The Christian life is not meant to be complicated. We came to Christ in simple faith, and transferred our dependence for Heaven upon Him. For some reason, the Devil has tried to convince us now that we’re saved, the process of growing in grace and in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ is complex, and only accomplished through painstaking obedience to the intricate rules and regulations laid out in the Bible.

The early church was attacked by the Devil’s schemes. There were those who came from Judaism who taught that salvation was a product of faith in Christ and obedience to the Law. Such teaching made sense to the minds of those who had been raised under the Law. After all, salvation by grace sounded too easy.

The same ‘works’ addition to salvation found its way into the process of sanctification of the believer. Even if it is believed that salvation is a free gift, apart from works, any growth beyond must come from our efforts and our determination. The deceit is slight, but effective.

The same faith that afforded our salvation in Christ, is the same ingredient necessary for spiritual growth in Christ. Any efforts on our own apart from Christ are merely self-righteousness, and therefore abominable to Christ.

Therefore, the Christian life is based upon a simple concept, that of submitting to, and trusting in Jesus Christ both for salvation and for sanctification.

This basic truth is vital for navigating through the myriad of temptations and snares laid in our path by the Evil One. It is so easy to get caught up in issues that, in and of themselves are not major, but their effect is to divert our attention from our simple faith in Christ, and onto our own lusts and desires.

When defending activities that we allow in our lives, we resort to asking, ‘What’s wrong with what I’m doing?’ We assume that if nothing terribly bad can be said about what we are doing, it must be acceptable. The problem with that thinking is, its emphasis is on what’s wrong, and not on what’s right.

Paul encouraged Timothy along these lines in his second letter to his young protégé. He wrote in…

2 Timothy 2:20 But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour.
21 If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work.

Seeing the Christian life from Paul’s vantage, it is indeed simple. Keep Christ foremost in your life, and the world out.