Column by Sumter Pastor Joey Durham: We simply need to believe and receive
Our devotion today is, "The Simplicity of Truth," and my text is 2 Corinthians 11:3, where we read, "But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ." (KJV)
Truth is such a valuable and a powerful thing. It is a tremendous blessing when someone can take something complicated and make it simple. Conversely, there are people who tend to make simple things complicated, which is exactly what the majority of lost sinners do concerning the truth of the gospel message. The apostle Paul feared that the simple truth concerning the Savior was being mired in deception, which is what Satan desires to do in the heart of the unsaved. The gospel of God's saving grace is so simple that even a child who may be five or six years old can easily grasp it and receive it. Here are some simple, yet powerful verses of profound truth. In John 14:6, "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." (KJV) In 1 John 5:1a, "Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God:" (KJV) In John 3:16, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (KJV) Also in Romans 10:13, "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." (KJV)
Yet, despite the simplicity of the truth of Christ's gospel, many continue to trample it underfoot and disbelieve the marvelous message it brings. Satan is a master at complicating the simplicity of the gospel by magnifying the sensuality of a world that feeds the desires for self-gratification in the pleasures of sin. Satan is also a master at deceiving a person into thinking that they must do something to earn God's favor so that they can have a legitimate relationship with God. Satan has built a religious foundation upon the concept of "working for salvation," when the simple truth is that "Jesus paid it all." This simple, yet glorious truth is given in Titus 3:4-7, where we read, "But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life." (KJV) The truth of God's eternal salvation was secured for you and me through the precious shed blood of Jesus Christ, and now it is ours to simply believe and receive.
Joey Durham is pastor at Open Bible Baptist Church at 180 Old Manning Road in Sumter. You can contact Pastor Durham at durham.joey@yahoo.com or call the church office at (803) 481-9315.