The #1 Lie Christians Believe

The #1 lie Christians believe is that God will view them differently if they do or don’t do something.

I’m talking about a few things here:

First, the commonly recognized activities like going to church, praying every day, reading the Bible, and attending small groups. Second, our interests, areas of passion, and even mundane daily activities. Such as our hobbies, career paths, responsibilities, and even relationships.

God does not view us differently whether we do or don’t do any of these things.

The truth is, if you believe in Jesus and what He did on the cross, there’s nothing you can do (other than turning away from Him) to make Him see you differently (and even then, His love for you won’t change). His sacrifice allowed us to be free from guilt and condemnation and have ultimate freedom on earth..

However, most Christians, including myself, often run into lies and convince themselves that there’s still more for us to do and strive for when it comes to our salvation. That there’s still something we have to do to “win” or obtain it on our own. That by doing (or not doing) certain religious to-do’s and seemingly spiritual or unspiritual tasks, we will gain favor from God or lose it. But the Bible is clear in saying that, It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery (Galatians 5:1).

The yoke of slavery comes from the world and our old, sinful nature. It also refers to the entanglement of religious duties that were listed in the Old Testament. The freedom Paul talks to the Galatians about is our liberty from the pursuit of having to earn our own way to God, being set free from sin, guilt, shame, and condemnation, and the freedom from the presence of sin in our lives. When we follow Jesus, we are no longer slaves to sin.

Romans 8:1 says, Therefore there is now no condemnation at all for those who are in Christ Jesus. Believing in Jesus is all that it takes. There’s nothing we can do on our part because Jesus already did everything. Our part is to bask in the freedom and relationship with God, which leads to joy, hope, and continual transformation.

It doesn’t matter what our personality type is or how passionate and “on fire” we get for God, He won’t see us any differently. Whether we’re home doing mundane tasks or pursuing our careers, His love for us doesn’t change. There’s nothing we can do to make Him love each of us more or less.

Even though this truth is vital for our walk with God, it would be foolish to dismiss the pain and suffering that comes throughout life. Jesus said we would face troubles and sorrows, but to take heart, He has overcome the world (John 16:33). Then in James 1:2-3 it says toconsider it pure joy, whenever you face trials of many kinds,because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Verse four says,Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

We live in a broken world and the world will continue to do what it knows best in its fallen state. But God restored us to Himself and made us new in Him (2 Corinthians 5:17), and this is the hope we can express through our daily life to those around us. When life gets tough and our emotions get the best of us, it’s in our best interest to deepen our relationship with God by spending time in His word and prayer (communicating with Him). Not because we “have to” but because that’s how any relationship works. For a relationship to get stronger, it’s important to spend time together and communicate with one another.

The way we spend our time with God and the things we do to grow spiritually does not equate our worth in His eyes. We are worthy because of Jesus. He is the cornerstone which connects us to the Father. Jesus said in John 14:6, no one comes to the Father but through Me. Yet, so often we convince ourselves that we’re bad for not doing X, Y or Z. This couldn’t be farther from the truth!

We can live in ultimate freedom from whatever it is we feel bad about doing or not doing for the Lord by believing what Jesus did on the cross was enough. If that sounds like it’s too good to be true, take the step of faith and let yourself believe it. Let yourself understand and ask the Holy Spirit to help you accept this truth.

John 15:3-5 says, You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.Remain in Me, and I in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit of itself but must remain in the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in Me.I am the vine; you are the branches; the one who remains in Me, and I in him bear much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.

We can find rest and freedom in the truth that all striving can cease and we can simply remain in Him. The ones who remain in Jesus, and He in them, bear much fruit. We no longer need to get caught up in the striving, carrying burdens, and setting exhausting expectations and standards for ourselves. We are made new, clean, and free in Him.

We don’t need to do anything extra for Him to love us more. Let’s give up this lie today and find rest in Him. Let’s remain in Him as He remains in us.