Have I Made Faith and Christianity Complex?
But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent
beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the
simplicity that is in Christ.
1 Corinthians 11:3 (KJV)
Humans
are complex creatures. Sometimes we have the tendency to turn simple tasks into
complicated feats. When we expect something to be difficult, we often set out
to find a complex solution. This can blind us to the simple things standing
before us. Let me give an example.
Two
guys dropped by a house to run a quick errand. When they returned to the car,
the doors were locked. The driver, had a bad habit of leaving his keys in the
ignition, so they were locked out. They borrowed a coat hanger, shoved it
through a crack in the window, and began digging for the door lock. The little
boy next door watched with interest.
Minutes
rolled by and frustration set in. Both guys took turns poking and prodding
until one made a desperate suggestion. “We might as well just break the
window.” Not wanting to pay for a window, the driver took another try with the
coat hanger.
To
his surprise, the door popped open. Stunned, he stepped back. Two little feet
emerged and there stood the neighbor’s kid. “How did you get in there?” one of
them asked since a few moments ago the little boy was standing outside the car.
“The
back door was unlocked,” the little boy said. While they were digging on one
side, the kid decided to try the doors, and found one open. It was a simple
solution, but no one thought about trying the back doors.
Faith
is often like this. People search for complicated formulas, rules, and lists of
to-do’s. But the truth is, faith is so simple, a child can understand. That's the main point of what is said in 2 Corinthians 11:3? Simplicity that is in Christ.
The
Bible isn't complicated and is written for the benefit of all. God's intention
is to communicate to you all things that pertain to your life and godliness. In
the scriptures we first see the revelation of God to us, and then the reconciliation
of our lives to Him. From this gift of the revelation of God's love, all things
flow.
Jesus
also affirmed the simplicity of the gospel when he said, “The greatest
commandment is to love God with all your heart. The second command comes out of
the first, to love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang
all the law and the prophets.”
Could
it be any simpler than this? Through two commandments everything else is
fulfilled. Truly, the Christian life is simple to understand. The challenge is
that we naturally want to make things complicated.
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