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What Is Essential for Salvation?

What Is Essential for Salvation?

Have you ever wondered what the essential elements are that make someone a child of God?

Is it:

  • Whether they profess Jesus as their Savior?
  • Whether they were baptized in the right way?
  • What day they attend worship services
  • How they dress?
  • Whether they are pro-life or pro-choice?
  • Whether they believe in the Trinity or reject the Trinity?
  • Whether they avoid alcohol and pork?

Consider each element:

  • Are there people who have professed Jesus as their Savior but who will ultimately be lost? According to Jesus, many of the unsaved will claim salvation in His name: “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ ” (Matthew 7:21–23 NIV84).
  • Will there be people in heaven who weren’t baptized in water? Consider the thief on the cross to whom Jesus promised salvation. The man died without water baptism, as did all those who were saved in Old Testament times.
  • Have there ever been people who observed the right day of worship yet had un-Christlike hearts? Those who crucified Christ wanted Him taken down from the cross before sunset so that the Sabbath wouldn’t be violated.
  • Have there ever been people who wore Christian clothing yet have done things Christ would never do? Some people have worn overtly religious garb—clothing designed to declare their devotion to God—and yet have molested and abused the innocent.
  • Can a person be pro-life yet act in a way Jesus never would? Some have professed Christianity yet have murdered abortion doctors or bombed abortion clinic. Is taking a political stance and advocating for a particular legislative policy a requirement for salvation?
  • Must we fully comprehend the nature of the Godhead to be saved? Many who burned people at the stake did so while believing in the Trinity.
  • Will we be lost because we ate things the Bible says we shouldn’t eat? David gave food meant only for priests to his soldiers, yet he will be in heaven. Pharisees who never touched pork plotted the murder of Jesus.

Doesn’t it seem that these particular elements can sometimes put us into a state of fear? What if I’m not doing it right? We become afraid of getting into legal trouble with God, of having an act of unforgiveable sin put onto our account, of losing eternal life. Yet when fear is the primary motivation for our behavior, what happens to us? We become insecure, which will result in conflict when other Christians practice their faith differently. We object, find fault, put down, and seek to prove wrong the “others.” As a result, Christianity falls into division, disagreement, and hostility.

But the Christianity that Jesus taught was one of unity, an experience in which divisions fade away and people enter into loving fellowship despite their differences. Jesus broke down dividing barriers: He spoke to women, touched lepers, ate with tax-collectors, and socialized with prostitutes; He visited Samaritans, defended and accepted the poor, and broke the Sabbath rules of the religious authorities so that He could do good works, like healing untouchables.

What was different about Jesus than the divisive Christianity we see today? Jesus loved perfectly, operating only upon God’s design protocols (laws) for life. He didn’t approach life with a rules-first perspective; rather, because He understood how life is built by God to operate—in a never-ending circle of selfless love—He served selflessly even those who were breaking the rules.

Jesus came to lead humanity back into harmony with God’s design for life, away from fear-based rule-keeping and toward love-first behavior. He understood that acts of sin deviate from God’s design—causing pain, suffering, and death—so He avoided behaviors, not religious rules, that would take Him out of harmony with God’s design. He often broke religious rules in order to bring others into harmony with God’s design.

Jesus knew behavioral modification could not save anyone, because mere rule-breaking isn’t the real problem. He knew that the problem sin caused was a heart that was selfish and fear-ridden—a condition of being outside of God’s design of love. Jesus knew that human beings need to be renewed, regenerated, recreated; we need to be reborn, to have our hearts of stone removed, to have hearts of flesh put in, to have our hearts circumcised by the Holy Spirit.

Jesus knew that we need to experience the truth of God’s love in order to win us back to trust in God, so that we will choose to open our hearts and experience the healing power of the Holy Spirit and then live that love in how we treat others.

Thus, the Bible teaches:

  • “Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law” (Romans 13:10 NIV84).
  • “If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself,’ you are doing right” (James 2:8 NIV84).
  • “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments” (Matthew 22:37–40).

Only by returning to the truth of our Creator God, who built life to operate upon the protocols of love, and rejecting the lie that God’s law works like human law, a system of imposed rules that require imposed penalties, will trust in God truly be restored. Then, when hearts open in trust to God, the Spirit will come in, and a miracle will happen: Fear will be replaced by love, selfishness will be expelled by selflessness, cruelty will be purged by kindness, shame and guilt will be eradicated by peace and contentment, callousness will give way to tenderness, rudeness will turn to kindness, impulsiveness will turn to patience, and divisions will evaporate as people renewed in love experience genuine unity of heart, of principle, of motive, of character—people who celebrate the richness of their diversity in culture, race, nationality, social status, education, and abilities.

What is the essential element that makes someone a child of God? To be renewed in heart to love like God loves and to live in harmony with how our Creator God has built His universe to operate. All of this is made possible only through our Savior Jesus Christ, who took our terminal condition upon Himself in order to overcome it, to eradicate it, and to restore the species human back to God’s ideal.

I invite you to reject the false human-law lie that has infected Christianity and made it appear that we are in legal trouble with God and that God is a cruel dictator who is required to punish rule-breaking. Instead, worship our Creator God who built His universe to operate on love and who understands that we are all struggling with a condition of heart and mind with which we were born, a condition that needs healing, not punishing, and who sent His Son to procure the remedy that will heal and restore all who trust Him.

I invite you to enter God’s universe of love!

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Testimony 24

I wanted to thank you very much for presenting your understanding of God. I’ve always been troubled by this question: Why did Jesus have to die? Since my conversion I understood that The Father & Jesus are one, I did not have issues with that. But was there not any other way to save us than for Jesus to die? I guess I actually had a question about God – if He is so wise, how come He did not find another way? I did not see the real ‘beauty’  in the cross. Only when you explained the picture in the medical context, Jesus providing medicine for my selfishness, have I started to finally ‘see the light’. Thank you so much. Your seminar, “Healing the Mind,” are absolutely marvelous & have shared them with my family and many other people, including colleagues at work. Thanks, thanks, thanks. May God bless you abundantly in your ministry.

M. W., Australia

 

Testimony 12

I have been really blessed reading your response to the various questions on your site.

K.C., OH, USA

 

Testimony 47

I can’t even begin to thank you and your ministry enough for introducing me to the Truth about a loving and merciful God! I have my daughter and her in-laws to thank for sharing with me “The God-Shaped Brain” as well as your website. I listen to the Bible study class lessons on my daily walk. May God continue to bless your thirst-quenching ministry!

Liz H., Port Angeles, WA, USA

 

 

Testimony 56

I cannot thank you enough for opening my understanding to the beautiful truth of God’s Law of Love and how it applies to everything. I have been a Christian for over forty years, but I feel like I am only now seeing with my eyes open. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!!

Tammy Cinzio, Australia

 

Testimony 39

[This ministry is the] biggest blessing I have ever received! Your DVDs and lessons could not have come at a better time in my life. I have experienced in the past year many difficulties that, if it wasn’t for this wonderful view of God that I have discovered through this ministry, I would not have been able to respond in love and forgiveness. My heart is being transformed everyday by the Calvary-looking God you teach. Hallelujah!! I have tears in my eyes as I write, because my life has taken a complete turn from where I was heading.

I am from Central America. Most of my family is scattered in different parts of the world and all have the same view of God that I had growing up; a distant, exacting, and ready-to-punish-us-with-tragedy type of God. So, I have been translating lessons for my family and, to my surprise, they have also been sharing them with others! I can already see the difference. My brother has often said, “Thank you for sharing, I have never heard it this way!” My other family members are taking an amazing turn from a message of “repent or burn” towards a loving God, pleading to us that we won’t reject him because he loves us eternally.

Bless you for all you do.

Sofia S., Ashfield, MA, USA

 

Testimony 45

I have been confused for years about what [christianity] calls [its] most disgusting teaching. It has never made much sense to me and for that reason has been evermore empty. I have listened to your class off and on and have struggled determining what is truth, because of the resistance design law encounters in the church. So, I thank God for your ministry. What you teach makes sense. It’s logical and backed up by the power of love. I have never seen that in Christ until now. I am astounded by the insight that is found when we look at God’s ministry through design law. All strength to this message, as I believe it to be the power of God.

Brendon S.

 

Testimony 71

When I was 9 years old, I remember setting at our devotional table with a hunger and thirst for God that wanted more, deeper, BETTER. I can remember literally crying and pounding on the table, “I know these teachers didn’t mean to give us error. They taught what THEY had been TAUGHT, but didn’t ANYBODY READ THE BOOK?!?!?” It mattered to me then. It mattered to me as a teenager. It matters now as I teach bible classes. It didn’t have to be so hard as I watched so many give up and lay God’s great plan and gift of salvation aside as being “impossible.” Then, a friend sent me a link to Come And Reason’s website. I grew excited. YES! FINALLY! Then another friend told me to stay away, saying her son had just broken up with a girl because she was involved with Come And Reason and that “Tim Jennings preaches a false gospel.” But, AFTER many years of developing an authentic and, dare I say FUN relationship with Jesus, through the Holy Spirit I see this message has been around a LONG time, since the apostle Paul, Ellen White, Graham Maxwell, Ray Foucher, and yourself (though I admit, you’ve made me back up, rewind and replay the clips, and get out my well-worn Bible on a few things.) I’m so thankful I have found LIGHT during these DARK days. I am not alone.

Vicki DiNitto

Testimony 31

It was very touching to hear the testimony of your class share how viewing God’s true character has changed their lives. My feelings are the same – there is so much freedom in knowing that God LOVES me – regardless of my… just, REGARDLESS! I’m still blown away by the true gospel, the fact that God is not ready to strike us when we fail. He is not arbitrary. He simply loves us and warns of the natural consequences because He can’t stand to see us suffer. I AM IN LOVE WITH THIS GOD!!!

Ceil V.,  UT, USA

 

Testimony 23

I would just like to add my voice to the many people who, I believe, must have contacted you to express their appreciation for the “Healing the Mind” DVDs. I’ve been listening to your Bible study class discussions for many years and I’ve been personally blessed by your research and teaching about the character of God.

L. G., Oakland, MI, USA

 

Testimony 34

I was introduced to Come and Reason Ministries by accident, via a passing comment made in a bible study class we were visiting. I checked this website out and my life was changed. The understanding of the truth of God’s character, and how we apply it, is so right. The tricky part is consistently applying which “lens” to look through. As I began to understand, I started sharing the basics of this understanding with a discussion group I was leading and, suddenly, a lot of things started to make sense that never used to. At the same time, I enjoyed an amazing opportunity. I was able to conduct a full bible study at WORK! What an amazing experience! It is such a joy to share the truth about God and to share how it all fits in the war between God and Satan. So many people benefit when we have a correct understanding about how God works and who He really is! Thank you for this transformational understanding. Keep up the good work! God Bless you!

Tony P., CA, USA

 

Testimony 14

We really appreciate your views on the judgment and they make good sense considering our free choice.

Anonymous

 

Testimony 49

I came into the church at 21, but that is as far as it went. I was so confused about what love is. I couldn’t find it in the bible, because I am not a person that can read between the lines. I have no logic. I have read many, many books; trying to figure out the crux of the matter. They were helpful, but something was still missing. I have become very frustrated to the point of crying out to God, “Where can I go?”  I needed some basics.

I found two books, written by Timothy Jennings, MD, to be very helpful. God showed me that I had lived my whole life in fear. I didn’t even see it. Now, I do. God is so good.  I discovered the “The Remedy”  Dr. Jennings new book, “The God-Shaped Heart!” Oh, I was so excited, I purchased them right away.

I can get rid of most of my books, because “The Remedy” brings the Love of God out so clearly, even I can’t miss it. Now, I want to sit and read my Bible. Wow, what a revelation! It is just simply Awesome! I am so grateful to Jehovah Almighty for hearing my prayer for more understanding! I am so encouraged!

Jackie S.

 

Testimony 27

Your teachings about our heavenly Father have changed my life. Thank you sooooooo very very much! I know He’s doing some serious healing in my heart and life and I look forward to each new day to learn something new about Him and to just hear you speak about Him. Thank you, forever.

Nancy S.

 

Testimony 36

Thank you and may God continue to bless you as you share with others the intricacies of how we are all “fearfully and wonderfully made”. I must share that you have opened a whole new world to me, and I have found tremendous healing through what you have shared in two of your books, “Could It Be This Simple?” and “The God Shaped Brain.” I praise God for what you shared, what I have learned, and how I have grown and healed! My prayer is that My Precious Jesus will be seen by others in the way I live, act, talk, etc. and they may be encouraged to know He is truly a GREAT God of LOVE, desiring that no one should perish! God Bless you in your continued endeavors to present Him as He really is!

Joleen H. GA, USA

 

Testimony 20

I just wanted to personally thank you for your teachings and insight into scripture. I came across your website via my cousin who suggested I look into “Healing the Mind” information. My youngest daughter has been struggling over the last couple of years and it all came to a head this spring. When I started listening to the “Healing the Mind” lectures my own life began to be transformed. I began sharing with all my daughters the concepts you laid out so clearly. I ordered your book and soaked it up. I just want to say “Thank You!” My walk with the Lord has been refreshed and renewed. Your obedience to the Lord is a blessing to so many.

R. K., Anderson, SC, USA