Christian Post: A new survey shows that the majority of Americans no longer believe that Jesus is the path to salvation and instead believe that being a good person is sufficient.
As part of the ongoing release of the Arizona Christian University-based Cultural Research Center’s American Worldview Inventory, the latest findings — exploring perceptions of sin and salvation — from George Barna, the group’s director, show that nearly two-thirds of Americans believe that having some kind of faith is more important than the particular faith with which someone aligns.
Sixty-eight percent who embrace that notion identify as Christians, including 56% of self-described evangelicals and 62% of those who identify as Pentecostals. Sixty-seven percent of mainline Protestants and 77% of Catholics also embraced that idea, the findings show.
Slightly over half of Christian respondents said they believe someone can attain salvation by “being or doing good,” a figure that includes, 46% of Pentecostals, 44% of mainline Protestants, 41% of evangelicals, and 70% of Catholics.
In addition to the viewpoint that eternal salvation can be earned, survey results show that 58% of Americans believe that no absolute moral truth exists and that the basis of truth are factors or sources other than God. Seventy-seven percent said that right and wrong is determined by factors other than the Bible. Fifty-nine percent said that the Bible is not God’s authoritative and true Word and 69% said people are basically good. more
h/t ZONGA
Yeah, tell that to Jesus. Better yet, pass an American law, that’ll get Him to reconsider His expectations.
Ephesians 2:8-9
For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.
2 Timothy 1:9
Who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity,
Psalm 49:7-8
No man can by any means redeem his brother
Or give to God a ransom for him—
For the redemption of his soul is costly,
And he should cease trying forever—
Ezekiel 7:19
They will fling their silver into the streets and their gold will become an abhorrent thing; their silver and their gold will not be able to deliver them in the day of the wrath of the Lord. They cannot satisfy their appetite nor can they fill their stomachs, for their iniquity has become an occasion of stumbling.
There are many, many more specific statements that contradict the idea that “being a good person” can achieve salvation. There is ONE way, and ONLY ONE Way!
John 11:25
Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die;”
One of the last remaining obstacles of the worldview left is American Conservatism, and yes there is a Christian component to that, among other things.
So, in their eyes, that must be destroyed.
Pay not any attention to their surveys.
FULL faith and carry on.
I’m a sinner saved by Grace and that is all I am.
Be careful. Research 3rd secret of Fatima. Something about scandalous failure at the Vatican. Someone orchestrating movement to discourage Christians from believing. https://www.lifesitenews.com/blogs/what-we-know-of-our-lady-of-fatimas-3rd-secret-appears-to-be-unfolding-in-church-today-priest
the next question should be ‘if you don’t believe that Christ is the way to eternal blessing, why do you bother being a Christian?’
my whole life I’ve tried to be a Christian & through many more years than I’d like to count, I have come to the conclusion that the reason people turn away from the message of Jesus is those that preach it. the wisdom of Christianity comes from Jesus, not ‘the Church’. one must find Jesus in their heart. the Church (whatever Church you latch onto) should not preach … we are all fallible human beings, the imperfect creatures of the Creator. Churches should not judge or condemn (there are enough humans that will line up to do that for them), they should love & forgive, as Jesus would, but fall in their corruptness of earthly pursuits.
… I blame Paul 🙂
btw, ponder why one of their main goals in this Plandemic is to shutter Churches
I’m not really surprised. For decades the church has been belittled and attacked, not only from those outside but from so-called believers on the inside (or perhaps it is more true that non-believers have been infiltrating the church to change it from the inside without the faithful being aware of it – like the Catholic and mainline Protestant churches supporting homosexuality and abortion). The denomination that I belong to sometimes seems more concerned with social justice than salvation (or that salvation can be achieved through social justice). I figure that only through God’s grace can I make it to Heaven (cause my “works” here surely wouldn’t qualify me for entrance).
ever seen a tv or movie where the Christian is cast in a good light? ever seen a movie where the Christian is the ogre and villian? ever seen a program where the Christian is portrayed as a saintly person that kills and murders and hates and is a racist? surely hollywood has nothing to do with this.
I thoroughly question this “study”. Who knows if it’s part of the effort to discourage The Church? The evil one uses every kind of method.
I was sitting in a tavern in front of a couple gals from school. This was 20 years ago. They were with a group and they were discussing… I shit you not… that if there are so many people in the country who all believe abortion should be legal that God could not condemn them all to hell. That would not be fair said they.
I finally turned around and asked them: Have you never heard of Sodom and Gomorrah?
Works don’t work like they think.
If it wasn’t for God’s grace I wouldn’t be here. Without God and his grace I would’ve never been blessed like I have been since I was first saved back in 1972. And I sure as heck would’ve never met my wife and been blessed with 3 kids and now 4 granddaughters. I am a blessed man and I am very grateful and thankful for that. It’s all about grace and always has been and there is nothing that I could’ve ever done to merit that grace without Jesus as my Lord and Savior. I am a still a major league screwup a lot of the time but a screwup saved by grace, thank God. And I’m eternally glad that God uses flawed people and not perfect people and golden boys etc. who are among the biggest phonies of all.
THE LORD: Hast thou, then, nothing more to mention? Com’st ever, thus, with ill intention? Find’st nothing right on earth, eternally?
MEPHISTOPHELES: No, Lord! I find things, there, still bad as they can be. Man’s misery even to pity moves my nature; I’ve scarce the heart to plague the wretched creature.
Goethe
Faust
as Translated by Bayard Taylor
Just my take on scripture.
Please take what I write below as my earnest understanding of His Word, though only a VERY cursory description of key points on which I hope that you will study on your own. The ONLY “scriptures” (Acts 17:11 and many others) in which the Bereans (or anyone) could search out whether what the apostles taught were so, was and *IS* the Hebrew scriptures. In no way do I even pretend that I have all things correct, nor does ANYONE else. We will ALL bear our shame in the things which we ascribe to our Savior that just are not so. He will show each of us where we were wrong. But, with our hearts filled with the absolute desire to diligently guard His instructions for a set apart life, striving to enter at the straight gate, we will be with Him in His Kingdom. That is my prayer for ALL.
As for salvation, that was offered to the WHOLE world by the mercy of our Savior YHWH (Isa 43:11;45:21, Hosea 13:4), yet, just as ALL Israel was saved/delivered from Egypt, not ALL will remain in covenant with Him, to receive the crown of life.
YHWH has one (echad) covenant people, Israel (not the current secular nation), and the covenant in its core expression is this, hearken (sh’emah: Hear and obey) unto His voice, to do all that He commands, and He will take you as His people (grafted in, ie Ruth, et al), an adopted child of the living Elohim. Deut 8:2 is a summary of what the purpose of this life serves. Do we serve ourselves or our Creator?
If you read ALL of Titus 3, you see that it is not for the righteous works of Torah that we receive salvation, given before the foundation of the world for ALL, but is the means to blessings, protection and transformation (Deut ch 28; ch 30, Ps 94:12, 119:1; and so many others) into the likeness of our Savior. It is the means of remaining in covenant with YHWH and being His ONLY covenant people, His peculiar treasure (not plural).
The kingdom was split, to YHWH’s purpose, but, He will regather, rebuild, restore the kingdom (Ezek 36) and separate the goats from the sheep (Ezek 20; 34:17). The kingdom split is foretold in the Joseph narrative (and others), but portends to the sifting of the house of Israel (Ephraim, northern kingdom) through the nations, which are yet to be regathered. This is the prodigal son and other parables, with Judah being the older brother who is always with the Father. Just as Jacob stated in his blessings, before his death, giving a double portion the birthright to his adopted, Ephraim and Manasseh, grandsons, which were to become (the fullness of the) nations. The scepter to remain in Judah until the Messiah is come. The process of regathering began with His crucifixion and will culminate when He returns to fully reign on earth.
This is why our Messiah says that He was sent but to the lost sheep of the house of Israel (Matt 15:24, et al). It is by this “mystery” that the WHOLE world *might* receive salvation, but, there is more than just some mental exercise of acknowledgment of who He is and what He has done. The name (authority) which He will rule with His rod of iron (Torah) is eternal, just as He and His perfect way are from everlasting to everlasting. He is YHWH, He changes not (Mal 3:6), praise His holy name. The resurrection of Messiah is like an exclamation point to the whole of scripture, that His Word will stand and that which He speaks will be done. We must fully rely on the FACT that He is who He says He is and will do what He says.
Diverse weights and measures are an abomination unto YHWH (Deut 25:13-16), yet, there is a collection of doctrines and traditions of men, which seems to go out of its way to be antithetical to a majority of scripture. In following these doctrine we inherit lies, vanity and things in which are of no profit. (Jer 16:19, et al). We do this blindly, without question in many cases, as if the words of men should outweigh the everlasting truth of YHWH (Ps 119:142;160;126).
By His Word we know what has been, will be again and that He will require it. There is nothing new under the sun (Eccl 1:9, 3:15). Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear Elohim, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For Elohim shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil. (Eccl 12:13-14).
There is nothing in the writings of the apostles that is not an expansion, clarification and filling up with the complete meaning of that which is in the Tanakh (“old testament”, as if the Word of YHWH ages or could be abrogated). There is no understanding of the apostolic writings without knowing the Torah, Prophets and Writings (TaNaKh), it just is not possible. Otherwise you get what we have in “church” doctrine, twisted and folded error upon error, circular reasoning even.
May YHWH bless and keep you and yours, in all that you put your hands to.
Peace be unto you
I’m all in for Jesus.
Christians have been departing from core truths since at least1521.
We are all sinner’s in an imperfect world.
“Never forget thee, for He died on the tree for me.” ✝️
Me: “I’m no Moses.”
The Lord: “You don’t have to be.”
Me: “WHEW!” 🙃
Charlie, I can think of one move that casts a Christian in a good light. And it’s a good movie.
Deal of the Century with Chevy Chase, Sigourney Weaver and Gregory Hines. Hines’ character is the Christian, and he’s recently born-again, and quotes relevant scripture to the other main characters. In spite of anything else, I recommend it.
Well then, they are not Christians. Pretty simple, really.
This is not surprising.
Living like Jesus is hard.
Living set apart and not of this world is hard.
Living with Jesus words that said: They will hate you for following me, but take heart, they hated me first, is hard.
Living with the knowledge of the coming increase of persecution of
Christians in the US is hard.
Now, try to mesh these things into a culture that, for the most part, has had things very easy.
I don’t find it shocking at all that people would take the easiest path, and follow their “itching ears”.
Pastors that are preaching in the shallows and setting people up to basically make themselves into their own god, will pay a high price in the end.
I used to laugh at the statement, but there is some truth in: A Highway to Hell, but A Stairway to Heaven.
Could we be seeing the falling away and the winnowing out of those who will persevere to the end?
Only God knows.
Most US churches are a complete joke now. They hold no one to any standards at all. You can attend mass dressed like any slob at Walmart. Many church attendees act like the church community is a big swingers party, with adultery a common problem that gets admonished anonymously by the pastor but never dealt in any meaningful way. Tolerance for faggots and dykes goes without question. Those assholes run half the churches now. And the Marxists hold sway there too. No standards. No Christianity. No sacrifice. No kind of community that pushes people towards a more spiritually God-centered and morally better life. Shit, if you want that, you’d be better off becoming a Muslim now. They have some fucking standards, at least for themselves. They’re fine with helping corrupt Christianity and Judaism whenever they can.
Probably too late for much attention, and I apologize for the length, but, it kept growing! 😉
Please read the following with the knowledge that in no way do I intend any venom towards anyone who has the desire to serve our great and awesome creator. Doing it in the only way that they know and understand. We are ALL at different points in our walk with Him and He works things in our life as He knows will have the greatest return for His glory. Not one human who has ever lived has had or will have perfect understanding of His Word. We ALL walk in the errors of our understanding and (soon) will have to bear the shame of these errors. It would take a lifetime of lifetimes to unravel the layers of truth which are contained in His Word. His Word could be likened unto a Mandelbrot Fractal with its never ending depth and beauty.
Perceived or real, anything that points an accusatory finger is directed at those whom YHWH Himself states will pay a heavy toll for leading His people astray and making merchandise of souls. He also tells us that those who see the coming trial on the horizon and do not sound the shofar (trumpet), the blood of those not warned will be on the “watchmen’s” hands.
Now, pertaining to the tone and tenor of the article which this thread is tied, the loosening and degradation of all aspects of our existence is not a new phenomenon. Specific to the ante-Nicene age, where fear and anti-semetic hellenized influences increased the anti-messiah spirit to further drive the wedge of separation between Judah and Ephraim. Minimizing the Hebrew-ness of Messiah and those who served Him, and the Torah observant lives they lived (post crucifixion), was an imperative once the apostolic age ended. Judah was more than happy to assist in this division. This is foretold in the shadows, types and parables (prodigal) of the the split of the kingdom of Israel into the the northern 10 tribes, House of Israel (Ephraim) and the southern, House of Judah. Most of the prophets references to Ephraim/house of Israel are towards those who consider themselves part of Christianity and other derivations.
If YHWH exists in an eternal and never changing state, and diverse weights and measures are an abomination to Him, and history is cyclical, then how can the doctrines and platitudes of “the church” stand? if the overarching thoughts of the first sentence of this paragraph, which are threaded throughout scripture, do not stand as they were given/written, then your faith is in vain. For it is for His set apart name and the favor, promises and covenants of the father’s of Israel (Abraham, Isaac and Jacob) that He continues His steadfastness in all things.
How can we have absolute confidence, faith, belief and trust in the everlasting promises of YHWH, if we abrogate 4000 years of His perfect and eternal Word and ALL of the previous promises, swearing and covenants contained within? We are taught that NOW we can REALLY count on His promises, swearing and covenants? We blindly trust in the word of man, which scripture shows our cyclical falling away from His truth and following our own hearts. Oh the fear and trembling that should engulf us when we use the justification of “god knows my heart”. Yes, yes He does.
I have heard MANY times over the years, that the purpose of the Tanakh (“old testament”) is to show us how we NEED a savior. To the contrary, He, YHWH, is telling us that we HAVE THE ONLY SAVIOR! Before creation, He IS the Savior of Israel, there is no other. He set an appointed time which He would take our sins upon Himself. Offering salvation to the WHOLE world, yet, the whole world will not receive it. Just as YHWH delivered ALL of Israel (the mixed multitude), but, not ALL of Israel made it to the promised land.
What is His requirement for our part of the everlasting covenant? That *IF* we hearken to His voice and walk in His Way, the best as we understand as we learn His instructions for a set apart life, He will take us as His peculiar treasure to be His people and He will be our Elohim. He will bless, protect and transform us into the likeness of His Son. He lays before us blessings and curses, life and death, choose life. This obedience unto righteousness is to be the result of the TRUST (faith) and UNDERSTANDING (belief) that He is who He says He is and will do what He says, without fail. ESPECIALLY the FREELY GIVEN OFFER of SALVATION, from before the foundation of the World. That which is given freely cannot be earned. Favor in His eyes, the blessings of walking in His way, that is “earned” by remaining in covenant with Him.
To Sh’emah, to hear and obey, This is the covenant in summation. Just as The two greatest commandments summarize the Decalogue, the ten Words are a summation of the entirety of Torah. We are to be diligent in our striving in His Way. He knows (obviously) and shows us that He does not expect us to be without error (perfect), but, we can make teshuvah (deep repentance) and return to Him, always. For His mercy and favor know no bounds. He will test and chasten His adopted (grafted in) children, this is the purpose of this life, to see whether we have it in our hearts (the real issue) to walk in His Way.
How many times have you heard that “the god of the old testament vs new is blood thirsty vs meek and gentle” – YHWH *IS* Yahshuah. Yahshuah *IS* the LAW giver of the Tanakh. He was at Sinai. He sat at meat with Abraham, etc… No man has seen or heard the Father, except He who has descended and ascended Heaven.
The Torah (“the law”) is not some arbitrary collection of do’s and dont’s, it is the VERY nature of our great Elohim. It is THE WAY He judges right and wrong and expressed in idioms, narratives, types and shadows relating to human existence.
YHWH continually restores, rebuilds and repairs the Way, waste places and breach. His relationship with His people. This is part of His eternal promises to restore Israel (His servant Jacob) and it will be more glorious than ever before. Just as there was a forerunner to Messiah at His first tabernacle with man, I understand that it will be again. It is currently in the spirit, but, I am not sure if it remains that way or if there will be another physical “Elijah” / “John the baptist”. The turning of the hearts of the fathers to the children and the children to the fathers (Abraham, Isaac and Jacob).
Those who are waiting to be carried off to Heaven in “the rapture” may well be disappointed. To be considered worthy to escape the “temptation” (trial/Jacob’s trouble) that will come upon the whole world, costs much more than murmuring an UN-scriptural “sinner’s prayer” (see David’s repentant prayer) and then continuing in the desires of your heart. To repent, make teshuvah, is to turn from sin/evil (transgressing the Torah/walking counter to YHWH) and turning towards Him and walking the path He has put before us all. The escape which is spoken of by our Messiah, Peter, Paul, James and John is the (first?) Resurrection of the righteous! Those who are counted worthy will not have to bear the trial, but, will still be here on the earth. My understanding from there is somewhat unclear. It could be another Sinai event, where YHWH was with Israel for 1 year as per Torah, where the groom has to be with his bride for the first year of marriage and cannot go to war.
YHWH exists by His Word (Torah) and examples continually that He does not go beyond it. Even in giving a bill of divorcement to Ephraim / house of Israel, He cannot remarry them as the house of Israel, for they have played the harlot with other “gods/idols”. His plan is to bring them back into Israel (re-graft natural branches) and anyone else (gentiles, wild olive branch) who takes up the covenant of YHWH. Once you transfer your citizenship from the world (as with Ruth), you are no longer a gentile/heathen, you are becoming a citizen of the (whole) kingdom of Israel. Ruth was a Moabitess and as such, according to Torah, she could not be part of Israel, but, in professing that the ways of Israel will be her way and their Elohim would be her Elohim, she was not longer a Moabite (incestuous seed of Lot and his daughters), but a child of the Living Elohim. She was even the great- grandmother of David! So, either the scriptures are wrong or there is MUCH that cannot be understood within the back of the book, unless you understand the front of the book.
Let the reader take from these eternal and absolute truths what they will (not my words, but His everlasting Word).
The short of it seems to be that, the cycle continues and man has created a “god” in his own image, with man being the potter and his “god” the clay. Much like we see those who want to change the Constitution into their own image, after all, it is a living breathing document. Our Messiah is the living, breathing and everlasting Word (Torah) of YHWH, His VERY NATURE made flesh.
Mankind is willing to diligently strive and sacrifice for the most insignificant (by comparison) reward from man, but, eternal life in the Kingdom of YHWH?
May YHWH bless and keep you and yours, in all to which you put your hand
Peace be unto you