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I have long pondered and written about the topic of salvation, as it is something that has stoked my curiosity throughout my entire Christian walk.
And why not?
At the end of the day, there is nothing in heaven or earth more important than knowing God and understanding where (and how) we will spend eternity. So many questions come to mind.
Who will be saved in the end?
What part do we play in salvation?
What is the real connection between faith and works?
I know all too well that many have embraced the idea that we have little (or even nothing) to do with our own salvation. I have stated—and will always continue to state—that this is a heresy arising from the very depths of hell. In essence, such a view is the equivalent of saying that obedience has no bearing on salvation.
Put another way, what we do is entirely irrelevant.
I have covered this extensively in multiple publications, and this article discusses the pivotal connection between faith and works. Here, I want to go about addressing the issue of salvation in an entirely different way, by examining it through another lens.
In this article, I wish to frame this issue more positively and push each of us to really evaluate our role in salvation.
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Laying the Groundwork
Let’s start with something we should all be able to agree upon: we all have different starting and ending points in our faith journey.
That is, we all come from diverse backgrounds. We all have varying skills and abilities. Everyone on earth has a different mental capacity and unique critical thinking skills. For these reasons, everyone is going to have a different level of understanding that can be reached. Some will end up way down the path of knowledge, while others are capped at a place much farther back.
This issue goes even deeper, stretching into human intent.
I, for example, hold several views that are in opposition to what most self-professed Christians teach and believe. To name a few:
- I believe that both God and the angels have bodies.
- I believe that life ceases at death—that is, that “death” truly is the absence of life—and that the resurrection marks the time when all the dead will be brought back to life. (i.e. we don’t die and go to heaven. See my book on this)
- I believe that the current nation of Israel is a counterfeit, and that the NT authors clearly redefined “Israel” as all who follow Christ and place themselves under new the covenant that he both instituted and presides over.
I could go on, but this is only meant to prove a point.
I arrived at these conclusions based on an in-depth study of Scripture, reading and/or listening to other thinkers, and weighing out the logical considerations.
Here’s the thing: others can follow the same steps and come to entirely different conclusions.
Well intentioned, thoughtful people can research the same biblical concepts—with an open mind—and simply differ with my beliefs. Now, people typically disagree on doctrine because one of the two (or both) didn’t pursue the topic in a comprehensive and honest way. However, disagreements still happen at times even when they do.
One more wrinkle that must be considered is that Scripture testifies that most people will not be saved. Jesus stated this plainly:
“For many are called, but few are chosen” (Mt. 22:14).
“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it” (Mt. 7:13-14).
Jesus even addressed this concerning the many who will believe they are following him, but were indeed never part of his Kingdom:
“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” (Mt. 7:21-23).
This, friends, explains how some can be involved within the church throughout their entire lives and never know the Lord. Whatever works, effort, and involvement they displayed is rendered useless in the end.
But how can that be?
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A Cloud of Confusion
Let’s be clear about what has been said to this point. Two things about salvation need to be understood within this article, so let me plainly summarize them here:
- All people will be judged differently, based on their personal abilities and their capacity to understand reality.
- Most people will not be saved, even many who claim to be believers.
Keep these two points in mind as we continue.
Now, all this might lead us to think that salvation is a far more difficult matter to contend with than previously thought. Rather than clearing anything up, it may feel like I have simply created a larger and more ominous cloud of confusion!
If the story ended here, then that would no doubt be true. Thankfully, it does not.
Indeed, there is a way to cut through all this and point to what is truly imperative in the process—yes, the process—of salvation.
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The Truth Seeker Will be Saved
When you get to the heart of the matter—fully understanding that human beings do have a part to play in their own salvation—Scripture and logic meet to point the way forward.
At the end of the day, there is only one thing that can make sense of how people who vary so dramatically regarding background, ability, intelligence, life circumstances, era, and so much more, can all be equally (and fairly) judged. Likewise, only one thing accounts for why so many can profess Jesus as Lord but still be condemned at the end.
It all comes down to this:
The pursuit and acceptance of the truth.
Please note that, within this one explanation, there are two parts. The first part is about the pursuit of truth. That is, are we genuinely seeking to understand reality, particularly as it pertains to our faith? Do we vigorously study Scripture, investigating how it relates to the world around us? Are we frequently in prayer and spiritual contemplation? Are we searching for the truth?
Are we trying—to the best of our ability—to understand the truth in all aspects of life?
The second part of this is equally important but is dependent upon the first. Are we willing to accept the truth when it is revealed to us? Are we able to change our views if it’s discovered that we are in error, or are we too proud to do so? Do we care more about what we already believe than what is true? (Read that last question again)
Are we trying—to the best of our ability—to embrace and apply the truth in our lives?
Truth, friends. Pursue and accept the TRUTH!
This is why Jesus literally called himself “the truth” in John 14:6:
“I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (my emphasis).
Embracing Jesus is to accept the plainest representation of truth ever divulged to humanity. Alternatively, to deny him is to reject the plainest representation of truth ever divulged to humanity. Not surprisingly, Satan is alternatively called the “father of lies” (Jn. 8:44). That is, he is the opposite of the truth: the opposite of Christ!
Along these lines, do you recall what Jesus called the Holy Spirit?
“When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come” (Jn. 16:13, my emphasis).
Yes, the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Truth.
Elsewhere, Scripture repeatedly speaks about our acceptance of the truth as the pivotal issue at stake. In talking about the last days and the coming of the “lawless one,” Paul said this concerning those who will be condemned:
“The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness” (2 The. 2:9-12, my emphasis).
In 2 Timothy 4:3-4, we read this about the world as we move toward the last days:
“For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.”
Do you understand this message? Believe me, this theme is carried out within the entire body of Scripture.
Our pursuit and acceptance of the truth is what cuts through all other considerations. It is what separates the wheat from the chaff.
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Conclusion
Our pursuit and acceptance of the truth is no doubt why Scripture often reminds us that God judges the heart (1 Sam. 16:7, Jer. 17:10, Mt. 5:8). Put another way, God judges our intentions, motives, effort, and what we are about at the deepest, inward levels.
All this can make sense of several things that, on the surface, may seem illogical. For example:
- How someone who struggles more with sin than another person can be saved just the same.
- How two people can be saved, despite having completely different levels of understanding about the Bible, the world, and all else.
- How a person can have greater works than another, though he is unsaved and the one with fewer works is saved.
- How someone who spends their entire life in “service” to the church can still be condemned at the end.
Do you now understand how all this can be the case? Do you see why this issue—the issue of truth—pierces through the confusion?
Everyone has the ability to either pursue or flee from the truth.
Everyone has the ability to either accept or reject the truth.
These two fundamental realities cut across all other barriers: those of knowledge, intelligence, gender, age, race, nationality, era, and everything else.
This is precisely why all people will be without excuse (Rom. 1:20), and why no one will be able to plead ignorance at the Judgment. No one will get a pass for refusing to search out the truth or for failing to follow it.
No one will be saved or condemned based on factors beyond their control, but only on their pursuit and acceptance of the truth.
Again, this does not mean that those who are saved understand everything there is to understand, nor does it reduce salvation to a matter of knowledge. In fact, this is exactly the opposite of the case I have been making! Salvation is case dependent and assessed on an individual basis, just as Scripture reveals (Rev. 22:12, Mt. 16:27, Rom. 2:6-8).
Each person will be judged according to their desire to know the truth and their obedience in following it.
In an attempt to drive this home one last time, consider the types of things that passionately pursuing and embracing the truth would lead to:
- The understanding that Jesus is the Messiah, the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Jesus is the Son of God and our only atonement for sins.
- A greater knowledge about the evil workings of our world and the depths of its depravity.
- The desire and ability to search oneself, making every effort to be obedient to Christ.
- A genuine sense of open-mindedness and a willingness to reform our own views, even changing them when necessary. No doctrine or belief will be held as more sacred than our commitment to the truth.
So much more could be said, but the underlying message in all this should be clear . . .
The truth seeker will be saved.
If this does not challenge you to evaluate your own salvation—hungering to both pursue and embrace the truth in all aspects of your life—then I fear that nothing will. I pray that you will not miss this clear message and the opportunity in front of you.
In closing, remember the very words of our Lord:
“If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”[1]
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(Please check out my corresponding video and consider reading this blog if you found this helpful.)
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References
[1] John 8:31-32, my emphasis.
Angels-Aliens 