doctrines necessary for salvation. On other issues we can differ, see Romans 14. Therefore in my list of good churches before the Reformation I listed only churches that agree with us on every issue needed for salvation.
Paul warned us against Gnosticism. That group of false gospels disagreed with us on the issue of whether Jesus came in the flesh. We have to believe he did, according to 1 John 4:2, 2 John 7. So the gnosticism in the time of Paul was a false gospel, as were various gnostic churches of following centuries. They claimed that flesh is evil, so Jesus could not have come in flesh, he just appeared to have flesh.
Another false gospel already before the Reformation is the Nestorian church, because they don't recognize the book of Revelation, whose recognition is necessary for salvation, according to Rev. 22:19.
And of course there are many ancient false gospels that don't even call themselves churches.
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