The Kerygma - God's Requirement for Salvation

[GWH]

I shared my testimony on this thread, because there is an overlap between the topics of salvation and apologetics or reasons for believing Jesus is the Savior. Of course, there is overlap between all of the topics typically included in Christian theology:
theology, christology, pneumatology, soteriology, anthropology, ecclesiology, eschatology, ethics, apologetics, history and science.
It makes a complicated Venn diagram!

Would any else like to share their testimony here?
(Notice that mine included autobiography or how I became a believer
and apologetics or why I remain a Christian.)

IOW, think of the Apologetics thread as pertaining to general revelation and the OT,
and of this Kerygma thread as the NT Gospel unto conversion/salvation,
then the Didache and Holy Spirit threads as the NT epistles unto sanctification/maturation.

 

[GWH]

GRFS may be denoted by the use of the Greek word kerygma, meaning proclamation or preaching, referring to the good news (Gospel) concerning salvation to heaven and from a just hell (cf. Rom. 1:16, Gal. 1:6-12, Col. 1:21-23). This Gospel was preached by Peter (in Acts 2:22-24) and summarized by Paul (in 1Cor. 15:1-8). The salient points include: Jesus was a man (1Tim. 1:16), accredited by his sinless life (Heb. 4:15) and ministry (John 10:37-38) to be God’s Messiah, who died on a cross as the sacrifice for humanity’s sins (Rom. 3:25), but who was resurrected from the dead to show his divinity (1Cor. 15:20, Rom. 1:1-4). Messiah is the Way to heaven (John 14:6).

An obvious question to ask at this point is, “What is GRFS for those who have never heard of Jesus?” (which includes everyone living B.C. and millions of people who have lived A.D.) If God loves the world (John 3:16) and wants everyone to be saved (2Tim. 2:3-4, Ezek. 33:11), then He must provide an opportunity. God’s just judgment is illustrated by Jesus in the Parable of the Talents (Matt. 25:14-29), which indicates that God will judge souls on the basis of the truth (Word = Christ per John 1:1f.) they have received.

There are two main ways God/Christ is encountered:

1. General revelation, which includes meditating on the natural world or God’s supernatural work and moral conscience. Paul said men are without excuse, both because God’s eternal power and divine nature (love) are manifested by creation (Rom. 1:20), and because a proto-gospel has been proclaimed to everyone under heaven implicitly or in pre-NT foreshadowings (Acts 14:16-17, 17:26-27&30, Rom. 1:18-20, Rom. 10:13-18, Col. 1:23, Gal. 3:8, 1Pet. 1:10-12, cf. the Parable of the Talents in Matt. 25:14-30). He also taught that all normal humans have an inner conscience or “common” sense (Rom. 2:14-16), which manifests morality or a moral Authority in every culture (the Golden Rule). Thus, sinners have no excuse for not seeking God’s salvation or being truthseekers (Matthew 7:7, Hebrews 11:6).

2. Special revelation (1Pet. 1:8-12), which refers mainly to divinely inspired NT teaching regarding God’s history of salvation. Again, the Parable of the Talents indicates that souls are saved via faith in God/ Christ as revealed (cf. 1Cor. 10:1-5). Truthseekers around the world in all times are pilgrims at various places along the road of life, and all true roads eventually lead to the Way to eternal life in heaven (John 14:6, Acts 24:14, Phil. 2:10-11). All truth leads to One Way.

Regarding the second mode of revelation (NT), the kerygma or GRFS can be stated in various ways, which may cause confusion. Some statements (e.g. Acts 16:31, quoted previously, & Eph. 2:8-9) are in terms of believing right, and others (e.g. Matt. 7:21, “only he who does the will of my Father will enter heaven”, cf. Gal. 6:7-9 & Eph. 2:10) are in terms of behaving right. This prompts the question: Is salvation obtained by believing God’s words or by doing God’s works? The answer is indicated by John 6:29: “The work of God is to believe in the one [Messiah/Christ] He has sent.” As Jesus stated (in John 14:6): “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” And saving belief in Christ is connected with or manifested by love for humanity (1John 3:23-24, John 14:15, 23 & 15:9-12).

The mind of Jesus is truth incarnate (John 1:14), and all truth manifests the Spirit of Christ or God (1John 5:6). The work of God (GRFS) is to seek and believe the truth, and part of the truth is that no one comes to know God as Father except through faith in God’s truth embodied as God the Son. And the full Gospel is that salvation is followed by sanctification or spiritual growth toward moral perfection (Phil. 3:12-19) that reflects the love of Christ (Eph. 3:16-19).

Teachings that are secondary or subsequent to learning GRFS may be indicated by another Greek word, didache, which means teaching. The didache may be very important and requisite for becoming spiritually mature, but it is not most important or necessary to know/believe in order to be saved. The distinction between kerygma/saving faith and didache/working faith was made by Jesus when He commissioned His original twelve disciples minus Judas (Matt. 28:19-20). This “Great Commission” speaks of both types of information. The kerygma is indicated by verse 19, in which Jesus says, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations”.

A Christian disciple is a learner or one who believes the good news about God’s offer of eternal life to all who accept Jesus as Christ, the Lord incarnate. The didache is implicit in verse 20, in which Jesus continues by saying “teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” This speaks of the information a disciple needs to know and believe after conversion in order to grow in Christ-likeness regarding how to live the law of love. It is the “all truth” that is taught by the Spirit referred to in John 16:13 (cf. 1John 2:27). Again, it is very important but not necessary for salvation. Witness the thief on the cross in Luke 23:39-43, who had no opportunity to learn the didache after his conversion; although, like Paul (according to Acts 22:3) and most adults, some didachaic truth is learned prior to knowing the kerygma.

The distinction between kerygma and didache can be seen also in 2 Timothy 3:15-17. The scriptures “which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus” refers to the Gospel or kerygma. The scriptural teaching that is useful for “training in righteousness, so that the man [or woman per Gal. 3:28] of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work” refers to the didache. The apostle Paul also employs the difference between kerygma and didache in 1 Corinthians 3:10-15. The “foundation… which is Jesus Christ” is the kerygmatic teaching regarding salvation. Paul alludes to the didache when he says that one should be careful how he/she builds upon this foundation.

 

[GWH]

The distinction between kerygma and didache involves a difference in content and purpose. The kerygma proclaims GRFS, which calls for repentance and acceptance of Jesus as Lord, which is an all or nothing decision that occurs at one moment in time. The didache teaches God’s will regarding how saints or those who have been saved should live in order to be a good witness for Christ, which involves learning more of God’s Word throughout one’s lifetime. A passage teaching this truth is Colossians 2:6-7: “Just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord [kerygma], continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught [didache].”

There is no qualitative difference between faith that accepts God’s saving grace at conversion and faith that accepts God’s working grace or motivates good works while walking/living (Eph. 2:8-10, 2Cor. 5:7), but only a quantitative difference as each additional moment passes–and of course faith remains non-meritorious during the saint’s entire lifetime (Rom. 1:17). IOW, the ability to do good works as well as have saving faith are both due to God’s grace. Saving faith is not mere belief (Jam. 2:19), but it is more accurate to view faith as will to action (MFW) or motivation rather than the action or work itself (Heb. 4:12-13, 11:6).

Notice that the kerygma/Gospel fulfills and supersedes OT revelation, but does not contradict its correct interpretation (Heb. 8:6-13). However, the NT revelation of GRFS will never become obsolete (Phil. 2:9-11, Rev. 22:12-13). Thus, new revelations from God’s Holy Spirit will not contradict the Gospel, although they may express its truth in a different way or form, or else God would be inconsistent or tricky. There may be new wine skins, but no new wine (Matt. 19:17). Post-NT inspiration must be didachaic information regarding contemporary moral or political issues.

 

[GWH]

The kerygma/GRFS should be every Christian’s creed, and only belief in this crucial truth should be viewed as a test for orthodoxy or heresy. As Paul wrote in Romans 10:9, “If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” Conversely, judgments concerning a person’s spiritual orientation or ultimate destiny should not be made on the basis of didachaic or secondary doctrines. (If any judgment is made, it should begin with a self-examination per Matt. 7:1&5, 2Cor. 13:5-8).

A major reason many Christians throughout history have not manifested the love and unity of God’s Spirit (Eph. 4:3) as well as they should is because of failure to realize this truth. If they did, it would free them to speak honestly and fellowship without becoming unduly upset about relatively minor issues. They would receive God’s blessing as peacemakers, who draw inclusive circles around people based on the kerygma rather than denominational lines between them due to didachaic differences. Jesus prayed for spiritual unity (cf. John 17:20-23, “May they be one…”). Thus, unity regarding the Gospel is more important than accuracy regarding doctrinal details.

Although perfection is not achieved in this life, the necessity of learning the didache in order to strive for perfection indicates the need for perseverance or to keep on learning and growing spiritually until we die physically (Phil. 3:12-14). Thus, although learning any specific part of the didache is not GRFS, a person who does not “hunger and thirst for righteousness” (Matt. 5:6) or want to learn “every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matt. 4:4) fails the self-examination Paul commanded and Jesus implied. Perseverance produces didachaic fruit/faithfulness (Gal. 5:22) following (Eph. 2:8-10) and building on kerygmatic faith (1Cor. 3:10-15). In Eph. 2:10, “walk” can be translated as “walking with God”, which is an apt (KJV) way of indicating working grace that enables saved sinners (those who exercised seeking grace to choose saving grace) to cooperate with the HS by reflecting divine love variously (Rom. 5:5-8 & 12:6-8, Gal. 5:22-23, & 1Cor. 12:4-11).

 

[Roger316]

What is God's requirement for salvation (GRFS)?

The short answer is sanctification.

 

[GWH]

The short answer is sanctification.

Yes, which is described in #4 & 5 in post #1519.
I see that I did not use that term, but I probably should, so I will add it in.
.....
Here is the revamped/amended #5: Loving Christ Jesus as Lord (Luke 2:11), God the Son (Matt. 16:16) or God in the human dimension (Col. 2:9) means reflecting divine love (DL) as empowered/taught by the Holy Spirit, thereby obeying His command to love one another (Matt. 7:21, 22:37-40, John 13:35, Rom. 13:9). This lifelong process from justification at conversion until moral maturity by the end (Matt. 10:22) is called sanctification. It will eventually achieve perfection in heaven (called glorification) after Christ returns at God's resurrection of souls on Judgment Day (John 14:6, 17&26, Rom. 8:6-17, Gal. 6:7-9, Eph. 1:13-14, Phil. 3:12-16, Heb. 10:36, 12:1, Jam. 1:2-4).

Thanks!

 

[GWH]

Learning the manifold teachings or doctrines describing God’s moral will (Eph. 5:8-10) takes a lifetime. Thus, the need for perseverance, loyalty or remaining faithful, which is as easy or simple as an act of will. Remain faithful until the end.

Paul taught the importance of continuing to learn God’s Word (LGW) in 2Tim. 3:14-17, saying “Continue in what you have learned and have been convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

Several truths are taught in this pericope:

1. “Continue” indicates that perseverance is needed.
2. “Convinced” speaks of confident faith rather than of absolute certainty.
3. “Learning GW from infancy” refers to God’s “plan A” for parenting.
4. “Able” speaks of having volition or faith to seek–or not (Matt. 7:7, Rom. 3:11).
5. “Make wise for salvation” is the overarching purpose of GW.
6. “Through faith in Christ Jesus” states how salvation is attained.
7. “All Scripture is God-breathed and useful…” refers to the reason God inspired the OT and NT canons.
8. “Teaching” implies LGW as the main method of becoming mature or fully equipped, which means having humility = teachability.
9. “Rebuking/correcting” implies willingness to change previous beliefs.
10. “Training in righteousness” speaks of practicing godly/loving works following/continuing saving faith (Eph. 2:8-10).
11. “Servant of God” (the meaning of “Muslim”) is the one who obeys GW.
12. “Equipped” refers to having spiritual armor by which to defeat the devil’s unrighteous schemes (Eph. 6:10-18).

 

[GWH]

Paul explains how LGW may be accomplished in Eph. 4:11-13: “Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.”

For Christians who desire to read the entire Bible, it makes sense to start with a gospel such as Matthew and then an epistle such as Romans or Ephesians before reading Genesis, followed by Acts to learn how the church began and Hebrews to learn why the Gospel superseded the Torah. Then a person might want to alternate between OT and NT books winding up with Revelation about the ultimate destiny of souls.

We see that God’s goal for our faith before the end is attaining Christ-like moral maturity and spiritual unity (Eph. 1:4 & 2:10), so God’s will is resisted or contradicted by people who have a judgmental and divisive spirit rather than God’s loving or Holy Spirit. Jesus warned against this evil spirit early in his ministry (Matt. 7:1-5&21). Also near the end of his earthly life, Jesus prayed for godly unity (John 17:20-23). It is up to each of us to cooperate with God in granting this prayer request.

 

[GWH]

The fifth point of the creed proposed previously warrants additional explanation. Just as unsaved sinners do not experience complete hell on earth, saved sinners/saints do not “live happily ever” on this earth when they repent of evil/I-dolatry/Satanism. While we look forward to the proverbial “pie in the sky by and by”, we receive only a taste of heaven (Heb. 6:5) in the here and now.

In order not to become discouraged, Christians need to understand that salvation has three stages or time components. They were saved from ultimate hell at the moment of deciding to accept Jesus as Lord (Eph. 1:13, Rev. 3:20), they are (being) saved or perfected morally while remaining loyal to Jesus (Jam. 1:3-4), and they will be saved bodily on the day of resurrection (Zech. 14:1-9, 1Thes. 4:16,
cf. 1Cor. 15:35-55).

The spiritual union between believers and Christ is comparable to marriage (Eph. 5:23-32), and just as a husband and wife need to continue their commitment until they part at death, Christians also need to retain saving faith (Luke 9:23, 2Cor. 4:16) as they grow spiritually, learning how to become more like Christ or achieve His fullness. Then they will neither take God’s grace for granted nor repent of their decision to serve Him as Lord. In other words, perseverance is an implicit and integral part of faith; Christians need to persevere in their acceptance of the kerygma and to keep on learning the didache until the day they die (Matt. 10:22, 2Thes. 1:3-5, 2Pet. 1:5-8).

Saying we “need” perseverance prompts this question: Is it possible for a Christian to repudiate his/her saving faith and become apostate or again bound for hell? Before seeking to answer this question, we should remember that although perseverance is an implicit part of the creed, understanding the details of this or any doctrine is not necessary in order to remain saved, because the kerygma is simple enough for a young soul to understand (cf. Matt. 18:3), and didachaic details can become rather complicated and controversial.

Thus, a Christian needs to be humble or Spirit-filled before tackling such issues, keeping in mind that whichever position a Christian takes on any secondary doctrine, he/she should fellowship with those having a different interpretation who affirm the kerygma both verbally and by typically manifesting divine love.

 

[GWH]

The issue of apostasy has been debated ever since Augustine of Hippo developed his doctrine of predestination about A.D. 400. Romans 8:38-39 seems to say that it is impossible for a Christian to fail to persevere. Paul writes: “For I am convinced that neither death nor life… nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” We also read in John 10:27-29 that Jesus said, “My sheep listen to my voice… no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.” (Also, see RM 8:38-39, RM 14:4&10, 1CR 1:8, 10:12 & 15:5, 2CR 1:20-24, EPH 1:11-14, 1JN 2:19, PS 135:6 & PR 21:1.)

However, there are numerous verses in the NT which indicate that it is possible for a believer intentionally or willfully to separate him/herself from Christ (cf. GL 5:1 & RV 12:9). The classic passage that teaches the possibility of apostasy is Hebrews 6:4-6: “It is impossible for those who have… shared in the Holy Spirit… if they fall away, to be brought back to repentance, because to their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again.” Another verse in this vein is Galatians 5:4: “You who are trying to be justified by law… have fallen away from grace.” (The reader should also see RM 11:22, 1CR 15:2, CL 1:22-23, 2THS 1:4-5, 2TM 2:12, HB 3:6&14, 10:35-36, JM 1:12, 2PT 1:10-11, 2:20, 1JN 2:24-25 and RV 2:10. These Scriptures are quoted at the end of this part.)

Some Christians say that the biblical exhortations to persevere do not imply the possibility of apostasy but this interpretation is problematic for three reasons:

First, the plain sense of many verses of Scripture including those listed in the preceding parentheses suggests that it is possible for a believer to commit apostasy, and saying that this understanding is false seems to make God tricky.

Second, God’s plan of salvation from the miserable consequences of choosing to reject Him makes sense only if people are morally accountable or free, and free will is meaningful only if a person can choose between essentially opposite options, as in Deuteronomy 30:19: “I set before you today life and death, blessings and curses.” This is the same choice that was set before Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden (GN 2:16-17) and before that to Satan in heaven (LK 10:18).
I see no reason to think that this choice is not eternal, because it is this choice which creates: free will (faith in Christ or antichrist), moral responsibility (love the Lord or hate Him) and meaningful life (taste of heaven now and hope for eternal joy rather than misery now and ultimately hell). And 1 Corinthians 13:13 says “these three remain”.

Third, Jesus said “The truth will set you free” (JN 8:32), and “If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” (JN 8:36) As a disciple of Christ I feel free, and I find every day fraught with significance as I fight on God’s side against evil in a war that has ultimate consequences for the destiny of my soul. Spiritual freedom is in Christ.

 

[frederickdoc]

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. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. (John 3:16-17)

The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent. (John 6:29)

Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved (Acts 16:31)

If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (Romans 10:9)

I see flesh life saved meaning not eternal.then the rest of the scriptures said believe not a good word from orig Greek The simplify just use Know or trust in then locj inside it that you know beyond in Him kjv best we have with needed gift HS let the scrips Come to Life ! in each know that! Don't believe Me ,I'm a lier

 

[Dino246]

I see flesh life saved meaning not eternal.then the rest of the scriptures said believe not a good word from orig Greek The simplify just use Know or trust in then locj inside it that you know beyond in Him kjv best we have with needed gift HS let the scrips Come to Life ! in each know that! Don't believe Me ,I'm a lier

You are welcome to see things how you like, but "flesh" where contrasted with "spirit" means the physical body with its natural needs and motivations.

With respect, your posts are extremely difficult to understand. It is not adequate to write as you speak, because most of the tone, pauses, and emphases are lost. It's often impossible to determine what you're trying to say. If you're here to discuss Scripture, it's worth putting the effort in to write in such a way to be understood clearly.

 

[frederickdoc]

You view ty I like he in me view much better so say go if it's from the Lord and get few witnesses spirit filled not flesh minded as I see to much grieves the spirit not uo had understand Now ?

 

[frederickdoc]

Come

 

[frederickdoc]

That show answer all the questions Just




Come

 

[frederickdoc]

You know or maybe never behold but we here trying figure out The words others wrote by the Holy Spirit and Look 2000 + yrs and you cant understand my writing either it's great Joy leaps within me

 

[DavidLamb]

You are welcome to see things how you like, but "flesh" where contrasted with "spirit" means the physical body with its natural needs and motivations.

With respect, your posts are extremely difficult to understand. It is not adequate to write as you speak, because most of the tone, pauses, and emphases are lost. It's often impossible to determine what you're trying to say. If you're here to discuss Scripture, it's worth putting the effort in to write in such a way to be understood clearly.

I am glad I am not the only one who finds it impossible to understand frederickdoc's posts. Whatever (for example) does "You view ty I like he in me view much better so say go if it's from the Lord and get few witnesses spirit filled not flesh minded as I see to much grieves the spirit not uo had understand Now ?" mean? I should stress that if frederickdoc's first language is not English, or if he has dyslexia or something similar, I would certainly not criticise his posts.

 

[Dino246]

I am glad I am not the only one who finds it impossible to understand frederickdoc's posts. Whatever (for example) does "You view ty I like he in me view much better so say go if it's from the Lord and get few witnesses spirit filled not flesh minded as I see to much grieves the spirit not uo had understand Now ?" mean? I should stress that if frederickdoc's first language is not English, or if he has dyslexia or something similar, I would certainly not criticise his posts.

Agreed. However, I asked him if English is his first language; he didn’t respond. His writing style doesn’t suggest dyslexia at all.

 

[Roger316]

I am glad I am not the only one who finds it impossible to understand frederickdoc's posts. Whatever (for example) does "You view ty I like he in me view much better so say go if it's from the Lord and get few witnesses spirit filled not flesh minded as I see to much grieves the spirit not uo had understand Now ?" mean? I should stress that if frederickdoc's first language is not English, or if he has dyslexia or something similar, I would certainly not criticise his posts.

Imagine a believer living in a foreign country who wishes to fellowship with English-speaking believers; he or she uses a translation program to express ideas. We might see odd word choices. Yes?

 

[DavidLamb]

Imagine a believer living in a foreign country who wishes to fellowship with English-speaking believers; he or she uses a translation program to express ideas. We might see odd word choices. Yes?

I agree with that. As I said before, I am certainly not criticising frederickdoc if he is not a native English speaker. Perhaps he could tell us if he is or not. His personal details on Christian Chat say that he is a citizen of the United States, but that doesn't necessarily mean his first language is English.