If you’ve ever preached the gospel of salvation to people, I believe you’ve encountered some who might say the following: “It doesn’t matter what religion you follow, or what you believe, your faith is what will save you. Just believing that God exists is enough; the other details are not that important.”
They might even say that someone who worships through a tree or an animal, or uses a rosary, God listens to them too, as long as they have faith. In their view, the key is faith, not anything else.
There is some truth in this; faith is indeed the bridge to God, as the Scriptures state:
Hebrews 11:6 (NIV): “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”
However, what they fail to understand is that faith, if it is not founded on the right foundation, cannot lead anywhere. What I mean by this is that faith with no clear basis or proper foundation cannot lead to salvation. Simply believing that God exists is not enough. Even demons believe that, and if you ask them, they will tell you, “Yes, we believe in God, and He helps us.” The demons themselves will admit they believe in God and even tremble at His name:
James 2:19 (NIV): “You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.”
So, if you say, “I believe in God, and I fear Him,” know that you’re no different from demons. If you think that such a faith will get you to heaven, you should know that demons will get there first and you’ll follow after them.
Jesus clearly stated in John 14:6:
“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
This means that no faith can save you, except the faith that believes in Jesus Christ. Without faith in Jesus Christ, salvation is impossible. It’s like saying, “I have a phone with good service and enough credit to call you whenever I need to,” yet if you don’t have my phone number, you will never be able to contact me. It doesn’t matter how good your phone is or how many numbers you have in your contacts; without my number, you will never reach me.
Today, people try to reach God in various ways of their own invention. Some use their religion, others their denomination, some try to connect through animals, trees, idols, the sun, the moon, etc., claiming they are seeking the same God. When you tell them that their religion or denomination won’t save them, they argue, “Don’t mislead us. It’s our faith that will save us.”
Brother, sister, if you don’t believe in Jesus Christ, you will not reach anywhere. Believing in Jesus is not merely saying, “I’m a Christian,” or “I believe in Jesus,” but rather it involves sincere repentance of your sins and a commitment to turn away from them. Secondly, it requires being baptized by immersion in water in His name, as commanded in Acts 2:38 (NIV):
“Peter replied, ‘Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.'”
Then, after baptism, you must receive the Holy Spirit and begin living a holy life that aligns with His Word (the Bible). Only through this process does your faith become complete. At that point, you can be sure that you are truly worshiping God through His Son, Jesus Christ.
But merely saying, “I believe in God; my faith will save me,” while not knowing what God expects of you through His Word, or not doing what He asks, means that you are lost. If you die today, you will go to hell. Likewise, if you take pride in your denomination and refuse to seek Christ, the only way, then hell will also be your destiny. There are no invented ways to reach God. It’s mandatory to believe in Jesus and have your sins washed away by Him.
Maranatha.