1. Formalism: “I participate in the regular meetings and ministries of the church, so I feel like my life is under control. I’m always in church, but it really has little impact on my heart or on how I live. I may become judgmental and impatient with those who do not have the same commitment as I do.”
2. Legalism: “I live by the rules—rules I create for myself and rules I create for others. I feel good if I can keep my own rules, and I become arrogant and full of contempt when others don’t meet the standards I set for them. There is no joy in my life because there is no grace to be celebrated.”
3. Mysticism: “I am engaged in the incessant pursuit of an emotional experience with God. I live for the moments when I feel close to him, and I often struggle with discouragement when I don’t feel that way. I may change churches often, too, looking for one that will give me what I’m looking for.”
4. Activism: “I recognize the missional nature of Christianity and am passionately involved in fixing this broken world. But at the end of the day, my life is more of a defense of what’s right than a joyful pursuit of Christ.”
5. Biblicism: “I know my Bible inside and out, but I do not let it master me. I have reduced the gospel to a mastery of biblical content and theology, so I am intolerant and critical of those with lesser knowledge.”
6. Therapism: “I talk a lot about the hurting people in our congregation, and how Christ is the only answer for their hurt. Yet even without realizing it, I have made Christ more Therapist than Savior. I view hurt as a greater problem than sin—and I subtly shift my greatest need from my moral failure to my unmet needs."
7. “Social-ism: ” “The deep fellowship and friendships I find at church have become their own idol. The body of Christ has replaced Christ himself, and the gospel is reduced to a network of fulfilling Christian relationships.
As for the True Gospel, here is a good summary from the Together for the Gospel website:
The Gospel is the joyous declaration that God is redeeming the world through Christ , and that he calls everyone everywhere to repent from sin and trust Jesus Christ for salvation.
Each of us has sinned against God, breaking his law and rebelling against his rule, and the penalty for our sin is death and hell. But because he loves us, God sent his Son Jesus to live for his people's sake the perfect, obedient life God requires and to die in their place for their sin. On the third day, He rose bodily from the grave and now reigns in heaven, offering forgiveness, righteousness, resurrection, and eternal blessedness in God's presence to everyone who repents of sin and trusts solely in Him for salvation.
( Matthew 1:21; Luke 1:68; Ephesians 1:7; Col. 1:20; Mark 1:15; Acts 2:38; 17:30; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:23; John 3:16; Eph. 2:4; 1 John 4:10; Romans 8:4; 1 Corinthians 1:30; Hebrews 4:15; Isaiah 53:5; Mat. 20:28; 26:28; Mark 10:45; 14:24; Luke 22:20; John 11:50-51; Rom. 3:24-25; 4:25; 1 Corinthians 15:3; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Eph. 5:2; Hebrews 10:14; 1 Peter 3:18; Matthew 28:6; Luke 22:69; 24:51; Hebrews 8:1; Ephesians 1:7; Romans 5:19; Romans 8:11; Revelation 22:4)