COMMON FAITH AND COMMON SALVATION

When a person declares: I have salvation through faith in Jesus Christ, what does this person actually believe? Among all genuine believers, there is one common faith giving common salvation.

To Titus, my true child in a common faith . . . (Titus 1:4).

I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation . . . and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. (Jude 1:3).

What is the faithful believers should contend for? What are the items of this common faith for salvation?

1. Jesus Christ is God come in the flesh (incarnation), Who became a man. He is both God and man—the Son of God and Son of Man

“Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel," which is translated, ‘God with us (Matthew 1:23 NKJV).

“But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name” (John 20:31 NKJV).

2. Jesus Christ died on the cross for the sins of the world and was buried, and He was resurrected on the third day.

“I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you . . . by which also you are saved . . that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day . . .” (1 Corinthians 15:1-4 NKJV).

3. Jesus Christ is the Lord.

“This Jesus God has raised up . . . Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ”(Acts 2:32, 36 NKJV).

“That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9 NKJV).

4. Jesus Christ is indwelling all His believers.

“Examine yourselves [as to] whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?-- unless indeed you are disqualified” (2 Cor. 13:5 NKJV).

“To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Col. 1:27 NKJV).

Today Christians contend among themselves over many items, but not their common faith. Divisions and arguments typically are not over the faith of Jesus Christ, but over a myriad of other items: doctrines relating to eternal security, predestination, methods of baptism, manifestations of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, details related to the Second Coming of Christ, life-style relating to holiness, politics, on and on. However, none of which is part of the common faith, which is the essence of our common salvation of which we all share.

It is time for believers to mature and arrive at the unity of the faith (Eph. 4:13). It is only in the common faith where all believers possess genuine unity. It is in this common faith there is one true fellowship of Jesus Christ.