267. 13. Because of the Word, Even People Who Are outside the Church and Who Do Not Have the Word Have Light.

No connection to heaven is possible unless somewhere on earth there is a church where the Word exists and where the Lord is known through that Word. This is because the Lord is the God of heaven and earth - without the Lord there is no salvation. (For the Word providing a connection to the Lord and association with angels, see 234-239 above.) It is enough if there is one church where the Word exists. Even if this church consists of comparatively few people, still the Lord is present throughout the world by means of the Word, since heaven is connected to the human race through the Word.

337. 1. The Faith That Saves Us Is Faith in the Lord God Our Savior Jesus Christ

The faith that saves is faith in God our Savior, because he is divine and human. He is in the Father and the Father is in him; therefore they are one. If we turn to him, we are turning to the Father as well - to the one only God. Faith in any other god does not save us.

We are to believe or have faith in the Son of God, the Redeemer and Savior, conceived by Jehovah and born from the Virgin Mary, who is named Jesus Christ. This is clear from commands that he, and later his apostles, frequently repeated.

The following passages make it clear that he himself commanded us to have faith in him:

Jesus said, "This is the will of the Father who sent me, that all who see the Son and believe in him should have eternal life, and I will revive them on the last day. " (John 6:40)

Those who believe in the Son have eternal life. Those who do not believe in the Son will not see life; instead God's anger will remain upon them. (John 3:36)

So that all who believe in the Son would not perish but would have eternal life. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son so that everyone who believes in him would not perish but would have eternal life. (John 3:15-16)

Jesus said, "I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me will never die. " (John 11:25-26)

Truly, truly I say to you, those who believe in me have eternal life. I am the bread of life. (John 6:47-48)

I am the bread of life. Those who come to me will never hunger and those who believe in me will never thirst. (John 6:35)

Jesus cried out, saying, "If any are thirsty, they must come to me and drink. If any believe in me, as the Scripture says, rivers of living water will flow out of their bellies. " (John 7:37-38)

They said to Jesus, "What shall we do to perform the works of God?" Jesus answered, "This is God's work, to believe in the One whom the Father sent. " (John 6:28-29)

As long as you have the light, believe in the light so that you may be children of the light. (John 12:36)

Those who believe in the Son of God are not judged; but those who do not believe have already been judged because they have not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. (John 3:18)

These things have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Son of God and through believing may have life in his name. (John 20:31)

Unless you have believed that I am [he], you will die in your sins. (John 8:24)

Jesus said, "When the Comforter, the Spirit of Truth, has come, it will convict the world of sin, of justice, and of judgment: of sin, because they do not believe in me. " (John 16:8-9)