How do you get saved?

Ferrett made some flase statments:




Quote:
Luke 10
25. On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. "Teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?"
26. "What is written in the Law?" he replied. "How do you read it?"
27. He answered: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind' ; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'"
28. "You have answered correctly," Jesus replied. "Do this and you will live." (NIV)

There is no mention of trinity, no mention of blood atonement, no needed confession that Jesus is Lord nor a belief that he is the son of God. Not even a confession or belief that Jesus died for his sins is necessary.




this is false because I have said nothing about my views on how one is saved, and certainly nothing abou Trinity being necessary to salvation.

Threre is a further problem with using this as a proof text to understand salvation. It was said before Jesus died on the cross. He could hardly have todl the guy, "just hand around a couple of years and then join the chruch after I raise from the dead." He's speaking of salvtion under the old covenant. I'm sure the same principles apply, but it would be meaningless to the audience to suddenly start talking about his death on the cross. They would go "you died on the cross? How could you be here now?" another one woudl say "he got better." (Monthy Phython humor)

The thing is there is no real standard descrition of a soterolgoical formula in the NT. There are many such passages where one might use them as a modle for how to officiate at someone's salvation getting, but there is no real verse that says "here's the excat thing to say and do."

Jesus himself said baptize everyone (into the names of the trinity)

Paul says confess Lordship of Jesus and believe in resurrection

other places he says other things (follow moral law on heart,) there is no real set formula listed out. IN Galantions he says one thing in Romans another they all kind revovle around the same concepts.

It is clear that the teachings handed the chruch form the Apsotles thorugh the Bishops reflected upon the aotnement and resurrection.This was how the early community understood its own salvation in realtion to the events of Jesus life and death and resurrection. It was a resurrection oriented faith. It was about something that happened, and that something was clearly incorporated into the criteria for joining.



Quote:
Simply submission to God and righteousness, with the best of your ability. Did the Biblical Jesus lie to this man? Did he deceive him and lead him into hellfire? If yes, then how can this possibly be just? This man, wanting to know the truth about salvation, asked an honest question and received a false and deceiving answer which will lead him into hell. The man will not believe in trinity, will not confess Jesus is Lord, will not believe he is the Son of God, and most importantly will not believe that Jesus died for his sins. According to missionaries, one who does not do these things simply will not obtain eternal life. There are two solutions:



Jesus gave him the answer that was true for thta moment. for that day.


the point is, based upon what Paul says in Galations, what he says in Romans 2 and Romans 10 it's clear that the exaclty little formula doesnt' matter, it's not the precise doctrine that saves you, it's what your heart is doing in relationship to God. But the expression of that faith has to be oriented around Jesus statment of solidarity becuase it is a statment of solidarity and it is our way of returning solidarity with God.

Paul says when we are bpatized we are put into Christ's death. We share with christ his death so we also share with him his future. his resurrection hope. that' solidarity. iF we don't understand the formula are we not in solidarity with God? Well that's not really what solidarity means, understnadng a cerimony or a formula. But is the fac that not understanding it is excuseable really a rason to forget it?

Salvation clearly revovles around what Jesus did on the corss. Otherwise he would not have done it. that doesnt' mean we have to have exacty the officla understanding of it or that we have to all agree upon our understanding.

But it does mean what Jesus did matters. It has to be at the center of any faith experience.



simple clear points for simple clear people:

(1) There is no officially sanctioned formula

(2) right doctrine is not a prequissete for salvation; but that is not an excuse to have wrong doctirne.

(3) Doctrine exists to help us, not to trip us up with problmes of understanding.

(4) The modus oporandi of salvtion is the corss. That doesnt' necessarly mean that it is our understanding of the modus opporandi that saves us.

(5) What saves us is trust in Jesus' and in the saving powre of God's grace.


(6) salvation is relationship of solidarity: God offers us solidarity by identifying with us to such an extent that in the form of Christ he dies on the cross fo our sins. We express our soldiairty with God by placing ourselves into Christs death and accepting all that means for the way we live and the hope of the future thorugh his resurreciton (I get all that out of Romans 6).

(7) doesn't matter how tight you shut your eyes. or if you pray a "sinner's prayer' or get baptized or whatever ceremony yo do, it's what you do in your heart that counts, but our heart has to be reaching out a relationship of solidarity with God.

(8) Jesus is the banner, the focuss and the MO of that whole move of God in our lives.