Complicating things seems to be a spiritual gift in the church of the 21^st Century. The average Christian in the modern church is almost universally confused. Doctrinal teaching in the church is either non-existent, has no real-life application, or worse, is presented to the layman in high theological jargon that passes right over their heads. This leads to questions, anxiety and wasted potential.

Over 26 years of Ministry I have been asked more silly questions designed to destroy faith than I can count. Because of a lack of sound training, the average church goer finds themselves reading their Bibles in small spurts, picking out favorite passages and coming to wrong conclusions. As a pastor I saw this, as a missionary to the military, I keep seeing it in young people who supposedly grew up in church.

I have met people who are obsessed with knowing the true name of God. Others that are convinced they are of the lost tribe of Israel. Others who mis-interpret I Peter 3:21, believing baptism is salvific. Still others fall into theological traps regarding free will, thinking God does not iron clad guarantee salvation, but may withdraw or allow the believer to withdraw from the contract of grace.

Doctrine is supposed to be simple and easily understandable. Especially the Gospel. Having a good understanding should lead to a simple life where endless questions, fables, genealogies and the like are not given space in the believer’s life (I Timothy 1:4).

A further complication, which I have already hinted at, is verse theology. This is simplicity that complicates. Bible reading is at an all-time low in the church, with most taking a hit-or-miss approach to their daily devotional time. I have ministered to people for years and found out after 5, 6, even 8 years knowing them that they have never read through the entire Bible. That despite my constant admonitions to do so. The result? They “find” verses that “speak” to them and build entire childish theologies upon that.

How many times must we tell people that the context of Philippians 4:13 is NOT accomplishment but rather endurance in the face of persecution and trials? Or that the previously mentioned I Peter 3:21 does not teach that baptism is essential to salvation? Or that Ephesians 2:10 does not teach that salvation is maintained by good works?

Worse even than silly questions and verse theology is Intentional Ignorance. Many try to absolve themselves of responsibility by keeping themselves from deeper knowledge. It is as if Luke 12:48b is not a warning to stay faithful, but an encouragement to stay ignorant and uninvolved.

None of this is an unavoidable consequence of the age we live in. It can be rectified by strong pastors and teachers who are willing to risk some social capital in order to see real growth in their flocks. Let’s look at three areas where simplicity will actually lead to greater growth in the modern Christian.

Understanding the Gospel

Let’s begin by doing some legwork, building a foundation. What is the Gospel? The Gospel can be simply stated, even though we add lots to it. Jesus defined it in Luke 24:46….”Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day.”

Paul tried to state it simply, but as a preacher, he found himself unable to resist the temptation to elaborate a bit.

I Corinthians 15:1-4…Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:

As a Christian you must become intimately familiar with the Gospel narratives in the four Gospel books of the New Testament. Matthew Chapter 27, Mark 15, Luke 23 and John 19 all recount the crucifixion and death of Christ. The following Chapters detail His Resurrection.  Read those chapters over and over again. Work out the six-hour timeline of Christ on the Cross for yourself. The more you know, the simpler you can explain it.

From these Scriptures we can define the Gospel as the Good News that Jesus Christ died on the cross, was buried, and on the third day rose from the dead. That is it. You don’t need any more to state what the Gospel is. BUT… after you present the Gospel, you need to elaborate a bit on what that information means. That is where we get into trouble.

We love to complicate things. It makes us feel smarter than we are, unravelling some “deep truth.” This tendency makes us prone to elaborating, adding, embellishing.  This can lead to false doctrine. Therefore, KISS the Gospel (in case you’ve never seen that acronym before, it means Keep It Simple, Stupid. Sorry for my bluntness, I work with Marines and Sailors every day. I have to be blunt and even offensive to get through to them. It is how God uses me). When you are talking to someone about Jesus, stay focused. Do not get distracted by silly questions. Do not let the conversation drift into arguments over irrelevant things like dinosaurs on Noah’s Ark or denominational differences, Bible versions or end-times timelines. Those things are important… AFTER Salvation. Your main job as a Christian is to be preaching and teaching repentance AS YOU ARE GOING THROUGH THIS WORLD (Matthew 28:19) The command to “GO” is actually an imperative… it’s an ongoing expectation, it is not Jesus telling you to get walking, it is Him telling you that AS YOU WALK you should be telling others about Him.

So, Keep it Simple. But how?

Sharing the Gospel

The first question we ought to ask is why? Why should we share the Gospel? Because without it, no one gets to escape Hell or enter Heaven. Far too many “receive” Christ and think “Good, got that done, now I can relax knowing I will not go to Hell.” I would argue that those who think like that might want to check themselves and see if they really did receive Christ as Savior (II Corinthians 13:5).

Besides offering others the opportunity to escape the coming judgment, there is a second reason to witness. Gratefulness. 

Think about it. What did Jesus do for you? He died in your place when you were still a worthless reprobate. He suffered, bled and died so that you wouldn’t have to be separated from Him for all eternity in the darkest pits of Hell. He did this when you were still just a worthless worm (Romans 5:8). The fact is, He paid your debt. He purchased your soul. Therefore,  YOU OWE HIM. As I look at the church today, I see so very little thankfulness, so little gratefulness. As if we think we DESERVED to be saved.

But we didn’t. I know I didn’t. I still don’t deserve one ounce of His Grace. THEREFORE… I owe Him. I am saved because my PapPaw, a Baptist preacher, his brother Daniel, a Church of God of Prophecy preacher, and an old timey preacher I only knew as Preacher Jack, preached to me as a young man. I came to know what the Gospel story was, what my sin-condition was, and what my destiny without Christ was. I came to Christ because other people told me about Him. Therefore, other people need to come to Christ, and I need to be the one to tell them.

At the end of Acts Chapter 2 there is a phrase translated in the KJV “And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.” I have always read this passage as such as would be saved. There are people on this earth who would be saved if only I would tell them how. I have to believe that. If I don’t, I’ll fall into a pit of deterministic theology, absolving myself of any responsibility to engage in the Great Commission.

Knowing our responsibility, the next questions are self-evident: How and When? And the answers are also evident: Simply and Often.

Living the Gospel

“The man who has begun to live more seriously within begins to live more simply without” -Ernest Hemingway

If we have a better understanding of the Gospel, and if we are sharing the Gospel, somehow our lives should be impacted by it, correct? I believe this understanding should lead to a simpler life. One less wracked by unanswerable questions, persistent sin and failed relationships.

To live simply in grace, we first have to accept it for what it is. Too many “Christians” are daily shipwrecked not just by the sin they commit, but by their inability to accept that GRACE HAS NO MEMORY. Psalm 103:12 still says the Father has removed our transgressions from us as far as the east is from the west. Micha 7:19 still says He will cast our sins into the depths of the sea. Micha 7:18 says He does not retain His anger towards us because He delights in mercy!

I have watched so many mess up and refuse to return out of an overwhelming sense of shame. “God has turned His back on me” is a refrain I have heard more than I would like to recount. If Grace is free, if the Father cannot go back on His word, if forever is truly forever, if Jesus was not lying in John 5:24 & 10:28, if Eternal Security is really taught in Scripture (and it is) then we MUST accept grace for what it is: Jesus doing for us what we could not do. That is, making us righteous before the Father. Imputing His righteousness upon us and giving us access, forever, to forgiveness.

I John 1;8 & 9 are quoted often to remind Christians to confess their daily sins and walk right before God, trusting in His promise to cleanse us. I agree. Look at it this way: Relying on the previously quoted Psalm 103 and Micha 7, when we confess sins committed post-salvation, aren’t we actually REMINDING the Father that we are sinners? Didn’t He forget our sins?  So in a very real way its like this: When we remind Him that we are sinners, He is faithful and just…” I can almost hear the Father talk back to me at times, saying “What do you mean? I already forgave that! What are you doing?” We complicate our walk with bad theology, with silly questions, and with a basic misunderstanding about grace which says, “your not coming back, you’ve always been here. Just stop acting so stupidly!”

Knowing all of that, we need to apply these simple truths to our lives and simply live… simply.  I tell folks all the time, the Christian life is not complicated. There really are no hard and fast rules to keep except to Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself. In doing that, we will naturally keep His commandments, His testimonies, and His statutes. When we mess up (and we will), come back and get our feet cleaned. Confess quick, get a fresh influx of Grace, and be grateful you have a Father who loves you so much He not only made a way for you to find eternal life that is simple and easy to accept, but also a way that offers a simple avenue to be restored complete and whole.

 Therefore, keep it simple, stupid. Live in the presence of the Lord. Live like He is living inside you right now (because He is – check out Ephesians 2:22). Stop building your life on precarious stilts propped up by out of context verses and silly questions. Build it instead on a simple, strong, rock-solid foundation. Christ died, Christ was buried, Christ rose again. It is just that simple.

-Dave Mason