Subject: Do Jesus and Paul agree on salv by faith |
Bible Note: (Part 2) Yes, believing in Jesus is crucial to our salvation, but certainly more is needed. For instance, Jesus spoke of some who professed faith in him and even did “powerful works” in his name. But he did not recognize them. Why? Because they were “workers of lawlessness” and did not do the will of his Father. (Matthew 7:15-23) The disciple James reminds us of the need to “become doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves with false reasoning.” He also said: “You believe there is one God, do you? You are doing quite well. And yet the demons believe and shudder. . . . Faith without works is dead.”—James 1:22; 2:19, 26. Some, though, argue that those who are genuinely saved do all these things anyway. But is that really the case in practice? The ‘saved’ people I have known feel no great need to examine the Scriptures because they think they already have all they need for salvation.” And when I observe the hypocrisy and unchristian acts of many who claim to be saved, this brings the whole subject of salvation into disrepute. But still, many insist that the Scriptures say: “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life.” (John 3:36, King James Version) Therefore, they conclude that once you have accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, you can never again be lost. “Once saved, always saved” is their watchword. But is that what the Scriptures really say? To answer this, we need to consider everything the Bible says on the subject and not hang on just one or two verses. No we would not want to ‘deceive ourselves with false reasoning’ by reading only selected parts of God’s Word. Just my two cents worth. Truthfinder |