Transcript What Must We Do to be Saved?

By Doug Krueger
Necessary and Sufficient Conditions
 Something x is a necessary condition for y if and only if it
is impossible for y to exist without x.
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For example, having exactly 3 sides is a necessary condition for
having a triangle.
Being unmarried is a necessary condition for being a bachelor.
 Something x is a sufficient condition for y if and only if it
is impossible for x to exist without y.
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Being a cow is a sufficient condition for being an animal.
Being under 21 is sufficient to be ineligible to legally buy alcohol.
Why Isn’t the
Answer Clear?
 The Bible is unclear and contradictory about
what is necessary or sufficient for salvation.
 Many believers hold that the Bible’s point is
that one must be saved.
 They also contend that the Bible spells out
exactly how one can be saved.
 Let’s take a look.
Old Testament: Not Much Help
 In the Hebrew Bible, the Old
Testament, NO ONE dies and goes to
heaven.
 “Salvation” by following God’s laws
seems to have been confined to this
world.
 Being saved meant being saved from
God’s wrath in this life.
 So let us confine our discussion only
to the New Testament.
 Mark 16:16: “He that believeth and is
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baptized shall be saved; but he that
believeth not shall be damned.”
Not just he who believeth, but he who
believeth AND is baptized shall be
saved.
John 3:5: “...except a man be born of
water and of the Spirit, he cannot
enter into the kingdom of God.”
1 Peter 3:21: “...this water symbolizes
baptism that now saves you also...”
So it would seem that to be saved one
must believe and be baptized.
Necessary
Condition
Necessary
Condition
Baptism is a
Necessary
Condition
for Salvation
Sufficient Conditions
 Romans 10:9-10:
 9”…the word of faith we are
proclaiming: That 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.
 10”For it is with your heart that
you believe and are justified, and
it is with your mouth that you
confess and are saved.”
St. Paul
Disagrees
Baptism
Nothing about baptism.
God raised
Jesus from the
dead.
The Author of Luke/Acts
Disagrees…And So Does Jesus!
 Acts 16:30-31 tells us:
“Believe on the Lord Jesus
Christ, and thou shalt be
saved...”
 John 6:47: ”...He that
believeth on me hath
everlasting life.“
 No public proclamation
required.
 No baptism required.
I believe
on the
Lord Jesus
Christ.
Faith Alone is Enough
 Some verses are quite clear that we are saved by faith alone.
 Gal. 2:16: “…a man is not justified by the works of the
law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ...not by the works
of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be
justified"
 Romans 3:20: "a man is justified by faith without the
deeds of the law."
If This is Sufficient
Then This is Not Necessary
What About Those Commandments?
 Jesus tells someone what he must do
Keep the
commandments!
to be gain eternal life:
 Matthew 19:17: ”...if thou wilt
enter into life, keep the
commandments.”
 One can keep the commandments
and not believe in Jesus.
 Is this a sufficient condition? The
context does not clearly show this.
 But it does suggest that this is a
necessary condition.
Which Commandments? Just a Few.
 Matt. 19:17-21: “If you want to enter life, obey
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the commandments."
"Which ones?" the man inquired.
Jesus replied, " 'Do not murder, do not
commit adultery, do not steal, do not give
false testimony, honor your father and
mother,' and 'love your neighbor as
yourself.'"
"All these I have kept," the young man said.
"What do I still lack?"
Jesus answered, "If you want to be perfect,
go, sell your possessions and give to the
poor, and you will have treasure in heaven.
Then come, follow me."
So keeping these
commandments may not
be sufficient for
salvation, but they are
necessary.
AFTER doing this, it IS
sufficient for salvation to
sell all you have and give
the money to the poor.
•No baptism required.
•No public proclamation
required.
•Not having other gods
before YHWH is not
required!
Faith Alone is Not Enough
 So we are NOT saved by faith alone.
 In Matthew 7:21, Jesus says: "Not everyone that saith unto me
Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he
that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven."
 James 2:17: "faith by itself, if it not accompanied by
action, is dead."
 James 2:20: "faith without deeds is useless."
 James 2:24: "You see that a person is justified by what he does
and not by faith alone.”
 Romans 2:13: "not the hearers of the law are just before God,
but the doers of the law shall be justified.”
If This is Not Sufficient
Then This is Necessary
Empty the Nest
 Matt. 19:29:
 “…And everyone who has left houses or brothers or
sisters or father or mother (or wife) or children or
fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as
much and will inherit eternal life.”
 So leaving one’s family for Jesus is a sufficient
condition for salvation.
Why Leave the Family? Love for Others Should Be
Like Hate Compared With Love for Jesus
 Luke 14: 26: "If any man cometh unto me, and hateth not
his own father, and mother, and wife, and children, and
brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he
cannot be my disciple".
 Matt. 10:34-37 : "Think not that I am come to send peace
on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. For I am
come to set a man at variance against his father, and the
daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law
against her mother in law. And a man's foes shall be they
of his own household. He that loveth father or mother
more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth
son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me."
This is a necessary condition, but not sufficient for salvation.
What About Women?
 1 Tim. 2:15: “…women will be saved through
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childbearing—
…if they continue in faith, love and holiness with
propriety.”
So a woman must not only have faith, she must conduct
herself well, with love and holiness, and she must bear a
child in order to be saved.
Childbirth a necessary condition for a woman to be saved.
Together, these four qualities are sufficient conditions.
And baptism for women? Not required.
Public proclamation? Not required.
Keeping commandments? Doing “works”? Is that part of
“holiness”? Not explained.
Self-Hate is Sufficient
 Jn. 12:25: “He that loveth his life
shall lose it; and he that hateth
his life in this world shall keep it
unto life eternal.”
 So one that hates his or her own life
is saved thereby.
 Presumably, however, one must hate
one’s life for the right reasons, such
as being persecuted for the sake of
Jesus, etc.
Enduring Being Hated by Others
for Jesus Works Too
 Mt. 10:22-3: And ye shall be hated of
all [men] for my name's sake: but he
that endureth to the end shall be
saved." This is reiterated in Mark 13:13.
 Lk. 6:22-3: Blessed are ye, when men
shall hate you, and when they shall
separate you from their company,
and shall reproach you, and cast out
your name as evil, for the Son of
man's sake. Rejoice ye in that day,
and leap for joy: for, behold, your
reward is great in heaven…”
The Verdict: It’s Confused at Best
Mk. 16:16; Jn. 3:5; 1 Pe. 3:21)
Ro. 10:9)
Ac. 16:30-31; Jn. 6:47; Ga. 2:16; Ro. 3:20)
Mt. 19:17-21)
Mt. 7:21; Jm. 2:17-24;
Ro. 2:13)
Mt. 19:29)
1 Ti. 2:15)
(Jn. 12:25)
Mt. 10:22-3; Mk. 13:13; Lk. 6:2223)
 Nowhere does the Bible use
the phrase "accept Jesus" or
similar phrases to describe
salvation. To the extent
that this phrase is used to
denote something other
than belief in Jesus, it is not
based on scripture.
 Nowhere does the Bible say
that one must have a
“personal relationship” with
Jesus.
BFF?
Hurdle: Salvation is a Gift
You Cannot Earn or Guarantee
 Ephesians 2:8: “For 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.”
 Romans 6:23 - "For the
wages of sin is death, but
the gift of God is eternal life
in Christ Jesus our Lord."
Only God Can Cause
You to Listen to Him
 John. 6:44: “No one can
come to me unless the
Father who sent me draws
him, and I will raise him up
at the last day…
 6:45: “Everyone who listens
to the Father and learns
from him comes to me.”
So when someone asks you why you don’t
heed the word of God, you can reply:
“God isn’t letting me!”
1. If all who listen to
the Father and learn
from him come to
Jesus, and
2. All who come to
Jesus are drawn by
God,
3. Then it follows that
no one can listen and
learn from the Father
unless he or she is
drawn by God.
God Sometimes Causes People
To Believe Lies So He Can Damn Them
 2 Thessalonians 2:11-12: “And for
According to the Bible, you
can’t know when you have
God-given truth that leads to
salvation or God-given lies
that lead to damnation.
this cause God shall send them
strong delusion, that they
should believe a lie: That they
all might be damned who
believed not the truth, but had
pleasure in unrighteousness.”
 So how can any believer KNOW
that he or she is not believing one
of God’s lies?
 A believer may be doing what he or
she thinks will lead to salvation but
it will lead instead to damnation!
Is Such Confusion Compatible With an
Omniscient, Omnibenevolent Being?
 Given the supposed importance of salvation, one
cannot help but conclude that any god who makes the
requirements for salvation so vague and contradictory
is just irresponsible.
 And surely not omnibenevolent, since if he was loving
he’d make the requirements consistent.
So does the Bible have a clear
answer to the question
“What must I do to be saved?”?
The Bible tells me so—No.