Tag Archives: Unshakeable faith in an uncertain world

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Christianity Made Simple

Even A Caveman Can Get It

UNSHAKEABLE: Christianity, as opposed to religion, is simple — so simple even a caveman can get it. God made sure of that. Romans 3 provides authentic Christianity in a nutshell: Religion is complex; Christianity is simple. Religion is about what you have to do to be made right with your god; Christianity is about what God has done to make you righteous. Religion requires you to sacrifice to appease your god; Christianity required God to sacrifice his Son to appease himself. In religion, you pay; in Christianity, Jesus paid it all. Religious faith is about works; Christian faith is about belief. Religion leads to death; Christianity leads to life. Now I’m not all that bright — on par with a caveman — but I think I’ll take Christianity! How about you?

Even A Caveman Can Get It - Ray Noah

Unshakeable Living // Romans 3:23-24

Everyone has sinned and is far away from God’s saving presence. But by the free gift of God’s grace all are put right with him through Christ Jesus, who sets them free.

A lot of people are overwhelmed by the complexity of religion. They are intimidated by it, they don’t get it, they don’t want to talk about it—and even if they do want to talk about it, they just can’t wrap their brain around it enough to be able to string enough cogent thoughts together to carry on a stimulating conversation.

But that is absolutely not true about true Christianity. I know, “true Christianity” is a redundancy—but I want to distinguish authentic faith from the messed up stuff that some misguided folk have turned our faith into.

Christianity is simple — so simple even a caveman can get it. God made sure of that. Romans 3 provides it in a nutshell. Here the Apostle Paul, master theologian, who sometimes is not all that easy to grasp, probably foresaw the need for a “Christianity for Dummies” (he was thinking of me!), so he simply, clearly, and briefly spelled out the real condition of humankind, God’s offer of salvation, the essence of faith, and the core beliefs of Christianity in this chapter.

I would highly recommend, as a reaffirmation of your faith and as a great refresher for evangelism, that you go back and re-read Romans 3 in a modern translation, like The Message” or The New Living Translation. You’ll be amazed at the profound simplicity of our Christian faith.

Or I can give you the CliffNotes version:

1. The truth about you and me — Romans 3:9-12

Basically, all of us, whether insiders (Jews who have the Law) or outsiders (Gentiles who live as a law unto themselves), start out in identical conditions, which is to say that we all start out as sinners. Scripture leaves no doubt about it: There’s nobody living right, not even one, nobody who knows the score, nobody alert for God. They’ve all taken the wrong turn; they’ve all wandered down blind alleys. No one’s living right; I can’t find a single one.

2. The bad news — Romans 3:20

For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are [we’ll never attain God’s favor in this life now or in the life to come by being good enough].

3. The good news—Romans 3:21-22

But now God has shown us a way to be made right with him [without our futile effort to be good enough for God]. We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are.

4. Say What? — Romans 3:23-24

Since we’ve compiled this long and sorry record as sinners and proved that we are utterly incapable of living up to the standards God demands of us, God did it for us. Out of sheer generosity he put us in right standing with himself. A pure gift. He got us out of the mess we’re in and restored us to where he always wanted us to be. And he did it by means of Jesus Christ dying on the cross to pay for our sins.

5. How cool is Christianity — Romans 3:25

God sacrificed Jesus on the altar of the world [you and me] to clear that world [you and me] of sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood.

That’s it! That’s the Good News—and that news really is good! So, to summarize:

  • Religion is complex; Christianity is simple
  • Religion is about what you have to do; Christianity is about what God has done
  • Religion requires you to sacrifice to appease your god; Christianity required God to sacrifice his Son to appease himself
  • In religion, you pay; in Christianity, Jesus paid it all
  • Religious faith is about works; Christian faith is about belief
  • Religion leads to death; Christianity leads to life

Need I say more?

Now I’m not all that bright — on par with a caveman — but I think I’ll take Christianity! How about you?

Get Rooted: In one brief paragraph, write out your description of Christianity. Do it in simple terms so that even a caveman can get it. Who knows, you may run into one today!

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We’re All In The Same Sin Boat

But Thanks Be To God!

UNSHAKEABLE: We, the entire human race, past and present, have been horribly infected with sin. Our genetic code is horribly corrupted with willful disobedience to the God who created us for intimacy with himself. Horribly infected! Horribly corrupted! Yet all is not hopeless. You see, one word changes that tragic equation, interrupts the inexorable plunge, and trumps our sin: “But…” Paul pens one word that delivers the death blow to sin, splits the wide road to destruction with an off-ramp to redemption, and throws a life-saver to a sinking human race so we can get out of the proverbial boat we’re all in: “But now God has shown us a way to be made right with him.” (Rom 3:21) Hallelujah!

We’re All In The Same Sin Boat - Ray Noah

Unshakeable Living // Romans 3:9-10

Well then, should we conclude that we Jews are better than others? No, not at all, for we have already shown that all people, whether Jews or Gentiles, are under the power of sin. As the Scriptures say, “No one is righteous — not even one.”

The problem with the whole human race — Jew and Gentile, religionist and pagan, you and me — is that we are all horribly infected with sin. Not hopelessly, mind you. I’ll come back to that in a moment.

Though it is not too popular to talk about sin these days — particularly personal sin — nonetheless, sin remains what is wrong with humanity. We are all in that same sin boat, headed for an eternal maelstrom of deserved destruction. At the core, sin has separated us from our loving and righteous Creator. He made us for himself — for a loving, intimate, unfettered moment-by-moment relationship between the Creator and the highest of his creation, mankind; a relationship where we would not only literally live in his presence, but we would truly know his person and personally experience his Divine power as our very own.

But we blew it! The father and mother of our race, Adam and Eve, deliberately chose to walk away from the deal of a lifetime in order to be like God, to be equal with God, to be their own god. And in that sad moment, the genetic code of humanity was horribly corrupted by sin. Not hopelessly. I’ll get to that in a moment.

Moreover, as a race, we willfully and inexorably plunged forward down that same road the proto couple chose, insisting on being like God, being equal to God, being our own god. And compounding our tragedy, we don’t seem to get it: “No one is truly wise; no one is seeking God.” (Rom 1:11) Even worse, we do get it, and we still knowingly insist on doing our own thing:

All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one. (Rom 3:12)

They have no fear of God at all. (Rom 1:18)

And it gets worse, according to verses 13-18: “Their talk is foul (v. 13) … their tongues are filled with lies…venom drips from their lips (v. 13) … their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness (v. 14) …they rush to commit murder (v. 15) …destruction and misery always follow them (v. 16) … they don’t know where to find peace (v. 17) … they have no fear of God at all” (v. 18).

But enough of the bad news — we’ve already dealt with that in Romans 1-2. Let’s just cut to the chase of what results from our insistence in going it alone without God, which Paul sums up in Romans 3:16-17:

Ruin and misery mark their ways, and the way of peace they do not know.

Yes, “they” is “we” and we have been horribly infected with sin. Our genetic code is horribly corrupted with willful disobedience to the God who created us for intimacy with him. Horribly infected! Horribly corrupted! Yet all is not hopeless.

One word changes that tragic equation, trumps our sin, and interrupts the inexorable plunge into a Christless eternity: “But…” Paul pens one word that delivers the death blow to sin, splits the wide road to destruction with an off-ramp to redemption, and throws a life-saver to a sinking human race so we can get out of the proverbial boat we’re all in: “But…”

Though it is not in our reading for today, take a look at the first word of the next section; venture a sneak peek at these grand verses, Romans 3:21-22, along with their cousin verses in Romans 3:23-26, and let your heart be lifted by the unstoppable power of our gospel. Take a moment to read these amazing verses in the horrible context of the first twenty verses of this chapter, and just let the deep, deep love of the Father who lavished it upon sinners like you and me wash over your being:

But now God has shown us a way to be made right with him without keeping the requirements of the law … We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are.

Yes, the condition of humanity is horrible, “but” thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord, it is not hopeless!

Get Rooted: Here is a three-part assignment that will help you to get rooted in the amazing mercy and grace of God: Memorize Romans 3:10 and 3:23-24: “As it is written: ‘There is no one righteous, not even one’ … for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” Meditate on the contrasting horror of universal sin and the hope of eternal redemption that Paul speaks of here in Romans 3. Write out a prayer of gratitude to God for the undeserved righteousness that was imputed to you through Christ’s work on the cross. If you are open to it, post your prayer as a comment on this devotional.

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The Center and the Circumference

Christianity Happens From the Inside Out

UNSHAKEABLE: It is easy to fall into the very same sin of Jews, presuming their ritualistic observances and religious activities got them in and kept them in good standing with God. But there couldn’t be anything farther from the truth. Let me illustrate it this way: Going to church doesn’t make you a Christian any more than going to McDonalds makes you a Happy Meal. You see, neither outward appearances nor practices of piety are good and accurate indicators of authentic faith. True faith is internal—it is a matter of the heart. That’s what God looks at: the heart—your heart.

The Center And The Circumference - Ray Noah

Unshakeable Living // Romans 2:25-29

Circumcision, the surgical ritual that marks you as a Jew, is great if you live in accord with God’s law. But if you don’t, it’s worse than not being circumcised. The reverse is also true: The uncircumcised who keep God’s ways are as good as the circumcised—in fact, better. Better to keep God’s law uncircumcised than break it circumcised. Don’t you see: It’s not the cut of a knife that makes a Jew. You become a Jew by who you are. It’s the mark of God on your heart, not of a knife on your skin, that makes a Jew. And recognition comes from God, not legalistic critics.

The covenant of circumcision was a highly important outward sign that was to distinguish the Israelites as God’s very own people. The covenant was first given to Abraham in Genesis 17:9-14 and later reaffirmed in dramatic albeit peculiar fashion to Moses in Exodus 4:24-26. Ritual circumcision was required of every Israelite male child, and it was an important physical reminder of the greater theological reality that the cutting away and cleansing from sin was necessary to a right relationship with God.

Unfortunately, over time, the Jews became prideful in their practice of the physical act of circumcision without the practice of the more important inward act of spiritual circumcision. In effect, the circumcised but disobedient Jew’s standing before God was no different than that of the uncircumcised heathen. In fact, the Apostle Paul, in a bit of news that must have been infuriating to the circumcised Jew, said that the uncircumcised but obedient Gentile was as good as circumcised in the eyes of God. (Rom 2:26)

I suppose at this point you may be wondering what Jewish males and ritual circumcision have to do with you. Simply this: It is easy to fall into the very same sin of Jews, presuming their ritualistic observances and religious activities got them in and kept them in good standing with God. But there couldn’t be anything farther from the truth.

Let me illustrate it this way: Going to church doesn’t make you a Christian any more than going to McDonalds makes you a Big Mac. You see, neither outward appearances nor practices of piety are good and accurate indicators of authentic faith. True faith is internal—it is a matter of the heart.

That’s what God looks at: the heart—your heart. Now that is not to say Christians shouldn’t look and act a certain way. They should—just like the Israelites were expected to look and act a certain way. Our faith should be observable. It should be especially true that having been with Jesus will make a noticeable difference to those watching us. (See Acts 4:13) Having experienced the grace and mercy of salvation ought to catalyze change in the way we interact with the world and experience life. The very way we look, talk, relate, work, play, and engage in our moment-by-moment existence should have the “fragrance of Christ” all over it.

But at the end of the day, the fragrance of our Savior is only possible if we are thoroughly saturated with Jesus. Jesus needs to get from the outside of our lives to the inside. Or perhaps more correctly, Jesus needs to start on the inside and work his way to the outside—which, by the way, is what takes place as a result of the more important spiritual circumcision of the heart. (Rom 2:29)

Most importantly, at the core of who we are, we ought to always retain the Lord Jesus Christ. In truth, Jesus must be both the center and the circumference of our lives.

So here is the $64,000 question: Is he?

Get Rooted: Make a list of the internal qualities that you believe should make a Christian an authentic Christ-follower. Now, with the help of the Holy Spirit, write out a plan to increase these qualities one by one this week. For instance, if you want to grow in gratitude, write a list and pray it back to God. Or share it with a friend. If you want to grow in kindness, write a to-do list with a date accomplish box of the things you want to do for people to show them kindness. Whatever inner quality of Christlikeness you want to develop, make a practical action plan to exercise that quality this week.

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Giving God A Bad Name

Clean Up Your Own Act Before Calling Out Another's Behavior

UNSHAKEABLE: It is easy to get caught up in the culture wars and the Christian political movement and every other cause that bashes the evil practices and mindset of this world. To be sure, there is nothing necessarily wrong with being outspoken about your spiritual values. However, we would do God and the Good News we represent a big favor if we would clean up our act first. How about we try this: Let’s first live what we say we believe, then we can talk! Let’s make sure our beliefs match our behavior. Let’s not just mindlessly parrot, “what would Jesus do” — do it! Let’s live it from the core of who we are.

Giving God A Bad Name

Unshakeable Living // Romans 2:23-24

You are so proud of knowing God’s laws, but you dishonor him by breaking them. No wonder the Scriptures say that the world speaks evil of God because of you.

While I certainly don’t think this is unique to our current context, year after year, we read the same scandalous reports of supposedly righteous people falling into the very sin they so publicly condemn: A family-values senator is found out to have kept the company of female “escorts.” A high-profile evangelical leader is exposed for abusing power, misappropriating church finances, or having an affair. The divorce rate among churchgoers is nearly the same rate as non-churchgoers. Believers are said to blend in ethically with just about everyone else in the workplace.

It is no wonder that non-Christians tag us as hypocrites and despise our God!

It is easy to get caught up in the culture wars and the Christian political movement and every other cause that bashes the evil practices and mindset of this world. To be sure, there is nothing necessarily wrong with being outspoken about your spiritual values. However, we would do God and the Good News we represent a big favor if we would clean up our act first.

Jesus had some pointed things to say about that:

Don’t pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults— unless, of course, you want the same treatment. That critical spirit has a way of boomeranging. It’s easy to see a smudge on your neighbor’s face and be oblivious to the ugly sneer on your own. Do you have the nerve to say, ‘Let me wash your face for you,’ when your own face is distorted by contempt? It’s this whole traveling road-show mentality all over again, playing a holier-than-thou part instead of just living your part. Wipe that ugly sneer off your own face, and you might be fit to offer a washcloth to your neighbor. (Matthew 7:1-5)

How about this: First, try living what you say you believe, then you can talk! Make sure your beliefs match your behavior. Don’t just mindlessly parrot, “what would Jesus do” — do it! Live it from the core of who you are.

We may not win the whole world for Christ, but we would be a lot more effective than we are now. And perhaps we would convince a few people along the way that this Good News is a pretty good deal.

Get Rooted: Charles F. Glassman writes, “Gratitude, forgiveness, perseverance, self-honesty, and self-control fosters optimism, kindness, and success. [But] self-righteousness yields bitterness, hostility, and self-destruction.” Self-righteousness and spiritual arrogance are exceedingly difficult to spot in ourselves. That is why we need a trusted brother or sister to shed the light on our true character. I would encourage you to take a risk and share the above quote with a loving but straight-shooting Christian friend, then ask them where you line up with those descriptives.