Part
Six: Is belief enough for
salvation?
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Our
discussion will take the form of a simulated conversation
between a Jehovah's Witness named Joe and a Christian named
Chris.
Joe:
How can belief be enough for salvation, Chris? James 2:19
says that the demons believe yet they are not
saved.
Chris:
Joe, what do the demons believe?
Joe:
Well....they believe that there is one God.
Chris:
They also have knowledge that Jesus is the Son of God. Yet
that knowledge does not save them. You see, Joe, the
kind of belief that saves is the belief that is mixed with
faith and trust. Do the demons trust God or have
faith in God?
Joe:
Of course not. They are enemies of God.
Chris:
Then, that is why that kind of belief or
knowledge can never save. For example, suppose you were
running a marathon and you were hot and dehydrated and you
stopped on the sidelines where a friend handed you a glass
of water. You could say you believe that it really was water
that would benefit you because of your thirst, but unless
you trusted the person enough to drink the
water, the water would do you no good. You see belief +
trust = faith.
Joe:
But if faith is all that we need, why does the Bible say
that we are to work out our own salvation?
Chris:
Joe, read me from your New World Translation the passage
where that verse is found.
Joe:
It is found in Philippians 2:12 "keep working out your own
salvation with fear and trembling.."
Chris:
Go on. What does the next verse say, Joe?
Joe:
Let's see...it says "for God is the one that, for the sake
of [his] good pleasure, is acting within you in
order for you both to will and to act."
Chris:
Ah... so it is God that is acting within you. Who is the one
acting within you? Tell, me Joe, why is he acting within
you?
Joe:
It says "in order for us both to will and to
act."
Chris:
So for us even to have the will or desire to follow God,
requires that God is acting or working
within us to create that will or desire. Joe, did
you notice that Philippians 2: 12 says "work
out your salvation" not "work
for your salvation"?
Joe:
No, I didn't notice that. But so what? What is the
difference?
Chris:
Because working out your salvation means to
bring to completion what you already have.
Working for your salvation means that you are
obligating God to pay you for your work. You are working to
gain something that you do not already have.
You see, God has provided salvation as a free gift. It is
not Christ plus works that saves...it is faith
in Christ alone.
Joe:
That sounds too simple to me.
Chris:
Romans 10:9 says "if you confess with your
mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that
God has raised Him from the dead, you will
be saved." Joe, this is a promise from God. The
requirements for salvation are that we confess Jesus Christ
and trust him as our Lord and Saviour and believe in his
bodily resurrection and we will be saved. It doesn't say,
maybe you will be saved if you do enough. Joe, just trust
what God says and set aside your Watchtower magazine for
awhile to learn God's truth from the Bible alone.
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