Believing in Jesus alone does not get you into heaven?

Salvation entwines more than belief. As Jon Marc has stated even Satan believes in God. One analogy is to remember the ABC's of salvation:

Admit
Believe
Confess

We must first admit that we are sinners. Secondly, as already stated, we must believe [have fervent faith], that God will do what He says He will do, and then we must confess with our mouth our sins, and ask His forgiveness.

At this point, if we truly possess that fervent faith, we are born again, and filled with the Holy Spirit. We begin anew! We are as a newborn, and life as we knew it, will vanish, and a new life is created. Just as a newborn learns how to walk, we as new Christians begin to learn how to walk all over again.
 
Just my opinion-

Abraham believed God and it was counted for righteousness-
Rom 4:3 For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.
Rom 4:4 Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.
Rom 4:5 But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.

we believe unto salvation. Salvation is the work of Christ alone and our works flow from His life in us. The rest is dead religion.
We are saved as we accept God's gift by faith and good works flow out of us. Even repentance is a gift and this comes only as God draws us:
Rom 2:4 Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?

2Ti 2:25 In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;


Act 11:18 When they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life.


Grace is unmerited, unearned and undeserved favor with God. Basing your salvation on anything else is a called legalism.

Eph 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Eph 2:9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Eph 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

Tit 3:5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;
Tit 3:6 Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour;

Rom 9:16 So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.

Rom 3:22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:
Rom 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
Rom 3:24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
Rom 3:25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;
Rom 3:26 To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.
Rom 3:27 Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith.
Rom 3:28 Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.

Rom 3:30 Seeing it is one God, which shall justify the circumcision by faith, and uncircumcision through faith.

2Ti 3:15 And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.

2Ti 1:9 Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,

Eph 1:6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.
Eph 1:7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;


Eph 2:5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)
Eph 2:6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:
Eph 2:7 That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.


Rom 11:6 And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.
 
We can't just take one verse where it says one thing, yet we know there is another verse that kind of completes it or looks like it, so then we have to place them together, that's how we learn 100 % rather than 50 %.
A good example will be this, how Christ said to someone, "your faith has saved thee." But in another verse He says to someone else, Go, and sin no more after the "faith has saved thee" part. And in another He and John the Baptist say "Repent." And other parts it's this, If you do keep my commandments, then you love Me and I will abide in you, since I keep the commandments of my Father, and He loves Me. something along that line. And in many others verses it says to keep His commandments, and in return it shows that you love Him.

So we know that we need to have faith (believe on Christ and having a relationship with Him and all things therein), and live in repentance, and keep the commandments! That's how we're saved! not just faith! because faith can die. Works can die too. but all of those together cannot die ! with the necessity of Prayer also :)
Amen!


Amen Ramsey.
 
Our faith saves us and His Spirit gives us the grace and power to go and sin no more. If your salvation was based on your ability to fulfill this we would all be doomed but our salvation is based on His sacrificial offering of love . THe obedience is a product of abiding in Christ but not the source of our salvation.
 
We cannot save ourselves or Christ would not have gone to the cross.
Fortunately this scripture puts it into perspective:

Tit 3:4 But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared,
Tit 3:5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;
Tit 3:6 Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour;
Tit 3:7 That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

Tit 3:8 This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men.


First salvation (from God through Christ received by faith)then good works.:)
 
Oh I was not talking about good works ! I merely said faith and works can die! If we do not pray and so forth. But the means to be saved, I wrote them before that
"So we know that we need to have faith (believe on Christ and having a relationship with Him and all things therein), and live in repentance, and keep the commandments!"

Abraham is saved because he was righteous and he kept the commandments of God. Imagine he did not keep them, would God have been proud of him :p?

with Love and Faith in God, comes everything else, as long as we keep praying. I hope we can agree on this.
 
Oh I was not talking about good works ! I merely said faith and works can die! If we do not pray and so forth. But the means to be saved, I wrote them before that
"So we know that we need to have faith (believe on Christ and having a relationship with Him and all things therein), and live in repentance, and keep the commandments!"

Abraham is saved because he was righteous and he kept the commandments of God. Imagine he did not keep them, would God have been proud of him :p?

with Love and Faith in God, comes everything else, as long as we keep praying. I hope we can agree on this.

We do not entirely disagree- we are just looking at it from a different angle.
Abraham failed many times but God imputed righteousness to him. God's grace is undeserved and unearned. Good works (or outward evidence of your faith) will come naturally as you walk in union with the Spirit of God. If we perform religious acts such as repentance and or whatever on our own they have little value.
Jesus Christ came to be the example of how a man could walk pleasing to God. Though being God He walked as a man. He did no act except what He saw the Father doing. He spoke no Word unless it was what the Father was saying. He did no deed or act without total dependance on the Holy Spirit who filled Him, lead Him and empowered Him.
I guess what it boils down to is this (from my point of view)- salvation is from God alone and is received by faith. True faith in Christ will always produce works (repentance, seeking, praying, building the kingdom ,etc). So I am not saved (born again) through my actions but my actions appear because I am saved.
So yes I believe we need repentance, prayer and fellowship with God - I simply believe those things come as we abide in the vine. God's life flows into us, produces growth and causes us to bear fruit.
Again these are just my views and my walk Ramsey- I love you in Jesus Name and I respect your opinions. We are all going and growing on this faith walk called Christianity.
Many blessings in His Name, your brother Larry.

Joh 15:1 `I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman;
Joh 15:2 every branch in me not bearing fruit, He doth take it away, and every one bearing fruit, He doth cleanse by pruning it, that it may bear more fruit;
Joh 15:3 already ye are clean, because of the word that I have spoken to you;
Joh 15:4 remain in me, and I in you, as the branch is not able to bear fruit of itself, if it may not remain in the vine, so neither ye, if ye may not remain in me.
Joh 15:5 `I am the vine, ye the branches; he who is remaining in me, and I in him, this one doth bear much fruit, because apart from me ye are not able to do anything;
Joh 15:6 if any one may not remain in me, he was cast forth without as the branch, and was withered, and they gather them, and cast to fire, and they are burned;
Joh 15:7 if ye may remain in me, and my sayings in you may remain, whatever ye may wish ye shall ask, and it shall be done to you.
Joh 15:8 `In this was my Father glorified, that ye may bear much fruit, and ye shall become my disciples.




 
Hello,
Mellow. You are funny!
Small sin is sin. Big sin is sin. God Has no place for sin any longer. That is why besides salvation, anybody subject to fleshly passions is under condemnation. We are not saved by our deeds in righteousness. But our deeds in wickedness continues to lift away the Glory of God and the tendancy to abide in sin is quickly developed in our habits.
1st John 5:18. "Bible says Everybody saved does not sin but the nature of God is established within Him". However, the whole salvation story does alot with decision making. Thus "They will find me they who seek after me, and seek after me dilligently." -Choices.
Everybody saved has the Spirit who calls to righteous living. However when a saved person sins, the Grace of God grants forgiveness, because God Knows when you mean repentance and alternatively when taking salvation contemptiously.
The minimum most Significant score is achieved by salvation, like the thief on the cross, but for us with a chance to exercise walk of faith, we need to work out our salvation with fear and trembling, even accumulating rewards for ourselves. It is a priviledge.
Everybody saved is a Son of God, some obedient others disobedient, (including they who are backsliden). Lets seek to live Right.
 
Reading through this thread brought tears to my eyes as a well-spring of hope was realized in my heart by how much all of you love the Lord, very inspiring, I give everyone one of you a high five and a hug. Have a great night and God bless all of you.

Tyler
 
Reading through this thread brought tears to my eyes as a well-spring of hope was realized in my heart by how much all of you love the Lord, very inspiring, I give everyone one of you a high five and a hug. Have a great night and God bless all of you.

Tyler


Tyler , that is nicest thing you can say to every one. God Bless you brother. I know you love the Lord too and yes it is so uplifting to come here and be fed the Word of encouragement , promise , hope and know we are all of like mind and spirit and want to lift our brothers and sisters up in the Lord .

This is definately a refuge from the storms of life . Thank you Jesus.
blessing2.jpg

 
Reading through this thread brought tears to my eyes as a well-spring of hope was realized in my heart by how much all of you love the Lord, very inspiring, I give everyone one of you a high five and a hug. Have a great night and God bless all of you.

Tyler

We love you too brother!:)
 
It all comes down to our understanding of grace. Far too many Christians - if they think about grace at all - see it as simply God turning a blind eye to sin. The standard definition even when I was in Bible College was "God's undeserved mercy" but that is only scratching the surface.

Grace is in fact God's mighty power working within us to achieve what we do not deserve and could not achieve by ourselves. It brings us to salvation (something we did not deserve and could never have achieved ourselves) but it also gives us the power to live by God's way rather than our own (something we also could not do by ourselves).

It's a package deal - grace for salvation and grace for life come bundled together. We can't just say, "Oh yes, I'll take grace for salvation, but I'm not interested in grace for life. I'd rather just go my own way." We either take the whole package or nothing. If we reject God's grace for life, we are automatically also rejecting His grace for salvation.

blessings,

Lynn
 
Yes, that is very touching. So long as we realize, the process of recieving Salvation goes further than just a belief in Christ. Many believe in God and Jesus and what He did, but are still not saved. For they have not, in thier heart, come before God and confessed they are sinners, have sinned and need forgiveness for this.

A "head knowledge" is worthless, without the heart felt change, the Holy Spirit enlightens us to experience during this revelation, to ask christ to come into thier heart and change them and to accept Him as thier Lord and savior.

Too many people rely on works alone- head knowledge of God's Word, believing in God and or Christ, going to Church, being nice to people, helping others, tithing, etc, when asked how they would answer God if died today and came before Him and He asks- "Why should I let you into My Heaven?"

Grace- Unmerited favor, is right to be believed in, for God declares none, no not one is worthy to be saved. But that because He loves us anyway, He still sent Christ to the cross and 3 days and nights in Hell to pay the attonement for our sins.

But, its up to us to be penetant before God, be on our knees seeking forgiveness from God and openly admitting we are sinful and a sinner. "repent and be baptized for the remission of sins and recieve the Gift of the Holy Spirit."

So, lets not leave others viewing this thread with the idea of just believing in Christ or accepting him as Lord and Savior is enough for Salvation.

A lesson to be learned, comes from Christ leading His Disciples when they came across a person having great belief in Jesus and seeing many miracles done in His Name. Yet, why then, did the Disciples want to stop that person? Jesus told them no, let them be, for they do this in My Name's sake.

But then, on thier return trip thru, this person saw them and came to Jesus expecting to be accepted by Him. Yet Jesus tells them to be gone, for He does not know them.

Many are confused by this. But, it was a lesson to the Disciples and surrounding people witnessing this, that having a "head knowledge" alone, may wrought miracles in Jesus' Name's sake, it still does not get them into Heaven by those works.

Just as it was the Sanhedrin's fault for not understanding and teaching the people the Truths of God, so too is it the Churche's fault if do not teach often enough the Truth of Salvation. For there are many out there calling themselves christian, who are really not so.

But, there are plenty of God's True children also, who belong to God, but live as they please. Yes, they go to church every sunday or saturday, or they may go to extra services during the week. but then do nothing else outside of that for God.

God declares, even if all thier works burn, they will still enter Heaven, but no treasures stored up for them.

Do you know, that only just over 30% of the "Body of Christ" is actively involved in any aspect of spreading the Gospel message? The rest do nothing? Thats less than 70% being active in living for God outwardly as a testimony to the lord in any way, as a witness for Christ.

As revLynn said, its a whole package, not just in part.

God Bless!!
 
Those you described simply have no faith in Christ. They have have heard and it might sound great but it has no root in them. One who receives this grace by faith will produce works as a by product of the salvation they receive which is the prime product.
 
Yes, that is very touching. So long as we realize, the process of recieving Salvation goes further than just a belief in Christ. Many believe in God and Jesus and what He did, but are still not saved. For they have not, in thier heart, come before God and confessed they are sinners, have sinned and need forgiveness for this.

A "head knowledge" is worthless, without the heart felt change, the Holy Spirit enlightens us to experience during this revelation, to ask christ to come into thier heart and change them and to accept Him as thier Lord and savior.

Too many people rely on works alone- head knowledge of God's Word, believing in God and or Christ, going to Church, being nice to people, helping others, tithing, etc, when asked how they would answer God if died today and came before Him and He asks- "Why should I let you into My Heaven?"

Grace- Unmerited favor, is right to be believed in, for God declares none, no not one is worthy to be saved. But that because He loves us anyway, He still sent Christ to the cross and 3 days and nights in Hell to pay the attonement for our sins.

But, its up to us to be penetant before God, be on our knees seeking forgiveness from God and openly admitting we are sinful and a sinner. "repent and be baptized for the remission of sins and recieve the Gift of the Holy Spirit."

So, lets not leave others viewing this thread with the idea of just believing in Christ or accepting him as Lord and Savior is enough for Salvation.

A lesson to be learned, comes from Christ leading His Disciples when they came across a person having great belief in Jesus and seeing many miracles done in His Name. Yet, why then, did the Disciples want to stop that person? Jesus told them no, let them be, for they do this in My Name's sake.

But then, on thier return trip thru, this person saw them and came to Jesus expecting to be accepted by Him. Yet Jesus tells them to be gone, for He does not know them.

Many are confused by this. But, it was a lesson to the Disciples and surrounding people witnessing this, that having a "head knowledge" alone, may wrought miracles in Jesus' Name's sake, it still does not get them into Heaven by those works.

Just as it was the Sanhedrin's fault for not understanding and teaching the people the Truths of God, so too is it the Churche's fault if do not teach often enough the Truth of Salvation. For there are many out there calling themselves christian, who are really not so.

But, there are plenty of God's True children also, who belong to God, but live as they please. Yes, they go to church every sunday or saturday, or they may go to extra services during the week. but then do nothing else outside of that for God.

God declares, even if all thier works burn, they will still enter Heaven, but no treasures stored up for them.

Do you know, that only just over 30% of the "Body of Christ" is actively involved in any aspect of spreading the Gospel message? The rest do nothing? Thats less than 70% being active in living for God outwardly as a testimony to the lord in any way, as a witness for Christ.

As revLynn said, its a whole package, not just in part.

God Bless!!


I agree. There is a quote on Billy Graham book where he says that religious training will not make you a believer but true faith will. Also the belief in Jesus has to be manifested in your life. Does your lifestyle demonstrate the belief in Jesus? In other words, you must say you believe in Jesus by living a righteous life. True repentance is turning away from the old life, and creating a new Godly life because Faith can die.
 
I agree. There is a quote on Billy Graham book where he says that religious training will not make you a believer but true faith will. Also the belief in Jesus has to be manifested in your life. Does your lifestyle demonstrate the belief in Jesus? In other words, you must say you believe in Jesus by living a righteous life. True repentance is turning away from the old life, and creating a new Godly life because Faith can die.


Amen , Mellow .... a renewal of mind., and like C. C. says one can call themselves a Christian and do all the right things but not dispay any fruit of the Spirit . By their fruits you shall know them. It is a daily inpouring into the Word , prayer and walking with Christ. and letting the Holy Spirit pour into our lives. , so that we can minister into others lives. Without that like you said faith is dead and so are good works.
 
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