Enjoying the Show? Drop us a line!
Is it possible to believe in God, even acknowledge Jesus Christ, and not be saved? If faith in God is what is required for salvation, then shouldn’t everyone who professes belief in God and Jesus be saved?
This position is the prevalent belief of much of the modern church; however, the Scriptures do not agree with this simplified version of what much of the modern church dubs as “saving faith.” Jesus even said these words during his ministry: “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. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’” (Matthew 7:21-23)
So, it should be no surprise that James offers a similar take on faith, pointing out that there are two kinds of faith: godly faith, which leads to eternal life, and demonic faith, which leads to eternal death. The implications of such teachings, which are found throughout the Scriptures, are stark and demand attention from all. Their teaching is clear: intellectual knowledge, admission of existence, and cerebral assent do not comprise saving faith. Only heart-centered belief from a broken and contrite spirit, mixed with repentance of sin, resulting in a life-altering commitment to the service and obedience of God, can bring salvation to the lost soul.
Introspection and self-evaluation in light of these difficult passages of Scripture are essential for every person who claims to be a Christ-follower. Where is the locus of your faith? In the heart, or in the mind? “You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!” (James 2:19)
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
My Favorite Murder with Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark
My Favorite Murder is a true crime comedy podcast hosted by Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark. Each week, Karen and Georgia share compelling true crimes and hometown stories from friends and listeners. Since MFM launched in January of 2016, Karen and Georgia have shared their lifelong interest in true crime and have covered stories of infamous serial killers like the Night Stalker, mysterious cold cases, captivating cults, incredible survivor stories and important events from history like the Tulsa race massacre of 1921. My Favorite Murder is part of the Exactly Right podcast network that provides a platform for bold, creative voices to bring to life provocative, entertaining and relatable stories for audiences everywhere. The Exactly Right roster of podcasts covers a variety of topics including historic true crime, comedic interviews and news, science, pop culture and more. Podcasts on the network include Buried Bones with Kate Winkler Dawson and Paul Holes, That's Messed Up: An SVU Podcast, This Podcast Will Kill You, Bananas and more.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com