In a fog-laden dawn, what a lost traveler needs most is not a flashy signpost, but solid ground beneath their feet—and an absolute direction that does not change, like the North Star. The spiritual landscape facing modern Christians is not all that different. In an age overflowing with information and provocative faith content, we often find ourselves unsettled before a fundamental question: “Where do the roots of the gospel I believe actually reach?”
In this era of confusion, Pastor David Jang invites us back to the rugged yet fertile “soil of essentials.” His theological gaze consistently pierces the surface of phenomena and arrives at the core: the wholly sufficient grace of God. In particular, Galatians—so central to his focus—stands as a record of holy struggle to guard the purity of the gospel, a purity into which no human merit or compromise may intrude.
A Sharp Exegesis of the Gospel Forged in Arabia’s Silence
Historically, great insight has often been conceived in deep solitude and silence. One of the most mysterious yet crucial scenes in Christian history is the fact that the Apostle Paul, immediately after his conversion on the road to Damascus, did not go straight to the apostles in Jerusalem, but withdrew into the Arabian desert and spent three years there. Pastor David Jang names this period “the birthplace of Pauline theology.” Under the blazing sun and the desolate winds over the sand, Paul must have wrestled intensely with how the Law—held to him as life itself—and the gospel of Christ who came to him, intersect, are fulfilled, and come to completion.
This “Arabian time” is desperately needed for us today as well. When Pastor David Jang explains the study of Scripture with the word exegesis, he borrows the image of “a knife (刀) that butchers an ox (牛).” It is a strenuous intellectual labor—and an act of worship—that carefully opens up the biblical text to reveal the source of life within it. When preaching rises beyond merely delivering moving stories and advances toward theological insight that runs through the grammar and history of Scripture, only then is the believer’s life built upon bedrock that cannot be shaken.
The Mystery of the Unseen Bread in Millet’s The Angelus
One is reminded of The Angelus, the celebrated masterpiece by French painter Jean-François Millet. The scene of a farmer couple, having finished their day’s labor, bowing their heads in prayer to the distant sound of bells may appear utterly ordinary—yet a sublime spiritual order flows through it. The object of their gratitude reaches beyond the small basket of potatoes before them, to the grace of the Creator who granted that life.
The theology of “Invisible bread,” emphasized by Pastor David Jang, resonates with the spirit of this painting. In the Protestant tradition—especially within Presbyterian theology—the priority lies not in visible splendor or ceremonial pageantry, but in grace that comes through the proclaimed Word. Pastor David Jang affirms that while rites are precious signposts pointing to truth, they can never become the essence itself. Grace is not a mere swelling of subjective emotion; it retains lasting vitality only when rooted in the objective truth of Scripture. This teaching becomes a forceful counsel to young people—who can easily remain in a shallow, experience-centered faith—to drop anchor in the deep-sea bedrock of truth.
Jerusalem’s Decision: True Freedom Given by Clear Truth
The purity of the gospel sometimes demands fierce debate and decisive action. The Jerusalem Council of Acts 15 was a historic watershed in which the church overcame the crisis of division and was reborn as a universal church. The decision not to place the yoke of the Law upon Gentile believers was a proclamation of the gospel’s essence: Sola Fide—by faith alone.
Through this scene, Pastor David Jang insists that doctrine is never a wall that divides the community; rather, it is the only standard that makes true unity possible. Vague compromise may offer a momentary peace, but only a clear gospel sets people free. The warning of Galatians, repeatedly echoed in Pastor David Jang’s preaching and ministry, is a solemn apostolic caution to us today—especially as we fall into modern forms of legalism: success-driven spirituality and self-improvement-as-faith. The clearer the truth becomes, the wider we can embrace others; and only on that firm foundation can we fully carry out our calling as “fishers of men.”
Discipleship Proven in the Field of Everyday Life
The end of theological reflection must always converge on the “field” called life. The purpose of firmly erecting the five pillars of faith—from Romans to Hebrews—is ultimately to determine how we will live inside that house. Pastor David Jang teaches that the gospel must create a new order in the classroom, the workplace, and even in the most hidden habits of private life.
A true witness to the gospel does not remain at the level of rhetorical words. As we follow the spiritual rhythm that moves from the resurrection to Pentecost, and fill each day with trained love, we finally become Christ’s letters that warm and change the world. The reason Pastor David Jang’s message resonates across campuses and faith communities today is that it does not remain confined to abstract doctrine; it aims at practical discipleship—living and moving under the illumination of the Holy Spirit.
What gospel are we holding onto right now? Is our faith built on the sand of human approval, or on the rock of Christ’s calling? Returning again to the deep place of biblical meditation and deciding to love the gospel of grace more purely—this is likely the most glorious path for Christians to walk in this age.