The Fall Of Man And The Nine False Approaches To Salvation

 

Why are we unacceptable to God?

Is there any way to have a relationship with God?

Humans can never live up to God’s essence because of sin, which is violation of any of the commands of scripture. (Rom. 3:23). 

In the Garden of Eden, Adam committed the first human sin by consuming the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. This was a volitional challenge of the one negative mandate given to the first humans. Adam’s first sin of disobedience resulted in his acquiring a sin nature. The sin nature is the center of man’s rebellion toward God. The source of temptation, lust, and human good and evil, but it is not the source of sin. Volition (choice) is the source of sin. 

At birth, Adam’s original nature is imputed to the genetically formed sin nature in each person so that we are born physically alive but spiritually dead under condemnation from the justice of God. We are condemned not because of our personal sins, but because of Adam’s original sin.

The virgin pregnancy of Mary was caused by God the Holy Spirit providing twenty-three perfect chromosomes to fertilize Mary’s ovum of twenty-three perfect chromosomes, uncontaminated by the sin nature. Consequently, there was no genetically formed sin nature passed down through the male and no imputation of Adam’s original sin. Sin is in the D.N.A. and passed on by the male in procreation (Rom. 6:6; 7:5) 

If it is true that there is nothing that WE can do to live up to God’s standards in and of ourselves (and it is…), then the ONLY chance we have for a relationship with the God of this universe is through faith alone in the work of one who is both true humanity and undiminished deity in one person forever. That one being is, of course, Jesus Christ.

 

Nine False Approaches To Salvation 

1) Verbal: Saved in a manner that you believe in Christ plus public repentance of sins that you MUST feel sorry for.

Repent is translated from the Greek metaknoweto, which means to change one’s mind. 1 John 1:9 is the way a believer changes their mind. It is not necessary to feel sorry for your sins upon confession to God alone. The act of confession is just an acknowledgement of a change of mind in the believer. 

2) Commitment Salvation: (Making a “commitment to Christ”) Believe in Christ plus works in Church. 

3) Lordship Salvation: (If Christ is not Lord of all, He is not Lord at all.) The fact is, the Lord is Lord whether one believes it or not. An unbeliever is incapable of “making the Lord, Lord” because of no fellowship without salvation by faith alone in Christ alone.

4) Ritual Salvation: This is belief in Christ plus baptism, circumcision, or participating in the Eucharist. 

5) Morality: Saved, and then losing salvation when sin is committed. Otherwise known as keeping the Law. (Rom. 3:20) 

6) Salvation by emotion: This is where you must feel saved. Any emotionalism or such things as speaking in tongues as “proof” of salvation is not mandated by scripture and is not required for salvation. 

7) Salvation by church membership.

 Salvation by psychological works (raised hands, if your saved, or having salvation confirmed by walking down the aisle at a church.) 

9) Reverse Invitation”: This is “inviting Christ into your life/heart”. 

Salvation is a GIFT given by God for all those who accept it through faith alone in Christ alone. That’s it. Nothing else will do it. All of these other ideas suppose that there is something more than the work of Christ on the cross that people can do, some way to “earn” salvation. It is nonsense, fuzzy Gospel, and any works that are added to faith alone in Christ alone cancel out the faith and, horrifically, there is a real risk that people who have done these things for their salvation ARE NOT REALLY SAVED. 

Faith alone in Christ alone is the ONLY means of accepting the grace gift of salvation. (John 3:15-16,18; John 6:47; John 20:31; Acts 16:31; Eph. 2:8-9, and many, many others.)