Just telling people the truth won’t save them. Just persuading them to believe won’t save them. They have to actually hold to the teachings of Jesus while believing in him, and keep on doing so. That way they will know the truth and it will save them. It will set them free. They need to become true disciples. John 8.
You can tell your kids about stop lights, traffic lights. If the crazy folks around start putting up fake lights and road signs, you can teach the kids before they learn to drive how to tell a true sign from a fake one. How to know a light which is red is a genuine stop light, traffic light. When they actually start driving and see a light that us red and means STOP, they can say “yes I believe it is real, it us a genuine light” but they need to learn to stop at it too. Just believing is not enough. If they truly believe it, they will obey it and stop. Only then will it save them. Jesus is true. You can believe he is the true light of the world. You can know to distinguish his light from fake lights, fake teachings. Yet you need to learn to obey him appropriately. Not just believing. Doing what true belief leads to. Keeping his sayings as the light of your life. Keeping them. Understanding them over time as you keep hold of them. Being ready to do as they say to do when the opportunity comes. This saves. He saves.
