If I believe in God, am I saved?

You raise an excellent point.

We all know no one comes to the Father except through Jesus, but what does that mean in terms of what facts we know and where we place our trust? There is only one door, but how much do you need to know about the door in order to walk through it?

 

Gina:

Your question needs a bit of clarification.

Are you asking if one must believe in the Holy Trinity in order to be saved? Or are you asking if an individual must simply believe in Jesus to be saved? Or are you asking if a person must simply believe in God to be saved?

Remember the words of St. James from the 2nd chapter of his epistle, "Even the demons believe, and tremble!"

One must trust in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation, not merely believe He exists. One must also believe in the Trinity.

 

There is a reality behind believing. There is a true God and a concept of God. If a person believes the REAL God then he will believe in Jesus as well.

John 5:45...there is one that accuseth you, even Moses, in whom ye trust. 46 For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me.

You cannot reject Jesus and believe God at the same time. You can reject Jesus and say that you believe this or that about God but you cannot actually believe God and then reject what He says.

 

Acts 20:21 Is a good verse that sums it up.

Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.

 

Interesting discussion... Would somebody like to tackle Romans 10:25-32... It states plainly that the Jews in question Israel were enemies of the gospel yet beloved of the Father because of election... They believed God but not his son Jesus... Both Jews and Gentiles were included in unbelief that God might have mercy on all. How could they believe when the scripture plainly states they can't... For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance... Like the scripture says... Lord I belief!... Help thou mine unbelief!... Like I say to each his own!... Brother Glen

 

Jesus Christ is the "I AM" that was standing in the burning bush and calling to Moses.[Exodus chapter 3]Moses called Him the Lord God.Joshua had direct encounter with Jesus and bowed down and worshipped Him.[Joshua chapter 5]Many of God's people recognized Jesus as the Lord God throughout the O/T.Jesus Christ is the image of the invisible God[Colossians chapter 1]and everyone must see Jesus Christ as God[Creator] or else they do not know God.

 

If Jesus is an integral part of the Godhead, then it would seem that by whatever name he is known, God would respect. After all, his name isn't even "Jesus"...I understand that is a Greek transliteration of the name Yeshua or Joshua.

 

Gina stated in reply to Rev. G.:

James 2:19 You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe--and tremble!

I agree with Rev. G that this verse answers your original question quite well. Belief in God is not enough. Many people believe in 'God' but not necessarily God the Father. Scripture says the only way to God the Father is through Jesus Christ, His Son. If a person has not accepted Jesus as the Messiah, accepted the gift of salvation through the blood of Jesus on the cross, they most certainly are NOT SAVED.

There is salvation in NTHER NAME!

The believer has been saved from the guilt and penalty of sin Luke 7:50; 1 Corinthians 1:18; 2 Corinthians 2:15; Ephesians 2:5,8; 2 Timothy 1:9 and is safe.

The believer is being saved from the habit and dominion of sin Romans 6:14; Philippians 1:19; 2:12,13; 2 Thessalonians 2:13; Romans 8:2; Galatians 2:19,20; 2 Corinthians 3:18.

The believer is to be saved in the sense of entire conformity to Christ. Romans 13:11; Hebrews 10:36; 1 Peter 1:5; 1 John 3:2. Salvation is by grace through faith, is a free gift, and wholly without works ; Romans 3:27,28; 4:1-8 ; 6:23; Ephesians 2:8. The divine order is: first salvation, then works ; Ephesians 2:9,10; Titus 3:5-8.


This is cut and dried and clear as can be in scripture. I'm very surprised this would even be questioned on this board.

Diane

 

How about I put it more simply

Belief is not enough

Faith without works is dead

We must do a work to be saved
but it must not be a work that we can boast of
It must also be something that demons will not do
it must be a work that works nothing

So simply put its repentance

grace + Christ = Faith
Faith +repentance = salvation

Voila

 

Well, in order to be saved, you must trust the God who is. And the God who is includes the Son. If your faith in God does not include faith in the Son, then you are faithful to a false god, a god of your own imagination, not the creator, sustainer, Saviour God who is.

 

All I know is that if I believe in God, and accept Jesus' gift of salvation, then I'm saved.

However, if a person has never had the opportunity to get to know Jesus, but has endeavored in their lives to faithfully seek after God, then I would leave that determination up to God, since only He knows a person's heart.

 

Yes, there is salvation by no other name. No one can save us but Jesus. But He knows us, and by that we know Him.

Put another way, do you believe aborted children go to hell? If not, then how is it they are saved without ever knowing who Jesus is, "accepting" Him into their heart, trusting in Him, etc?

I'm not asking if they are saved by mercy - of course they are. I'm asking, through WHOM are they saved? Through Jesus. Therefore one must either assume these babies are not saved, or that Jesus can save without an explicit knowledge of Him, of His own choosing, which is to know us without our knowledge of Him being a necessary prerequisite, a choice to "accept Him into our hearts" being a necessary prerequisite, etc. Even so, the fact remains true that we are not saved by any other name.

Put yet another way, Jesus saves. That's all there is to it.

 

Mighty nice of you to let God make the decision in that case! (just kidding)

 

John 5:38 "You do not have His word abiding in you, for you do not believe Him whom He sent. 39 "You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me; and you are unwilling to come to Me so that you may have life.

Clearly for these Pharisees, believing in God was not enough. They had to accept the person of Jesus.

Acts 16:31 commands belief on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation. To believe on the name is to believe who that person is. The name was not just a title or label; it referred to the whole person.

Rom 10:17 says that salvation is by faith, faith by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ--the message about Christ.

Because his words command belief in Christ. One is not following God's word if they do not believe in Christ.

Because the search for God ends at Christ. A Jew is not following the commandments of God if he does not believe Jesus as the Messiah. He is not expressing trust in Christ if he does not accept him for who he claimed to be.

 

Gina, a couple of passages come to mind:

Acts 4:12 and Acts 17:30-31

One cannot merely believe in God to be saved. The content of faith is Messiah the Lord.

According to Hebrews 12, even Abraham and Moses knew that.

 

How can you believe in one and not the other? Me says you can't.

1 John 5:7

 

Is it a name, or is it accepting God's grace & sacrifice that saves us?