Watch as Ray David unpacks Galatians 2:1-10 and shows us how the Gospel + Nothing = Freedom in Christ.
The Stakes
As Paul describes going back to Jerusalem in Galatians 2, nothing less than Christian freedom and liberty is at stake. And in each of our lives, moment by moment, the Gospel itself is at stake, because we all have a tendency of wanting to add to the Gospel.
But ultimately, the Gospel is never truly at stake, because it is under the sovereign care of God; the good news of Jesus Christ will continue on whether we believe it or not. The stakes of adding to the Gospel are our own confidence and joy. By adding to the Gospel you are not jeopardizing your eternal soul – that is safeguarded in Christ, but you are robbing yourself of the joy and freedom that is yours in Christ.
The Problem
The Gospel message begins with a problem – sin. We see this problem all around us; a broken world where people injure one another and God, where relationships break down because of pride and arrogance.
At it’s core, sin is about us choosing to go our own way. The God, who created the universe, has a way in which we should be living, but we constantly choose to go in a different way. Sin is a problem of not trusting in God, the goodness of His word, and that He knows more than our 3.5 pound brains.
The starting point of the Gospel is that sin isn’t just a problem globally – it is a problem in our own hearts. Scripture says even the very best we can muster is still like filthy rags before God.
You can’t fix the problem of sin yourself, because the problem is far deeper than what we could remedy on our own. We live our whole lives in open rebellion against our God and Creator. Over the course of our lives we accrue a debt before Him that we cannot pay.
An Alien Solution
The Gospel that Paul preached was not ‘try harder’, it was ‘God has done it for you, and He has forgiven your sin’.
The Gospel has nothing to do with you trying to do something for God. The solution to the problem of sin doesn’t come from within, it comes from outside of you – it is an alien solution. The problem is sin, but the answer is the cross. We are far more broken than we would like to admit, but we are far more loved than we could ever dare imagine.
Jesus lived a perfect life for you, and He gives His perfect record of faithfulness to you and me. When God looks at you He doesn’t see you in your sinfulness – He sees Jesus.
Jesus lived the life we couldn’t live, died the death we should have died, and paid the debt we couldn’t afford. Jesus died the death that was yours so that you will never taste death.
It is a Gospel that unlocks the scriptures and changes everything.
A Personal Gospel
The Gospel isn’t just an abstract philosophy, it involves you and your life. The Gospel is deeply personal and it affects us in deeply personal ways. The Gospel changes our marriages, our families, and our work lives. It brings freedom and liberty to our personal lives.
A Complete Gospel
There is nothing to be added to the Gospel. Sin, grace, Gospel, period. One of the main things we add to the Gospel is moralism, but a moral person is no closer to the righteousness of God than the immoral person. God’s righteousness is so much greater than ours that any feeble attempt that we make to close that gap means we fall just as short.
Morals do flow from the Gospel, but moralism adds nothing to it, all it does is shipwreck Christian liberty and freedom. To add to it means that you are requiring more of yourself than what God requires. And when you fall short, it will lead to deep insecurity.
A Gospel That Brings Unity
The Gospel brings deep and profound unity. Church at its best is the gathering of people who have been so radically shaped and altered by the Gospel of grace that they are then gracious to others.
Unity means unity in the Gospel, not blurring lines and distinctions. Be gracious and generous with the weak, but not with the false. If someone is coming to faith in Christ and growing in the Gospel – preach the Gospel of grace. But if someone is eroding or undervalueing the Gospel – come out swinging, because the Gospel is the only hope we have. Preserve the truth of the Gospel.
Remember the Poor
Remembering the poor is not adding to the Gospel, it is an outcome of the Gospel. The Gospel leaves no place for privilege. It leaves no place for you to stand over a person in any way. When you remember the poor, you do it because you remember that you were once poor, but that God in His mercy made you rich in Jesus Christ. You did nothing to earn your wealth; you did nothing to earn your status before God.
The Gospel is for you – it touches and changes your life from the very core. It is complete on its own and needs nothing else, and it brings profound unity.
