The only way to Salvation

[OneJack]

The only way to attain eternal life is by COMING to and FOLLOWING the Lord Jesus Christ until the end,

John 10:27. My sheep HEAR my voice, and I know them, and they FOLLOW me:

28. And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.

Matt. 11:28. COME unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

29 TAKE my yoke upon you, and LEARN of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

Matt 19:21. Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and COME and FOLLOW me.

John 5:39. You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me,

40 yet you refuse to COME to me to have life.

[1213]

[Replying to 1213 in post #2]

The Living Christ Jesus instructed the rich young man who wanted to inherit eternal life in this way:

16. And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?

17 And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.

18 He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness,

19 Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

20 The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet?

21 Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and COME and FOLLOW ME.


With the final words of the Lord COME, FOLLOW ME, therefore the only way to be saved is to COME to the Living Christ Jesus...

But in that Jesus says, if you want to be perfect, not if you want to be saved. But, I agree that it would be good to do so.

No one today is yet righteous,

Yet Jesus says eternal life is for righteous, should we not believe what he says? If no one is righteous now, it would be good to think how to become righteous.

[OneJack]

[Replying to 1213 in post #11]

[[[[in that Jesus says, if you want to be perfect, not if you want to be saved. But, I agree that it would be good to do so. ]]]]

To be perfect is one and the same with to be saved. Listening to and Following Jesus, though we do not see Him momentarily, is until the end to maintain salvation.

[[[Yet Jesus says eternal life is for righteous, should we not believe what he says? ]]]]

Where can we exactly find this notion, verbatim, in the words uttered by Jesus and God?

[[If no one is righteous now, it would be good to think how to become righteous.]]]

Simply come to and call on the Lord Jesus, and wait for Him to respond and teach you how to become righteous.

[1DoubtingThomas]

^^^

[POI]

The only way to attain eternal life is by COMING to and FOLLOWING the Lord Jesus Christ until the end,

Since it is believed that every human will fall short, no matter how hard one may earnestly try to perform the requested task(s) you list above, how much (grace/leeway) does the Bible God grant?

*******************************

Over 3 years ago, I made a thread here (viewtopic.php?t=39327&start=1030). It essentially discontinues at post 1035. The point of this thread is to demonstrate that the Bible is so ambiguous, that even earnest intelligent believers cannot agree, when it comes to one of the most important messages in which the Bible attempts to express. And that is... How exactly is one saved? Seems the Bible God cares not to make his message clear, even here, as the conclusion is definitely not universal among all who are devoted followers in earnest.

[1213]

[Replying to 1213 in post #11]

[[[[in that Jesus says, if you want to be perfect, not if you want to be saved. But, I agree that it would be good to do so. ]]]]

To be perfect is one and the same with to be saved.

I don't see any Biblical reason to think so, because Jesus says first in the part you quoted: "but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments".

[[[Yet Jesus says eternal life is for righteous, should we not believe what he says? ]]]]

Where can we exactly find this notion, verbatim, in the words uttered by Jesus and God?

These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.
Matt. 25:46

[OneJack]

^^^

[OneJack]

[Replying to POI in post #14]

Since it is believed that every human will fall short, no matter how hard one may earnestly try to perform the requested task(s) you list above, how much (grace/leeway) does the Bible God grant?

You may have misunderstood my post because theres no list of requested tasks there to perform, except the never ending act of listening to and following the Lord Jesus, an action between you and the Lord Jesus until the end.

Over 3 years ago, I made a thread here (viewtopic.php?t=39327&start=1030). It essentially discontinues at post 1035. The point of this thread is to demonstrate that the Bible is so ambiguous, that even earnest intelligent believers cannot agree, when it comes to one of the most important messages in which the Bible attempts to express. And that is... How exactly is one saved? Seems the Bible God cares not to make his message clear, even here, as the conclusion is definitely not universal among all who are devoted followers in earnest.

You're right; the Bible isn't clear on this unless Jesus reveals Himself to you, as emphasized in Matthew 11:27. A personal encounter with the Lord Jesus is necessary to arrive at the truth about God. Jesus' call to salvation is straightforward: "Come, follow me." However, many overlook this call and instead rely on Paul's doctrine of grace and the finished work of Christ as their assurance of salvation, forgetting that the Savior is Jesus, not Paul.

What's unclear about coming to Jesus and calling on Him to guide you, even in the quiet moments like bedtime? It's akin to prayer, but this time, you wait for Jesus' response, which may come soon or take time, depending on His reading of your heart. The key is to wait for His audible communication, like He did with Paul or Moses, without relying on scripture for answers. As followers of the Living Christ, we're living witnesses that Jesus is the only Pastor and Teacher of His flock across all generations, guiding His sheep simultaneously worldwide.

[OneJack]

[Replying to 1213 in post #15]

Keeping the commandments is in the stage of following Jesus until the end. He will be the one to issue those commandments and the bible has nothing to do in following the Lord. Youll not be reading the bible in following the Lord but listening to Him is a must.

[POI]

[Replying to POI in post #14]

Since it is believed that every human will fall short, no matter how hard one may earnestly try to perform the requested task(s) you list above, how much (grace/leeway) does the Bible God grant?

You may have misunderstood my post because theres no list of requested tasks there to perform, except the never ending act of listening to and following the Lord Jesus, an action between you and the Lord Jesus until the end.

You state there is no listed task(s), and then you go on to immediately list the task(s), which is "the never ending act of listening to and following". Hence, I repeat my question, which was not answered.

Since it is believed that every human will fall short, no matter how hard one may earnestly try to perform the requested task(s) you list above, how much (grace/leeway) does the Bible God grant?

You're right; the Bible isn't clear on this unless Jesus reveals Himself to you, as emphasized in Matthew 11:27.

Then shouldn't the Bible still be clear, since the instruction within it was claimed to have been given by God? Also, shouldn't he at least reveal himself to everyone? This way, all are given the chance to follow or reject.

A personal encounter with the Lord Jesus is necessary to arrive at the truth about God.

How might one know Jesus/God is speaking to them, verses them speaking to themselves, verses receiving messaging from some other external agency?

Jesus' call to salvation is straightforward: "Come, follow me."

I'll await an answer to my original question before I comment further here.

What's unclear about coming to Jesus and calling on Him to guide you, even in the quiet moments like bedtime? It's akin to prayer, but this time, you wait for Jesus' response, which may come soon or take time, depending on His reading of your heart.

Is your claim that God will only speak to you if you have the right 'heart'? This is not what the Bible teaches.

[OneJack]

[Replying to POI in post #19]

Since it is believed that every human will fall short, no matter how hard one may earnestly try to perform the requested task(s) you list above, how much (grace/leeway) does the Bible God grant?

How much leeway does God grant? No one can answer that but the Living God. What we know is that Hes always waiting for those who will come to and call on Him so that He can respond to and teach them afterwards, though Hes unseen momentarily. Waiting for God to respond is the key to a life sharing moment with Him today, as in the days of the apostles.

Then shouldn't the Bible still be clear, since the instruction within it was claimed to have been given by God? Also, shouldn't he at least reveal himself to everyone? This way, all are given the chance to follow or reject.

Actually the bible is clear only to those whos now experiencing the shepherding of the Lord Jesus - encounter with the Lord, as in the days of the apostles. The Lord has taught and explained to them some important teachings in the bible. The command COME, FOLLOW ME is ample enough for them to be saved because following the Lord is a life sharing moments with Him (Jesus) today. What do you find vague in this command, btw?

For God to reveal Himself to everyone is beyond my control and non-negotiable. If I were you, I would talk to and ask God about this matter.

How might one know Jesus/God is speaking to them, verses them speaking to themselves, verses receiving messaging from some other external agency?

Jesus will not speak to you if you do not first come to and call on Him with a pure heart. The bible has nothing to do with this encounter with Jesus. You do not need the bible in coming to and calling on the Almighty God.

Is your claim that God will only speak to you if you have the right 'heart'? This is not what the Bible teaches.

The bible is not the Lord God, why make the bible as the only source of what God must do and must not do? How will God come to you if you always lock yourself in the four corners of the bible?