Simple Christianity

Sometimes I get confused. I get confused concerning different denominations, different theologies, new things in Christianity such as modern music, "relevant" Christianity and church services, watching movies, why Christians don't observe the Saturday Sabbath when it is a commandment of God, and other issues. I don't want to make you thing that I am confused because of lack of study. The reason I am so confused is because I have studied myself into confusion. I won't get into details right now. I am not writing tonight to elaborate on the causes for my confusion. I have been earnestly praying to God to help me and to give me clarity. I think He has done that.

I opened up my Bible tonight and it fell open to Galatians chapter 3, where St. Paul says,

"O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified. Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? Did you suffer so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain? Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith— just as Abraham "believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness"?

"Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham. And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, "In you shall all the nations be blessed." So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith."

As far as I know, I am a Gentile. How then am I justified? I am justified by faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. I have faith that He who began a good work in me will see it through to the day of completion. I love Jesus Christ, and I place my trust totally in Him.

So, this for me settles many issues. Being justified by faith in the Son of God, will I be perfected then by my flesh? According to St. Paul, no. So if I worship God on Sunday because the Church at some time in history changed the date to make a distinction between them and the Jews, I am not guilty of breaking any law, because I am not under the law, nor will I be made perfect by the law. The purpose of God's Law is to lead us to Christ. All who would live by the law must live exactly and perfectly by the law, which no man or woman has ever been able to do. So the law serves as a moral guide, and the law also continually points us to Jesus Christ, and Jesus Christ points us to the law, showing that we are continually in the need of His mercy.

Concerning music, TV, movies, etc, this is easy now. I believe it is wrong to become so opposed or so scared of these things that it becomes superstitious. One must ask himself questions before he watches/listens to something, such as, "will this help me love God more? Would this be offensive to God? Am I going to walk away from this being edified or will I walk away with perverse thoughts?" There are other questions one could ask oneself, but I think you get the point. It is put well in Philippians 4:7-9, "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you."

As a Christian we must simply believe in Jesus Christ as God's Son who died to take away our sins and live grateful lives unto Him, serving Him all the days of our life in happiness and love towards others. Jesus told us what the greatest commandments are. Here is his reply to a man who asked Him what the great commandment is, "And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?" And he said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets."

Jesus said that ALL the Law and the Prophets depend on those two commandments. Why did God give us these commandments? For our own good. Those who love God with their whole being will also love their neighbor, for how can a man love God who he has not seen when he does not love his brother? Love does no wrong to those who love is shown. This is Jesus' highest law: Love. That is the end of all His will for us. So I pray, that with God's help, I will have a heart filled with love for God and for all around me. Bitterness kills, and I am tired of being bitter. This doesn't mean that I have decided to be naive, or that I decided to stop noticing wrongs and pointing them out. True love is much different that the love that the world knows.