Christian doctrine states that we must believe in Jesus and his death for our sins to be saved. This is the only requirement we must meet to spend eternity with God. The problem with this doctrine is, as some theologians admit, it is possible for “a person to receive Jesus as Savior without in any way embracing him as Lord. Neither repentance or submission to Christ’s Lordship is a necessary element of saving faith” [1] Is it true that “For a one-time admission of weakness and failure [we get] eternal peace with God.” [2]
So what else is there for us to do once we believe? Can we just go on living our lives as we did before we were saved? Or maybe we will latch onto what is called the prosperity gospel. God does want to give us good things (Matthew 7:11) but is that God’s primary goal for our lives once we are saved?
As this blog has adequately demonstrated, the Bible teaches, and our doctrine of salvation should teach, that what God wants from us the most is to become like him. Believing in Christ and his death for our sins is a great first step but God wants more than that first step. Maybe we should heed the words of Jesus when he says “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. (Matthew 7:21-22 ESV) And doing God’s will is more than a one-time profession of faith.
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[1] R. C. Sproul, Faith Alone, Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1995, pp. 168-169.
[2] Chris Stamper, “Authors by the Dozen”, World, Vol. 17, No. 23, p. 53.
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