The Gospel is so easy, it’s hard

I find it amusing that we often equate difficulty with legitimacy. What I am talking about is the idea that unless a person has struggled with [fill in the blank], they have no legitimate claim to share.

Alright, let’s look in the Bible at 2 Kings 5, the story of Naaman. Naaman was a great general for Syria who contracted leprosy. A servant girl suggested he go to Israel and ask to be healed. Naaman goes and takes with him millions of dollars’ worth of gifts and bling. When he gets there, rather than a ritualistic program that would require him to do some outrageous deed, Elisha sends a servant. This servant tells him to bathe in the Jordan River seven times. Naaman goes berserk. He cannot believe that the priest/prophet would snub him. He can’t handle that a servant would tell him what to do, and he cannot believe a simple bath would cure him. It’s all too simple.

I wonder how many people think that being a Christian should be difficult. How many non-Christians think they must go through extensive hoops and ladders to follow Christ? I also wonder how many of our churches tend to make following Christ so difficult.

The reality of following Christ is as simple as praying and accepting Him as your savior. That’s it. There are no dues, or high signs. There are no secret handshakes or special moves to make to be a follower of Christ. All you need to do is call upon Him. That is, it. It can’t get any simpler.

We live in a “you must earn it” world. To get ahead in any occupation, we must earn our stripes. We learn, apprentice and then, eventually, we become the teachers for others who want to apprentice. This is the way of the world. We cannot ask for anything unless we have earned it. Many successful people have a hard time with the simplicity of the Gospel Message.

Like Naaman, folks want something hard to do. I wonder if that isn’t so that if they fail, they can blame the process, just a thought. But it is the simplicity of calling on Christ that makes it so hard. Romans 10:9 tells us to “confess with our lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead…” so that we may be saved.

“Too simple” says the world.

“Have Faith” says Christ.

You see, what eventually came about for Naaman was putting faith in such a simple task. For us it is the same. To be washed from leprosy, Naaman had to bathe in the Jordan seven times. For us, to be washed from sin, it is as simple confessing that Jesus Christ is Lord and then follow Him.

Faith, my friends. It is just that simple. Faith in Christ, not in our works. Faith in Christ is all we need to live in Christ.

Just a thought.

Shalom my friends. See you in church.