How does one become a disciple of Jesus Christ? A common response from many who claim to be Christians is that "all you have to do is believe." The Bible clearly teaches that faith is essential to be pleasing to God (Hebrews 11:6), but it never says "all you have to do is believe." There are many passages in both the Old and New Testaments that teach that we must also be obedient to be accepted by God. We cannot ask God to make it any plainer when He put in His Word that Jesus, "became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him"
(Hebrews 5:9).
In spite of this and many other passages, multitudes of preachers continue to tickle their listeners’ ears by telling them that all they have to do is believe and they are guaranteed a place in heaven. Instead of telling them they must, "Pursue... holiness, without which no one will see the Lord" (Hebrews 12:14), they lull their listeners into a false sense of security by telling them their lifestyle does not affect their salvation. The practical result of this teaching is that churches are filled with people who, "profess to know God, but in works they deny Him, being abominable, disobedient, and disqualified for every good work"(Titus 1:16).
The common teaching that we are saved by faith alone may be comforting according to the creeds of men, but any who teach this will find himself in contradiction with Jesus Himself. Try to imagine someone teaching in a modern Protestant church in America today and claiming that you must attain a certain level of righteousness to be saved. That person would immediately be branded as a false teacher who is teaching that we are saved by works, rather than grace. Yet, that is exactly what Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount! Think carefully on the words of Jesus when He said, "For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 5:20).Is there anyone who wants to accuse Jesus of teaching salvation is by works rather than grace? After saying this, Jesus continued teaching on the need of obedience for salvation. In Matthew 7:21, He said, "Not everyone who says to Me, ’Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven."
Jesus never taught that we must only believe the Father’s will, but he taught that we must also do it. He finished this sermon by warning us,
"whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall" (Matthew 7:24-27). Does this sound like Jesus was teaching that all you have to do to be saved is believe? In the last two verses of Matthew 7, we are told that the people were astonished because Jesus didn’t teach like the scribes they were used to hearing. If Jesus was teaching in many churches today, people would still be astonished. Jesus wouldn’t be teaching "all you have to do is believe" like the modern preachers they are used to hearing! In order to have the crowds follow them, many modern preachers go to extreme measures to convince people that Christianity requires minimal commitment. They soothe the people with pleasant words by telling them all you have to do is believe, and the blood of Christ will take care of everything else.
Although it is true that the shedding of the blood of Christ provides the only way we can be forgiven by God (when we obey Acts 2:38), the blood of Christ does not cleanse everybody! To be a blood-bought disciple of Jesus Christ, we must be obedient to our Lord and conform our will to His. When Jesus had multitudes of people following Him, He did not try to comfort the crowds with easy and pleasant words to make sure that the large numbers continued. Instead, He told them the truth so those who loved the truth, and were willing to obey the truth, could be saved. In Luke 14:25-27, we are told, "Now great multitudes went with Him. And He turned and said to them, If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple." In Luke 14:33, Jesus continued by saying, "So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple." How often have you heard denominational preachers teach these requirements of salvation? A person can claim to be a disciple of Jesus all they want, but the proof is in the life they live. If we do not follow the teachings of Jesus in our everyday lives, it doesn’t make any difference what we believe, how many times we go to church, how many times we may pray, nor how many times we have been baptized, we are not true disciples of Jesus Christ!
To have Jesus as our Savior, we must also have Him as our Lord. When Jesus sent the twelve apostles to go through Israel, He told them, "He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me" (Matthew 10:37-38). Does this sound like Jesus taught the modern doctrine that all you have to do is believe to be saved?
In the parable of the talents, Jesus told the story of a master who gave his servants some money (talents) to use while he was away. He gave one servant five talents, he gave another servant two talents, and to another he gave one talent. When the master returned from his journey, he found that the servant with the five talents earned five more talents. The master told this servant, "Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord" (Matthew 25:21). When the master found out the servant who was given two talents had earned two more talents, he said the same thing to him (Matthew 25:23). Do you remember what the master said to the servant who buried his talent and did not bear fruit? He said, "cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth" (Matthew 25:30). The problem with the unprofitable servant was not a lack of faith in believing in the master. His problem was that he did not bear fruit for his master. In the same way, those who claim to be disciples of Jesus, but do not bear fruit, will also be rejected by God. Jesus taught this time after time in the gospels.
In the parable of the Sower, the good soil represented the one "who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty" (Matthew 13:23). Remember, both the thorny and rocky ground also represented others who received God’s Word, but the good soil represents those who bear fruit. In Matthew 25:31-46, Jesus described the Judgment as a time when everyone will be divided "as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats" (Matthew 25:32). He tells the sheep, "Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me" (Matthew 25:24-36). Notice how there is not one word said in the context concerning whether they believed in Jesus or not. We know a person must believe in Jesus to be saved from other passages, but Jesus is teaching in Matthew 25 that it takes more than belief only! Why are those who are rejected lost? Jesus continued teaching by saying, "Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ’Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me" (Matthew 25:41-43). Notice again how the issue of their salvation was not determined simply by whether they believed or not. The issue that determined their eternal destiny in this passage is whether they were obedient to the Lord’s will!
In Luke 6:46-49, Jesus asked a simple question that is addressed to all who claim to be His disciples but are not obedient to His will. He asked, "Why do you call Me ’Lord, Lord,’ and do not do the things which I say?" This is a valid question to which we must all pay attention. Why do many call Jesus "Lord", yet refuse to make him the Lord of their lives? Are we going to follow the popular deception of the 20th Century and think these people who do not submit to the Lordship of Christ are going to be saved anyway because they have "made a profession of faith"? It does not matter how many denominational preachers teach that all you have to do is believe to be saved. It doesn’t make any difference how popular this doctrine may be or who believes it. Jesus still said, "He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him" (John 14:21). According to the standards taught by Jesus, are you a true disciple, or just a cheap imitation?
-------------------(<><><><>)-----------------------
