Yeah I see something wrong. There are 152 pages in that thing. Are you kidding me? All that in response to “what must I do to be saved”? Seriously? Do they think Paul and Silas were kidding when they were asked? Why are they adding to what the scripture says is needed for salvation?
Acts 16:29 Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas, 30 And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? 31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. 32 And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house. 33 And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway. 34 And when he had brought them into his house, he set meat before them, and rejoiced, believing in God with all his house.
There you have it. The simple answer to “what must I do to be saved”. How dare these earthly organizations formulate some type of convoluted value added “confessions” to what was told the jailor and many others who were told by Jesus and the apostles the simple message of salvation? Shame on them. No where in scripture is it stated that anyone had to somehow “confess” 152 pages worth of “confessions”. Again, shame on them and those who promote that unscriptural demand.
>>Yet many Protestants today want to deviate from the Protestant confession.<<
Well call be deviating then. I’ll take the words of Paul and Silas and when someone asks me “what must I do to be saved” I will, like Paul and Silas simply say “believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved – and your house”.
The Catholics, Calvinists, Lutherans, et al can have their “value added confessions” if they want but I’m going with the originals.
Romans 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
I'm sorry if the Westminster Confession of Faith (with biblical references) is so long. Here is a more condensed version without the biblical references. But beware-this still requires reading.
I understand these days everyone is into MacTheology. Sure just "believe on the Lord" and that's all it takes. And then when people bring up more deeper issues (like why does the Psalmist refer to "the wicked" as "the wicked") they're completely baffled. Tell people about election and they say, "YOU'RE WRONG". Talk to people about being chosen in Christ and they say, "ALL I NEED TO DO IS BELIEVE." I understand that it's far more important to watch the game on TV than it is to understand God. We, after all, spend about 10 minutes a week listening to the pastor quote something from scripture. That should be enough.
Sorry but I don't want to just want to be saved. And if it means reading a 152 page document of carefully crafted scripture to try to come to a better understanding of God, then hey, call me crazy. I'm painfully aware that I have to spend my limited time reading and trying to understand. And the reason you're here I suspect is because you'd like to know God better as well. Otherwise you wouldn't be investing your time. But please don't tell me I'm wrong unless you'd like to have some skin in the game-to use the sporting term.