The Holy Bible contains all the truth necessary for salvation.

This doctrine is straightforward if we accept the Bible as the inspired word of God . Then we merely need to look to the Bible itself to see if it is sufficient for our salvation. If you haven't done so already, you may want to read the previous study about whether or not the Bible is the inspired word of God. Otherwise, only two scriptural passages need to be quoted and explained.

 

• 1 Corinthians 2:1-2 "And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God. [2] For I determined not to know anything among you, except Jesus Christ, and him crucified."
  (This is the essence of all truth that is necessary for salvation. The church at Corinth was very immature, so Paul fed them with "milk" of doctrine, rather than more advanced things that have to do with their Christian behavior, their Christian work, things pertaining to spiritual wisdom, the exercise of Godly love, dealing with sin, growing, evangelizing, and all the other things contained in the message that Jesus left us.
  Paul stuck to the most important doctrine: that "God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son, that whoever will believe in him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:16).
  This basic truth would be approached by teaching repentance from dead works, faith toward God, the doctrines of baptisms, of the laying on of hands, of the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. See the following.)
• Hebrews 6:1-2 "Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, [2] and of the doctrine of baptisms, and of the laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal life."
  (These are the basics. If someone were to hear this message, and respond to it, accepting that Jesus Christ is their personal savior, and burying their old self with him to live a new life in the Spirit, accepting the gift of the Holy Spirit, they would have enough for salvation.
  If they would die on the spot after accepting Christ as Savior, they would be given eternal life with him in paradise. This is true even if they can not follow through with baptism and the laying on of hands and the learning of doctrine followed by years of service to the Lord. The thief on the cross beside our Lord was given this same assurance. We don't know all that transpired between him and Jesus as they hung there on their adjacent crosses, but it was enough to result in the conversion of the thief. Like the Corinthians above, all he knew was "Christ, and him crucified."
  All else that is spoken of in the Bible pertains to the Christian life. It is about allowing Christ to live in and through us, as we become the vessels of his great love. Other Biblical teachings also serve to help settle and explain the difficult issues, dispel the occassional doubts, and answer the questions that arise because of the imperfect and sinful flesh warring against the Holy Spirit that dwells in each Christian.
  Much of the Bible is for equiping the saints to be effective evangelists and a light in the sin-darkened world, as well as overcoming personal sin.
  Some would disagree, and insist that there is a lot more to it than this. Some believe that salvation is based, to one degree or another, on works, or obedience to ritual requirements, or on something in addition to this. Even I will admit that the above study is a simplified explanation of the facts. But I will insist that it is all that we must know in order to be saved.
  There is much, much more to be discussed about certain aspects of this subject, including whether or not we have complete freedom of will to accept or reject God's offer of salvation, or whether one can choose to forfeit salvation once God has offered it. It is my belief that it is not even necessary that we know the answers to these things in order to receive eternal life.
  You will glean much about my beliefs concerning these and other issues as you read more of my writings. But for now, for those who disagree with what I have written here, I will just say that I accept all Christians, even those who disagree with me, as brothers and sisters in Christ, as I hope they will also accept me as theirs.)

(Please click on any of the highlighted boxes ( ) below to go to the in-depth study of each statement.)

Different translations of the Bible, and various interpretations of scripture and doctrine, may contain errors, but in all major translations the errors are not a barrier to salvation.
Salvation is by grace, a gift from God.
Christian works are the acts of Jesus dwelling in us.
Jesus lives in the members of the church, and the church is his body in this age.
Everyone sins and breaks the spiritual law, even Christians.
To love God and to love our neighbor is the fulfillment of all spiritual law.
God's forgiveness is ongoing and limitless, and available to all who truly accept Jesus Christ as their personal savior.
God will never leave us, nor forsake us.

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