Friends: The great treasure of this life is faith in Jesus Christ … and it isn’t complicated.  Blessings, Bob

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Spirituality Column #1006

February 24, 2026

Common Christianity / Uncommon Commentary

Simple Faith

By Bob Walters

“Can it really be that simple?” – Character Ben Gates in the movie, National Treasure

If you know the 2004 movie National Treasure, you know that the lock to the world’s greatest fictitious treasure chamber – located under a Wall Street church in New York City – is unlocked by inserting an ornate tobacco pipe and rotating it with the stem.

Everything about finding the pipe and then locating the lock opening the chamber is the adventure of the movie.  But for all the riddles and complexity, in the end, accessing the uncountable treasure is as simple as insert, turn, and push a button.

Our searching human hearts, minds, and souls are unbound by such manmade mechanics, but discovering the faith we have in Jesus Christ and the treasure it leads to in God’s Kingdom is the glorious light of God’s unfathomable riches and His gift to us.

It is our faith – given by God, accepted by us – that is the proof of God’s treasure and our assurance not merely of life everlasting, but life everlasting with God as part of His treasure. We make our faith overly complicated wondering if God loves us or is mad at us, what he wants us to do or not do, and what He is going to do with us later.

My experience has been that as I journeyed on the path, it wasn’t my life that got easier, it was my faith that became stronger, simpler, less confusing, and more free.

You have no doubt noticed, as I have, that much of our modern culture depends on fear to gain and hold our attention, control our hopes, limit our freedom, and shape a world without personal assurance in and love of Jesus Christ. That’s the part of the path that gets easier: the part that focuses more and more on Christ and less and less on the fears attendant to this world. This is our freedom in the heavenly realms.

Yes, “Fear the Lord.” Respect Him, know His sense of humor has limits, and be infinitely convinced that His righteousness is absolute and unchanging.  That does sound scary and epitomizes a fearsome imprecation. That is the trustworthy God.

But also, Jesus says, “Fear not.”  Simple faith in Christ – which oddly is a mysterious mix of both mature faith and childlike faith – is the most uncomplicated key to unlock the door of the kingdom into which we are invited.  Ask all the questions you like.  Talk to God and express doubts, ask for wisdom, pray for strength, beg His truth, know His peace.  This too is the trustworthy God, freeing us from fear, with love.

I never worry about God being mad at me because – with my faith in Jesus – I know God doesn’t see me; God sees His Obedient Son Jesus on the Cross. That doesn’t give me license to sin; that gives me purpose for living in the joy, hope, freedom, and love His sacrifice provides. My sin is covered by His blood of the Cross.

We are studying James in our Logos Sunday school class, which I’m teaching this month while regular teacher Dave Schlueter is thawing out in southern Florida. Our section this week is James 2:14-26, Faith and Deeds, which folks often incorrectly view as one or the other, not both as the same. The Holy Spirit lights and guides both paths.

Those quick to theologically debate needn’t think this is a “salvation” issue; it is a “quality of this life” issue.  When we have faith in Christ, His light and Spirit will not stay inside us. The fun of a life in Christ is our deeds – our works – that aren’t performed to impress the world but to inspire our joy and usefulness and purpose of our faith.

God doesn’t need us to impress Him with works. He already knows we’ll be happier if we teach about Him by sharing Jesus and loving others. It’s as simple as that. 

Walters (rlwcom@aol.com) knows of no treasure greater than faith in Christ.