The word “gospel” means “good news.” But at some point, the Apostle Paul says, this good news can be turned on its head to become worthless, bad news. When Paul wrote to the church of Galatia, he was angered by the fact that some false teachers (often referred to by biblical scholars as “Judaizers”[1]) were preaching an entirely different gospel than the good news of grace. On the surface, they claimed to be followers of Jesus Christ, but they also taught that the ceremonial law, brought alongside salvation by grace, would provide many benefits to believers.

As Leon Morris explains, “The gospel Paul had preached was all right as a beginning, [these false teachers] apparently said, but to be mature Christians the law in all its fullness must be followed…. Apparently the teachers Paul was opposing placed the keeping of the law revealed in Scripture as at the heart of the Christian way, whereas Paul saw the gospel as emphasizing the reception of God’s free gift.”[2] In essence these Judaizers would take some of the “best” aspects of the ceremonial law, like circumcision[3] and observing special calendar days[4], and over-emphasize their value in the Christian life. In Paul’s mind, to add anything to the gospel of grace was not to be tolerated, as it eroded the entire foundation of the gospel, turning it into no gospel at all.

Paul was furious with these efforts to “enhance” the gospel with the law!

In other words he’s saying, “Are you kidding me?! How in the world could you believe that faith alone saves you, but following the law after salvation earns you spiritual points with God?” The essence of the gospel is that once we are in Christ, there is nothing we can do to make God love us more, and nothing we can do to make Him love us less.

In Paul’s teaching, grace is inextricably woven into the message of the gospel. Without grace, there is no gospel, no “good news.” A gospel without grace simply becomes a series of self-help principles and rules which, apart from grace, have no lasting effect on the heart.[6] Bill Gothard’s rejection of the biblical definition of “grace” has changed the entire meaning and practical outworking of the gospel. No longer is it about God’s unmerited favor bestowed upon the least deserving, but grace is defined in the Institute in Basic Life Principles’ Basic Seminar as “the desire and power that God gives us to do His will.”[7] So think about it—Is it really by the desire and power that God gives us to do His will that you are saved through faith? No! “It is by God’s unmerited favor you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.”[8]

If we are trying to live our Spiritual life by a list of rules and principles, apart from an understanding of God’s unmerited favor and a dependence on the Holy Spirit, the Apostle Paul is firm in saying that we will alienate ourselves from Christ. “You who are trying to be justified by law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace.”[9]

Why would Paul state this so strongly? Because a relationship with Christ is NOT ultimately about following the right rules, or about how spiritual we look to others, or even how much we’re showcasing God to the watching world. God doesn’t want us to pretend that we’re His model children so that we can make Him look good to the world. Many of us can relate to the often spoken or unspoken family rule that says, “Whatever you do, don’t say or do anything to make our family look bad.” God is not this type of parent! He wants an authentic, close relationship with us in the midst of our brokenness.

The Christian life is not ultimately about our spiritual achievements, or how we get through this world in one piece so that we can be the “perfect witness” without our hearts and lives ever being hurt or broken. But the gospel of grace is all about how perfectly God loves us through our imperfection and brokenness and how much He longs for a relationship with us in the midst of our weakness. Psalm 34:18 has been a verse I have clung to often through some difficult seasons of my life: “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” He doesn’t simply hold us at arm’s length until we get past our brokenness, but he holds us closely to his heart, choosing to enter into our pain and experience our hurts with us. Isn’t that why Jesus came? He entered into our world, allowing Himself to be hurt as we are hurt, so that He could carry our sorrows.[10]

The writer of Hebrews reminds us that God’s throne is a throne of grace. Free, undeserved and unmerited grace! Because of what Jesus has done for us, we can “approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”[11] As we boldly approach God in a loving, unfearful relationship with Him, we are reminded of our undeserved mercy and His amazing grace time and time again.

This is the gospel of grace. It’s not a gospel of do’s and don’ts, a series of principles to be followed which if followed perfectly will always lead to success, and if followed imperfectly will bring God’s judgment. The gospel of grace proclaims that God’s un-worked for, undeserved favor is always extended to us, not just at the moment of salvation, but for the rest of our lives as we continue to walk with Him. Jesus has accomplished everything for us. There’s nothing left to do that He hasn’t already done for us. We are free to live our lives in joyous abandon, our obedience simply an overflow out of our love for Him and appreciation for His amazing grace.

This is truly “good news”!