Is the Christian life easy or hard? Or... Does being a Christian make life easier or harder?


Readers Question / Comment - Is the Christian life easy or hard? Or... Does being a Christian make life easier or harder?

Good Morning

I would want to appreciate the work which you doing through the help of the Holy Spirit. I am truly blessed with your studies and to be honest I have used some of your teaching in our bible study.

I have a question which I would want you to assist;

Is Christianity hard or easy?

I am on it's hard considering the fact that the devil himself is the prince of this earth and (Rev 12:12) and I totally believe that we have been given power and authority through our Lord Jesus Christ. Considering also that many Christians are suffering and even to the point of death in may Asian countries or Muslim dominant countries.

Please would you assist.
Kind regards
Blessing


JPN Reply:

Hi

thanks for the email and I'm pleased that you like the site and the studies. Now to your question... Is Christianity hard or easy? I guess the question could be slightly rephrased as does living the Christian life make life easier or harder? Either way the answer remains the same... YES! : ) It is harder and easier!

Let me explain... it can easily be argued that Christianity is hard. Jesus tells His disciples to take up their cross and follow Him. The cross is the image of death. It means saying, as Jesus did when faced with the cross, 'Not my will by thy will be done'. It means offering yourself as a living sacrifice. This is not easy for self centered humanity that desires it's own way and will. On one hand, in the short term, it could be argued that it is a lot easier as a non-Christian just living as you please and not thinking about what God thinks. (This is one one hand... I'll get to the other!)

The second reason that Christianity is hard is because of what you have said. Being a Christian puts the enemies' target upon you... especially if you really want to live for God. Non-Christians don't experience this while living in a state of unbelief. They are deceived already.

And then there are the others enemies... the world and the flesh. While those in the world may experience the temptation of the world, it is Christians that become fully aware of the pull and influence of this battle. So that, in brief, is the 'hard' side.

And yet, on the other hand, Christianity makes things easier. Jesus said "Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. (29) "Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. (30) "For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." Matthew 11:28-30

And what Christian hasn't experienced the rest and peace that comes in trying times? Who would want to be without that? For me personally, I faced difficult health trials after becoming a Christian. Would I have faced them if I hadn't become a Christian? Who knows... But one thing I do know is that I wouldn't have wanted to face them without the Lord! And who would want to live with the uncertainty and fear that comes upon unbelievers, not knowing what will happen when they die?

I said above that on one had it is a lot easier as a non-Christian just living as you please. The other side to this is that leaving as you please leads eventually to a lot of problems and makes life harder! The boundaries of God save us from many troubles in life.

So does Christianity make life easier or harder? Yes! Both in my opinion. It brings some more troubles but it also brings the One who is more than adequate for our troubles! And it provides hope, purpose and comfort in these things that the world knows nothing about!

Hope this helps,
iain


Related Series Posts