Those Who Have A Mental Belief In God But Not Following Him, Are They Saved?
Question : I would like to know your opinion on this matter, and perhaps you might write something about this.
I was listening to a Christian on YouTube "the Saviour servant", who claims that most people who go to church think that "faith" is believing what the Bible says, and nothing more.
As you well know we are to have faith in "Jesus" himself, by being led by the Spirit and obeying, and dying to self and leaving the things of the world behind. Do you think that some people are making a very big mistake, in just having a mental belief in God but not following him. Are they saved?
Answer : Greetings! First of all we are not saved by any works of any kind, we are saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. Our faith itself is a gift from God that we cannot boast about (Eph 2:8-9). A person needs to realize that he is a sinner in need of the Savior and then go on to accept Jesus as his Lord and Savior through believing in his heart and confessing Him in his mouth to be saved (Matt 9:12-13; John 3:16; Rom 10:9-10). After this God acknowledges and gives assurance of salvation by sealing that believer with the Holy Spirit until the day of rapture (Eph 1:13-14), then speaking to the believer's heart that He abides in him through the Holy Spirit (1 John 3:24). From that moment of salvation God makes the believer to become the righteousness of God which is to make Him as though he never sinned at all in His sight (2 Cor 5:21).
Bible is the just a means through which we reach the end of salvation which is to know God personally through the Lord Jesus Christ. The same way as you have discussed some people think that going to Church regularly and mentally knowing the Bible and keeping the rules will save them, it happened the same way in the days of Jesus when they revered the Bible and rejected and tried to kill the God of the Bible who stood before them in the flesh as Jesus Christ the only begotten Son of God (John 12:48; 1:14; 3:16; 10:36-39). Jesus so clearly said to these people, "39 You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. 40 But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life." (John 5:39-40). This shows that knowing the Bible and having a thorough knowledge of the Bible without believing in Jesus who is clearly described in the Scriptures will not save any person. No matter how big a theologian or a traditional christian a person may be, without a personal relationship with God through Christ Jesus, a person is not saved at all. The written word of God is just a means through which we reach the end which is finding God through Jesus Christ. The written Scriptures are a means to an end and with out reaching the purpose for which it is given by God it has no value in itself. Mentally a person can know the Bible inside out and can get a PhD in it just as a scholar gets a PhD in any other subjects of soulish knowledge, that doesn't guarantee salvation or can give it to them.
James the apostle said, "19 You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble! 20 But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?" (James 2:19-20). This shows that having just a mental belief that there is a one God and confessing a statement of faith without humbling ourselves as sinners in need of salvation before God will do no good than a demon believing this truth and trembling before God. All true faith will get us in to relationship with God which will transform the way we live, believe and act in our day to day lives. Any faith that does not start a relationship with God in our spirit-man is just a dead faith. The spirit which had been dead from the day we were born in sin (Psa 51:5), should receive God's life and start to empower our life in to deeper relationship with God which is actually seeing the kingdom power of God in our lives (1 John 5:13; John 3:3).
Things like being led by the Spirit and obeying, and dying to self and leaving the things of the world behind are the fruit of salvation and are not a precondition to salvation. Salvation never demands any work, but it empowers us to work the works which God has prepared for us to do beforehand (Eph 2:10; Php 2:12-13). In other words, a choice to obey God and work for Him comes to a believer after they are saved, the more they co-operate with God and obey His voice, the more they will experience the spiritual blessings of it now in their lives and the reward of it in their afterlife (Rev 22:12). Either a person is saved by grace or not saved at all. There is no middle ground of working to get saved after receiving salvation through grace.
We cannot judge a believer based on their behavior as we all know that all do not take the good choice of walking in God's blessing all the time, for many God has to teach lessons through chastisement for their own spiritual eternal benefit which is a prime priority to God than the physical blessing they enjoy temporarily (Heb 12:9-11). If a believer self-corrects his wrong attitude, God will not bring chastisement, but if not God will intervene to chastise that believer so that he may not be condemned with the world (1 Cor 11:31-32).
I think that people are in two category who make a big mistake, people who depend on their Christian heritage and credentials and as a result they do not receive Jesus as their Lord and Savior by humbling themselves as sinners in need of Him is one category that is not saved at all by grace (Luke 18:9-14). The other people who make a big mistake are those who saved by grace and yet do not willingly submit themselves to the way of the Cross but are satisfied with their doings for God rather than their beings [i.e. coexistence] which God really expects (Luke 9:23-26). These people may gain physical and financial blessings on earth which God gives freely to all (Matt 5:45), but will lose the abundant life of heaven and the succeeding reward in eternity that has been prepared for them (Luke 14:25-33; John 10:10; Rev 3:11).
May God help us all to have an intimate relationship with our God here on earth and enjoy the abundant life of heaven on earth.
Much Blessings....
I was listening to a Christian on YouTube "the Saviour servant", who claims that most people who go to church think that "faith" is believing what the Bible says, and nothing more.
As you well know we are to have faith in "Jesus" himself, by being led by the Spirit and obeying, and dying to self and leaving the things of the world behind. Do you think that some people are making a very big mistake, in just having a mental belief in God but not following him. Are they saved?
Answer : Greetings! First of all we are not saved by any works of any kind, we are saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. Our faith itself is a gift from God that we cannot boast about (Eph 2:8-9). A person needs to realize that he is a sinner in need of the Savior and then go on to accept Jesus as his Lord and Savior through believing in his heart and confessing Him in his mouth to be saved (Matt 9:12-13; John 3:16; Rom 10:9-10). After this God acknowledges and gives assurance of salvation by sealing that believer with the Holy Spirit until the day of rapture (Eph 1:13-14), then speaking to the believer's heart that He abides in him through the Holy Spirit (1 John 3:24). From that moment of salvation God makes the believer to become the righteousness of God which is to make Him as though he never sinned at all in His sight (2 Cor 5:21).
Bible is the just a means through which we reach the end of salvation which is to know God personally through the Lord Jesus Christ. The same way as you have discussed some people think that going to Church regularly and mentally knowing the Bible and keeping the rules will save them, it happened the same way in the days of Jesus when they revered the Bible and rejected and tried to kill the God of the Bible who stood before them in the flesh as Jesus Christ the only begotten Son of God (John 12:48; 1:14; 3:16; 10:36-39). Jesus so clearly said to these people, "39 You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. 40 But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life." (John 5:39-40). This shows that knowing the Bible and having a thorough knowledge of the Bible without believing in Jesus who is clearly described in the Scriptures will not save any person. No matter how big a theologian or a traditional christian a person may be, without a personal relationship with God through Christ Jesus, a person is not saved at all. The written word of God is just a means through which we reach the end which is finding God through Jesus Christ. The written Scriptures are a means to an end and with out reaching the purpose for which it is given by God it has no value in itself. Mentally a person can know the Bible inside out and can get a PhD in it just as a scholar gets a PhD in any other subjects of soulish knowledge, that doesn't guarantee salvation or can give it to them.
James the apostle said, "19 You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble! 20 But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?" (James 2:19-20). This shows that having just a mental belief that there is a one God and confessing a statement of faith without humbling ourselves as sinners in need of salvation before God will do no good than a demon believing this truth and trembling before God. All true faith will get us in to relationship with God which will transform the way we live, believe and act in our day to day lives. Any faith that does not start a relationship with God in our spirit-man is just a dead faith. The spirit which had been dead from the day we were born in sin (Psa 51:5), should receive God's life and start to empower our life in to deeper relationship with God which is actually seeing the kingdom power of God in our lives (1 John 5:13; John 3:3).
Things like being led by the Spirit and obeying, and dying to self and leaving the things of the world behind are the fruit of salvation and are not a precondition to salvation. Salvation never demands any work, but it empowers us to work the works which God has prepared for us to do beforehand (Eph 2:10; Php 2:12-13). In other words, a choice to obey God and work for Him comes to a believer after they are saved, the more they co-operate with God and obey His voice, the more they will experience the spiritual blessings of it now in their lives and the reward of it in their afterlife (Rev 22:12). Either a person is saved by grace or not saved at all. There is no middle ground of working to get saved after receiving salvation through grace.
We cannot judge a believer based on their behavior as we all know that all do not take the good choice of walking in God's blessing all the time, for many God has to teach lessons through chastisement for their own spiritual eternal benefit which is a prime priority to God than the physical blessing they enjoy temporarily (Heb 12:9-11). If a believer self-corrects his wrong attitude, God will not bring chastisement, but if not God will intervene to chastise that believer so that he may not be condemned with the world (1 Cor 11:31-32).
I think that people are in two category who make a big mistake, people who depend on their Christian heritage and credentials and as a result they do not receive Jesus as their Lord and Savior by humbling themselves as sinners in need of Him is one category that is not saved at all by grace (Luke 18:9-14). The other people who make a big mistake are those who saved by grace and yet do not willingly submit themselves to the way of the Cross but are satisfied with their doings for God rather than their beings [i.e. coexistence] which God really expects (Luke 9:23-26). These people may gain physical and financial blessings on earth which God gives freely to all (Matt 5:45), but will lose the abundant life of heaven and the succeeding reward in eternity that has been prepared for them (Luke 14:25-33; John 10:10; Rev 3:11).
May God help us all to have an intimate relationship with our God here on earth and enjoy the abundant life of heaven on earth.
Much Blessings....
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