Is Christianity Hard or Easy?

Is Christianity Hard or Easy?

That question has haunted me for a couple of weeks.

What do you think?

No less than Prof. CS. Lewis captured the struggle- “You have noticed, I expect, that Christ Himself sometimes describes the Christian way as very hard, sometimes as very easy. He says, “Take up your Cross”—in other words, it is like going to be beaten to death in a concentration camp. Next minute he says, "My yoke is easy and my burden light." He means both. And one can just see why both are true.” The full essay from Mere Christianity is here:  http://www.swordofthespirit.net/bulwark/march2012p4.htm .

I find this dichotomy- hard and easy – in my experience as a Follower.  I cannot agree that it is easy, on the other hand, parts of it are quite easy.  Easiest of all is to NOT follow at all.

Gilbert K. Chesterton  had this to say, “Christianity has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and not tried.” 

That difficult/challenging part gets much attention for me.  On the other hand, I also engage in difficult things of much LESS value than this.

There is little doubt the truth of Christ in us- The Holy Spirit at work- is essential, but I still find myself in the Garden of Gethsemane at times.

I see very few US Christians “trying too hard”.  Instead we seem to mistakenly “try a little” and then try to convince everyone to do whatever we are doing. Preachers are at high risk of this mistake.

I find trusting more deeply to be tough.  It takes a LOT of effort to give a talk, travel, help others, - all of which I feel compelled to do, not by LAW but by a sense of gratitude.  If is far easier NOT to do these things, and easiest of all to do NOTHING.  “¹⁶ Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?” Rom 6:16  Servant hood is NOT free of effort, as best I can tell.

I do Not worry about keeping the LAW (Rom 8:3) , on the other hand I find working at the LAW to be an excellent way to express gratitude (Jn 14:15).

In modern Christianity we seem to think that any effort= WORKS.  But in I Tim 6:11, “But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness.”

We do NOT save ourselves or sanctify ourselves by working, but pursuing Christ as Paul describes to Tim can take energy.  I can choose to work at my profession and expect a return, BUT, more importantly I can pursue righteousness, and expect a greater return, but both seem to require commitment and effort.

DO NOT think that we EARN righteous status, I am saying that IF I ERR on either side of balance, I would rather err in pursuing with too much effort as opposed to NOT enough effort.

What do you think?