Do you know everything that you’re eating? This is an important question to ask, especially with the recent ruling that McDonald’s had to disclose every chemical additive to its foods and the revelation that some type of “pink slime” is added to ground beef as “a cheaper filler.” So you may think you are eating one thing and are getting some additional items you didn’t count on. Next week I’ll tell you about my quest to find out the ingredients in one of my favorite spices and the shocking news I received, but today I want to deviate from what we put into our physical body and focus on what we put into our spiritual body.

As I thought about how we eat foods and don’t always know what’s in them and how those unknown ingredients are detrimental to us, I thought about how not knowing what you put into your spirit can be equally as detrimental to your soul. When we allow small amounts of “spiritual” information to infiltrate our system because we have not investigated the claims next to the claims of traditional Christianity, we begin to cause deterioration to our souls. For instance, if you see people of other belief systems fulfilling required hours of service for their salvation, you may begin to put pressure on yourself to work hard to be saved, forgetting that you should work hard because you ARE saved (James 2:17-24). Work was never the requirement for salvation only the expectation AFTER salvation (Ephesians 2:8-9). We must remember that we are saved by faith through grace this and also remember other basic truths of our faith so we don’t become spiritually sick—discouraged, disobedient or disenchanted because of misguided notions—and lose hope.

I remind you of this today, Good Friday, as we recognize the death of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. This day marks the beginning of His sacrifice for the sins of mankind. Next was His burial that was pivotal in His rising from the grave, His resurrection on the third day, having defeated death (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). We have to remember this, what’s in our faith, so we understand what we have and recognize there is no need for any additives. In fact, any so called fillers would just deny the power of resurrection and dilute the power of the entire Gospel, making it an entirely different gospel and weakening our faith (Galatians 1:6-9). Good Friday is about the hope we have of eternal life because of Jesus Christ. That blessed hope, even giving us power before we even see Jesus in heaven, is what we celebrate this weekend. Happy Good Friday and have a Happy Resurrection Day.