I\u2019ve noticed a recent and disturbing trend in the modern church to act like people are saved by their good doctrine. This is far from the case. I wrote the following study to help combat that sort of thinking.<\/p>\n
Matthew 8:29
\nMark 1:24
\nMark 3:11
\nMark 5:7
\nLuke 7:34
\nLuke 4:41
\nAnd of course James 2:29
\nEtc.<\/p>\n
What I hope you\u2019ll notice from these passages is that demons have really impeccable theology. You were of course already intimately familiar with the earlier part of 7 where Satan himself reveals to have memorized scripture.<\/p>\n
Now compare that with the disciples.<\/p>\n
Matthew 17:4
\nLuke 8:45
\nMatthew 16:22 (also in Mark 8)
\nGalatians 2:11
\nMark 10:35-37 (Note that he\u2019s \u201cteacher\u201d, in that passage. Not \u201cson of God\u201d like the demons, not even \u201cgood teacher\u201d like the rich young ruler. Not also Jesus\u2019 reply \u201cyeah you want to obey me, sure, sure, what do you want?\u201d and of course their final desire.)<\/p>\n
And my personal favorite: Matthew 16:6-7
\nSeriously guys? Jesus just fed a huge crowd of people miraculously, YOU passed out the bread! How do you think he has a problem with you now because he got hungry and suddenly he can\u2019t take care of that. I mean Really?<\/p>\n
But consistently, the disciples of Jesus demonstrate to us that they just don\u2019t get it. They missed the point, they\u2019re confused, they\u2019re not sure who Jesus is exactly. The scriptures go to great length to communicate this \u201closerness\u201d to us. At the transfiguration we learn that \u201cthe disciples were very sleepy\u201d In the garden at Gethsemane they actually fall asleep when they should be praying. John, when recording the story of the resurrection, sees fit to inform us that Jesus Christ is raised, and death has been defeated, and the world will never be the same, and also that he\u2019s the faster runner!!! (John 20:4)<\/p>\n
Peter finally figures out who Jesus is \u201cthe Christ, of God\u201d (Luke 9:20) but his revelation comes in a lackluster way. Not only because he completely fails to affirm the divinity of Christ \u201cThe Christ, Who is also God in the flesh\u201d but also because immediately afterward (as we learn in parallel passages) he brazenly asserts that Jesus will never be crucified! leading to the famous \u201cget behind me Satan\u201d quote I offered above.
\nNow do this one on your own.<\/p>\n
How many times does Jesus affirm the faith of children? Of Samaritans? Of thieves? Of people who have no idea how or what or who this Jesus character is but they\u2019re sure they want a piece?<\/p>\n
Jesus.<\/p>\n
Jesus is who saves us.<\/p>\n
Not what we do, not what we know, not the information we have about Jesus. Jesus isn\u2019t what saves us, Jesus is who saves us, and he does it by grace, alone through faith alone.<\/p>\n
Amen.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I\u2019ve noticed a recent and disturbing trend in the modern church to act like people are saved by their good doctrine. This is far from the case. I wrote the following study to help combat that sort of thinking. Matthew 8:29 Mark 1:24 Mark 3:11 Mark 5:7 Luke 7:34 Luke 4:41 And of course James…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":391,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30,279],"tags":[148,234,495],"class_list":["post-113","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-ace-posts","category-bible-study","tag-faith","tag-salvation","tag-thinking"],"yoast_head":"\n