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For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
John 3:16 (NIV)
Today’s Encouragement
How do you define a Christian? Do we make it more complicated than God’s definition found in John 3:16? God tells us that whoever believes in Jesus, God’s son, will not die but will have eternal life. I love the simplicity of the message found in this verse.
Believe
But sometimes, I want to make Christianity much harder than needed. I want to set the ground rules for who should get into heaven. And I base this on what I believe a Christian should do or not do. When I see the drug user on a street corner, I might think to myself, “a Christian should not act that way.” Or I might adopt the belief that someone is too evil to be a Christian. Can a mass murderer really find salvation? I judge them because I believe their sins are so much greater than mine.
Have you ever watched someone sin and thought “I’m not perfect, but I would never do that!” We compare our sins to someone else’s, and if we believe theirs are worse, well, then we feel a little better about ourselves. We compare as if there are grades of sin. But God says sin is sin. Period. And He forgives all our sins in the same way.
I think we make ourselves feel better by judging and comparing one sin against another, but compared to God’s standard—we all fall short. Romans 3:23 (NIV) shows that “all of us have sinned and fell short of the glory of God.” Even the worse sinner among us is offered the opportunity for salvation by believing and accepting Christ. God wants all of us to spend eternity with Him. God made the process simple and free to all; He does not need us to complicate it.
Pray
Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for loving us so deeply. When we try to complicate our faith, show us how to keep it simple. Remind us to believe and accept Jesus into our heart. Help us remember to share the good news of the gift of salvation with others. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Reflect
How do you try to complicate our faith?
Have long tried to share the ABCs of Salvation when someone is led by the Holy Spirit to respond to the gospel message when we share The Good News of the Gospel with them. Admit you are a sinner (we all are), Believe upon Christ, and Confess. As those who carry to gospel message to others, it is imperative that we don’t consider “the job done” when we lead someone to Christ; He does the work of salvation, not us, we just sow seed. We must be prepared to help the new Christian to build upon the solid foundation that is Christ through discipleship. Such an important message Ms. Yvonne. Thank you ma’am.
I love your ABCs of salvation. How perfect and worth remembering. And you are correct, we just get to participate in the process while Christ does the work. What a blessing that He includes us in His plans. Thank you JD.
Thank you for this message. I am thankful for God’s forgiveness and mercy when I fail. Have a blessed day! 🙂
I hope your day is full of blessings too Melissa. Thank you.
We’re reminded by Scripture not to judge others, but it is so easy to fall into the trap of judgement and comparison. You’re message is an inspiring reminder for us to recognize we are all sinners and only by God’s grace are we forgiven. Thank you, Yvonne.
Amen Katherine. We do fall for the enemy’s trap so easily with this one especially. Blessings
It’s great insight when you point out our perception that others’ sins are greater than our own. Others may have done heinous things. We also may have discouraged someone from faith through a stray word or thoughtless act.
We can’t judge the magnitude of our own sin. God forgive us please!
Thanks, Yvonne. God bless!
So true Nancy. We do judge other people’s sins while trying to minimize ours. So often those are the things that drive people away from faith. May God forgive us indeed. Blessings
“We compare our sins to someone else’s, and if we believe theirs are worse, well, then we feel a little better about ourselves.” Been there, done that, Marilyn. It never works. Thanks for setting out the truth.
Me too and sometimes still try it and it still doesn’t work. Thanks Annie. Blessings
I see people over complicating the gospel all the time. Thank you for sharing this reminder that God made it simple so all could be saved.
Thank you Jennifer. Blessings
I really do think we over-complicate our faith. NONE of us is worthy. God’s gift of salvation is entirely unearned by us and a measure of God’s extravagant generosity. As you say, “we make ourselves feel better by judging and comparing one sin against another, but compared to God’s standard—we all fall short.” We must believe! Repent and believe. Period.
Perfect summary, believe and repent. We spend so much wasted time looking at others and checking out all the things they do wrong. Thanks Jessica
We certainly can complicate salvation and faith. Thanks, Yvonne, for the reminder to keep is simple.
Thank you Debbie. I appreciate you visiting and commenting. Blessings
Yvonne, such a simple and yet great message. We often over complicate things, including Christianity. Thank you for writing this.
Thank you Karen. I know I try to over complicate things in my life and faith. But, I keep trying to do better. Blessings