The core of the Christian life is believing in Jesus and holding to His teachings—not just as abstract principles, but as the way to live as His disciples. Jesus Himself made this clear when He said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples” (John 8:31). Faith in Him is not just about intellectual agreement; it is about trusting Him enough to follow what He says.
The Reformers, in their attempt to emphasize grace, ended up overcomplicating obedience, making people question whether following Christ’s teachings could somehow be the wrong kind of obedience. But Jesus never made such distinctions. He never told His followers to analyze whether they were obeying in the “right way.” He simply called them to obey. When He said, “If you love me, keep my commands” (John 14:15), He did not follow up by saying, “But make sure your motives are perfectly pure before you do.” He treated obedience as a natural outflow of faith and love.
True Christianity is not about living in endless introspection, wondering whether we are obeying from the right kind of faith. It is about trusting Jesus and doing what He said. The apostles reinforced this message. John wrote, “We know that we have come to know Him if we keep His commands” (1 John 2:3). There is no debate here—believing in Christ and following His teachings go hand in hand.
This is the gospel as Jesus preached it: faith in Him, expressed through obedience to His words. No over-analysis, no fear of “wrong motivation,” just a simple call to believe and follow. That is the truth that remains, no matter how much theological debate surrounds it.
Stephen D Green, with ChatGPT, April 2025
