There are three common beliefs about salvation held by people who are not Christians:

“I’m fine, why do I need to be saved?”

“I’m not fine, what must I do to be saved?”

“I’m dead. Save me.”

The first group is probably the most common. They say: Life is life; it is what it is. I’m mostly OK. I can handle it. I work out, read self-help books, practice positive thinking. Or  they say, I’m a spiritual person, I meditate, I follow this creed or that guru. Or they say, there’s nothing a little wine or weed won’t cure. I’m fine. I call them clueless pagans.

The second group is also common. They say: Life is tough and I know I have to do better. I need to change, lose weight, stop drinking, behave myself. I need to start walking, read better books, work harder and maybe I will be accepted and everything will be alright. Give me ten steps to please God, then I’ll be OK. I call them unhappy pagans.

The third group is smaller. They say: My life is a disaster. No matter how hard I try, nothing seems to fix this ache inside. I’ve reached bottom. Or, they say, I have everything and it’s still not enough. Nothing satisfies. Something is wrong, something is missing. My guilt won’t go away. I call them ripe pagans, ready for harvest.

Each of these people need to hear the gospel. In the hearing of it they will become convinced of three things:

First, they are under judgement for their sins, and therefore without hope.

Second, there is no way for them to fix it themselves, nothing they may attempt can save them.

Third, God has provided in Jesus, the forgiveness they need. Jesus has done everything necessary to make them alive and reconciled to God.

In the following scripture, a Jewish lawyer engages in a very pagan-like argument with Jesus.

Luke 10:25-29  And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” And he said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.”

But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

Now let be clear, the Lawyer is not just curious. He’s trying to trip Jesus up; trying to catch him in some error. He wants to say, “Aha! Gotcha!” 

Jesus doesn’t bite. He instead asks his own question, “What does the law say?” And adds his own trap, “How do you read it?”

Our men’s group studied a book titled “Tactics” by Gregory Koukl. In it we learned to use questions like “What do you mean by that?” when confronted with a pagan belief. Instead of piling on with facts, we try to get our pagan friend to confront his own belief, then help him discover the fallacy in it. This Lawyer, even though he’s a Jew, had beliefs that were just like the pagans; he believed in salvation by works.

So the Lawyer, who’s got a head full of legal knowledge, gives a classic summary of the law, direct from scripture. And Jesus says, “Yep, you’re right.” Then the Lawyer does what all lawyers do, he looks for the loophole. “Define neighbor.” He thinks because he knows the law that he has fulfilled the law. But he’s really looking for a little wiggle room.

This is the “I’m a good person.” objection most pagans raise when confronted with sin and judgement. They don’t need to be saved ‘cause they’re not that bad. They can name ten people who are much worse than they are. “Come on, tell me, who is my neighbor?”

So Jesus lets him have it with this parable. A man gets beaten and robbed and he’s left for dead. Two religious guys, a priest and a Levite both see him and quickly invoke the law of uncleanliness to justify doing nothing. Under the law, they couldn’t risk touching what might have been a dead body, or coming in contact with blood. So they left him there on the road. Then a despised Samaritan comes along and goes all out to save a life. He applies first century first aid, and takes the man to safety. He pays for his care. He saved the man’s life. Then Jesus says, “Do that and live.” Now the Lawyer’s dilemma is this: How do I keep the laws of cleanliness and be a good neighbor at the same time? It can’t be done.

Now please don’t miss the lesson here. We all greatly admire the virtue of the good Samaritan, but Jesus is not saying that if we’re like him we’ll be saved. Jesus tells this parable to this Lawyer to prove that he cannot be saved by following the law or by following any set of rules or patterns of behavior.. No one; not the Lawyer, not the Priest, not the Levite, not the Samaritan, not you, not me, can be saved by keeping the law. “I’m a good person.” is not sufficient.

Rules and rituals have a way of undermining believers as well. Paul wrote his letter to the church at Colassae to counteract the effects of teachers who came in to add rules to the faith, rules that were confusing the Christians there. The problem was coming from people inside the church who were adding to the gospel plausible sounding rules and prohibitions. They were advocating a return to Jewish observances and certain ascetic behaviors, certain abstinences, and ancient philosophies. In other words, they were adding to the gospel of salvation by grace alone, through faith alone. in Christ alone. But Jesus plus anything is not the gospel.

So Paul writes in Colossians 1:9-14: And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Paul makes the case for the perfection of God’s plan of salvation. He prays for their spiritual health, knowledge and wisdom that will lead to a fruitful Christian life. Paul is speaking here to all Christians. In this scripture we have the assurance that it is God who qualifies us for this new life; it is God who has transferred us to the kingdom of His Son; it is God who has redeemed us, who has forgiven us through the life death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus.

So now we do not labor for that which we already possess. Instead, using the gift, and bearing fruit, we Christians give evidence of our salvation. We fulfill the purpose of salvation. Our fruitful labors do not save, but they demonstrate our faith and our gratitude for all that Christ has already done on our behalf. We are no longer clueless pagans. Everything we now do in faith and in the name of Jesus bears fruit even when we don’t see it.

Put away your doubts. It is God who saves. Live in the freedom to love God and your neighbor fully and lavishly. Let the Spirit in you bear fruit; to the glory of God who alone has saved us in Christ Jesus.

Be at peace. Let no one lead you astray. Jesus plus anything is not the gospel. Jesus is all sufficient. Be at Peace.