Don’t Make It Difficult

READ

All too often, we overcomplicate the Gospel. 

It’s difficult for us to grasp how God could declare us worthy of infinite, inexhaustible, unconditional love. We are most familiar with human love—which is limited, provisional, and often transactional. When we are faced with a love that is so freely given, we don’t know how to receive it. So we try to earn it.

We create intricate systems of hoops to jump through, believing they will help us “get right” with God. We impose rules and restrictions on ourselves, striving to win favor that we’ve already been given by grace. 

When we overcomplicate the Good News, our faith becomes a burden instead of a joy. We go from rejoicing in God’s loving presence to completing a religious to-do list. 

Caught up in our “holy hustling,” we do more than exhaust ourselves—we distort the message for others. We make it seem as though people must meet certain criteria to be loved and forgiven by God.

If we’re not careful, we can present the Gospel as a system of rigid rules rather than a relationship that leads to resurrection life. In doing so, we risk making faith feel inaccessible and unattractive to those who are seeking God—building barriers to belief instead of inviting them into the liberating fellowship with Christ.

Let’s take a moment to read Acts 15:1-19:

While Paul and Barnabas were at Antioch of Syria, some men from Judea arrived and began to teach the believers: “Unless you are circumcised as required by the law of Moses, you cannot be saved.” 

Paul and Barnabas disagreed with them, arguing vehemently. Finally, the church decided to send Paul and Barnabas to Jerusalem, accompanied by some local believers, to talk to the apostles and elders about this question. The church sent the delegates to Jerusalem, and they stopped along the way in Phoenicia and Samaria to visit the believers. They told them—much to everyone’s joy—that the Gentiles, too, were being converted. When they arrived in Jerusalem, Barnabas and Paul were welcomed by the whole church, including the apostles and elders. They reported everything God had done through them. 

But then some of the believers who belonged to the sect of the Pharisees stood up and insisted, “The Gentile converts must be circumcised and required to follow the law of Moses.” So the apostles and elders met together to resolve this issue. At the meeting, after a long discussion, Peter stood and addressed them as follows: “Brothers, you all know that God chose me from among you some time ago to preach to the Gentiles so that they could hear the Good News and believe. God knows people’s hearts, and He confirmed that He accepts Gentiles by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He did to us. He made no distinction between us and them, for He cleansed their hearts through faith. So why are you now challenging God by burdening the Gentile believers with a yoke that neither we nor our ancestors were able to bear? We believe that we are all saved the same way, by the undeserved grace of the Lord Jesus.” Everyone listened quietly as Barnabas and Paul told about the miraculous signs and wonders God had done through them among the Gentiles. 

When they had finished, James stood and said, “Brothers, listen to me. Peter has told you about the time God first visited the Gentiles to take from them a people for himself. And this conversion of Gentiles is exactly what the prophets predicted. As it is written: ‘Afterward I will return and restore the fallen house of David. I will rebuild its ruins and restore it, so that the rest of humanity might seek the Lord, including the Gentiles—all those I have called to be mine. The Lord has spoken—He who made these things known so long ago.’ And so my judgment is that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God.”

REFLECT

At the Council of Jerusalem, early church leaders debated what Gentile converts must do to be saved and welcomed into the fellowship of believers. Those belonging to the “sect of the Pharisees” insisted that the Gentiles should be bound by the Law of Moses. It only seemed fair—after all, they had dedicated their entire lives to memorizing Torah, keeping Sabbath, and adhering to strict dietary laws. It didn’t seem right to let pagan newcomers have it so easy. They wanted the Gentiles to reform their ways and prove their piety before they were welcomed into the church. 

These Pharisees may have had the best of intentions. They wanted the Gentiles to honor God rightly and take their faith seriously. Yet their concern for right worship gradually overshadowed compassion and inclusion. In their fervor, they made the church exclusive. They built barriers to entry and expected moral and ritual perfection from the converts, something they themselves had failed to attain.

But here’s the truth: God welcomes us into His family just as we are. We don’t have to “get it together” to receive His love and forgiveness. The church should reflect that same grace. No one should feel the need to “clean up their act” before joining God’s family. Our doors should be open to all whom the world deems “unholy” or “unclean.” 

The church should operate as a sanctuary and hospital for sinners, not a museum of self-righteous “saints.” 

God does ask us to repent and change our ways. As we walk with Him, we are transformed by the grace of the Holy Spirit. We become people who give generously, serve humbly, forgive easily, and listen lovingly. But these changes are the fruit of our salvation, not prerequisites for it. 

When inviting others to the faith, we should introduce them to the person of Jesus, not a list of rules to follow. After an authentic encounter with Him, they will experience a heart change. When we share the Good News, we can lead with love rather than correction, trusting that God will transform everyone that turns toward Him. 

Outsiders should feel embraced by our church, even in the middle of their mess and missteps. God freely welcomes the broken, the wayward, and the rejected, without preconditions. We ought to do the same. As James reminds us, “We should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God.” 

RESPOND

Take a moment to process what God might be leading you to do in light of what you read. 

• Have you ever felt like you had to reach a certain moral standard in order to be embraced by a Christian community? 

• How can you take active steps to help others feel welcome in the church? 

REST

Take a moment to rest in God’s presence and consider one thing you can take away from your time reading, then close your devotional experience by praying: 

Loving God, thank You for loving and accepting me, just as I am. Let Your church reflect Your welcoming, invitational nature. Correct us when we impose strict rules and religious restrictions that make it difficult for others to come to faith. Remind us that the doors to Your church are open wide to all. Let our church be accessible, hospitable, and alluring to those the world views as “broken” and “too far gone.” Lord, we love and thank You. Amen.

Port City writer Kate Redenbaugh wrote today’s devotional.