Dear Friends,
A couple of days ago I received the following email from Matthew, who gave me permission to post it here. It is self explanatory. Even though we thankfully receive many encouraging comments and hundreds of daily visits we occasionally receive one that is especially notable such as this one from our new visitor, Matthew.
- I would just like to share with you all how helpful your site has been to me. I was saved years ago at age 14 and have certainly had my ups and downs in my walk but all in all I have been doing ok.
- However, recently doubts have beset me about my conversion. Namely involving repentance.
- I, like you, have always held to the change of mind view of repentance. That is, repentance is changing ones mind about Jesus, Who He is, what He did for us, and trusting Him alone for salvation. However recently I have been swarmed with repentance involving a deliberate turn from sin.
- For example, I have a Holman Christian Standard Study Bible at home. One that has commentary on most all of the verses of the various books. It’s commentary on Mark Chapter 1 Verse 4 reads that repentance means to change one’s mind and involves a deliberate turn from sin. Imagine my distress!
- What exactly is a deliberate turn from sin? For how long? Is a lifetime of winning battles against my sin nature now required? If I sin/fall into sinful habits was I never saved to begin with? All these questions!!
- Then I found your site. The Good Lord sent it to me just at my time of need just like He promised.
- I was encouraged in that I was not alone in these concerns. There were others like me. Through reading the various posts and comments, I have realized I worried for nothing. My salvation was secure all along. Just a SIMPLE belief/trust in Jesus and what He did for me.
- Nothing I do good or bad will change my eternal destiny. Now don’t get me wrong I don’t think I can just live without any boundaries but I need not live in constant fear that if I do sin or ever fall into willful disobedience it means I haven’t deliberately turned from sin and wasn’t ever saved.
- It really is just that simple and uncomplicated to go to Heaven. Thank you again for your site. It is a blessing. May God Bless you! Matthew
- ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I explained to Matthew that the Holman Christian Standard Study Bible has a false definition of repentance. This is not surprising since the publication was originally a product of the Southern Baptist Convention. Obviously Matthew had already come to the conclusion that the Holman Study Bible’s interpretation of “repent” is false.
We can be thankful that the Lord Jesus paid for all our sins on the cross of Calvary and rose bodily from the grave.. and Jesus is now our personal Advocate before God the Father:
My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate [intercessor] with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: 1 John 2:1
We are indeed eternally secure in Jesus Christ. Thanks Matthew for your encouraging note. – Jack
Thank you, Jack, for posting this most encouraging letter!
And thank you, Matthew, for sharing your thoughts with us. You blessed me today!
Bruce
Matthew, welcome!
I am thrilled that you have joined us. I think the Lord did bring you here. He is the Good Shepherd and will fight to defend His flock!
Matthew, welcome! I believe the Lord did lead you here. He is the Good Shepherd who will fight to defend His flock.
Thanks for the kind words. I’m just so thankful I found this blog. It is such a blessing. I found this quote from Charles Stanley to be quite fitting. He says “You and I aren’t saved because we exhibit an enduring faith. We are saved because at a moment in time we expressed faith in our enduring Lord Jesus Christ and what he accomplished for us on the cross.”
As the old hymn says, Jesus paid it all!
Matthew,
Thanks again for letting us tell your story. As you will see, if you search our web site, you have many fellow believers who have similar experiences.. but with God’s Word, have managed to extricate themselves from the lies of “religion.”
Check everything and everyone by God’s Word.. Be Bereans.. search the scripture to see if what was said is Biblical.
The Bereans:
And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews. [11] These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so. [12] Therefore many of them believed; also of honourable women which were Greeks, and of men, not a few. Acts 17:10-12
In Jesus Christ eternally, Jack
Hi Jack,
This is my first time commenting but I’ve been reading this blog for a while now and find it very encouraging! I am troubled, however, by certain passages of Scripture that would seem to favor lordship salvation. In particular, I am thinking about a passage in Galatians and one in 1st or 2nd Corinthians (I forget which) where it says that adulterers, fornicators, drunkards, greedy people, etc., will not inherit the kingdom of God. I was hoping you could clear that up for me from a free grace perspective.
Joey
Hi Joey,
Thanks for writing. The passage to which you refer is 1 Corinthians 6:9-11. If you go back to chapters 1 through 3, you will see that Paul is addressing the church at Corinth whom he refers to repeatedly as his “brethren” (brothers in Christ, true believers). The passage that you cite, similar to Romans 1 and also to Jesus’ warnings to the churches of Asia Minor in Revelation 2 and 3, describes the old life, the sinful life, the life without faith, the life without Christ, contrasted with the new life in Christ.
Let’s examine the passage in more depth:
1 Corinthians 6:9-11 “Know ye not that the unrighteous [unbelievers, a. k. a. the unregenerate; they all reject Christ as Savior] shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were [notice the past tense] some of you; but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.”
Did you pick up on the contrast? Paul was describing the old, fallen, sinful nature apart from Christ, apart from eternal life, with the new life in Christ Jesus obtained by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. Paul warns the struggling, immature, carnal believers at Corinth to stay far away from the old sinful ways in which they used to live before coming to faith in Christ alone. His warnings in no way referred to any possibility of losing one’s salvation or with the false LS spin of never having been saved to begin with. REMEMBER, Paul was addressing believers in Christ (he says that repeatedly in the early chapters of 1 Corinthians; they were backslidden carnal believers to be sure, but definitely believers); he was warning them to flee from the old patterns of sin that characterized their lives prior to coming to faith in Christ Jesus alone. He admonishes them to live lives befitting the rich spiritual heritage that they already possessed as believers in Christ.
I hope that this is helpful.
Bruce, excellent analysis! The LS interpretation of the incomplete lists of sins in 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 and Galatians 5:19-21 would make assurance impossible. God promises us eternal life by Grace through faith in Christ. Eternal means eternal and He wants us to be assured of that.
Bruce, (and Joey)
Thanks Joey for your questions —
And thanks Bruce for stepping in for me by answering Joey’s questions. Complete and well done.
In Jesus Christ eternally, Jack
I had a person tell me about a time when he told a person that they were apostate because the person committed the same sin twice. He used Gal 5:19-21 his proof text. How sad it is that in so many churches people sin, but not only that, they often agree to be counseled and then get told that they are apostate when what they really needed was help.
Thanks for the great answer! I have been a Calvinist for the better portion of my Christian life. What I had always interpretted that passage to mean (“and such WERE some of you”) is that, since these Corinthians had experienced regeneration and had now begun on the path of sanctification, they were no longer practicing such sins as a lifestyle. Sure, they may have struggled with things on the “sin list” here and there, but they did not live habitually in such a way. I was taught that to live in such a way is (or at least MAY be) evidence that the person is still unregenerate… And it was killing me because I definitely saw myself in some of those lists. It is so liberating to know that I am eternally secure because of what Jesus did for me, and because of that alone! My good works won’t save me, and my bad works won’t damn me–and THAT motivates me to overcome sin in my life like no lordship salvation ever could!
This blog has been a great blessing to me, as I’m sure it has to many others who have stumbled upon it. Thank you, and keep it up for as long as you are able
Joey
Hi Joey,
Thanks for your note of encouragement. We appreciate your participation on this site. The friendship and fellowship here has been a blessing to me too. And I think that many of us would say that what we have learned about grace has brought much liberty and joy to our Christian lives.
Blessings to you!
Bruce
Thanks, John, for your kind words. I have learned much from you over the past couple of years. Thanks for your participation on this site.
Bruce
Joey,
I myself struggle with the same concerns over those verses. If I am eternally secure no matter what then why does it say people who do those things will not inherit the Kingdom of God?
As Bruce pointed out the Corinthians and the Galatians are believers(saved). Paul’s use of those verses to the Corinthians is straightforward. They are engaged in those sins. Some of us are ensnared by the same ones today. I know I am. But at no point do we lose our salvation or prove we never had it by committing them. Paul was pointing out the foolishness of staying in the old ways when we already POSSESS something so much better.
To me it’s a little more confusing why he included that list of sins to the Galatians. The Galatians had faith but were roped back into trying to add works to salvation. They were trying to be justified by deeds of the flesh or by keeping the law. We all know that the Bible said no one shall be justified by keeping the law or by deeds of the flesh. Paul mentioned these sins to the Galatians to show them how futile is to try to be justified by keeping the law or by not doing the deeds of the flesh mentioned. We would be condemned by the list of sins(deeds of the flesh) and condemned by trying to keep the law(we would have to be perfect and that’s impossible). Paul added such like to his list of sins to show that there are sins not mentioned that would result in the same condemnation as the ones listed. We need a Savior and our Savior alone is who can save us.
I’m still kind of a bit nervous trying to explain things sometimes. I don’t want to tell anyone anything wrong. Jack, Bruce or anyone feel free to tell me if any of my above comments are erroneous. God Bless
Matthew, I think your analysis is spot on. I think that the Galatians 5 passage, like Romans 2, shows the impossibility of attaining righteousness by keeping the law.
You can learn a great deal about one’s view of the Gospel from his interpretation of these passages. Before I was saved, I was concerned that a pattern of such sins might keep me from being saved or prove that I wasn’t saved. Once I understood and believed the Gospel, free of any LS add-ons, I knew that the lists of sins in 1 Corinthians and Galatians 5 were not field guides to identifying “true believers”, nor were they tests of my own faith.
I think for Galatians 5 and the list in I Cor it comes down to whether or not Christ’s blood is covering your sin. If one of these sins is your description then it is not that you do that sin but it is that Christ is not your Savior.
Jim F, very concise! I can think of no better way to say it.
Jim F,
I am a little confused. Could you go in a litle more detail what you mean?
Matthew, I think you said it well with this, “We need a Savior and our Savior alone is who can save us.”
Many use lists like the one in Gal 5 as a litmus test to see if a “professing” believer is actually saved. The thing is that all believers are covered by Christ’s blood and his righteousness. Believers are positionally in Christ. Therefore there can be no eternal verdict that has them labeled as guilty ie murderer, liar, drunkard, thief, adulterer etc. A person who does not inherit the kingdom fails to do so because he does not have Christ’s righteousness. Believers at times will commit those sins but they are called righteous in God’s eyes and they have an advocate in Christ.
This all goes to show the tragedy of the error of Lordship’s one naturism and “perseverance of the saints” views. Let me know if you want further clarification but I think that you are right on with what you have said. Romans 8:1 goes along with this idea.
Gotcha. I understand what you mean now. My brain must have been cramping up on me last night.
Thanks Jim for that excellent explanation. And thanks Matthew for asking the question.
Below is a link to a new animated video that I put together on some basic differences between Free Grace theology and Lordship Faith teaching. It’s kind of brief and simple, but I hope that it makes some points through animation.
http://califgracer.wordpress.com/
part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-2mZ5CvHBw
Thanks Bruce,
Your animation is Biblical, clever, to the point and clearly stated.
In Christ eternally, Jack
Bruce, I like your video. I will pray that lots of people watch it and come onto some of the links that you provided.
Thanks John!
I think that Free Gracers should expand their message into popular venues like FaceBook, Twitter, YouTube, video production, and on and on. All of these things are new to me but I’m beginning to explore them.
Blessings brother!
Bruce
I wholeheartedly agree, Bruce. Call me crazy, but I actually let curiosity get the best of me yesterday and watched an “I’ll Be Honest” LS production. It’s really amazing how heavily they depend upon emotion. Short of literally putting one’s feet to the fire, they resort to a flaming screen filled with ignited phrases (such as “wrath of God”), accompanied by snippets of some old-time preacher on the verge of weeping against a background of dramatic music, all questioning the viewer’s salvation based on behavior and commitment. Shameless!!
In contrast, your video was succinct and clear, based on scripture I hope you make some more, and that other tech savvy gracers accept the challenge as well.
Bruce,
The video was very clear, courteous, concise, yet complete…just like a well written correspondence. May it be used by God to minister to many!
Thank you Pearl and Matt for your thoughtful comments. I’m exploring this avenue of animated video production. It’s all new to me but I hope that this venue can reach some folks who might not look at the blog sites or written argumentation.
Here’s a recent video on YouTube:
Hello gang
I’m confused about repentance. My Nelson’s Three in One Bible Reference Companion (sounds so important and “buddy-like”) says this about repentance: Repent – turn away from sin and change one’s behaviour. Studylight.org in its Greek lexicon defines it as “metamellomai” and means: change his mind, feel remorse, regret, and then to change one’s mind for better, heartily to amend with abhorrence of one’s past sins. Acts 26:20 even tells us to repent and show works that are worthy of repentance. ?? So what exactly does the Bible say about repentance and salvation? Looking forward to hearing back from you.
Hello Daisy, nice to hear from you.
The biblical meaning of repentance is addressed as a part of several articles and discussions at the Expreacherman.com site. Please use the search bar to find them.
Here is a nutshell definition of repentance; it comes from Dr. Thomas Cucuzza, author, radio Bible teacher and senior pastor of Northland Bible Baptist Church (see the links to Tom’s church and book in the right column):
From Dr. Cucuzza: (16) Repent (metanoeo) means a change of mind. Repentance in salvation means a change of mind from any idea of religion that man may have and to accept God’s way of salvation. Repentance does not in any sense include a demand for a change of conduct before or after salvation. Matthew 21:32, Acts 20:21, 2 Corinthians 7:8-10, Eph 2:8-9, Rom 4:5, Rom 5:8, John 3:16-18, Gal 3:10-12, Acts 16:25-31, Rom 11:29.
One of the counterfeits Satan is using today is the misuse of the word “repent”. To insist upon repentance that in any sense includes a demand for a change of conduct either toward God or man is to add an element of works or human merit to faith. Penance is payment for sin. Penitence is sorrow for sin. Works add something of self in turning from sin. But repent (metanoeo) means a change of mind. Nowhere does Scripture use the phrase “repent of sin” to be saved.