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Dec 30, 2025 06:00am

No Tools Required: Why the Gospel Really Is That Simple

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Do you remember “Topsy Tail”? It was one of the biggest trends for girls in the 90s.

I saw a commercial on TV and told my mom I just had to have one of those tools! I wanted my hair to look like that instead of some ordinary ponytail. But Mom wasn’t buying it.

I saw my friend at school with her hair in a Topsy Tail, and I thought if I could just figure out how that tool worked, I could make one of my own and then do that hairstyle. But upon further investigation, as a third-grade sleuth, I realized you didn’t need the tool at all.

You just put your hair in a ponytail, part your hair, and flip the ponytail inside the part. And boom—you’ve got a Topsy Tail!

I tried it, and it worked! I didn’t need to buy or make any tools to have this fashionable hairstyle. I couldn’t believe it was that simple.

Galatians 3:1–5
“Oh, foolish Galatians! Who has cast an evil spell on you? For the meaning of Jesus Christ’s death was made as clear to you as if you had seen a picture of his death on the cross. 2 Let me ask you this one question: Did you receive the Holy Spirit by obeying the law of Moses? Of course not! You received the Spirit because you believed the message you heard about Christ. 3 How foolish can you be? After starting your new lives in the Spirit, why are you now trying to become perfect by your own human effort? 4 Have you experienced so much for nothing? Surely it was not in vain, was it?
5 I ask you again, does God give you the Holy Spirit and work miracles among you because you obey the law? Of course not! It is because you believe the message you heard about Christ.”

The Galatians were enamored with false teachers who claimed that salvation came by faith in Jesus and doing good works. Many insisted that you had to follow the Law of Moses and believe in Jesus in order to go to heaven.

But Paul—who knew the truth of the gospel and knew that he had taught them the truth—wanted to get things cleared up quickly. Why was Paul having to repeat himself over and over? Because the Galatians just couldn’t believe that salvation was really that simple.

Faith in Jesus alone. Period. Nothing else.

To them, that felt too simple. Surely there had to be something more. The Law had been around for so long and came with countless rules to follow. But Paul reminded them they didn’t need anything else—no tool, no works, no effort—just faith in Christ.

It’s that simple.

Do you know the truth of the gospel? Think back to the first verse you probably memorized as a child—

John 3:16: “For this is how God loved the world: He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.”

Why is this one of the first verses we’re taught? Because it clearly explains the gospel message.

Who can be saved? Everyone.
How? By believing in Jesus, the Son of God, who gave His life for us.
What happens next? Eternal life.
Why? Because God loves us.

It’s that simple.

Do you believe that? If so, confess that truth to the Lord and be saved. And if you already believe, live it out. Share this message so others can know how simple the gospel truly is.

Galatians 3:14 says, “So that we who are believers might receive the promised Holy Spirit through faith.”

Not through good works.
Not through the number of prayers we pray.
Not through church attendance.
Not through baptism.

Faith alone in Jesus Christ and His finished work on the cross. It’s that simple.

If you want to learn more about Jesus and what it means to follow Him, visit follow.Lifeword.org. It’s free, it’s simple, and it’s the truth.