Is ‘Salvation’ Simply Believing in Jesus?

The Bible says that SIMPLY BELIEVING in Jesus Christ relates to having one’s level of faith to that of Satan’s devils (James 2:19). These devils actually KNOW Jesus (Luke 8:30-31).

Estimated reading time: 10 minutes

The article that follows relates to chapters in this book (below). Each section challenges many beliefs about the Christian Salvation message being preached today.

What does the Bible say about ‘Salvation’?

Adam and Eve are our original ancestors. They unknowingly chose the knowledge of ‘good and evil‘ instead of obeying God’s one commandment. This occurred when they ate the forbidden fruit – Genesis 3:6-7; 3:20; Hebrews 5:14.

Once God cast them out of the Garden of Eden, their descendants were cursed by God to (similarly) acquire the knowledge of ‘good and evil‘. This means that every individual born upon the Earth will rebel against Him, just as Adam and Eve rebelled under the influence of Satan (Genesis 3:1).

However, God’s mercy towards humanity is for each individual to accept the offer of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and commence seeking the many truths contained within the Bible (2 Timothy 2:15).

The knowledge gained by Christians sifting the available evidence of any issue, should aim to uncover the ‘ABSOLUTE TRUTH’ associated with it (John 17:17; 17:19; 18:37; 2 Corinthians 13:8).

If people fail to seek ‘the TRUTH‘ of everything during their lifetime, this means they prefer to believe a lie. The Bible says that such people are destined to spend eternity in the Lake of Fire:

"...BECAUSE THEY RECEIVED NOT THE LOVE OF THE TRUTH, THAT THEY MIGHT BE SAVED."  (2 Thessalonians 2:10)

The ONLY WAY to escape this eternal destiny is to FIRST accept Jesus Christ as Lord of one’s SAVIOUR OF THEIR SOUL from Hell (1 Timothy 4:10).

"And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be THE SAVIOUR OF THE WORLD."  (1 John 4:14)

Christians must then count the cost of becoming a dedicated Disciple of Jesus Christ (Luke 14:26-33) by choosing to follow Him (John 10:27).

As the Devil (alias Satan) robbed Adam and Eve of their ability to spend eternity with their Creator, so he is endeavouring to do the same with every Christian today (1 Peter 5:8-9; John 10:10).

Satan aims to rob Christians of their Salvation by preaching ‘Simply Believe’

To avoid Satan robbing Christians of their Salvation, Paul exhorted Christians to:

"...WORK OUT your own salvation with fear and trembling [that Satan may rob them of it]."  (Philippians 2:12)

Similarly, the Apostle James wrote:

"...FAITH [ALONE] without [any of the accompanying] WORKS [James 2:22-24 that Christ did - John 14:12] is DEAD [or worthless faith] also." (James 2:17)

To reinforce this claim, Jesus said:

"NOT EVERY ONE [i.e. every 'Christian'] that saith unto me,  Lord, Lord [in Romans 10:9-10 and does not do as He says - Matthew 15:8], shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but [ONLY] he [the faithful Christian] that doeth the will of my Father" (Matthew 7:21; Matthew 12:50). 

Therefore, scripture indicates that salvation is far more than a matter of ‘belief’. This statement opposes what many modern preachers claim. The Bible clearly states that true Salvation comes with:

• Conditions (i.e. doing God’s will, etc. – Mark 3:35),
• Effort (i.e. ‘works’ – Ephesians 2:10), and the ongoing production of
• Spiritual Fruit towards God (i.e. John 15:2, 6)?

This book provides scriptural answers to all these points. This is because all Christians are required to be an active SERVANT of Jesus Christ (Matthew 24:45-46) and an AMBASSADOR of His to those in this fallen world (2 Corinthians 5:20).

Christians are NOT CALLED to ‘simply believe‘ a convenient gospel (James 2:19). They are called to become a dedicated and devoted disciple of Jesus Christ (Luke 14:26-33)!

‘Believe Only’ vs Final Salvation (Book Figure 14: The Spiritual Race)

The illustration (below) is taken from the book. It presents a claim that God requires every Christian to RUN in a spiritual RACE. He requires each Christian to cross their Finish Line as an “OVERCOMER” of Satan’s lies and deceptions (Revelation 3:21).

On the contrary, Satan’s lie says that Christians only have to simply believe the gospel to be ‘Saved’.

Again, this RACE presents a huge contradiction when compared to today’s preaching that Salvation is a one-moment event. In such claims, the scripture verses below highlight what most ‘grace’ preachers in the churches focus on. They do this by promoting these verses while rejecting others presented here:

"For [it is] by GRACE are ye SAVED through FAITH [in Jesus Christ]; and that not of yourselves: it is the [FREE] gift of God [Romans 5:15-16; 18]:  9 NOT OF WORKS, lest any man should boast."  (Ephesians 2:8-9)

The above verse supports the following Bible verse that reflects God’s love towards each individual on Earth:

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that WHOSOEVER BELIEVETH in him should not perish [forever in Hell in an immortal body], but have everlasting life [with Christ and God throughout eternity]."  (John 3:16)

To commence this process of Initial Salvation, new believers in Jesus Christ are required to publicly state:

"That if thou shalt CONFESS WITH THY MOUNTH the Lord Jesus [as Him now becoming Lord over your life - Romans 14:9], and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.  10 For with THE HEART man believeth unto righteousness; and with THE MOUTH confession is made unto salvation."  (Romans 10:9-10)

The above verses of (Romans 10:9-10, Ephesians 2:8-9) represent Initial Salvation. This is the entry point of Biblical Salvation that represents GRACE THROUGH FAITH, the FREE GIFT from God to the Believer that cannot be earned. It also represents the Start Line of the spiritual RACE that God requires every Christian to RUN.

Final Salvation (2 Timothy 4:7-8) after one dies and departs this world is represented by crossing the Finish Line:

"I [Paul]have fought a good fight, I have FINISHED MY COURSE, I have KEPT THE FAITH..[that was originally given to the saints - Jude 1:3]"  (2 Timothy 4:7) 

Both Initial and Final Salvation are real. Both are required. Most churches only preach Initial Salvation.

The Eight Stages of Spiritual Maturity (Book Figure 13)

Chapter 5 in the book lays out the eight stages of spiritual growth that God requires every Christian to progress through. Such a requirement opposes ‘simply believing’ in Jesus Christ.

Spiritual maturity commences at conception (shown as Initial Salvation) where simply believing represents the “seed” sown into “good soil” (Matthew 13:8). With sincere Bible study following, maturity can then progress through the embryonic and foetal stages (Striving).

The New Birth is necessary for continued spiritual growth to take place. If this genuinely happens, Christians then pass through the babe in Christ, the little child, the young man, the father, and finally the Good Soldier of Jesus Christ stages (2 Timothy 2:3-4). These stages are explained in greater detail in this article.

Satan loves aborting these unborn babies who prefer to ‘simply believe’ in Jesus Christ. He also seeks to abort God’s spiritual “…sons and daughters” (2 Corinthians 6:18) in the spiritual womb of the churches. He does this through his ministers preaching a false messages that prevent spiritual growth (2 Corinthians 11:4; 14-15).

God views Christians as spiritual ‘Trees‘

The Bible says that God views every Christian as either a fruit-producing tree (Mark 8:23-25) or as a fruit-producing branch that is grafted into Jesus at Initial Salvation (John 15:1-2).

God gives each new Christian (either a ‘tree’ or a ‘branch’) a maximum of four years to commence producing spiritual fruit (Luke 13:6-9). Jesus says that any ‘branch’ that continues to remain fruitless will ultimately face the judgment of God (John 15:6).

The Two Gospels: Which One Must Be OBEYED?

The book identifies two distinct gospels in the New Testament – one of which many Christians prefer to overlook. The scripture verse below identifies what these two gospels relate to.

The Gospel of Jesus Christ (or ‘Circumcision’) is preached by evangelists to entice sinners to forsake Satan’s kingdom and to enter into God’s kingdom – Matthew 4:19. This gospel is a FREE GIFT as spoken by the Apostle Paul in Romans 5:15, 16, 18.

On the contrary, the Apostle Paul lamented that the Christians of his day (some 2,000-years ago) had FAILED TO OBEY Paul’s Gospel (Romans 10:16). This is the gospel that of ‘Uncircumcision‘ that Jesus Christ gave him personally through ‘revelation’ (Galatians 1:11-12; 2:2 ).

"But they [i.e. today's Christians] HAVE NOT ALL OBEYED THE [Apostle Paul's] GOSPEL. For Esaias [Isaiah 53:1] saith, Lord, who hath believed our report?  (Romans 10:16)

Paul’s Gospel is a spiritual gospel that MUST be understood and outworked by ‘spiritually-minded’ Christians (Romans 8:6). It has been given by Christ for Christians to grow in holiness and to produce the required quantity of spiritual ‘fruit’ (Matthew 13:8).

In other words, the First Gospel is received by grace and faith. The Second Gospel must be OBEYED throughout the remainder of each Christian’s life.

What this means practically for every Christian today

The book presents Initial and Final Salvation not as a one-off transaction, but as a process of how to remain faithful to God while ‘suffering‘ under Satan’s temptation and testing conditions (Romans 8:18; John 15:20 ).

"Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices [that aim to rob us of our Salvation]."  (2 Corinthians 2:10-11)

The Christian who understands God’s full plan of Salvation does not take anything written in the Bible lightly. Christians who genuinely seek God do so by actively studying His words (2 Timothy 2:15).

Again, Christians must “…walk in the Spirit” rather than walk in the flesh (Romans 8:1). They must also pursue the level of holiness and perfection that is required by God as stated in 1 Peter 1:16 and Matthew 5:48.

Summary

The full scriptural case for Salvation as a process of being faithful, includes the:

• Spiritual race that every Christian MUST RUN;
• Eight stages of spiritual growth that God requires of Christians:
• TWO GOSPELS that every Christian MUST respond to, and
• Distinction between Initial and Final Salvation,

The above CONDITIONS associated with Biblical Salvation occupy an entire chapter of God’s Great Plan for Mankind REVEALED! by Alan Manson.

The claims throughout the book have been gleaned from over 300 KJV verses together with illustrations and diagrams produced by the author.

If this post has raised questions that the standard answer has never resolved for you, this book takes the framework of Salvation the rest of the way.

If you have read this far, be sure to demonstrate to Jesus that you are either “HOT” (agree) or “COLD” (disagree) with what has been written. You can do this by adding a comment below.

Alternatively, you can remain silent and move on, which Christ will assign to you being “LUKEWARM” (Revelation 3:16).

Others who have read the book have posted their reviews here.

Other articles in this series are:

1. In the Pre-Adamic world, did an Original Earth exist before Adam?
2. Is ‘Salvation’ Simply Believing in Jesus?
3. Biblical Salvation as viewed from the spiritual perspective
4. What Does ‘Walking in the Spirit’ Mean?
5. How Does God Test Believers?
6. Who Is Satan in the Bible Really? <<Coming Soon>>

Invitation

I encourage you to share this article with your pastor and your trusted church members to determine for yourself whether the claims in this article are true or not.

On the contrary, if this article has caused you any concern about your Christian faith, feel free to post a comment or question in the Comments box below.

If you prefer to ask me a private question, feel free to contact me using my website’s Contact form.

Alan Manson
A Disciple of Jesus Christ
Retired engineer
Australia