The Content of Faith

What Must We Believe? Part 1

The gospel of Christ teaches salvation by faith, but what must we believe: God, Jesus, the Bible, the gospel, resurrection, eternal rewards, worship, the church, obedience, baptism, etc.?
The gospel of Christ teaches we are saved by faith. But what must that faith include? Is it enough to believe in just any "god" or even many gods? Must we believe in Jesus, and if so what must we believe about Him? Must we believe the Bible, the gospel, or other specific teachings such as the resurrection, eternal rewards, worship, the church, obedience, baptism, etc.? Will all believers be saved, or does it matter what we believe?

Many Scriptures teach that we are saved by faith.

But does it follow, just because a person claims to have “faith,” that he will be saved? Is it possible to have a faith that does not save?

[Hebrews 10:39; 11:1,4-8,17,30; Romans 1:16; 4:19-21; 5:1,2; 10:9,10,13-17; Galatians 5:6; 2 Corinthians 5:7; James 2:14-26; John 1:12; 3:15-18; 8:24; 20:30,31; Mark 16:15,16]

There are different kinds of faith.

Many people think they are saved because they “believe,” with little restrictions on what they believe. This is especially confusing with those who claim we are saved by “faith alone.”

* Some think its enough to “believe in god”: some concept of a Supreme Being or some “force” that operates the universe.

* Others claim Hindus and Buddhists will be saved because they “believe in god”: many gods, worshiped by images, etc.

* Others claim Jews and Muslims will be saved because “they believe in the same God you do.”

* Many liberal, modernists don’t believe in Jesus' miracles or Deity or resurrection, yet claim they “believe in Jesus”: He existed and was a great teacher, maybe even a prophet.

* Many denominationalists disbelieve much of what Jesus taught yet think they will be saved because they believe Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, who died to save them from their sins.