Posted on 08/11/2020 7:12:36 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
Less than half of U.S. Christians expect to experience eternal salvation because of their confession of sin and acceptance of Christ as their Savior, while a larger number of professing Christians believe good works will get them into Heaven, a new survey has found.
The American Worldview Inventory 2020 survey conducted by the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University found that a majority of people who describe themselves as Christian (52%) accept a “works-oriented” means to God’s acceptance.
In contrast, a minority of adults (46%) who describe themselves as “Christian” expect to experience eternal salvation because of their confession of sin and acceptance of Christ as their savior.
The study also found that “huge proportions of people” associated with churches whose official doctrine says eternal salvation comes only from embracing Jesus Christ as savior “believe that a person can qualify for Heaven by being or doing good.” That includes close to half of all adults associated with Pentecostal (46%), mainline Protestant (44%), and evangelical (41%) churches. A much larger share of Catholics (70%) embrace that point of view.
The survey of 2,000 individuals found that one in three Americans (33%) say they consider themselves to be a Christian and affirm the statement that “when you die you will go to heaven only because you have confessed your sins and have accepted Jesus Christ as your savior.”
Len Munsil, president of Arizona Christian University, said the “lack of understanding of basic Christian theology is stunning,” with “potentially devastating consequences for individual souls and really for all aspects of American life and culture.”
“It’s a wakeup call for the church, and for leaders in all areas of influence, to speak, teach and work to restore biblical truth,” Munsil said. “Many souls will be lost if people are misled by the false notion that we can earn our way to heaven, rather than recognizing the truth that Christ alone and His righteousness are the basis for our salvation.”
Overall, 54% of U.S. adults believe they will get to Heaven after they die and only 2% believe they are going to hell. Additionally, 63% of adults believe “having faith matters more than which faith you have.”
George Barna, director of research for the Cultural Research Center, said Americans are “in an ‘anything goes’ mindset when it comes to faith, morals, values and lifestyle.”
“Americans appear to be creating unique, highly customized worldviews based on feelings, experiences and opportunities rather than working within the boundaries of a comprehensive, time-tested, consistent worldview,” he said.
“... By abandoning our moral standards and traditions, and replacing them with inclusive and conditional preferences, we are losing the foundations that have enabled the ‘American experiment’ to succeed for more than two centuries,” Barna added.
“We can only hope that our critical moral institutions — particularly the family and churches — will wake up and help the nation to get back on track.”
The survey corroborates a previous report released by the Barna Group and the American Bible Society which found that Scripture engagement is on the decline, with U.S. adults who say they read the Bible daily dropping from 14% to 9% between early 2019 and 2020.
Another recent poll from LifeWay Research, in partnership with Explore the Bible, found that 57% of Protestant churchgoers say the Bible is “challenging” when read alone.
In recent years, a number of pastors have stressed the importance of discipleship within churches amid a nationwide decline in biblical literacy.
“You and I are so overstimulated, you and I are so overwhelmed with fast-paced, energized entertainment that we have developed a real idealized sense of life with a real low pain tolerance,” megachurch Pastor Matt Chandler said in a sermon last year. “The Church herself no longer is about discipleship, no longer is about being shaped, no longer is it about being formed. It’s about being entertained in the gathering.”
Chandler noted that in Acts, Paul warns the Ephesians, “After I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock.”
“How do you fight that? You walk with one another in community, you encourage one another in your giftedness, and you embrace that you’ve been called a minister of reconciliation and an ambassador of Christ for the building up of the body,” he said.
Pastor H.B. Charles Jr. told The Christian Post that every aspect of corporate worship should be a means of “making disciples of Jesus Christ,” from the preaching of the Word to singing.
“Faithful shepherds are needed to oversee the worship life of the Church to keep the Church focused on the Word of God,” he said. “Every element of a worship service must be geared around the Word of God so that we sing the Scriptures, read the Scriptures, pray the Scriptures, preach the Scriptures and enact the Scriptures in prayer and the ministry of the word.”
“We need to build safeguards around the Church so that the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ are central,” Charles added.
NKJV. Ephesians 2:8-9. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, (9) not of works, lest anyone should boast. Other enlightening scriptuer, 1John 2:2 and Romans 10: 9-13
Your wrong as it’s written...”These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may ‘know’ that ye have eternal life”.......IJohn 5:13
It’s not a question it’s a statement that we certainly can ‘know’ the assurance of our salvation....just as is written.
(BTW...I would never see Teresa as a Christian I would follow)
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
Peace be with you.
The Catholic Church teaches Works PLUS Faith get you into Heaven, NOT "Works Alone" get you into Heaven. An unrepentant atheist will NOT get into Heaven.
On the other hand, the Protestant reformation most definitely taught that Faith ALONE will get you into heaven, which is erroneous and contradicts 1,500 years of Christian theology. As I noted, its weird to think you can live as sinful life as you want and get an instant ticket to Heaven as long as you say you "Accept Jesus".
More and more protestants are now realizing that fact and coming around to accepting the Catholic POV.
You can disagree with it, but that's what's happening.
------------------------------------------------
Len Munsil, president of Arizona Christian University, said the “lack of understanding of basic Christian theology is stunning” with “potentially devastating consequences for individual souls protestant theologians and really for all aspects of American protestant life and culture.” “It’s a wakeup call for the Church, and for leaders in all areas of influence, to speak, teach and work to restore biblical truth,” Munsil said. “Many souls will be lost if people are mis led by false notion that we can earn our way to heaven, rather than recognizing the truth that Christ alone and His righteousness are the basis for our salvation.”
Overall, 54% of U.S. adults believe they will get to Heaven after they die and only 2% believe they are going to hell. Additionally, 63% of adults believe “having faith matters more than which faith you have.”
George Barna, director of research for the Cultural Research Center, said Americans Christians are “in an ‘anything goes’ Catholic & Orthodox mindset when it comes to faith, morals, values and lifestyle.” “Americans appear to be creating unique, highly customized worldviews based on feelings, experiences and opportunities rather than working within the boundaries of a comprehensive, time-tested, consistent worldview,” he said. ... By abandoning our moral standards and traditions, and replacing them with inclusive and conditional preferences, we are losing the foundations that have enabled the ‘American experiment’ to succeed for more than two centuries,” Barna added. “We can only hope that our critical moral institutions — particularly the family and churches — will wake up and help the nation to get back on track.” --------------------------------------------------------
A man can do no good without God. A man does nothing good for which God is not responsible.
And who says that I don't do those things?
Lol.
When John the Baptist told people to repent and be saved, he wasn’t telling them to stop sinning so they could merit salvation. He was telling them to change their minds about the need for a Savior.
After we’re saved the Holy Spirit prompts us to change our mind about our behavior. So first comes salvation and then a change in behavior.
That’s why salvation passages mention only belief, which brings us union with God.
Passages that admonish us to change our behavior are always written to people who’ve already been saved and refer to maintaining our fellowship with God.
It helps to remember that all believers continue to sin and to varying degrees refuse to give up their worldly lives.
It’s our belief that Jesus died for our sins and rose again that gets us saved and keeps us that way.
Doctrine is a serious matter. There are a ton of folks walking around saying they are Christians, and their lives hold no evidence to their claim.
mine as well
I hope that was facetious, since salvation cannot be obtained by doing more good works than evil, nor can one actually merit eternal life. But instead the penitent believer is "accepted in the Beloved" on Christ's account, with effectual obedient Abrahamic heart-purifying regenerating faith being counted for righteousness. And which obedience results in rewards under grace, that of God rewarding believers for what He enabled and motivated one to do, which you otherwise would not have done .
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. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. (Ephesians 2:8-10)
For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, (Romans 4:3-6)
And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sara’s womb: He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform. (Romans 4:19-21)
The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit. (Psalms 34:18)
Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. (Acts 20:21)
To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins. (Acts 10:43)
And when there had been much disputing, Peter rose up, and said unto them, Men and brethren, ye know how that a good while ago God made choice among us, that the Gentiles by my mouth should hear the word of the gospel, and believe. And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us; And put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith. (Acts 15:7-9)
Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; (Titus 3:5)
To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. (Ephesians 1:6)
Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. (Philippians 2:12-13)
Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward. (Hebrews 10:35)
Thus the exhortations to continue in the faith, versus willfully departing from it and thus from God, which is all on us. Gal. 5:1-4; Heb. 3:12; 10:25-39)
But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end; (Hebrews 3:13-14)
And unless we are thus converted and finally persevere in this faith, God will judge us for all our sins in damnation, (Rv. 20:6,11-15) thus He works to chastens us unto repentance.
For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world. (1 Corinthians 11:31-32)
Glory to God for His faithfulness.
No it doesn’t. Read the catechism instead of listening to pastor Bob. You’re 100% wrong.
It is you who needs to read your own theology, in which one is indeed justified by his own righteousness ("by grace"), and enters Heaven by becoming good enough.
First, justification is on the basis of actual righteousness, which is first attained via the act itself of baptism (and which for infants means without even having to repent and to believe on the Lord Jesus with all their heart, which is contrary to Acts 2:38; 8:36,37; 10:43–47- 15:7–9) effecting "infused” righteousness, for in RC theology one is formally justified by their own righteousness. (Catholic Encyclopedia>Sanctifying Grace)
However, since the carnal nature remains - and in Catholic theology few successfully attain to complete victory over any attachment to sin and perfection of character which is said to be necessary to enter Heaven - then most baptized souls are sent to Roman Catholic (EOs trend to reject Rome's) Purgatory to endure purifying torments to atone for sins they sufficiently failed to provide for while on earth, and to become good enough to enter glory.
The Catholic Encyclopedia states, “whosoever comes into God's presence must be perfectly pure for in the strictest sense His "eyes are too pure, to behold evil" (Habakkuk 1:13).
“Many souls will be lost if people are mis led by false notion that we can earn our way to heaven, rather than recognizing the truth that Christ alone and His righteousness are the basis for our salvation.”
As explained in my prior posts, faith and works go together, but it is the heart-purifying regenerating faith which effects works that is counted for righteousness, whie God rewards believers for what He enabled and motivated them to be and do, glory to God.
Americans Christians are “in an ‘anything goes’ Catholic & Orthodox mindset when it comes to faith, morals, values and lifestyle.”
Actually, Rome manifestly counts even proabortion, prohomosexuality public figures as members in life and in death. And survey after survey has reported in detail that at least half of those whom Rome manifestly considers to be members in life and in death are liberal, and traditionalists make up a small minority. In contrast to those who most strongly esteemed as the accurate and wholly inspired word of God, with its basic literal hermeneutic, who have long testified to being the most conservative and unified large religious body.
How on earth do you know that YOU are saved? Because Scripture says so, that of God promising salvation to those of effectual faith in the Lord Jesus, faith in whom is counted for righteousness and effects obedience (as my above post documents), and thus both inner and outer testimony attests to that faith.
He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. These things have I written unto you [in the previous 4 chapters describing true faith] that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God. (1 John 5:12-13)
For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. (Romans 8:14-17)
Thus the exhortation:
Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates? (2 Corinthians 13:5)
We don't know the entire life of the thief. No one is ENTIRELY good or bad. The Romans were harsh rulers and condemning a THIEF to death WAS harsh.
No one is saved on the basis that their works makes them good enough to enter Heaven, and instead we have nothing of works to offer God that would obtain deliverance from Hell and entrance into Heaven, as instead salvation is obtained by effectual faith being counted for righteousness, and effecting obedience, as described in post 92, by the grace of God. Thus the contrite criminal of Lk. 23 obtained salvation just as the most holy believers must.
Death by crucifixion for theft?
The Bible nowhere says he was a mere thief, but refers to then as evil-doers, malefactors.
No, he got" salvation the same way anyone does, by repentant faith in the Lord Jesus, not faith that he and or his church merited it for them. As explained in prior posts, by the grace of God. And even EOs reject indulgences:
►The Orthodox Church opposes the Roman doctrines of universal papal jurisdiction, papal infallibility, purgatory, and the Immaculate Conception precisely because they are untraditional." - Orthodox apologist and author Clark Carlton: THE WAY: What Every Protestant Should Know About the Orthodox Church, 1997, p 135.
►Both purgatory and indulgences are inter-corrolated theories, unwitnessed in the Bible or in the Ancient Church.. — http://www.goarch.org/ourfaith/ourfaith7076
►The Orthodox Church does not believe in purgatory (a place of purging), that is, the inter-mediate state after death in which the souls of the saved (those who have not received temporal punishment for their sins) are purified of all taint preparatory to entering into Heaven, where every soul is perfect and fit to see God.
Also, the Orthodox Church does not believe in indulgences as remissions from purgatoral punishment. Both purgatory and indulgences are inter-corrolated theories, unwitnessed in the Bible or in the Ancient Church, and when they were enforced and applied they brought about evil practices at the expense of the prevailing Truths of the Church. If Almighty God in His merciful loving-kindness changes the dreadful situation of the sinner, it is unknown to the Church of Christ. The Church lived for fifteen hundred years without such a theory. — http://www.goarch.org/ourfaith/ourfaith7076
Actually salvation by effectual obedient faith is Scriptural and classic Prot. theology. Luther himself formally taught: faith is a living and an essential thing, which makes a new creature of man, changes his spirit... Faith cannot help doing good works constantly... if faith be true, it will break forth and bear fruit... where there is no faith there also can be no good works; and conversely, that there is no faith.. where there are no good works. Therefore faith and good works should be so closely joined together that the essence of the entire Christian life consists in both. if obedience and God's commandments do not dominate you, then the work is not right, but damnable, surely the devil's own doings, although it were even so great a work as to raise the dead... if you continue in pride and lewdness, in greed and anger, and yet talk much of faith, St. Paul will come and say, 1 Cor. 4:20, look here my dear Sir, "the kingdom of God is not in word but in power." It requires life and action, and is not brought about by mere talk. Works are necessary for salvation, but they do not cause salvation... faith casts itself on God, and breaks forth and becomes certain through its works... faith must be exercised, worked and polished; be purified by fire... it is impossible for him who believes in Christ, as a just Savior, not to love and to do good. If, however, he does not do good nor love, it is sure that faith is not present... where the works are absent, there is also no Christ... References and more by God's grace. http://peacebyjesus.net/Reformation_faith_works.html
'I can do nothing but evil acts my whole life, but that's OK as long as I declare that I "accept Jesus", and then I get an instant ticket to heaven' doesn't hold water. And the GOOD Thief probably realized that, too.
No, the so-called GOOD Thief was not good (nor necessarily a thief), and is proof that one can live contrary to Christ but be saved at the last by penitent faith in the Lord Jesus. However, what is not Scriptural is that of salvific faith which does not fundamentally change the person, effecting the "obedience of faith."
The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit. (Psalms 34:18)
But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness. (Romans 6:17-18)
Still erroneous,s as explained in above posts as no works "get you into Heaven," but faith/confidence in the Lord Jesus who saves the repentant sinner who believes despite his unworthiness of Heaven effects obedience, which justfy one that he is a believers. Obedience is the credential of a Christian, with the believer being manifest by who he obeys.
On the other hand, the Protestant reformation most definitely taught that Faith ALONE will get you into heaven, which is erroneous and contradicts 1,500 years of Christian theology.
Contrary to what Luther himself formally taught as shown in post 98 to you. "Faith alone" refers to the faith that effects obedience being precisely what is counted for righteousness, but not that faith is alone.
Roger that bro. 👍
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