To say that we are living in unprecedented times is an understatement. As we all navigate life these days, I sense the frustration among people is beginning to reach new heights.  It seems that the dawn of each new day is greeted with more regulations, new mandates,  additional recommendations, and restrictions.  Regardless of where you fall on the spectrum regarding rights and safety, it’s becoming increasingly more difficult to know what we are supposed to do.  The path seems convoluted, confusing, and uncertain.  

I’ve been thinking a lot about Thanksgiving and giving thanks.  In a normal year- which I think we can all agree that 2020 is far from normal- I wouldn’t need a holiday to remind me to be thankful.  I’ve always felt that gratitude needs to be a posture that we take every day regardless of what our circumstances are.  But I would be lying if I said that gratitude came easy this year.  I don’t think that I am alone.

So I’ve been reflecting these past few days on all that I am thankful for.  There are the obvious things like my husband and sons.  I am thankful for the church that the Lord has led us to.  I’ve been so blessed by worship this year, and I think that I have truly begun to learn how to worship our Lord.  It’s been a healing balm for the soul.  I’m thankful for the challenges that we have had.  Those very challenges have caused us to see where our priorities lie and if an adjustment is needed. 

Even in the midst of hardship, there is much to be thankful for.

But what the Lord really impressed upon me this week was the simplicity of salvation.  I suppose that the current backdrop of confusion and chaos has helped me see this so plainly this year.  With conflicting messages from city officials, governors, national leaders, and healthcare agencies, it can truly be challenging to know what the right path is. The fact that we live in a world rife with do’s and don’ts, with regulations that do not seem to lead us to an end, shows me the beauty in the simplicity of the Lord’s path to salvation.

Friend, please know that this truly is a simple path.  Many people sully the waters here and take scripture out of context, create their own addendums to the Lord’s plan, or believe lies from self-proclaimed religious leaders.  The Lord’s plan is centered on one word: believe. 

The Lord simply tells us to believe.  Believe that we have a sin problem.  Believe that this sin problem is the very thing that separates us from our holy Heavenly Father.  Believe that nothing of our own doing – not good works, not ritualistic tradition, not outward acts of obedience – provides a path to the Lord.  Our salvation comes through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. 

That’s it. 

I Corinthians 15:3-4 provides the best picture of this:

For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures

It’s through Jesus alone that the forgiveness of sin comes.  It is through His spilled blood that the chasm to righteousness is bridged.  It is through His resurrection that death is defeated forever.

That’s it.

John 14:6 reiterates the fact that salvation comes through Christ alone:

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Simplicity:

And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved…”- Acts 16:31

My friend, it is we who complicate salvation.  It is we who add to its requirements.  It is we who say, “What more must I do?”  Please know that our loving Heavenly Father seeks to add to the fold.  His plan is simple.

In a year of such utter confusion, I am so very thankful for the Lord’s simple plan of salvation.  There is one path that leads straight to His throne.  There will be no changes to the Lord’s plan, no new regulations or requirements, no vacillating back and forth, no conflicting or confusing mandates. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. 

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes…Romans 1:16.