Salvation Is Simple, Or Is It?

It's week 2 over at Marla Taviano's summer read-a-long & boy are things getting hot!  OK, not really.  It's a friendly discussion.  But the questions are getting tough.  And I imagine that they're only going to get tougher as we go along.

This week we all read Chapters 1 & 2.  Both chapters had me laughing out loud and nodding my head in agreement in quite a few spots.  Rachel's quirky methods of evangelism and her apologetic strategies as a young girl astound me.  Seriously, her argument for the existence of Santa Claus had me rolling!!  Anyway...

Marla asked a couple of questions on her blog about what it means to really be saved.  She also asked a question about faith & politics, but I'm not going to answer that here.  We'll save those thoughts for another day.  :)  

I love this quote by David Platt, author of Radical: “This is why none of these man-made catch phrases are in the Bible. You will not find a verse in Scripture where people are told to ‘bow your heads, close your eyes, and repeat after me.’ You will not find a place where a superstitious sinner’s prayer is even mentioned. And you will not find an emphasis on accepting Jesus. We have taken the infinitely glorious Son of God, who endured the infinitely terrible wrath of God and who now reigns as the infinitely worthy Lord of all, and we have reduced him to a poor, puny Savior who is just begging for us to accept him.”


Salvation is simple.  Belief (in Jesus) + Confession (of sin) = Salvation  


When Jesus went about gathering His disciples, He didn't tell them how to be saved.  He said, "Come and follow Me."  There was no Romans Road, or sinners prayer, or asking Jesus to live in your heart.


The disciples left everything behind.  The disciples followed Jesus. 


Salvation is simple.  Or is it?


Salvation is about leaving everything behind.  When Jesus told Nicodemus in John 3 what it meant to be saved, He said that one had to be born again.  That means starting over, beginning all over again, creating something new.  Regeneration.


Salvation is also about following Jesus.  Again, Jesus invited His disciples (and us) to follow Him.  "Follow" means to monitor or observe, to accept as guide or leader, and to imitate or copy.  A true Jesus follower sees what Jesus is doing & does the same thing.


There's a woman that Rachel talks about in chapter 2 of Evolving she calls "June the Ten Commandments Lady."  June is an outspoken elderly woman "who professes the name of Jesus Christ in one breath and then curses her neighbor in the next."  (48)  Rachel wonders if that profession of Jesus is enough to save her.  Further, she wonders if June's profession is worth more than the faith of a Buddhist or Hindu or Muslim who practice kindness and compassion.


Those are tough questions.  They're emotional ones.   This is what I think based on the definition of salvation given above - salvation is about leaving everything behind AND following Jesus.  You can't have one without the other.  June's profession of faith isn't enough.  A Buddhist or Hindu or Muslim who practices kindness and compassion isn't enough.  True salvation requires both.  


What do you think it takes to be saved?  How would you answer Rachel's question regarding June the Ten Commandment lady & those of other faiths?

Is Questioning Your Faith OK?

This summer I am participating in Marla Taviano's Summer Read-A-Long.  Each participant is reading Rachel Held Evans' book Evolving in Monkey Town.  I picked up a copy of Rachel's book a year ago at a discount store and had every intention of reading it, but never did.  Good thing, I guess.  ;)

Anyway, this week the assignment was to read the preface and introduction to the book.  Then we were to go to Marla's blog and answer some questions.  If you want to know the questions and my answers, go find them in the comments.

I say that because what I really want to focus on in this post is the premise of Rachel's book - questioning.  Some would say that anyone of faith who questions their faith is way out of line.  That faith is some sort of blind acceptance.  You know, faith is believing without seeing.  So questioning one's faith means you don't have any faith at all.  But is that really true?

My faith journey started as a young girl.  I was only 10 when I started going to church regularly and when I heard about Jesus.  It was at that same age that I accepted Him into my heart and began the nearly 25 year journey.  As a young girl and young teen, I didn't question my faith.  I accepted what the children's church teachers said and what my youth pastor and pastor taught.

The older I got, the more I loved to learn.  I also loved to debate.  It was natural for me to want to learn how to debate all sides of the argument.  So I learned, researched, and questioned.  I went through missionary training school in my 20s (having felt called as a 13 year old to be a missionary) and was exposed to many different ways of thinking in my faith.  Then I went to college, and eventually earned my Masters degree.  All along the way, I've questioned my faith.  I've questioned others faith.  I've wrestled with the existence of God, the problem of evil, and on and on and on.  I still have questions.  I still wrestle.

Like Rachel says in Evolving, "I had to take a closer look at what I believed and find out what was truly essential."  In turn, my questioning hasn't led to doubt or disbelief.  Instead, it's brought me closer to Jesus.  And for that, I'm thankful.

Do you think it's okay to question your faith?  Have you ever questioned your faith?  If so, has it led to doubt & disbelief, or has it caused you to grow deeper in faith?