Being "saved" means:
Hearing and believing the Good News
that
Jesus is available with His kingdom (His way of governing)
and it is now possible for anyone who
wishes
to come to Him and trust Him,
and learn His redemptive (rescuing and transforming) presence
in all that we perceive, experience,
feel, know and do.
"Faith" is the genuine
confidence that
He is the One who is completely in
charge.
Becoming and remaining a disciple (apprentice) to Jesus
is the only sane response to that
message.
Are we proclaiming (or hearing) a Gospel
that has a natural tendency to produce
disciples (apprentices) to Jesus?
Or do we proclaim (or hear) a Gospel
that merely generates consumers of
religious goods and services? -
-A "gospel" of mere
forgiveness,
-of merely being "a good person" or "loving yourself,"
-of mere family or group loyalty,
-of mere community service,
-of mere social or political activism,
-of changing America
does not produce disciples.
The Gospel of the Kingdom (summarized by Dallas Willard, with some additions (in red) for greater clarity - and which are faithful to what DW himself taught.)
Labels: christian church, Christian Faith, Dallas Willard, Salvation, The Kingdom of God