Salvific Issues
What Are Those?
To kick off this week, I wanted to discuss an overall idea that involves unity and division pending on how we apply it. That idea of course, is salvific issues. Now what exactly do I mean by this? When I talk about salvific issues, I am implying the issues brought up in scripture that are of major importance because our understanding of salvation rises and falls on them. These are the types of issues that our church hopefully agrees with us on because our salvific issues should come from scripture. If not, this is one of those issues that I would strongly recommend finding another church to attend. I’m not one of those people who recommends to keep church hopping until you find what you think to be the ‘perfect church’. Far from it. I am, however, someone who is very obstinate when it comes to the major doctrines of scripture and salvation. If a church is teaching incorrectly about salvation, that could mean the leading of numerous people to Hell. And I'm certainly not on board with that. So while today’s post might be on the extreme side of things, I want to go over what I believe to be the non-negotiables of salvific issues and find what we and our pastors that lead us, must agree on. As John MacArthur so bluntly states, “There are Christian people in churches all across this country who have never even asked the question, “Am I really saved?” Because they don’t think deeply about anything.” Let’s not be these people.
The Gospel & Repentance
To start off, I know I’m personally talking about salvific issues that our churches should believe and teach, but allow me to point you to a personal test that scripture gives us that we can take ourselves. 1 John 5:13 says, “These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.” Throughout this book, we are given a test of 9 statements to see whether or not we are saved. And while we are not going to go through those statements in this post, I would highly encourage you to read 1 John for yourself if you are someone who is struggling with your assurance of salvation. For the Church, however, the first and foremost salvific issue we must agree on is the gospel of Jesus Christ. If we do not agree that Jesus was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, was God incarnate, died for our sins, and was raised to life on the third day, this is a problem. Look no further than our last blog post to see how salvation without the gospel is no salvation at all. We must be willing to agree on Christ because He is the only reason we can achieve salvation in the first place. If Christ is not something you can agree on with your church, I would be very worried about the foundation and direction that this church is headed in. Everything that we see in the Bible all points to the climax of scripture which is the savior of the world. So chances are, if you don’t agree on Christ, you won’t agree on most of scripture.
Furthermore, the biggest salvific issue I would argue that the Church deals with today, is repentance. Think to yourself for a second, about the last time you heard a message preached on repentance… It’s not a popular topic these days is it? And while it may not be a fun topic to teach on, according to scripture, it is an absolutely essential aspect to learn. Jesus Himself tells us in Luke 13:3 “No, I tell you, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” This doesn’t sound like a command that anyone should take lightly, and yet, it is. Very few people in the pulpit today are willing to tell their congregation to turn from their previous way of life, die to sin, and follow Christ. We much more commonly hear preachers tell us that Jesus loves us just as we are and He wants to have a relationship with us. This is extremely dangerous and misleading because while Jesus does love us and wants to have a relationship with us, this relationship is only made possible by repentance. If a church or pastor believes that you stay as you are, not repent, and still get to heaven, I again would strongly urge you to find another pastor and church.
Belief & Unity
Lastly, we can assume that if repentance is a non-negotiable salvific issue, so is belief. This one is less of an issue I believe than repentance is, but still one that needs to be addressed. We must be willing to acknowledge that belief in Christ and knowledge of Christ are not the same thing. Many religions would be able claim that they are saved as well if all that mattered was knowing who Christ is rather than actually believing in the sanctifying work He came to fulfill. Again, if you need more on this, look back to our last post where we went a bit deeper on this exact topic. Belief in Christ is an absolute necessity and is why it is often mentioned alongside repentance. Paul tells us in Romans 10:9 “...if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;” Again, seems like a pretty straight forward statement doesn’t it? If we want to see heaven one day, we must believe in Jesus Christ as our only means to get there. When all is said and done, I hope it is clear to us all that the gospel, repentance, and belief are non-negotiables. To add a bit to this list before we close, I want us to take a look at Ephesians 4:4-6 “There is one body and one Spirit, just as you also were called in one hope of your calling; one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.” I believe that a true study of the gospel covers all of these ‘ones’ but I still wanted to put this here just in case. I hope and pray that as we examine our churches, leaders, and even ourselves, that we would unify ourselves with the major doctrines of salvation. These are no small issues and must be a subject that we do not take lightly. As you study these scriptures, I hope that you are enlightened and have a greater knowledge of salvific issues than you did earlier.
Sources
[1] Blue Letter Bible. (n.d.). Blue Letter Bible. https://www.blueletterbible.org/
[2] The essential foundation of Christian assurance. (2003, April 13). Grace to You. https://www.gty.org/library/sermons-library/62-29/the-essential-foundation-of-christian-assurance
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