Chapter 7 - Hell Avoidance
Through the years scholars have attempted to identify and “the essential beliefs of Christianity” in order to avoid Hell. During the Protestant Reformation movement, the reformers were able to identify five basic truths regarding the interpretation of the Bible and salvation. They are often referred to as the “Five Solas,” a reference to the Latin word for “alone” (some prefer ‘only’). Here are the five essential truths that guided the Reformation:
1. We begin with “Sola Fide,” or “faith alone,” a simple, but highly contended idea, that salvation is obtainable through the belief in Jesus alone. Christians are made righteous by faith in Jesus Christ alone, nothing else is required. I mentioned that this is highly contended, as there are well-intended people and groups, that will tell you that you need to add good works to be saved, including the sacraments, this is not true. The price Jesus paid was completely sufficient to fulfill the otherwise condemning law.
2. “Scripture Alone,” the concept of “Sola Scriptura” states that the Word of God is the only source of truth. The Bible is the sole authority of all matters of faith. I like to say it this way, “the Bible is the only book that counts, when we die.” Many organized religions and some church groups like to promote their founder’s books or some other document that “aids in interpretation” of the Bible. Scripture is, and always will be, the only source of the truth.
3. “Sola Gratia” reminds us that salvation is provided through the unmerited favor of God. Grace alone is a simple way of saying that we cannot do anything to add to our own salvation. Many religions will demand of their people to do some form of ritual or follow some other rigid ‘protocol’, especially during worship that are both not needed, nor desired by God, as He wants your love, not some heartless following of tradition.
4. In alignment with “Sola Fide” and “Sola Gratia,” the idea of “Solus Christus” again reminds us that Jesus did all the work. There are some religions that will tell you that His death on the cross was not sufficient for our justification and reconciliation to God the Father. Jesus’ substitutionary death was indeed sufficient, faith in what Jesus Christ did is enough to enter heaven.
5. The fifth sola reminds us of what life is all about. “Soli Deo Gloria” essentially translates out to mean: “for the glory of God alone.” Salvation and everything God has done is for His glory alone. Everything we do should also be done for God’s glory! Not our own.
These five solas were contended during the time of the Reformation and they are still hotly debated today. Since the time of the Reformation there have been additional types and forms of corruption that have entered the church. Let’s look at a few of these issues. I am limiting these to those that relate directly to salvation.
The first is salvation is free. Let’s start by pointing out that salvation is a free gift, as there is nothing, we can do to earn heaven (see Ephesians 2:8-9). Combine the fact that we deserve death (see Romans 5:12 and 6:23) and that God and His Word demands justice, we might ask how can we possibly receive salvation? Since it is not possible for us to obtain salvation for ourselves, God sent His Son to die on our behalf. God’s mercy (not receiving what we deserve) is demonstrated through His justice (obtained through Jesus dying on the cross) which then allows us to receive salvation (and a lot more) through His grace (receiving what we do not deserve), all free, all we need to do is accept Him, the free gift.
The second issue is the understanding that Jesus is divine. He is indeed divine, there are a lot of nay-sayers and even some so-called Christians that think differently, but this is what the Bible clearly teaches. Simply put, Jesus is God, if that was not true then much of what Jesus said would be a lie. Some say He never said He was God, that is not true, He did on several occasions. If He didn’t claim to be God, then why was He executed? Plus, if Jesus was not God and eternal, He would need to die again every year for God’s Law to be appeased and salvation offered. The author of the Book of Hebrews provides a good analysis and summary of that situation (see Hebrews 10:1-18). Another important point to make is that there seems to be several ‘alternate’ christs out there. The word ‘christ’ means, “the anointed one” or just simply ‘anointed’ and is a special title found in the Bible for the Savior and God’s Son, Jesus. But many people and groups like to redefine it, most often taking the title away from Jesus and giving it to a sinful human being.
Third, there is only one God. The Bible teaches that there is only one true God. Paul wrote, “For although there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth—as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”—yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.” (1 Corinthians 8:5-6, ESV) We are surrounded by religions and beliefs today that claim they know the true God, ultimately these “so-called gods” serve only one purpose and that is to attempt to stop or at least slow down the progress of God’s Word reaching the ears of those that are lost, remember the Great Commission (see Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 6:15). The Bible teaches that God, the One and only God, is three different persons. Many scholars refer to the idea that One God being three distinctive persons as being difficult to understand. It is not difficult; it really is impossible for our brains to wrap around the idea of three things being one! This is one example of something we need to trust in God and have faith that what we are taught is true in the Bible (remember God cannot lie, see Numbers 23:19; Titus 1:2 and Hebrews 6:18).
The fourth issue is that there is only one gospel (that works). We need to understand that the entire message of the Gospel as presented in the Bible is vital and important. The terms and phrases like ‘gospel’ and the “gospel story” get bantered around a lot these days. The term ‘gospel’ comes from the old English phrase that essentially means “good news” which is taken from the translation of the Greek word ‘euangelion’ meaning “good message.” It is most often used to refer to the great news about Jesus’ offer of salvation for all lost human beings. As we discussed in chapter three, this is exactly how the Bible uses the term, for example Paul wrote, “Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,” (1 Corinthians 15:1-4, ESV) Note how Paul added to the definition of the word ‘gospel’ to include Jesus dying for our sins, that He was buried and that He was raised from the dead, this is the gospel message in a nutshell. We are to believe and stand in that belief. What does Paul mean by standing? We are to believe the gospel message and just like anything else we know to be true, we are to defend our beliefs, to make decisions based on our beliefs and to live according to our beliefs.
Fifth issue is that Jesus died but is alive again. The resurrection is real, if Jesus did not rise from the dead, then we certainly cannot expect to be resurrected ourselves. Paul wrote, “And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain.” (1 Corinthians 15:14, ESV) The great news is that Jesus did in fact rise. “But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.” (1 Corinthians 15:20-22, ESV)
The sixth issue is that Jesus did it all. Remember, it’s all about Jesus! Our faith is based on what Jesus did for us; namely, living a sin-less life, enduring suffering before He died, then dying on the cross followed by rising to life again. There is no other way to get into heaven than to accept His offer! “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6, ESV) Peter, when asked how he and John were able to heal, they explained who Jesus is followed by a statement that reiterates this point, “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12, ESV) The world wants you to believe that there are multiple ways to obtain salvation or routes to heaven. If that were true, which it is not, why would the Father send His Son to die? (See Luke 22:42)
The seventh is that we need to know is the Bible is God’s Word. There are many groups, including some Christian denominations, that do not believe that the Bible is the inerrant Word of God. Some have even said that the Bible only ’contains’ the Word of God, thereby refusing to accept the entire Bible as being true. They pick and choose what they want and discard the rest, this may appeal to some, however it is obviously an intentional deception. Due to the wide range of Bible translations and versions out there, one can easily be confused to figure out which one, if any, is correct. The word ‘inerrant’ is often misapplied and should only be connected to early manuscripts. The concept of being inerrant does not refer to being “error free” per se, as there are many manuscripts that contain syntax or minor copy errors. When we read Scripture, we should apply a few rules of interpretation, often referred to as ‘hermeneutics’ and ‘exegesis’ (referring to critical interpretation and explanation. However, much of what we can learn from the Bible can be understood by applying two simple guidelines. The first one being is that God always says what He means and means what He says and secondly, that every word is in the Bible for a reason.
To summarize, by now you’re probably wondering why we would need to “boil down” the Word of God into something we might call, ‘essential’. What about all those Old Testament stories and the lessons from Jesus? The term ‘essential’ refers to the basic minimal beliefs required for our salvation. If any of these are changed or misapplied, salvation could be missed. For example, if someone believed that Jesus was not the Savior, then they would remain lost, or if someone thought they could do something for their salvation, not trusting in Jesus 100% for their salvation, they too would be lost. These are just a few issues that have become barriers in the minds of many unbelievers today. However, in reviewing this list of essential doctrinal issues, remember that these ‘essentials’ are just man’s attempt to distill out what they believe what the minimal requirement for salvation are. Bottom line, it’s not up to us.
The entire Bible should be read and studied regularly. God chose to reveal Himself to us through His Word, that alone should be enough incentive to learn everything He provided. Plus, just like any other book, start from the beginning. Now while the Bible provides the story for our salvation, it also provides the framework we need to live. We can also learn what pleases God, the epistles (the various letters that follow the book of Acts) not only defines what a Christian is, they also provide guidance on how to live as a Christian.
However, our walk with Him begins with salvation, and it is only obtainable by believing that Jesus, the Son of God, did all the work and paid the entire price for our redemption. We need to trust (have faith) that He will fulfill His promise when we die. Just like when we accept and receive gifts in celebration of a birthday or Christmas, we need to accept the gift of salvation from our loving Lord Jesus. The choice is yours.
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