Challenge: There���s a Contradiction at the Core of Christianity
This week���s challenge is about salvation by faith:
A standard part of ���becoming a Christian��� is ���accepting Jesus as your Lord and Savior.��� There are a few choice scriptures which Christians use when explaining how people are saved.
John 3:16 (NIV): ���For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.���
Ephesians 2:8-9 (NIV): ���For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith���and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God���not by works, so that no one can boast.���It���s the standard Christian dogma that people are saved simply by believing in Jesus and accepting His gift of forgiveness. However, Jesus Himself refutes this view in Matthew.
Matthew 7:21-23 (NIV): ���Not everyone who says to me, ���Lord, Lord,��� will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ���Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?��� Then I will tell them plainly, ���I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!���So, Christians must either adopt a non-standard dogma, or admit that their belief system is wrong. This seeming contradiction within the Bible stands above others simply because it���s at the very core of the religion. Any intellectual within the religion must disbelieve the church���s teachings in order to preserve the church���s religion.
How would you explain this alleged contradiction? Give us your explanation in the comments below, and check back here on Thursday to hear Tim���s answer to this challenge.
