How can we apply faith in our life to achieve salvation?

 

Salvation – law

Christians have various beliefs about how to achieve salvation. For some, the most important way to achieve salvation is through doing good works, such as giving to charity. However, other Christians focus on worship and faith. Some Christians believe that as well as having faith, people achieve salvation by following God’s law, which is found in the Bible. Through these laws, Christians believe that God has helped them to identify sin – to go against these laws is to sin.

Christians believe that the Bible is a guidebook to salvation.

The first five books of the Old Testament in the Bible are:

• Genesis
• Exodus
• Leviticus
• Numbers
• Deuteronomy

Together they are known as the Books of Law because they contain the instructions that God gave to instruct people on how to live good lives according to his will.

Christians follow the laws laid out in New Testament teachings and believe that only some of the laws in the Old Testament still need to be obeyed. This is because, for Christians, Jesus is the highest authority in the Bible and his teachings overrule many of the older laws.

However, the Old Testament is still very important to Christians because it contains guidance that Jesus upheld – for example, the Ten Commandments.

Different Christian views on biblical law

Different Christians follow the Bible’s laws in different ways according to their denomination and personal beliefs. For example, Evangelical Christians interpret the Bible more literally than many members of the Church of England, who might believe that some of the Bible’s laws are no longer relevant, or need to be adjusted for modern life.

As well as the Bible, there are other sources of wisdom that help Christians to follow God’s law:

• Christians believe that each person’s sense of right and wrong, or conscience, is God’s voice.
• Senior religious leaders give guidance on God’s law. For example, Roman Catholic Christians believe that God appoints the Pope to be his representative on Earth.
• Each Church has its own interpretations of the Bible. Each set of leaders advise the Christians in their Church about how to apply the Bible’s teachings to modern situations.
• Some Christians see prayer as a conversation with God. By asking God for guidance, they believe he can show them the path towards salvation.

Question

For Christians, what is the main purpose of God’s law?