We have a tendency to make things so complicated. For whatever reason, complexity seems to appeal to us more. Following Jesus, being forgiven of sin and have eternal forever-happy relationship with God through faith seems outrageous. It must include more. It must mean that I do more, control myself more, moralize my life and behavior long before I'm presentable.
Before people come to our house my wife and I scurry around picking up all the baby toys. We wipe the puddle of drool on the kitchen table from the twins. We mop the floor and pile the clothes behind the door we are fairly sure our guests wont open.
We do this with God. Let me get my house (aka heart and mind) in order then when God comes over he'll be impressed and more apt to like you. What if God were to come over with everything in disarray like it is when we aren't expecting guests?
This makes Jesus so different than every other religion in the world. Every religion in the world is motivated by doing the right things to accomplish the desired effect, usually for some kind of favor from some form of god. Not true with Jesus. Christianity is the only "religion" where God himself accomplishes all the requirements for "favor" in himself. Christianity is the only religion that has a hero. God wants to walk into the messiness. It honors him when we don't try to clean up our heart and instead open the doors, let him see the mess and invite him into it and walk room to room as he sweeps away the disaster.
This is what Peter meant when we said,
"His [Jesus'] divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellences... (2 Peter 1:3)"
See that? All things concerning life and godliness. The two main concerns of every person. How do I make sure I really live? Who is God and how do I please him? It's all been answered by the knowledge of the reality of the "divine power" of Jesus. It's big and eternal but not complicated.
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