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:”
Many people try to complicate the Gospel by adding THEIR self righteous works/human self efforts/self reformation/behavioral changes/good deeds. The Bible says we are saved by grace through faith in Christ alone plus nothing, when we simply BELIEVE how that JESUS Himself died on the Cross for all our sins, was buried and bodily rose three days later for our justification.
The Gospel does not include the following meritorious works of THE LAW:
Repent of your sins Make Jesus the Lord of your life Give your life to Jesus Confess all your sins Live a changed life Join a church or denomination Say a special prayer Keep the Mosaic law Get water baptized Obey the Ten Commandments
THESE ARE ALL WORKS!
Read what God’s word says about His simple plan of salvation for mankind (John 3:16; 1 Corinthians 15:1-4; Romans 1:16-19, 3:23-27 & 4:5; Ephesians 1:13-14, 2:8-9 KJB).
Here is a tremendous quote from Dr. Curtis Hutson (1934-1995):
“I maintain that anything short of truth is a lie. But I also maintain that anything beyond truth is a lie. If you tell a man he can be saved, without believing on Christ, you've come short of the truth; but if you go beyond the truth and tell a man he's saved by believing plus being baptized, plus keeping the Ten Commandments, plus enduring to the end, you've gone beyond truth. I say we ought to stick with what the Bible says, even if it doesn't coincide with what we've always thought it meant.” —Dr. Curtis Hutson, “The Determining Factor In Salvation” (MP3 sermon)
Dear friend, faith is the only righteous thing that you can do! Just come to God as a guilty sinner and BELIEVE the Gospel. The Gospel is the “GOOD NEWS” that Jesus is the only begotten Son of God—the Christ—who died on a cross to pay for your sins and mine, He was buried and three days later Jesus bodily resurrected from the dead.
Dear reader, everything you have you got one of three ways:
you earned it
you stole it
someone gave it to you
There's no other way to get things, and that applies to Heaven too! You cannot earn it (Titus 3:5). You cannot steal it (John 10:1). You can only freely receive it as a gift from God (Ephesians 2:8-9). God bless you friend and thank you for reading my blogs.
“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.” —John 3:16
Here are 11 reasons for not teaching the heresy of “Lordship Salvation,” by Dr. Ray Stanford (1916-2012).
It contradicts Scripture; therefore, it cannot be true. This one reason should settle the matter completely. If a doctrine is contrary to what God says, then it should be discarded immediately. See Romans 3:4; Titus 2:7; Galatians 4: 16.
It causes confusion and frustration to the unbeliever because it leaves the impression that salvation is by works. Therefore, the lost person often puts off accepting Christ until he is "ready" to turn his entire life over to the Lord. If the truth were presented to such a person, that salvation is free, but that after we are saved the Lord would work in our lives, perhaps he would trust Christ. Because of a "grace plus works" message he might NEVER trust Christ (I Corinthians 14:8,9).
This message CANNOT SAVE. If anyone gets saved during such a message, it will be because God has honored a portion of His Word IN SPITE of the unscriptural teaching brought into the message (Romans 4:5; Galatians 5:1-4; Romans 11:6; Isaiah 55:8-11; Romans 10:17).
This message is accursed of God. Any message, no matter how "good" it may sound, is condemned by God unless it is His own salvation message. HIS message is the only one that saves. All others are of satanic or fleshly origin and curse men to hell. Therefore, God curses such a message (Acts 4:12; John 14:6; Galatians 1:6-9; II Corinthians 11:13 15; Galatians 3:1-3).
The person who preaches such a message is also accursed of God. Strong statement? Yes, but it is what God says. A man who preaches man's efforts have a part in salvation is leading people to hell, not heaven. Even if a man believes he is sincere, a wrong message still has the effects of the wrong message. Sincerity is no substitute for truth (Deuteronomy 27:18; Proverbs 17:15; 19:5; Jeremiah 23:1).
It, in effect, makes God a liar and the Bible untrue. If salvation really does come to those who turn over their lives to Christ, then God has been wrong all the time, throughout the entire Bible, because salvation is taught from Genesis to Revelation to come only through faith (Titus 1:2, 3; Romans 3: 4).
It causes even Christian preachers to further the error by thinking it might have some merit and preaching it themselves. One well-known Christian returned to America from some meetings he held in a foreign country and made a statement like this: "I really made it difficult for them to accept Christ over there. In America it's too easy to become a Christian, so I made it hard for them there. I told them accepting Christ meant turning from their sins, reading their Bibles, praying every day, giving up bad habits, and going to church regularly. And in spite of such a hard message hundreds made decisions for Christ."
WHAT A TRAGEDY! When people hear the true gospel after hearing this type of message, they are often unable to distinguish what is truth from what is error, and so many are left confused and unsaved.
The preaching of this error robs the one preaching it of reward. Paul said, "What is our . . . crown? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming?" The more we are able to win to Christ, the more souls will be in heaven, and so the more reward we will have. But those who preach a confused message hinder people from trusting Christ as their Saviour. Therefore, many souls are left unsaved, and so these preachers will not have the reward that they could have had (I Thessalonians 2: 19, 20; II John 8; I John 2:28; I Corinthians 9:18).
It confuses "laymen" believers and causes them to be ineffective in their witness. A girl recently asked, "I know that you are sincere and seem to have Scripture to back up what you teach, but my pastor is also sincere and teaches differently about salvation than you do. How do I know which one of you is right? How can I witness when I don't know what to tell people?"
A confused believer isn't going to be a faithful witness because he is going to be in constant turmoil over what to say. When he does try to witness, he will probably give out some mixture of "grace and works" that will not only confuse the lost person, but will also bring discouragement to the believer when he doesn't find people responding to his witness. When the gospel is given out, pure and simple, there will be results. The gospel is good news, and people respond to it.
It hinders the growth of the body of Christ. This is one of the results of the above (#9). When the believer's mouth is stopped (regardless of the reason), then the natural flow of fruit-bearing is stopped. Since Christ's body is composed of believers, the growth of His body is hindered when souls are not won (John 15: 8, 16).
Incidentally, this will also stop the growth of the local church as well. It is so obvious when you stop to think about it. Why any preacher thinks this accursed "grace and works" message would in any way benefit anyone is a puzzle to me. Let's learn to THINK THINGS THROUGH!
It brings persecution to the believers who stand firm for the Scriptural message of "justification by faith." Those who are clear on the gospel are often accused of preaching "easy believism" or "cheap grace." Nothing could be further from the truth! Tell me, is a person ever saved by "hard" believism? Certainly no Christian I know believes in "cheap" grace! This is absurd. God's grace is precious. The blood of Jesus is precious. The price our Lord paid for our redemption was so high that nothing can be compared with its great value. Salvation is anything but cheap. It is free to us only because Jesus paid the full price. And that price was His precious life blood (I Peter 1:18, 19).
God has gone through so MUCH to provide redemption for us! When I think that Jesus even gave His life-died such a horrible death-in order to provide eternal life as a free gift to those who would accept His payment by faith . . . and then someone comes along who professes to be a child of God and wants to make salvation HARD for the lost person . . . how the heart of our dear Saviour must break!
"Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, where with he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?" ( Hebrews 10: 29)
I doubt seriously if anyone could carefully read the Gospel accounts of what Christ went through to purchase our salvation and ever again speak glibly of "cheap grace." No one is ever saved by "cheap grace." They are saved by PRICELESS, AMAZING GRACE! Don't let Satan blind you to the fact that salvation REALLY IS FREE to man. Don't listen to him when he insinuates that "justification by faith" is a dangerous doctrine that will lead to "loose living." The greatest soulwinners who ever lived believed in salvation by grace through faith, and they preached it faithfully . . . and God blessed them and their ministry for it.
We have a miracle salvation-provided and preserved by God Himself! Let's give out the good news of this salvation simply and faithfully for His glory.
"But of Him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord" (I Corinthians 1:30, 31).
“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.” —John 3:16
Acts 16:30-31, "And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, BELIEVE on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house."
The Kingdom Alert Update believes in salvation by grace through faith (i.e. belief) alone. By "belief" I mean "belief" as it is used in the English language! I mean "believe" as it is used for the first time in the King James Bible in Genesis 15.
Genesis 15:5-6, "And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be. And he BELIEVED in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness."
Romans 4:2-5, "For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God. For what saith the scripture? Abraham BELIEVED God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. 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."
I mean "believe" as it is used the second time in the Bible:
Exodus 4:1, "And Moses answered and said, But, behold, they will not BELIEVE me, nor hearken unto my voice: for they will say, The LORD hath not appeared unto thee."
I mean "believe" as it is found for the first time in the NT:
Matthew 9:28, "And when he was come into the house, the blind men came to him: and Jesus saith unto them, BELIEVE ye that I am able to do this? They said unto him, Yea, Lord."
Did Jesus mean "commit yourself and turn from your sin" in Mark 9? There is no English dictionary on the face of the earth that I know of (and I have a fair collection of new and old) that defines the word "believe" as meaning "commit," "work," "be good," "turn from sin," "ask Jesus into your heart," "confess," "pray," etc. Yet John Macarthur and other "Lordship Salvation" advocates tell us that "belief" really means "commit" or some other term signifying "works." (They cannot stand it when you call "crossbearing," "committing," "surrendering," "confessing," et cetera, "works.") I trust that the KJV translators understood the original languages better than modern scholars. They knew that words in any language must often be translated various ways depending on the context. When they translated a word as "believe" they were not re-inventing or redefining the word "believe" into some Gnostic, theological definition.
There are many good, fundamental brethren who are rightfully displeased with the state of professing "Christendom." They see the great number of people that are willing to make a decision, but they notice how few there are who are willing to take up their crosses in commitment to Christ. But I do not think the answer to this problem is to re-invent the word "believe." The answer is to present the BIBLICAL truth about the Judgment Seat of Christ for Christians (and the truth concerning the future Kingdom of God) with the same consistency and force that Christ and the Apostles continually presented it. Great Baptist preachers such as Robert Govett, James Graves, D.M. Panton, R.E. Neighbour, W.F. Roadhouse, etc., in one degree or another, knew how to preach responsibility to Christians.
Yet these truths concerning the fear of God practically disappeared in the 1960's among Baptists and other fundamentalists. So the answer is not found in making the Gospel "hard" and thereby destroying the logical possibility for absolute assurance (no one can know for sure they are saved if they have to wait their whole life to make sure they don't one day lack "commitment" for an extended period of time and thereby prove to be only empty professors!).
The reason professing Christians are so doctrinally flawed today is because the Gospel of salvation by grace through faith alone in Christ's finished work is so often "helped" by preachers, because they are afraid it is too simple when left alone. But if they would preach a Biblical Judgment Seat (2nd Corinthians 5:10) they would find all the warnings and responsibility truth needed to stir people to holiness; and the Gospel could be left pure.
Revelation 3:15-18, “I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.”
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.”
Jeremiah 12:10, “Many pastors have destroyed my vineyard, they have trodden my portion under foot, they have made my pleasant portion a desolate wilderness.”
Sadly, we are living in a dangerous time of incompetent pastors and preachers. Case in point is that wicked false prophet Billy Graham, who has openly praised the Roman Catholic pope as the greatest spiritual leader of the 20th century! I tell you, the Pope is inspired by Satan, and Catholicism is the biggest cult in the world today! ...
Billy Graham Says 'Salvation WITHOUT Jesus!'
Tragically, Billy Graham (1918-2018) is burning in Hell right now! No man is saved who denies that faith alone in Jesus Christ is the ONLY way to Heaven. Mr. Graham said that unsaved Muslims, Mormons and other unbelievers could be saved without faith in the name of Jesus. BLASPHEMY!!!
I have had the misfortunate of meeting incompetent graduate pastors of the Bob Jones University (BJU) cult. Also, the cult at Pensacola Christian College (PCC) that wickedly bids Godspeed to the deadly BJU cult. To name a few incompetent infidels: Jeff Redlin, Timothy Zacharias, Joe Hensen, Jared Baldwin, Marty Herron, Steve Pettit, Chuck Phelps, John MacArthur, Sam Horn, John Lewis and Gary Walton. All these men pervert the plan of salvation. Jeff Redlin and the PCC camp errantly teach that repentance requires a change of behavior to prove you are saved. PCC has adopted the demonic false doctrine of BJU, that justification, sanctification and glorification are a package deal which cannot be separated. PCC is not what they appear to be. BEWARE of the cult at PCC!!!
Read what some of their own frustrated alumni have to say about PCC:
“Don't go here if you're a Christian; they don't actually follow the Bible. They just use it as an excuse to treat people like trash.” —Danielle Tate (2016)
“This institution did more to harm my personal development than any other. As a 38 year old professional, I still bear the scars of how I was treated by this harsh, unloving, uncaring college.” —Greg S (2015), a former abused PCC student
“17 years later and I'm still shaking off the trauma. So many extra-biblical rules it'll make your head spin. Great place for Pharisaical training if your into that. The rule book has more rules than the Bible.” —Jorn Anderson (September 2022), former mistreated PCC student
“Pcc is the worst school ever. It was a complete waste of my time and money. They kicked me out for going to the wrong Sunday school class. And that was a year ago. They still will not release my transcripts which has put me behind in my college career. They schools not be called a Christian college if they cannot even live by what the Bible has to say. If I was able to take it all back and not go there I would in a heartbeat. I am warning you if you are thinking about going DONT DO IT!!!!” —Gavin Bufford (2017), abused former PCC student
“I'm a 2018 graduate of PCC and I went here for all 4 years. It's really sad that this place calls itself Christian, its legalistic places like pcc that give Christians a bad name. They do have a lot of rules regulating most areas of life. I was treated very poorly and rude by several "Christians" on staff and faculty and I saw many of my friends treated the same way. I've personally seen people who were once people I would hang out with, when given positions of leadership become legalistic monsters taking joy in getting as many students in trouble as possible, and this is done in the name of Christ! As a student you are guilty until proven innocent and can be kicked out just because someone accuses you of something.” —Nick Harrison (2019), a mistreated PCC alumni
“It is NOT a friendly environment. All they care about is rules instead of encouraging and building you up in your Christian walk.” —Hannah Elizabeth Kirchhoff (December 2022), mistreated former PCC student
“They call themselves Christians, but Christians are supposed to show compassion and patience.” —Angela (January 2023), mistreated former PCC student
“In retrospect, I thank God for not having the opportunity to attend here (Pensacola Christian College) and myself for not making the decision to enroll.” —Richard Deuto (January 2023)
There is a woeful lack of love at PCC. Dr. Jack Hyles was so right, they are academics, not church builders, so they woefully lack compassion for people. ...
“I am all for standards, but I am not for standards without love.” —Pastor Jack Hyles
There is no love or compassion for individual people at PCC or their rotten Campus Church. All I asked in 2022 was to attend Campus Church, but their thug pastor Jeff Redlin refused. God will punish Redlin for his hatred and unforgiveness! Meanwhile, I am going to befriend all of PCC's hurting graduates who have fallen through the cracks, like Samantha Field who was brutally attacked by a male on PCC campus. She was told by a PCC staff member to stop causing trouble, to repent and let the matter go into God's hands. Poor Samantha Field. I am supportive of Samantha's pain and suffering, because like her, I have been mistreated, shunned, ignored and crapped on by PCC leaders and their ungodly yuppie pastors.
Thankfully, Marty Herron's religious partner in crime, Dr. Steve Pettit, has been removed as the incompetent president of Bob Jones University. Hallelujah and Amen!!! Jeff Redlin needs to go next at PCC's Campus Church. The day Redlin is fired or resigns I am going to throw a party! Tragically, Pastor Jeff Redlin is the worst thing to happen to PCC in a long time, bringing with him a self-righteous, hypocritical, cult minded form of bigotry, arrogance and playing God with people's lives. If you are divorced like me, and single hoping to remarry after 20 years, PCC will cruelly shun and throw you under the bus, as they wickedly did me in 2021 and still ongoing today. SHAME! SHAME!! SHAME on PCC!!! God will be their Judge. Thank God Steve Pettit is gone. God answered my prayer! Now I pray for Jeff Redlin to be fired!!!
These are all incompetent pastors today. The ungodly pastors at PCC's Campus Church all wickedly bid Godspeed to Ken Ham, who says that faith is not enough to get to Heaven. Ken Ham and his shameful Answers-In-Genesis cult falsely teach that you must also turn away from your evil ways to be saved. That is WORKS, not God's saving grace, which is by faith alone in Jesus Christ. Galatians 3:26, “For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.” I didn't see anything in the Bible about forsaking your sinful behavior to get to Heaven.
Dear reader, God does want you to forsake a sinful lifestyle (Romans 3:31), but this happens as a result of being saved, not to get saved. A believer turns from sin, “if” (and that is the key word, “if”) they yield to the indwelling Holy Spirit (which we automatically get at salvation). Every child of God must choose to walk in that Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22-25). It is possible for a saint to choose to still walk in the flesh, living in open gross immorality. They are still 100% saved certain, because we weren't saved by good works, nor can we be saved by bad works. How can you lose that which was not yours to give in the first place? Salvation is of the Lord. Simply BELIEVE THE GOSPEL and you are saved forever!!!
BEWARE of today's incompetent pastors. You will know them by these warning signs:
They preach the Devil's lie of Lordship Salvation (this heresy says that more than faith is necessary to get to Heaven. In addition, proponents of Lordship Salvation falsely claim that you must turn from your sinful ways, surrender to Christ as the supreme “Lord” of your life, give control of the steering-wheel of your life over to Christ, follow Jesus no matter what the cost, et cetera. You get the picture. The Bible teaches that faith is the only righteous thing that I can do.
They preach a misunderstanding of 'repentance' to be saved. They claim that “repent” means to give up your old lifestyle of sinning. This is a false gospel. Christ came to pay for our sins, because we simply cannot turn away from them. No one can! Who can stop sinning? Do you really think that God demands for you to become less a sinner than a bigger sinner as a requirement to go to Heaven? Dear friend, God requires for you to be absolutely 100% perfect to enter into His Kingdom! There is no way for you and me to achieve that of our own accord. That is why Jesus went to the cross, to pay our debt of sin, so that God could impute (credit) His imputed righteousness to us through faith (Romans 4:5-6; Philippians 3:9).
They use, sell and promote the Devil's corrupt Bible. All of today's English Bible revisions have been tampered with and corrupted by Satan. Only the inspired King James Bible is trustworthy.
They ban truth-tellers like me from attending church. I have been banned by the ungodly Harvest Baptist Church on Guam, and the ungodly Campus Church at PCC. PCC and Harvest are in bed committing spiritual whoredom together, blaspheming the Word of God. Harvest Baptist Church on Guam is a repository of ungodly perverted BJU alumni, who all preach Lordship Salvation, teach the Devil's misunderstanding of repentance, and use the Devil's Bibles. Yet, PCC refuses to contend for the Christian faith to rightly expose the BJU cult. That makes PCC guilty, partaker of their evil deeds (2nd John 1:11). Woe unto the PCC and BJU camps! I will have the last laugh in eternity, when God punishes them in my sight and rewards me for exposing all of them. RIGHT DOCTRINE MATTERS! All that matter sot PCC and BJU is money.
They don't contend for the Christian faith. Any pastor who fails to teach and warn God's flock which has been entrusted to him is incompetent.
They don't have compassion or love individual people. It is tragic and pathetic how unloving the average pastor is today. I have met so many people who shared sad stories with me, about abusive pastors who couldn't have cared less about them as a human being. It is wickedness!!! Jeff Redlin (at Campus Church) and Marty Herron( as Harvest Baptist Church on Guam) left me to rot and die, shunning and banning me from attending church anymore, for which my blood is on their filthy hands. They are guilty in God's sight for pulling on the same rope as the Devil, when I befriended and tried to sincerely help them.
I love people, but I can't stand pious arrogant pastors who won't allow people to come to church. They play God at PCC and BJU with people's live. I'm not kidding. The stiffnecked leaders at PCC are abusive and look down on people. They have huge egos! Sure they'll lie and claim to be humble and kind, but I am living proof that they are abusive liars, and so is Samantha Field evidence of abuse at PCC. I won't shut up! America is going to Hell because of incompetent pastors that don't love people. People just want to be loved.
Acts 15:1-5, “And certain men which came down from Judaea taught the brethren, and said, Except ye be circumcised after the manner of Moses, ye cannot be saved. When therefore Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and disputation with them, they determined that Paul and Barnabas, and certain other of them, should go up to Jerusalem unto the apostles and elders about this question. And being brought on their way by the church, they passed through Phenice and Samaria, declaring the conversion of the Gentiles: and they caused great joy unto all the brethren. And when they were come to Jerusalem, they were received of the church, and of the apostles and elders, and they declared all things that God had done with them. But there rose up certain of the sect of the Pharisees which believed, saying, That it was needful to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses.”
I keep hearing ignorant wannabe theologians on YouTube, and unlearned preachers, say that many people are saved even though they are confused and partly wrong on the Gospel.
Dear reader, how can that be? Let me ask you a question: How wrong can a person be concerning the Gospel and still be saved? I have heard preachers claim that some people who are caught between grace and works are saved. What saith the Scripture? Romans 11:6, “And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.” There is no middle ground dear reader. You are either saved entirely 100% by grace, or else it is partially by grace plus 10% your own works, but it cannot be both.
Also, please take a look at:
Romans 4:2-5, “For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God. For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. 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.”
God doesn't owe you or me anything except eternal damnation in the fires of Hell. This passage of Scripture puts to rest the nonsense that people in the Old Testament were saved by works, or faith plus works. No they were not! As we just read in Romans 4:4, “Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.” If anyone at any time in human history has, is or ever will be saved by faith plus works, then salvation was by DEBT, and not GRACE! The Bible very plainly teaches that salvation is solely by God's grace. Ephesians 2:8-9, “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.”
It astonishes me, it really does! The Bible speaks so plainly that salvation is by God's grace alone, without works. Yet, millions of incompetent clergy today in the world preach something drastically different than what the inspired King James Bible teaches. Nowhere in the Word of God are we taught to “repent of your sins” or “turn from your sins” to be saved, yet dishonest preachers add those requirements to God's simple plan of salvation, perverting it!
I contend dear reader, based upon the authority of God's inspired Word, that no one is saved who adds the slightest bit of works to the Gospel. I mean not before, during or after being saved. There are all sorts of heresies being taught today in churches and Bible colleges regarding how to get to Heaven.
Partial Faith In Christ Plus Something Else Equals Damnation
As an example: When I attended the corrupt neo-evangelical Harvest Baptist Church on Guam in 2013-2014. The church had monthly 'Watchcare Meetings' in staff member's homes. At these quaint meetings we would sing, fellowship, eat food and hear devotions from the staff member. I really enjoyed those meetings and I miss them. At one meeting I witnessed to a staff member of Harvest's Christian Academy. His name is Jason, one of the school's teachers. I asked him if he believes that you can simply admit to God that you're a sinner and believe the Gospel to be saved. I was horrified by his answer. He said: “Uh, I think a little more is required than that.” I knew immediately that he was still unsaved, a child of the Devil hellbound in his sins without Christ. Jason has been woefully deceived by Marty Herron and the cult at Bob Jones University (BJU), who are the devil's servants!
I asked Jason what he believed a lost sinner must do to be saved. He said that a person must repent to turn away from their sinful behavior. He said that a person must make Jesus their “Lord,” following Christ in obedience no matter what the cost. I was sad for him, knowing that the Devil has conned him into living the Christian life instead of being born again.
Dear reader, Jesus said in John 3:3b, “YE MUST BE BORN AGAIN.” No one will ever enter through Heaven's pearly gates, nor walk upon the heavenly streets of gold who adds lordship to grace, and turning away from sins to faith (behavior modification). Faith is the only righteous thing that I can do. Good works are not the payment for sin, the payment for sin is death. 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.
May I remind you friend of 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.” This is a very disturbing passage of Scripture, because it exposes hundreds of millions of false converts today throughout the world.
Satan's greatest weapon is to con people into living the Christian life without ever being born again, which is exactly what happened to these unfortunate false prophets in Matthew 7:21-23. They boasted to Christ that they had prophesied (preached) in His very name, but Jesus denied even knowing them. They were not The Great Shepherd's sheep.John 10:27-28, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.” I love that! Jesus KNOWS His sheep. That is, He knows the children of God, those who have had their sins washed away by the precious blood of the Lamb (1st Peter 1:18-19).
Jesus does not know Marty Herron, Steve Pettit, Sam Horn, John MacArthur, Chuck Phelps and other infidels in the Bob Jones University (BJU) cult. BJU is a cult because they use, sell and promote the Devil's corrupt Bible manuscripts translated by Brooke Westcott and Fenton Hort. Pastor Peter S. Ruckman (1921-2016) does an excellent job exposing the BJU cult in this work titled: 'The Alexandrian Cult Series.' BJU is also a cult because they preach another gospel called 'Lordship Salvation.' They do not preach a free grace Gospel, which is by faith alone without works. Pastor Curtis Hutson (1934-1995) rightly exposes Lordship Salvation as a perversion of God's grace. Pastor Jack Hyles exposes the Devil's damnable lie of Lordship Salvation.
Acts 15:5, “But there rose up certain of the sect of the Pharisees which believed, saying, That it was needful to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses.” In this passage we read about some Pharisees who were believers. They are saved. But the Bible says the Pharisees confused the Gentiles by requiring them to keep the law of Moses, not to be saved (because they couldn't have been saved by works); but rather, because they are saved.
Even today in 2023, we hear corrupt preachers errantly teaching people that you must keep the law if you are saved. No, you do not! You SHOULD keep the law (Romans 3:31), obeying God's commandments, but if you don't, then grace will much more abound (Romans 5:20, 6:1). The more that we sin as saints, the more God's grace abounds, so that no child of God can ever lose salvation. We may lose our happiness and sweet fellowship with the Lord because of sin, but we can never lose what wasn't ours to give in the first place. If we couldn't be saved by good works, then we certainly cannot be lost by bad works. Salvation is of the Lord (Jonah 2:9).
Beware Of The Bob Jones University Cult
Bob Jones University falsely teaches that faith is not enough to be saved. Their Statement of Faith errantly requires you to “repent and turn away from your sins” to be saved. That is NOT the Gospel, it is a manmade plan of damnation. Listen friend, the most dangerous thing that you will ever do is to trust a preacher! Some people asked Jesus what 'WORKS' they must do to be saved. Jesus simply told them to 'BELIEVE ON HIM.'John 6:28-29, “Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.” There is the simplicity of salvation, which is the Gospel.
If confused churchgoers who think that you must forsake a lifestyle of sinning, or be willing to forsake a lifestyle of sinning, to get to heaven are really saved, then what about water baptism? Are Churches of Christ cult members saved, who believe that you cannot go to Heaven without being dunked in a baptistery? No, they are not saved. No one is saved who has the ungodly mindset that faith in the 'Good News' (Gospel) of Jesus Christ crucified, buried and risen is insufficient to get to Heaven. JESUS PAID IT ALL!!!
Hebrews 4:10-11, “For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his. Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.” I cherish this passage of Scripture. The Old Testament Sabbath Day was symbolic of the coming Messiah, in whom all who rest are saved. Just as God rested from His labors on the seventh day, so also are we saved by ceasing from our works and wholly resting in Jesus' name. It is that simple to go to Heaven. To be saved, you simply need to BELIEVE that Jesus did it all for you.
If you would like to go to Heaven...
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). —Michael P. Bowen, 'I Never Knew You,' p. xii
Please don't let some sincere but misled lying preacher take you with him to the Lake of Fire. I thank God for doctrinally sound preachers like Pastor Jack Hyles (1926-2001)...
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.”
Dear reader, there is no greater or more important thing you will ever hear than, “Ye Must Be Born Again.” Here is a helpful quote by Evangelist John R. Rice (1895-1980):
Multitudes of people who expect to go to Heaven will go to a Hell of torment. Thousands of “good” people, “moral” people, church members, even church workers - yes, and, alas, even prophets, priests and preachers - will find themselves lost when they expected to be saved, condemned when they expected approval, cast out of Heaven when they expected to be received into eternal bliss. That is the explicit meaning of the words of our Lord... (see: Matthew 7:21-23)
The Bible says in 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.” Please don't take this Scripture passage lightly.
This dedicated group of religious did “many wonderful works.” Carefully notice that these many wonderful works were all done in Jesus' name. They were following Jesus as their Lord, evidenced by them calling Him: “Lord, Lord.” We hear Neo-evangelical preachers today errantly teaching people, that to get to Heaven they must follow Jesus as the “Lord” of their life, turning away from sins and giving control of one's life over to God. None of that is biblical to be saved.
The Bible teaches that to be saved you must admit you are a sinner (Romans 3:19-23). You must believe that Jesus is the only begotten Son of God, the Christ (John 20:31). You must believe that Christ died on a cross to pay your debt of sin, and that He was buried and after three days resurrected bodily from the dead (1st Corinthians 15:1-6). Dear friend, if you by faith receive Christ's sacrifice on the cross as payment for your sins, believing that He was buried and then raised up physically three days later, you are saved! All you need to do to get to Heaven is to simply BELIEVE that Jesus did it all for you!
In sharp contrast, Joel Osteen's plan of salvation doesn't match Christ's plan of salvation. According to Osteen in the preceding video link that I have provided, he falsely says that you must “repent of your sins.” You cannot find that phrase anywhere in the inspired King James Bible! Christ died on a cross to pay for your sins, He doesn't demand that you forsake a lifestyle of sinning to receive God's free gift of eternal life. I mean, if Christ died on the cross to wash all our sins away, then what is there to repent of? What sins can we repent of, since Jesus has taken the punishment for all those upon Himself on the cross?
Sadly, Pastor Osteen also demands that you “make Jesus your Lord and Savior.” Dear reader, that is another gospel. Nowhere in the Gospel of John (which is God's Gospel tract according to John 20:31). To understand what is so dangerous and unbiblical about being required to “make Jesus your Lord and Savior,” you need to know what they mean by that statement. These ungodly Neo-evangelicals mean that your life must change. They mean that you cannot continue living in willful open sin. They mean that from now on and for the rest of your life, you will live a changed life, following Jesus daily as your Lord in obedience. None of this is the Gospel.
Joel Osteen also errantly tells you to pray and ask Jesus to “come into your heart.” Again, you won't find that nonsense in the Gospel of John. How does a man invite Christ into his heart—a muscle twice the size of your fist that pumps blood? It makes no sense what Joel is saying. Satan's greatest weapon is to con people into living the Christian life without ever being born again.
Why do ungodly pastors like Joel Osteen embellish and obscure God's simple plan of salvation? They do it because they are afraid to go against what other false prophets are teaching. Check and you will find, that every pseudo-Christian prophet today teaches the same exact theological garbage as Joel Osteen does! I dare you to research what I just said. If you'd like some help, please read this great book by Michael P. Bowen titled: “I NEVER KNEW YOU.”
Also, you DO NOT need to pray a prayer to be saved, you can simply BELIEVE the 'Good News' (Gospel) of Jesus' crucifixtion, burial and resurrection.
Jesus said in Luke 13:22-24, “And he went through the cities and villages, teaching, and journeying toward Jerusalem. Then said one unto him, Lord, are there few that be saved? And he said unto them, Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.” I quoted Matthew 7:21-23 to you earlier, which were Christ's very words. Jesus called them 'WORKERS OF INIQUITY,' even though they called Him: “Lord, Lord.” Why weren't they saved? What did they do wrong? What did they miss? Jesus plainly tells us in Matthew 7:21, “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.” Jesus plainly tells us the “will of the Father” in 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.”
Did you read that? The will of the Father is just to BELIEVE ON JESUS, nothing more or less! Dear reader, the following words were written by Christian author Michael Patrick Bowen. Please pay close attention as Brother Bowen exposes Pastor Osteen's counterfeit plan of salvation:
Salvation, according to Joel Osteen, consists of having a “relationship” with Jesus Christ. In order to have a relationship with Jesus
Christ, Osteen says we must 1) repent of sins, 2) ask Jesus into our
hearts, 3) ask Him to wash us clean, and 4) “make Him” our Lord
and savior.
Now, according to the bible, this is not how to go to heaven.
What this is, however, is a blueprint for discipleship. More accurately, what we really need is a “savior.” When you become born
again through faith alone in Christ, you are automatically in a “relationship” with Jesus Christ the very instant you trust in what He did
for you by His death, burial and resurrection from the dead. To say
that we need a relationship with Christ is not an accurate statement.
We need salvation in order to escape the wrath of God, not a “relationship.” Osteen preaches our need for a discipleship-based relationship with Christ. Salvation is vastly different from discipleship
in that discipleship requires hard work whereas salvation requires only your trust in the promise of everlasting life that Christ extends
to all of us by His grace. Quite literally, Jesus saves you the instant
you trust in what He did for you. Salvation is not what you do for
God. Salvation is what God did for you and nothing of yourself
(works) enters into the contract (Ephesians 2:8-9).
Imagine you are
about to buy a home. As you are about to sign the contract, you
cross out the price and you insert a lower price. Will the seller of the
home honor that contract? No, of course not. You have violated the
terms of the contract. In the same way, a pastor who crosses out the
terms of God’s contract and adds different terms to His contract, that
contract is void. It will not stand.
What is free and available to all by grace through faith is hijacked
by the addition of human efforts.
In no way can a person’s good works and deeds be added to the
contract. God will not honor such a contract, and if you die under the
terms of your own works-based contract, which essentially makes
you the “savior” and not Christ, you will stand before Him at the
Great White Throne Judgement. READ MORE (you can purchase hardcopies or Kindle on Amazon. These books make great gifts. I just gave one to my doctor last month.)
SOURCE: Michael P. Bowen, “I NEVER KNEW YOU,” chapter 2 - 'The Plan Of Salvation According To Joel Osteen', pp. 22-23
Dear friend, for Joel Osteen to require lost sinners to “repent of my sins,” is effectively the same as telling people to forsake their sinful bad habits to get to Heaven, which is 100% WORKS! Jonah 3:10, “And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not.” The Ninevites (the capital city of Assyria) did not get saved, they repented of their evil ways, so God also repented (changed His mind) and didn't destroy them.
Albeit, God sent the prophet Nahum to preach to the Assyrians, but they didn't listen so the Lord utterly destroyed them for their wickedness. Shortly before the fall of Nineveh in 612 B.C., Nahum uttered his prophecy against the hated city. To understand the prophet's exuberant outbursts of joy over their impending destruction, it is necessary to remember the savage cruelty of the Assyrians, which had made it the scourge of the ancient Near East for almost three centuries. The Assyrian soldiers were greatly feared, known as a hairy people who nailed their victims to a tree and then filleted them alive. The Northern Kingdom of Israel fell prey to Assyria in 722 B.C., because of their idolatry and continued rebellion against God.
Anybody who says that you must “repent of your sins” to get to Heaven is a LIAR! They are preaching another gospel of damnable heresy. You can verify this truth for yourself by searching through the Gospel of John, which is God's Gospel tract according to 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.” The primary purpose for which this book of the inspired Holy Bible was written, is to convince you dear reader that Jesus is the Christ, the only begotten Son of God, and that you will hopefully place your childlike trust in Him alone to be saved. If Jesus is your only hope for Heaven, because of what He did through Calvary's cross to pay for your sins, then you are saved. It is as simple as that!
BEWARE of Billy Graham, John Piper, John MacArthur, Steve Pettit, Marty Herron, Sam Horn, Chuck Phelps, Gary Walton, John Lewis, Adrian Rogers, Joel Osteen, Rick Warren, Ray Comfort, Kirk Cameron, Charles G. Finney, Sam Adams, Beth Moore, Joyce Meyer, Jimmy Swaggart, Pat Robertson, Bob Jones University, Faith Baptist Bible College And Theological Seminary, Southwestern Baptist University, the Southern Baptist Convention, Chip Ingram, William Lane Craig and countless other damnable wolves in sheep's clothing who pervert the Gospel by embellishing it with add-ons.
Jesus was directly asked what “WORKS” we must do to merit Heaven. John 6:28-29, “Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.” As we just read, the dear Savior's simple answer is to BELIEVE ON HIM. Jesus didn't tell them to repent of their sinful ways. Nor did Jesus tell them to make Him the “LORD” of their life. Jesus simply told them to BELIEVE ON HIM.
Again, in Acts 16:30-31 the Apostle Paul and his companion, Silas, were directly asked: “Sirs, what must I do to be saved” by the Philippian jailer in Rome. Paul and Silas simply replied: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved...” Paul and Silas did not tell the man to “turn away from his sinful ways.” They did not tell him to surrender control of his life over to Jesus (this is the unbiblical heresy that Joyce Meyer preaches).
Dear friend (and I am being your true friend by telling you THE TRUTH), you cannot believe over 95% of preachers today concerning how to be saved. Preachers are human beings. Behind every pulpit is a flawed human being. As humans we tend to need heroes. We look up to others. I don't care who you are, you look up to someone. Many atheists look up to comedian George Carlin (1937-2008). I admit that Carlin was a profound philosopher. He said some amazing true things, even though he blasphemed God much of the time. I liked George and am sad that he very likely went to Hell (unless he repented of his unbelief on his death bed). I heard George once say: “He [God] loves you, and He needs money! He always needs money! He’s all-powerful, all-perfect, all-knowing, and all-wise, somehow just can’t handle money!” I thought that was funny. Carlin was mocking the greed of preachers today. I love people and am sad that George Carlin almost assuredly perished in his sins into Hell, without knowing Jesus Christ as his personal Savior.
One of my heroes is Pastor Jack Hyles (1926-2001). I love that godly man for his tremendous influence upon my life! I choose to have preachers as my heroes. Another one of my heroes is Pastor Harry Ironside (1876-1951). We all need heroes! Americans have the wrong heroes today. Homosexual Elton John is a great singer and musician, but he is not nor ever will be one of my heroes. No sodomite will ever be my hero! Having said that, I love everybody with God's unconditional love, including Sir Elton John.
My heart grieves that he is not a Christian. Elton has been very public about his hatred of organized religion. I can't say I blame him there, I hate most organized religion myself. My father used to rightly say that religion is the worst thing that ever happened to this world. Religion tries to reach man through the filter of human understanding; Christianity is God trying to reach man through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross. The inspired Holy Bible teaches that the righteous and the unrighteous will never get along in sweet harmony. Proverbs 29:27, “An unjust man is an abomination to the just: and he that is upright in the way is abomination to the wicked.” That is why Elton hates religion, because the righteous won't allow him to be comfortable in his sinful lifestyle (death style).
The Bible tells us the reason why billions of lost sinners won't come to Jesus Christ to be saved. John 3:20-21, “For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.” People who love sinning refuse to come to Christ to be saved. Misunderstanding about this passage of Scripture has caused many people to go astray, errantly thinking that to be saved a person must turn away from their love of sinning, and forsake sinful behavior. That is NOT what this verse teaches. Carefully notice John 3:21a, “But he that doeth truth cometh to the light...” Bible repentance is not forsaking your sinful ways, it is acknowledging THE TRUTH that you are a guilty sinner and Jesus is the only Savior.
2nd Timothy 2:25-26, “In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.” I love that! Repentance is simply the acknowledgment (the admission) that you are a needy sinner and that Jesus is the Savior. Repentance and faith happen at the SAME time. It is false theology to think that repentance and faith happen separately, even though they are two separate things. The man who believes has repented, and the man who repents has believed. Bible “repentance” as a noun (Greek: metanoia) is simply: “a change of mind.” The verb form of “repent” (Greek: metanoeo) means: “to think differently.”
To be saved, you simply need to look up to God in your soul in admission that you are a guilty sinner, and turn toward Christ to be saved by His mercy and grace—through faith in the precious blood that He shed on Calvary's cross—where He died, was buried and resurrected three days later. This is the 'GOSPEL,' that is, the 'GOOD NEWS' (1st Corinthians 15:1-6). Any sinner who BELIEVES this Good news is 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.” BELIEVE IT, oh sinner, and you are saved!
The Bible teaches that the only way to enter into the Kingdom of God is to be BORN AGAIN.
Titus 1:13-14, “This witness is true. Wherefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith; Not giving heed to Jewish fables, and commandments of men, that turn from the truth.”
There is nothing as deadly, and as big a threat to churches today, than the Devil's lie of 'LORDSHIP SALVATION.' What exactly is Lordship Salvation? Pastor Ralph Yankee Arnold provides this helpful definition...
“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"
Pastor Yankee Arnold also made this edifying comment...
“Salvation is one thing and service is another, and never the two goes together. No man is saved because he serves, and no man has to serve because he is saved. Gotta keep them separate. And if you don't do it, the Scriptures will be confusing to you. You'll not rightly divide what God has to say.” —Pastor Ralph Yankee Arnold, "Why Lordship Salvation Is Wrong"
Sadly, Bob Jones University (BJU) is a cesspool of Calvinism and Lordship Salvation today, corrupting their thousands of impressionable students with another gospel. In December of 2022, infidel Paul Washer (Mr. Calvinist himself) was invited to speak at BJU chapel. God knows that I love everybody, including false prophets; but I hate their false teachings! There is a proper balance that every Christian ought to maintain. We should never accept the sin with the sinner, not reject the sinner with the sin. This is biblical.
Someone asked me today how we should treat the LGBTQ community. I kindly explained to them that we ought to treat them kindly with God's unconditional love, but at the same time reject their sin and refuse to tolerate it in our churches. Unrighteous people ought to be welcomed to attend any church, but woe and shame be to the pastor of those churches who fails to preach hard with the Holy Bible against the sin and perversion of homosexuality. The truth is that we are ALL sinners! Gossip, envy, racism, jealousy, lust and not liking people without a cause are just as awful and wicked as adultery, murder and homosexuality. Don't judge others because they sin differently than you do!
Please don't misunderstand, unrepentant homosexuals ought never be hired on church staff or accepted in good standing in their unrepentant state of sin. 1st Timothy 5:20, “Them that sin rebuke before all, that others also may fear.” This Scripture is talking about open sin which is visible in the church, not exposing private sins that you are aware of. The adulterous couple in 1st Corinthians 5:1-5 were shacking up and living in open sin, and everybody in the church knew it. The Apostle Paul rebuked the church at Corinth and admonished them to confront the man, telling him to cease and desist or leave. I am simply saying that Christ was willing to die for even the worst of sinners, so we ought to view them as someone for whom the dear Savior was willing to shed His blood on the cross. God unconditionally loves everyone, even though He is not fond of the wicked and is against them. Again, we should never accept the sin with the sinner, not reject the sinner with the sin.
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. 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?
The true Gospel always points you to CHRIST; a false gospel always points to YOU. Satan’s deadly boldfaced lie of LORDSHIP SALVATION has infected 95% of churches (including Baptist churches) today. Here is a perfect example of damnable heresy, preached by Billy Graham (1918-2018).
In addition to admitting you are a sinner and believing that Jesus died for you on the cross, according to Mr. Graham (who is now sadly screaming agony and gnashing his teeth in Hell), to get to Heaven you MUST:
Turn away from your sinful life.
Ask Christ to come into your heart and life.
Follow Jesus as 'Lord' from this day forward.
Pray for God to guide your life and do His will.
NONE of the above things are part of the Gospel. In fact, they pollute, pervert and corrupt the Gospel, so that it cannot produce the SPIRITUAL birth. NO ONE has ever been saved by partial faith in Christ, plus YOU giving up your sinful bad lifestyle (works), and YOU attempting to follow Christ as your 'Lord' (works), and YOU asking Christ to come into your heart and life. You may do all those things and yet never be born again! Salvation is not a reward for the righteous, it is a free 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 finished redemptive 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? The true Gospel always points you to CHRIST; a false gospel always points to YOU.
How do you know if you are saved? If you have believed on the Lord Jesus Christ alone as your personal Saviour, you are saved. If you have trusted in Him 100% and in Him alone for your eternal salvation, you are justified. If you believe the true Gospel, you are eternally saved. So….what exactly is the Gospel? It's outlined by the Bible in 1st Corinthians 15:1-4 about how that Jesus Christ died on the Cross for all your past, present and future sins, was buried in a tomb, and bodily rose again from the dead on the 3rd day for your justification. That's the 'Good News' (Gospel) right there.
Why are so many churchgoers deceived and caught up into the Lordship Salvation heresy? I humbly think the big problem is that 95% of people have never learned to think for themselves, so they just believe whatever they hear—whether it be from the lying mainstream newsmedia or a lying neo-evangelical pastor. What saith the Scripture? 1st John 4:4, “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.” That is to say, we ought to think objectively as believers, comparing everything that we see and hear with the inspired Holy Bible.
Also, it is in our carnal (fleshly) human nature to associate getting right with God with human effort, sacrifice and works. It is natural to think that the opposite of doing bad works is to do good works. Albeit, the inspired Word of God introduces a very different plan of salvation, through faith alone in Christ alone. Jesus paid our debt of sin with His precious blood. We get saved by accepting Christ's sacrifice on the cross as payment for our sins, believing that He was buried, but then physically resurrected from the dead three days later.
All the preachers errantly teaching that a lost person must forsake their evil ways to get to Heaven don't understand the Gospel. They are adding works to grace, perverting the Gospel. Christ died for my sins so that I don't need to forsake my sins to be saved. And truthfully, no one can "turn away from" their sinning. As long as we are in the flesh, we will struggle with sin.
God commands us as His children to depart from iniquity, but this is regarding discipleship, not sonship (which is a free gift from God).
My favorite preacher quote is from Pilgrim's Progress author, 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)
Kindly said, I am so glad that Dr. Steve Pettit has been shown the exit door at Bob Jones University (after 9 years of being their theologically incompetent executive vice president since 2014). It's about time! Amen, amen and amen! To understand why I am so happy that he is quitting, you need to understand that Dr. Pettit preaches the Devil's lie of Lordship Salvation. In this news article, it says that BJU is losing students and money. I am glad for that! If I had my way, humbly said, I'd close their doors and put BJU out of business. America will NOT be brought back to God by false prophets, who preach another gospel which cannot produce the new spiritual birth. Living the Christian life, following Christ as your 'Lord,' and turning away from your sinful behavior won't get your to Heaven. John 3:3, “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.” YE MUST BE BORN AGAIN!!!
2nd Corinthians 2:17, “For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ.”
Now ladies and gentlemen, with the eternal truths in mind that I just shared with you from the inspired Word of God in the King James Bible, please examine and compare what the ungodly, corrupted, Alexandrian, modern, Bible PERversions say...
KING JAMES BIBLE (KJB) - Matthew 7:13-14, “Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.”
ENGLISH STANDARD VERSION (ESV) - Matthew 7:13-14, “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.”
NEW KING JAMES VERSION (NKJV) - Matthew 7:13-14, “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.”
EASY TO READ VERSION (ERV) - Matthew 7:13-14, “You can enter true life only through the narrow gate. The gate to hell is very wide, and there is plenty of room on the road that leads there. Many people go that way. But the gate that opens the way to true life is narrow. And the road that leads there is hard to follow. Only a few people find it.”
HOLMAN CHRISTIAN STANDARD BIBLE (HCSB) - Matthew 7:13-14, “Enter through the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the road is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who go through it. How narrow is the gate and difficult the road that leads to life, and few find it.”
REVISED STANDARD VERSION (RSV) - Matthew 7:13-14, “Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is easy, that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard, that leads to life, and those who find it are few.”
NEW LIVING TRANSLATION (NLT) - Matthew 7:13-14, “You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it.”
WHAT HERESY!!! Folks, please burn your modern Alexandrian Bible revisions!!! The Devil is laughing at the wickedness of pastors and churches today. And don't kid yourself, this is NOT a matter of the churches being naïve, ignorant or lacking truth. WISDOM CRIETH FROM THE HOUSETOPS!!! The truth about the satanic modern Bible versions is all around us, but the churches are rebellious against THE TRUTH!!!
Proverbs 1:20-22, “Wisdom crieth without; she uttereth her voice in the streets: She crieth in the chief place of concourse, in the openings of the gates: in the city she uttereth her words, saying, How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge?” Isaiah 59:14, “And judgment is turned away backward, and justice standeth afar off: for truth is fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter.” You have to deliberately not want THE TRUTH in this age of information to remain woefully ignorant.
Yet, today's new-evangelical pastors are woefully indifferent, complacent, unwilling to suffer persecution for the name of Jesus. They won't receive any rewards from the Lord when He returns for their cowardice. Their earthly salaries are the only reward which they will ever receive,. God doesn't reward unfaithful servants who intentionally stand back, while their brethren go to war alone, suffer alone, and are put outside the gate with Jesus. Where are the 7,000 who haven't bowed their knee to Baal?
We need them now in our churches! Sadly, most pastors today (which includes most independent Baptist ministers) aren't even amongst the 7,000, because they HAVE sold out and bowed their knee to Baal. Most Baptist pastors today have sold out to ecumenism—having bought into into the Devil's fake Bible versions, subscribing to Dr. John MacArthur's satanic Calvinist teachings and false gospel, teaching Wrong Repentance and the ungodly heresy of Lordship Salvation. Woe unto the churches!!!
Repent of your sins
