Psalm 51:10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.

This passage was available to all the religious types of Jesus’ day. When they came to Jesus did they remember this passage and ask right? They came to Jesus with the same question, what must I do to be saved. Considering that repentance is one of the first steps towards salvation, and that John the Baptist preach repentance, then their question is not unreasonable. But is it the right ask?

John was making the Way straight in the wilderness. That was his life’s mission and that straight path led to Jesus. Jesus comes and gathers to Himself the twelve. He is the Teacher and they are His disciples. Here is where many of us go wrong. We see the word disciple as student and starting thinking that being a student is all that is needed to be saved.

John 10:30 I and my Father are one.

A close personal relationship was at the forefront of everything Jesus was and did. Jesus even declared that He did nothing on His own.

John 5:30 I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.

Jesus did not make Adam’s mistake and substitute His own judgements for God the Father’s. He agreed with God because He had this close personal relationship and knew the will of the Father.

A right heart and a right spirit renders right judgement. Without that, the student will only apply what he has learned according to his own understanding.

If all I care about is avoiding eternal damnation, then I have skipped over the first commandment and left it unattended.

Return God’s love in a close personal relationship.

Jeremiah 3:1c return again to me, saith the Lord.

One of the grievous errors made in reading the Word is in interpretation of Genesis 3:24b a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life. The flaming sword was not to block the way to the tree of life but rather remove every obstacle that could possibly block the Way. The Way to the tree of life being the key in how to enter.

Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

Jesus is the Word. Jesus is the Way. He is how we can return to God to reestablish that close personal relationship we lost that day when Adam sinned.

If this was all that God wanted, then the bible could have been reduced to one book, a few passages and one conclusion. “Trust Me and obey.”

Part of the need for complexity resides within that very conclusion. “Who are You God and what do You want?” Satan has filled this world with lies about that very thing. He is the anti, opposition spirit, the Prince of the Power of the Air. The world with all its temptations is his playground and he has muddied up the waters so that is nearly impossible to see clearly.

The bible was given to us so that we can come to know God and His will for us in this life. Yes, salvation, the Good News, the Gospel, is simple. What comes next in relationship and undoing all the damage done by Satan takes a lot more than KISS.