In his letter to the Galatians, Paul confronts an issue that strikes at the heart of the Gospel. Galatians is not merely a theological text but a pastoral cry, urging believers to cling solely to the message of salvation through Jesus Christ. Paul wrote to a group of early Christians swayed by "Judaizers" who insisted on adding requirements, like circumcision, to faith in Christ. They believed in Jesus, yet they added something extra—something small, yet something profound. Paul’s message is clear: the gospel is the way to salvation, period..
This leads to a challenging question: If you add anything to the gospel, are you still a Christian? This isn’t a hypothetical dilemma but a live question debated in many circles. Free grace theologians argue that adding even a single requirement to the gospel—anything beyond faith in Jesus’ completed work—disqualifies a person from being a true believer. According to this view, faith in Christ alone is not just a central aspect of Christianity; it is the entirety of the Christian identity. Add one extra requirement, and it’s no longer the Gospel of Jesus—it’s something else entirely.
But what about the Galatians themselves? Paul addresses them as believers, yet he’s deeply troubled by their readiness to embrace “another gospel” (Galatians 1:6). They hadn’t rejected Jesus, but by adding the law as necessary for salvation, they risked abandoning the freedom Christ purchased for them. Here lies Paul’s fierce warning: “If righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!” (Galatians 2:21). Any addition, even a well-intentioned one, ultimately undermines the sufficiency of Christ’s sacrifice.
So, can someone add requirements to the gospel and still be a Christian? The free grace perspective says no—a modified gospel is no gospel at all. But Paul’s tone in Galatians suggests a more nuanced view. These believers were mistaken, yes, but he hadn’t given up on them. He called them back to grace, urging them to abandon the additions and cling solely to Christ.
Perhaps the question isn’t just doctrinal but deeply personal. If we’re tempted to add to the gospel, we might ask ourselves: Do we trust that Jesus is truly enough?
