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People must be certain of having the true faith, because what is at stake is salvation of their soul on Judgment Day.
WHEN FACING UNCERTAINTY, people often turn to faith for answers to their questions and for assurance. Whether it is for dealing with crisis in the here and now or avoiding doom that is yet to come, many find faith as their source of safeguard and solace.
Above all, people hold on to faith when they realize how much they need it to be saved on Judgment Day, which is the more important thing that everyone should make sure of.
But, while faith is necessary in coping with any crisis or danger, and in making sense of the various things that man suffers from, it is wrong to think that just any kind of faith will lead to salvation. As there are varied teachings and beliefs on salvation and how it can be attained, people should be very careful in choosing which of these to accept. If one makes a mistake in his choice, it will have dire consequences.
True faith in Christ is indeed necessary and important for salvation. The Bible is replete with passages teaching this. However, the belief that a person does not have to do any work but only has to have faith in Christ to become His disciple and be saved contradicts what is written in John 8:31 and 51:
“So Jesus said to those who believed in him, ‘If you obey my teaching, you are really my disciples; … I am telling you the truth: whoever obeys my teaching will never die’.” (Good News Bible)
Christ spoke these words to people who already believed in Him. Having faith alone did not make them qualified outright to be His true disciples, much less guaranteed them to never die.
Christ told them what else they must do: obey His teachings. Thus, without obedience or doing the works that are in fulfillment of the Savior’s teachings, faith amounts to nothing.
Which death will never be experienced by anyone who believes and obeys the teachings and commandments of Christ? The second death in the lake of fire (Rev. 20:14). For a person to be spared or saved from that punishment, the Savior made it clear that as he should believe or have faith in Him, he should also obey His teachings and commands. One of His commands regarding salvation is written in John 10:7 and 9:
“So Jesus spoke again: ‘In very truth I tell you, I am the door of the sheepfold. … I am the door; anyone who comes into the fold through me will be safe.’…” (Revised English Bible)
The fold or flock is the Church Of Christ (Acts 20:28 Lamsa Translation).
Therefore, coming into the fold or joining the Church Of Christ is one of the deeds or works that people must fulfill because it is Christ’s command. Doing so—motivated by his faith in Jesus—will make a person His disciple, assuring him of salvation.
Only when a person pairs his faith with works can he truly benefit from it, as Apostle James stated:
“What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? … Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect? … You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only.” (James 2:14, 22, 24 New King James Version)
For a person to be saved, he needs to be justified. To be justified, his faith must be accompanied with works. He will never be justified by faith only. It is through faith and works that he can be sure of salvation.
Of course, not just any deed or work can be paired with faith for it to be deemed true. The work that people must do is not only to fulfill Christ’s commands but also the Father’s will for them to enter His kingdom on Judgment Day. Christ states, thus:
“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.” (Matt. 7:21 nkjv)
Merely calling Jesus, “Lord, Lord!” will not suffice to get anyone saved. To enter the kingdom of heaven, one should do the Father’s will, one of which is to “gather together in one all things in Christ” (Eph. 1:9–10 nkjv). That is why Jesus commanded people to enter the Church Of Christ so that they will be gathered under Him as parts or members of His body or Church (Eph. 1:22–23; Rom. 12:4–5; Col. 1:18). Furthermore, Christ exhorted those who joined His Church to remain in it until the end for them to be saved (Matt. 24:13).
Therefore, people must be certain of having the true faith, because what is at stake is salvation of their soul on Judgment Day. If they want to reassess their faith or embrace a new one, they should do so with utmost care. They should let God’s words in the Bible be their guide in their quest to find the true faith, which will lead to salvation. ❑
