Galatians starts off with the statement: “Paul, an apostle, not from men or by man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised Him from the dead” (Gal 1:1). That is a powerful statement. Why? Because it teaches us a central truth. That truth is that the Gospel is the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is not added to or supplemented by anything of man. Essentially Paul is saying that there is a difference between the pure Gospel of God and the stained gospel of man.
This too is the premise behind Pastor Tullian Tchividjian’s newest book called “Jesus + Nothing = Everything. Even the cover leaves nothing to doubt about what this book will be about. Plain black with only the words the title in white gives an idea that this book is about a no frills added faith. The Gospel is Christ and Christ is the Gospel. A main theme of the book is what our idols are. For some it may be self-pleasure. For others, it may be acknowledgement by others. The point Pastor Tullian makes is that they are there and are corrupted the Gospel in our lives by adding something to it.
The book is a helpful primer for new Christians and a welcome reminder for those that have been a Christian for a while. Either group will benefit and be drawn back to the true essence of the Gospel.
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Ecclesiates 12:12
