Have you heard the simple message of salvation sent by God? Have you received the good news made available to all mankind? It is simple and not complex as many religions and religious people make it out to be with the addition of rule upon rule, command upon command, to make it hard to bear, understand, or follow.
But the Word of God and the call from the one who has made the sacrifice on your account communicated it in simplicity. Jesus calls out a message of hope, forgiveness, direction, and love to anyone willing to listen and follow Him by faith.
Jesus said, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the Gospel.” Mark 1:15
But what is the Gospel? It is this. You have broken God’s Law. You have lied, stolen, hated others, looked with lustful eyes, and coveted others’ possessions. You have not worshipped the one true God as He commanded, which is sin and breaking His Law. Therefore, God calls all to repentance, to turn from sin, and follow Him.
Jesus said, “If you would enter life, keep the commandments.” “You shall not murder, You shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother, and you shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Matthew 19:17-19
Because of this, you are a lawbreaker in God’s eyes. He is righteous and pure. Therefore, He must punish sin no matter who is guilty. Someday you will die, and you will stand before Him in judgment. He has a record of every thought, deed, and motivation you have ever had and will find you guilty of sin. Who can save you from your sins?
Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 1 Corinthians 6:9-10
Jesus, God’s only Son, came to earth and lived perfectly. He never sinned. Then He died for the sins of the world. He was buried and rose again three days later. Because of this, Jesus defeated sin and death. He took the punishment you deserved.
For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, 1 Corinthians 15:3-4
Now He offers you salvation and the forgiveness of your sins. But you must believe that He is God. You must repent of your sins, turn away from your sinful ways, and follow and obey Him. Give your life entirely to Jesus because He did all this for you.
“Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to Himself.” Acts 2:38-39
Simply put, you must believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior, repent, follow, and obey Him by faith. To the religious who convolute the Word of God to create error, salvation becomes too complex, but in reality, it is very simple. Either you will humble yourself and obey God, or you will become prideful and do what you want to do. The latter method leads to Hell but the former leads to Heaven. It is your choice.
The command of Jesus is simple: believe, repent, follow, and obey. If you continue on the way you have been living, in sin, you do not believe in Him, you will not repent, and you will not follow and obey His commands. It is that simple. So turn from sin, obey His commands, and do not rebel against God.
Many men of religious backgrounds tend to go on to teach and complicate the simple message of God’s Word. Unfortunately, these men make the Gospel far too intellectual, going into great detail explaining theology, doctrine, hermeneutics, and the like. But Paul warned that this would draw away the people into vain discussions and arguments. It is happening right before our eyes, and it twists God’s Word to make us look smart. It quickly becomes a message other than what is true. But it will be their demise if they do not repent for their sins.
Certain persons, by swerving from these, have wandered away into vain discussion, desiring to be teachers of the law, without understanding either what they are saying or the things about which they make confident assertions. 1 Timothy 1:6-7
What Jesus says is so simple and basic that a child can understand. Yet most don’t even get it. Was it complex for the thief on the cross to be saved and join Jesus in Paradise that same day? Was it problematic for Peters’ jailer to believe in Jesus and his whole family in one night? Was it difficult for the disciples who dropped their nets immediately to follow and obey Jesus at one simple request?
And Jesus said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Immediately they left their nets and followed Him. Matthew 4:19-20
Jesus and His faithful followers do not muddy the water, adding to the message. It is simple, pure, and powerful to those willing to see, hear, and obey. The Gospel of Jesus Christ and His message must remain simple to retain its power to convert a sinful heart into flesh. It must stay the same to transform the mind and spirit from death to life. It humbles the proud nature and causes those with childlike faith to follow and obey Him.
And Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of Heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of Heaven. Matthew 18:3-4
It is the Spirit of the Lord who saves and changes. So it is by the power of God. God stretches out His hands to all who might hear and believe it. No eloquence of human words will ever improve it, though if we can make it more understandable, that is a significant endeavor. But beware, Jesus boldly and rightly rebuked the religious leaders in His time for their arrogance and sin when they twisted what was true, which sent more to Hell than Heaven.
“The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat, so do and observe whatever they tell you, but not the works they do. For they preach but do not practice. They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger.” Matthew 23:1-4
“But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut the kingdom of Heaven in people’s faces. For you neither enter yourselves nor allow those, who would enter to go in. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel across sea and land to make a single proselyte, and when he becomes a proselyte, you make him twice as much a child of Hell as yourselves. Matthew 23:14-15
It is a grave matter in the eyes of Jesus that you never make His simple message too complex by adding or subtracting from the His simple truth. So again, it is good to explain the Gospel to make the message clear but never change it.
So I call to you today to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. Repent of your many sins and turn away from your sinful ways, whatever they may be. Read the Bible, starting with the Gospel of John, which is the Word of God. It is the spiritual food you need to be able to follow and obey His commands. Learn more from searching scripture and seeking instruction from the Spirit of God so you can more clearly communicate the Gospel to a world lost in sin.
Remember that we don’t always have to tell people a long, drawn-out message, but God speaks to everyone with simplicity and to all who listen; He offers new life, love, forgiveness, guidance, healing, and eternal life through Jesus Christ. Believe in His simple message of hope, listen, and obey. Then follow Him instead of the path of religion that makes the message man-centered instead of God-centered. Please believe in Jesus Christ, repent your sins, follow His commands, and obey His call today.
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. John 14:6
Jesus said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the Gospel’s will save it. For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? For what can a man give in return for his soul? For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him, will the Son of Man also be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.” Mark 8:34-38
The Soul Sower 