I recently made an on-line purchase of a specific item. Then I waited expectantly for the item to arrive. In about a week, the doorbell rang. And I opened the door to a box sitting at the doorstep. I took the box inside the house and proceeded to open it. There was the item I ordered. And I promptly picked it up.
But wait. Something seemed off. As I looked at the item in my hand I realized that it was not the one I had ordered. It looked similar to what I ordered. But it was not the exact same one. And when I contacted the store I discovered that the item I ordered was out of stock. However, they had presumed that sending a similar-looking item, without first conferring with the customer, was acceptable. Well, it wasn’t. So I sent back the substitute item, and requested that they ship the right item as soon as possible.
I usually am not picky. And I do allow room for alternatives
. But I did not appreciate how the store made the switch without asking first. Besides, the item that I ordered was one of those exceptions where I was looking for something quite specific. The substitute did not meet the criteria.
While there is much room for variation in many things, there still are some matters that require a “bottom-line” that should never be compromised. One specific matter that is of absolute importance is the gospel of Jesus Christ. The apostle Paul was quite open regarding certain teachings and practices. But when it came to the core gospel, he was passionately uncompromising. Consider his strongly-worded warning to the believers in Galatia: “I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— which is really no gospel at all” (Galatians 1.6–7 NIV).
For Paul, the gospel was about the grace of God offered through Jesus Christ alone. And the response of faith alone was enough. Certain Christians of the Jewish persuasion were imposing additional requirements on Gentile Christians as necessary for them to be counted as full beneficiaries of the gospel. To them they were presenting the gospel, but to Paul it only appeared similar yet was not the same gospel. The “additions” or “improvements” served only to corrupt the gospel. For what God has accomplished in Christ is already absolutely sufficient in itself. No human effort or idea can improve on it. Now that’s good news!
—Keith Jainga