How important is knowledge in getting saved?

God isn't stupid. If someone is following Christ for the sake of following Christ, then God will provide teaching and/or forgive mistakes.

 

The great thing about faith is that understanding is not required.

 

Some knowledge is necessary.

1. The God of the Bible is NOT to be confused with the deity of any other religion.

2. The God of the Bible is Creator and Redeemer and Judge. He has also made Himself known to us as three Persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

3. Jesus was God incarnate on earth. He is and was the second Person of the Trinity.

4. By disobeying what you know to be right and true, you have sinned against God and all sin deserves eternal separation from God -- eternal death.

5. Jesus offered Himself to die in your place, and that sacrifice was accepted, thus freeing you from the punishment of your sin. He conquered death and, by His own power and authority, came back from the dead in a glorified but physical body; forty days later he ascended physically in the view of witnesses, back to the Shekinah Glory Cloud. He is now seated at the right hand of the Father.

6. Your salvation -- your eternal destiny -- now depends on whether you will trust your life to Christ or refuse Him. He has done all the work, but you are allowed to choose your own path.

7. Once you have trusted Christ with your entire life you are also given, by Him, through the Holy Spirit, a new life inside yourself. This is known as being 'born again' in the Spirit. Once this has happened, you are indwelt by that same Holy Spirit and you belong to Christ forever. The Holy Spirit will continue and complete His work in you, transforming you bit by bit into the image of Christ Himself. You will not be lost, and if you wander, you will be searched out and found. Christ has not lost one and will not lose one of those that are His.

That's all you need, totally NEED, to know, I think. Once you are born again, you will find that your spirit within you hungers to know more, and you will find yourself wanting to read and know the Bible and wanting to talk to and listen to God Himself. Your relationship with God will become the most important thing in your life.

 

Rom.1:16-20 If someone is searching for the TRUTH, God will reveal Himself to them.

 

AMEN!:thumbs:
Hi XDX, we've missed you!:1_grouphug:

 

God only expects you to understand according to how far along you are in your walk with Him. If you are a baby, He doesnt expect you to eat steak...

Mk:4:28: For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear.


1Cor:3:2: I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able.


If you are a sincere seeker after truth the Holy Spirit will make sure to reveal truth to you:

Jn:16:13: Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.

 

Even the desire to believe comes from Him. What God offers, he nourishes. Even the faith comes from him. Faith is not a formula.

Read what Helen wrote. Since you are a Christian, make note especially of her Item 7.

 

I find it a bit funny of all the people who claim to be faith alone, I am the only one who did not say that at some point salvation depends upon a human work.
Just as an example, Helen writes that in the end it depends on a human work aka decision follow dquixote's suggestion to read number 7 she goes even farther to say that it is up to you to be born again by giving yourself to him. meanwhile Shiloh starts even sooner by stating you have to be searching for the truth.
This leaves me to ask is it by faith alone or by the act of giving of ourselves and making a decision that we are saved, because it can not be both.

I have always liked this quote from Augustine

 

I think you'd find a few of us who would agree with you. One of my favorite quotes is "If you'll take the first step, God will take the second step and by the time you get to the third step, you'll see that it was God who took the first step." Personally, I get nervous when anyone adds to "by grace through faith."

 

Well, when I was converted, I didn't know much but I knew that I needed Christ or else I was going to hell. I don't think that a lot of knowledge is required at the point of conversion, but it is very important in our growth as Christians, moving from the milk to the meat. That's why hearing the Word preached and reading the Bible daily is vital. You can't grow without food. Like Jesus said, "Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God."


Soli Deo Gloria,
Dustin

 

Well lets reasonably analyse this situation. If a person believes strongly enough in Jesus to change their behavior and try to 'follow the law', I would say that would be evidence of a heart-felt belief in Jesus. Belief in Jesus is the ONLY prerequisite for salvation. The only real knowledge about the Gospel a person should need is WHO Jesus is, and WHAT Jesus did.

The Bible describes Abraham as the very first Christian. Look at what he believed:

Gen 15:5 And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be.
:6 And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.

If we let Scripture interpret Scirpture, we can see that "Thy Seed" specifically and expressly means Jesus Christ:

Gal 3:16 Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.

As to Abraham being the first Christian, one must only read Galatians 3 to realize this:

Gal 3:6 Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.
7 Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.
8 And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, [saying], In thee shall all nations be blessed.
9 So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.

Keep in mind that without faith, it is impossible to please God. Works cannot save. But here we see that Abraham was saved by his faith. His Faith was counted unto him as righteousness.

Hbr 11:6 But without faith [it is] impossible to please [him]: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and [that] he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

But what kind of Faith... or Faith in what? From scripture we see that God told Abraham something about Jesus Christ. When Abraham believed God regarding Jesus Christ, the Bible says THIS was counted as righteousness. My feeling is that if your friend believes in Jesus strongly enough to change their behavior and lifestyle to try to enter heaven through works... then they probably meet the minimum 'belief' requirement for salvation. However, the Bible does say that faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. Abraham believed God's word to him and this was counted as righteousness. For your friend to be saved, they must believe SOMETHING from the Word of God regarding Jesus Christ. If they simply believe blindly in their works, without faith in some Word about Christ, it may be pretty iffy. However, if they have heard Word from scripture regarding Jesus Christ, and a belief in that scripture is what prompts their works, then they probably meet the minimum faith salvation requirement.

 

The Bible describes Abraham as the very first Christian. Look at what he believed:

Gen 15:5 And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be.
:6 And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.

If we let Scripture interpret Scirpture, we can see that "Thy Seed" specifically and expressly means Jesus Christ: by GUP 20

Who in the world is teaching these people this stuff? Do you sleep in church?

In the passage you gave in Gal. The word "seed" is in refreference to Christ but not here in Gen.

 

Shiloh, Paul was making a direct reference to the incident in Genesis 15. So it was Paul that was teaching 'that stuff'.

 

Helen, Isn't that what I said? The main "stuff" I was in reference to was the Abraham being the first Christian, AND "Gen 15:5 And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be.
:6 And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.

If we let Scripture interpret Scirpture, we can see that "Thy Seed" specifically and expressly means Jesus Christ:"

In this Genesis account of "Thy Seed" is referring to Abrahams children.

I know the account in Gal. is speaking about Christ but not the one in Gen. I would write more however I have no time it's Wednesday afternoon. There is so much twisted stuff on here it's almost humorous.

 

And what about Adam?

 

Shiloh. Read her #7 again. Here it is in part:

Now read what I wrote:

Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. The desire to read the Word of God and the faith to believe what I read comes from him. That's when I trust him. Now......... "Once you have trusted Christ...........etc."

 

Christianity is the only religion which claims a salvation by believing "in." Each denomination has a different requirement list to believe "in."

 

Christianity is not a religion. Spiritual insight (rather than knowledge) seems pretty important, then.

 

I disagree, Christianity is TRUE religion. Everthing else is a pale, sad imitation.


Soli Deo Gloria,
Dustin