What are the conditions for salvation?

[fhansen]

Belief in Jesus gets the person back to God, nothing else is required. Not baptism, not repentance, not confession, not obedience, not saying a prayer, not loving God, etc....

Belief in God the Son brings man into His family. We're forgiven, washed, cleansed, and made new creations. We're now able to walk in God's ways by the power of the Spirit. We're changed even though we'll still struggle against sin. Baptism, the "sacrament of faith" as its been called, is the mark of that change if we're to hold true to Scripture and to the historic understanding that the ancient churches all received and practiced from the beginning and that the fathers virtually unanimously attest to. No need to mess with what God has established even though it's understood that He can certainly forgo such commands due to a persons ignorance of it or inability to partake of it. Either way, justification and the salvation that results is a free gift.

...Now once back to God by belief in Jesus, the now born again child of God needs actions pleasing to God to have and stay in a right relationship (child to Father) with God (Jesus,Father,Holy Spirit).

Yes, they must be and act as children of God should-and now can.

...If the believers actions go worldly the believer gets out of harmony with God (their Father) and may end up looking more like an unbeliever than a believer. Depends on how far away from a relationship with God they stray. They may even identify as an unbeliever, even an atheist.

Yes

...But in God's eyes they never stop being a child, so God may discipline this straying child, God may even take their earthly life. Ending their chance at gaining any more eternal rewards and they may suffer loss at the believers judgment for rewards at the Bema Seat Judgment (The judgment seat of Christ) of believers.

No. Eternal rewards mean little compared to eternal life. If they persistently stray far enough they've rejected the free gift, mocked God and trampled on His love. They're not walking as His children would, not living by the Spirit, they're failing to love. They've left the fold and are no different from heathens. God isn't interested in some pretend righteousness. He gives us the real thing and expects the real thing in return. That's why, for example, Jesus tells us in Matt 6:14-15 after giving the Lord's Prayer:
"For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive yours."

Anyway, we have to read the whole bible if we want to know the conditions for salvation. There are sins that lead to death, for one thing:

"So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God." Gal 5:16-21

“Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city. Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood." Rev 22:14-15

 

[fhansen]

t would be a good idea to have everything you know about Salvation boiled down to God's most important thought. That being clear, concise and no more than is required.

Agreed. Without participating in, sharing, and expressing the love that He's shown and given us, we won't be seeing Him in the next life. Simple. Faith is the beginning, the foundation of that, not the end.

 

[Ceallaigh]

We need perseverance to remain in Him.

So we stay in Him though our own strength?

 

[fhansen]

So we stay in Him though our own strength?

We can certainly leave by our own strength-or weakness- so we play a part in that we can say "no", by our actions, regardless of what we may profess. That's why He instructs us to remain in Him in John 15, not to mention other such exhortations and warnings throughout the bible. Again, the will of man remains involved throughout, according to God's wisdom and will for us.

 

[Ceallaigh]

Agreed. Without participating in, sharing, and expressing the love that He's shown and given us, we won't be seeing Him in the next life. Simple.

Actually I think if I was new to this, I'd be having difficulty grasping that.

 

[Ceallaigh]

We can certainly leave by our own strength-or weakness- so we play a part in that we can say "no", by our actions, regardless of what we may profess. That's why He instructs us to remain in Him in John 15, not to mention other such exhortations and warnings throughout the bible. Again, the will of man remains involved throughout, according to God's wisdom and will for us.

It sounds like in your first sentence you're saying salvation is based purely on how well we perform.

 

[fhansen]

It sounds like in your first sentence you're saying salvation is based purely on how well we perform.

No, God gives us the ability to perform well, rightly. But we're the wildcard; we can refuse at any time-just as we can walk away from any relationship in this life. God wants to impart and draw out integrity in us. How we live our lives will impact our eternal destines. To put it another way, grace can be resisted by man.

It's not either/or, but both/and: man in partnership with God. God covets our willing participation in His work, no matter how weak at first, for our good, And our conviction grows and is strengthened along with our faith, hope, and love as we "exercise" those virtues which define righteousness for man.

The Parable of the Talents sheds light on all this, as well as Luke 12:48

 

[fhansen]

Actually I think if I was new to this, I'd be having difficulty grasping that.

However one defines the conditions they must be explained. But, 'we love Him because He first loved us' is pretty straightforward. Love is the goal, and the requirement. Faith without works is dead because faith without love is dead.

 

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