Is Jesus the only Essential Truth?

[ljpob]

Hi. I'm a new member and I'm hoping to find fellow believers who are interested in encouraging and supporting one another in our spiritual journeys. The question I would like to pose is this: Is a belief in Jesus Christ as Messiah the only essential truth for a person to be saved? He said "I am the way, the truth and the life..." (John 14:6), yet when we talk about "truth" it often involves a wide range of doctrinal discussions and interpretations. Is it possible that the "truth" he asks us to believe in is much simpler than we usually make it? If so, where do theology and doctrine and denominational traditions fit into our spiritual process?

 

A few relevant verses:

"The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. He then brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.” (Acts 16:29-31)

"...Whoever believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life." (John 3:16)

"I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die." (John 11:25)

 

Interested to hear people's thoughts...

[missmuffet]

Welcome to Worthy ljpob.It is nice to have you with us.Yes,Jesus Christ is the only way to salvation.

John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

[ncn]

Welcome to Worthy. 

 

Salvation is as simple as A, B, C -

Admit your sinful state when compared to God's moral perfection.

This admission is called repentance toward God (Acts 20:21)

Believe on Jesus Christ who died to pay your sin debt to God.

He not only died as your substitute, He rose to life again as proof of God's satisfaction with His work.

This is faith toward our Lord Jesus (Acts 20:21)
 

Salvation is a grace gift from God to all who will receive Christ. Simply trust Him.

When you do, God exchanges your sin for Christ's righteousness - forever!

 

[Atwood]

Salvation is so frequently offered in scripture merely for believing or having faith in the Lord Jesus, that one cannot escape the truth that there is but one and only one requirement which a man must fulfill in order to receive salvation, namely, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved -- just believe. Nevertheless, the object of faith must be correct. It is not just "believe," but believe in the Son of God. Can a man be saved by believing in someone other than the real Jesus? Obviously we don't have a perfect understanding of Him -- He is dressed in a robe that reaches to the feet, covering quite a lot in Revelation 1. But the real Lord Jesus is the second person of the Trinity, fully God and fully man; He Who died on the cross and rose from the dead. That is the only Jesus who saves. So, our understanding of our Savior must be essentially correct. The gospel is not, "Believe on Michael the Archangel and you will be saved."

[educatexan]

For me, your thought hinges on the word "believe".  I'm sure a Greek scholar could answer more specifically, but I would imagine there's inherent action in the word.  You can "believe" a fact -- such as Australia is in the southern hemisphere -- without personally experiencing it.  You can also "believe" that a chair will support your weight, and then make your belief active by sitting down.  I would place belief in Jesus in that second category: believing that he is the Savior and then acting upon that belief.

[other one]

I do think it is important to understand what that phrase "believe in him" entails.     Some think all we have to do is to believe that he is who he says he is and that's all.....    It's not that simple.   That isn't what "Believe in Him" means at its' core. 

 

That chair that educatexan speaks of is a good one, but from my point of view you still have to sit in it.....   you put your trust in it enough to act on that belief.

[Willa]

Paul repeats "the gospel by which you were saved in 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures. He then goes on to list all who had seen Him alive and well after his resurrection.

One of Jesus' names at birth was Emmanuel, which means God with us. Matt. 1:23 There was always a lot of meaning ascribed by the Hebrews to names. I dimly remember that Jesus means Jehovah saves, because He will save His people from their sins. Matt. 1:21

We are told in John 1 that He was called the Word when He pre existed with the Father in eternity past. Philippians 2:5-11 also tells repeats this, and that He was born in human flesh to die for out sins.

Believe means to trust in and rely upon. To believe in His Name is to trust in His reputation and character, such as a person's good name.

Most of us don't understand it all when we receive Christ. We just know that we are sinners who need forgiveness. I only knew that God forgave me because Jesus loves me. Many times during grief, I have rememberd that God still loves me because Jesus died for my sins. That is the essense of the Gospel or good news.

But another important part of the story is that when we are forgiven and saved, Jesus sends us another Comfortor, one like Him, His Holy Spirit. He doen't leave us alone but sends Him to adopt us, guide us, teach us, help us to understand the Bible, and enable us to lead the Christian life. That is how we are born again.

Blessings

Willa

[OneLight]

Some people have a blurred vision of what separates salvation from sanctification, often blending the two.  Sanctification comes after salvation, a continuing growth in Him.