Profoundly Simple

Growing up in a church is a great experience, but it has the potential to have an adverse effect on spiritual development.  It had an adverse effect on mine.  At an early age I became aware of the fact that there is a major gulf separating me from Heaven.  I also became aware that there is a laundry list of things I could do to get in--and if I didn't do it I was screwed.  

But that's not what the Bible teaches.  To paraphrase John Ortberg, "the Bible is not a list of minimal entry requirements to get into Heaven when you die."  That path does not lead to life.  Jesus taught of only two commandments.  First, "Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.  Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.  The second is this: 'Love you neighbor as yourself.' (Mark 12:29-31)"  That's so simple.  Actually doing that on a consistent basis is difficult, it's a simple command. 

Jesus isn't changing the law of Moses.  He was/ is the fulfillment of that law.  Romans 5 talks about sin entering the world through one man (Adam).  It explains that "before the law was given, sin was in the world," and consequently, so was death.  I love Romans 5:15 which simply says, "But the gift is not like the trespass."  It continues: "For if the many died by the trespass of the one man [Adam], how much more did God's grace and the gift that came by the grace of one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many! Again, the gift is not like the result of the one man's sin."  (Romans 5:15+16).  

Adam, who is human, brought sin into the world.  Jesus, who is God, brought justification.  God is so much greater than mortal man, we all agree on that.  So what He brings into the world is greater as well--freedom, justification, mercy and love.  This basic Christian doctrine which bombarded me as a child is starting to take on flesh in my life today.  I just needed to see it through the a different lens.  

So where does that leave us?  Now that we understand what Jesus did to sin, how do we respond?  As Believers, we can put off spiritual striving.  "Don't complicate the gospel.  It's good news," said a professor of mine.  Don't be like the Pharisees in Mark 12.  Jesus says, "Watch out for the teachers of the law.  They like to walk around in flowing robes and be greeted in the marketplaces, and have the most important seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets.  They devour widows' houses and for a show make lengthy prayers."  

It's the simple mentality of the first being last and the last being first.  In Matthew 11 Jesus thanks His Father for hiding these things from the wise and learned and revealing them to little children.  "For this was his good pleasure."  Right after Jesus had explained that all things in Heaven and on earth have been committed to Him by God he says, "Come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." 

It's two commandments.  Love God.  Love everyone else.  That may sound difficult, but look what Jesus just said--"learn from me."  Psalm 103 says that God knows we're just dust.  Here today and gone tomorrow.  He knows loving everyone doesn't come naturally to us.  So He gives us the Spirit who teaches us and speaks to God on our behalf.  And the evidence of that Spirit living in us are, "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control."  These trump the law.  This is the recipe for living out the only two commandments we need, and the awesome thing is that when we are in tune with the Spirit, they come to us like second nature.  John the Baptist says, "Produce fruit in keeping with repentence."   

I love Jesus' response to the Pharisees and Herodians when they asked him about paying taxes to Caesar.  Jesus asks for a denarius and says, "Whose portrait is this?  And whose inscription?"  "Ceasar's," they replied.  Then Jesus said to them, "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's."  Time after time after time crowds come to Jesus assuming there are rules and requirements and He keeps giving them these simple answers.  Flipping the coin back at their chests He says, "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's."  It doesn't have to be complicated!  The best part of that story is that they were amazed at His answer.  It was profoundly simple.  

So take heart if you feel like you can't live the "christian" life.  If you are doing something that is pure, peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy, good fruit, impartial and/or sincere, then you are pleasing Heaven.  Don't worry what you heard in church, or what other christians might think.  Richard Foster said, "Jesus rejoiced so fully in life that he was accused of being a wine-o and a glutton.  Some of us might live our lives with such sourness that we couldn't possibly be accused of such things, and we think thats good."

I'll end with a quote from Gary Haugen (another hero of mine).  He says, "Something is wrong if Jesus' yoke is light, and somehow mine is heavy."  Don't complicate the gospel.  It's good news.