I. The Essence of the Church and Soteriology: By Grace Alone
Pastor David Jang consistently emphasizes that when discussing the essence of the church, one must place soteriology at the very center. Because the church’s most fundamental purpose is to proclaim salvation through Jesus Christ, the question of “how we are saved” is directly connected to the church’s core identity. Pointing to the example of the Jerusalem Council recorded in Acts 15, he notes that from the early days of the church, there already existed a fundamental debate: “Are we saved by faith alone, or must we add legalistic works or merit?” He analyzes that this conflict, albeit in different forms, continues to recur in the modern church.
Indeed, when Paul and Barnabas were engaged in Gentile ministry and declared that the heart of the gospel was “salvation by grace alone (sola gratia),” certain Pharisaic believers who came down from Jerusalem argued that “unless you are circumcised, you cannot be saved.” This signified that law-based obligations or human merit had to be included as conditions for salvation. Pastor David Jang calls this “meritorious faith” or “human-centered soteriology.” In his view, every doctrinal debate ultimately hinges on whether one believes “we are saved by the grace of the Lord Jesus” or not, and he regards this perspective as the lifeline at the heart of the church.
Referring to Galatians, where Paul strongly proclaims that we are saved by grace and faith alone, he argues that this truth must remain the church’s most crucial message. Paul’s question, “Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?” similarly denounces the error of treating human righteousness, works, or rituals as prerequisites for salvation. Pastor David Jang adds an important clarification here, stressing that this soteriology does not mean abolishing the law. The law is a precious Word given by God to guide the believer toward a holy life. However, it must not be absolutized as a necessary and sufficient condition for salvation. This resonates with Peter’s words in Acts 15, where he calls such legalistic demands “a yoke that neither we nor our ancestors have been able to bear.”
From his perspective, this issue resurfaces continuously in today’s church. He argues that whenever denominations and general assemblies convene, or whenever new churches are planted in mission fields, we must examine whether the Reformation principle of “justification by faith alone” is truly upheld. At times, he warns, factors such as church administration and expansion, denominational size, or financial concerns can take priority, thus diluting the essential doctrine of salvation. He compares this to “watering down wine to the point of tastelessness,” insisting that as long as the church exists, this matter must be revisited as a central doctrine.
He cautions that if soteriology becomes muddled, the church runs a high risk of degenerating into a human-centered religion and eventually losing both love and power. When trapped in legalism or ritualism, believers lose their assurance of salvation and become bound by various institutions and ceremonies, unable to enjoy true freedom. This is why Pastor David Jang repeatedly emphasizes Romans 1:17: “The righteous shall live by faith.” According to him, the core of the disputes in the early church, the medieval Catholic Church’s sale of indulgences, and the modern church’s institutional errors or conflicts ultimately converge on the same point: “Is the grace of Jesus Christ the only way to salvation or not?” He contends that whenever people try to add human merit or legalistic works to it, the church has lost its sense of direction.
Hence, Pastor David Jang insists that the church must continuously re-examine its soteriology throughout all facets of ministry. From worship and preaching to training pastors and forming seminary curricula, from affirming confessions of faith and denominational constitutions at general assemblies, to planting churches on the mission field and educating believers, every area must remain steadfast in a “grace-centered faith.” He views the doctrinal and spiritual influence of the Acts 15 Jerusalem Council on the early church as something the contemporary church must continue to inherit. The same conflicts that Paul and Barnabas faced while expanding ministry among Gentiles, he explains, persist today in mission fields and in church governance around the world. Ultimately, he concludes that these recurring issues come down to how firmly and faithfully we emphasize and protect the core gospel message—“by grace alone, by faith alone.” He repeatedly states that it cannot be replaced by anything else.
II. Grace-Centered Missions and the Expansion of the Global Church
Pastor David Jang always highlights that the church exists for the purpose of world missions. Viewing Acts 15’s Jerusalem Council as “the first denominational assembly in history,” he notes that the issues the early church faced in expanding missions to the Gentiles apply equally to today’s mission fields. His central argument is that when the church preserves the essence of “salvation by grace alone,” the power of the gospel transcends cultural and ethnic barriers more effectively.
Referring to the history of European missions, he points out that on the one hand, some missionaries oppressed local traditions with a sense of cultural superiority, and on the other hand, others compromised excessively, diluting the Christian identity. He sees both extremes as problematic. According to Pastor David Jang, this parallels the question in Acts 15: “Must circumcision and the Jewish law be conditions for Gentile believers’ salvation?” At the Jerusalem Council, when the Apostle Peter declared, “We believe that they, too, are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus just as we are,” he was effectively laying aside long-held notions of Jewish superiority and legalistic salvation, and affirming that Gentiles also share equally in that grace.
Pastor David Jang argues that this event must be extended as the foundational principle for all missions today. Churches must neither blindly adopt a particular culture nor categorically reject it; in any case, the essence of the gospel must remain intact. The crucial question, he explains, is whether the heart of the gospel—“the cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ”—remains unaltered or becomes blurred. Drawing on examples from missions in Japan and other regions, he stresses that respecting local culture while preserving the essence of soteriology is the way for the gospel to take genuine and lasting root.
He holds a firm position that when churches decide on mission strategies or plan international cooperation at the denominational level, they must not waver in their theological identity and soteriological foundation. Both excessive assimilation and rigid uniformity must be avoided, lest they provoke cultural conflict or distort the gospel itself. To him, Acts 15 illustrates a balance between centrifugal force and centripetal force. While the church must rely on the outward, missionary “centrifugal force” to spread the gospel far and wide, it must also retain the “centripetal force” of “salvation by grace” to maintain unity and preserve its core.
He further underscores the importance of guarding against heretical teachings in mission fields. Historically, practices like the sale of indulgences, pilgrimages to holy sites, or imposing certain rules for salvation have all obscured the central message of “salvation by the grace of Jesus Christ alone.” Echoing Paul’s warning in Galatians that “there is no other gospel,” he states that if the church fails to clarify the sole path to salvation, it will inevitably face conflict and confusion. For this reason, Pastor David Jang insists that even as the church pursues missionary expansion, it must constantly examine its institutions, leadership structures, and confessions of faith to ensure that “grace-centered soteriology” remains at the core. If the balance of soteriology is lost, the church will forfeit its essence and fall into division, regardless of numerical or superficial growth.
From this perspective, he argues that the success of missions cannot simply be evaluated by the increase in membership or budget. Rather, the true standard lies in how clearly and consistently the truth of the gospel is proclaimed and practiced. Just as the declaration “we are saved by grace alone” in Acts 15 formed the foundation for the Gentile churches, Pastor David Jang believes that only when today’s church holds to that same conviction can genuine global missions take place. If the church effectively combines its theological identity with cultural sensitivity, the same dynamism that accompanied Paul and Barnabas as they spread the gospel from Antioch can be re-experienced in the present day.
III. Proposals on Theological Conflicts and Church Order
Having researched church history and served in ministry contexts, Pastor David Jang has wrestled with how to resolve theological conflicts that arise within and outside the church. He observes in Acts 15’s Jerusalem Council that the “first denominational assembly” in history already set a precedent. The leaders of the early church did not merely rely on majority rule to reach a conclusion. Rather, they looked back on the Old Testament and God’s providential work, confirming the actual work of the Holy Spirit together before making their decision. Peter’s confession, the reports from Barnabas and Paul about Gentile missions, and James’s citation of the Old Testament all converged to declare, “God has given the same grace to the Gentiles,” culminating in the unequivocal result that “there is no distinction between us and them.”
He refers to this process as the church’s “conciliar decision,” emphasizing that whenever denominational assemblies convene, the first priority is to discern whether the key issue directly relates to the gospel and salvation or whether it is simply an administrative or political conflict. Administrative matters can be resolved through adequate dialogue and procedural reforms, but if a crucial soteriological question arises, it cannot be handled neutrally or compromised through some form of mixed agreement. “The essence of the gospel” must never be obscured or bargained away, and the final verdict must rest under “Scripture alone (Sola Scriptura)” and “the guidance of the Holy Spirit.”
He diagnoses recurring trends like Docetism, Gnosticism, and liberal theology as arising from attempts to reinterpret the gospel’s absolute essence through human reason, experience, and knowledge. Such attempts, he argues, easily undermine the principle of “grace alone” and eventually drive the church toward legalism, merit-based righteousness, or outright humanism. These errors constantly reemerged in the early church and the Reformation era, and he sees modern variations continuing that pattern.
To foster a healthy resolution of theological conflicts, Pastor David Jang asserts that the church must do three things above all: return to Scripture, respect the testimony of the Holy Spirit, and maintain an open, communal process that listens to the voices of individuals within the community. Acts 15 shows that it was not a single notable apostle like Peter or Paul imposing a unilateral decision, but a gathering of early church leaders, sharing testimonies, and collectively examining the Old Testament before reaching their conclusion. He holds that when such a conciliar decision is made, the church can resolve conflict without losing the essence of salvation, preserving the freedom and grace of the gospel.
He applies this same conclusion to modern divisions and heresy issues. Whenever the bedrock truth that “we receive forgiveness of sins only through the cross of the Lord Jesus, and salvation by faith in that grace alone” becomes blurred, problems arise. He acknowledges that positions on church offices, rites, giving practices, baptismal modes, or the Lord’s Supper are all important aspects of church life, but warns that elevating any of these to a salvation requirement results in forfeiting the early church’s freedom and power in the gospel. Church structures and traditions are meant to be channels through which we share grace in greater abundance—not prerequisites for salvation.
In this vein, Pastor David Jang urges denominational assemblies to serve as “venues of worship and consecration that reaffirm the gospel of grace.” He warns that when general assemblies become arenas for ecclesiastical power struggles or political maneuvering, the church inevitably stagnates. True ecumenical spirit, he says, emerges when believers humbly listen to one another in submission to the Word of God and the leading of the Holy Spirit. Only in such a setting can the church recapture the vibrant decision-making dynamic of the early church, rekindling a spirit of love and service in its midst.
Through his pastoral leadership and denominational work, he underscores “servant leadership.” Just as Jesus taught that He “came not to be served, but to serve,” those holding offices in the church should seek to build others up rather than flaunt their authority, and devote themselves so that more souls might hear the gospel and experience grace. When a church succumbs to triumphalism or hierarchy, human systems and merit overshadow everything else, pushing the grace of the gospel into the background. Every decision at the general assembly or denominational level must thus begin with the question: “How can more souls enter into the grace of Jesus Christ?” rather than “Who holds the highest rank?”
Ultimately, Pastor David Jang concludes that the essential nature of the conflicts in the early church and those in today’s church is not all that different. The tension between Jewish believers and Gentile believers in Acts 15 appears in similar forms even now, and the resolution, as demonstrated by Paul, Peter, and James, remains firmly rooted in “by grace alone, by faith alone.” The reason the Jerusalem Council continues to serve as an archetype for all churches, denominations, and mission fields is precisely this. He also highlights its close ties to the Reformation tradition of “Scripture alone, grace alone, faith alone.”
He ends by noting that doctrine and soteriology must not remain at the level of intellectual understanding but should manifest in actual life through love and service. Since the concept of “grace” is not merely an abstract doctrine or theological declaration—rather, it is the conviction that sinners obtain forgiveness and new life through Jesus Christ—those who truly grasp grace will naturally be motivated to serve and build others up. Without such love, as Paul pointed out in 1 Corinthians 13, “even if you possess great knowledge, it counts for nothing.”
Thus, Pastor David Jang weaves together his views on the church’s essence and soteriology, grace-centered missions and global church expansion, and the resolution of theological conflicts and church order. He believes that only by integrating these considerations—why the church exists, what the gospel is, how it should expand and be preserved—can today’s church recapture the dynamism shown by the early church. Acts 15’s Jerusalem Council remains the most concrete and practical guide in this journey. Pastor David Jang holds that adhering to this principle is the key to confronting the same fundamental conflicts and challenges, merely disguised in new forms, that the church has faced across all eras. At the conclusion, he reiterates that the church—whether at denominational assemblies or on the mission field—must consistently reaffirm its soteriology, relying on Scripture and the Holy Spirit, and strive to become a community defined by love and service. Only in this way, he maintains, can we experience the same passion and power that were present in the early church.