What Precisely Must One Believe About Jesus?
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temporarily parted them. When Harper drifted back to the man he asked again,
Are you saved yet? No, but I`d like to be the man said a second time. Again
came the simple reply, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved.
Harper drowned a few minutes later. That man was Harper`s last convert.
For as he meditated on the Scripture Harper had quoted, that man believed. He
knew he was saved eternally simply by believing in the Lord Jesus Christ. That
man was rescued that night by another ship in the area. He later told audiences in
America that he was Harper`s last convert.
John Harper shared enough for someone to believe and be born again. Do
we?
OBJECTIONS TO THIS VIEW
John's Gospel Doesn't Tell People in This Age
What They Must Do to Have Eternal Life
Many theologians point to progressive revelation and say that the content of
saving faith changed after Jesus` death on the cross and His subsequent
resurrection. In this view when God gave more revelation, the minimum content of
saving faith expanded.
But progressive revelation does not mean that the four Gospels are Old
Testament books. While the Gospels all talk about the time immediately preceding
the birth of the church, they are rightly part of the New Testament canon because
they were all written after Pentecost to people in this age.
recognition of all that is sin, belief in Jesus` ascension and session at the right hand of God, etc. His point here is that
Jesus Himself, not the cross per se, if to be the object of our faith.