The K.I.S.S. principle – “Keep It Simple Stupid” – was coined in 1960 by an engineer working for the U.S. Navy. The premise of this now well-known phrase is that systems work better when they are kept simple and, as such, unnecessary complexity should be avoided. Over the years, it has found use and application to many other areas of life. But while “K.I.S.S.” was only coined in recent history, the principle of keeping things simple goes way back to the 1st century. Keeping it simple is God’s idea for how the Gospel should go forth. Take a moment to read about how this principle was originally laid out in 1 Corinthians 1:20-25.

Our region just came through a week of area-wide evangelistic meetings where each night the gospel was presented and God brought many to trust Christ as their Savior. The speaker did his best to be funny and engaging, using illustrations to help people understand his points – but he wasn’t the funniest or most engaging speaker I ever saw. While there was emotion in his messages and pleas, there was no emotional manipulation to get a response. His arguments for Christ were logical and structured, but he did not try to rest his case for Christ on a logical conclusion. So, what caused people to respond? Well, beside the countless hours of prayer and preparation God’s work in people’s hearts, it was that the presentation of the gospel each night was kept SIMPLE.

The gospel message is sometimes TOO SIMPLE – which is why it is a stumbling block to so many. It consists of believing the following truths from Scripture and placing our personal faith in the promise of salvation:

1. God is holy and man is not – There is one God who created everything. He is perfect, all-powerful, and sinless. Mankind is accountable to Him and we are both inherently and willfully sinful in our lives. “All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23)
2. Man’s sin separates us from God and makes us worthy of eternal death – God mankind to have a relationship with Him but our sinfulness has broken that ability to be with a holy God. As such, our sin has condemned us to an eternal death penalty in hell. “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23)
3. Jesus Christ lived a sinless life because mankind couldn’t – Jesus Christ was both fully God and fully human. Because He was God, He was able to be sinless. However, no matter what we do or how hard we may try, our best efforts can not make us sinless. “We are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags.” (Isaiah 64:6)
4. Jesus Christ paid the penalty of sin for mankind – Because Jesus was fully human, yet without sin, He was innocent. But He offered himself as a substitute to take the penalty of eternal death that humans deserved. He did this when He died on the cross of Calvary. “The LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.” (Isaiah 53:6)
5. Jesus Christ rose again to offer us eternal life – When Jesus rose again after three days in the tomb, He broke the power of eternal death. Because of His sacrifice, death, and resurrection, mankind can now be free from the penalty of eternal death. We simply need to repent of our sin and place our faith in what Jesus Christ did for us. “If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” (Romans 10:9)

Salvation is not difficult to understand, but it can not be grasped by logic alone. It does change lives through the presence of the Holy Spirit, but is not presented with signs, wonders, or emotions to cause you to believe. It seems too easy. You simply must believe what the Bible says and what Jesus Christ did for you. You simply must turn from your sin and call out to Jesus Christ to save you. You must simply believe in God’s grace given to you as a gift and stop relying on your own “goodness”. “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8-9). If you haven’t made that step of faith, please call, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or message me and I’d love to help you through this SIMPLE process.

There are people like both the Jews and the Greeks today. When going to a big area-wide crusade, some come looking for a miracle, a supernatural sign from God, or some kind of emotional experience (like the Jews). Others might go to something like this and expect the speaker to present a well thought-out, iron-clad apologetic logical argument for the faith – something that no thinking person could deny (like the Greeks). But if we want God’s power in the message that can truly transform lives, we must KEEP IT SIMPLE! It may seem like foolishness to us, but this is God’s “foolish” way that the most important message for mankind is to be proclaimed. So, the next time you have opportunity to share your faith – Keep It Simple Stupid!