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By Bob Vaughn - uca@uncommonanswers.com
"Contending for the faith once delivered to the saints"
Uncommon Answers Home Page
Professor or Possessor
Often people are quick to lead a person to a profession of Jesus as
Savior. If they are not careful, they may over-simplify the route to
salvation. They then have only a professor of salvation
instead of a possessor of salvation. We
should never make salvation easier or harder to be had than the Lord
intended for it to be.
The Bible says, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be
saved". When the Bible says "believe", does it mean to acknowledge the
existence of Jesus as a historical person, and by this acknowledgement
be saved? If so, few people have ever been lost. Those who nailed Him
to the cross knew He existed, but they were not "believers" in the
sense scriptures speak of.
To believe, according to Strong's Greek Dictionary, means to have
faith--upon, in, or with respect to. Belief in Jesus for salvation
means to acknowledge His existence, to have confidence in His integrity
as the Christ, and to honor His counsel. This is God's route to
salvation. Few, if any, would deny what is an established fact--the
existence of Jesus; and many express sincere confidence in Jesus' being
the Christ; but not many honor His counsel. Therefore, their "belief"
is not complete and they are not saved.
Jesus said, "He who believes in me, as the scripture has said, out of
his heart will flow rivers of living water." The man who truely
believes the testimony of Scriptures concerning Jesus will manifest
spiritual life - living water - to those around him.Only those who
acknowledge Jesus in His existence and integrity as the Christ and
honor His counsel have life in them to manifest.
When you were saved it was according to the scriptures; if you are
still saved it is because you are living according to the scriptures;
and if you are saved at Jesus' coming it will be because you continued
living according to the holy scriptures. We must honor His counsel, for
the Bible says, "With the heart one believes unto righteousness".
Point people to
Jesus--to His existence, to His integrity as the Christ, and to His
counsel
and rivers of living waters will flow from you.
Bob Vaughn
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