QUESTION:
Jesus died to save us. So, what else do we need to do? He took the sacrifice, we're good, right?
Yes, if you believe that Jesus died to save you and sacrificed Himself on the cross for us, then you are good.
John 14:6 tells us, "Jesus answered, 'I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.'"
Is faith in Jesus as Lord and Savior your one-way ticket to heaven? Yes.
Does that mean we go one living a life in sin, doing whatever we want because we know that Jesus has already paid our ransom for sin?
No.
James 2: 14-24,
What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. But someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds." Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do. You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder. You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? Was not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. And the scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness," and he was called God's friend. You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone.
Faith in Jesus will produce life change—a heart truly transformed to seek out God produces a new life. James points out in this verse that “Even the demons believe and shudder!” Even evil recognizes the reality of God! But acknowledgment of Christ is NOT enough.
2 Corinthians 5:17 explains how when we accept Christ, we become changed,"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new."
Galatians 2:20 elaborates that we essentially “die” and we now LIVE in Christ,"I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”
Conclusion:
Only God truly knows the condition of your heart and the sincerity of your belief in Christ. Following Biblical truth, Faith without a transformed life/deeds is dead faith.
Here's the contention I have:
ReplyDeleteCan an entire system of morality and reward and punishment be predicated on the belief of a single person's divine nature? (If you want, I can get into actual civil wars that erupted in the Byzantine Empire over the nature of the divinity of Jesus Christ).
Where is the TRUE value in Christianity? The dead Jew nailed to a cross or the way he lived? His message or the resurrection? I'd highly recommend you take a look at Thomas Jefferson's Bible, The Life of Jesus of Nazareth, where he takes out the super-natural aspects of the religion and looks at the life and values of Jesus Christ.
While you've used verse to justify the stance that good works on Earth AND a sincere love and faith in Jesus Christ are needed for salvation, you don't look outside the Bible to see if this is a just nor sensible system.
While I will not use this as an argument for Athiesm, I would point to an interpretive style, AVEROISM, as a way to reconcile the values of a religion and the path to salvation.
Medieval Muslim, Christian, and Jewish did NOT take a literal interpretation of their religious texts (at least the good ones). They saw the texts as much more complex and that the super-natural events were allegorical rather than historical. They were written in such a way to give a simple moral code (Do not kill) and to inspire obedience (love Jesus), but the underlying interpretation led to a much more complex answer to "The Best Way of Life".
From this point of view, "Jesus," as a man, is inconsequential. His ideas, thoughts, and life, on the other hand, lay a bed rock for a much more meaningful path to spiritual salvation.
::poke:: Anyone have an answer? Bueller? Bueller?
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