Category Archives: Saved By Faith or Works
Parable of the Rich Man and the Beggar
A Place of Torment The following is about a parable that Jesus told in Luke 16, which most Christians use for their “proof” that Hell is a real place with real flames and eternal. But in order not to get … Continue reading
The Kingdom of God: Grace vs Works Part 2
In the Gospels, if we are to assume that what we read are the original words of Jesus, he frequently talked about the subject of Salvation in one form or another. The following are expressions he mostly used, the way … Continue reading
The Kingdom of God: Grace vs Works Part 1
There are really only two themes in the New Testament about salvation: Grace and Works. When contradictions arise surrounding these two, there will be those who will try to make interpretations to try to explain away the facts to make … Continue reading
If there is no Hell
There is no evidence whatsoever that Hell exists. But IF it did exist, I know there would be millions of Christians there. The reason for this is because Jesus declared that only those who are righteous and do works of righteousness are allowed entry into the kingdom of Heaven. (Mat 25) According to Christology, if one is not saved he/she goes to Hell for an eternity. But where did this idea originate from? First off, how would one get saved to avoid the horrible fate of Hell?
According to “Paul’s Gospel” we are saved by God’s grace and mercy and not by works of righteousness which we have done. (Tit 3:5) And Paul also said, you are saved by grace through faith, and not of our works. (Eph 2:8-9) What’s more, not only is there the requirement that one believes in Jesus, but also one must believe, in his heart, that God raised Jesus from the dead (Rom 10:9) — even though it is extremely unlikely that he even died.
On the contrary, Jesus said that one must “keep the commandments to enter into life”. (Mat 19:16-22) Jesus equated perfection with giving all your riches to the poor. To enter into the kingdom of heaven, to Jesus’ disciples, that is what it meant to be saved (Mat 19:23-25). In a nutshell: It’s impossible to be saved unless you are righteous, do works of righteousness and give up all your worldly riches — plus doing the will of God (Mat 7:21, Lk 13:25).