It IS this simple....

"The righteous will live by faith." -- Habakkuk 2:4; Romans 1:17; Galatians 3:11; Hebrews 10:38

Someone asked me yesterday, "How do you know you are right? People have been getting God wrong for centuries, so how do you know you are doing it right now?" Well, that is an honest question. One I used to ask a lot before I truly figured out the answer. And it isn't complicated.

I think throughout history people have tried to over complicate the true meaning of being a Christian. It seems beneficial to organized religion and Churches to over complicate the issue. Because if it was really simple would we need religious leaders, would they somehow become less powerful.

That one line from the Old Testament, which God felt was so important it was repeated three times in the New Testament, is a line that changed the face of Religion as we know it. For that is the line of scripture which hit Martin Luther with such force as to bring about the Protestant Reformation!!

Luther, who had spent many, many years trying to be righteous and please God but always falling short, was in the depths of despair in front of God. And what did God do, he brought to his remembrance a line of scripture Luther had been lucky enough to see once in a bible chained in a library. You see, in those days, the bible was not readily available to be read by the average human. They relied on the teachings of the church to figure out Christianity. I won't go into the corruption which ensued through humans being entrusted with that responsibility, that is for another time.

However, the light which was turned on for Martin Luther in the simplicity of this scripture "The righteous live by faith" would forever change him and in turn the course of Christianity. For in those five words, Christianity is summed up. It isn't about you or me or our good deeds. It is about our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. It IS that simple. We are Christians because we have faith in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We have faith that God sent his only Son to become sin and shed his blood for our salvation. Period. The good works and righteous living come out of that, not the other way around. It isn't complicated. We don't need scholars to interpret it for us.

In this time of Christmas, try to remember the simplicity of it all. Jesus was born to take away the sin of the world. Period. As I said yesterday, He was born, so He could die and we could live. Let the simplicity take hold of your heart and change the way you live today!!

And don't forget, share this message with someone today. You never know who's life could be changed forever!

"For it is by grace your have been saved, through faith - and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - " -- Ephesians 2:8

Prayer:
Lord, help me to understand, I am not saved by my works, this is not about me, I am saved through Your grace and Your grace alone. I have done nothing to deserve salvation but through the blessed gift of Your Son, my Savior. Keep those five words "The righteous live by faith" always in my mind, so I never forget the awesome gift I have been given. In Jesus name, Amen.