No Other Gospel is a collection of sermons written by Josh Moody, pastor of College Church. This collection actually includes 31 separate chapters and an epilogue that comes in at 275 pages.
Being that there are still conversations taking place between Protestants and Roman Catholics regarding the nature of Justification, a book like this can still be helpful for those who espouse an understanding of the gospel in terms out of the lineage of Anselm, Tyndale, Luther, Calvin, etc. Moody stands squarely in that same tradition, one that he shows is found throughout Paul’s letter to the Galatians.
The thing about a book of sermons is they will either be really good or really bad. Why? Because sermons are generally really good or really bad, right? Okay, perhaps not always, but in my experience a book of sermons can be boring or difficult to relate to since we’re often removed from the community context that the sermon came out of and was delivered in. But there are some real gems out there (think Martyn Lloyd-Jones!). I think it’s safe to say that Moody can be added to that list of good sermon collections.
What I appreciated most about Moody’s book is that his interaction with Paul’s Galatians adequately raises questions against those who teach a Justification by works as well as raising questions for those who teach a “gospel” that centers upon “easy-believism” or “relgiousity” or “legalism.” In other words, the apostle Paul is allowed to speak against a vast array of errors that have made their way into our pulpits, bible studies, and the theological convictions of many. This is one of the strong points of this book. I was challenged in a number of ways, and I’m in the same lineage as Moody! For that, I’m grateful. For example, Moody write
“Paul here [Galatians 3:1-5] is making a distinction between the gospel of grace and this thing that the Galatians were getting into. We are distracted by different things, and our perceptions as to how non-Christians define Christianity will differ, but we need to understand that there is a distinction between biblical Christianity and a form of Christian non-Christianity, that is, what has the husk but has lost the kernel, the substance, the power, and the grace of God.” (p. 132)
It’s writing like this that challenges the common concept of “Christian moralism” as a replacement for the biblical gospel, and we would do well to listen to Moody, who is simply fleshing out what Paul wrote for the Galatians.
No Other Gospel is a great book. Lots of substance to weigh through, though it is different than a scholarly commentary on Galatians because it clearly was written within a church community for the church community. It’s warm and winsome.
Luke is a pastor-theologian living in northern California, serving as a co-lead pastor with his life, Dawn, at the Red Bluff Vineyard. Father of five amazing kids, when Luke isn’t hanging with his family, reading or writing theology, he moonlights as a fly fishing guide for Confluence Outfitters. He blogs regularly at LukeGeraty.com and regularly contributes to his YouTube channel.
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