Romans 10:9-10, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”
One of my favorite Bible teachers is Pastor Brad Strand. I was delighted last year to learn that Brother Strand authored a helpful study Bible. The project was his heart's passion for 33 years, in which time he invested over 30,000 hours of labor to write this masterpiece. I was glad to learn that he faithfully contends for the Christian faith, exposing the Devil's lie of Lordship Salvation. Romans 10:9, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” Pastor Strand writes concerning Romans 10:9 on pages 1858 and 1859:
Sadly, some “Lordship Salvation” advocates will use this verse to prove their point that JESUS must become your “Lord” before you can be saved. They claim that unbelievers must count the cost of discipleship and decide if they are willing to pay the price in order to obtain eternal life. One such advocate has written a book in which he gives the following answer to the question “What [is] the minimum amount of doctrine or belief a person [has] to have to be a Christian?” He notes:
The minimum amount a person must believe to be a Christian is everything, and the minimum amount a person must give is all. I say, “You must give it all. You cannot hold back even a fraction of a percentage of yourself. Every sin must be abandoned. Every false thought must be repudiated. You must be the Lord's entirely.” —SOURCE: Montgomery Boice, James. Christ's Call to Discipleship. Chicago, IL: Moody Press, 1986. Print.
What this man is advocating is that a person cannot be saved until he makes Jesus the “Lord” of his life. However, this verse is not teaching us that we must make Jesus our Lord in order to be saved; it is teaching us that Jesus is“Lord” and if we are to be saved, we must accept the fact that He was God in flesh on earth (Jn 5:17-18 & 10:30-33). Jesus said to the Pharisees in John 8:23-24, “Ye are from beneath; I am from above: ye are of this world; I am not of this world. I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins(i.e., go to Hell): for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.” Jesus said that salvation is based on two things (Mt 3:2):
Who we are (Lk 5:31-32 & 13:1-5 and Mt 27:3) — God tells us that we are “sinfully” sick and in need of the Savior and that we cannot save ourselves (Rom 3:10, 23).
Who Christ is (Mt 4:13-17 & 11:20-24, Mk 1:15, Acts 3:12-19 and Acts 2:38a) — Christ is God (Lord — Jon 8:24, 58-59), not a god. Christ is the only Savior (Acts 4:10-12).
Lordship Salvation doctrine hinders unbelievers from being saved because it presents them with a distorted view of the Gospel of God's grace.
Bravo to Pastor Strand. The Devil's a liar and the father of all liars (John 8:44). It may seem like a trifle matter to most churchgoers today to embellish the Gospel. Literally, you can attend a dozen different Bible colleges or churches and you'll hear multiple different plans of salvation. But we know from the inspired King James Bible that there is only one Gospel. Galatians 1:6-7, “I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.” So how in the world did we end up with nearly every church today preaching something different than what the inspired Holy Bible teaches?
I think the answer is simply that 99% of churchgoers have always blindly followed whatever their pastor tells them, instead of doing as the Bereans did in the Bible, whom the Apostle Paul said, “searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.” The Bereans didn't just take it for granted that they were being told the truth, they went to verify from the inspired Word of God whether those things were so. If people would simply study the Bible they would quickly find that Lordship Salvation is a fallacy, a counterfeit plan of salvation.
God wrote the Gospel of John as His Gospel tract. The word “believe” is found 85 times in the Gospel of John. In the book of John we don't find anything about making Jesus our “Lord” to get to Heaven. Pastor Curtis Hutson wisely said: A good rule to follow when interpreting the Bible is to never use an obscure passage to contradict a clear one. Advocates of Lordship Salvation often cite obscure passages of Scripture, wresting the Bible to their own destruction. Yet, they totally ignore the Gospel of John, which according to John 20:31 was written to show us how to get to Heaven, “But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.”
Galatians 1:6-8, “I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.”
One of the most dangerous FALSE PROPHETS today is Evangelist Ray Comfort. Sadly, this man is honored and accepted in many Baptist churches and Bible colleges today, but he should be avoided and banned as a hellbound infidel. On page 1197 of "THE EVIDENCE BIBLE," Ray Comfort comments on Matthew 7:22-23...
"These are perhaps the most frightening verses in the Bible. Vast multitudes of professing Christians fit into the category spoken of here. They call Jesus 'Lord,' but they practice lawlessness. They profess faith in Jesus, but have no regard for the divine law. They tell 'fibs' or 'white' lies, take things that belong to others, have a roaming eye for the opposite sex, etc. They are liars, thieves, and adulterers at heart, who will be cast from the gates of heaven into the jaws of hell."
SOURCE: "THE EVIDENCE BIBLE," by Ray Comfort, p. 1197; 2003, Bridge-Logos Publishers, Orlando, Florida
Dear reader, Ray Comfort is preaching the Devil's lie of LORDSHIP SALVATION! If what Ray teaches is true, then everyone is going straight to Hell when we die, because everyone still commits sin. If having a “roaming eye for the opposite sex” means that someone is unsaved, then most people are going to spend eternity burning in the Lake of Fire. What Ray is doing is foolishly combining sanctification with justification, and in so doing he corrupts the inspired Word of God and casts stumbling blocks before the people.
Read what Pilgrim's Progress author John Bunyan (1628-1688) wisely wrote:
“If you do not put a difference between justification wrought by the man Christ without and sanctification wrought by the Spirit of Christ within, you are not able to divide the Word aright; but contrariwise, you corrupt the Word of God, and cast stumbling blocks before the people.” —Evangelist John Bunyan
My ministry friend Pastor Ralph Yankee Arnold accurately defines Lordship Salvation:
“Lordship Salvation is the unsupportable and unbiblical belief that the performance of good works, the promise of good works, or the evidence of good works, must accompany faith in Christ to establish or provide evidence that such faith has resulted in eternal life.” —Pastor Ralph Yankee Arnold, “Jesus Versus John MacArthur”
Ray Comfort is heretically saying that if you're still living in sin, you're not saved. Kindly said, Ray is a theological LIAR! Friend, EVERYBODY lives in sin, I don't care who you are! The ONLY thing that makes a Christian believer any more righteous in GOD'S SIGHT than convicted serial murderer John Wayne Gacy (1942-1994) is the precious blood of Jesus Christ that washed all our sins away (James 2:10; 1st Peter 1:18-19; 1st Corinthians 6:9-11). Apart from the sin-cleansing blood of the slain Lamb of God, you and I are no more righteous than Adolf Hitler (1889-1945), Al Capone (1899-1947) or Ted Bundy (1946-1990). THANK GOD FOR THE BLOOD OF JESUS!!!
Please beware of Ray Comfort's partial faith in Christ PLUS works counterfeit plan of salvation. Jesus has already paid your debt of sin dear friend, and He doesn't need your help to reform yourself of sin to get to Heaven. The very idea is preposterous!
Salvation is not a reward for the righteous, it is a gift for the guilty!
The true Gospel always points you to CHRIST; a false gospel always points to YOU.
Salvation is not doing your best, it is having Christ's best put to your account through receiving Him by faith.
Turning away from sinful ways would be a work. Faith puts all of the merit where it belongs, on the object of our faith, Jesus and His work.
If to “repent” means to forsake our sinful ways TO BE SAVED, but Jesus already paid for our sins by dying on the cross, then what are we repenting from?
A Correct Interpretation of Matthew 7:21-23
I have included verse 21 also...
Matthew 7:21-23, “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”
The correct interpretation of Matthew 7:21-23 is that trusting anything more than Jesus alone (i.e., relying upon what He did through Calvary's cross to save you) cannot produce the new birth which is required to enter into God's Kingdom. John 6:40, “And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.” The will of God the Father concerning getting saved is that you BELIEVE ON JESUS!!! That's it, that's all, no more.
Sadly, Ray Comfort says that MORE is required. According to Ray you must live a lifestyle of repentance. Please don't take my word for it, read for yourself what Mr. Comfort horribly teaches this woman in this transcript from Living Waters:
“So if the plane goes down, you'd end up in Hell! There are two things you have to do to be saved. Do you remember what they are? I told you what they are—You've got to repent and trust the Savior! ... God's offering you everlasting life upon your repentance and faith in Christ. Who in his right mind wouldn't say, 'Whoa! That's a good offer!' (The curious woman asks what it means to “repent”?)... Have you ever said you're sorry to someone you did something wrong to? That's all repentance is—You've sinned against God; it's a matter of saying, 'God, I'm sorry,' and then LIVING A LIFESTYLE that proves the reality of your repentance. That's what repentance is, it's a continual thing! God, 'I'm sorry, but I'm not going going to lie or steal or blaspheme Your name ever again. It has that attitude! And the second thing—trust in Jesus!” [emphasis added]
Dear reader, I triple-dog dare you to show me even one verse from the Holy Bible that teaches that “LIVING A LIFESTYLE” is required as part of being saved. You cannot! Now my friend, “a double-dog dare” is serious business, but a triple-dog dare is something you don't want to mess around with! I triple-dog dare you to show me even one Bible verse that agrees with these false statements by Ray Comfort.
The Gospel of John is God's Gospel track. John 20:31, “But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.” PLEASE DON'T MISS THAT! God authored the Gospel of John specifically so “that believing ye might have life through his name.” That means we don't need any other Scripture than what is found in the Gospel of John to be saved. Where in the Gospel of John are we taught that, “LIVING A LIFESTYLE,” is necessary to receive eternal life? You cannot! Mr. Comfort is a bold-faced theological liar! Ray is ADDING to the Gospel, perverting it! This means Mr. Comfort is accursed by God. Galatians 1:9, “As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.” I didn't say that, almighty God did!
Furthermore, where in the Gospel of John are we taught that to be saved, we must have a drastic change of attitude that is resolved to reform? Ray errantly says to be saved we must have the new attitude, “GOD, I'M SORRY, BUT I'M NOT GOING TO LIE OR STEAL OR BLASPHEME YOUR NAME EVER AGAIN!” And then he horribly says, “IT'S A CONTINUAL THING!” None of this is biblical! There is absolutely nothing in the Gospel of John about having a sincere desire to reform our ways, clean up our life of sin, turn over a new leaf, do better, forsake the world, turn away from sins, nor any other garbage that false prophets are teaching nowadays in churches, poisoning people with their lies!
Jesus wasn't teaching in Matthew 7:21-23 that you're not saved if you haven't reformed your life! The dear Savior is simply saying that you cannot get into heaven SOME OTHER WAY! John 10:1, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.” Kindly said, Ray Comfort is a thief and a robber! Why? It is because instead of simply walking through the DOOR of Jesus (John 10:9), he is trying to climb up some other way into Heaven by turning away from living a lifestyle of sinning, which is WORKS and not GRACE (Romans 4:4; 11:6). Faith is the only righteous thing that I can do.
Romans 4:4-7, “Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered.”
A favorite device of the Devil is to have men look to their works for their salvation instead of looking to Jesus Christ. He leads some to trust in their morality, some to depend upon lodge membership, some to depend upon confessions to priests; some he leads to trust in water baptism. These are fatal mistakes.
The unanimous voice of all the Scripture is that lost people are saved by simple faith in Jesus Christ, without any act of self-righteousness, and water baptism is never mentioned as a part of God's simple plan of salvation. Water baptism is an act of righteousness, for Jesus said in Matthew 3:15, "Thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness." Titus 3:5 says that such acts of righteousness do not save us:
“Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost.”
The phrase “washing of regeneration” refers to the new birth, being regenerated. It means having Jesus (He who is the beginning - Revelation 1:8) born in us. The phrase “renewing of the Holy Ghost” refers to being “renovated” (which is the Greek meaning of the word renewing). Put simply, God saves us and then the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit begins His work to change us. This is in direct contradiction to the heresy of Lordship Salvation.
In a false gospel, the sinner is required to reform his or her own life either to obtain, keep or prove that they are saved; but in true salvation, a sinner doesn't have to change (nor even be willing to change) anything to be saved, the Holy Spirit lives the Christian life through us, which is exactly what Galatians 2:20 teaches, “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” Do you see the important difference friend? A false gospel mandates that YOU change your own life to get to Heaven; whereas trusting in the true Gospel saves you, and then it is CHRIST who lives through you (which is the fruit of the indwelling Holy Spirit according to Galatians 5:22-25).
Baptism is certainly a good work, but Ephesians 2:8-9 likewise says plainly that salvation is altogether a matter of God's mercy and not of our works:
“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: NOT OF WORKS, lest any man should boast.” [emphasis added]
Salvation is a free gift of God which is not deserved, is not bought, and cannot be paid for. No church, nor preacher, nor the individual saved has any right to claim credit when a soul is saved. 1st Corinthians 3:7, “So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.”
In fact, we are told again and again in the Bible that the man who trusts in Christ has everlasting life immediately. John 3:36 says:
“He that believeth on the Son HATH everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.”
"Hath" means has, present tense, in modern English. Likewise, John 5:24 says:
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, HATH everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation: but IS PASSED from death unto life.”
The same teaching is given in John 6:47...
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me HATH everlasting life.”
In the Bible, we find it clear that people believed first and then were water baptized. According to these statements from God's inspired Word, they were already saved before they were baptized. A man who trusts in Christ is saved instantly, before he could possibly get to the baptistery waters. It does not take baptism to save someone.
By the way, nearly every pseudo-Christian cult (e.g., Mormons, Seventh-Day Adventists, Lutherans, Jehovah's Witnesses, Church of Christ, et cetera) all sinfully require being baptized in water to get to Heaven. Tragically, they are all hellbound false teachers.
WHAT DOES "BAPTIZED FOR REMISSION OF SINS" MEAN?
In Acts 2:38, the term "for the remission of sins" is used as follows:
“Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.”
Some people think that this passage contradicts the dozens of other plain statements in the Bible, that a man is saved by faith alone, and saved immediately when he believes. But when you use the word “for” in this passage, just as it is used so many times in every-day conversation, you will see what Peter meant. A man is arrested FOR stealing; one is grateful FOR a favor; one is blamed FOR carelessness; one is commended FOR bravery. The word “for” here does not mean “in order to secure” remission of sins; and it is not rendered that way in any translation of the Bible that we know of anywhere. When one repents (i.e., changes his mind) to trust in Christ, he receives the remission of his sins.
What Peter means is that people ought to repent and then, after their sins are forgiven, they should be baptized as evidence of that. Baptism is our public profession of faith. Baptism is an outward snapshot of what has happened inwardly. That is, we have put our trust in Jesus' death, burial and resurrection from the dead. This is what water baptism represents. That is exactly what people ought to be baptized for, that is, to show the remission of their sins. That Scripture, then, does not mean that people ought to be baptized in order to be saved.
Pilgrim's Progress (written in 1675) author John Bunyan (1628-1688) was an awesome free grace preacher. I am so sick and tired of hearing neo-evangelical fools like Ray Comfort, Paul Washer and John MacArthur FALSELY claim that all of the old time preachers from century's past preached repentance from sins to be saved. Clearly, they did not, and John Bunyan is solid proof that there have been true and false preachers in every generation.
In lieu of the archived wisdom of such brilliant men of God as John Bunyan, one can only wonder what is insanely wrong with corrupt institutions like Pensacola Christian College, who wickedly adhere to a works-based plan of salvation that requires being willing to forsake one's sinful bad habits in order to be saved.
Moreover, even without the astute knowledge of such godly preachers as John Bunyan, the plain and simple Holy Bible, when taken at face value, teaches a free grace Gospel. John Bunyan saw it plainly in the inspired Word of God in his generation, and honest truth-seekers see it today in the same King James Bible.
In my humble opinion, corrupt places like BJU and PCC merely follow what they've heard taught by peers in the ministry, instead of searching the Scriptures as they ought. It is much easier and less risky to merely go along to get along, than it is to buck the trend and swim against the stream by obeying God's Word. In other words, PCC are guilty of compromising their integrity for favor and acceptance by others, but they have betrayed Jesus and the Gospel.
I have heard some naïve critics on social media falsely accuse John Bunyan of teaching the Devil's lie of Lordship Salvation in his classic book, Pilgrim's Progress. To those idiots I would like to say, OH SHUT UP!!! Listen, John Bunyan wrote a novel to personify the Christian life, showing how easily we can become sidetracked as saints by discouragement, lies, evil people, liars and other common pitfalls in the Christian life.
However, John Bunyan didn't write his book to present a plan of salvation, so it is stupid to look for the Gospel in a book that wasn't intended to show you how to get to Heaven. We have the Bible for that. The inspired King James Bible is our only authority is all matters of doctrine, morals and faith, not John Bunyan's book. Would you look in Martha Stewart's recipe book for God's plan of salvation? No, of course not. So why look for it in a novel that is admittedly fictitious?
In sharp contrast, when we read John Bunyan's sermon statements it becomes abundantly clear to see that he taught a free grace Gospel. The following is my favorite preacher's quote, from John Bunyan:
“If you do not put a difference between justification wrought by the man Christ without and sanctification wrought by the Spirit of Christ within, you are not able to divide the Word aright; but contrariwise, you corrupt the Word of God, and cast stumbling blocks before the people.” —John Bunyan (1628-1688)
Amen and amen! I have read silly debates online by religious people, who are arguing over whether the main character “Christian” in the book Pilgrim's Progress was saved at the Wicket Gate or at the cross (when his heavy burden dropped off his back). Folks, who cares! The point to be learned is that Christian was saved by faith alone in Jesus Christ without works. That is the point John Bunyan wants the reader to learn. It's a beautiful story that personifies the Christian life's journey. My favorite movie based on the book is the 2008 film, “Pilgrim's Progress: Journey To Heaven.” Again, John Bunyan wasn't trying to present a plan of salvation in his book. He just emphasizes that biblical truth that we are saved by faith alone in Jesus Christ without works.
At what point does a person get saved? It is at the very instant that a lost sinner places his or her childlike faith (trust, reliance) in Jesus Christ as their personal Savior. Simply receive His sacrifice on the cross as full payment for your sins, believing that He was buried, but then resurrected from the dead three days later. This is the Gospel (1st Corinthians 15:1-4). You can needlessly argue over where this happened in the book Pilgrim's Progress, but you're looking for something that the author did not intend. If you want the plan of salvation, then you should be reading the inspired Holy Bible, specifically the Gospel of John (John 20:31).
Shame on anyone who falsely accuses John Bunyan of teaching Lordship Salvation, when every sermon he ever preached proved otherwise. John Bunyan faithfully preached a free grace Gospel.
2nd Corinthians 11:3-4, “But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.”
Someone asked me today what I think about Pastor Peter S. Ruckman (1924-2016). Dr. Ruckman actually foolishly teaches that after the Rapture, lost sinners will have to keep the Ten Commandments to get to Heaven. That is damnable heresy!
Dr. Ruckman also errantly teaches that this is how folks were saved in the Old Testament, by works, which is nonsense. Acts 10:32 says "all" the prophets gave witness that remission of sins comes only though faith in Christ (the Messiah). Another false prophet is Evangelist William P. Grady (another loyal disciple of Ruckman). These are Hell's Henchman, damning souls to Hell with their counterfeit plan of salvation, which is really a plan of slavation!
Dr. Ruckman had so many weird and unbiblical ideas and teachings. They idolize Ruckman at Bible Baptist Church in Pensacola, a militant cult of several hundred Ruckmanites who deceive people with a false gospel of partial faith in Christ plus turning from your sins to be saved. They're shameful Bible Baptist Bookstore (a ministry of their corrupt church) that sells deadly "Chick Tracts." Evangelist Robert Breaker in Milton, Florida, graduated in 1998 from Peter Ruckman's Bible college (aka, Pensacola Bible Institute).
Kindly said, you need to beware of Robert Breaker's Ruckmanology! (in this heretical video he falsely teaches that people were saved by WORKS in the Old Testament). The prophet Habakkuk lived under the Mosaic law, yet he exclaimed in Habakkuk 2:4, “Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith.” People were saved by FAITH alone throughout the Old Testament. Romans 4:4, “Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.” If salvation had been by WORKS in the Old testament, then God would have OWED them eternal life. Dear reader, God has never owed any sinner anything except to burn in Hell forever!!!
Old Testament Salvation: By Works?
Furthermore, Robert Breaker teaches in his foolish video (at about 24 minutes) that salvation required WORKS under the law in the Old Testament. He foolishly says that the priest had to do the WORK of cutting the lamb's throat, and the WORK of bringing the blood into the Holy Place, et cetera. This is some of the worst Bible teaching I've ever heard. What a butcher! Common sense tells us that 99.9% of the Israelites weren't involved with the priestly work of the tribe of Levi (aka, the book of “Leviticus” which describes the ceremonial work of the tribe of Levi). So how did all those 99.9% of the Jews get saved?
Also, if Robert Breaker is correct, how did the Israelites get saved when they were taken captive 400 miles east into Babylon for 70 years? If Breaker is right, then they all went to Hell, because the Levite Jews could not perform the WORK of the priests. I am stunned at the woeful theological ignorance of Ruckmanites!
The psalmist understood that we are saved by God's righteousness, and not our own works. Psalms 119:142, “Thy righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and thy law is the truth.” We find the phrase “Thy righteousness” mentioned 24 times in the book of Psalms. Clearly, God's imputed righteousness, which is by faith alone without works. The New Testament confirms this truth in Romans 4:5-7, “But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered.” Hello Mr. Breaker, did you read that: WITHOUT WORKS!!!
Where did David describe the blessedness of the man unto whom God imputes righteousness WITHOUT WORKS? Psalms 32:1-2, “Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile.” David fully understood that salvation is solely of the Lord, and not by WORKS! All Scripture is given by inspiration of God (2nd Timothy 3:16). The Apostle Paul clarifies the truth that David understood that God's imputed (credited) righteousness to the sinner by faith is WITHOUT WORKS. David calls Robert Breaker a LIAR!
Millions of Baptists Are Sadly Going To Hell
I hate to say it, but MILLIONS of Baptists are going to split Hell wide open when they die, because they have bought into the lie that faith is not enough to be saved. They think you must be willing to turn away from your sinful bad habits to receive God's free gift of eternal life, but that is an entirely different mindset than grace alone. To "be willing" to give up your sinning effectively implies that you MUST try to stop sinning to be saved.
As an illustration: Let's say that a teenage son asks his father if he can borrow the family car to drive somewhere. The father says, "Okay son, but only if you'd 'be willing' to gas the tank when you're done!" The son agrees and brings the car back with an empty tank of gas. The angry father asks his son why he didn't put gas into the tank. The Smart Alec son says, "Well Dad, you only said that I needed to 'be willing' to gas the tank, you didn't say that I had to." Obviously that son would be in big trouble and likely never be allowed to drive the car again."
Likewise, when cartoon evangelist Jack Chick (1924-2016) wickedly tells lost sinners that God demands they first "be willing to turn from sin" to get saved, it clearly instills a horrible mindset into that person's mind that God expects them to forsake their sinful bad habits, and to radically change their behavior, in exchange for a so-called "gift" that is supposed to be completely free. Jack Chick's corrupt plan of salvation is totally confusing BULL CRAP!!!
Having to forsake one's sinful ways is something that is not only very hard to do, it is absolutely IMPOSSIBLE! No one has ever turned from their sinning. At best all we can do is clean up our life of sins. Kindly said, Jack Chick (1924-2016) was an idiot in his theology. He was a California hippie cartoon artist, not a Bible preacher! God only knows the incalculable spiritual damage that Jack Chick has done, by influencing tens of thousands of preachers and churches to preach another gospel. It is not merely a matter of semantics, it is damnable heresy!!! To be willing to try to give up one's sinning has absolutely NOTHING to do with the sacrifice which Jesus made for all humanity on Calvary's cross.
Woe unto any preacher or layman who wickedly passes out Chick Tracts. The beautiful artwork is enticing eye candy, which masks the deadly doctrinal poison contained in Jack Chick's partial faith in Christ plus works counterfeit plan of salvation. The requirement to have such a radical change of heart toward sin, that a lost person must experienced a drastic change in their behavior, is SELF REFORMATION; but this is not how God's plan of redemption works, in which the indwelling Holy Spirit lives the Christian life through a saved person, and not we of our own self-righteous accord (Galatians 2:20).
Effectively, every false prophet who errantly teaches that a person must "be willing to turn from sin" to get to Heaven, is telling them that they must be willing to change themselves to be saved. That is NOT Bible repentance, it is human reformation. Matthew 27:3b says that wicked Judas “repented himself,” but this is a completely different Greek word than is used for repentance unto salvation used elsewhere throughout the New Testament.
Judas was merely sorry that he got caught betraying an innocent man (he even returned the 30 pieces of silver because he felt regret), but he didn't change his mind to admit that he was a dirty sinner in God's sight, nor did Judas change his mind to admit that Jesus is the Christ. Judas died in his sins and went to Hell forever to suffer, not because he was a sinner, but because he turned from his sins instead of repenting toward God in true repentance, which includes faith in Jesus Christ (Acts 20:21).
The Gospel is critically important. I am sad and disgusted that roughly 85% of Baptists today are hellbound churchgoers. They have churchianity without Christianity. No one is saved who has the wrong mindset that the life we live affects our eternal destiny. No one is saved who attempts to live a changed life in order to know that they are saved.
My Own Salvation Testimony At Age 13
I humbly got saved at age 13 because I trusted Jesus as my personal Savior, believing that He did it all for me through Calvary's cross.
Thankfully the issue of my sinful bad habits didn't come up, or else I wouldn't have trusted Christ. I mean, I would have known that I cannot give up my sinning, no one can. The very idea would have turned me off completely to trusting Christ. I never would have come to Christ if someone would have said to me in 1980 at age 13:
"David, you can be saved right now by trusting Christ, believing that He died on the cross for your sins, was buried and resurrected three days later; but first you must be willing to turn away from your sinning from now on. You cannot continue openly committing sin. From now on you must do your best to live a clean life and not sin anymore. You won't be perfect, but you must try your very best not to sin anymore. If you're not willing to do that, then you cannot be saved. Would you still like to be saved?"
To brush the person off, I would have politely said that I need to think about it first, but in my heart I would have already decided that I am not interested, knowing that I could never make such a COMMITMENT. And that's what it really is, a commitment do earnestly make an effort not to sin anymore. This is NOT the simple plan of salvation which Jesus teaches in the Holy Bible. This is NOT the simple plan of Salvation which the Apostle Paul teaches in the Holy Bible. Robert breaker, William P. Grady and other Ruckmanites are guilty of preaching another gospel. Peter S. Ruckman (1924-2016) pulled on the same rope as the Devil.
False Prophets Place The Burden Of Change Upon Lost Sinners
Do you see what they are wickedly doing dear reader? They are placing the burden of behavioral change upon the sinner's shoulder to be saved. What a heavy burden it is!!! No wonder Jesus said in Matthew 11:28, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” If you have been lied to dear friend by a Ruckmanite, told that you must “turn from your sins” to get to Heaven, then Jesus also says to you, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
That sweet “rest” Christ gives is in knowing that your name is written in the Lamb's Book of Life in Heaven. That sweet “rest” Christ gives is in knowing that when you got saved, nothing more was required to have eternal security. By the way, Eternal Security is not a separate doctrine from Eternal Life. They are one and the same teaching.
The man who has Eternal Life also has Eternal Security, that is, a total Assurance of Salvation. 1st John 5:20, “And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.” Jesus is Eternal Life. So, if you have trusted Jesus as your personal Savior, you already have Eternal Life!!! When the tabernacle of your earthly body is no longer suitable to sustain physical life (2nd Corinthians 5:1), your spirit and soul return to God who gave it (Ecclesiastes 12:7).
False prophets are effectively putting a knife to your throat, threatening you that God won't save you unless you first COMMIT to attempt to stop sinning. Ungodly Calvinist pastor, John MacArthur, even calls Lordship Salvation “an exchange, a trade of sorts.”The biggest problem today is that the churches have become truth resistant, just like a diabetic who has become insulin resistant. Even when faithful preachers (humbly like me by God's grace) place the truth directly into their hands, they reject it to side with their corrupt peers in the ministry (Hosea 4:6). They are afraid to suffer reproach for Christ. They don't want to be put outside the gate with Jesus (2nd Timothy 3:12).
The Holy Spirit Lives The Christian Life Through Us
Dear reader, I know that I preach on this topic often, coming at false repentance and Lordship Salvation from different angles, but I don't want to take the least risk that someone may miss the truth of the Gospel and go to Hell, all because they were lied to by Satan's ministers of unrighteousness (Matthew 7:13-15; 2nd Corinthians 11:13-15). To clarify, you DON'T have to be willing to forsake your sinning to get to Heaven. You simply need to trust the written Word of God which says that Jesus is the Christ, the only begotten (biological) Son of God, who died in your place on the cross to pay down your massive dent of sin.
He did that for you, me, and every human being who has ever been born (1st John 2:2). Jesus was buried, but He didn't stay dead. Three days later Jesus miraculously resurrected from the dead. This is the GOOD NEWS (which means, 'GOSPEL'), by which all who BELIEVE IT are instantly, irrevocably and forever saved. Romans 1:16, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.” According to 1st Corinthians 15:1-4, the 'Gospel' is the Good News that Jesus died on a cross for our sins, He was buried, and three days later He raised up bodily from the dead. If you BELIEVE (trust, rely upon) that 'GOOD NEWS,' then you are saved dear sinner.
Please don't miss what I am about to show you. All of the wicked preachers today (e.g., Jack Chick, William P. Grady, Marty Herron, Steve Pettit, Chuck Phelps, Ray Comfort, John MacArthur, Todd Friel, Paul Washer, Bob Jones University cult, Pensacola Christian College cult, et cetera), who say that you must “turn from your sins” to be saved, are placing the burden to change one's behavior upon THE SINNER. This is a false plan of salvation!
In true Bible salvation, you simply come to God as you are, as a hopeless ungodly sinner. You don't have to stop or start anything, nor even be willing to change. You simply receive God's free gift of eternal life by trusting what God has written in His inspired Word concerning Jesus Christ. The dear Savior died in your place on the cross, paying a debt that He did not owe (2nd Corinthians 5:21). The moment you trust Christ, God indwells and seals you with His the blessed gift of His Holy Spirit (Romans 8:9; Ephesians 1:13-14; 1st John 3:24).
Unlike the first counterfeit plan of salvation which errantly requires YOU to change your own behavior, in God's true plan of salvation it is Christ's Holy Spirit who lives the Christian life through you. Galatians 2:20-21, “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.” God intentionally put these two Bible verses together! Verse 21 says that keeping the WORKS of the law cannot save anyone. Yet, WORKS are exactly what corrupt preachers are demanding from you when they teach that you must be willing to “turn from your sins” to be saved, or “live a changed life” to prove that you're saved. They are demanding WORKS from you to get to Heaven.
The Deadly Sin Of Tampering With God's Word
In the Old Testament we read the tragic true story of Uzzah...
2nd Samuel 6:5-7 “And David and all the house of Israel played before the LORD on all manner of instruments made of fir wood, even on harps, and on psalteries, and on timbrels, and on cornets, and on cymbals. And when they came to Nachon's threshingfloor, Uzzah put forth his hand to the ark of God, and took hold of it; for the oxen shook it. And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Uzzah; and God smote him there for his error; and there he died by the ark of God.”
I like Uzzah. He was a good guy! I see careless people leave their shopping carts in a store's parking lot. I always grab a cart when I'm going into a store, since I'm going that way anyway. I always return my cart when done, and I usually grab two carts, to return them into the store. I do that for Jesus, to let my light so shine before men (Matthew 5:16). I care! I think Uzzah was that kind of guy, desiring to be helpful. He saw the Arc of the Covenant wobbling like it was ready to topple over, so he reached out his hand to steady it. God didn't just rebuke him, God killed Uzzah on the spot! Some liberals no doubt think that God should have overlooked Uzzah's offence, seeing that Uzzah had the best of intentions. Numbers 4:15 plainly warns that anyone who touched the Arc of the Covenant would die. The lesson is clear—God doesn't need our help to secure His Word, don't mess with God's Word!
Likewise, tens of thousands of corrupt preachers today mean well. They are good men (as far as sinful humans go). They don't want to hurt God, corrupt the Bible, or help damn souls to Hell. That is not their intent, I have no doubt. However, we read in Proverbs 14:12, “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.” I have no doubt that Robert Breaker is a good man. I am confident that he pays his bills on time and loves his neighbor as himself; yet, he is guilty of corrupting God's Word.
All of the well-meaning preachers today who falsely teach that you must “turn from your sins” to be saved are guilty of mixing works with grace. Like Uzzah they have the best of intentions, but they know not what they are doing. You cannot show me one verse in the inspired King James Bible which says to “turn from your sins” to get to Heaven. Wicked but well-meaning religious men added those extra words to God's Words. Proverbs 30:5-6, “Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him.Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar. ”
John 3:1-3, “There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him. Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
There is much rave on social media and in the news about the Christian faith if Hollywood actor Denzel Washington. Unfortunately, I don't see it! In the following recent YouTube video you will hear Denzel speak about his so-called salvation testimony, in which he says that as a boy he, “Gave it up” and was filled with the Holy Spirit. Dear reader, that is not God's simple plan of salvation, not even close! ...
WHY I LOVE JESUS! ~ Denzel Washington (Epic & Powerful Christian Testimony)
In a 2020 article titled, “Denzel Washington on Coming to Christ: ‘I Was Filled With the Holy Ghost and it Scared Me,” Denzel merely says that he “Gave his life to Christ” three times while growing up, but that is not the true biblical Gospel. What saith the Scripture?
1st Corinthians 15:1-4, “Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:”
As we just read, the “Gospel” (Good News) is comprised of three things:
Jesus DIED on a cross to pay our debt of sin.
He was BURIED.
Three days later Jesus RESURRECTED physically from the dead.
To settle the matter, so that you will know from this moment forward that your name is written in the Lamb's Book of Life, and that you have a home in Heaven—simply come to God as an admitted guilty sinner and receive Christ's sacrifice on the cross as full payment for your sins, believing that He died, was buried, but then bodily raised up the third day from the dead. If this is your only hope for forgiveness of sins and eternal life, you are born again! It's that simple.
In sharp contrast, no one has ever been saved by giving their life to Christ. Salvation is not a reward for the righteous, it is a gift for the guilty! The true Gospel always points you to CHRIST; a false gospel always points to YOU. Salvation is not doing your best, it is having Christ's best put to your account through receiving Him by faith. There is something very wrong with Denzel's alleged Christian testimony! You don't get to Heaven by “giving it up” as Denzel says he did multiple times. Jesus gave His life as a sacrifice on the cross, paying a debt He did not owe because we owed a debt we could not pay.
In the introduction to Michael P. Bowen's helpful book, "I NEVER KNEW YOU," he writes these truthful words on page xii:
Here is the gospel: God says that we are sinners and that no
amount of good works or behavioral changes on our part could ever
make us holy enough to enter heaven. God sent His Son to pay for
all of our sins. Jesus paid for our crimes by dying on the cross for
us all. His dead body was buried in a grave. On the third day, Jesus
arose from the dead.
The instant you believe this, He knows it and He saves you.
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that believeth on Me hath everlasting life”(John 6:47). The free gift is based solely upon your trust
in what Jesus did for you and has nothing at all to do with what you
do for Him. “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of
yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should
boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9).
Amen and amen! I thank God for Brother Bowen, that he so beautifully clarifies the Gospel. God only knows the eternal impact that his book is making for the cause of Jesus Christ.
Denzel Washington says some excellent things in interviews. He is right that the biggest problem in America today is a lack of fathers in the home. Denzel wisely said that where there is no father in the home, boys find a father in the streets instead. The judge becomes their mother and the prison system their home.
Denzel also rightly said that love cannot be legislated. The government cannot force different ethnicities (e.g., blacks and whites) to get along with each other. Love is a personal thing, not something that can be forced through legislation. It all begins with us as individual people. It all boils down to one's home environment, how we were raised up. This is why sexual immorality (casual sex) in today's wicked American “hookup culture” is so evil and dangerous, because it conceives fatherless bastards. Every child deserves to have both a mother and a father in a happy and safe home. Yet, all we see from Hollywood, television, the entertainment industry and every other media venue today is sexual immorality being promoted as a cool lifestyle.
By the way, singer Taylor Swift is not what she appears to be! I cannot warn parents enough to protect your child from Miss Swift, who is a child of the Devil. Take a look at what she did in her despicable music video titled, 'Wildest Dreams'! Why aren't parents everywhere angry and rising up in protest against this evil woman? Why hasn't the news media investigated and exposed Taylor Swift as a sex pervert and dangerous bad role model for teenagers? I'll tell you why! It is because Satan is the god of this evil world (2nd Corinthians 4:4). It is because the ungodly world love and excuse their own (John 15:19). If a pastor and church would have made a video like that, the FBI would have been knocking at their doors!
A demonic spirit pervades American culture today! Having said that, I don't believe Denzel Washington is a genuine born again believer, because his testimony is not that of a saved man. I am not talking about his acting in Hollywood movies, which has nothing to do with his direct testimony from his mouth concerning Christ. One's choice of behavior is not an indicator of being saved or lost. Most unsaved religious people are good people (as far as sinners go). The unsaved false prophets in Matthew 7:21-23 boasted to Jesus of having done "many wonderful works," but Christ denied knowing them as His sheep.
Those lost sinners in Matthew 7:21-23 were Christ followers! They called Jesus "Lord, Lord." But Jesus denied knowing them! Giving one's life to Jesus is not God's simple plan of salvation. Unless Denzel is born again, he cannot enter into Heaven (Luke 13:23-24). The new birth is by faith alone in Jesus Christ apart from all human effort, sacrifice and works. Anyone who testifies that they “gave it up” to be saved, didn't get saved. Jesus “gave it up” so that we wouldn't have to be punished in Hell without hope, mercilessly tormented in fire and brimstone day and night forever (Revelation 20:11-15, 21:8).
In a booklet delivered to my home's mailbox in November of 2023 by Campus Church at Pensacola Christian College, it contains the following damnable heresy...
“REPENTANCE — Now is the time to turn from your sin and embrace God. The act of turning away from sin is called 'repentance.' This word implies an inward decisionto follow and obey God's will instead of your self-serving sins. It means changing your mind about sin and seeing it as something that grieves God. The Bible says that God patiently waits for all people to make this decision.”
SOURCE: “John & Romans,” Campus Church at Pensacola Christian College, p. 60
Also this damnable heresy,
“I repent of my sins. I realize that sin is something that God hates and I no longer want to hold onto sinful bad habits in my life.”
SOURCE: “John & Romans,” Campus Church at Pensacola Christian College, p. 62
That is damnable heresy!!! You cannot show me any of those false teachings in the inspired King James Bible. Pensacola Christian College (PCC) and their incompetent Campus Church pastors are theological liars!!! Satan is using them to lead lost sinners into Hell (2nd Corinthians 11:13-15). They are giving lost people a false hope.
The "Gospel" is that Jesus died on a cross for our sins. He was buried. He resurrected physically three days later. According to 1st Corinthians 15:1-4, whosoever BELIEVES (trusts, relies upon) this Good News is saved. Anyone who admits to being a guilty sinner in God's sight (Romans 3:19-20), and they receive Christ's sacrifice on the cross as full payment for their sins, believing that Christ is risen from the dead, is saved (1st Thessalonians 4:14).
To get to Heaven, there is no additional biblical requirement to hate sin so much that it compels us to forsake a lifestyle of sinning. That is manmade reformation, not biblical repentance. In true salvation, God saves an ungodly sinner (just as I am), and then the indwelling Holy Spirit indwells that child of God. If we choose to Walk in the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-25), then the Holy Spirit (not us) lives the Christian life through us (Galatians 2:20).
A changed life is the "fruit" of the indwelling Holy Spirit (God living in us as believers). What Lordship Salvation does, is it forces an unsaved person to change their own life, in their own human power, to be saved. This is not the "fruit" of the indwelling Holy Spirit. It is human reformation and a counterfeit plan of salvation.
Pastor Harry Ironside (187501951) said it best, I humbly think:
“The Gospel is not a call to repentance, or to amendment of our ways, to make restitution for past sins, or to promise to do better in the future. These things are proper in their place, but they do not constitute the Gospel; for the Gospel is not good advice to be obeyed, it is good news to be believed. Do not make the mistake then of thinking that the Gospel is a call to duty or a call to reformation, a call to better your condition, to behave yourself in a more perfect way than you have been doing in the past …
Nor is the Gospel a demand that you give up the world, that you give up your sins, that you break off bad habits, and try to cultivate good ones. You may do all these things, and yet never believe the Gospel and consequently never be saved at all.”
Bravo! Clearly, Dr. Harry Ironside taught a free grace view of the Gospel. I love free grace preachers who get the gospel right!
“When it comes to salvation, if you're saved by grace, there's nothing to stop or start.” —Pastor Ralph Yankee Arnold, “Legalistic Judaism is Today's Calvinism”
Amen and amen! John 6:47, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.”
John 3:16-17, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.”
I heard a wonderful sermon today from which I gleaned this edifying quote:
“When it comes to salvation, if you're saved by grace, there's nothing to stop or start.” —Pastor Ralph Yankee Arnold, “Legalistic Judaism is Today's Calvinism”
This MP3 excerpt was taken from Pastor Ralph Yankee Arnold's helpful sermon titled: “Legalistic Judaism is Today's Calvinism.” Here is the sermon if you'd like to watch it...
Legalistic Judaism is Today's Calvinism
I love this guy! It is becoming extremely rare to find a free grace preacher in these perilous times. Tragically, I'd guess that about 85% of Baptist churches today have succumbed to the Devil's falsehood that more than faith is required to get to Heaven. In addition, they falsely teach that you must be willing to “turn from your sins” to be saved, which the inspired Holy Bible doesn't teach. What saith the Scripture? Proverbs 30:5-6, “Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.”
The shameful pastor of Campus Church at Pensacola Christian College (Jeff Redlin) is a liar! His clown sidekick Timothy Zacharias is a liar! God says so, not me. Bob Jones University today and their longtime president Steve Pettit are liars! They have ADDED man's words to God's Words, perverting the grace of God. Jesus paid for everybody's sins, He doesn't demand that you forsake your sinning to receive His payment for your sins.
God is so very good dear friend. Christ died on that cross to pay for your sins. He was buried but then came back from the dead. All that God requires for you to get to Heaven is that you BELIEVE Jesus Christ did it all for you. I love this quote from Pastor Yankee Arnold...
“Christ paid for my sins. If He paid for my sins, why would I have to go to Hell to pay for my sins? All He wanted me to do was believe that He did it all for me. That is the greatest news in all the world! And no man, no preacher, has the authority to change the Gospel message. Just because you don't see how it works, or understand how it works, you don't have to know—it ain't none of our business; but God says there is a Heaven and a Hell, and if you want to go to Heaven this is what you do, and your opinion don't count.” —Pastor Ralph Yankee Arnold, “Legalistic Judaism is Today's Calvinism”
That's truthful preaching! We need more free grace preachers today. The Devil is very subtle, a master deceiver and imitator (2nd Corinthians 11:13-15). Satan is a beautiful liar!
Jeremiah 10:21, “For the pastors are become brutish, and have not sought the LORD: therefore they shall not prosper, and all their flocks shall be scattered.”
Galatians 2:4-5, “And that because of false brethren unawares brought in, who came in privily to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage:To whom we gave place by subjection, no, not for an hour; that the truth of the gospel might continue with you.”
The Apostle Paul said that he refused to put up with false prophets, not even for one hour. Paul shut their microphone down (so to speak), and ran them out of the churches!
I received numerous emails yesterday and today from a religious man who wanted to debate eternal security. I kindly told him that I don't debate, but he persisted to pressure me, thinking that he was going to convince me over to his damnable heresy. Here first is his last email to me, and then following I will post my response. This is an important matter, which I want to lay to rest once and for all. The Bible teaches: ONCE SAVED, ALWAYS SAVED!!! If you don't agree with that, then you are not born again and if you don't repent, you will spend eternity burning in Hell, fire and brimstone. It's as simple and frightening as that!
Here is a portion of his foolish email (his grammar is so bad that most of his sentences make no sense at all). I haven't edited anything. Literally, this is exactly what he wrote to me...
I won't quote scripture for I know you know them, but so do I.
And I have never once read the words "once I am saved I always will be saved" no mater what I do and say to others because if I do anything it is just works trying to save myself.
If we all did not need to do anything then who is not saved by not earning Lord Jesus own death and resurrection Blood Salvation? That he has already gave everyone today even before they were born as sinners and they never could earn it, can they?
Please take no offence, I am not trying to argue, I honestly ask, is "always saved" even Biblical, and if so then why would Jesus own appointed Apostle be lost when he already profess faith in Jesus Christ and who also cast out demons and healed the sick?
Also the 2 born again believers in Acts 5 who Peter drove out their spirit and they fell dead on the ground for their lies they gave against the Holy Spirit.
Also the Holy Spirit has never told me, that I am always saved no matter what I or how I treat others, nor did Apostle Paul never said he was always saved, not that I could read anywhere in scripture. For he said I have finished the race and he looked forward to be saved.
Can we discuss those scripture please, "as it is written" already in the Holy Spirit's Interpretations in Holy scripture with the words God spoke that need no other private reinterpretation from anyone?
Here is my full reply to him...
*****,
Kindly, we don't agree on eternal security. I absolutely believe in, "once saved always saved." No matter what I say, you are set in your beliefs, and so am I.
You are caught between grace and works, because you think YOU have something to do with your eternal salvation. Jesus paid it all and I'm only trusting in CHRIST. The very idea that someone would have to live a certain way to know that they have eternal life, is a fallacy that causes millions of confused people fear and worry every day. No thanks!
Salvation is not a reward for the righteous, it is a gift for the guilty.
Salvation is not doing your best, it is having Christ's best put to your account through receiving Him by faith.
Turning away from sinful ways would be a work. Faith puts all of the merit where it belongs, on the object of our faith, Jesus and His work.
The true Gospel always points you to CHRIST; a false gospel always points to YOU.
I won't debate this with you. You're not going to convince me to adopt a faith in Christ plus my own efforts type of false salvation. You say salvation is by Christ alone, but then you deny your words by suggesting that the life we live somehow can cost us God's free gift of salvation. A "free gift" (Romans 5:18) means there can be no stipulations or obligations.
You are woefully deceived. Nothing I say is going to convince you, and I refuse to listen to your unbiblical heresy.
In Jesus' precious name, David
Please keep in mind that this was our fifth exchange of emails. I was being patient with him. I sent him a dozen Gospel sermons and books. I wrote at length explaining the difference between service and sanctification. In fact, here is the previous email that I sent to him, so you can see how sincerely I tried to help the guy see the light of the truth. He had asked me, "Do you think you're always saved no matter what you do or how you treat others as the example of Jesus Christ?" Here is my full reply...
*****,
Yes, once saved always saved, because God's gift of salvation is based upon what Christ alone did to pay for our sins through Calvary's cross.
Having said that, no believer has God's permission to life in sin. Romans 6:1-2, "What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?" God commands all saints to depart from iniquity and walk in holiness, but when we do sin (and we all choose to), God's grace much more abounds so that we can never lose salvation. It is God's salvation, not ours to give. We cannot lose by bad works what we could not earn by good works. Faith is the only righteous thing that I can do.
My favorite preacher quote is from Pilgrim's Progress book author, John Bunyan, who said:
“If you do not put a difference between justification wrought by the man Christ without and sanctification wrought by the Spirit of Christ within, you are not able to divide the Word aright; but contrariwise, you corrupt the Word of God, and cast stumbling blocks before the people.” —John Bunyan (1628-1688)
We must keep sanctification (service - Romans 12:1) completely separate from justification (salvation - Galatians 3:26), or else we will corrupt the Gospel and cast stumbling blocks before the people. Many preachers make the mistake of citing the book of Matthew, about picking up one's cross to follow Christ, and they foolishly apply it to salvation. But that is discipleship Jesus is talking about in Matthew. God authored the specific Gospel of John to show humanity how to be saved (John 20:31). We find the word "believe" mentioned 85 times in the book of John, but there is no requirement to follow, confess, repent, turn, forsake, live or anything else; but just to believe. John 6:47, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life."
The Bible warns in Hebrews 12:6-8 that if a man is without chastisement from God for his sins, then he is a bastard and not a genuine adopted son of God. God is not an absent parent! There are two wrong extremes to which a preacher can go. The first is to corrupt the Gospel by adding living a holy life (service) to God's free grace. The second extreme is to just preach that people can be saved without turning from sins, but then that preacher never warns believers of God's judgment upon disobedient children (2nd Corinthians 5:9-11).
Dr. John R. Rice (1895-1980) addressed this issue of Lordship Salvation. A lady in the church suggested that some of the young people weren't saved because of their misbehaving and bad attitude. Dr. Rice corrects her by teaching her that the problem is not that the teens aren't saved; but rather, they haven't been properly mentored by the spiritual adults in the church. And of course, it might be that indeed they are not saved. But whether someone is saved or not can only be known by a direct testimony from their mouth concerning Jesus Christ. ...
One of my favorite preachers and sermons is by Pastor Ralph Yankee Arnold. The sermon is titled, "Why Lordship Salvation Is Wrong."
The Bible is full of horrible saints who hurt others at times. King David stole Uriah's wife, impregnated her, then murdered Uriah to hide the unintended pregnancy. David didn't lose God's gift of salvation, he lost the "joy" of salvation (Psalms 51:12). I believe Joseph's 10 half brothers were saved, even though they conspired to sell him into Egyptian slavery. The Bible is full of the sins of the saints. Thankfully, our God is merciful and is always willing to forgive us and give us unlimited chances, as we see with the woman taken in the act of adultery in John chapter 8.
There is none righteous the Bible says, no not one (Romans 3:10). That includes saved believers. The only thing that makes the holiest saint, any more righteous than the vilest dirty unsaved sinner like John Wayne Gacy, is the precious blood of Jesus (1st Peter 1:18-19). James 2:10 says that if a man commits even one sin, he is guilty of all in the sight of God. In other words, all it takes is just one sin to keep a sinner out of Heaven. The only other place to go is the Lake of Fire forever.
I hope that answers your question. I welcome Bible questions. I just don't like to debate with people.
Have a good evening,
David
Like so many fools before him, he doesn't believe in eternal security. He rejects the idea that a person can be saved and then just live any way they want. Well, he is WRONG! Salvation is of the Lord (Jonah 2:9). Either God does the saving, all of it, or else you don't get grace!!!
