I was sure they were wrong. What difference did it make if Buddhists wanted to call God one thing, Muslims another, and Christians something else. I thought it was judgmental for Christians to think they had better answers than people of other faiths.
Very Different Gods
Then I studied these other religions and read more of the Bible, and I realized that the Christian, Muslim and Hindu Gods are very different in character and purpose. We are not all worshiping the same God.
I also read these verses in the Bible:
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16
The Bible and Jesus Himself say He is
the only way of salvation. It wasn't something Christians had come up with on their own.
More Questions
I still had so many questions. So I continued to seek answers.
I didn't understand everything I read, and that bothered me. But the most difficult thing for me to understand was why God the Father would send Jesus to save mankind after all the stupid and evil things mankind has done. See God's Love is Unreasonable.
Other things were easier to understand:
- Jesus is the only God who bases salvation on belief. See "If You Call Jesus a Prophet, You Must Call Him God."
- Other religions base salvation on good deeds, religious practices and/or enlightenment. See "Only One God Can Be True."
- The Bible has the only answers for man's sin problem. See "Our Greatest Human Need."
- Christ's payment on the Cross is man's only hope. See "Nothing Could Be More Central Than the Cross."
- Christ doesn't need us, but He invites us to be His children. See "God Enjoys Us."
- Salvation is a free gift for those who believe and follow Christ. See "Is Jesus the Only Way?"
- But genuine faith in Christ isn't "easy belief"-- it's life-altering belief. Once we become Christians, we want to deny ourselves and follow Him (Luke 14:26-33). We are not saved by good works, but we are saved for good works (Ephesians 2:10, James 2:14-26). See "Salvation Through Grace, Good Works Through Love."
- Every person has an opportunity to seek the Truth about God and God promises that if we seek Him, we will find Him (Jeremiah 29:13; Matthew 7:7-11). See "A Note on the Fridge."
Committed to the Mystery
I committed my life to Christ based on these things I could understand and the greatest thing I couldn't understand—His incredible, saving love.
As I've gotten to know Christ and His Word, I've found great comfort in my inability to understand God—it proves He is far greater and wiser than I am.
If you haven’t committed your life to Christ, I encourage you to read the Bible and seek God. If you genuinely seek God, you will find Him (Matthew 7:7-11).
Would you like to become a Christian?
1. No one is good enough to go to heaven.
Romans 3:23: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
2. We deserve death.
Romans 6:23: the wages of sin is death…
3. But God loved us and He sent Jesus to pay for our sins on the cross.
Romans 5:8: But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
4. We receive this great gift of salvation by making a genuine, heart-felt profession of faith.
Romans 10:9-10: If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved."
Would you like to become a Christian?
If you wish to be saved, you need to understand these truths:
Romans 3:23: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
2. We deserve death.
Romans 6:23: the wages of sin is death…
3. But God loved us and He sent Jesus to pay for our sins on the cross.
Romans 5:8: But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
4. We receive this great gift of salvation by making a genuine, heart-felt profession of faith.
Romans 10:9-10: If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved."
If you believe these things, Christ tells you to "count the cost" (Luke 14:25-34).
Good works don't save us. We are saved by the grace of God. But once we are saved, we dedicate ourselves to renewing our mind in God's Word, turning from our sins, denying ourselves, and following Christ. It's a heart commitment.
If you understand these things and wish to follow Christ, all you need to do is repent of your sins and ask Christ to be your Lord and Savior.
Please read "Why Does a Loving God Send Men to Hell?"
Please read "Why Does a Loving God Send Men to Hell?"
Photo of Christ: Image source
Yes, the Bible says me must beleive but you are saying that one must act diffrently to become saved. Believe in who Jesus is and what he has done is all one must do to be saved. I read no where in scripture to saved that I must act diffrently. As a beliver who grows in a personal realationship with his Lord and savior and comes to know Him through reading His Word one would hope that the new creation in Christ would be just that, a new creation in Christ.
ReplyDeleteWe are NOT saved by good works, but everyone who is genuinely saved will do good works. They will repent of sin and learn to live in obedience to Christ. The Holy Spirit within the true believer will not allow them to remain sinful and selfish.
Delete"We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. The man who says, 'I know him,' but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But if anyone obeys his word, God’s love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did." 1 John 2:3-6
James 2 reminds us that demons have a type of "faith" in Christ--they believe He exists and know His power. But theirs is not saving faith because saving faith in accompanied by good works.
I hope this answers your question.
Thanks,
Gail
Even Satan believes who Jesus is.
DeleteSorry I don't agree with this answer as is....Jesus said when the comforter is come He shall testify of me in Gen 22:18 and Num 14:22 You see the difference between hearing and not hearing same thing in Heb 4:2,7... another words when you read Gal 3:2,3,5 you understand that coming to faith involves hearing and obeying the truth through the spirit the same thing quoted by 1 Peter 1:22 also mentioned in Acts 15:7-9 a Christian is supposed to go out and preach the Gospel so others may come to faith by hearing also Mark 16:15,16 1 John 4:6 its the difference between those who have his spirit with them John 6:45 and those who dont John 14:17
DeleteHi Sean,
DeleteI'm not sure I understand what you disagree with in the devotion. Nothing you've said is in disagreement with what I've written unless I'm misunderstanding you.
If you are saying that obedience is involved in our walk with the Lord, I agree wholeheartedly. Any true believer will seek to obey the Lord.
If you are saying that before we come to the Lord we must obey certain laws, I disagree. The moment we genuinely repent and believe we are saved no matter what we have done in the past. But the proof of our salvation will be that we seek to obey the Lord.
No what I'm saying is this every christian doesn't come to faith by believing the facts of the scripture but by hearing his literal call.. It isn't any act of repentance but his call which means you already have been cleansed the moment you hear him call you! All the verses above point to that except one I Left out Acts 10:19,20 which shows you how much the spirit of God plays in a person coming to faith!
DeleteSean, I know there are some who believe that we can be saved without repentance, but Scripture refutes that. Jesus never talked about salvation without calling for repentance. Repentance is not a work. It is a decision, an admission that we are sinners who need a Savior.
DeleteThat's right. we show our faith by what we do. There should be a change and good fruit in our lives. Christians are Christ followers and have died to the power of sin, but yes, it is scary that even demons believe in God, and tremble. God is working in us to change us, and we have to trust that as well even if the changes seem slight and our flesh still seems strong in many areas. He's still working on us to make us more like Christ.
ReplyDeleteWe are saved by faith alone and not by works lest any man should boast. We are saved unto good works but not by our works. All faiths including Mormon which is the author of this site I believe says you must do something. True Bible faith says Jesus did it all. He paid for our sins with his precious blood, most people just cannot except that. We are saved to do good works, until we are saved we do not have the Holy Spirit working in us to do anything of eternal value.
ReplyDeleteMormonism believes in many gods anyway. True Christianity is belief in one God.
Dear Patience and Love,
DeleteI encourage you to read the above article again with more patience and love. No where does it say we are saved by works. No where does it teach anything associated with Mormon doctrine.
Every major point is backed up by Scripture.
If you have a problem with the statement that Christ expects life-altering belief, not "easy belief" I have linked several Scripture passages for you to read.
Gail
Patience&Love Amen your correct !!
DeleteI see quite a bit of posts around by/of people proclaiming the gospel. They say that you have to admit you're a sinner, believe the work of Christ on the cross and call on Him to save you. Good so far. But then, as a part of their salvation requirements, they add "and you have to take up your cross and follow Jesus".
DeleteThis is NOT the pure gospel of grace! The gospel requires NOTHING outside of faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary. To be saved, we are not REQUIRED to take up our cross and follow Christ; that is a work, that requires us to DO something. Salvation is a gift given solely by God's grace. Anything outside of simple faith in the gospel is NOT the true gospel!
But what about when Jesus said in Matthew 16 and Luke 9 that if any man would come after Him he is to deny himself and take up his cross and follow Him?
This is where the proper understanding of the difference between justification and sanctification comes in. Faith ALONE in Christ ALONE justifies us before God, judicially pronouncing us innocent based on the merits of Christ and thereby granting us eternal life. What we have in Matthew 16 and Luke 9 has nothing to do with justification. What Jesus is referring to there is discipleship, which comes through the sanctification of the Holy Spirit's work in our lives. This is a process that lasts our whole lives. Jesus was saying, not to be justified, but to be His disciple (a voluntary act on our part out of love and gratitude for what He has done for us) that we must deny ourselves and follow Him. In fact, if we truly love the Lord, we will be compelled to do so. This action is not a determining factor in our salvation, it is the result of having already been saved. A person can be saved by believing the gospel and yet not be a disciple. But in order to please God with our lives, we should become disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ by denying ourselves and following Him. This is a result of sanctification and has nothing to do with justification.
We must not confuse these two different Biblical doctrines when telling someone how to be saved. Preach the pure gospel of the grace of God found in Jesus Christ!
AMEN
2 Corinthians 5:2
DeleteMeanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, - and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 53For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, "DEATH IS SWALLOWED UP in victory.… 1cor 15: -- 1 John 3:2
Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears,[a] we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.: that is the believers end: : Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life: 1 Thes 4 – 17
After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.: the good works are a byproduct of salvation: and the fruit of it: it is not a means : for salvation or something to be done to maintain salvation: as it is always the fruit of it : for true believers: can't buy heaven:
Hi Dion,
DeleteI totally agree with you that nothing is required to follow Jesus except genuine belief in Him.
And, if you had read this article before commenting or if you had read the string of comments above yours, you would have understood that point.
Modern Christians have a great deal of difficulty separating salvation from sanctification. There are many popular teachings that cheapen grace, such as those Paul addresses in Romans 6.
Works don’t save us, but we are saved to do good works and our changed lives are a proof of our salvation.
Ephesians 2:10 - 1 Thessalonians 1:4-10 – Matthew 3:8 – Acts 26:20 – Hebrews 13:20-21 and scores of other Scriptures make this point.
If Scripture makes this point, then we must make it as well.
If Jesus said to count the cost before becoming His disciple, then we should share that truth whenever we evangelize. Luke 14:25-34
If Jesus said obeying His commands is a proof of love and those who don’t obey don’t really love Him, then we should share that truth as well.
John 14:21-23
Once saved, you begin the process of sanctification and it is not optional. To know Christ is to love Him and to love Him is to obey His commands. If we share Christ and present a “no-works” walk with Christ, we misrepresent the Gospel and we encourage false conversions.
Becoming a disciple is a voluntary act, as you describe, but everyone who loves Jesus becomes His disciple. Salvation is not simply a legal matter. It is a heart matter.
Nothing in this article confuses salvation with sanctification. I encourage you to read articles thoroughly before judging them as “not preaching the pure Gospel.”
I did not publish your comment about once saved always saved.
The purpose of this blog is not to argue doctrinal differences that are not 100% clear in Scripture. I have an opinion about that subject, but I know both sides of that discussion can prove their stand Scripturally and both views are held by genuine Bible-believing Christians. On my blog, I stick with subjects clearly defined in Scripture such as the one we’ve just discussed.
Gail, I read the article and responses. I have to say what your saying is something the Holy Spirit has been revealing to me lately. I have had the thought that faith is hard. I have been really living in faith since April when we were buying our first house. I compared the process to riding a roller coaster with my eyes closed and only opening when Jesus said to. I was holding His hand all the way. Since we have been here my life is pressing me to exercise my faith and it's hard work. When you really give your life to Jesus, God wants us to prove our faith like Abraham did with his son Issac. God says we can't please Him without faith. This is why Paul said to fight the good fight of faith. It isn't easy and if we choose to follow Jesus we won't regret it in eternity.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Regina, for your thoughts. I believe many Christians and non-Christians have come to believe the false doctrine that because salvation requires no "works" that living as a Christian also requires no "works." But Scripture clearly commands us to prove our salvation by our changed lives and good works.
DeleteGod bless you.
Gail
By the way I have a blog if your interested www.mysoulisthirsty.wordpress.com I have so much to say that I need to get out, thanks for reading my comment.
ReplyDeleteIf you say you have faith, you will REPENT from repeated willful sin. This isn't works, but is part of admitting you need salvation to begin with. No one is perfect, however, refusing to give up a sinful life (say you are doing something you KNOW is wrong), you are not showing you are faithful. How can you be faithful and trusting if God if you're unwilling to turn away from sin? Of course our works aren't counted in the way that we think (i.e. donating to charity is an example of good "works") Yes, salvation is a gift, but you have to believe the sacrifice of Jesus was FOR something and get rid of that sin in your life. Only then, can someone ELSE recognize your fruits and decide to receive them. If you never turned away from sin, then you say to the world it's ok to continue to willfully do the wrong thing and that there are no consequences. Why bother to change our sinful behavior if this was true? God has certain expectations that we will live according to His plan which includes following all His commandments.
ReplyDeleteAmen
DeleteHear, believe, repent,confess and be baptized;be baptized every one of you for the remission of sins and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit;be baptized in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit;Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every one baptizing in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,doing all things as I have commanded you.
ReplyDeleteI just wanted to say thank you to all that left comments, I'm really new in my relationship with God to where I take the time to understand and eager for more learning and I am a firm believer that you must first hear, believe, repent,confess by mouth and ask god for forgiveness as you have forgave anyone who done you wrong or for any wrong doings and accept Jesus Christ into your heart and know that it was him that paid the price for all human life sins when he died on the cross for us will you be truly be on the correct Rd which spreading his gospel will come easy and your heart more purer than before but we were born sinners and we will die sinners and only those that have accepted Jesus Christ as our savior at judgement day will spend eternity in heaven. I enjoyed reading all the comments and will continue to grow closer to God AND him to me and to bring as many as his children to him that he through me can touch..amen God bless you.
ReplyDelete