Have you ever felt like the gospel got more complicated the longer you were a Christian? Think about it. When you first believed it was simple, you knew you were a sinner, and you knew you couldn't fix yourself, and you looked to Christ, and that was it. There was a simplicity to it, a sweetness, and you just rested. But then somewhere along the way, maybe a few years in, you started reading more, you started studying more, started sitting under more teaching. And the list of things you were supposed to understand got longer. Things like election and predestination, limited atonement, or even something like superlapsarianism. And if you're not sure what that means, don't worry about it. We'll get into that later on this podcast, maybe not this episode, but someday we will. And before you know it, you started wondering if your faith was good enough, deep enough, informed enough. And you started wondering if you really understood the gospel at all. Has it ever happened to you? I gotta be honest with you, it's happened to me. And if I'm honest, it shook me for a while.

Welcome to the Pristine Grace Podcast. I'm your host, Brandon Kraft, and I am really glad you're here with me today. This is a podcast where I discuss the gospel, Christian living, theology, and various Bible subjects. And from time to time, I might even venture into something completely different, something that strikes my fancy at the time. But if you're new to this channel, I would encourage you to subscribe and check out my website at pristinegrace.org.

Today I want to talk about something that I think a lot of believers struggle with, and that's the simplicity of the gospel. I want to talk about what it really means to come to Christ with nothing in your hands and simply cling to His finished work. And I want to talk about how the doctrines of grace, what many call Calvinism or the five points, are not something separate from the simple faith, but actually are a fuller expression of simple faith.

Let me start by telling you something I've noticed over the years, both in my own life and in the lives of other believers I've walked alongside. There is this tendency in the Christian life to move from simplicity to complexity. And sometimes that's not always in a healthy way.

When I was younger in the faith, I went through a season where I was consuming everything I could possibly get my hands on. I had books, sermons, commentaries. I was getting my hands on debates. The internet was still quite young at the time. And I found debates on a place called PalTalk. I'm dating myself there.

But don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with studying. Scripture tells us to study, to show ourselves approved. But what happened to me, and I think it happens to a lot of other people, is that I started measuring the quality of my faith by the quantity of my knowledge. I started thinking that the more theological vocabulary I could master, the closer I was to God.

And do you know what that led to? One, it led to pride. It also led to anxiety. And it also led to doubt because there was always another doctrine to understand, another nuance to wrestle with, another layer of theological precision to get right. And somewhere in that process, I lost the simplicity that had marked my faith in the beginning. I was exhausted spiritually. I felt like I was drowning in information, but starving for peace.

And I remember thinking, when did this get so complicated? When did the good news of the gospel, which is what the gospel means, is good news or glad tidings. When did good news stop feeling like good news? Ask yourself that. Maybe you've been there. Maybe you're there right now. I don't know.

And if you are, I want you to hear me say this. The gospel has not gotten more complicated, okay? We have made it more complicated. The truth at the center of everything is as simple today as it was the day God opened your eyes to see it.

Let me take you to Scripture. We're going to go to 2 Corinthians chapter 5 verse 21. And I hit this passage a lot because I love it so much. Paul writes, For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. Now look at that. Just sit with that for a moment. That verse contains the entire gospel in one sentence. Christ, who knew no sin, was made sin. And his people, who knew no righteousness of their own, are made the righteousness of God in him. And that's the great exchange. That's the heart of everything. Christ took what belonged to His people, their sin, their guilt, their condemnation, and He bore it on the cross. And in return, He gave them what belonged to Him, His perfect righteousness, His spotless standing before the Father.

And here's what I want you to notice about that. There is nothing in that verse about your theological comprehension. Nothing. There is nothing in there about how many doctrines you can articulate or how well you understand the finer points of Reformed theology. The exchange happened apart from any contribution of yours. It was all Christ. Every single bit of it.

And you know, there's this guy named Augustus Toplady. He wrote a hymn over 200 years ago called A Rock of Ages. And the themes in that hymn have ministered to God's people for generations. The heart of the hymn is about coming to Christ with absolutely nothing, coming empty handed, coming naked as if it were needing to be clothed, coming helpless, needing grace, coming foul, stinky, needing to be washed and be clean. And what strikes me about those themes is how uncomfortable they make the religious mind. Because the religious mind always wants to bring something. It wants to contribute. It wants to show up at the throne of grace with a resume in hand. Look what I've learned. Look what I've done. Look at my theological precision. Look at how many points of Calvinism I can defend. Look at how many Armenians I skewered at the stake with my spear. But the hymn says, no, no, no, no. You come with nothing. You bring nothing. You simply cling to the cross. And friends, that is the gospel. That's not a gospel of adding and accumulating and achieving, but a gospel of emptying and receiving and resting.

And I don't want anyone to miss how radical that truly is. In a world that measures your worth by what you produce, the gospel says your worth was established by what Christ produced on your behalf. You bring nothing to the table except the sin that made the cross necessary.

Isaiah chapter 53 verses 5 and 6 say, But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement of our peace was upon him, and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray, we have turned everyone to his own way, and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. Do you see the simplicity of it? We went astray. Every one of us turned to our own way. And what did God do? He laid on Christ the iniquity. He placed the sin on a substitute, and He directed the punishment to another. That's what happened at Calvary. Christ bore what his people deserved so they would never have to bear it themselves. The chastisement of their peace was upon him and their peace was purchased by his suffering. Their healing came through his wounds.

Now here's where I want to be really careful and really clear because this is where I think a lot of confusion enters in. Okay, I'm what many people would call a Calvinist. I hold to the doctrines of grace, the five points of Calvinism, what we often call TULIP. TULIP stands for Total Depravity, Unconditional Election, Limited or Particular Atonement, Irresistible Grace, and the Perseverance of the Saints. I also hold to the doctrine of Imputed Righteousness. I believe all of these doctrines are biblical, and I believe they are true, and I believe they are the gospel.

But, and this is important that you understand, those doctrines, they are a fuller expression of the gospel. They are the gospel unpacked, unfolded, laid out in its logical and scriptural implications. They are not a separate gospel. They are not some advanced level gospel for mature Christians while simpler folk get a starter version. No, it's the same gospel, the same glorious truth. The doctrines of grace simply take that one reality, that Christ did it all for his people, and they trace it out to its full extent.

Think of it this way. If I tell you there's a beautiful oak tree in my yard, you know something true. You know there's a tree. It's an oak. It's beautiful. But if I then tell you about the root system, the way it draws water from deep in the ground, the way the branches spread out to provide shade, the way the leaves turn golden in the fall, the way it withstands storms because of how deeply it's anchored, I haven't changed what the tree is. I've basically just given you a fuller picture of the same tree. And that's what the doctrines of grace do with the gospel. They don't change the simple truth that we are saved by Christ alone, through faith alone, by grace alone. They show you why that's true. They show you how that's possible. And they show you what God did behind the scenes, before the foundation of the world, to bring his people to faith and to keep them there forever.

And just like you don't need to understand the root system of an oak tree to enjoy the shade it provides, you don't need to understand every implication of Sovereign Grace to rest under its protection. The shade is real whether you understand the roots or not. The tree holds you up whether you've studied its structure or not. But when you do begin to see those roots, when you do begin to trace out how deep and how wide and how strong this grace really is, it doesn't scare you. It makes you marvel. It makes you say, no wonder I couldn't be shaken. Look at the depth of what God has done.

Let me show you what I mean from scripture. Ephesians chapter 2 verses 8 and 9, they say, Now a brand new believer can read that verse and understand it. You're saved by grace, through faith, It's not from you, it's a gift. You can't earn it. It's simple, it's beautiful, restful. A child could grasp the very essence of it. But now watch what happens when you trace the implications of that verse. If faith is the gift of God, then that means you didn't generate it. And if it's not of yourselves, then the decisive factor in your salvation was not your decision. And if it's not of works, then nothing you did or will do contributes to your standing before God. And if the purpose of all this is that no man should boast, then the entire enterprise of salvation from beginning to end is God's work and not ours.

And what have you just done? By following the logic of that one passage, you've arrived at the doctrines of grace. You've arrived at total inability. Because if faith is a gift, then you couldn't produce it on your own. You've arrived at sovereign election. Because if it's not of yourselves, then God chose you before you chose Him. You've arrived at a reality that salvation is wholly of the Lord.

Romans 9, verse 16 confirms this. It says, So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy. All right, it's not your willing. It's not your running. It's not of your deciding. It's not your choosing or your cooperating. It is of God who shows mercy. And if you believe that, if you truly believe that in your bones, then you are already embracing the doctrines of grace whether you use that label or not.

And I think about this in my own journey, and I want to be honest with you. There was a time when I thought the doctrines of grace were something extra, something additional, like a theological upgrade you could unlock after you've been a Christian long enough. Kind of like levels in a video game, if you forgive the analogy. You start on one level with Jesus saves, and eventually you work your way up to the advanced content.

And I remember the moment it clicked for me that they weren't extra at all. They were simply the gospel I already believed spelled out in its fullness. And I was sitting with a friend years ago when he was struggling and he was coming from an Arminian background and he was wrestling with the doctrine of election and he said something to me that I've never forgotten. He said, Brandon, if election is true, then I didn't choose God. And if I didn't choose God, then I can't take any credit for my salvation. And I looked at him and I said, were you taking credit before? And he got quiet because he realized something. He had always said he was saved by grace. He had always affirmed that salvation was a gift. But deep down in one little corner of his heart, he believed that the reason he was saved and his neighbor was not, was because he had made the right choice. And he brought one thing to the table, just one thing, and that one thing was his decision.

And the doctrines of grace gently, lovingly, firmly removed even that. They took away the last shred of human contribution and left nothing but Christ, nothing but grace, nothing but the finished work of a sovereign God. And I'll tell you, watching that happen in real time, watching the light come on in my friend's eyes, It reminded me of my own journey, because I'd gone through that same struggle. I remember the season where I wrestled with these things, where I felt the ground shifting beneath me as I realized that even my faith wasn't my contribution. It was God's gift to me. And there's something about that realization that strips you bare. It's humbling in the deepest sense of the word because you realize you can't even take credit for believing. You can't even say, well, at least I had the good sense to trust Christ. Nope. He gave you the trust. He opened your eyes. He turned your heart. You didn't cooperate with grace. Grace overpowered your rebellion. And you know what? It terrified him at first, terrified him. Because we're comfortable holding on to that one little thing. We like having that one small piece of credit. But then it comforted him more deeply than anything ever had. Because if God is the one who chose him, and God is the one who drew him, and God is the one who gave him faith, then God is the one who will keep him. His salvation doesn't ride on the strength of his decision, it rides on the faithfulness of God. And God does not fail.

John chapter 6 verse 37 says, I love that verse. I love the absolute certainty of it. all that the father gives to christ shall come it's one of those shalls not might come not could come if they make the right decision at the right moment but shall come and the one who comes however weaken their faith however small their understanding However simple their grasp of theology is, will in no wise be cast out. In no wise. Under no circumstances. Never.

And just a few verses later, in verse 44, Jesus says, No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him, and I will raise him up at the last day. No man can come unless the Father draws them. That's total inability, right there, from the lips of Christ himself. That's sovereign grace. And notice Jesus doesn't say this to discourage anyone, he says it to comfort. Because if the father draws, the father finishes. And if God begins the work, God completes it. And if God opens the eyes, well then, God keeps them open. And the one who started your faith is the one who sustains it. And that brings such rest to weary souls, doesn't it?

How many of us have laid awake at night wondering if our faith is strong enough, if we believe the right way, if we understand enough theology to qualify? And the answer from scripture is this, your faith is not the foundation. Christ is the foundation. Your faith is the hand that clings to the cross and even that hand was placed there by God himself.

Let me give you another picture of this from the Old Testament. Zechariah chapter 3 tells a story that I think is one of the most stunning pictures of grace in all of scripture. Joshua the high priest is standing before the angel the Lord and he's clothed in filthy garments Not just dusty or slightly weren't worn but filthy stained covered in the evidence of sin and failure and The adversary Satan himself is standing right there to accuse him to point the finger to say Look at him. Look at the state of him. He has no business standing here And what happens? Well, Zechariah chapter 3 verses 3 and 4 say, Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments and stood before the angel. And he answered and spake unto those that stood before him, saying, Take away the filthy garments from him. And unto him he said, Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with the change of raiment.

Did you catch that? Joshua didn't clean himself up first. He didn't go find better clothes. He didn't earn the right to stand there. He didn't pass a theological exam. God commanded the filthy garments to be removed and God clothed them with clean garments. God caused his iniquity to pass from him. And every action in that sense is God's action. Joshua just stood there. He just received it. He just got it. And that's the doctrine of imputed righteousness and living, breathing color. God takes away the filthy rags of our own attempts at righteousness, our own striving, our own works, and he clothes us in the spotless righteousness of Christ.

Philippians chapter 3 verses 8 and 9 say it this way. Paul writes, yea, doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ and be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is as of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith.

Not my own righteousness, not my theological accomplishments, not my doctrinal precision, not how many sermons I've listened to or how many books I've read, but the righteousness of God by faith, Christ's righteousness credited to me, received with empty, trembling hands.

And that's exactly why I say that if someone is truly looking to Christ alone for salvation, they will embrace the doctrines of grace when they encounter them. Not because those doctrines are imposed from the outside, but because they flow naturally from the inside. They're already there in seed form in the heart of every true believer.

Think about it with me for a moment. If you really believe you came to God with nothing, with empty hands, naked and helpless and foul, needing to be washed, as Top Lady's hymn so beautifully describes, then the doctrine of total depravity makes perfect sense. Of course you couldn't come on your own. You had nothing to bring. You were dead in trespasses and sins.

And if you believe that God clothed you in a righteousness you didn't earn and could never earn, then unconditional election makes sense. There was nothing in you that merited His choice. Nothing. He chose you according to the good pleasure of His will, not because you were more worthy or more willing than the person next to you.

And if you believe that Christ actually bore your sins, specifically, personally, really and truly, that He took the punishment that was yours, then particular atonement makes sense. He didn't make salvation a mere possibility for everyone in general. He secured it for His people in particular. And He purchased His bride with His own blood.

And if you believe that faith was given to you as a gift, something you received rather than produced, then irresistible grace makes sense. God didn't merely extend an offer and hope you'd take it. He effectually drew you to himself and he opened your blind eyes and he gave you a new heart.

And if you believe that you're standing before God rests entirely on Christ's finished work and not on your own performance, then the perseverance of the saints makes sense. Of course you'll endure. Not because your grip is strong enough, but because God's grip never loosens.

Romans chapter 4 verses 5 and 6 say, But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness, even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works.

Righteousness without works, imputed, credited, given freely to the account of the ungodly, not the capable, not the doctrinally sophisticated, not those who've mastered systematic theology and can recite the Westminster or London Baptist Confession of Faith from memory, the ungodly, those who work not, those who bring nothing, those who simply believe on him who justifies. Now I want to try to speak gently here because I know someone listening to this right now is struggling. Maybe you've been in reform circles for a while and you've started to feel like your faith isn't enough. Like everyone around you seems to grasp these doctrines more clearly than you do. Like they can articulate things you can barely put into words. And late at night, when it's just you and your thoughts, you wonder, am I really saved? Do I really get it? Is my understanding deep enough?

Let me tell you something. The thief on the cross knew almost nothing. He knew he was a sinner. He knew he deserved the punishment he was receiving. And he knew that the man hanging on the cross next to him was a king with a kingdom. And with his dying breath he said, Lord, remember me. Remember me. And that's it. That was the whole of his theology. No carefully worded confession of faith. No articulation of imputed righteousness or particular redemption or irresistible grace. Just a desperate plea from a guilty man to a gracious Savior. And what did Jesus say? Today shalt thou be with me in paradise.

If God has given you faith, if he has given you even the faintest glimmer of trust to look away from yourself and toward the cross, then you possess the same salvation as the most learned theologian who has ever lived. The ground is absolutely level at the foot of Calvary and no one stands there because they figured it out. Everyone who stands there stands because God brought them there, carried them there, and holds them there.

1 Corinthians 1 verse 30 says, But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom and righteousness and sanctification and redemption. of Him, not you, not of your studying, not of your intellectual comprehension. And Christ has made unto us everything we could ever need. Wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, redemption, every deficit you feel, every inadequacy that haunts you, every gap in your understanding. Christ fills it. He is enough. And He always has been enough.

Now I want to be really transparent about something because I think honesty matters more than image. In my years of running Pristine Grace and being part of Reformed and Sovereign Grace circles for decades now, I have seen a tendency that grieves me deeply and I've been guilty of it myself, so I'm not pointing fingers at anybody in particular. But it's the tendency to turn the doctrines of grace into a measuring stick instead of a source of comfort. to use them as a way of evaluating who's really in the club and who's still on the outside looking in. To treat theological knowledge as the marker of genuine faith rather than what it actually is, which is a deeper understanding of the same simple truth that a new believer grasps when they first cry out to Christ.

And I've seen people who love Christ, who cling to the cross with everything they have, who are clearly born of the Spirit and bearing the fruit of it, get treated as though they aren't really saved because they can't articulate limited atonement. And I've seen young believers, tender believers, people who are just beginning to see the beauty of sovereign grace, get crushed under the weight of theological demands they weren't ready to carry. And that ought not to be. And that's not the doctrines of grace at all. That's doctrine without grace. The gospel doesn't say, come to Christ and then prove you understand every implication of his work. The gospel says, come, come with empty hands, come naked, come helpless, come foul, come as you are and rest. Colossians chapter 2 verse 10 says and ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power

Complete complete not complete once you've mastered all five points Not complete when you can win a debate about super lapsarianism You're completing him right now today, just as you are. If God has given you faith to rest in Christ, you are as complete as you ever will be in terms of your standing before the Father.

The learning will come, the deeper understanding will come, and the fuller picture will unfold over time because the same God who began the work will faithfully carry it on. But your completeness doesn't depend on your progress. Your completeness rests in Christ. And Christ is not a work in progress. He's finished. He said so himself on the cross.

And I think about growth in the Christian life like the way dawn breaks over the horizon. It doesn't happen all at once. You don't go from pitch darkness to bright noon in a single moment. First there is the faintest hint of light and then Just a softening of the black along the edge of the sky. And then the colors begin to shift. Purples and pinks where there was only darkness before. And then the shapes of things start to emerge. The hills, the trees, and the road ahead. And gradually, slowly, beautifully, the full light of day comes and everything is illuminated.

And that's how understanding works for those whom God has called. You start with the simplest truth. I am a sinner and Christ is my only hope. And over time, as God opens your eyes wider and wider, you begin to see the depths of what that means. You begin to see election, and it makes you marvel at God's love. And then you begin to see the perseverance of the saints, and it makes you rest in a security you didn't build and can't destroy.

But the light, the light breaking over the horizon, that was always there. The truth was always the same. The gospel didn't change. Your eyes simply adjusted. And they adjusted not because you worked harder at seeing, but because God graciously gave you more light.

Hebrews chapter 4 verses 9 and 10 say, There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his. There remains a rest, not a striving, not a constant laboring to understand enough or believe enough to prove yourself enough. A rest. And when you enter that rest, you cease from your own works. You stop trying to earn your standing before God and you stop trying to validate your faith by being sophisticated with your theology. You rest in what Christ has done and you rest in his finished work and you trust God to deepen your understanding in his own time and in his own gentle, sovereign way.

And I want to close with this because I think it's important. If someone pushes back against the doctrines of grace, is usually for one of two reasons. Either they don't understand what the doctrines actually teach, in which case they need patience and gentle instruction, not condemnation and not a debate. Or they are resisting them because embracing these truths would mean letting go of their last shred of human contribution to salvation, that one little piece of the credit they've been holding onto. and letting go of that is terrifying for the flesh. I understand that. But here is the comfort, and I want this to be the last thing ringing in your ears today. If you're someone who truly rests in Christ alone, if your only hope is the cross, if you come to God with nothing in your hands and cling only to the finished work of Jesus Christ, then you're already holding to the substance of these doctrines if you haven't learned the labels. Even if you couldn't pass a theology exam, that's okay. It's more than okay. It's exactly where God wants his people to be. Coming to Christ with empty hands, resting in a finished work, trusting a faithful Savior who will never, ever let them go.

John chapter 10 verses 27-29 say, My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me, and I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand. My Father which gave them Me is greater than all, and no man is able to pluck them out of My Father's hand. If you're one of Christ's sheep, if God has given you ears to hear the shepherd's voice, then Christ gives you eternal life and you shall never perish. No one, nothing, no force in heaven or on earth or in hell can pluck you out of his hand or out of the Father's hand.

That is not because your grip is strong, it's because His grip is. And His hands are the hands that were nailed to a cross for His people. And your whole salvation from the first spark of faith to the final day of glory is in the hands of God. Not in your hands. Not in your understanding. Not in your theological development. In His hands.

So if you're listening today and you feel overwhelmed by what you don't know, if you feel small next to believers who seem to understand so much more, if you wonder whether your simple, stuttering, struggling faith is enough, then let me point you to where I point myself every single day. The cross. Look to Christ. He's your righteousness. He's your wisdom. He's your sanctification and redemption. You don't need to bring a single thing to Him except your need. And even the recognition of that need was a gift He placed in your heart.

And can I say one more thing? Your struggle That ache that you feel when you wish you understood more, that longing to know God better, that frustration with how slowly you seem to grow. Do you know what that is? That's evidence of life. Dead men don't ache for God. Dead men don't long for deeper understanding. The very fact that you care, that it bothers you, that you want more of Christ and feel like you don't have enough, well that's the work of the Holy Spirit. That's a mark of grace and that's the fingerprint of God on your soul. So don't despise your hunger. It was given to you by the one who promised to fill it.

Matthew chapter 11 verse 28, Jesus says, come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest. That's an invitation. That's an invitation extended by Christ to those whom the Father has drawn. And it's the simplest and sweetest summary of the gospel I know. Come. Not come and perform. Not come and prove yourself. Not come and understand everything first. Just come. Labor and heavy laden as you are. And He will give you rest. Not sell you rest. Not trade you rest for theological achievement. Give freely because it was purchased freely by blood at the cross.

Simply to his cross we cling

That's the gospel and it always has been

and the doctrines of grace

Well, they're just that same beautiful truth unfolded like a flower

Showing you all the petals of a grace you couldn't have imagined and didn't deserve.

I And that's about all I have for you today. I hope it's brought you some rest. I hope it's given you some rest for your soul and I hope it's reminded you that the gospel is not a test you have to pass. It's a person you cling to and he's been holding you far longer and far more tightly than you've been holding on to him. And if you have questions or you're struggling with any of this or if you just need someone to talk to, please reach out. There's a contact form on my website at pristinegrace.org and I'd be honored to hear from you and pray for you. Grace and peace. Good night.