Please read some of these other posts first:
What Must I Believe Part 1 - explanation and look at Acts 16:30 - 31
What Must I Believe Part 2 - where Jesus tells a woman she is saved
What Must I believe Part 3 - a look at John 3:16
What Beliefs Part 4 - Whom Do I Trust?
What Must I believe - Part 5 - more verses to consider
What Creed Must I believe - Part 6 - how creeds can divide
In previous posts I have been looking for passages which tell us a set of information that we we must believe to be saved. I haven't found such a list. I am thinking then it is not so much a list of essential beliefs about Jesus we must place our trust in. Salvation comes instead by placing our trust in the person of Christ.
I'd like to test this thought with a few more verses. As you read each question ask:
Does this passage answer the question: "What information must I believe?"
Or does this passage answer the question: "What person must I trust?"
Note in some cases I am going with the term trust instead of believe or faith - where it seems to fit with the greek.
"Yet to all who did receive him, to those who trust in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— John 1:12
"The one who trusts in the Son has eternal life. The one who rejects the Son will not see life, but God’s wrath remains on him." John 3:36/NET
“Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and trusts him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life." John 5:24 (NIV)
For this is the will of my Father – for everyone who looks on the Son and trusts in him to have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.” John 6:40/NET
"I am the door. If anyone enters through me, he will be saved, and will come in and go out, and find pasture." John 10:9/NET
"For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." Rom 10:13/NET
"And then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. ’ Act 2:21/NET
Exceptions:
The following passages do not really support my idea that trust in the person of Christ is what brings salvation. But they also don't support the idea that belief in a specific list of information about God does either. (unless you are fine with the really short list in Rom 10:9)
The following passages do not really support my idea that trust in the person of Christ is what brings salvation. But they also don't support the idea that belief in a specific list of information about God does either. (unless you are fine with the really short list in Rom 10:9)
"because if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." Rom 10:9/NET
"The one who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day." John 6:54/NET
"eternal life to those who by perseverance in good works seek glory and honor and immortality," Rom 2:7/NET
In the next post I'll take a quick look at some of the early creeds or lists of beliefs.
In the meantime, I'd love to hear your thoughts. Have I missed any passages that would help us understand what beliefs are necessary for salvation?
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