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From: pete@octopus.UUCP (Pete Holzmann)
Newsgroups: net.religion.christian,talk.religion.misc
Subject: Re: Salvation question
Message-ID: <225@octopus.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 19-Sep-86 03:24:40 EDT
Article-I.D.: octopus.225
Posted: Fri Sep 19 03:24:40 1986
Date-Received: Mon, 22-Sep-86 23:44:47 EDT
References: <1018@tekcrl.UUCP>
Reply-To: pete@octopus.UUCP (Pete Holzmann)
Distribution: world
Organization: Octopus Enterprises, Cupertino, CA
Lines: 46
Xref: linus net.religion.christian:4659 talk.religion.misc:110
Summary: Yes, believing (understood properly) *is* all that's needed

The question was: what is the saving action? What does it take to be saved?
			Is it just believing in Jesus' gift of salvation?
			(that last part simplified)

My answer:

	Yes, it *is* just believing that's needed. I'll answer two follow-on
	questions:

	Why is believing all that's needed?

		Because that's the only thing we can 'bring to the bargaining
		table', so to speak. If we can't be perfect apart from God,
		and we can't be with God unless we're perfect, then God has
		to do all the work (done thru Jesus) to get us back together.

	What is 'believing' in this context?

		It is *not* belief in the sense of 'I agree that something
		is true'. Clearly, Satan believes in the truth of what
		Jesus tells us, yet that doesn't save him!

		It *is* belief in the sense of 'I believe that God's gift
		is for *me*, and I accept it, and I'll make God as much a
		part of my life as I can from now on'. That doesn't make
		me suddenly any better. But it is belief with *commitment*
		to what I believe in, *action* as a natural result of that
		belief, and it is the beginning of a relationship, not just
		a set of facts tucked away in a notebook.

		Clearly, even after the decision is made, nobody is able to
		perfectly act on their belief- we 'lose faith'; we still 'sin';
		we get mad at God; we even reject God sometimes. But, once
		we have truly accepted His gift for ourselves, God doesn't let
		us go again. One piece of knowledge that I think only God has
		is: who has truly accepted His gift? I can't really judge
		others in this regard, although *actions* can speak rather
		loudly, in terms of circumstantial evidence as to who has really
		become a Christ-follower.

Hope this answered your question ok.
-- 
  OOO   __| ___      Peter Holzmann, Octopus Enterprises
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