Today's view of Salvation... too easy?

[CaliGuy4Christ]

Very often I see bible tracts and stuff that show how to be 'saved'.

A good example is this website:

http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/0080/0080_01.asp

They go pretty much like this:

"If you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved."

Romans 10:9

"For God gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him will never perish but have everlasting life."

John 3:16

"For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Romans 6:23

and then they say "pray this prayer: Lord, I accept Jesus as my personal Savior and believe in what He did on the cross. Please forgive me for my sins. I repent from them"

I respect how they realize that Jesus is the only way. But I feel like they're leaving out information. Is it just me? You never see verses like..

Matthew 16:24 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

Luke 14:26 If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.

14:27 And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.

Philippians 2:12 ..... work out your own salvation with fear and trembling

Revelation 3:5 He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.

It just seems like the gospel is watered down just to get people to pray that prayer real quick and say "yeah I'm a Christian", or "yep I'm saved" and a lot of people might not even know anything more is required of them. I know I didn't until much later.. then later I saw how much emphasis the new testament put on obedience and overcoming sin. I think the believers prayer should be something like "I believe in Jesus and how He died for my sins, I repent and I'm going to deny myself and live for God from this day forward overcoming sin and pressing toward God." Maybe it was just the preachers I listened to that made it seem like nothing more was required of me. Does anyone else out there seem like they hear a lot of this 'easy salvation'? I'd love to get biblical input and opinions on this subject.

[JP1]

"If you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved."

Romans 10:9

Um, is that NOT the truth???

And even in the track that you pointed out, it listed 4 steps at the bottom to do after you get saved, including getting baptised, reading the Bible, and going to a church where Christ is preached and Jesus is the final authority.

These tracts are just to introduce someone to Christ. You have to start somewhere. When evangelizing non-believers, you can't just hit them upside the head with a 2x4, you have to start somewhere.

Yes, getting saved IS that easy. You just proved it when you quoted Romans 10:9. It is repenting and leading a righteous life that is the hard part. And that has to be taught, and learned.

One thing that I do agree on - simply reciting a "Sinners prayer" off of a piece of paper or computer screen as if you were reading a poem does not make one saved. You have to call out to Jesus with all sincerity and truly believe in Him and His resurrection. Too many people ARE led to believe that just because they recited that prayer that they are now saved. The key is "and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead"

[WayneB]

"If you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved."

Romans 10:9

Um, is that NOT the truth???

And even in the track that you pointed out, it listed 4 steps at the bottom to do after you get saved, including getting baptised, reading the Bible, and going to a church where Christ is preached and Jesus is the final authority.

These tracts are just to introduce someone to Christ. You have to start somewhere. When evangelizing non-believers, you can't just hit them upside the head with a 2x4, you have to start somewhere.

Yes, getting saved IS that easy. You just proved it when you quoted Romans 10:9. It is repenting and leading a righteous life that is the hard part. And that has to be taught, and learned.

One thing that I do agree on - simply reciting a "Sinners prayer" off of a piece of paper or computer screen as if you were reading a poem does not make one saved. You have to call out to Jesus with all sincerity and truly believe in Him and His resurrection. Too many people ARE led to believe that just because they recited that prayer that they are now saved. The key is "and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead"

Yup, it's that easy! All we have to do is believe and receive. God did ALL the work so that none of us could boast!

Romans 3:21 But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. 22 This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus . 25 God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished-- 26 he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus. 27 Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded . On what principle? On that of observing the law? No, but on that of faith.

Blessings,

Wayne

[WayneB]

It just seems like the gospel is watered down just to get people to pray that prayer real quick and say "yeah I'm a Christian", or "yep I'm saved" and a lot of people might not even know anything more is required of them.

CaliGuy, Your point is very valid in regards to "sanctification", the process of being made Holy... being set apart from worldly things. It is the work of the Holy Spirit and begins at the rebith of the new believer and continues on until the flesh returns to dust.

But salvation is simply by the Grace of God. All we have to do is respond with a sincere heart. The disciples asked Jesus what the greatest command was. He answered, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment." [Matthew 22:36,37]

Bless you brother,

Wayne

[CWJ]

Let Jesus baptise you in the Holy Spirit, for that eternaly cleansed spirit.

Easy. Repent.

1Peter 3:21

"The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), by the resurrection of Jesus Christ."

[nebula]

The rich young ruler asks Jesus, "What must I do to be saved?"

And Jesus answers, "Believe and receive!"

Wait a minute . . . that's not what happened!

"Sell all you have and come follow Me."

Hmm . . . ever hear someone evangelize with something like that?

Hey, buddy, it's gonna cost you to follow Jesus. What do you say?

[tsth]

Does anyone else out there seem like they hear a lot of this 'easy salvation'? I'd love to get biblical input and opinions on this subject.

Dear Caliguy,

The current term for that today is "Easy Believism". And yes, it's pretty prevalent now days. I too am deeply troubled over this and wonder when the Truth will start coming out again?

Ever read "Hard to Believe" by John MacArthur? I bought the book on CD for my husband at Christmas. It's an awesome book and study on this very topic. Here's what it looks like and the description:

Hard to Believe

In His Love,

Suzanne

[Guest idolsmasher]

I see salvation and living a Christian life as two related but seperate issues. For me Ephesians 2:8-9 sums it up

Ephesians 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

Ephesians 2:9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.

Salvation is not of our own works or goodness. We can never be good enough to earn salvation. If we could, what need would we have of Christ?

[Andrew007]

The rich young ruler asks Jesus, "What must I do to be saved?"

And Jesus answers, "Believe and receive!"

Wait a minute . . . that's not what happened!

"Sell all you have and come follow Me."

Hmm . . . ever hear someone evangelize with something like that?

Hey, buddy, it's gonna cost you to follow Jesus. What do you say?

Wow Neb. Really made the wheel start turnin my this little nogin.

[Catsmeow]

[ These tracts are just to introduce someone to Christ. You have to start somewhere. When evangelizing non-believers, you can't just hit them upside the head with a 2x4, you have to start somewhere.

JP, you always speak my heart. So well said!

A baby is born unable to walk; they aren't able to digest meat; they can't comprehend parental commands...they're utterly dependent and on mother's milk.

A babe in Christ is similar. They don't start out walking the walk and talking the talk. They begin with small steps of faith. As in little children, some mature faster than others...some walk sooner than others.

People grow at different rates...some faster, some slower. Individual differences vary.

We all tend to want to make everything uniform and simplified to fit our own reasoning but God knows that each "child" is different and has his own special needs.

I know this firsthand because I am, by profession, a Special Educator. I know that some children are blind, some autistic, some crippled, some able-bodied, and some are gifted.

Likewise, Christians are the same...they grow and mature at different rates. We can't put everyone in a box and say the church is watered down.

The church is made of many parts to meet the special needs of different kinds of people and cultures.

For instance, teenagers are excited at Christian concerts with Michael W Smith. If you put on Southern Gospel, you'll probably lose them altogether.

Many black Americans enjoy Bebe and Cici Winans and Kirk Franklin...because the music is more to their cultural context.

The Body of Christ is large and all-encompassing, considering the vast needs of many different kinds of people at different levels of their walk.

Some are on milk and need "milk" while others are meat. That doesn't discount the importance of milk...it's needed for those at that level of maturity.