I have been trying for years now to figure out how conservative Christians–and I mean ones who are familiar with the NT, especially scholars–can reconcile the ‘works salvation’ passages in the gospels with salvation by faith. Apparently you have to avoid certain sins, do good deeds, follow the law, forgive others, be of a certain character…everything but believe in Jesus, in the synoptic gospels. There are so many, I don’t know how anyone misses this clear teaching.
As a former “once saved always saved” Protestant born again Christian. I never was told about this verse or hardly anything Jesus said. It was always Romans and acts and the apostle Paul. Who cares what Paul said, seriously! He wasn’t god. Just go read Mathew 7:21. Not everyone who cries out lord lord to me will enter the kingdom of heaven but he who does the will of my father. Hence be a good person. And that’s Jesus saying this. Why was I never taught this verse? And only in Acts – “call out on the lord and that’ll shall be saved. Oh I know why, because majority of Christians are ignorant of their own faith and just rationalize these plain contradictions.
When He comes into your heart, you cannot help loving others. It rockets out of you like an open fire hydrant. Make sure you know Him, be sure you have received Him through faith, and continued faith in Him as the Greek says, and you will be amazed, absolutely amazed. The “good” that flows from us to others is the inevitable result of Him living in our insides. Don’t think that you have Him if kindness and love don’t gush out of your guts. He said we would know who other believers are by their fruits, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith.
Let’s play pretend and admittedly this analogy fails, but pretend Joe comes along and gives you 10 billion bucks. How miserable do you expect you’ll be? Pretty down in the dumps? Pretty darn depressed? Lower than low? Or, might you have a little exuberance? Jesus gives us Himself and that/He is a greater joy than all the money in the world. It is difficult not to reach out to others to help when you love them dearly all because you are loved abundantly.
I have wondered the same thing: how did we get to accepting and believing Christ as personal saviour to get to heaven when the Gospels don’t agree? The best way I can understand this ticket to heaven view is that it came after the Reformation and really took hold in the First Great Awakening. I think before the Reformation a good Christian life included beliefs, but also put a lot of weight on behaviour and ethics as evidence of righteousness which is closer to the Gospels. Roman Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Coptics, etc, all had and still have a much more balanced understanding of what constitutes a good Christian life. The “I accept Jesus as my saviour” view is based on Paul’s views mixed with a lot of personal, emotional experience. It’s way far from the Gospels.
I don’t know if charity was different in the Temple period from now or not. I know that obviously the method of collection and distribution is different but charity is also a very private event to Jews. Not a public display as Christians sometimes make it. It’s a good question. Maybe I should stick with the idea of kindness that can include charity? I also don’t think every law was judged as harsh and salvific. Paul doing away with the law didn’t mean the 10 commandments and probably agreed with the charity laws? Don’t know… good question.
BDEhrman
FreedomBen
evgendob
Robert
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