Can you really get to heaven without works????

[Mick116]

Hi Mick116.

I'm not quite sure what you mean.

I'm saying it's not necessary to know the ins and outs of how people practiced Christianity at church almost 2000 years ago...(or ever for that matter)...to know how to recieve our salvation. Neither the Early church...nor the medieval church...nor most modern churches have it "right" so to speak when it comes to being the only way to recieve salvation.

And it's not necessary to have a bible for salvation (if that's what you mean). Tons of people around the world who don't have acces to Bibles or even churches (due to oppression/lack of resources/etc...) have been saved simply becasue they accepted in their hearts what they heard when told about Jesus Christ.

After any person has done that...then going to church, reading the Bible, etc...are all just bonuses that can get us closer to God.

We don't need to look at the Bible as some sort of "10 steps to get to Heaven" manual...or the Early Church (or any church) as a "How to get to Heaven" school...because there are no set rules for how to get to Heaven.

All there is, is the answering of that loving knock you get on the door of your heart, after having realized you really want what's on the other side...that's it. (And what's on the other side is the gift of salvation).

...kinda makes you feel undeserving of it doesn't?


Blessings to you.

Hi,
well, it would seem we are in complete agreement.

Understanding the Bible isn't necessary to attain salvation. But it's good and helpful.

Understanding the "early church" (practices and all) isn't necessary to attain salvation either. But it's good and helpful.

The value that I, personally, see in understanding the early, post-apostolic Church is simply this: such Christians are likely able to shed some light on those "unwritten traditions" cited by the apostles (e.g. "hold to the traditions you were taught, whether by word or deed" (2Th 2:15)); the second generation of believers (such men as Polycarp, Ignatius and Clement of Rome) would have had the apostles' oral teaching still ringing in their ears, so to speak. There is likely much we can learn from them.

Of course a Christian need not understand the early Church, or the Bible for that matter... but it is handy for those amongst us called to be teachers of the faithful.

Peace and blessings to you, too.

 

[holo]

Only as much as our salvation depends on (so-called) "scholarly" knowledge of the Bible. Do you really think the Bible is irrelevant to salvation, just because it is the history and theology of people that lived at least 2000 years ago?

The bible may play a part in a person's conversion, just like church or Billy Graham or an LSD trip.

The gospel is God's power to salvation, and there are about as many ways to hear the gospel as there are people.

 

[ticker]

There is likely much we can learn from them.

Oh totally.

I still don't know much about particular teachings, but as far as practices go, I'm set on doing fasting next Easter, for example, thanks to an Orthodox here who told me more about it and got me onto it (...not even that it's strictly Orthdox or anything).....and I'm totally looking forward to experiencing the spiritual results from it... much like the results I get when I take Sabbath...or do communion.

There just a comes a time when I get drawn to these different things...and it's great. But if you feel for whatever reason that you have to be doing these things now that you're a Christian, then that's no good.


God bless.