My post There Are More Ways To God Than Jesus has gained some attention. As usual, these are contentious issues that bring up a lot of the things that we hold onto and calls them into question.
One of the things that has come up a lot is this accusation that I do not believe in the Bible nor do I give it some ultimate authority in my life. While technically that is true (I only have faith in Jesus, not the Bible), I still hold to the Bible being a witness to Christ and is trustworthy to learning the way of Christ. The conclusions I have come to are not a result of me throwing out the Bible, on the contrary, they are a result of me learning and experiencing who Christ is that I know because of the Bible.
So here is one of the many scriptures I have sat with that has lead to my conclusion.
Matthew 25:31-46 (Sheep and the Goats)
In summary, this story is Jesus himself saying that salvation is not found in calling someone Lord (even him), it is found in the faces of the poor and the love extended to those in need. Salvation is literally found in the work that you do towards those on the edges of society. This story tells us of those who are saved and they didn’t even know!
There is no other way to read this story. You can try and justify it and forcefit it into the rest of the way you understand the Bible but the conclusions are clear. There are more ways to God/Heaven than believing in him. Feeding the hungry and visiting the prisoner are both examples of way that you can find salvation outside of a belief in Jesus. All this is said by Jesus in the Bible.
Read acts 4 vs 12. There is no other name under heaven that we should be saved except by Jesus Christ. Unfortunately if you believe that there are other ways to heaven you shall perish. Jesus Christ is the king of kings and lord of all. Read Romans 10:9-10 New International Version (NIV)
9 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.
Nathan it seems you lost your way. The problem with being deceived is that you actually believe your right. Your wrong. Repent and turn back to the lord.Let me give you a prophetic word.”Time is running out, Jesus will make his return soon. You are not ready.”
Nathan McCabe,
Just because Nathan Colquhoun is wrong, that does *not* mean that you are correct. A person is *not* saved by faith alone BUT also by living without sin (James 2:24). Liars (including false teachers), murderers, fornicators, adulterers, homosexuals, and etc will *not* enter the presence of God. A person must be sinless to enter the presence of God; past sins washed away by the blood of Christ of the old person without Christ and living without sins as a new person in Christ. Adam and Eve committed only 1 sin and were kicked out of the presence of God.
All being said and done, argued this way or that. Whose right, whose wrong, this view or that view and on and on… this sums up this debate/discussion/argument; a great quote about grace and truth that I read this morning…
“A paradox is an apparent contradiction. Grace and truth aren’t really contradictory. Jesus didn’t switch on truth, then turn it off so He could switch on grace. Both are permanently switched on in Jesus. Both should be switched on in us… Truth without grace breeds a self-righteousness legalism that poisons the church and pushes the world from Christ. Grace without truth breeds moral indifference and keeps people from seeing their need for Christ. Attempts to ‘soften’ the gospel by minimizing truth keep people from Jesus. Attempts to ‘toughen’ the gospel by minimizing grace keep people from Jesus. It’s not enough for us to offer grace or truth. We must offer both.”
Seems that we are saved by works if all I do is feed the poor. I suggest Carsons post is a balanced view that shows the need to recognize the inability to save ourselves by doing anything. But true pure motivation to feed the poor is that by grace I have been freely given life so in turn I freely give.
I find it incredibly ironic, that you have said ‘I only have faith in Jesus, not the Bible’ and then continue on to use the scriptures to form your conclusions! You also completely miss that Justification occurs through Christ ALONE in faith ALONE. If your ‘interpretation’ of Matthew 25 works the way you wish it to work then you would go to Hell, because unless you gave all your money away, visited every person in jail, fed and watered everyone you came across and then some God would STILL say to you ‘depart from my sight’. You cannot save yourself by your own works and you are demeaning Jesus’ Death and Resurrection.
Also, Question:How much do you think your would need to do to ‘get into heaven’. How many do you need to visit in jail. Does your ‘interpretation’ of such works include an amount to obtain in order to be saved? Another issue that you need to think about, Matthew 25:40 talks about doing these things for God’s brothers and sisters. i.e. Christians. (The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’).
Lastly, dude you need to get yourself off to bible college (because your hermeneutics are non existent) you need to acknowledge that Jesus is your Lord and Savior, repent and believe because you are leading sheep astray and you will be placed with the goats.
Jane,
There is nothing ironic in Nathan believing *only* in the red lettered words spoken by Christ Himself and *not* believe the Holy Bible, which records the red lettered words spoken by Christ Himself, the words of the Father, the words of the Prophets, the words Apostles, and the words of mere humans. You, like most Protestants, fail to understand that the Holy New Testament was written AFTER Christ. The FIRST Christians believed in Him and *not* in the Holy New Testament. Justification occurs through Christ alone in Faith alone?? Every Anglican Priest, Methodist Priest, Lutheran Pastor/Deacon, and Reformed Pastor will disagree with you. It is “By grace ALONE through FAITH ALONE” and “By Christ ALONE”. So, quit teaching Nathan, when you yourself do *not* even know Protestant teachings. Also, it is absurd to teach that salvation is by faith ALONE and by Christ ALONE because that is contradictory; either Christ did it all and humans do *not* have to do anything, which means there is no need for faith or it is both Christ and humans working together, which means that the word ALONE is cancelled. Protestant teachings contradict the Holy New Testament. Apostle wrote “Christ” and “By grace through faith”; the word ALONE is *not* in the Holy New Testament. Luther knew that; so, he added ALONE to his German Translation of the Holy New Testament. A person is saved by works and not by faith alone (James 2:24) and no, works has nothing to do with feeding the poor; works is about living without sin just as Apostle John wrote (1 John 3).
Nathan Colquhoun,
The text does *not* state that they are saved by feeding the poor BUT that they are saved people who feed the poor.
Nathan is absolutely correct that this is what the text actually says
A lot to unpack, for someone who has found themselves adrift more times, than one would care to admit. As I continue to try to navigate ones life. I do believe one has to be honest with where they are in this moment of time. And not find themselves confined to the consequences of the past or waiting for a promise that was made. We must continue to make the good effort. Feed the poor, save the lost. Our father, who sent his son. To save, to redeem. Be true to thy self.