Pastor Charles Stanley's Counterfeit Gospel

Galatians 1:6-9, “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. 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.”

In his excellent book in defense of the Gospel, titled: “I NEVER KNEW YOU,” Michael P. Bowen writes on page 38...

Stanley’s plan of salvation goes like this: If you want to accept Jesus as your savior then you must pray and admit the fact to God that you are a sinner, that you must believe that Jesus died to pay for your sins on the cross, that He came back to life, and then you must obligate yourself to His rule by transferring control of your own life over to the control of Jesus. Stanley then goes on to say that everyone who has prayed this prayer has just now begun a new relationship with God and that you will “definitely” go to heaven. Lastly, he asks that if you have just made the “decision to follow Jesus Christ” to please let his organization know about it. [emphasis added] ~Michael P. Bowen, “I NEVER KNEW YOU,” chapter 3 titled: “The Plan Of Salvation According To Charles Stanley,” p. 38

Michael Bowen further writes concerning Charles Stanley's counterfeit plan of salvation...

Simply put, there is a right way and a wrong way of doing things. When you do the right thing, you win. When you do the wrong thing, you lose. Salvation is as black-and-white as the night is from the day. A false gospel is the direct opposite of the true gospel. Because I trusted Jesus Christ as my savior the way He said to do, I am a winner because I have believed upon what He said we must believe in order to be an eternal winner; conversely, when you trust another gospel, such as Charles Stanley’s gospel, you have not done what Christ said to do. You have, instead, done what Charles Stanley told you to do. When you trust man’s plan of salvation, you have not trusted in Christ’s plan; therefore, you are an eternal loser.

When Charles Stanley says that in order to be saved you must give control of your life over to Christ in order to be saved, he is giving you an “extra step” that is not found in the bible. Stanley is requiring something of you that Christ never spoke about when it comes to salvation. What Stanley is requiring of a lost person is that they become a disciple in addition to faith in Christ in order to go to heaven.

This is a “works-based” plan of salvation that will not save a lost person from God’s wrath, and therefore it is a false gospel according to the bible. While I love Charles Stanley and will always speak well of him, the plan of salvation that he teaches is not the same one that Christ teaches us in the bible. I would like to give you some choice verses for you to consider. One of my favorites is 1 Thessalonians 4:14. Examine carefully, if you will: “For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.” [emphasis added] ~Michael P. Bowen, “I NEVER KNEW YOU,” chapter 3 titled: “The Plan Of Salvation According To Charles Stanley,” pp. 40-41

In this heretical YouTube video by Charles Stanley, he adds an extra step of “choose to life for Him [Jesus] for the rest of my life” to be saved. This is NOT the same plan of salvation taught in 1st Corinthians 15:1-4, which defines THE GOSPEL. The plan of salvation that Stanley is preaching does not match the plan of salvation which Jesus taught. 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.” God's simple plan of salvation does NOT include surrendering control of your life over to Christ as “Lord.”

Kindly said, Pastor Stanley talks out of both sides of his mouth with a forked tongue. In the first part of the preceding video which I provided a link to, he says that salvation is without works. But then at the end of the video he contradicts himself, when he requires you to “choose to life for Him [Jesus] for the rest of my life” to be saved, which is WORKS! As Michael Bowen has documented in his book, and as I have seen and heard for myself, Charles Stanley preaches another gospel which cannot produce the new birth.

God's simple plan of salvation is: You are a sinner. Therefore, unless you believe on Jesus Who died in your place, you will spend eternity burning in Hell. If you believe on Him as your crucified, buried, and risen Savior, you receive forgiveness for all of your sins and His gift of eternal salvation by faith.

You say, “Surely, it cannot be that simple!” Yes, that simple. It is Scriptural, it is God's plan. My friend, believe on Jesus and receive Him as Savior today.

If you've never been saved, then now is the time to believe upon the name of Jesus, the Christ, that your sins will be blotted out forever and you can know that your name is written in Heaven. Salvation is not doing your best, it is having Christ's best put to your account through receiving Him by faith. God will not save anyone who is trying to be saved, He will only save those who are trusting to be saved.

“It is 'Good News' if no one must have good works before salvation, or after salvation. For salvation to truly be by grace, it must not have any stipulations of any kind at any time. Works before, during or after; works cannot be evidence of my salvation.” —Pastor Ralph Yankee Arnold, “Does Calvinism Change The Gospel?”

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!

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.

Christ died for your sins. You are a sinner by nature and by choice. Jesus took your sins and charged them to His own record. He went to the cross and paid the penalty for your sins. He says if you're willing to receive Him in faith; He will transfer His payment to your debt, and His righteousness to your sins. He will impute to you His goodness, and impute to His own record your sin; if you in faith will trust Him as your Savior.