You can affirm His deity, His crucifixion for sins, and His resurrection even and not be saved—that’s only knowing history. Believing mere facts concerning Jesus doesn’t make one a Christian but a transformed heart from Him does due to repentance and faith in Him. You must not just know about Him, but know Him. Having a direct, personal knowledge due to a loving, growing relationship and fellowship of walking by faith in Him.
Even the demons believe in Jesus and tremble, in the strict sense of the word—they knew who He was (the Holy One of God), but their knowledge didn’t save them. You must put your knowledge into action and practice your faith without hypocrisy. God doesn’t expect perfect faith but sincere, unfeigned faith. You must not just believe in Jesus but believe Jesus. Jesus isn’t looking for admirers or fans, but fully devoted followers and worshipers.
You will be known by your works or fruit and judged by them, not your confession or creed “I’m of Apollos, I’m of Paul, I’m of Peter, I’m of Christ,” sort of sectarianism). Creeds don’t save, Jesus does. We’re not asking faith in a creed but in a Person. Faith doesn’t save, Jesus does. Faith must have the right object to be valid. You can have misdirected faith that cannot save. Jesus expects us to put all our faith in Him, and not to add Him to our life as in Jesus plus TM or Jesus plus yoga and so forth; we must believe in Jesus alone and trust only in Him for our salvation. Jesus is the only Savior. He demands a substituted, exchanged, relinquished, inhabited, and surrendered life.
The only test of our faith is obedience and Jesus said if we love Him we will obey His commands. “He became the author of salvation unto all of them who obey Him,” (cf. Heb. 5:9). Faith must be accompanied by repentance, that’s why theologians refer to penitent faith or believing repentance—they go hand in hand. (cf. Acts 20:21; Heb. 6:1).
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