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Non-thinking, Part 2: Salvation vs. False Salvation

Salvation is not some simplistic need for faith alone. Christ and his disciples all explained that "faith" involves more than simply believing. (Jas 2:19, 20 [pa|in], 26 [pa|in]) It involves showing, actually demonstrating, practicing through our actions, love for God, Christ, brother, neighbor and enemy. (Mt 5:43-45 [pa|in]) To show that love, we must look out for the interests of others, (Php 2:2-4 [pa|in]) seeking to bring salvation to all (Mt 28:18, 19 [pa|in]) and be obedient to God, Christ and those taking the lead among us. (Joh 14:23, 24 [pa|in]; 15:10 [pa|in]; Heb 13:17 [pa|in]; 1Jo 5:3 [pa|in]) Here is every qualifier for salvation cohesively laid out by the apostle John:
    "Beloved ones, do not believe every inspired statement, but test the inspired statements to see whether they originate with God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.

    "This is how you know that the inspired statement is from God: Every inspired statement that acknowledges Jesus Christ as having come in the flesh originates with God. But every inspired statement that does not acknowledge Jesus does not originate with God. Furthermore, this is the antichrist’s inspired statement that you have heard was coming, and now it is already in the world. . . .

    "Beloved ones, let us continue loving one another, because love is from God, and everyone who loves has been born from God and knows God. Whoever does not love has not come to know God, because God is love. By this the love of God was revealed in our case, that God sent his only-begotten Son into the world so that we might gain life through him. The love is in this respect, not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a propitiatory sacrifice for our sins. . . .

    "By this we know that we are remaining in union with him and he in union with us, because he has given his spirit to us. In addition, we ourselves have seen and are bearing witness that the Father has sent his Son as Savior of the world. Whoever acknowledges that Jesus is God’s Son, God remains in union with such one and he in union with God. And we have come to know and believe the love that God has for us. . . .

    "If anyone says, “I love God,” and yet is hating his brother, he is a liar. For the one who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. And we have this commandment from him, that whoever loves God must also love his brother. . . .

    "Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born from God, and everyone who loves the one who caused to be born loves him who has been born from that one. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and carry out his commandments. For this is what the love of God means, that we observe his commandments; and yet his commandments are not burdensome, because everyone who has been born from God conquers the world. And this is the conquest that has conquered the world, our faith.

    "Who can conquer the world? Is it not the one who has faith that Jesus is the Son of God? . . . If we accept the witness of men, the witness of God is greater. Because this is the witness God gives, the witness that he has given about his Son. The person putting his faith in the Son of God has the witness within himself. The person not having faith in God has made him a liar, because he has not put his faith in the witness given by God concerning his Son. And this is the witness, that God gave us everlasting life, and this life is in his Son. The one who has the Son has this life; the one who does not have the Son of God does not have this life." (1Jo 4:1-21 [pa|in]; 5:1-12 [pa|in])
This does not say we have to believe "Jesus is God", but that he is "the Son of God". This does not say that we have to believe that God came in the flesh, but that Jesus Christ came in the flesh. In fact, John specifically states that the 1) tested statement that has faith in (as opposed to blind faith and works of Law) and 2) "acknowledges" by bearing witness (preaching) 3) by one's own free will that 4) "Jesus is the Christ", 5) "the only-begotten" "Son of God", 6) "having come in the flesh", 7) "sent by God" (rather than being God himself) 8) "whom [we have] not seen" (Rather than bowing to so-called images of God), 9) who "loved us" (mankind in general, instead of hating sinners,) 10) sending us Jesus Christ to be "Savior of the World" 11) as "a propitiatory sacrifice for our sins", (Valuing the blood of that sacrifice and memorializing it) 12) "so that we might gain [everlasting] life through him" (as opposed to temporary life and eternal death, not "hellfire"), 13) as long as each one of us "loves his brother" (rather than killing them in wars) and 14) "we Love God" and 15) "observe his commandments" in holy spirit by doing them.

False Salvation Messages

However, the statement that denies any of the things above "is the Antichrist's inspired statement", thus making anyone who states that faith is blind or that "Jesus is God", or that he saves us from "hellfire", or that all are predestined to be good or bad, or that all people receive salvation, or that the soul itself cannot die, or that we must fight in wars, or that we must join in politics instead of conquering the world, or that it is okay to bow down to idols, or that we do not need to desist from practicing sin or to obey or preach the Mosaic law, or that state that the Mosaic law is what saves us, or that God hates sinners, into a false prophet and an Antichrist. (De 13:1-5 [pa|in]; 2Jo 7 [pa|in])

That is why this series focuses on all these subjects as being in opposition to salvation. Should this system continue that long, and God willing, all of these points will be covered in detail in this series.

Do you think it fair to not allow preconceived bias to color your understanding of scripture? If not, state your disagreement in a comment below.

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