A Christian means a person who heard the Gospel, received it and believed it. I don’t know if I can ever find a better definition for the word Christian than that. A Christian is the one who heard the news that what was expected of him/her before God has already been fulfilled by Another One on his/her behalf. So, all they have to do is to receive this Good News and rest.
And if a Christian lets go of this Good News, he/she stops being a Christian. There is no “another” Good News. There is only One Good News! If we add to or take away anything from this Good News, the Good News stop being Good News and it becomes a bad news.
That was the problem with the churches in Galatia. They heard the Gospel from Paul and believed in the Lord Jesus Christ. Then because they believed the Gospel, God poured out His Spirit on them and did many miracles among them. But now they start saying things like, “Something has to be added to the Gospel so that it will be truly a Good News.” Why? They accepted a false teaching that goes something like this: You have to be a Jew first through circumcision and put yourself under the Law of Moses before you become a born-again Christian and be able to receive the Holy Spirit.
So, Paul writes to them saying,
“You foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified? This is the only thing I want to find out from you: did you receive the Spirit by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? Did you suffer so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain? So then, does He who provides you with the Spirit and works miracles among you, do it by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith?” Galatians 3:1-5NASB
Can’t you sense Paul’s anger in his letter? Yes! Rightly so! The Galatians became foolish! Phillips translation actually says this way: “O you dear idiots of Galatia.” Idiots means they have a capacity to think, reason and be rational but they didn’t use this capacity. They chose not.
Somebody bewitched them, somebody did a spell on them so that they let go of the Good News, the only Good News there was for them (still is for us today).
They first believed the Good News they heard from Paul which says:-
“Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain.
For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep; then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles; and last of all, as to one untimely born, He appeared to me also.” 1 Corinthians 15:1-8NASB
Now false teachers sneaked in and taught them that they needed to add something to the Good News so that the Good News will be really and truly a Good News.
May God forbid for us to say and believe the same thing!
Even today many false teachers preach success, health, wealth, prosperity and material possession because Christ Jesus is not “good enough news” for them and for the people they preach to.
Paul continues writing:
“Even so Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness. Therefore, be sure that it is those who are of faith who are sons of Abraham. The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “All the nations will be blessed in you.” So then those who are of faith are blessed with Abraham, the believer.” Galatians 3:6-9NASB
Paul tried to explain to them how Abram was accepted by God as righteous not by any work and deed but by believing what God said to him. What did God say to Abraham?
Listen:
“After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.” But Abram said, “O Lord God, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” And Abram said, “Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir.” And behold, the word of the Lord came to him: “This man shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir.” And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness.” Genesis 15:1-6ESV
Did you see that?
God not only promised to Abram to give him a son but an “offspring” – the Messiah coming from his line, or countless “descendants” (NASB) coming from Abram through the Messiah through faith.
What did Abram believe then?
Abram believed God who gave the promise about the Messiah!
This same “offspring” was announced or promised to Adam and Eve in the Eden Garden after they sinned against God while God cursed the serpent. Listen:
“The Lord God said to the serpent,
“Because you have done this,
cursed are you above all livestock
and above all beasts of the field;
on your belly you shall go,
and dust you shall eat
all the days of your life.
I will put enmity between you and the woman,
and between your offspring and HER OFFSPRING;
HE shall bruise your head,
and you shall bruise his heel.”” Genesis 3:14-15ESV (capitalization is added for emphasis)
Who is this offspring?
The Messiah!
And the whole Bible, all the Books of the Bible, talks about this Messiah from Genesis to Revelation.
And Abram believed God’s promise.
And Paul is saying to Galatians, in effect, you are not Jews but Gentiles but you are children of Abraham because your faith is the same faith with Abraham.
“But you are our Father,
though Abraham does not know us
or Israel acknowledge us;
you, Lord, are our Father,
our Redeemer from of old is your name.” Isaiah 63:16NIV
So, Paul is saying to them, “Abraham’s God, Galatians, is your God!”
Why did Galatians or us, you and me, need the Messiah?
None of us can be justified before God by keeping “ALL” the Laws of God! None! And all who cannot keep the law, as Scriptures tell us, are cursed:
“Cursed be anyone who does not confirm the words of this law by doing them.” Deuteronomy 27:26ESV
Who are the cursed?
Everyone who came from Adam, you and me included!
So, Paul continued writing:
“For as many as are of the works of the Law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who does not abide by all things written in the book of the law, to perform them.” Now that no one is justified by the Law before God is evident; for, “The righteous man shall live by faith.” However, the Law is not of faith; on the contrary, “He who practices them shall live by them.” Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”— in order that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we would receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.” Galatians 3:10-14NASB
Isn’t that beautiful or what?
We are cursed! Destined to go to hell! No hope whatsoever! Our fate is sealed! We are dead, lying in our grave!
But God, elelelelelelelelelele!
But God, by sending His Sinless Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross on our behalf, He lets us live with Him forever! Jesus Christ took our curse and presented us to God as righteous! He redeemed us! May His name forever be praised!
Jesus became a curse for you and me so that we can be righteous before God.
Is there any better Good News than this?
Believing this truth will make us children of Abraham and make us as righteous as Christ is before God. Christ took our curse and He gave us His righteousness.
Is there any better Good News than this?
How can then a Christian be comforted by anything else but by the Cross of Jesus Christ! Does a Christian need anything more than this?
None because there is none!
Will health, wealth and prosperity comfort a Christian?
Are you kidding?
The comfort a Christian has is eternal! No need to add to the eternal comfort! A Christian is filled in Christ.
Only one “የምስራች!” This Good News we already have! So, we don’t go anywhere and we don’t need to hear any more thing!
This “የምስራች” is good enough “የምስራች” for a Christian for today and eternity! We don’t wanna be idiots by letting go of this one Good News! Do we? ///