Slideshow image

May 4, 2026

Simple, But Not Easy: Why We Struggle with a Free Gospel

By Jason Neill

Scripture reading: Romans 5:8; Ephesians 2:8-9

"There’s no such thing as a free lunch." You’ve probably heard that saying before. We live in a world where nothing is truly free. When someone offers us something for nothing, we can’t help but be suspicious, immediately wondering: What’s the catch?

Because of this "catch-22" mentality, when we present the freeness of the gospel, people often find it impossible to believe. "You mean to tell me," someone might ask, "that God offers me eternal life as a free gift simply by putting my trust in Jesus alone? That’s too easy."

Charles Bing, an evangelist and author, addresses this skepticism in his book, Simply by Grace: An Introduction to God’s Life-Changing Gift: 

“The epithet easy-belevism is also used in a derogatory way against the teaching that salvation is a free gift of God. The intent or implication of this charge is that if we teach salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone, without requiring commitments or works on our parts to either earn or prove our salvation, then it is too easy, and that will lead to behavior that abuses God’s grace. This term is a complete misnomer, because to believe is not easy.

  • It is not easy to believe that I am a sinner who deserves to be eternally separated from God.
  • It is not easy to believe that I can do nothing to save myself from eternal condemnation.
  • It is not easy to believe that God became a man, lived a perfect life, was killed anyway, and then rose from the dead.
  • It is not easy to believe that a life given two thousand years ago will provide a payment for my sins today.
  • It is not easy to believe that God loves me so much and is so generous that He will give me eternal life as a free gift.

It is not easy to believe! But it is simple to believe, because there is only one condition – believe in God’s gracious provision and promise” (p. 47).

 

Discussion Questions

  1. The Offense of Grace: Charles Bing suggests that calling salvation "too easy" is a derogatory charge. Why do you think people find it offensive or even dangerous to believe that works or "proving ourselves" aren't required for salvation?
  2. Simple vs. Easy: Bing makes a distinction between something being simple and something being easy. In your own words, what is the difference between the two when it comes to faith?
  3. The Hardest Part to Believe: Looking at Bing’s list of things that are "not easy to believe" (our own sinfulness, Christ's resurrection, God’s generosity), which one do you think is the hardest for the average person today to accept? Why?