How is one saved?

[AdHoc]

Some people say you need to pray the sinner's prayer, some say believe in Jesus... is there a clear instruction from the Bible how to be saved?

[Christadelphian]

[Replying to AdHoc]

Mark 16:16 sums it up for me "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved"

First you must believe, so what is it that you must believe?

1. The things concerning the kingdom of God (Acts 8:12; 19:8), namely:

The Kingdom will be everlasting and located on the Earth (Dan 2:44; Matt 6:10; Isaiah 2:3-4)
The Kingdom will be ruled by Jesus (John 18:37; 2 Tim 4:1; 2 Peter 1:11)
The Kingdom will be inherited by the righteous believers (Matt 5:5; 1 Cor 6:9)
The Kingdom will be ruled from Jerusalem (2 Tim 4:1; Psalm 69:34-36)

2. The truth about Jesus (Luke 24:27)

That he is the son of God and future King of the World (Matt 16:16; 27:54; Mark 1:1; Luke 1:32; John 1:34 and 49; Acts 8:36-38)

That his nature was that of man (not God):

He was tempted (we known God cannot be tempted - James 1:13)
He was mortal (he died - Luke 23:46)
He was not all-knowing like his Father (he learned things - Luke 2:52)

4. That God is the all-powerful Creator (Gen 1:1; Ps 148:5; Is 42:5; 45:12 and 18; Rev 4:11)

5. That the Bible is true (2 Tim 3:16; Matt 26:56; John 2:22; 5:39)

Then, once you know the Truth, you must be baptised into the name of Jesus Christ your Lord and Saviour. This is essential for salvation. Acts 10:48; 22:16; Romans 6; Gal 3:27)

[ThePainefulTruth]

Repentance and restitution are two different things. Repentance means that you're committed to never do a wrong again.

Addicts repent, repent, repent, repent, repent ... of the same wrong over and over, and over.

Yes, and the weak-willed will continue to err, only in this case the victim is himself. So let's take a better example, like a pedophile, he repents, maybe even knowing he will repeat. So how does unearned absolution help things? In that case he can continue his behavior with a clear conscience knowing he's saved anyway--instead of his conscience maybe forcing him to truly regret and repent at some point and turn himself in. Free salvation is not salvation at all. Like I said, it's moral welfare.

Mark 1:4
John came, baptizing in the desert region and preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.

Mark 6:12 They (the disciples at Jesus' instruction) went out and preached that people should repent.

Luke 3:3
He (John the Baptist) went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.

Perhaps "never" is not a good word to use.

Is "I will never murder again" too strong?

Restitution isn't always possible, but in most cases, you could/should submit yourself to the legal system of the society where you committed the crime by confessing and pleading "guilty". If the punishment is execution, so be it. Unlike the moral code itself, btw, punishment is subjective.

Until mankind develops a method to selectively delete portions of human memory, post tramatic stress can affect victims their entire life. Thus, they will never find restitution to their previous state.

The trauma is there as a reminder not to do it again, for some anyway.

There needs to be punishment enough to disincentivize the crime and match its severity, but the standard punishments are determined by society, and they can be abated by the little known principle lawyers and judges don't want us to know about, jury nullification. That's likely one of the reasons they stopped having jury trials in the Supreme Court.

How about an eye for an eye?

But sometimes innocents are found guilty.

That's an argument for not having a justice system at all--or for the people to insist on officials with integrity and diligence. The law could be perfect but it's execution by fallible humans probably never will be.

Ah, let's modify eye for an eye so that three wittnesses are required to be convicted.

So the next time someone robs a bank and murders a guard which pulled his gun, the robber must proceed to murder all but two people in the bank to avoid the death penalty if caught.

?????

But the above is all smoke and mirrors anyway.

Repenting and restitution are not bad things -- but they do not save anyone.

Repentance is the best we got. It requires your commitment to work to be good, which Paul says isn't necessary. Belief that someone can die for your repentance is Pauline smoke and mirrors.

[myth-one.com]

Repenting and restitution are not bad things -- but they do not save anyone.

Repentance is the best we got. It requires your commitment to work to be good, which Paul says isn't necessary. Belief that someone can die for your repentance is Pauline smoke and mirrors.

Jesus, not Paul, spoke the following words according to the Apostle John:

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him, should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)

Atheists can repent from their wrongs and make restitution.

Are atheists who do so condemned to everlasting life?

[ThePainefulTruth]

Repenting and restitution are not bad things -- but they do not save anyone.

Repentance is the best we got. It requires your commitment to work to be good, which Paul says isn't necessary. Belief that someone can die for your repentance is Pauline smoke and mirrors.

Jesus, not Paul, spoke the following words according to the Apostle John:

We have (concerning the importance of repentance), conflicting quotes here. John was written at the end of the century when Pauline thought was the only surviving theology--what with the dispersal of the Jewish/Christian Church in Jerusalem 20+ years earlier. That and the fact that the concept of moral welfare just doesn't hold water, also indicates the importance of repentance.

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him, should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)

Atheists can repent from their wrongs and make restitution.

Are atheists who do so condemned to everlasting life?

Condemned?

[myth-one.com]

We have (concerning the importance of repentance), conflicting quotes here.

The Bible contains two testaments or covenants. The inheritance under either testament is everlasting life. The only way one could become an heir to eternal life under the first covenant was to never sin. However, there was a fault in the first testament in that all mankind sinned! Since the first covenant contained a fault, God created a second or New Testament:

But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises. For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second. (Hebrews 8:6-7)

Under the New Testament man came under grace and not the law. Good works earned one salvation under the Old Testament. That is, if a person never violated any of God's laws, he gained eternal life. After Jesus died for us, we fell under the grace of Jesus Christ for our salvation, not our works to fulfill the law. So sin does not control our salvation:

For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace. (Romans 6:14)

We must now believe in Jesus Christ to inherit eternal life. Upon creating a New Testament, the first covenant became the Old Testament:

In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away. (Hebrews 8:13)

The Old Testament vanished away and the New Testament become valid when Jesus died for our sins:

And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance. For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. For a testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth (Hebrews 9:15-17)

The cutoff point separating the two testaments is the death of Jesus, which paid the wages of sin for those accepting Him as their Savior from sin. He lived a sinless life and did not have to die. Thus He could give His life to pay the wages for the sins of believers.

What you see as "contradictions" are comparisons of things said or done before and after this cutoff point. They should be contradictory!

Prior to our gaining a Savior from the wages of sins, we were responsible for paying the wages of our own sins individually.

So repentence, restitution, etc. were much more important as our only possible salvation was from our efforts!

After Jesus became our Savior, the only criteria for salvation is acceptance of Him and His sacrifice.

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him, should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)

Atheists can repent from their wrongs and make restitution.

Are atheists who do so condemned to everlasting life?

Condemned?

Absolutely. If atheists do not desire to participate in everlasting spritual life under the direction of Jesus as their Lord, then forcing them to do so against their will would be condemning them.

There are two type of beings -- physical and spiritual.

There is an exit out of the physical world -- called death.

There is no exit out of the spiritual world as spirits live forever.

Thus penalties for sin can become infinitely more severe in the spiritual world.

Satan, for example, will be tormented day and night for all eternity in the lake of fire:

And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever. (Revelation 20:7-10)

This cannot be physical torment since the devil's spiritual body does not feel pain. It is the torment of knowing he failed, being defeated, seeing lowly humans being upgraded to take his place, never being given another opportunity, separation from the Kingdom of God, etc. He has rebelled, been defeated, and lost his freedom and authority for eternity.

One needs to choose or reject everlasting life after much consideration.

[we-live-now]

[Replying to post 899 by myth-one.com]

You guys are STILL arguing this? Did you make any progress?

LOL!

we-live-now

[squint]

Some people say you need to pray the sinner's prayer, some say believe in Jesus... is there a clear instruction from the Bible how to be saved?

The New Testament directive that Paul delivered was this:

Acts 26:18
To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.

The power of Satan resides between the two ears of every person. It is a blinding power. A power of captivity. An internal power. A power that is not us, but of Satan.

It is that power that we are turned away from. Yet it is a power that remains within everyone, unseen.

When anyone has a wicked or evil thought, it comes from that power within, that entity, Satan. Such thoughts are evil and defiling, from an entity that is not man, but is within man. Thoughts progress to evil words and ultimately result in evil deeds aka sin in the christian axioms.

We are suggested to not be slaves. It's good advice.

[we-live-now]

[Replying to squint]

Amen! My heart agrees whole-heartedly.

God has revealed a lot to you!

we-live-now

[myth-one.com]

Did you make any progress?

LOL!

we-live-now

Yes.

How is one saved?

Ye must be born again.

[meshak]

Did you make any progress?

LOL!

we-live-now

Yes.

How is one saved?

Ye must be born again.

What do you mean by "born again"?

thanks.