Tuesday, 17 January 2012
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The Road to Salvation: Back to the Basics
As Christians, we can get sidetracked from the core of our faith, focusing on the externals of religion and secondary doctrinal issues. Because of the internal conflicts and contentions in the Christian community, we may forget that our main objective is to present Christ to the world and not our varying Christian religious preferences or persuasions. We have to get back to the basic requirements (if you will) for salvation which was presented to the world by Christ and His disciples.
Now, I want to be clear: religion can be beneficial and has its proper place as long as it establishes the adherents to what Jesus taught. Religion can never be a substitute for relationship, but it should bring order and a sense of order and stability to a vibrant, living faith in Christ. With that being said, what basic truths should the Christian community promote to see others get on the road to salvation.
1. The Call to Christ – The world accuses Christians of arrogance and ignorance when we state that there is only ONE way to God, Jesus Christ. God provided one way so that there would be no confusion as to how to enter into salvation. Christ stated, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me (John 14:6). We have to stand, unwavering without compromise, that the road to salvation begins and ends with Jesus Christ.
2. The Call to Repentance – Christ preached repentance. It is written, “From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand (Matthew 4:17). We come to Him by faith through repentance of sins. Many say that they serve Christ, but have not confessed and repented of sins. Hence, they do not know Him. He came for sin to deliver men from sins. We partake of His work of salvation as we confess our need for Him and repent of sins. Repentance brings the individual to a place to live a Christ-like lifestyle as they serve Him.
3. The Call to Community – We know that division, racism, and sexism have been dark blemishes on the gatherings of the Christian community. However, we cannot believe that coming together as Christ followers is not necessary. Jesus did not teach this, nor did the apostles. The writer of Hebrews urged the Christians to not stop gathering together, “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching (Hebrews 10:25). Coming to Christ involves fellowship with others who are a part of His body.
Well, there you have it. These are foundational for all that will travel on the road to salvation.
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- From: roderickevans
- Name: Roderick
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- About Me: Roderick L. Evans is a solid voice in the Christian community as a minister, author, and songwriter. He has written numerous books, teaching resources, music, articles, blogs, and other devotional materials for the Christian community. He is the founder of Kingdom Builders International Ministries: A ministry dedicated to promoting maturity, unity, and holiness in the Body of Christ.
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Comments (3)
Important reminders to be sure, but where I think the difficulty and division begins is in the various ideas of how a Christian ought truly to answer the above calls.
"God provided one way so that there would be no confusion as to how to enter into salvation." Yet there are 40,000+ denominations of Christianity, not counting Catholic and Orthodox Christians. The confusion exists even within denominations; I see it driving down the street when there are two Lutheran churches on the same block but of different synods, and elsewhere. I know that Christ is the alpha and omega of salvation; I know that He is the Way and the only Way. But knowing the way is one thing; knowing how to walk it is another. Who out there can I trust to help me to know how others have walked before me and run the race faithfully to the end? What church out there offers what I need to not only confess my sins and repent, but also to lived a reformed life? What church out there not only calls me into community, but actively seeks as one of its primary goals to facilitate and safe-guard communion with all its members not only from without via structures and traditions, but is united from within by Christ also?
You've done a succinct and encouraging job of pointing the way, but there's more to it than hearing the call; the difficulty lies not even in answering to it, but carrying it out to the end and it is in the latter that we see the divisions within Christianity.
Hmm. I thought salvation was like a narrow gate, not an open road.
It's become much more than teaching others the call to Christ. When we have such judgmental groups standing by the roadside enlisting bad feelings and guilt from others there's simply no other way to put it. Hate. When we realize that the scriptures have been taken from their original greek text and made to be something scary and frightful, so as to scare people into salvation, there's only one way to see it. Hate. In our community, at Thanksgiving, we have an ecumenical service for all faiths to come and pray together, share the breaking of bread, be of good will and support, and acknowledge that while we have differences we still must always love one another. Yet at this very service, I've never known of a fundamentalist church to attend. The meeting is not about accepting another's doctrine, but about love, yet these people stand up righteously and claim they will never worship with others not as perfected in Christ as they. Now how is that for hypocrisy?