Years ago I wrote about the seven conditions of salvation. I wrote six. Why? Because as this website was originally intended for a primarily Christian audience, I assumed the readers would know the seventh condition, which is the most important: Faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
Now, however, this website has grown and is getting a good number of views, some from a wider audience that may include non-christians. As a result, I saw it essential to clarify the most important and critical foundation of eternal salvation, which is faith in God, and in Jesus Christ, His Son.
Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:6).
This statement by itself is enough to be clear, but there are many other verses. At a later time I will expand this article.
Modern Christianity has forgotten many core tenets of Christianity, so that many self-proclaimed Christians are hypocrites, and headed to hell. This site was born out of the fallacy that any attempt to do God’s will which is necessary for salvation is a “works-based” salvation – which is untrue, as the Bible so clearly teaches.
That said, even though there are prerequisites for salvation, you could do all of those and live a perfect life, yet still go to hell, if you do not have your foundation in Jesus Christ, the “author and perfecter of our salvation” (Hebrews 12:2). For by the blood of Jesus we are healed (Isaiah 53:3 & 1 Peter 2:24), and without the blood of Jesus, there is “no remission of sins” (Hebrews 9:22). You cannot be forgiven without the blood of Jesus Christ, no matter how “good” you are.
But, just saying some words at a church alter one day will not save you. The Bible requires critical obedience to God, which if not done, will cause you to lose the race, as Paul suggested when he said, “run the race as if to win” (1 Corinthians 9:24). If you do not forgive others, for example, then God will not forgive your sins either (Matthew 6:15).
Therefore, the first and most important condition of salvation is faith in Jesus Christ as the Son of God, who lived a perfect life, died for our sins, and rose from the dead on the third day, so that we might have a chance to receive salvation from hell, which every one of us was destined to go, if not for the opportunity given to us by the blood shed on the cross by Jesus Christ, who gave his life for us.
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)
Yet, how can you say you believe, if you do not evidence your belief by your actions? This is why James said several times that “faith without works is dead” (James 2:26), and “Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only” (James 2:24).
By the very words of Christ, and throughout the Bible, both new and old testaments, the Bible is clear that “the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God” (1 Corinthians 6:9), even if they said some words once during a sinner’s prayer at an alter call during church or a revival meeting.
Yet, even if one is perfect from this moment forward, no amount of good could save you, because you are lost without the blood of Christ to save you from your sins. And “all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).
So, the foundational, and most important condition of salvation from hell, is faith in Christ – but faith is not mere belief, because faith without works is dead; faith includes a life change and a daily “crucifying” of the flesh, such as in Galatians 5:24, “And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.”