Does your church lie to you with saying: to accept Christ, and then you will be saved?

Question

Many churches teach this, but the Bible says that no man can “accept” Christ because all men are spiritually dead:
We read in Ephesians 2:1 And you hath He quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins.

The problem is that the Bible declares that man is spiritually dead in sin and totally incapable of mustering up faith in himself to salvation:
And there is none that calleth upon Thy Name, that stirreth up himself to take hold of Thee:… (Isaiah 64:7)
There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. (Romans 3:11)
No man can come to Me, except the Father which hath sent Me draw him:… (John 6:44)

God has written the Bible in order to bring us to a knowledge of our wretched condition; and also to show us that salvation is absolutely not within man’s ability to achieve. God Himself must do all the work in the matter of saving the sinner:

When His disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved? 26 But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible. (Matthew 19:25-26)

As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated. What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid. For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. (Romans 9:13-15)

Answer 1

You must be another calvinist that thinks believing is also a form of Pelagianism. You're sorely mistaken, but whatever heresy helps you sleep at night.

The truth is: All who call upon the name of the Lord Jesus will be saved.

Answer 2

There is a difference in accepting Christ and earning salvation. One can accept Christ by denying himself and following Christ. Jesus said so in Matthew 16:24.

Jesus also said, "He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day." (John 12:48)

The logical conclusion has to be that if you are lost when you reject Christ and do not receive his words, then to be saved one must accept Him and receive his word!

There are things that one must do in order to receive the gift of salvation, but salvation can never be earned!

Jesus said, "So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do." (Luke 17:10)

Note there are things that are commanded and are our duty, but these do not merit salvation. Salvation is a gift.

Jesus, however, saves those who "obey Him" (Hebrews 5:9) There are some things we must do to be saved!

In the Old Testament, there is a “gift” from God mentioned probably more than any other. This was the Promised Land.

Over and over the Old Testament says this was the land God gave to the Israelites, but there were some things God’s people had to do in order to take possession of it! (March around Jericho, blow trumpets, go to battle, cross the Jordan, etc.)

This being a gift did not mean there were no terms of acceptance.

Likewise, God gave the Israelites manna from heaven, but they still had to go out each morning and gather it.

“Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord!” (Genesis 6:8) Noah also had faith. He was saved from the flood by this grace and faith, but there were also some things he had to do to receive this salvation!

When God told him to build the ark, Noah did not say, “Well, I don’t need to build an ark because I am saved by faith and grace!” If that had been his attitude, he would have died in the flood like everyone else!

Instead, he “moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house.” (Hebrews 11:7) Notice the preparing of the ark was for the purpose of saving his house!

He indeed was saved by faith and grace, but he was also saved by obeying God! These were not works he came up with on his own, of his own design, but they were a submission to God’s instructions! He was doing God’s works, and not his own! By doing this, his faith became alive and able to save! (Faith without works is dead! James 2)

Yes salvation is a gift, but a gift must be both given and accepted before ownership is transferred! If I say I am going to give you a car, but you don’t want the car, then I still own it!

If I say I am going to give you a million dollars, and to accept it, you have to take a check, endorse it, and present it at my bank to get the cash, then you will not have the money until you did the things specified. Also, if you did those things required to receive the gift, who would say you had earned the money and that it was not a free gift?

Salvation is a gift from God, but He has specified how that gift is to be received! There are some things we must do (such as believe, confess, repent, be baptized)! These actions do not earn the gift, yet the gift cannot be received without them!

Answer 3

While Scripture is evidence enough for the marks of Christ's Church, we can see in the writings of Ignatius -- written in the first century, within 67 years of Christ's resurrection, by a close friend and appointee of the Apostle Peter and friend of Polycarp -- that the early Church had a very Catholic interpretation of Scripture:


the Church was Divinely established as a visible society, the salvation of souls is its end, and those who separate themselves from it cut themselves off from God (Epistle to the Philadelphians)
the hierarchy of the Church was instituted by Christ (Epistles to the Philadelphians and the Ephesians)
the threefold character of the hierarchy (Epistle to the Magnesians)
the order of the episcopacy superior by Divine authority to that of the priesthood (Epistles to the Magnesians, Smyraenians, and the Trallians)
the importance of unity of the Church (Epistles to the Trallians, Philadelphians, and the Magnesians)
emphasis on the holiness of the Church (Epistles to the Smyraeans, Ephesians, Magnesians, Trallians, and Romans)

the catholicity of the Church (Letter to the Smyraeans)

the infallibility of the Church (Epistles to the Philadelphians and the Ephesians)
the doctrine of the Eucharist -- i.e., belief in Transsubstantiation or the Real Presence of Christ in Communion (Epistle to the Smyraeans)
the Incarnation (Epistle to the Ephesians)
the supernatural virtue of virgnity (Epistle to Polycarp)
the religious character of matrimony (Epistle to Polycarp)
the value of united prayer (Epistle to the Ephesians)
the primacy of the Chair of Peter (Epistle to the Romans, introduction)
a dencouncing of the (later Protestant) doctrine of private judgement in matters of religion (Epistle to the Philadelphians)1

Answer 4

Thanks be to God that He has led you in identifying that decision theology, even it's most subtle forms, is false doctrine!

Read about what the Lutheran Church believes, confesses & practices concerning this: http://www.lcms.org/pages/internal.asp?NavID=2593

http://www.lcms.org/pages/internal.asp?NavID=570

CJ, so many times, the word "believe" is turned from a passive verb into an active verb in reformed circles, that how can you blame a person for being confused or better yet, taking it the way it was intended? I don't know how many times I've heard belief turned into a condition by which we are saved (e.g. "Jesus died for your sins. All *you have to **do** is believe.*") . It's more common than not, I'm afraid.

Sadly, this is rarely even taught in tandem with Ephesians 2:8-9, which clearly teaches that faith (belief) is actually a gift from the Holy Spirit.

Answer 5

Jesus didn't make acceptance a condition for salvation!!
Rom 1:20, says we can see the spiritual things of God by
looking at his created things. In winter, when a tree has
lost it's leaves, that tree appears dead, but the life is within
the tree, and at God's appointed time, that tree show signs
of life; first the bud, then the leaf, and then the fruit, which are
all stages of our spiritual growth. Naturally, we do not begin
life as fully grown and neither do we spiritually. A dead man
cannot go to God, the life must first be within the man before
he can go to God.

John 6:37, Jesus said,"ALL that the Father giveth me SHALL COME TO ME; and him that cometh to me I will
in no wise cast out".

I must add something about the faith which saves us to
eternal life; Ephesians 2:8-9, "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." Doesn't this say that the faith is not of yourself?
If not of yourself, then of whom?

Eph 1:12, "That we should be to the praise OF HIS GLORY,
WHO FIRST TRUSTED IN CHRIST". God first trusted in
Christ, not us. God's faith in the Son's work!!

Hebrews 3:1-2, "...consider the Apostle and High Priest
of our profession, Christ Jesus; WHO WAS FAITHFUL
TO HIM THAT APPOINTED HIM". Christ was faithful
to perform the works given him to finish.

Again, Eph 2:8, "For by grace are ye saved THROUGH
FAITH; AND THAT NOT OF YOURSELVES: it is the gift
of God". We are saved by the faith the Father had in the
Son that He would accomplish and finish the works which
He was sent to perform, and we are saved by the faith the
Son had in the Father, that He would raise Him from the
dead. Faith not of yourselves but of God.

Answer 6

No. My church teaches the truth of scripture that salvation is by grace alone through faith alone as a result of the work that Christ Jesus accomplished on the cross at Calvary alone ("it is finished"), that we love Him because He first loved us, that He choose us before the foundation of the world, that those who are His children (elect, predestined) will bear fruit of His righteousness through repentance and trust in Christ Jesus, and last but not least, to go and witness, as we are commanded to.

Answer 7

Well, I understand what you are trying to say. It is true that God opens our ears and hearts. It is true that he chooses us.

HOWEVER, It only takes faith the size of a mustard seed (smallest seed) to have God act.

Because he acts according to OUR faith.. If You have no faith, you get no actions. If you call on him and have faith that he hears you , He Does.. Then he opens his arms and welcomes you home. So it really is a two way street..

Peace & God bless from Lonestar Prayer Warrior-ess <><

Answer 8

yes the hole religion is based on a lie the is no god you will not be saved and all you are dowing is paying a tax by the churches and you will get nothing at the end of it no life after death it is a con

Answer 9

man i been studing scripture for a very long time and i never read a scripture that said that........
no man can accept christ because all men are spiritually dead.
your taking a baptism scripture out of context and trying to make it say what you want it to say, and not what it says.
by faith are ye saved, through grace.

Answer 10

Faith in Jesus Christ "Saves" Have you accepted him? if you have then spread the good news and let God worry about the rest.


God loves you....God bless

Answer 11

Wretched condition. Why can not the bible take Joy in the goodness of people instead of acting like we are all scum. Treat and tell people they are scum and they become scum. But then throw in Jesus to help. Isn't it better to believe that we are good first and be good? Isn't that how we treat our children?

It's confirmed. Christians are thumb downing atheist not for the answer but because they are atheist. Can't you be better then that? Isn't that the whole idea of Jesus?