OUR REGRETS, by Jack Weaver:
We regret to say that the lady who was so excited about being freed from the bondage of Lordship Salvation and gave us permission to print her testimony here at ExPreacherMan has requested that her article be removed.
It is a tragic shame but she has succumbed to false teachers and no longer believes what she originally wrote about her salvation. She cannot get clear in her mind the true Biblical meaning of the word “repent,” A CHANGE OF MIND, in spite of all the scripture many of us have shared with her in personal communications.
We request that you pray diligently for her in her search, that she will heed the Truth of God’s Word and salvation by Grace and not by works of any individual righteousness.
Titus 3:5
“Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;”
Jesus alone is The Savior and He alone has done all the saving for us by His Death, Burial and Resurrection, apart from our good works. He tells us that we appropriate that salvation by simply believe in Him — that He is the ALL SUFFICIENT SAVIOR. (John 3:16-18)
Notes From A Retired Preacher 
Welcome Preston; thanks for your comments.
I think that I understand the thrust of your statement. As I understand your intended meaning: Calvinists and LSers insist that one must keep the law, as evidenced by good works, in order to obtain, maintain or prove one’s salvation and that such a teaching is a perversion of the gospel of grace (Ephesians 2:8-9; Romans 4:5; Acts 16:30-31; John 3:16-18). I agree with that assessment.
I would broaden out your definition of “sin” a bit. The Greek hamartia means, essentially, “missing the mark” as in Romans 3:23-24 “For all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” Also, 1 John 5:17 defines sin as “unrighteousness.”
Good afternoon
I don’t comment often. However, something inside is telling me to do so (if she does get these comments). I am sure much has been explained already but thought I would give it a shot (only because I care). CAPS are for emphasis ONLY. I hope it’s not too long.
Repenting of sin (turning from sin) has nothing to do with salvation. I know most on this site already understand this statement. I would like to take a different angle to explain.
First, we must define sin. 1 John 3:4 – for sin is transgression of the LAW. If one must turn from ones sins for salvation THEN one must stop transgressing the LAW and start keeping the LAW. Thus, we conclude that turning from sin is SAYING THE SAME THING AS keeping the law.
Galations was written to tell us that by THE WORKS OF THE LAW shall no flesh be justified. In Galations 1:6-7, Paul tells us that adding the law to salvation is not only ANOTHER GOSPEL but it PERVERTS the grace of God.
During my walk, there have been many scary verses (due to lack of understanding). Today the verse that scares me the most is from the same book of Galations. Galations 2:21 reads,” I do not FRUSTRATE the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.” Why is this scary? Dictionary.com defines frustrate as such….
-to make (plans, efforts, etc.) WORTHLESS or of no avail; defeat; NULLIFY: The student’s indifference frustrated the teacher’s efforts to help him.
I would like to repost Galations 2:21 with the definition of frustrate. ” I do not MAKE WORTHLESS/NULLIFY (frustrate) the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.”
I don’t know if anyone can get the Hebrew/Greek definition….BUT…to me that is the scariest verse in the bible.
How many professing Christians believe in “turning from your sins” (keeping the law is the saying the SAME thing) for salvation. To think that they could be MAKING WORTHLESS/NULLIFYING Gods grace and not know it. UGGHHHHHH!
I pray this helps (even if only a little).
For Christ is the END OF THE LAW for righteousness to every one that believeth- Romans 10:4
Jack, how terribly sad. Satan never rests.
Thanks Matt,
Just FYI, and to ALL:
She will receive all comments automatically even though her formal name was removed from the public.
We all pray for her understanding.
In Jesus Christ eternally, Jack
Jack,
Perhaps, she’ll change her mind about repentance.
She will be in my regular prayers.
By request of the lady author of the article that was at this location, we administrators have deleted her testimony content and explained to our readers the reasons. Please go back up and read the new text which will explain why — and pray for her.
We also have revised all of your comments to remove her name.
We regret this change of mind by this dear lady and pray she will return to the truth of God’s Word.
We welcome your comments to encourage her, her husband and daughter — but please, if you remember it, respect her wishes and do not use her real name.
In Jesus Christ eternally, Jack (Admin)
Andy, I am confused how separating from a deceived person is having compassion on them?
Sam wrote: “I guess the main thing that makes me concerned is the context of Matthew 7:21-23. The way he says it right after the sermon he just gave and then says that whoever hears the words and does not put them into practice is basically in trouble.”
Verse 23 is the conclusion of the section about the Gospel, which started in verse 13.
Verse 24 is the conclusion of the entire Sermon on the Mount, which began at the start of chapter 5.
The “therefore” in verse 24, is saying in general, in summation of the entire sermon starting in chapter 5, that if you agree with what Jesus says about things, it will go well with you (your life will be built upon the rock). If you don’t agree with what Jesus says about things, then it won’t go well for you (your life will be built upon the sand).
In the salvation context, building on the rock is faith alone in Jesus Christ alone (John 6:47). Building on sand is works for salvation (Matthew 7:22). This is about salvation.
In the life blessings context, living for money is building on sand (Matthew 6:31). Living for Jesus is building on the rock (Matthew 6:33). This is not about salvation, but obviously is very important for other aspects of your life.
Matthew 7:24 and beyond is summation of the entire sermon.
Sam,
The context of the passage in Matthew 7 is dealing with false teachers. You will notice that in the verses immediately preceeding, Jesus is talking about false teachers and states that you will know them by their fruit.
Unfortunately, false teachers do come into the assembly and lead many astray.
“For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.” ~ Acts 20:29-30
Jude gives us a good remedy for dealing not only with false teachers but also those who have been “duped” by them:
“And of some have compassion, making a difference: and others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.” ~ Jude 22-23
The phrase interpreted “making a difference” is a word that literally means to discern. This is a call to separation. We lovingly identify those who have been deceived and show no sign of being persuaded of their error and separate from them. This requires discernement.
There are others who are spiritually immature and only need proper teaching from God’s word. These are the ones we are to “save” with fear. Jude uses the expression about pulling out the fire and the garment spotted by flesh, which I believe is a reference to Zechariah 3:1-4.
“And he shewed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him. And the LORD said unto Satan, The LORD rebuke thee, O Satan; even the LORD that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee: is not this A BRAND PLUCKED OUT OF THE FIRE? Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and stood before the angel. And he answered and spake unto those that stood before him, saying, Take away the filthy garments from him. And unto him he said, Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment.”
Sam, you will notice in Matthew 5 and 6 that Jesus uses the word “reward” a total of nine times (twice in Matthew 5 and seven times in Matthew 6). This is a pretty good indication that this sermon deals with rewards for a believer, not the gift of eternal life. These are discipleship instructions, not the way of obtaining eternal life. This theme continues into Matthew 7, through verse 12.
I believe that Matthew 7, verses 13 and 14 have to do with eternal life, not rewards.
Matthew 7:15-23 deals with false prophets and their fruits – false converts.
I think you may find the following link to an article on this topic by Charlie Bing to be interesting:
http://www.gracelife.org/resources/gracenotes.asp?id=52
My interpretation of Matthew 7:24-27 is that one must rely on Christ’s righteousness (the Rock) rather than on anything else (the sand). Keeping His discipleship sayings perfectly is impossible, and the Bible does not provide any quantification standards.
Hey John. Thanks for taking time to answer my questions.
I guess the main thing that makes me concerned is the context of Matthew 7:21-23. The way he says it right after the sermon he just gave and then says that whoever hears the words and does not put them into practice is basically in trouble.
Sam, welcome!
Salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. Anyone who has ever believed in Christ alone for eternal life is saved.
However, faith in Christ alone necessarily excludes reliance on anything else. One cannot be saved, if he thinks that in addition to faith in Christ, he needs to obey the ten commandments, be water baptized, join a church, serve Christ, turn from his sins, etc. to have eternal life.
You asked about the verses in Matthew 7 that talk about those that call Jesus Lord, but He never knew them. I believe you are referring to Matthew 7:21-23:
“[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.
[22] 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?
[23] And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”
Notice that these people claim to have served the Lord! Notice that the Lord does not refute their claims! But, these are people who are relying on their works (in whole, or in part) to get into Heaven. They have never trusted in Christ alone. Our works of righteousness are filthy rags, completely worthless for acceptance into Heaven (Isaiah 64:6).
It is not how we behave (works) that are the issue in salvation. It is what we believe (faith in Christ). To get into Heaven, one has to be perfectly sinless and the only way to be perfectly sinless is to have the imputed righteousness of Christ, which is only available as a gift (by Grace) to all who believe (by Faith).
You said “I know that salvation is apart from works but we should not and cannot ignore these passages. So, what do they mean and how do you know you are truly saved.”
Sam, I agree. We should never ignore scripture. All scripture is profitable, but much of scripture relates to the quality of our walk with the Lord as Christians, and those scriptures should not be used as some kind of “test” to determine whether or not we are saved.
The key is interpretation. You said that you know salvation is apart from works. That is of utmost importance in interpreting scripture. That is, what interpretation(s) are consistent with salvation being the gift of God – BY GRACE, THROUGH FAITH (Ephesians 2:8). NOT OF WORKS (Ephesians 2:9).
A second thing to think about is whether an interpretation is consistent with ETERNAL SECURITY of the believer. If salvation is God’s gift, there is nothing that we could possibly do that would cause Him to revoke it (Hebrews 10:10). Why would He give us salvation as a gift, but make us do something to keep it?
A third key to interpretation has to do with the ASSURANCE of salvation. A new believer can be sure of salvation the moment he believes (John 5:24). If following commandments were required to ultimately determine whether or not one was saved, how could anyone ever have any assurance?
Abe – sorry for all the bold, was sure I had done the symbols right, but must have messed something up… But compromises just breaks my heart, and then there is the excuse for the compromise of the pulpit sharing such as “maybe the one in error will hear the gospel”… really? Is that being obedient to God’s Word in 2 John 1:9-11? (That’s about the time they tell me not to put God in a box)
I came across this site but, I’m still not sure what to think. I’ve recently been concerned, distressed and confused over whether or not I’m saved. I believe in faith alone to save us but at the same time Jesus, in Matthew Chapter 7 talks about those who emphatically declare him to be Lord and yet he never knew them. He says this after giving a few chapters of commands that we should follow and then says only those who do the will of the Father will be allowed into the Kingdom of Heaven, and talks about two different types of people, the one who hears the words he just preached and puts them into practice and the one who does not put them into practice.
This would seem to me to say that to be saved we must obey these commands and 1 John says similarly that if we say we love Him and walk in darkness we are liars.
Of course I want to obey Him, but still there is the doubt that I’m not doing it right.. I know that salvation is apart from works but, we should not and can not ignore these passages. So what do they mean and how do you know you are truly saved?
What’s your stance on this?
Abe,
Excellent. Countless conferences, countless speakers who write countless books as a substitute for the Bible, etc. That is the wave of ecumenism that is sweeping the “church.”
How can we contribute to breaking the cycle? With continually preaching the Truth from God’s Word and pray some will listen.
We thank the Lord for many here at ExP who know the Truth and are:
Thanks for the great thoughts.
In Jesus Christ eternally, Jack
“Compromise today today is allowing all these men entry into our churches, all over the place”
Yes, that is happening, and it is happening because there are countless “conferences” going on, all the time. Always a conference happening, and a mix of theologies all brought together in one place, at every conference.
And then there are countless books being written that churches just have to drop the Bible for, to study these books for weeks and weeks.
And then there are groups bringing together churches in regions under banners of “unity” (without truth) so that once that “communication” is taking place between churches, then pastors are afraid to truly speak against what is truly wrong.
Put all this together, and you have, apostasy among those that love this stuff more than the truth.
John Thanks for sharing that, I cannot IMAGINE reading it 100 times, I truly wanted to read it and was interested to see he believed in the rapture, but truly it was torture, and I never finished it.
Flabbergasted…. Was skimming through the “Institutes of Christianity” and when I mean skimming, just for the 950 mentions of Augustine that Calvin so glowingly quoted as if he were God Himself. It was so tiring reading that junk, and I mean, the wisdom of men, it was obvious he was an intelligent man, but obsessed and compulsive and held Augustine in adoration.
They think of these men as apostles. They quote these men’s words as if equal to God’s. The reformed apple didn’t fall too far off the Calvin apple tree, which didn’t fall too far from the Catholic false teachings. Sad… 2 Cor 11:12-15…
Compromise today today is allowing all these men entry into our churches, all over the place, I believe Calvinism is in about every professing Christian church….
Holly and Jack, the “prince of false preachers” Charles Haddon Spurgeon adored Bunyan, especially “Pilgrim’s Progress.” Following are a couple of examples:
From “The Spurgeon Archive”:
“Spurgeon read The Pilgrim’s Progress at age 6 and went on to read it over 100 times.”
From “Valiant for the Truth – Bunyan Resources”:
“I would quote John Bunyan as an instance of what I mean. Read anything of his, and you will see that it is almost like the reading the Bible itself. He had read it till his very soul was saturated with Scripture; and, though his writings are charmingly full of poetry, yet he cannot give us his Pilgrim’s Progress — that sweetest of all prose poems — without continually making us feel and say, “Why, this man is a living Bible!” Prick him anywhere — his blood is Bibline, the very essence of the Bible flows from him. He cannot speak without quoting a text, for his very soul is full of the Word of God. I commend his example to you, beloved.”
Yes… I remembering reading Bunyan, not having an idea what the Pilgrim’s progress what about. But how discouraging to keep depending on whether you worked enough, made the right choices at each and every turn, it was painful to read…
Thank you for the Biblical advice for driving those thoughts away.
Unless the Lord had been my help, my soul had almost dwelt in silence.
When I said, My foot slippeth; thy mercy, O Lord, held me up. Ps 94:17-19
19 In the multitude of my thoughts within me thy comforts delight my soul.
James Bong,
Thanks for visiting ExPreacherMan and for your comment to our friend.
“Radical Grace”? Maybe I misunderstood you but that sounds like a phrase from Catholic priest, Richard Rohr’s book of the same name. A Catholic priest is not a place I would look for good Biblical understanding of God’s Grace. Such a Calvinist/Lordship “salvationist” philosophy could also emanate from almost any Calvinist, Tullian Tchividjian, grandson of Billy Graham and Senior Pastor of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church — or especially one like radical Calvinist, David Platt, whose book, “Radical” was reviewed here at Exp by Bruce:
http://www.tinyurl.com/onorl27
God’s Grace is not “radical” but plain, understandable and simple for us mere humans and has appeared to all men for the taking by our choice. (Titus 2:11)
Likewise we here at Exp would be hard pressed to take advice from Martin Luther or Calvinist John Bunyan. Both of these men taught many doctrines diametrically opposed to God’s Biblical free Grace.
In God’s Word there are many solutions to blasphemous thoughts, among them:
(1) Study, know and believe God’s Word (2 Timothy 2:15)
(2) Replace those terrible thoughts with the wonderful promises of God’s Word, among them: Philip. 4:4-7 “Rejoice in the Lord […..] And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
We will continue praying for our friend and her family.. for wisdom as they study the Bible and understand the Peace of God which passes all understanding.
In Jesus Christ eternally, Jack
Hi,
You said that your mind has been disturbed by “horrible blasphemous thoughts toward God”. The condition is called obsessional thoughts. Many saints were having similar complains, Luther and Buyan were two prominent sufferers of obsessional thoughts. Two saints overcame the condition by surrendering all the fear to Jesus. Only radical grace can free us from this form of mental torment.
What a great testimony!
You said: “How can someone go to church their whole life and just understand at 37?”
Abe’s answer was right. There are lots of other people in churches who are not saved. Many have never heard a clear gospel presentation, or have heard salvation and rewards passages used interchangeably, etc.
Oh…. friend, what a beautiful testimony, and we understand…
HE has done the work. HE came to set the captives free. HE bound up the brokenhearted. HE freed us from bondage as the Scriptures said. HE has paid the price for our sin. HE loved us first with such a great love. HE laid down His life. HE took it up again. We believed the gospel. HE holds us in His hand and NO ONE will ever snatch us out of His hand, ever…
HE has given us eternal life and we possess it… What a loving God that we serve…. So glad you see what He has done and believed it’s HIM. He’s our Savior….
Praise God for what HE has done!
Friend,
I forgot to mention; you have a perfect name for a happy Bible Believer:
and:
We are eternally joyful with and for you.
If you have questions, please ask.
In Jesus Christ eternally, Jack
How can someone go to church their whole life and just understand at 37?”
That’s an extremely common thing. You could spend your life ministering to people that fall in only that one category specifically, and work 24/7 for the rest of your life, never running out of people to tell the truth to, just in that one category.
Your testimony brings glory to our precious Lord Jesus.
Welcome to ExPreacherMan.com. We know you will enjoy the the Believer’s fellowship here.
We do thank you for giving permission to publish your testimony… and especially your resounding statement “for I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ..”
All we can say to that is AMEN! We agree!
We will continue to pray for you, your husband and daughter.
In Jesus Christ eternally, Jack
,
Praise God.
Understanding and believing the truth of God’s eternal life grace gift sets one free indeed! John 8:31-32, 36.