No Other Gospel: 31 Reasons from Galatians Why Justification by Faith Alone Is the Only Gospel
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Challenging, Refreshing, Relevant... The Gospel!
In reviewing Josh MoodyâÂÂs, âÂÂNo Other Gospelâ I found myself constantly challenged and refreshed. Serving as the pastor of College Church in Wheaton, Illinois, Moody has presented to us in this book the collection of his thirty-one weeks of exposition in the book of Galatians. Clearly evident is his warm and dedicated tone of pastoral care and concern embodied in devotion to the proper handling and communication of the text. Moody has done well to extend his heart and passion as a pastor, in seeing the truth of Gospel carefully and truthfully explained to the reader. Following not just only in the âÂÂpulpit footstepsâ of College Church predecessor R. Kent Hughes, Moody has written this text in the same manner and style of the many of the wonderful volumes of pastoral expositional commentary that Hughes penned for the âÂÂPreaching the Wordâ series. The congregation of College Church has been blessed to have such long-standing weekly access to the passionate and able handling of GodâÂÂs Word.
Moody brings to the reader a reminder of why Galatians reaches out to us and grabs us (and really we need to let it) from the pages of Scripture. While Romans tends to be the biblical text that we find ourselves returning to over and over again in exploring, examining and applying the core doctrines of the gospel and a lifecycle of faith. Moody explains throughout his work that Galatians provides for us, especially as Christians, a daily relevance and much needed exhortation to hold these same glorious truths up as a foil against our lives in constant reminder that we cannot add to or subtract from, anything of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We are justified by faith solely in the redemptive work of Jesus Christ and our salvation is earned completely in His unmerited grace. In a world where individual accomplishment and personal status-quo reign, it is a great temptation to believe that the outworking of our faith and salvation follow suit. It is by the transformative power of the Gospel alone that we are changed when we place it centrally in our lives as the lens by which we filter all of life.
âÂÂWe tend toward human gospels. Their taste suits our palate. We prefer things that are perhaps masked in novel formulations or interesting speculations but which at bottom line are basically human. They have the similar fee to all other gospels that are really no gospel at all. That feel is one of humanness. It is one of looking to please other humans. The gospel of God is by its nature not designed to please humans. It is designed to please God.â (9-10)
While I could write at length concerning MoodyâÂÂs excellent volume, IâÂÂll let his writing do the talking to you. âÂÂNo Other Gospelâ is a book I highly commend, especially in light of our lifelong struggle as Christians to war against our wills, to put to death, legalistic, me-first tendencies in favor of embracing the Gospel of the true God, a Gospel of faith-wrapped, grace-given mercy and glory. âÂÂNo Other Gospelâ is well written, engaging and, above all, passionate for the truth of GodâÂÂs Word to bring life-giving transformation.
âÂÂI know of no power in the world but the Gospel of Jesus Christ that brings a new creation. I have no hope for the future of the world, or the church, but the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Anyone I have seen transformed to a new creation has been made so through the cross of Jesus Christ. The flesh does not like this. It is deeply humbling. Our selfish self is crucified as we put our trust in Christ alone, but as we do, the Holy Spirit make us new. The Gospel is the power for a new creation, and the Gospel renews the church, too.â (273)
MoodyâÂÂs book is a joy and encouragement. He has done us a favor by presenting to us the meat of Galatians by, as he describes as, âÂÂunleashing the sharp swordâÂÂ. I, for one, am thankful that Moody has handled the sword of the truth of the unvarnished Gospel deftly, and has not at all blunted it, but polished and sharpened it for effective evangelistic and discipleship work.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Crossway as part of their Blogger Review Program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commision's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."
August 31, 2011
There Really Is 'No Other Gospel'!
âÂÂThe Bible tells us that the true Gospel is presented to show that it is more concerned with pleasing God than with pleasing us......the Christian church [however] has become a technique for how to win friends and influence people. We donâÂÂt criticize. We seek to arouse in others an eager want. We are, in other words, people-pleasersâ (Chapter 5- âÂÂThe God-Pleasing GospelâÂÂ). At least that is what Josh Moody, the bookâÂÂs author, would have us believe! Is he right though? Personally I consider him to be spot on. Without a doubt, the number one reason for a church abandoning the Biblical gospel of justification by faith alone is the sin of pride. The church abandons the gospel when they want to be accepted by the world, and become preoccupied with pleasing men more than they are in pleasing God through Biblical faithfulness.
No Other Gospel: 31 Reasons from Galatians Why Justification by Faith Alone Is the Only Gospel, authored by Josh Moody (published by Crossway) is a book that seeks to tackle the ever-present question of âÂÂWhat is the gospel?â Through careful exegesis of the book of Galatians Moody explains why justification by faith alone is the true gospel and he identifies why straying away from this truth has consequences. Historically, Moody is not the first Christian to have tackled the issue of the gospel as articulated by the apostle Paul in this great epistle of the Bible. Martin Luther sparked the Protestant reformation when his soul was awoken to the glorious truths of salvation with the simple, yet eternally profound truth that âÂÂno man is justified by the law in the sight of God, [it is] evident: for, the just shall live by faithâ (Galatians 3:11, KJV).
MoodyâÂÂs book is ideal for both the layperson and the pastor as it can be read as both a commentary and a devotional. With the book being divided into 31 chapters (excluding the introduction and the epilogue) it is ideal to use as a daily devotional alongside the study of Galatians, as Moody provides great applications throughout. This is due to the fact that the book is a collection of sermons that Moody preached to his local congregation. However, there is also enough commentary within the text to aid the pastor in sermon preparation. He uses good illustrations and provides great applications and exhortations within each chapter, one my favourites being âÂÂI beg you not to move away from the message of grace. If you do, you will move away from the experience of peaceâÂÂ.
In summary, No Other Gospel is a great read. Timely, informative, edifying and challenging it exalts Christ as saviour, has the glory of God as its focus and stays true to the biblical gospel of justification by faith alone. My only criticism (a critique for the sake of it really) is that the book could have perhaps been put together in fewer chapters. I found it difficult to retain everything that was said about each passage and feel that this may not have been the case if the books had fewer chapters. That being said, the book is still great and I highly recommend it.
February 28, 2011
Perfect as a devotional
Moody sums up this book in the subtitle: 31 Reasons from Galatians Why Justification by Faith Alone is the Only Gospel. These 'reasons' provide a refreshing combination of solid exegesis, theological faithfulness, clear application, and personal illustration in one source. Based on a series of sermons Moody preached to his congregation, this resource reads more like an extended devotional than a verse-by-verse commentary. In fact, 'No Other Gospel' was a great resource for me as our church participated in the January Bible Study on Galatians used across many Southern Baptist Churches. Knowing we would have a brief study on Galatians led me to plan a sermon series on Galatians later in the year. Since Moody has arranged his book in 31 reasons, it will be a book that I read devotionally as I prepare the sermons. I will read this book side by side with Luther's Commentary on Galatians, and no doubt will grow in my knowledge, understanding, and application of God's Word as it reveals 'no other gospel'.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Crossway as part of their Blogger Review Program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commision's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."
February 15, 2011
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