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I’ve studied the scriptures for the better part of the last 16 years, not for my own knowledge, but because I knew my loved ones needed to know some things and I wanted to take on the responsibility of making sure they learned what they needed to know. I am now 46.
What I learned is that I was lost. Then one evening September 2011 as I was driving down a back country highway alone, in prayer because I knew I was lost and without hope, condemned because I am a sinner, I trusted in the Lord Christ Jesus as my Savior.
In my 46 years, I’ve learned many doctrines which seem Christian in nature, some true and some false.
But how do you determine the truthfulness of a doctrine?
For example…
Acts 16:31, And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.
The well-established doctrine teaches using this verse that the moment someone trusts in Christ as their Savior, that Christ saves them that moment.
But this verse makes no such declaration. It only shows that “thou shalt be saved”, in other words, salvation will come to pass. It doesn’t say when.
Someone might argue…
Ephesians 1:13, In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
…that the sealing which takes place after someone trusts in Christ equates to salvation.
But is that true?
Paul writes to the saved Colossians…
Colossians 3:1, If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.
Colossians 3:2, Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.
Colossians 3:3, For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.
The life we live in the flesh is not hidden. We can see it and so can others. Therefore, the LIFE of a saved man isn’t seen in this life, but hidden.
Colossians 3 states that this life is dead.
With that being said, if we backtrack to Acts 16:31…
Acts 16:31, And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.
And follow with…
Acts 16:32, And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house.
We can read that verse 31 isn’t “the word of the Lord” that Paul preached. He didn’t preach it until verse 32.
That being said, since verse 31 isn’t the promise of God regarding salvation as being “the word of the Lord”, then the word of the Lord would have to have another promise of salvation, one that isn’t written in Acts 16, but in another account of a sermon by Paul.
Would you like to talk about it?
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