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From: stim@fluke.UUCP (Randy Stimpson)
Newsgroups: net.religion.christian,net.religion
Subject: Re: Acceptance of Christ as a saviour
Message-ID: <1316@vax1.fluke.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 10-Dec-85 13:19:14 EST
Article-I.D.: vax1.1316
Posted: Tue Dec 10 13:19:14 1985
Date-Received: Wed, 11-Dec-85 02:17:24 EST
References: <1929@gondor.UUCP>
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In article <1929@gondor.UUCP> varikoot@gondor.UUCP (kill) writes:
>Recently I had met people of the Presbyterian church and of the Marantha 
>Christian fellowship.  I understood the following from what they said -
>If we accept Christ as our saviour we will be forgiven for our sins because
>he has already suffered and paid for our sins. This will entitle us to go to 
>heaven.
>
>Qs. 1 
>      Is my above understanding of the basic tenet of Christianity right ?
>

What you have said definitely reflects christian thought in the U.S.  But I 
don't think it is right.  Actually I don't disagree with anything you have
said.  But I do disagree with some implied assumptions (which I may be reading
into your text).  If they are not your assumptions they are more than likely
somebody elses.

First of all I reject the concept of salvation as fire insurance, that is,
going to heaven.  In my perspective salvation is people being reconciled to
God, people being reconciled to one another, and healing from the 
consequences of separation from God and one another.  A consequence of
salvation is going to heaven.

The requirements for salvation is believing God (not belief in God) and
repentence, which I consider to be inseperable.  To put it another way, in
order to be saved you must truley want God to save you, that is, you want God
to change your life.  If all you want is fire insurance and forgiveness of
sins then you don't want salvation.

How do we know that we are saved (being saved).  The evidence of salvation
is salvation itself -- a changed (changing) life.

While we are not saved by works of righteousness, they are the outward display
of our salvation.

The righteousness that God imputes to us is both objective (forgiveness of
sins) and subjective (a transformed life).

Randy Stimpson