The Gospel Is Not Complicated. We Made It That Way to Avoid Obedience.

I am going to explain this directly, the same way I would if we were sitting across the table talking face to face. This is not complicated, but it has been buried under so much religious noise that most people never actually hear it. And if we miss this, we end up living something that looks like Christianity but never actually changes us. It becomes a title most people carry, not a life they actually live.

Jesus did not come to start a religion, a political movement, or a self improvement system. He came to reveal the Father and to call people out of the world by transforming them from the inside out. His gospel is not about adding God onto your existing life. It is about dying to the old one and learning how to live a completely different way.

This is where most people get confused. They think Christianity is about believing certain facts about Jesus while continuing to live the same way everyone else lives, just with a spiritual label attached. That is not what Jesus taught. He did not invite people to admire Him. He told them to follow Him. And following Him means your priorities change, your values change, your definition of success changes, and your idea of what a good life looks like gets turned upside down.

At the center of Jesus’s gospel is a simple but confronting truth. The kingdom of God has come near. That means God is not far away, not impressed by performance, and not interested in religious appearances. He is calling people to repent. Repentance does not mean feeling bad or promising to do better. It means changing how you think so that your life comes into alignment with reality as God defines it.

When Jesus says He is the way, the truth, and the life, He is not making a philosophical statement. He is saying that truth is not an opinion and life is not found in comfort, money, influence, or self expression. Truth is a person. Life flows from knowing Him, trusting Him, and obeying Him, even when it costs you something.

This is where the gospel collides with the world. The world trains us from a young age to protect ourselves, promote ourselves, secure ourselves, and control outcomes. Jesus teaches the opposite. He says deny yourself. Take up your cross daily. Lose your life so you can find it. Forgive people who wrong you. Love your enemies. Give without expecting anything in return. Trust God with tomorrow instead of obsessing over it today.

None of that fits the world’s system. And it was never meant to.

The world says success looks like money, recognition, influence, and comfort. Jesus says success looks like faithfulness, obedience, humility, and love. The world says you prove your worth by being seen, heard, and validated. Jesus says your Father who sees in secret is the one who rewards. The world says protect your image at all costs. Jesus says die to it.

Living the gospel every day is not about trying harder to be moral or religious. It is about staying close to Jesus and letting His words reshape how you think and how you respond. It shows up in ordinary moments. How you speak when you are tired or irritated. How you respond when you are misunderstood. What you choose when obedience costs you comfort. What you do when no one is watching.

For example, the world says if someone hurts you, you are justified in cutting them off, exposing them, or getting even. Jesus says forgive as you have been forgiven. Not because the other person deserves it, but because unforgiveness keeps you tied to the very thing He came to free you from. Forgiveness is not weakness. It is obedience. And obedience always leads to freedom, even when it feels costly at first.

The world says money is security. Jesus says God is your provider. That does not mean being careless or irresponsible. It means money no longer owns you. It means you do not compromise truth for profit. It means your peace is not dependent on your bank balance. You work honestly, give generously, and trust that the Father knows what you need before you ask.

The world says your identity is found in your career, your past, your struggles, or your desires. Jesus says your identity is found in who you belong to. You are not defined by your worst moment or your greatest achievement. You are defined by the fact that you belong to God. That truth shapes how you handle success without pride and failure without despair.

A proper Christian life is not built on hype, trends, or constant spiritual stimulation. It is built on daily surrender. Prayer that is honest rather than impressive. Obedience that is quiet rather than performative. Repentance that is ongoing rather than occasional. Love that tells the truth rather than avoiding discomfort. Faithfulness in private long before fruit is visible in public.

Most confusion in Christianity comes from trying to blend Jesus with the world instead of choosing Him over it. Prosperity teaching tries to turn Jesus into a tool for getting what you want. Progressive Christianity tries to reshape Jesus so He never confronts sin or calls people to repentance. Both remove the cross. And once the cross is removed, you no longer have the gospel Jesus preached.

Jesus never promised ease. He promised life. He never said following Him would make sense to the world. He said the world would not understand it. He never told people to fit in better. He told them they were not of this world. He warned that following Him would cost something, but He also promised that what you gain is greater than what you lose.

The Christian life is simple, but it is not easy. It is simple because Jesus made it clear. Love God. Love people. Obey His words. Trust the Father. But it is not easy because it requires dying to old ways of thinking and living that feel natural to us. It requires humility instead of pride, patience instead of control, and faith instead of certainty.

That is why so many people struggle. They want the peace of Jesus without the surrender He requires. They want the promises without the obedience. They want grace without repentance. But the gospel does not work that way. Grace is what empowers obedience, not what replaces it.

The good news is this. When you stop trying to manage Christianity and start actually following Jesus, things become clear. Not perfect, but clear. You begin to see life differently. You respond differently. You suffer differently. You love differently. You are no longer trying to win at the world’s game. You are living under a different King.

That is the gospel Jesus taught. Not a system. Not a slogan. Not a lifestyle brand. A new life under God’s rule, lived one day at a time, shaped by truth, sustained by grace, and anchored in obedience.