If & Then

As a young person I think I was overly impressed with the Biblical teaching that salvation is a free gift of God, and that there was nothing we could do to earn our salvation.  While these are true statements, for the sake of high volume evangelism it was not often enough stressed to new converts that there are conditions which God the Father requires of us if we truly want to be a part of His Kingdom.  The "taking up your cross" and "dying to self" parts were actually de-emphasized (though unintentional I'm sure) when the main pitch was "God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life" if you just pray the sinner's prayer asking God's forgiveness.  The repentance from sin part and behavioral issues were just growth concerns for those wanting to  go deeper and perhaps get fanatical about their faith.

Many Christian converts of the "Jesus Movement" of the late 60's/early 70's were invited to join the Everlasting Throng with only a modicum of entry level belief--remember the Doobie Brothers singing, "Jesus is just alright with me"?  In the culture war that began 50 years ago of seeing who can shock others the most by being the most different, the "Jesus Freak" was born.  The Jesus Movement itself was actually a Christian response to the "Free-Love-Hippie Movement" of that era.  The baby boomer generation was inundated with life-simplifying, quick-fix products and solutions for everything, and our culture was pushing a very self-centered philosophy of "Free Love!", "If it feels good, do it!", and "You only go 'round once in life, you gotta grab for all the gusto you can!" And Instead of "If you love me, then keep my commandments, the  only "If & Then" proposition  going around was, "If you can't be with the one you love, honey, then love the one you're with. (Crosby, Stills & Nash)"  

Nevertheless, there were many of us who came through the Jesus Movement days of the 60's and 70's who have gone on to discover what it is that God truly expects from us who would be His Sons and Daughters in His Kingdom.  Yes, we are saved by grace through faith, but the complete Torah of the Father teaches us how we are to obey Him and thereby learn what it is to be in an active, daily relationship with Him through Yeshua!