Is salvation universal for all who believe correctly that Jesus Christ is the Messiah?
Does Jesus Christ save everyone who believes that Jesus Christ is the Messiah?
- Thread starter MerSee
- Start date
-
Christian Chat is a moderated online Christian community allowing Christians around the world to fellowship with each other in real time chat via webcam, voice, and text, with the Christian Chat app. You can also start or participate in a Bible-based discussion here in the Christian Chat Forums, where members can also share with each other their own videos, pictures, or favorite Christian music.
If you are a Christian and need encouragement and fellowship, we're here for you! If you are not a Christian but interested in knowing more about Jesus our Lord, you're also welcome! Want to know what the Bible says, and how you can apply it to your life? Join us!
To make new Christian friends now around the world, click here to join Christian Chat.
Hi @MerSee, could you define what you mean by "believe correctly" that Jesus Christ is the Messiah?
I ask because I've seen several different ideas about what that is right here at CChat, from simply believing & professing facts about who the Lord Jesus is and what He did for us (which is what Romans 10:9-10; 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 seem to indicate, at first blush anyway), to what the Reformers taught us about saving faith (which is what I experienced personally .. see the article in the post below), all the way to including things like obedience, good works and holy living as necessary parts of "believing correctly" unto salvation.
Thanks for your help
God bless you!!
~Deuteronomy (David)
I ask because I've seen several different ideas about what that is right here at CChat, from simply believing & professing facts about who the Lord Jesus is and what He did for us (which is what Romans 10:9-10; 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 seem to indicate, at first blush anyway), to what the Reformers taught us about saving faith (which is what I experienced personally .. see the article in the post below), all the way to including things like obedience, good works and holy living as necessary parts of "believing correctly" unto salvation.
Thanks for your help
God bless you!!
~Deuteronomy (David)
What Constitutes True, Saving Faith (according to the Reformers)
Faith is central to Christianity. At the time of the Reformation, the debate involved the nature of saving faith. What is saving faith, and what are the constituent elements of saving faith?
The Protestant Reformers recognized that biblical faith has three essential aspects: notitia, assensus, and fiducia.
p.s. - perhaps the things that always "accompany" true, saving faith should be considered, as well (things that are the fruit or result of having come to saving faith), things that can help us obey the command and answer the question that we are given in 2 Corinthains 13:5, but we can always do that later if you'd like to.
Faith is central to Christianity. At the time of the Reformation, the debate involved the nature of saving faith. What is saving faith, and what are the constituent elements of saving faith?
The Protestant Reformers recognized that biblical faith has three essential aspects: notitia, assensus, and fiducia.
Notitia refers to the content of faith, the things we believe. There are certain things we are required to believe about Christ, namely, that He is the Son of God, that He is our Savior, that He has provided an atonement, and so on.
Assensus is the conviction that the content of our faith is true. One can know about the Christian faith and yet believe that it is not true. We might have a doubt or two mixed with our faith, but there has to be a certain level of intellectual affirmation and conviction if we are to be saved. Before anyone can really trust in Jesus Christ, he has to believe that Christ indeed is the Savior, that He is who He claimed to be. Genuine faith says that the content, the notitia, is true.
Fiducia refers to personal trust and reliance. Knowing and believing the content of the Christian faith is not enough, for even demons can do that (James 2:19). Faith is effectual only if one personally trusts in Christ alone for salvation. It is one thing to give an intellectual assent to a proposition but quite another to place personal trust in it. We can say that we believe in justification by faith alone and yet still think that we are going to get to heaven by our achievements, our works, or our striving. It is easy to get the doctrine of justification by faith into our heads, but it is hard to get it into the bloodstream such that we cling to Christ alone for salvation.
There is another element to fiducia besides trust, and that is affection. An unregenerate person will never come to Jesus, because he does not want Jesus. In his mind and heart, he is fundamentally at enmity with the things of God. As long as someone is hostile to Christ, he has no affection for Him. Satan is a case in point. Satan knows the truth, but he hates the truth. He is utterly disinclined to worship God because he has no love for God. We are like that by nature. We are dead in our sin. We walk according to the powers of this world and indulge the lusts of the flesh. Until the Holy Spirit changes us, we have hearts of stone. An unregenerate heart is without affection for Christ; it is both lifeless and loveless. The Holy Spirit changes the disposition of our hearts so that we see the sweetness of Christ and embrace Him. None of us loves Christ perfectly, but we cannot love Him at all unless the Holy Spirit changes the heart of stone and makes it a heart of flesh. ~Sproul, R.C., Everyone's A Theologian, excerpt.
~Deuteronomyp.s. - perhaps the things that always "accompany" true, saving faith should be considered, as well (things that are the fruit or result of having come to saving faith), things that can help us obey the command and answer the question that we are given in 2 Corinthains 13:5, but we can always do that later if you'd like to.
Believing correctly is sound doctrine.Hi @MerSee, could you define what you mean by "believe correctly" that Jesus Christ is the Messiah?
I ask because I've seen several different ideas about what that is right here at CChat, from simply believing & professing facts about who the Lord Jesus is and what He did for us (which is what Romans 10:9-10; 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 seem to indicate, at first blush anyway), to what the Reformers taught us about saving faith (which is what I experienced personally .. see the article in the post below), all the way to including things like obedience, good works and holy living as necessary parts of "believing correctly" unto salvation.
Thanks for your help
God bless you!!
~Deuteronomy (David)
Titus 1:9
Embracing that faithful word which is according to doctrine, that he may be able to exhort in sound doctrine, and to convince the gainsayers.
Seems you trying to develop a word doctrine for salvation that includes Messiah or Christ. Answer is No. But it is nice to understand what this word means.
There are scriptures that have the word Christ.
For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.
There are scriptures that have the word Christ.
For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.
If "believing correctly" is "sound doctrine" and that is all -- then this will not get you saved. An unbeliever can give mental assent to a list of doctrines just as well as a true believer can.
Sound doctrine is very important and is necessary - yet if you read the Sermon on the Mount it is quite clear that Jesus' kingdom is about much more than "believing correctly."
Not growing up "reformed" and pretty much relying on Scripture exclusively for my doctrines and beliefs, I'm not crazy about the term "saving faith".
I kinda understand what the term is trying to convey, but think it's redundant, and possibly confusing to some.
Once the essential elements of the Gospel are believed,
Jesus is God in the flesh.
Jesus died to pay our sin debt.
Jesus rose to life on the 3rd day.
and all that is confessed with the mouth and believed in the heart, a person is a saved, born again child of God.
Sealed with the Holy Spirit unto the day of redemption.
God will then continuously sanctify, discipline, and transform the believer more and more into the Image of Christ.
I kinda understand what the term is trying to convey, but think it's redundant, and possibly confusing to some.
Once the essential elements of the Gospel are believed,
Jesus is God in the flesh.
Jesus died to pay our sin debt.
Jesus rose to life on the 3rd day.
and all that is confessed with the mouth and believed in the heart, a person is a saved, born again child of God.
Sealed with the Holy Spirit unto the day of redemption.
God will then continuously sanctify, discipline, and transform the believer more and more into the Image of Christ.
Maybe I don't understand you correctly but there are many salvation scriptures without Christ or Messiah nor did the Lord go preaching he was the Messiah in most cases.
He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit.
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God.
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.”
But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.
He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit.
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God.
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.”
But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.
James 2:19
Thou believest that there is one God. Thou dost well: the devils also believe and tremble.
I don't understand what you're asking. I would recommend you rephrase this question for better clarity.
They tremble because they know it does NOT matter what they believe. They are ineligible for Salvation.
Jesus did not become an angel, or demon or Nephilim. He became a human Being. And ONLY human Beings are eligible for Salvation.
They cannot be filled with the Holy Spirit, and led by Him.
I believe what James and Paul, who Paul talks about those that won't inherit the kingdom, are essentially saying is for people that call themselves Christian, yet do not behave as they should, and love others as they should, need to examine themselves to see if they are indeed indwelt by the Holy Spirit, and saved.
Yes. one of the things I was trying to understand was why you wanted to talk about such false doctrine in the first place.
Not sure if believing Jesus is the messiah is enough.
I would say non of your 4 possible answers are correct
I would say non of your 4 possible answers are correct
I wanted to find out if many people on Christian Chat believe salvation is universal.
Ahh, for me it would be a "no". Or in poll form, my answer would be #2 below.
1. Jesus Christ saves no one.
2. Jesus Christ saves some.
3. Jesus Christ saves everyone.
~Deuteronomy
The Bible says nothing about believing "correctly". Also "Messiah" is not the correct term either. It is "the Lord Jesus Christ". The Bible says "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved". And that also includes repentance. So your poll -- as usual -- is simply misleading. And then to have an option "Jesus Christ saves no one" is rather silly. Instead of posting polls you should be asking questions.