What’s Required of Us? What Made the List, What Didn’t.

Bottom line upfront: I asked you what's practically required of a Christ follower. Many of you answered in detail which is super helpful. And when we counted it up, you told us exactly where the bar actually is. Thank you!

A couple of weeks ago I asked you a question: From a spiritual fitness standpoint, what is actually required of us? You sent me stories, lists, confessions, corrections and I read every one. Here's what you said God requires of us, ranked by how many of you named it.

37 — Pray daily in continual dependence on God

34 — Read — engage with Scripture by reading, meditating on, memorizing and  absorbing the Word of God

27 — Obey out of love not fear

24 — Love and serve actual people

18 — Surrender — die to self, yield control to God

15 — Share your faith and make disciples

14 — Grow deeper in your knowledge of God

12 — Worship and show gratitude as a discipline, not a mood

Now look at what is not on that list. Not a hemline. Not a haircut. Not a movie ticket. Not one single man-made rule. And notice something else: every item is a verb. Something a person actually does — daily, repeatable, trainable. That's fitness language, and it’s the whole point.

Now let’s set this next to the answers from the week before when I asked what legalism cost you.

Fifteen named man-made rules that quietly replaced biblical truth. Don’t watch movies. Don’t watch television. Don’t listen to rock music. No sewing on Sunday. Eleven of you believed a single mistake had cost you your salvation forever. Ten described shame that lasted decades. Eight described being condemned by a church.

And one of you wrote a line that caused me to laugh out loud: “I used to think Chuck Swindoll was liberal. I almost think Arnie is liberal.” That's exactly the honesty I asked for. Keep it coming!

Put the two weeks together and a clear picture emerges. Through your answers you described first what Christianity is not: fear, guilt, and somebody else's rules tacked on to the gospel. Then you described what Christianity is: an active, grace-filled relationship with Christ demonstrated through prayer, Scripture, obedience, love, surrender, disciple-making.

This tells me you are not asking the Church to expect less of you. You are asking for a clear line between two very different kinds of requirements.

One rises up out of a heart God has already changed. The other gets handed to you by a tradition, a culture, or a person trying to make you behave. We have spent decades confusing the two. And when people can't tell them apart, they do one of two things: they either make you burn out trying to earn what was never for sale, or you walk away convinced faith is just a long list of nos.

Eight of you wrestled with this head-on and landed in exactly the right place. “Grace saves; obedience follows.” “Works reveal faith.” “Behavior reveals belief.”

Paul said it this way :“Continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose” (Philippians 2:12–13, NIV).

Here’s what we’re doing with what you told us. 

One — the “Am I Lying to Myself?” survey. Because the hardest false narrative any of us carries is the one we tell ourselves about our own spiritual condition. The survey is  an honest mirror built around the very things you just named.

Two — a full week of Spiritually Fit Today on this. We’ll take a week to talk about your answers on the podcast. We’ll go through your words and all the things we’ve talked about here and discuss what obedience looks like on an ordinary Tuesday.

Three — another week of Spiritually Fit Today focusing on legalism. You asked for it in twenty-five different ways and you deserve to know exactly where the line falls between the rules that formed you and the ones that only wounded you.

One last thing, aimed squarely at those of you over 50.

You lived in both ditches. You remember when the list of don’ts was far too long, and you've watched a generation grow up with no list at all. Your experience provides you a wisdom that the younger generations desperately need. Don’t sit on the sidelines keeping your mouth shut. We need you in this conversation.

All in, eyes up!

P.S. This week on Spiritually Fit Today  I’ll be talking to my friend Wayne Pederson about what it truly means to finish well in life and faith, and how to build a legacy that lasts.