what is enough?

Paul writes in Galatians 1.6-9; I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.

Regarding Paul's statement Francis Schaeffer writes:

In one of the strongest statements in the Word of God outside of the teaching of Jesus Himself, Paul insists that the name Christ is not enough. The Judaizers had a gospel, but it was “another gospel.” Just as the worshipers of the golden calf had another god — another god under the name God — here is another Christ under the name Christ and another gospel under the name gospel. This passage reminds us of the time Moses in his anger after he saw the golden calf threw down the tables and broke them. Paul confronted the churches of Galatia and said, “Because this ‘gospel’ is ‘ another gospel,’ it is no gospel. Because it is not the gospel which accurately reveals the character of God and Christ, those who teach it are accursed.” The Judaizers’ gospel misrepresented God’s character just as thoroughly as had the golden calf. With the golden calf, God’s character became wrapped up with Canaanite worship. With the other “gospel,” it became wrapped up with the humanistic worship which surrounded the Jews throughout the Mediterranean world — worship that allowed a man to come into the presence of God on the basis of his own works.


To say the words Christ or Jesus or gospel does not help anybody. The Lord Jesus taught that many “christs” would come. The words must contain the content God Himself has given about who Christ is, what Christ has done, and therefore what the gospel is.

But being involved in a Church, saying you are a citizen of Christendom, naming the name of Christ, etc. is also not enough.

When once the master of the house has risen and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, open to us,’ then he will answer you, ‘I do not know where you come from.’ Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets.’ but he will say, ‘I tell you, I do not know where you come from. Depart from me, all you workers of evil!’ - Lk 13.25-27

Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, 4 but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept. But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ But the wise answered, saying, ‘Since there will not be enough for us and for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.’ And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut. Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’ But he answered, ‘Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.’ Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour. - Mt 25.1-13

Being a citizen of Christendom or a member of a church is not enough either. Jesus gave a parable which applies to those today who merely use the name Christ in the midst of church and culture:

Schaeffer asks the question "What Is Enough? What is enough to please God?" and then answers it.

Jesus did not ask the woman at the well to do anything until He had told her the content of who He was as the Old Testament-prophesied Christ (John 4:26-29). Though a citizen of Samaria, she well understood this part of the content of the Old Testament. She said to Christ: “I know that when the Messiah comes, who is called Christ, he will tell us all things.” His answer was explicit: “I who speak with thee am he.” Christ thus identified Himself; He drew attention to His person, to who He is. It was at this point that she believed and passed the information on to everyone in her town, and they later worshiped Jesus as “the Savior of the world” (John 4:42).

We should also notice that Christ did not ask Nicodemus to believe until He identified who He was in a way that Nicodemus, as a ruler of the Jews, would have understood (John 3:13).

John, in his first letter, gives a test for discerning true spirits and prophets from false ones.

Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God; because many false prophets are gone out into the world. By this know ye the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God; and every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God. (1 John 4:1-3)

The spirits and prophets are to be tested by whether they confess that Jesus “is come in the flesh,” a confession that has two elements of content. It affirms both that Jesus existed before and also that He has come in the flesh. In other words, spirits and prophets must acknowledge both Jesus’ preexistence and His incarnation. How are we, then, to test the spirits and the prophets? A strong emotion? All experience? There is only one way: on the basis of the content God has given.

John’s test was not new. The Jews who read his letter would have been reminded of a test God had given in the Pentateuch:

Whatsoever thing I commanded you, observe to do it; thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it. If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or a wonder, and the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spoke unto thee, saying, Let us go after other gods, which thou hast not known, and let us serve them, thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams. (Deut. 12:32 – 13:3)

God commanded the people to kill any prophet who sought to lead them away from the true God. And how were they to identify him? Just as in 1 John 1:1-10: did he adhere to the content and commandments God had already given in Scripture? It made no difference whether that prophet gave a “prophecy” which came true or worked a miracle. It made no difference if the prophet gave rise to strong emotions within. If he contradicted the content of God’s revelation, he was a false prophet.

But while giving these negative commands, both 1 John and Deuteronomy confront us with what is enough to please God. What is enough is believing the content that can be known on the basis of God’s revelation of Himself, that which He has revealed in space-time history, that which can be truly and reasonably comprehended from the Scripture.

I need to know God truly in His self-revealed existence and character. I need to know the real Christ in His person and finished work. I need a right relationship with the God who is really there. In short, I need a right relationship with Christ as my Savior and with the living God as my God.

Nothing short of this is enough.

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