HIS DOCTRINE IS LOVE

John 6:29 Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.”

As I sit here at my kitchen table I am confused.  You see when I read this verse I see one very simple statement that has been lost in religion.  This verse has been disregarded by some.  This verse has been hidden by doctrine.  This verse has been shrouded by good deeds and covered up by rules and regulations.  Am I the only one who sees this?  The thing is we lost the true meaning of this verses in our denominational rules and rituals.  The doctrine that fills our play book and separates us also confuses us.  Rules and regulations take the place of the truth that is in God’s word. 

Jesus did not come to this earth and die for a certain brand of religion.  Jesus never once called His Disciples Catholic, Lutheran, Baptist, Methodist, Episcopalian, Protestant or any other brand of religion.  Heck He didn’t even call them Christians.   They were called disciples.  There were no rules to follow, no regulations that had to be met, no requirements for them to meet in order to become a disciple.  He picked people who had no real education and no head knowledge.  If Jesus had wanted to tie Himself to a certain religion, He would have picked the Pharisees and or the Sadducees.  If He had wanted to continue on with a list of rules and regulations and laws, He would have picked men who wrote them and enforced them, but He didn’t.

Rules, regulations, doctrine …. all cloud the vision and purpose for Jesus’ coming to earth.  These man made laws hide the truth of Jesus’ purpose here on earth.  They separate us, they divide us and they cause quarrels and bickering among believers.  Seriously?  Do those of us who bicker really read the Bible?  I doubt it.  Because Jesus’ laws and regulations and doctrine seem very simple and straight forward to me.  This law doesn’t confuse me, it doesn’t make me seem weighed down, it doesn’t seem very hard to keep.  LOVE!  Jesus’ message and doctrine were simple, LOVE! 

Luke 10:27 “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” 

Why is this so hard for us to believe?  Could it be we like to complicate things?  Could it be that this seems way too simple?  Surely Jesus must have made a mistake by listing all the laws and rituals and regulations that the Pharisees and Sadducees instituted?   So instead of obeying Jesus and loving God, loving each other and loving who God created us to be, we have created our own doctrines and list of rules to follow depending on our religion? 

What is wrong with us?  This is ridiculous!!  Religion is not important, relationship is.  Doctrine is meaningless, love is the law.  Rituals are pointless, belief is necessary.  It’s not complicated people.  It’s really rather simple.  Love, faith and belief.

John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”