I appeal to you brothers, in the name of our Lord
Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no
divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and in thought (1
Cor. 1:10).
For the time will come when people will not put up
with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires they will gather
around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to
hear (2 Tim 4:3).
I don't believe there's ever been a time in history
when we've been subjected to a wider variety of opinions on what the Bible
says. Some of these opinions have actually been around for a long time, while
others are new to the scene. But all are now gaining a wider
audience due to the advent of mass communications, especially the internet.
And
because today's average Christian is woefully uninformed where the Bible is
concerned, some of these opinions have gained a following that couldn't have
been possible in the past.
As as result it takes an above average level of
Biblical knowledge and the full application of our spiritual discernment to
figure out what is true and what is not. Fortunately the Bible, being the word
of God, only teaches one doctrinal position so the diligent student can wade
through all the false teaching and find the truth. Unfortunately, the
number of diligent students in the Christian world seems to be at an all time
low, and many are being misled. Most of this false teaching doesn't
impact a person's salvation, it just sows confusion in the body. But
some of it has resulted in a considerable number of people who think they are
going to heaven because of what they've been taught, although according to what
the Bible says they probably aren't.
In preparing for this study, I began making a list
of the various doctrinal positions now being taught, and I saw a pattern
emerging. It looks to me like we're being offered a selection of
teachings which have the overall effect of fracturing the body of Christ in
ways that defy coincidence. It's almost as if some unseen force is
applying the “divide and conquer” principle to deprive us of any chance we
might have had to regain our lost unity in these last days.
This is in direct contrast to Paul's teaching
against allowing divisions to develop among us. The Greek word translated
“divisions” in 1 Cor. 1:10 above is “schisma”. It's
literal meaning is a rent or tear, but it's also used metaphorically
to speak of division or dissension. The root word is the verb
“schizo” which means “to cleave asunder” or “split into factions.” The
English word “schism” comes from here.
In Paul's day these divisions were caused by
believers preferring one teacher over another and allowing quarrels to erupt
over which one was best (1 Cor. 1:11-12). Back then, there were only a few
teachers involved, but because the Church didn't heed Paul's admonition there
are now hundreds of major denominational and independent groups world wide,
most of them begun because people either wouldn't agree on what the
Bible says, or willingly put their own opinions above God's word.
So, as we begin this new year, I want to spend a
few weeks reminding ourselves in the clearest possible terms what the Bible
really says about the important beliefs of our faith. This is not
meant to be an exhaustive study but a review of the clearest verses the Bible
offers on the topics we'll cover. In the first place exhaustive
studies are often exhausting to read. Second, and more importantly,
a basic rule of interpretation is to use the clearest verses on a topic to help
us interpret those that aren't as clear. (The Bible is not a book where you
have to worry about the fine print or continually be on the lookout for
exclusions and exceptions. It's meant to be understood by ordinary
people of average intelligence.) Finally, I'd like to keep this study simple
enough so you can share it with a curious friend or loved one or even your
kids.
With that in mind let's begin with the most
critical and fundamental belief of all.
What Does It Take To Be Saved?
Understanding
what the Bible says (and doesn't say) about salvation is obviously our number
one priority. Let's begin by defining the term.
The
Bible says we are all sinners (Romans 3:23). This means we've
repeatedly violated God's Law. How we got into this situation is a
long story but the end result is that our sins have gotten us into big trouble
with God. In fact the Bible says our sins are punishable
by death (Romans 6:23). Being saved means to be rescued from
the death penalty due us for the sins we've committed.
The
Bible mentions two births and two deaths. The first birth and the first death
are physical and relate to our physical body, which usually wears out and
ceases to work after 70 or 80 years. The second birth and the second
death are spiritual, and relate to our soul and spirit, which live
forever.
Salvation
was not intended to save people from their physical death, but from their
spiritual death, which the Bible defines as being consigned to a lake of fire
to be tormented forever. In Rev. 20:14 and Rev.
21:8 this lake of fire is called the second death. So in the most
literal sense being saved means escaping the second death.
You Must Be Born Again
We
are saved from the second death by experiencing our second birth. In some
circles this is called being being born again and it's absolutely necessary in
order for us to be saved from the penalty due us for our sins.
Here's
how it works. Knowing it isn't entirely our fault that we're in this predicament,
God promised to send His Son to pay the penalty for our sins by dying in our
place. His name is Jesus, and in the eternal sense, His death has
saved our lives, if we'll let it.
In John
1:12-13 we read the following;
“Yet
to all who received Him (Jesus), to those who believed in
His name, He gave the right to become children of God – children born not of
natural descent, nor of human decision, nor of a husband's will, but born of
God.”
Our
first birth made us a child of our earthly parents, but our second birth makes
us a child of God. It's our second birth that qualifies us for entry into the
Kingdom of God, for without it no one can enter therein (John 3:3). In John
3:6 Jesus said flesh gives birth to flesh (first birth) but the Spirit
gives birth to spirit (second birth).
These
verses tell us our second birth takes place when we receive Jesus and believe
in His name. Receiving Him means taking Him to ourselves or making
Him our own, and believing in His name means believing Jesus is the one through
whom God brought our salvation. In Hebrew, the name of Jesus is
Yeshua, a contraction of the phrase that means “God is salvation”. His
name explains what He has done, so by believing in His name we are believing in
what He has done for us.
To
summarize, if we're only born once we'll die twice, but if we're born twice
we'll only die once. (Some of us won't die at all, but that's a topic for
another discussion.)
Who Can Be Saved?
The
Bible tells us God wants everyone to be saved (1 Timothy 2:3-4, 2 Peter 3:9)
and that whoever believes in Jesus will not perish but will have everlasting
life (John 3:16). In fact it says believing that God sent Jesus to save
us is the only thing God requires of us (John 6:28-29).
It
also says the decision to be saved is ours to make. In Matt.
7:7-8 Jesus said everyone who asks will receive, everyone who seeks
will find, and to whomever knocks the door will be opened. Paul said
if we confess with our mouth, “Jesus is Lord” and believe in our heart that God
raised Him from the dead we'll be saved (Romans 10:9). He
said everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved (Romans
10:13). The only condition is that our decision has to be made
during our lifetime (Hebrews 9:27). After we die our destiny
is sealed for eternity.
Did God Say That?
Everything else you may have heard about salvation
is man made, not God breathed. For example,
The Bible does not say we have to agree to stop
sinning in order to be saved. It does say that we have to change our
mind and agree we are sinners, because people who don't think they sin don't
ask for a Savior.
The Bible does not say that before He created any
of us, God selected some of us to be saved, left the rest to suffer the second
death, and there's nothing any of us can do to change that. The clearest verses
on the subject tell us that God doesn't want any of us to perish (2 Peter
3:9) but instead wants everyone to be saved (1 Tim. 2:3-4). Both the
Old Testament and the New Testament tell us that everyone who calls upon the
name of the Lord will be saved (Joel 2:32, Romans 10:13).
The Bible does not say we can only be saved if God
deems us worthy of such a blessing. It says we aren't saved because of righteous
things we have done but because of His mercy (Titus 3:5).
The Bible does not say we have to contribute our
own effort to the salvation process. Is says we are saved by grace
through faith and not by works (Ephesians 2:8-9).
The Bible does not say we can be saved by simply
joining a particular church or denomination. It says we have to be
born again (John 3:3).
The Bible does not say we can be saved by obeying
God's Law. It says no one will be declared righteous by obeying the
Law (Romans 3:20) but that we have a righteousness apart from the Law
that comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe (Romans 3:21-24).
The Bible does not say we will get another chance
to be saved after we die. It says we're only given one life and when it ends
we'll face our judgment (Hebrews 9:27).
The Bible does not say we need to be baptized in
order to be saved. While baptism is important, it serves as the
public declaration of our private decision to join the family of God, not as a
prerequisite for doing so. The Bible says we were included in Christ when we
heard the word of truth, the gospel of our salvation. Having believed we
were marked in Him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit
guaranteeing our inheritance,until the redemption of those who are God's
possession-to the praise of His glory (Ephesians 1:13-14).
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