What I believe you need to believe in order to go to Heaven
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Repentance toward God and Faith in Jesus Christ. Many have done this and were saved, born again, and learned about the meaning of the cross afterwards. I was one of them.
You don't have to be a theologian to have faith in Jesus Christ. You don't have to understand the death, burial and resurrection first.
Many have been saved before they understood the theological concepts behind the just justice of God in sending His Son to be the sacrifice for sin. Many have been saved by crying out to Jesus and believing that He can forgive them of their sins even thought they did not understand how the cross made it possible. They learned that later. Happens everyday.
You don't have to be a theologian to have faith in Jesus Christ. You don't have to understand the death, burial and resurrection first.
Many have been saved before they understood the theological concepts behind the just justice of God in sending His Son to be the sacrifice for sin. Many have been saved by crying out to Jesus and believing that He can forgive them of their sins even thought they did not understand how the cross made it possible. They learned that later. Happens everyday.
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But what does it mean to "believe on Jesus"? What is it about Jesus that we must believe? That is the question that needs to be unpacked. And that is where theology matters. That does not necessarily mean that we are required to understand every theological nuance, but there are indeed basic tenants to the faith.
For example, there are frequently questions around whether one needs to believe in the divinity of Jesus in order to be saved. Are individuals required to understand every theological nuance regarding the divinity of Jesus? Maybe, or maybe not (depending on more detailed specifics).
The apostle Paul says, “that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation” (Romans 10:9–10). But then continues on in vv. 11–13 to further explain that what is said in vv. 9–10 finds its fulfillment in the OT—“For the Scripture says, ‘Whoever believes in Him will not be put to shame.’ For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; for ‘EVERYONE WHO CALLS ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED.’”
Keep in mind that κύριος (Lord) is commonly used for Jesus throughout the NT, and is here so the case in the “Jesus as Lord” motif (v. 9). But this term is also the epithet in which the LXX (and by extension, the NT) uses in substitution of the divine name, YHWH. That does not mean that each time κύριος is used that it is speaking of YHWH—it does not. But that when the NT authors cite OT-YHWH texts, they utilize κύριος in place of the divine name. And it is in many of these occurrences that Paul utilizes these precise texts when speaking of Jesus, hence Romans 10:13 (“Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved”). It is at Romans 10:13 that Paul cites Joel 2:32, a text which refers to YHWH, and applies it to Jesus—thereby arguing that in order to be saved one must confess with his mouth, and believe with his heart that Jesus is Lord/YHWH.
For example, there are frequently questions around whether one needs to believe in the divinity of Jesus in order to be saved. Are individuals required to understand every theological nuance regarding the divinity of Jesus? Maybe, or maybe not (depending on more detailed specifics).
The apostle Paul says, “that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation” (Romans 10:9–10). But then continues on in vv. 11–13 to further explain that what is said in vv. 9–10 finds its fulfillment in the OT—“For the Scripture says, ‘Whoever believes in Him will not be put to shame.’ For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; for ‘EVERYONE WHO CALLS ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED.’”
Keep in mind that κύριος (Lord) is commonly used for Jesus throughout the NT, and is here so the case in the “Jesus as Lord” motif (v. 9). But this term is also the epithet in which the LXX (and by extension, the NT) uses in substitution of the divine name, YHWH. That does not mean that each time κύριος is used that it is speaking of YHWH—it does not. But that when the NT authors cite OT-YHWH texts, they utilize κύριος in place of the divine name. And it is in many of these occurrences that Paul utilizes these precise texts when speaking of Jesus, hence Romans 10:13 (“Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved”). It is at Romans 10:13 that Paul cites Joel 2:32, a text which refers to YHWH, and applies it to Jesus—thereby arguing that in order to be saved one must confess with his mouth, and believe with his heart that Jesus is Lord/YHWH.
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Jesus said to her,
“I AM the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live,
and whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?”
(John 11:25-26)
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John 8:24
23And He said to them, “You are from beneath; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. 24Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.”
-This scripture states that if you do not believe Jesus is God you will die in your sins.
1 Corinthians 15: 1-4
1Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;
2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.
3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures
-This scripture states that you are also saved if you believe in the gospel (1 Corinthians 15 3:4)
Any opinions on whether you need to believe that Jesus is God and the Gospel (Jesus died for our sins, was buried and rose again the third day)? Is believing, having trust and faith in Jesus as your savior enough or is it safer to believe that Jesus is God and in the gospel?
But is it not apart of the Gospel message that in the incarnation the Lord of glory was "born of a woman, born under the law"?
And that He fully embodies everything that God is (Colossians 2:9)?
That He alone perfectly reveals the Father to man (John 1:18)?
That He is God in the flesh — unadulterated (John 1:1–14)?
And if not, why not?
I would suggest that if all one needs to do is believe in Jesus in some round-a-bout sense with disregard of how the NT authors depict Him, then they simply wasted their time combating many myths/untruths about the very person of Jesus. What would have been the point for Paul, or any other to write entire letters which entail so much detail about the person and being of Jesus Christ?
One must believe that Jesus is the Son of God to the very extent that the Apostles also believed and whom they discuss in so much detail throughout the NT, or else your view of Jesus as the "Son of God" is distorted.
And that He fully embodies everything that God is (Colossians 2:9)?
That He alone perfectly reveals the Father to man (John 1:18)?
That He is God in the flesh — unadulterated (John 1:1–14)?
And if not, why not?
I would suggest that if all one needs to do is believe in Jesus in some round-a-bout sense with disregard of how the NT authors depict Him, then they simply wasted their time combating many myths/untruths about the very person of Jesus. What would have been the point for Paul, or any other to write entire letters which entail so much detail about the person and being of Jesus Christ?
One must believe that Jesus is the Son of God to the very extent that the Apostles also believed and whom they discuss in so much detail throughout the NT, or else your view of Jesus as the "Son of God" is distorted.
Mark 1:14Now after John was [j]taken into custody, Jesus came into Galilee, [k]preaching the gospel of God, 15and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God [l]is at hand; repent and [m]believe in the gospel.”
John the Baptist & Jesus both preached the same thing. That is good enough for me.
John the Baptist & Jesus both preached the same thing. That is good enough for me.
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Mark 1:14Now after John was [j]taken into custody, Jesus came into Galilee, [k]preaching the gospel of God, 15and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God [l]is at hand; repent and [m]believe in the gospel.”
John the Baptist & Jesus both preached the same thing. That is good enough for me.
John the Baptist & Jesus both preached the same thing. That is good enough for me.