What must you believe about Jesus to be saved? According to orthodox Christianity, to escape the eternal consequences of sin, one must believe in the incarnation of Jesus Christ. The late 5th or early 6th century Athanasian Creed[1] reflects this belief.[2] It reads in part:
Anyone then who desires to be saved should think thus about the trinity.
But it is necessary for eternal salvation that one also believe in the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ faithfully.
This is the catholic faith: one cannot be saved without believing it firmly and faithfully.[3] (emphasis added)
While the question of whether a belief in the doctrine of the Trinity is required for salvation has been addressed in a previous post, the focus of this article is to answer the question: What must one believe about who Jesus is to be saved? More specifically, does the Bible require a belief in Jesus’ incarnation for salvation?
The Biblical Record on Salvation
The Bible records several instances in which Jesus or one of his apostles reveals what one must believe about the man from Nazareth to be saved. We will examine each of them to arrive at a Scriptural answer to this very important question.
Jesus and Nicodemus
The gospel of John details a conversation between Jesus and a Pharisee regarding eternal life and belief in Jesus:
John 3:1-3, 16-18 (NASB) Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews; 2 this man came to Jesus at night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.” 3 Jesus responded and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless someone is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”…16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but so that the world might be saved through Him. 18 The one who believes in Him is not judged; the one who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. (emphasis added)
Nicodemus understood that the miraculous signs Jesus performed proved, not that he was God, as some Christians more than a century later would begin to claim,[4] but that God had sent him to teach. Jesus took the opportunity to instruct the Jewish ruler that eternal life is predicated on a belief in the Son of God. In this passage, as in others, the title Son of God, when used of Jesus, is a messianic title, synonymous with Christ and king of Israel.[5] Unfortunately, it is often misinterpreted as a divine title, yet it is never used to denote deity in Scripture. For example, the title is also used in reference to Adam, angels, the nation of Israel, and those who believe Jesus is the Christ.[6] Indeed, “Son of God” is not the equivalent of “God the Son,” a title that never appears in all of Scripture.
Thus, when Jesus tells Nicodemus he must believe Jesus is the Son of God, he would have understood the rabbi to mean he must believe Jesus is the promised Christ or Messiah. If Nicodemus had interpreted “Son of God” to mean that Jesus, along with Yahweh, is God, it would have created confusion and controversy since Jews had been taught for centuries that God is one.[7] However, no such confusion or controversy occurred. Accordingly, Nicodemus understood that salvation comes by believing Jesus is the Christ.
The apostle John further affirmed Jesus’ teaching about salvation in his first epistle when he connected being born of God with a belief that Jesus is the Christ:
1 John 5:1 (NASB) Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and whoever loves the Father loves the child born of Him. (emphasis added)
To be born of God or to be born again[8], as Jesus taught Nicodemus, refers to the spiritual rebirth that occurs when someone repents of their sins and believes Jesus is the Christ.
Jesus and Martha
A second conversation regarding salvation is also found in John’s gospel. Jesus and Martha, the sister of Mary and Lazarus, discuss what one must believe to experience life after death.
John 11:22-27 (NASB) [Martha said] Even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You.” 23 Jesus *said to her, “Your brother will rise from the dead.” 24 Martha *said to Him, “I know that he will rise in the resurrection on the last day.” 25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; the one who believes in Me will live, even if he dies, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?” 27 She *said to Him, “Yes, Lord; I have come to believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, and He who comes into the world.” (emphasis added)
What was it that Martha believed about Jesus? The spiritually astute woman affirmed her faith in Jesus as the Christ, that is, the Son of God,[9] a confession that Jesus said would result in resurrection and life.
Jesus on the Incarnation and Salvation
Jesus never taught that salvation was predicated on a belief in the doctrine of the incarnation. In fact, he never even taught on the incarnation.[10] Furthermore, every soteriological[11] passage in John’s gospel, the only gospel containing the seed of the post-Biblical doctrine,[12] is void of any mention of the incarnation or any associated confessional requirement. Instead, John’s gospel both models and mandates belief in Jesus as the Christ. Indeed, John stated that the very purpose for writing his gospel account was so that people might believe Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. It was not, contrary to orthodoxy, written so that people might believe Jesus is God.
John 20:30-31(NASB) So then, many other signs Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that by believing you may have life in His name. (emphasis added)
Peter on the Day of Pentecost
If Jesus never spoke of the incarnation, including a connection to salvation, what about the apostles? What was their soteriology?[13]
On the Day of Pentecost, Peter explained salvation to a diverse Jerusalem crowd by introducing Jesus the Nazarene was a man used mightily by God:
Acts 2:22-24 and 32-33 (NASB)“Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God performed through Him in your midst, just as you yourselves know— 23 this Man, delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death. 24 But God raised Him from the dead, putting an end to the agony of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held in its power. 25For David says of Him…32 It is this Jesus whom God raised up, a fact to which we are all witnesses. 33 Therefore, since He has been exalted at the right hand of God and has received the promise of the Holy Spirit from the Father, He has poured out this which you both see and hear. (emphasis added)
Having established Jesus as an agent of God, Peter then explained what is necessary for salvation:
Acts 2:36-40 (NASB) Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ—this Jesus whom you crucified.” Now when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what are we to do?” 38Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far away, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself.” 40And with many other words he solemnly testified and kept on urging them, saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation!” (emphasis added)
Peter preached that Jesus was a man used by God, not that he was God. He never says Jesus is divine or that he was an incarnated God-man. Instead, the spirit-filled[14] apostle asserted that repentance and a confession in Jesus as the Christ, along with water baptism, is what is necessary for the forgiveness of sins.
Peter and Cornelius
The book of Acts records another important example of Peter’s soteriology. God sent an angel to a Gentile named Cornelius. He was to send for Peter so that he and his household could learn about God’s salvation.
Acts 11:13-14, 17 (NASB) And he [Cornelius] reported to us how he had seen the angel standing in his house, and saying, ‘Send some men to Joppa and have Simon, who is also called Peter, brought here; 14 and he will speak words to you by which you will be saved, you and all your household.’… 17 Therefore, if God gave them the same gift as He also gave to us after believing in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could stand in God’s way?” (emphasis added)
What were Peter’s salvific words? Acts chapter 10 records his redemption message:
Acts 10:34-43 (NASB) Opening his mouth, Peter said: “I most certainly understand now that God is not one to show partiality, 35 but in every nation the one who fears Him and does what is right is acceptable to Him. 36 The word which He sent to the sons of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus Christ (He is Lord of all)— 37 you yourselves know the thing that happened throughout Judea, starting from Galilee, after the baptism which John proclaimed. 38You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him. 39 We are witnesses of all the things that He did both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They also put Him to death by hanging Him on a cross. 40 God raised Him up on the third day and granted that He be revealed, 41 not to all the people, but to witnesses who had been chosen beforehand by God, that is, to us who ate and drank with Him after He arose from the dead. 42 And He ordered us to preach to the people, and to testify solemnly that this is the One who has been appointed by God as Judge of the living and the dead. 43 All the prophets testify of Him, that through His name everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins.” (emphasis added)
Take note that the message God sent Peter to preach contains no mention of the deity or incarnation of Jesus. Instead, Peter shared that Jesus was a man from Nazareth, and the Christ. Moreover, Peter preached that God, a person separate from Jesus, was the power and impetus behind all that Jesus did and became, including being raised from the dead. Peter emphasized that a belief in the anointed man from Nazareth is required for salvation. The fisherman-turned-apostle’s message is harmonious with all teachings on the matter.
In these and all other Petrine passages, the apostle never states that Jesus is a God-man, or an incarnated deity. Rather, Peter shared that Jesus is a man used by God for divine purposes. Unlike the 5th or 6th century Athanasian creed, the apostle never demands belief in an incarnational Jesus for salvation.
Paul and Silas
If Jesus and Peter never preached that a belief in the incarnation was required for salvation, what about Paul? We find the answer to this question in an encounter he and Silas had in Philippi:
Acts 16:3-34 (NASB) And the jailer asked for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear, he fell down before Paul and Silas; 30 and after he brought them out, he said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” 31 They said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” 32 And they spoke the word of God to him together with all who were in his house. 33 And he took them that very hour of the night and washed their wounds, and immediately he was baptized, he and all his household. 34 And he brought them into his house and set food before them, and was overjoyed, since he had become a believer in God together with his whole household. (emphasis added)
The apostles[15] answered the jailer and those who had gathered that they must believe in the Lord Jesus to be saved.[16] After they were baptized, the text says the jailer was overjoyed since he and his household had believed in God. Some might say the text implies that Jesus is God because they were told to believe in the Lord Jesus, and later it says he and his household had become believers in God. But this is not to say that a belief in Jesus as Lord is a belief that Jesus is God. According to Jesus, a belief in Jesus as Lord or Christ is a belief in the God who sent him.
John 12:44 (NASB) Now Jesus cried out and said, “The one who believes in Me, does not believe only in Me, but also in Him who sent Me. (emphasis added)
John 14:1 (NASB) “Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. (emphasis added)
To be sure, Jesus taught that eternal life comes to those who hear his word and believe in God who sent him:
John 5:24 (NASB) “Truly, truly, I say to you, the one who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life. (emphasis added)
Thus, when the Philippian jailer and his household believed in Jesus, by extension, they believed in God who had sent him.
More on Paul’s Teaching
We can look to other Pauline passages to learn more about his soteriology. For example, Paul specifies for his Roman audience that a belief that Jesus is Lord and that he was raised from the dead is what is needed for salvation.
Romans 10:8-9 (NASB) But what does it say? “THE WORD IS NEAR YOU, IN YOUR MOUTH AND IN YOUR HEART”—that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, 9 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. (emphasis added)
What does it mean that Jesus is Lord? The word Lord in Greek is kurios, and it means master or sir. It is used to denote persons in authority or is used as an honorific title. Rightly, the title Lord is used of both men and God in the New Testament. Some would argue that when referring to Jesus, especially after his resurrection, it indicates his divinity. Recall, however, in an earlier passage, we learned that God made Jesus both Lord and Christ.[17] In other words, Jesus was not intrinsically Lord, but God made him to be both the Christ (Messiah, king) and Lord, that is, the person in authority. Indeed, Jesus said that all authority had been given to him by God the Father.[18]
Paul states that our Lord, Christ Jesus, is the means by which we receive God’s gift of eternal life:
Romans 6:23 (NASB) For the wages of sin is death, but the gracious gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (emphasis added)
In other words, Paul does not say Jesus is God, but that the gift of God comes through Jesus, who is the Christ and Lord.
Paul’s statement beautifully aligns with Jesus’ own words:
John 3:16 (NASB) For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. (emphasis added)
Whoever receives God the Father’s gift of Christ receives eternal life.
Paul uses his own faith in Jesus as the Christ as an example of this salvific truth:
1 Timothy 1:16 (NASB) Yet for this reason I found mercy, so that in me as the foremost sinner Jesus Christ might demonstrate His perfect patience as an example for those who would believe in Him for eternal life. (emphasis added)
Paul never taught that a belief that Jesus is God or a belief in the incarnation is required for salvation. To be sure, he was never taught, nor did he teach, the deity of Jesus or the doctrine of incarnation. Moreover, the idea that God would come down from heaven as a man was anathema to the apostle.
When the crowds in Lystra thought Paul was an incarnated god, they attempted to worship him. But Paul was repulsed by the idea.
Acts 14:121-15 (NASB) When the crowds saw what Paul had done, they raised their voice, saying in the Lycaonian language, “The gods have become like men and have come down to us!” 12 And they began calling Barnabas, Zeus, and Paul, Hermes, since he was the chief speaker. 13 Moreover, the priest of Zeus, whose temple was just outside the city, brought oxen and garlands to the gates, and wanted to offer sacrifice with the crowds. 14 But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard about it, they tore their robes and rushed out into the crowd, crying out 15 and saying, “Men, why are you doing these things? We are also men, of the same nature as you, preaching the gospel to you, to turn from these useless things to a living God, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and everything that is in them. (emphasis added)
If Paul believed in the incarnation of Jesus, this would have been the perfect opportunity for him to say, “I am not an incarnated god, but let me tell you about someone who is.” From there, Paul could have easily preached that Jesus is God incarnate. But he did not. Instead, such a doctrine grieved Paul and Barnabas.
Conclusion
Despite the demands of the Athanasian Creed and its modern-day adherents, the Bible never teaches or demonstrates that one must believe in an incarnational Jesus to be saved. Instead, the Bible repeatedly teaches that a belief in Jesus as the Christ of God is what is required for eternal life.
How then did orthodoxy come to mandate a belief in the incarnation of Christ as a requirement for salvation? Simply put, a belief in the incarnation was a post-Biblical development whose genesis is traced to the second century apologetics of Justin Martyr, a Greek philosopher. Although he converted to Christianity, he chose to integrate Biblical teachings with his Platonic ideology. Instead of reading John 1:1-3, 14, and other passages through the Jewish worldview in which they were written, he interpreted them through a Platonic lens. Over time, other influential non-Jewish converts followed suit.
The post-Biblical evolution of Jesus from being a man chosen by God to being a God-man developed over a period of more than three hundred years. The belief eventually became orthodoxy as we know it today. However, as we have demonstrated, such orthodoxy is never taught in the Bible.
What must you believe about Jesus to be saved? According to Scripture, you must believe that he is the Christ sent by God to redeem mankind.
[1] Written between 400-550 AD, the Athanasian Creed was named after, but not penned by, the fourth- century Athanasius of Alexandria. It reflects an Augustinian theology and Christology and was written in Latin, not Greek.
[2] The Nicene Creed (325 AD) also asserts that Jesus was incarnated. The statement is more of a confession of belief and does not include a clause warning that those who do not hold to the confession cannot be saved.
[4] Melito of Sardis was one of the earliest Christians to interpret Jesus’ miracles as proof of divinity. Saint Melito of Sardis, Apology to Marcus Aurelius (c. 170 AD).
[5] For example, Matthew 16:15-16; 26:63; Luke 4:41; John 1:49; 11:27; 20:3; Mark 1:1and Acts 9:19-22.
[6] See the article, “Son of God,” for Scripture texts and more details.
[8] The phrase “born again” in the original Greek text is literally translated “born from above.” It signifies a new spiritual life, as opposed to the “old man” that has been corrupted by sin. See 1 Peter 1:3, 23; 2 Corinthians 5:17; 1 John 3:9; Ephesians 4:20-24; Titus 3:5; etc.
[9] In this passage, we see that the Son of God is synonymous with Christ. For more on this passage, see Jesus Became the Source of Eternal Life.
[10] Jesus never said he was God who took on human flesh, or that he was divine in some sense and became a man, or any other similar articulation. There are four primary passages in which some claim Jesus was referring to his incarnation. You can use the links to explore these more thoroughly: John 6:38; John 8:58; John 10:30; John 16:28. You can also review additional passages used as proof texts for Jesus’ deity and the Trinity here.
[11] Soteriology is the study of salvation that examines how mankind is saved or delivered from sin.
[12] John 1:1-3, 14 is often interpreted to mean that Jesus pre-existed before he existed. See this three-part series on John 1:1-3: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3.
[13] In other words, what was their belief or doctrine of salvation?
[14] Peter and the other apostles were filled with the Spirit on this occasion. See Acts 2:1-4.
[15] Paul refers to himself and Silas as apostles. See 1 Thessalonians 1:1 and 2:6.
[16] Jesus is not inherently Lord; rather, God exalted him and made him both Lord and Christ. See Acts 2:36.
[17] Acts 2:36-40.
