The Necessity to Remain Gospel-Centered

By Dr. Tim Orr

“I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and is turning to a different gospel” (Galatians 1:6, NIV). With these words, Paul confronts the Galatian churches with urgency and gravity. To abandon the gospel is not just to misunderstand a theological concept; it is to reject the grace of God and the very foundation of life in Christ. Paul’s astonishment speaks to a timeless challenge: how do we remain anchored in the true gospel amidst competing messages that distort its power and beauty?

This question is central to Galatians and the broader exploration of the gospel’s unparalleled significance. In my book, Gospel-Centered Christianity and Other Religions: Unpacking the Depths of the Gospel—Its Foundations, Power, and Uniqueness, I examine the very truths Paul defends in Galatians, highlighting how the gospel of Jesus Christ stands apart from all other worldviews. The gospel is unique in its foundations, transformative power, and universal in its relevance. It offers something no other belief system can: grace, divine initiative, and the promise of a personal relationship with the living God.

Paul’s words to the Galatians remind us that the gospel is not merely one path among many—it is the ultimate good news for all people. To remain gospel-centered is to grasp its beauty, depth, and power to transform individuals and communities.

The Gospel: A Ticket or a Key?

One of the most dangerous misunderstandings of the gospel is treating it as a mere ticket to eternal life. Imagine someone receiving the key to a mansion filled with treasures but only using it to unlock the front door, leaving the key on a table, and living as if they were still outside. This is how many approach the gospel—as a means to get to heaven rather than the foundation of a transformed life.

Paul rebukes the Galatians for turning away from the gospel as though it were insufficient. The Judaizers insisted on adding works to grace, treating the gospel as something that needed supplementation. But the gospel is not just a ticket to salvation; it is the key to understanding God, humanity, sin, and redemption. It is the lens through which we see the world and the power by which we live in it.

The False Gospel of Legalism

Legalism is one of the most pervasive distortions of the gospel. Imagine a runner carrying a backpack full of rocks, convinced they must complete the race with this burden to prove their worth. This is the picture of legalism—a belief that our standing before God depends on our performance.

The Judaizers promoted this mindset by insisting that Gentile believers adhere to the Mosaic law, particularly circumcision, to be fully accepted by God. Paul’s response is stark: “If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let them be under God’s curse!” (Galatians 1:9, NIV). Legalism denies the sufficiency of Christ’s sacrifice and burdens believers with the impossible task of earning grace.

In today’s world, legalism manifests in subtle ways. It might look like equating God’s love with our ability to attend church, read Scripture, or avoid certain sins. While spiritual disciplines are important, they are not the basis of our acceptance before God. As I discuss in my book, the gospel offers what no other religion can: divine initiative. In contrast to the works-based systems of other faiths, the gospel declares that God comes to us, accomplishing what we could never achieve on our own. This is the radical message of grace that sets the gospel apart.

The False Gospel of License

On the opposite end of the spectrum is license—the belief that God’s grace gives us the freedom to live however we want. Picture a person recklessly spending money on a credit card, convinced that someone else will pay the bill. License treats grace as a license to sin, diminishing the seriousness of God’s holiness and our need for transformation.

Paul addresses this mindset in Romans 6:1-2: “Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means!” Grace doesn’t free us to indulge in sin; it empowers us to overcome it. The gospel transforms us, aligning our lives with God’s purposes.

In Gospel-Centered Christianity and Other Religions, I explore how the gospel offers a unique balance of grace and truth. Unlike relativistic worldviews that celebrate moral freedom or mystical systems that downplay personal responsibility, the gospel calls us to holiness while assuring us of God’s unchanging love. Grace is not the absence of constraints but the power to live within God’s design.

Contrary Messages of the Heart

The human heart, as Tim Keller (2012) observes, is like a broken compass, prone to drift toward false gospels. These contrary messages can take many forms, from performance-driven religion to self-focused spirituality. Here are a few examples:

1. Performance-Driven Religion:
   Legalism in disguise equates God’s love with our ability to follow rules. It leads to pride when we succeed and despair when we fail.
2. Therapeutic Religion:
   This version of the license reduces the gospel to self-help. It emphasizes feeling good about ourselves rather than addressing our need for reconciliation with God.
3. Cultural Gospels:
   These messages of success, comfort, and personal happiness dominate our world. They promise fulfillment but deliver emptiness, pulling us from the true gospel.
4. Relativism:
   Relativism rejects absolute truth, replacing grace with tolerance. It avoids the hard truths of the gospel in favor of a shallow, feel-good spirituality.

These distortions highlight the gospel's uniqueness. Unlike other worldviews that depend on human effort or abstract philosophies, the gospel is centered on God’s initiative and transformative power. It is both deeply personal and universally relevant.

A Different Gospel Deserves Rejection

Paul’s warning in Galatians 1:8-9 is uncompromising: those who preach a different gospel are under God’s curse. This isn’t about theological nitpicking; it’s about life and death. The true gospel is the only message that saves. Anything else is a counterfeit that leads to destruction.

We must examine if our hearts trust the gospel’s message of grace and divine initiative with the works-based systems that reflect other religions. While many faiths emphasize human effort or mystical enlightenment, the gospel uniquely declares that salvation is a gift from God. To turn away from this truth is to turn away from life itself.

Living a Gospel-Centered Life

How can we remain anchored in the true gospel amidst competing messages?

1. Preach the Gospel to Yourself Daily:
   Remember that your identity is rooted in Christ, not your performance or feelings. The gospel is not just for nonbelievers—it is the foundation of daily Christian living.
2. Rest in Grace:
   Trust in the sufficiency of Christ’s work. Resist the pull of legalism by remembering that you are fully loved and accepted by God.
3. Pursue Holiness:
   Avoid the license trap by recognizing that grace empowers you to live a life that honors God. Obedience is not a condition of salvation but a response to it.
4. Engage with Scripture:
   The Bible is the anchor that keeps us grounded in truth. Regularly study God’s Word to deepen your understanding of the gospel and to guard against error.

Conclusion

The gospel of Jesus Christ stands alone in its power, beauty, and relevance. It is not just another path to God but the ultimate good news for everyone. Like the Galatians, we are tempted to turn to different gospels that promise control, fulfillment, or approval apart from Christ. But the gospel’s message of grace, divine initiative, and transformation is unmatched. To remain gospel-centered is to embrace the truth that Paul so passionately defends in Galatians—a truth that changes everything.

References

Keller, T. (2012). Center Church: Doing balanced, gospel-centered ministry in your city. Zondervan.
Orr, T. (2024). Gospel-Centered Christianity and Other Religions: Unpacking the Depths of the Gospel—Its Foundations, Power, and Uniqueness. .
The Holy Bible, New International Version. (2011). Biblica.

Tim Orr is a scholar of Islam, Evangelical minister, conference speaker, and interfaith consultant with over 30 years of experience in cross-cultural ministry. He holds six degrees, including a master’s in Islamic studies from the Islamic College in London. Tim taught Religious Studies for 15 years at Indiana University Columbus and is now a Congregations and Polarization Project research associate at the Center for the Study of Religion and American Culture at Indiana University Indianapolis. He has spoken at universities, including Oxford University, Imperial College London, the University of Tehran, Islamic College London, and mosques throughout the U.K. His research focuses on American Evangelicalism, Islamic antisemitism, and Islamic feminism, and he has published widely, including articles in Islamic peer-reviewed journals and three books.