Corrupted from simplicity

But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. – 2 Corinthians 11v3

How have we drifted so far from what the church was when Paul wrote to the believers in Corinth? I think we have a clue in these few words of warning. Paul goes back to an illustration everyone could understand. Life was simple in the Garden of Eden. The relationship with God was sweet and uncomplicated. All that was ruined when Satan came along to deceive her by complicating what God said. He tricked her with his craftiness and his wiles so that that simple walk with God was destroyed.

How does this apply to the church? Paul is going to go into more detail later, but the context is clear. These same men that he has been talking about are a danger because their teaching has the danger of corrupting the church from the simplicity that is in Christ. The Christian life is really quite simple if we limit ourselves to the word of God. Love God. Love you neighbour as yourself. You have liberty in Christ, but don’t use that liberty as an opportunity to satisfy your lust, Use it as a chance to prefer each other. If we ever copped on to that kind of simplicity we would have it made.

The problem is that religion has come along and really complicated things. Some try to make “do this and don’t do that” requirements for salvation, but that is not my point here. There are those as well who take simplicity in Christ and complicate it by a whole lists of do’s and don’ts, go heres and don’t go theres, listen to this and don’t listen to that, associate with this person and not that person, or any number of similar complications.

Of for the simplicity in Christ!