/If one truly believed that Scripture was inspired by God considering it to be authoritative would be the only natural and logical conclusion one could reach.
If one truly believed that Scripture was inspired by God, considering it to be authoritative as a blueprint for living would be the only natural and logical conclusion one could reach. One would think that the results of reading it with the guidance of the Holy Spirit would have more impact on behavior, wouldn't one?
I'd work with you in a soup kitchen......
For one thing, it would give me yet another opportunity to remind you that you do not need to remain in the unregenerate state of being a sinner in need of God's mercy. You can have it, own it as your own and be a redeemed child of God, a saint, as Scripture calls believers.
Cynical Bear put it so well here.....“believe on the Lord Jesus and you will be saved-and your house”. That means believe that Jesus is who He says He is and is the only way to the Father and eternal life with Him. He has paid the total and complete price for our salvation.
1 John 1:8 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
1 John 5:9-13 9 If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater, for this is the testimony of God that he has borne concerning his Son. 10Whoever believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself. Whoever does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has borne concerning his Son. 11And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. 13I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life.
John 3:14-15 14And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.
John 6:29 Jesus answered them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent."
Romans 4:1-12 1What then shall we say was gained by Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh? 2For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. 3For what does the Scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness." 4Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. 5And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness, 6just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works: 7 "Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; 8blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin."
9Is this blessing then only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? We say that faith was counted to Abraham as righteousness. 10How then was it counted to him? Was it before or after he had been circumcised? It was not after, but before he was circumcised. 11 He received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. The purpose was to make him the father of all who believe without being circumcised, so that righteousness would be counted to them as well, 12and to make him the father of the circumcised who are not merely circumcised but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.
The Gospel is SO simple. God made it that way so that anyone can avail themselves of it. Man is the one who's unnecessarily complicated it.
All it is is taking God at His word that if we just trust Him, not a church, not actions on your own part. Just God. He will do it.