Perrydox.com is devoted to the pursuit of truth, whether plain or paradoxical, whether simple or sublime, or simply absurd yet absolute.
John 8:24 – Saved By Jesus Not By Doctrine?
“I believe people are saved, not by objective truth but by Jesus.” “I don’t believe making disciples must equal making adherents to the Christian religion. It may be advisable in many (not all!) circumstances to help people become followers of Jesus and remain with their Buddhist, Hindu, or Jewish contexts….” (Blue Like Jazz) – a postmodern take on Jesus. Without objective truth, Jesus ceases to be Jesus. The resurrection is objective truth. Fulfilled prophecy is objective truth. Similar to that, “We are saved by Jesus, not by Doctrine.” Read that platitude the other day, and it sounds high and holy. There is even a measure of truth to it since Jesus died on the cross, and not some doctrine. One of Satan’s greatest tools is to take a partial truth and make it deny reality by denying other truths. For example, we are saved by Jesus. Anyone denying that is teach untruth. We are saved by faith in Jesus. The denial of that is undeniable from a biblical perspective. Now answer the following questions. Is faith doctrine? Is there a true doctrine about Jesus? Is there a true doctrine from Jesus.
- John 6:63) The Spirit is the One who gives life. The flesh doesn’t help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.
- John 6:68) Simon Peter answered, “Lord, who will we go to? You have the words of eternal life.
- John 8:47) The one who is from God listens to God’s words. This is why you don’t listen, because you are not from God.”
- John 12:47) If anyone hears My words and doesn’t keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world. 48) The one who rejects Me and doesn’t accept My sayings has this as his judge: The word I have spoken will judge him on the last day.
- John 14:24) The one who doesn’t love Me will not keep My words. The word that you hear is not Mine but is from the Father who sent Me.
- John 15:7) If you remain in Me and My words remain in you, ask whatever you want and it will be done for you. (8) because the words that You gave Me, I have given them. They have received them and have known for certain that I came from You. They have believed that You sent Me. 9) This was to fulfill the words He had said: “I have not lost one of those You have given Me.”
According to John, you can’t separate Jesus, who He is, what He has done, from His words. After all, He is the Word (John 1:1). The Word said, “Unless you believe that I AM (“he” not in Greek), you will die in your sins” (John 8:24). We must have faith in Jesus, in the words that He taught. And John said those words are the doctrine of Christ (2 John 9).
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