The Path to Salvation

[Wanderling]

It's sad to me to see how so many people here believe that is faith alone which leads to salvation and not works. Was Jesus not a man of service and selfless works? Your salvation is UNDER YOUR HANDS!
I considered becoming a chrisitian but the doctrine of salvation through faith alone and not through works troubles me. I would like to be cleared of confusions and hear ur opinions on the following article.

(link deleted as it is against forum rules to post links to religions of than Christianity. Moderator)

I recently stumbled upon something that repelled me in the form of the following story posted by a member of this forum:
An evangelist stopped at a gasoline station, and when the attendant finished filling his tank, he paid him and said, as was his custom, ?could I ask you for some directions??  ?Of course,? came the reply. ?I?d like to know how to get to heaven,? he said, to the attendant?s surprise. After a moment the reply came. ?Be good, sincere, try to do the best you can. No one can ask for more than that,? came the confident reply. To the attendant?s surprise, the evangelist looked shocked and nearly angry. His brow furrowed, he stared at the man and in a stern voice said, ?Man, I asked you the way to heaven, and you told me the direct way to hell! No one gets to heaven by trying to be good. People who trust in good works or sincerity are not good. On the contrary, they disbelieve and reject what God said. Ephesians 2:8-9 says, ?By grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast?.?

Why would anyone would think like this is beyond me?
If this is the message given by the bible, I prefer the eastern traditions, as they seem to me far closer to the truth.

Regards...
   The Wanderling

[Allinall]

Wanderling,

Welcome to CU!  Forgive me, but I didn't read your link.  I felt rather the need to respond to your post.  You said:

I considered becoming a chrisitian but the doctrine of salvation through faith alone and not through works troubles me.

...and...

Why would anyone would think like this is beyond me?
If this is the message given by the bible, I prefer the eastern traditions, as they seem to me far closer to the truth.

My friend, what you're experiencing is what every person on the face of the planet experiences.  We all want to believe that our salvation is merited by our works.  We all want to earn that salvation.  Even believers in faith alone can confuse their role in God's work.  But regardless, my friend, it is God's work and it is God's way.

Salvation comes only when we understand and accept our inability to ever save ourselves by our choices, our actions or our obedience.  God gave Israel the Law to show them just how impossible it is!  But He also gave that Law to show His provision in place of our incompetence.

Friend, it's not until you're at the end of yourself that you will see your need.  Why would anyone think like this?  Because:

For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
   neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD.
For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
   so are my ways higher than your ways
   and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Isaiah 55:8-9

It's not men who had this thought originally.  It's God.  His thinking is far different from ours.  He wants our dependence upon Him in everything.  If you want to discuss this further, I'll be happy to.  

His,

Kevin

[Soldier4Christ]

Amen, Allinall.

Welcome to the forum Wanderling. May I also add that it is by faith that we are saved. For all men have sinned and come short of the glory of God. So no matter how "good" we think we are we are still not good enough to enter heaven on our own accord. It is through faith in Jesus Christ, in the washing of His blood, that we attain righteousness.

This is not to say that we do not have to do "good works". For to say I have faith and yet to continue in our sins without regret and repentance of those sins shows that our faith was false. Once saved by faith we do good works because we Love Jesus and wish to attempt to follow in his footsteps.

Rom 3:23  For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
 

Eph 2:8  For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Eph 2:9  Not of works, lest any man should boast.


Rom 9:31  But Israel, which followed after the law of righteousness, hath not attained to the law of righteousness.
Rom 9:32  Wherefore? Because they sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumblingstone;

Jam 2:17  Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.
Jam 2:18  Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.
Jam 2:19  Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.

Jam 2:26  For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

[Wanderling]

Dear Kevin!

I'm saddened that you have not read my link, as it deals with the --------------. Do you really believe that nothing you could do would effect your salvation? God demands our service to our fellow human beings as a precondition to advance in our spiritual path, no matter which it may be. Without service, there is no spiritual growth, period. So many christians have adopted the verse "by faith are you saved, not through works, lest anyone should boast", because its just comfortable for them to think that by faith alone their salvation is garaunteed. That's very convinient, isn't it?
All we hear is "Love your god with all your heart, mind and soul, and your neighbor as thyself", but what is that love worth if it is not expressed in some form of service to society and other poor and needy human beings?

Service is the key to ---------- and liberation from the cycle of birth and death. This is what Jesus Christ and Mother Teresa understood and stood for. Jesus came to the world as a teacher to demonstrate the ----------- par excellance as the means to attaining what you call Salvation, which really means ------------.

The problem is that most christians have not been exposed to these ideas for so long, and have been mislead by the very quote you gave to me, that most christians these days seem at a lost to know and understand what it is that truly gives man true joy, peace, and freedom, and garuantees salvation.

If your spiritual path tells you that nothing you could ever do might bring about your ----------- and that you are not in control, than I prefer not to choose that path. If christians believe that by mere faith they serve God, and fullfill their mission in this world, they are sorely mistaken.

I prefer the path of ----------- as a far better belief system to follow. Any path that encourages service to fellow beings and suggests your attitude towards that service, and describes the effects of these actions upon your spiritual growth, is a better path to follow than one which tells you that works are not a means of salvation.

Regards,
  The Wanderling

[Soldier4Christ]

Wanderling,

Read my post above. Works is not a means of Salvation. Faith in and through Jesus Christ is the only path to Salvation. It is told as such in the Bible. To believe otherwise is to call God a liar. Works is a secondary attribute that is performed by those that believe in and love Jesus Christ.

The paths that you mention are not a teaching of the Bible nor of Jesus Christ. It is a teaching of another religion and is not permissible here on this forum. Please read the rules before attempting another post.

Any further support for religions of than pure Christianity will not be tolerated on this forum and such posts will be deleted.

[Allinall]

Please, my friend, don't be saddened!    Take what I've said and couple that with what Pastor Roger said.  He and I are in complete agreement.  We work, not to obtain salvation, nor to keep salvation.  We work in light of our salvation.

If you feel that you must earn that way, then I pray God will show you the futility of that way as well as His matchless grace.