This thread should be the end of all religions. After reading this I encourage you to renounce your worthless religion and trust in Christ alone and live forever.
Here are the ways that some people think that they are saved.
Become a member of the Catholic church.
Become predestinated before the foundation of the world.
Keep the law and the commandments.
Become a good person, stop sinning.
Invite Jesus into your heart.
Believe and have faith in God and his Son Jesus Christ.
Some of the above are good things to do, but none of the above are what saves us. There is no saving merit in faith. Faith does not save. What saves is what Christ has done in our name and on our behalf. "Jesus saves and he saves to the uttermost". Jesus didn't save us by doing something in us (holiness religions, Catholicism) Jesus saved us by doing something totally and completely outside of us. Our faith is what makes the Gospel ours, but it does not save us.
Paul emphasizes this outside of us salvation when he wrote,
"But God commended his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" Romans 5:8.
I would like to carry it a bit further. Before we were ever born, "Christ died for us" Salvation is not something that happened when you first accepted Christ as your savior. Salvation is something that happened over 2000 years ago. Salvation happened when Jesus clothed himself in human flesh and came into the world as your savior and representative. His mission was to do for us that which we cannot do for ourselves. Are you able to fulfill every jot and tittle of God's Holy Law? Matthew 5:18. I hardly think so. Are you able to atone for your sins and the sins of the whole world? 1 John 2:2. If you can fulfill the law and atone for your own sins, then there is a chance that you don't need a savior. Of course you would have to do that from birth.
The biggest problem of trying to save yourself is that we are all sinners, Romans 3:23. God does not accept the works or the obedience of sinners. God only accepts the works and the obedience of Jesus Christ. We are saved and accepted only in him. Not because of what we do, or by what we have become. We are saved by his merit and his merit alone. Some will say, "What about my Christian life?" Doesn't that count for something? Paul who was the world's greatest Christian, said,
"But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. yes doubtless and I count all things as loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things and do count them as dung, that I might win Christ and be found in him" Philippians 3:7-9.
Here are the ways that some people think that they are saved.
Become a member of the Catholic church.
Become predestinated before the foundation of the world.
Keep the law and the commandments.
Become a good person, stop sinning.
Invite Jesus into your heart.
Believe and have faith in God and his Son Jesus Christ.
Some of the above are good things to do, but none of the above are what saves us. There is no saving merit in faith. Faith does not save. What saves is what Christ has done in our name and on our behalf. "Jesus saves and he saves to the uttermost". Jesus didn't save us by doing something in us (holiness religions, Catholicism) Jesus saved us by doing something totally and completely outside of us. Our faith is what makes the Gospel ours, but it does not save us.
Paul emphasizes this outside of us salvation when he wrote,
"But God commended his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" Romans 5:8.
I would like to carry it a bit further. Before we were ever born, "Christ died for us" Salvation is not something that happened when you first accepted Christ as your savior. Salvation is something that happened over 2000 years ago. Salvation happened when Jesus clothed himself in human flesh and came into the world as your savior and representative. His mission was to do for us that which we cannot do for ourselves. Are you able to fulfill every jot and tittle of God's Holy Law? Matthew 5:18. I hardly think so. Are you able to atone for your sins and the sins of the whole world? 1 John 2:2. If you can fulfill the law and atone for your own sins, then there is a chance that you don't need a savior. Of course you would have to do that from birth.
The biggest problem of trying to save yourself is that we are all sinners, Romans 3:23. God does not accept the works or the obedience of sinners. God only accepts the works and the obedience of Jesus Christ. We are saved and accepted only in him. Not because of what we do, or by what we have become. We are saved by his merit and his merit alone. Some will say, "What about my Christian life?" Doesn't that count for something? Paul who was the world's greatest Christian, said,
"But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. yes doubtless and I count all things as loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things and do count them as dung, that I might win Christ and be found in him" Philippians 3:7-9.
