The Simple Truth
Are we overcomplicating our faith?
Verse of the Day
“If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”
Today’s Devotional
Paul is trying to make the point that a works-based faith is unnecessary. He says of those who are trying to earn their salvation that “they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge.” (v.2) The Israelites tried to establish their own path to righteousness. (v.3) They refused to believe that their religious practices had all been turned on their head because of Jesus.
I used to think “Why couldn’t those people just believe that Jesus is who He says He is?” I mean, they saw the miracles. They witnessed many things that simply could not be explained. But then I remember something about myself and all the other humans I know.
Change is hard. Really hard.
I can’t imagine having hundreds of years worth of rules and traditions that became obsolete because of a guy who didn’t fit the mold of my expectations.
Paul’s message is simple, but it was definitely not easy for his audience. It is not easy for us today. How many times have I felt like I needed to DO something to gain God’s approval? If only I would read my Bible more, God will accept me. If I don’t go to church every Sunday, I feel guilty. I haven’t converted anyone to Christianity, so is God even happy with me? I make mistakes often, so how can I be a good Christian?
(Side note: there’s no such thing as a good Christian. If we were good, we wouldn’t need Jesus.)
The simple truth of the Gospel says that if I believe in Jesus, and confess that belief, then I am saved. That’s it. And I think sometimes that seems too good to be true. And if I really do believe in Jesus, my love and gratitude should pour out of my soul through my actions.
Here’s the rub: the actions of someone trying to earn their salvation and the actions of someone who is spilling over with gratitude will likely look the same. And guess what? It’s not my job to judge your actions, or anyone else’s.
If we can accept the simplicity of the Gospel, there is a freedom and joy that bubbles up. What if we each tried an experiment: Let’s acknowledge that it has been a challenging year full of change. Let’s start by giving ourselves some grace for the things we have not handled well. Then…let’s look at the simplicity of the Gospel the way a child looks at anything good. Full of awe, wonder, and excitement. A child does not need to fully understand something to embrace it. Let’s embrace what Jesus is offering us with a childlike abandon. Then let’s share that joy with others. If we could do that…. this world would be a much more beautiful place.
Journal Prompts
Answer only the questions that seem relevant to you today.
Is the simplicity of the Gospel hard for you to wrap your head around?
Do you ever struggle to “declare with your mouth” that Jesus is the Lord of your life?
Do your actions serve as a confession of your belief in Jesus?
How can you embrace a childlike faith today?