I don’t want to follow men. When they teach us to believe in the Bible alone, maybe we should go look in Scripture for what we believe and how we believe. Know that I chose the format and categories, so that is my human doing. But honestly, I just want to learn and make sure I’m following Jesus in my beliefs, because of passages like these:
Matthew 15:3
Jesus replied, “And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition?”
John 5:39-40
You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life.
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Jesus’ Own Work: Basis of Salvation
Matthew 26:28
This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.
John 12:32
And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.
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Acceptance. Jesus inviting Himself inside of you:
John 4:14
but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.
Revelation 3:20
Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.
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Uncategorized, or Faith, or Jesus Personally Just Choosing
Matthew 9:2
Some men brought to him a paralyzed man, lying on a mat. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the man, “Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven.”
Luke 19:5-10
When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.
All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.”
But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.”
Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
Luke 23:42-43
Then he [the thief on the cross] said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”
Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”
And of course:
John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."
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Baptism + Belief
Mark 16:16
Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.
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Acceptance. Jesus is inviting you inside of him.
John 6:56
Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them.
John 10:9
I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture.
John 14:23
Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.
John 15:4
Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
John 15:6
If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.
John 15:10
If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love.
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Affirming that Jesus is King
Matthew 19:16-30
Just then a man came up to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?”
“Why do you ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, keep the commandments.”
“Which ones?” he inquired.
Jesus replied, “‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, honor your father and mother,’ and ‘love your neighbor as yourself.’”
“All these I have kept,” the young man said. “What do I still lack?”
Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.
Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly I tell you, it is hard for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”
When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, “Who then can be saved?”
Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
Peter answered him, “We have left everything to follow you! What then will there be for us?”
Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first.”
Matthew 25:31-46
When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’
They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’
He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’
Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.
Luke 16:9
I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.
John 8:51
Very truly I tell you, whoever obeys my word will never see death.
John 14:21
Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.
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Faith/Belief/Knowing/Trusting
Luke 7:48-50
Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”
The other guests began to say among themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?”
Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”
John 3:16-18
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.
John 3:36
Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them.
John 5:24
Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life.
John 6:40
For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.
John 6:47
Very truly I tell you, the one who believes has eternal life.
John 17:3
Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.
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Asking for Forgiveness/Forgiving Others
Mark 11:25
And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.
Luke 11:4
Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation.
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Giving up Your Life
Matthew 16:25
For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.
Matthew 19:29
And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.
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Endurance
Matthew 10:22
You will be hated by everyone because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.
Matthew 24:13
but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.
From author of the post: The word “saved” in the above passages might have more to do with escaping physical death than with eternal salvation. If you read the context, Jesus is speaking of earthly destruction and physical persecution. However, let the Holy Spirit lead you in the interpretation, not me.
Luke 8:11-13
This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God. Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. Those on the rocky ground are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away.
From author of the post: Note – later on in the NT it speaks of the Spirit sealing and guaranteeing salvation. I’m not covering that here, because I’m only printing Jesus’ words. This is one of the unique things about following Jesus – there is a guarantee of salvation, a promise.
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How to NOT be saved:
Matthew 3:10
The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.
Matthew 5:22
But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.
Matthew 7:19
Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
Matthew 7:21-23
Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
Mark 9:47
And if your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell,
Luke 13:22-30
Then Jesus went through the towns and villages, teaching as he made his way to Jerusalem. Someone asked him, “Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?”
He said to them, “Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to. Once the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you will stand outside knocking and pleading, ‘Sir, open the door for us.’
“But he will answer, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from.’
“Then you will say, ‘We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.’
“But he will reply, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from. Away from me, all you evildoers!’
There will be weeping there, and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but you yourselves thrown out. People will come from east and west and north and south, and will take their places at the feast in the kingdom of God. Indeed there are those who are last who will be first, and first who will be last.”
John 8:24
I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am he, you will indeed die in your sins.
John 15:6
If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.
Revelation 21:6-8
He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life. Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children. But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”
Revelation 22:12-16
Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city. Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood. I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star.
I had to type this out as I was reading so I wouldn't forget anything. This is one of my favorite ways of looking at a topic, to simply see what Jesus had to say, and I must say this looks like a comprehensive study.
ReplyDeleteTo me it is interesting when I read something from the words of Jesus that is very challenging based on the way things seem in the church today. The passages on the rich man, and Jesus' quote about the camel and the eye of the needle should be very challenging for all of us in the United States. I attend a congregation that is rich even in American terms, and we are currently doing a series on money because we are desperately trying to meet our budget and pay back the debt we owe on our very nice building. Our (relatively new) preacher has been saying that Jesus talked about money fairly often because he realized it is one of God's chief rivals, and I think he is quite right. We have to be willing to give of ourselves in every way; Jesus clearly and unequivocally asks for this.
Regarding baptism and salvation, which as you know is a point of contention between the Church of Christ and other Christian groups, I liked this treatment I read this past week (including many words directly from Jesus):
http://oneinjesus.info/2011/02/baptism-an-exploration-titus-3-2/
What you said on the topic of endurance is true, and the idea of the Holy Spirit as the seal of our salvation is one I enjoyed talking about in classes last year.
All in all, this is a good study. I'd love to do a small group lesson on this with people at my church.
I'll read that link immediately.
ReplyDeleteI love this from that link; it's truly how I believe:
ReplyDelete* Will God save someone who dies after coming to faith but before baptism? Answer: Of course. (All those revival sermons claiming to the contrary preached a false, graceless God to manipulate people into the baptistry through fear. It was wrong to do.)
Good inductive study, to say the least. I was wondering what translation you use? NIV or ESV?
ReplyDeleteI don't think there's much to be said in regard to this post, as it's a straight recording of Christ's words. However, I would like to see another post, with the rest of the NT grouped with these categories, as Christ himself said that the Followers would do even greater things and do more than Him, which would also include giving input on such things as salvation and baptism.
-@relikt
Thanks for taking the time to read and comment. Means a lot to me!
ReplyDeleteNIV 2010.
We can do a breakdown of Paul, Peter, James, John and the others if you'd like.
I guess the only thing I'd add is: "Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him." I wonder if we can do 'greater' salvation than He did. My thought is that we can't. :D
Hi buddy
ReplyDeleteNice post, seems to me that this will be the base for a series of post reviewing each topic.
Can you add baptism and salvation to the list?
Bien hecho hermano!
Estuardo
I think there's something to be said for paying attention to what Jesus actually said. A hermeneutic (the way we read scripture) is something everyone who reads scripture has, wether they know it or not. For me, all of scripture must be read in light of Jesus...he is the revelation of God, the one we are called to follow (rather than another period of the church)...and so, we must learn to read scripture, Old and New Testament, in light of Jesus. So there is something to be said for knowing what Jesus actually said as well as what he actually did.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I am also cautious about any fragmenting of scripture. I've seen it done to much to either promote a legalistic agenda, prosperity gospel, or some version of cheap grace. In a book I would highly recommend, authors Craig G. Bartholomew and Michael W. Goheen write, "If we allow the bible to become fragmented, it is in danger of being absorbed into whatever other story is shaping our culture, and it [God’s word] will thus cease to shape our lives as it should. Idolatry has twisted the dominant cultural story of the secular Western world. If as believers we allow this story (rather than the Bible) to become the foundation of our thought and action, then our lives will manifest not the truths of Scripture, but the lies of an idolatrous culture" ("The Drama of Scripture: Finding Our Place in the Biblical Story," 12). I don't think we can know the story in which the teachings of Jesus speak in apart from the story they are part of.
But as I said...I do think there is something to paying attention to what Jesus actually said and did. It is a challenge for all of us who call ourselves "disciples." Thanks for the post!
Grace and Peace,
K. Rex Butts
Mira, Estuardo. Ya esta puesto lo de la salvación y bautismo. Solo tengo los versiculos que tiene que ver con la salvación en este momento, y 1 fue relacionado con el bautismo. Espero tener los versiculos categorizados por cada autor en el nuevo testamento.
ReplyDeleteTengo un estudio ya escrito sobre el bautismo en el nuevo testamento. Si quieres, se lo puedo pasar a tí.
@KingdomSeeking
ReplyDeleteI see what you're saying. That's why this is part of a series. I'm hoping that I'm not really promoting any view in particular, but instead providing a basis for study.
But, I think we start with Jesus, then we go to the others. Apostolic example should have to bow to Jesus' words, not the other way around. I think too often we start with Paul, then we work our way back to Jesus. Shouldn't we go the other way around? Is Paul our king?
And I'm hoping to flesh out in the rest of the NT, the other verses having to do with salvation.
ReplyDelete" I think too often we start with Paul, then we work our way back to Jesus. Shouldn't we go the other way around?"
ReplyDeleteExactly.
We both grew up in a church fellowship that took the NT (Acts 2 and on, of course) and treated as a manual from which an "ideal" a priori church could be delineated and peacemealed together, expecting believers to fit into that mold which became the benchmark for defining biblical Christianity. There are numerous problems with such an approach and you raise one of the problems...starting after Jesus and then trying work our way back to Jesus and fit him in the confines we've created for him.
If you can find this out of print book on Amazon...get a copy of "Christianity Rediscovered" by Vincent J. Donovan. Donovan was a Catholic Missionary in Africa who learned how to begin with Jesus and let church emerge from the life of Jesus. The book used to be standard reading in undergraduate mission course and we all can still learn much form it.
Grace and Peace,
K. Rex Butts