Keep It Simple

I’ve heard several stories of evangelical Christians—especially young men—converting to Roman Catholicism or Eastern Orthodoxy. Many shrug and say, “Hey, we’re all Christians. Calm down!” I reject that perspective. When an evangelical (i.e., Bible-believing Christian) leaves for a non-evangelical church, it is grievous. Why? Paul is crystal clear: we cannot distort the gospel. If we do, we stand under God’s curse (Gal 1:6–7). In our “easy come, easy go” age, this warning sounds harsh—even to many Christians. But it is the truth, so we must champion it. To guard ourselves from wandering into strange pastures, we must confront a common argument used against our Bible-centered faith: “You evangelicals don’t follow the historic faith that Christians have believed throughout church history. Therefore, your faith is novel and fake.” How should we respond?

We reject this claim outright and turn it back on them. As the saying goes: “Those who know a little church history reject a Bible-centered faith; those who know a lot of church history become Bible-defending Christians.” When we examine the record, we repeatedly see Christians in various eras inventing theological beliefs and practices that have no clear basis in Scripture. Consider, for example, the veneration of icons in Christian worship. If you walk into a Catholic or Orthodox church today, you’ll see worshippers using images and bowing before them. When did this practice become official church teaching? In the 100s, 200s, 300s, 400s, 500s, or 600s? Try 787 AD at the Second Council of Nicaea. That council even declared: “Anathema to those who do not salute the holy and venerable images.” You may want to read that again. Yikes! Christ didn’t teach this. It’s made up by mere men. We need a clear, unchanging authority—the Word of God.

The beauty of biblical Christianity is its simplicity. God commands us to believe only what Scripture teaches. We don’t have to accept all the “extra” stuff. Keep it simple. Only Scripture is inspired by God—no council, no commentary, no pastor can claim equal authority. In fact, millions of Christians throughout history have stood firmly on this principle. Stay with Scripture, not strange traditions (Mark 7:8).

Pastor Chance Sumner