What do you imagine, SAVED, means? Saved from what, saved for what, saved to do what?
Scripture has to answer: Romans 10:9-10 Comes after these:
Romans 3:23 All have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God
Romans 5:8 God loves us, even in sin
Romans 6:23 Because the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ.
1) Saved thus means "rescued." 2) From sin and death 3a) To live, without sin, with and in Christ 3b) ...in just a second...
"The world through Jesus might be saved," yes indeed. That is, a better state of existence might be experienced by humanity as it cleaves to and obeys the Teachings of Christ. Less hunger, less inequality, equality for women, a reduction in the conditions of the obscenely wealthy and the tragically poor. There are lots of physical states associated with being saved, but the SAVED talked about here is the condition of the human spirit.
This is a 'social' good-news (gospel) and isn't grasping the need. It will ONLY happen in the new heaven and earth once all ills are wiped out. Such has to have 'wiped-out' and wiped-clean.' It isn't something man can accomplish by his/her bootstraps. Such isn't possible because man is incapable else Judaism would have worked.
Is one save by believing in Christ alone, or does it require living as a true Christian, with all the complex, self-sacrifice a true Christ would necessarily undertake for the love of Christ. In such a case the state of being SAVED is a condition of the spirit, the individual taking upon themselves virtues and moral integrity for the love of Christ and this is made possible because Christ existed and showed a path to a better, more fulfilling way of being human and being in the Good Graces of God.
Ephesians 2:8-10 is VERY clear. "This not of yourselves." It is putting the cart before the horse. First, you(I) have to meet a condition whereby we are recreated
2 Corinthians 5:17
If we went the route you suggest, we'd be in trouble: Matthew 7:16-23 Summary: "Didn't we
do these things?" Jesus - "I never knew you!"
Note the warning, they were trying to do what Jesus said as you suggest and note the contradiction: I don't know you.
3b) Hence the need is to be known by Him as a necessity. It isn't so much that I have a hold of Him, His teachings, but rather whether He and they have a hold of me. 2 Corinthians 5:17
If anyone is in Christ, he(she) is a new creation recreated (by Christ's hand) with the old things passed away. Philippians 3:12
So SAVED has little to do with belief and all to do with the corresponding actions caused by belief in Christ and the blueprint He revealed to save ones self. To not be saved is to live for one's self, to be materialistic, to reject the path to God.
I believe in Jesus, I have Faith, I believe in God, I go to church is not SAVED in the sense of the Scripture you provided. Belief and Faith only exist as descriptors of a Christian who is living the life in deeds and actions.
As far as preaching goes, in this enlightened age we are each responsible for our own spirituality. There are no religious experts, nor is there a seperate religious class of human, but there are of course those who have a greater knowledge than others. It is incumbent upon the Christian who is spiritually alive to share the Teachings of Christ with those who ask for it, rather than proselytising. And share means one must listen to and respect the religious beliefs of others. If Christians lived by deeds and not words this world would be transformed overnight, such is preaching.
Hence the warning: "Depart from Me, I never knew you." If salvation is not contained in the scriptures, given by God, we would be/or are in real trouble. Hence "Faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the Word of God." If we don't have His words, we are in trouble. If we do, then there is one salvation we all must heed. Acts 4:12
As for the Scripture you quoted, as wonderful as it is, everything has evolved and changed across the last 2000 odd years, as such it is essential and it is also permissible to approach the Bible utilising the greater understandings of this age and not limit ourselves to the understandings of our ancient forefathers.
Thanks for your response, very much appreciated.
Then we are lost. You cannot 'rationalize' your salvation else the above scriptures are of no avail. I've met no one who rationalizes who isn't also struggling with their own spirituality. These scriptures and more than, given today, are timeless without any need for intruding with trend and contemporary sensibility. The cart before the horse misses the spiritual. Paul said: 1 Corinthians 2 the man without the Spirit cannot understand the things of the Spirit. Why? Because we have to be new creations designed to follow the directions of the Spirit. We have to be His. We have to be 'in' Christ. There is not tangent way else "Depart from Me, I never knew you." Realize the mark is who He knows, as clearly as that.