By johninnc
John 3:16: 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.
We have received a flurry of emails, of late, expressing concern that our gospel presentations leave out certain essential details regarding God, Jesus, the atonement for our sins provided by the Lord Jesus Christ, and so on.
We believe that it is important for a believer to grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. But, we must be careful not to insist that someone MUST know and believe EVERYTHING we know and believe in order to have eternal life. Otherwise, we can eviscerate the assurance of believers, and distract ourselves from our mission of promoting the gospel.
Please note that we are not advocating or excusing theological error, nor are we promoting a gospel message without content. Nor do we want to start a debate.
Following is a summary plan of salvation that we believe has sufficient content for someone to hear (or read) and believe unto eternal life:
1. Everyone is a sinner.
2. The penalty for sin is death.
3. One must be perfect to get into heaven. Not good. Not great. Perfect.
4. One cannot do anything of himself to obtain this perfection – this includes turning from sin, committing your life to Christ and so on. God offers eternal life as a gift – it’s not for sale or barter.
5. God provided a sin-bearer for us (The Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, God in the flesh. He had no sin of his own, but he came to die for us, paying the full penalty for our sin. He was raised from the dead, proving that His payment was accepted).
6. All we can do to receive everlasting life is to believe in Jesus Christ as our Savior.
7. Eternal life, once received by faith in Christ, can never be lost or forfeited, no matter what happens in our lives down the road.
What is there to do to receive eternal life? Simply BELIEVE that Jesus made that payment for your sin – for you.
If you would like additional information regarding the gospel, please click here: THE GOSPEL
Notes From A Retired Preacher 
Brad, they were first called Christians at Antioch, but I realize so many do call themselves Christians. Often I will start like that and actually use it as a conversation starter. I might say, ‘I realize many call themselves Christians, and may be all sorts of different beliefs. I’m a simple Bible believing Christian, that is called after Him because I believed what He did on the cross for me when He died for my sins and rose again from the dead. He gave me the free gift of eternal life when I believed’. (Anything to that effect, even partial opens up some lines of communication at times). 🙂
Brad, “child of God” is a good conversation starter if someone says something errant like “we are all God’s children.”
I guess I am just upset that a certain pagan church that shall remain nameless prances around calling themselves Christians and an old man dressed like a woman the “holy father”.
I do agree that the questions like “what denomination are you” opens the door to a productive conversation, so there is that.
I could call myself a child of God? That would be a conversation starter! Though everyone seems to think they are God’s children, it is only believers who actually are.
Brad, I understand your reluctance as we’ve seen people call themselves or identify by different names. None are inherently wrong unless sects. But Christ died for me, so why not say Christian? It actually gives us an opportunity to say many religions identify under the umbrella of Christianity, which basically to them means that they identify with Christ in some way but maybe not in truth of who He is and what He has done. I’ve sometimes been able to expound more on it. You know, when they ask ‘what are you’? It gives me opportunity to explain more indepth. I agree with Johninnc’s on having not problem and also like John John’s explanation too, ‘believer Jesus Christ’. All of it gives us opportunity. Sometimes I’ve said, I am a Christian as they were first called at Antioch. (Again more opportunity to share.)
Holly, I took your chuckle in a good way when I saw it, my silly joke was to illustrate the foolishness of believing something because someone else says it’s so. I was being self-deprecating really because I tend to do just that with my friend that I mentioned before. My Mum used to say ‘you’d stick your head in an oven if he told you to’.
I’m probably making it worse going on…… 😳 lol.
Hobbs, the chuckle was in a good way, in remembrance of Jack (I should have explained) because I use ‘prove all things’ (partial reference to 1 Thess 5:21) which I felt the Lord kind of kept reminding me of as I went through book, upon book, upon book… and marked “FALSE – REFERENCE ONLY” on SOOOO many. And even once I started learning, I kept learning a lesson, (If I had only done it first thoroughly, I could have saved myself a lot of sorrow). Thank you for that.
John John, I like “believer in Jesus Christ.” It does make the object of your faith central, while at the same time proclaiming His name.
johninnc, a while back I took to saying BELIEVER IN JESUS CHRIST. From the unbelieving side it explains WHO I place my faith in; from the believing side it explains WHERE I am placed. I think this sprung from the same issue with what “Christian” has been contorted into by scoffers, mockers and the unbelieving.
I’ve been meaning to turn a saying I heard from a pastor into a t-shirt:
JESUS IS THE WAY, AND EVERY OTHER WAY IS NOT.
Dare I? Haha! I want to say HIS name, promote HIM, place HIS truth before “all men”. Because it is in HIM “all things hold together”.
Sorry Holly, previous comment was just a silly attempt at humour/irony, no disrespect or anything (cringe!) Rgds.
Brad, I think I know where you are coming from, but I am perfectly fine with “Christian.” If others falsley appropriate the label because they are deceived, or because they wish to deceive, that is on them.
I am still a Christian.
Does anyone else find themselves reluctant to carry the label “Christian”?
There are so many people/groups calling themselves Christian, while perverting and distorting what it really means.
It seems like, just as the word faith has been distorted, so has the word Christian. A Christian, biblically, is someone who has trusted Jesus Christ’s Gospel alone for their salvation.
If Catholics or Mormons or Seventh Day Adventists are considered to be Christians (by mainstream society), then I don’t want to be labeled a Christian.
I’ll call myself a bible believer, because that’s what I am. It’s just far more accurate.
Labels only serve to divide: Catholics versus Protestants, democrats versus republicans, progressives versus traditionalists, etc. People have their own little bubbles that they belong to. It’s like a food fight in a cafeteria, everyone in the end is covered with filth.
I hope you guys get where I’m coming from here. The term “Christian” has become too broad of a term these days, encompassing too many false doctrines and apostate churches, as you all know.
Feel free to disagree, as I am a bit torn on the subject.
Holly,
“…so thankful that we have the luxury of His Word.”
Amen! Better than gold, yea than much fine gold. I listen to Scripture on audio a lot. On my drive to work I’ve been listening to Ephesians and Colossians and saying “Wow! Lord, what if we (the church) actually BELIEVED this? This is amazing!”
Those two letters are so “above and beyond” the mind boggles. Sublime. Of COURSE our adversary tries to corrupt our thinking towards God and His Word, because an abbondanza of blessing/grace/eternal life/salvation/enjoyment/fun/love/etc. is found in that breathed-out Word.
I firmly believe that the wicked one has used “art” of all kinds to taint Scripture by inventing corrupting “types” and associations before one ever gets to a point of reading it. So we go to the Word with a lot of baggage.
Holly, I realised what I’d done just after posting; that I kind of proved your point with my ‘as Holly says’ comment.
‘Holly says to stick your head in an oven… so it must be right’. 🙂
Holly I too am so thankful for His word that we have ready access to and can read freely (in the places in the world where we live). We have such a luxury the Christians in history did not.
I think about time’s passed when Christians were horribly tortured in the most barbaric ways, burned at the stake, fed to the lions, racked and so forth. How blessed we are in this day and age that the only persecution we really have to deal with is verbal and social persecution.
For the early Christians it was so hard to even get a readable copy of God’s word, they had to spend everything they had just to obtain parchments and excerpts from His word. Even those were enough to convert them for the most part.
The fact that the Word was purposefully kept in the Latin language for so long irks me so much. The Catholic church purposefully did everything they possibly could to keep the Word from the common person (who couldn’t read Latin), then came the inquisitions, when the Word finally started coming out in other more readable languages.
To keep up with the times of “civillized society”, they have had to tone down their tactics against the Word drastically to simply telling their members not to read it for themselves, that their priest or bishop would do it for them. The Catholic church knows full well if people actually read the Word for themselves they would lose millions of members very quickly.
Today we have it so good compared to then. Praise be to God.
Keith – really well put. Simply said, these false prophets are not justifying themselves by Christ and His work on the cross, but by works, whatever kind they may be…. One thing we know, is they are not works done by His might.
Hobbs – your comment made me chuckle, but it’s not me who says it of course it’s the Word that encourages us to be Bereans and prove all things (Acts 17:11/1 Thess 5:21), so the reason why I say it so often is I failed/fail in that department so often, so thankful that we have the luxury of His Word.
Chas, good catch, I didn’t even notice that. //He calls them “professing followers of Christ”. //
Trouble is most people that use that word believe a follower is a believer and a believer is a follower. So yes, it wouldn’t be clear what they believed, and since he calls them that, seems like he also sadly isn’t clear on what he believes.
Brad, you are right. Christ died for the ungodly. Teaching people that they have to become good to be saved, keep saved, or confirm they are saved is frustrating grace.
These false teachers who give people a list of rules of what not to do in order to be saved are actually empowering the disobedient flesh to do those very things.
I consider that to be a big part of Satan’s plan here. Satan knows full well that our flesh is empowered by impositions of the law.
Romans 8:3a For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh,
So then picture a congregation of an apostate church being told to turn from sins to be saved, all that does is empower their flesh natures unto those very sins which then creates a sense of doubt and hopelessness in the people. This affects both their ability to trust Christ and (if they have already been saved) their ability to live the Christian life. Killing two birds with one stone.
It’s like the struggle of sin in the believer’s life laid out in the second half of Romans 7, but without the final conclusion:
Romans 7:25 I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.
Chas, interesting analysis of Matt. 7:22. Of course, it could be said that those who believe that good works confirm their justification also believe that those good works are done by the power of the Holy Spirit and are tantamount to miracles or “wondrous works” in their own estimation. So whether the works in question are supposed miraculous manifestations of the Spirit or more “ordinary” in appearance, the worker of those works is relying on “empiricism”, or that which can be verified through the senses, to demonstrate what he thinks are the workings of the Spirit and authenticate that person’s standing with God. Such works, however, are sourced in the fallen nature and are therefore works of iniquity (v.23).
I think the passage in Matt. 7:15-26 is saying that the fruit of a false prophet is the teaching that works of any kind is necessary to earn, confirm or validate that one has eternal life, as well as those who believe and teach that teaching. Even though such a person may go on to a life of what appears to be faithfulness and good works, what he has built will be destroyed when subjected to the storms of eternal judgment, just as a house which is built on the sand is destroyed when the wind and the rains come Matt. 7:26).
Johnathan – yes, not sure I’m really on-track to be a particulary mature Christian myself, be grateful to get to heaven in diapers if it comes to it! But I suppose we don’t really know how God is working out his purposes in our lives for sure. Maybe a few suprises. As you say, glad for the people on this site and their kind, yet sound, responses. Ok yes, ‘sound’ responses which I should be checking out with scripture myself, as Holly says.
Chas, you make a good point about whether these people ever believed the gospel.
It is possible that they did, but impossible to glean much from the writer’s comments.
Also, interesting additional comment on Matthew 7:22.
Holly and John…
One thing in that pastoral letter that I looked for (and couldn’t find) was anything about the actual testimony about those who supposedly “fell away” after they supposedly believed. He calls them “professing followers of Christ”. That could mean anything. It isn’t clear just exactly what they believed. Since we’re not saved by “following Christ”, who knows if they ever received eternal life to begin with? Seems to me that pastor is dealing with a double-blind situation. I agree, he’s letting experience guide his beliefs, not Scripture, and that’s his basic problem.
Regarding Matt. 7:22, it’s significant that the KJV renders the “works” in the sentence as “wonderful works” instead of “good works”. Jesus wasn’t speaking of service to God in general but of “powers many we do” (Gk: dunameis pollas epoiEsamen). That’s why newer translations render the phrase as “do works of power” or “perform many miracles”. The newer translation has to do with making the meaning of the Greek more clear in English, not with implicitly promoting LS.
Btw, the Greek text I cited is from Scriveners Textus Receptus 1894 (Basis of KJV / AV translation).
Holly, I agree – eternal life cannot both be a free gift and require works.
If someone has realized that eternal life is a free gift, and has believed in Jesus as Savior, it is still possible that they begin to look to works as evidence of eternal life at some point, or points, thereafter.
It can start with looking to positive life change or good works for “confirmatory evidence” of eternal life.
That is why we have to be so adamant about warning people against fruit inspection – of oneself, or others.
Johninnc
Completely agree with you that he’s judging their salvation BY their works, which since Scripture is clear it is a free gift, and it is NOT by works, how do they rectify this?
Then as you discerned, his own observations (judging by the appearance) has literally caused him to doubt eternal security (to me he doubts the free gift is really everlasting but instead believes it is conditional upon us to keep it). So he is allowing his feelings on people’s behavior to dictate what Scripture may or may not say. Sadly it has to mean he doesn’t know if he is saved, he has been bewitched or may never have understood the truth.
So true, we fruit inspect others, and we condemn ourselves…
Before a person has eternal life, he has free will. After a person receives eternal life, he still has free will. However, free will for a person who has eternal life does not include the ability to lose or forfeit eternal life.
Holly, it is interesting that the writer said “and their lives reflected that” as if one can tell from someone’s behavior whether or not he has eternal life.
So, there is fruit of false doctrine manifested in that comment.
Then, he says the change in their behaviors and attitudes, combined with scripture, has caused him to doubt eternal security.
The writer’s primary reason for doubting eternal security did not start with scripture. It started with his observations of other people. So, he has added to scripture.
Apparently, the writer’s fruit inspection of others led him to doubt clear scripture, which then caused him to change his understanding of scripture to interpret it through a fleshly lens.
The writer of the email says now “(I’ve) changed my tune” regarding eternal security.
The writer claims to have been a firm believer in eternal security at some point in the past. If so, the writer started down his own path of apostasy by looking for evidence of eternal life in others’ behaviors. Then, he has descended into denying eternal security.
This is a classic case of someone trying to interpret scripture with his “works hat” on.
Here is the 3rd pastoral email TO my daughter. (names changed)
Firstly, I want you to know that this particular issue is one that, over the course of my adult life, I’ve struggled with quite a bit, going back and forth about what my opinion is about whether one could “lose his salvation.” It’s not that I am, or ever have been, concerned for my standing in the Kingdom; I have never doubted that, as I know that I belong to God through Christ because of my belief and trust in who He is and what He did. But as to the matter of whether someone else, once having been a follower of Christ, could then remove himself from the Kingdom, I’ve gone back and forth, like I said.
My previous email had two objectives. First, to simply try and illuminate what, to me, I thought James was trying to convey that Sunday, and where there may have been confusion between what he meant and what came across to you. That issue, I think, is behind us now. Second, I was outlining, in brief, where I tend to stand currently on this issue in my personal opinion. This issue is not one of those that I would contend too adamantly about (those definitely exist) because, as I mentioned, I’ve swayed back and forth on it myself.
In all honesty, I WANT to believe exactly what you outlined in your emails to James and me. And, at one point, I did believe that quite securely. But there are a couple reasons I’ve sort of “changed my tune” a bit about it. And maybe you have some good thoughts on this that I haven’t considered yet, and can help enlighten me. ☺
First, I have several friends, including some very close friends (like, best man at my wedding close) who, at one point, were professing followers of Christ, who were involved in church, missions, would stand up for the faith, etc… There was no doubt in my, or anyone else’s, mind that they were members of the Kingdom; and their lives reflected that. Then, at some point along the way, their attitude changed. I don’t know the details of the way their hearts and minds changed, but the short story is that now, these folks would, and do, call themselves agnostic at best, and, in one case, a staunch atheist. They’ve said things to me like “if there is a God, He doesn’t know what He’s doing so I don’t want any part of Him anyway,” and “I would never want to follow a God that allowed this much evil in the world.” How can these people have gone from not only appearing to follow Christ, but being outright and blatant about it, professing the Gospel to others, to having literally the exact opposite heart attitude now? Are these people still saved, dragged kicking and screaming into eternity with the Lord against their will? Or have they, having once known the reality of the Kingdom and been part of it, managed to remove themselves from it, since one of the attributes of God’s love for us is free will for His human creations? Are these the “lost sheep” that are referred to in parables, which God goes after passionately until they are rescued (sheep, after all, when used as a metaphor in Scripture, often refer to those who belong to God already)? If that’s true, does that mean that, at some point, having once been genuine followers of Christ, these folks will come back into the fold from where they are now? These are honest questions that I struggle with all the time. I’d love to hear your thoughts.
Those folks considered, mixed with verses like the following, are what make me struggle with this:
For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, 5 and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, 6 and then have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance, since they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt. –Hebrews 6:4-6
12 Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. 13 But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. 14 For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end. 15 As it is said,
“Today, if you hear his voice,
do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.”
16 For who were those who heard and yet rebelled? Was it not all those who left Egypt led by Moses? 17 And with whom was he provoked for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? 18 And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest, but to those who were disobedient? 19 So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief. — Hebrews 3:12-19
For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first. 21 For it would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than after knowing it to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them. 22 What the true proverb says has happened to them: “The dog returns to its own vomit, and the sow, after washing herself, returns to wallow in the mire.” — 2 Peter 2:20-22
As you’ve said, we know Scripture doesn’t contradict itself, so maybe together we can work out what appears to be, at surface level, passages that say opposite things (the ones you presented and the ones I listed just above).
Again, I very much appreciate your opinions and thoughts on the matter, and am anxious to hear what you have to say. Like I said, there are plenty of things/issues/doctrines, if you will, about which my opinion is quite strong and about which I am convinced. This is not one of them, though. Perhaps we can work this out together. By the way, this is what I meant when I quoted Philippians 2 in my earlier email. I think you simply misunderstood what I was trying to say. Of course I wasn’t suggesting we are saved on a daily basis; you’re right, the readers of the letter were already saved. Paul was encouraging them to “work out their salvation” in the sense of making their faith stronger by 1) living it out, and 2) doing what we’re doing now, and ultimately strengthening our faith by wrestling, in love, with these types of issues.
Looking forward to your response.
In love,
David
I was cleaning out my email box (again) and saw some older notes from this site. I saw one from I believe a Ken Krug who used to worship John MacArthur (I ‘think’ that was about how he said it) for 10 years. He saw him on some interview, and was troubled because MacArthur said the book came from a man he thought was a believer who started to ‘do’ all these awful things and so NOW he suddenly had the gospel right, in his ‘Gospel according to Jesus’ (NOT!).
Anyways, reading your comments today, the biggest thing that keeps coming to me is Acts 17:11 and 1 Thess 5:21. We just cannot blindly accept something from any teacher, even a beloved pastor, we have to do our own proving and searching the Scriptures. We’re not always going to agree with them either, doesn’t make us right, but it doesn’t necessarily make us wrong either. We just need to tread carefully in anything we say about an elder. I appreciate many places and teachers/pastors who I believe have a true desire to keep the gospel clear and take heed to the doctrine, and warn their flock about dangers. So thankful for that. We also need to be Bereans, and never think of anyone beyond what is written (1 Cor. 4:6). God wrote these things ahead of time that through the comfort and patience of the Scriptures we might have hope (Rom 15:4 pp). We will gain discernment when we are/stay in the ‘strong meat’ of His Word (Heb 5:12-14).
We don’t need to be afraid to disagree with someone, it makes us search the Scriptures, and make our case with Scripture. I am thankful for those teachings which made me start seeking out what His Word really said. Thankful also for those who helped my understanding along the way and taught me how to study in context. Thankful for those who were humble enough to say, don’t just take it as the ‘gospel’ because I said it, but go look it up in context yourself.
I still disagree with some I appreciate, but if they get the gospel wrong at all and will not hear, that’s the dividing line for me. My daughter is dealing with that with two pastors of a church she attends and they’re of course now subtly introducing the ‘possibility’ that one might lose their salvation by ‘walking away’. She’s answered them twice with ‘it is written’ and I’m proud of her, that is the way to go. This is the third time the have come to her, and I pray it’s the last she’ll bother now. They keep bringing the typical loadship passages up, and if that doesn’t fly with her, they bring in a couple of more. The first email was of course Heb 6:4-6. The last 2 were last night, and I’ll share the email with changed names, I think you’ll all appreciate it.
Jonathon, 1 Corinthians 3:13-15 helps clarify that point. Lordship “salvationists” often misconstrue rewards vs. eternal life issues.
I agree with you, Hobbs. Teachers who try playing the “hell card” with believers are a red flag to me. They once gripped me with fear of the unknown, but no longer. It says very clearly that there is therefore now no condemnation to those who are IN Christ Jesus. I still have a lot to learn in growing into a mature Christian. I’m very thankful for this website.
My experience with hearing Yankee is that you always know the safety net is there (Christ being the saftey net of course). If you have believed, it’s a gift, you’re going to heaven when you die. I still take Yankee very seriously if he talks of how I’ll feel meeting the Lord when I may not be behaving in a faithful way etc. I do hear all that, and it’s my decision/choice to get motivated or not, hopefully I am/will do. But if I have to get motivated to be saved… well… that’s a different Gospel.
Many (if not most) teachers/preachers want to resort to the hell card as leverage to torment believers into change (think Chan). No rest there I’m afraid.
Phil’s November 1, 2017 at 8:34 pm comment gave me some thought. I have been in mind to join or attend a grace church for quite some time. Yet I don’t. And I wonder why.
If a sermon is going to quote Bonhoeffer, even if I agreed with what Bonhoeffer said in that instance, knowing what Bonhoeffer stood for, I know I am going to be uncomfortable some weeks down the road. I need a steady diet of gospel, not hero worship. Yankee Arnold is rare.
If they mention persecution, I cringe every time. It has always meant loadship in my experience. The thief on the cross received punishment, not persecution. Yet he was a believer. I don’t think life is a bowl of cherries, but stories of persecution never encourage but cause me to inspect my fruit and worry about tomorrow.
Keith, I agree with your comment.
In addition, I think that the “over the top” Lordship “salvationists” (like MacArthur) allow more subtle Lordship “salvationists” (like Billy Graham) to avoid detection.
I recently noticed something interesting when comparing the modern Bible translations’ versions of Matt. 7:21 and 22 to that of the KJV. The KJV version is as follows:
“Not everyone 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 cast out devils? And in thy name done many wonderful works?”
So in verse 22, the KJV includes the phrase, “many wonderful works”.
In verse 22, most of the modern translations that I found have substituted the phrase, “many wonderful works” with “done many wonders”, or similar phraseology to deflect “good works” with miracles or miraculous manifestations of the Spirit. The NIV is typical:
“Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord,, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?”
I have noticed over the years that the LS crowd loves to beat up on Joel Osteen, Kenneth Copeland, Joyce Meyer and others in the Word Of Faith or “Signs and “Wonders”, “Health, Wealth and Prosperity” camp. These teachers should be called out for their perversions of the gospel, but the LS false gospel is more subtle and deceives far more people.
I think that many times Satan uses the WOF group as a distraction from the errors of LS and Calvinism. I think this is reflected in the surreptitious distortions of the Biblical texts that are increasingly being found in the modern translations, which the LS crowd overwhelmingly uses to adduce their theology.
So, the take-home lesson is that it is not just those who trust in so-called miraculous manifestations of the Spirit (speaking in tongues, casting out demons, etc.) to validate their conversion who are in danger of damnation. Those who trust in their good works for that purpose are in the same boat.
The more you study the Word, the easier it is to refute false teachings when you have to. The Spirit brings to remembrance certain scriptures needed at certain times. I have experienced this. I will be talking about a certain passage in scripture and suddenly 3 more related passages jump into my mind and then another 5 from there, etc.
Also regarding false teachings, Satan wouldn’t be doing a very good job if most of the world wasn’t deceived. He is the master of deception, after all. He knows the Lake of Fire is his eternal destiny and just wants to take as many souls there with him as he can. What a miserable existence that must be.
It saddens me to think there are many people believe this too, albeit wrongly, that there is no hope for them and they are destined for hell no matter what they try to do about it, which is the potential end result of so many legalistic teachings that salvation can be lost/forfeited and never recovered. What a slap in the face to God’s exceeding grace for all mankind.
Those in this world who worship Satan, in the high places of this Satanic world system, I believe have been misled to think that Satan will rule over the Lake of Fire and that they, in recompense for worshipping him, will be able also to rule with him there. Either that or they are just blinded by the luxuries of this world and cannot see afar off.
The actual reality is that Satan will be ascribed the WORST punishment in the Lake of Fire and those who actively worshipped him in this lifetime wouldn’t be too far off from that level of punishment also.
Times ahead are not good for those who will die in their sins as a result of bad doctrine. It is the troubling thought of this that really encourages me to make sure I get this right. The stakes couldn’t be higher.
Jonathon, when our testimony is that we have believed in Christ alone for eternal life, no one who understands and believes the gospel should question our testimony.
If someone does, they may be in need of hearing the gospel.
Whenever a doubt arises, I have to combat it with Scripture. Honestly, it can be tiring sometimes, but we have to not lose heart and keep contending for the faith. I’m thankful I didn’t have to understand everything to be saved and that Jesus indeed saved me when I first believed enough to ask Him to come into my heart. That is why Paul exhorts us, after we’re saved, to grow in His grace. I’m thankful for you guys. This oasis is really helping me to return to a full assurance of salvation and faith in Jesus! I’m thankful to be able to fellowship with other believers and be encouraged and edified by His word.
The thief on the cross could not do works in his short time before passing, and thankfully he didn’t need to. The thief recognized Jesus as the way to eternal life and was saved right then and there.
I love what Brad said that our testimony is “Christ crucified”. That is something I will start to say every time someone questions my testimony. Jesus Christ alone is all we need!
Just listening to Ralph Arnold talking about the three crucified that day, the two thieves and Jesus.
One died TO sin, one died IN sin and one died FOR sin. Brilliantly put.
I have changed since trusting Christ. I changed by choosing to walk in His Spirit that He gave me upon conversion. I could have chosen to sit on my backside and do nothing and still be just as saved as I am now, but without any change.
I know we all know it, but when thinking about faith versus works I think of the story in the bible of the saved thief crucified next to Jesus and the story of Judas Iscariot. The thief did NO works and simply BELIEVED, whereas Judas did PLENTY of works and never BELIEVED.
I can imagine the lordship salvation crowd saying “Jesus must be wrong how could that terrible thief be in paradise with Him”?
Brad, this is the main reason why I won’t unite with a local church–even one that says they are grace alone. If you met with them to tell your story of getting saved and you simply told them, “Christ crucified to save me.” Even in a grace church they would look at you with a look that says….”and how did this change your life since/”
I think people will just put add on’s just to make them feel their testimony will be more accepted and they will fit in.
I know when I joined and was baptized in an IFCA Bible church in 1996, I gave a testimony of how I trusted in Christ for my salvation. But under personal feelings of pressure, I told them some ways my life had changed for the better, as though that was also needed as evidence of being saved. But, I made it a point after that to never include any works or personal merit to sound like it also was necessary to complete my salvation. In fact I said that Christ had provided all that was necessary to save me during an adult class in the same church, and you could hear some grumbling, but also a few praises. This church was pretty much all loadship salvation and even had an elder who was a JMac James 2 faith plus works fan. Glad I parted with them a few years later in 2000.
My testimony, like yours Brad, Christ Crucified which does it all and provides it all. If there is anything better about me, it’s in gratitude for all God has done for me.
Well said Phil. This website is a grace oasis in a desert of legalism.
It is very important to mark and avoid false teachers, because their legalistic teachings appeal to the pride of our flesh, they can seriously disrupt our Christian life and testimony. They seek to take glory away from God and place it upon man.
What happened to the church at Galatia (in the book of Galatians) is exactly what has occurred in so many churches today. What was Paul’s remedy? A strong, unapologetic, re-affirmation of the gospel of grace.
If it could happen to an early church that was literally under the preaching/teaching of the Apostle Paul himself, then it certainly can happen to churches nowadays and certainly has.
These are the end times of rampant apostasy and false teachers. Who look like sheep but are inwardly ravening wolves. Who speak out of both sides of their mouths and change the truth of God into a lie. Who like to dress neatly, speak calmly, act peacefully and do everything they can to fool the brethren into following their false teachings.
We CANNOT judge by outward appearance. That is a grave mistake many make. We must prayerfully seek the true meaning of God’s Word so we can KNOW what the false doctrines are. Only then can a person tell a false teacher from a true teacher. The Bible MUST BE the ONLY authority on truth, no additions or subtractions. To hell with the traditions of men.
Remember the simplicity that is in Christ. Is it really that “simple” to demand a person to change their lives in order to be saved? As sinners with a sinful nature, that is a complicated and impossible plan for salvation. Is it really “good news” that a sinner, who deserves hell, needs to start living perfectly in every way?
The good news is: Christ did it all. He lived a perfectly sinless life FOR US, He died on the cross FOR US, He overcame sin and death FOR US and he ascended into heaven FOR US.
The ways of God are not the ways of men so it would make perfect sense that GOD’S grace gospel is lost on so many MEN. Only by the Holy Spirit can a person know God and by extension the ways of God.
If anyone ever asked me of my Christian testimony, I would simply answer: “Christ crucified”.
Hi Jonathan, after reading your experiences with some iffy salvation preaching, it sounds like what many of us have been crushed with. It’s the legalistic salvation approach of “there always someone out there who thinks he is saved, but really isn’t, and if he dies tomorrow…..” Or the one preached “you may have forgotten some little detail about salvation.” These preachers can make getting saved an endless and needless nightmare!
There is nothing wrong with asking Jesus to save you, or asking him into your heart. But, making “asking” into some sort of salvation requirement comes out of a misinterpretation of Rev, 3, with Jesus knocking at the door of a dead Laodicean church who don’t recognized him and won’t let him in. Jesus already did everything to save you and me at Calvary dying and rising for us; when we believe that we are eternally saved; Just trust in Him as your Savior and complete forgiveness and heaven are yours: it’s that simple. Jesus did it all and paid it all already for you and me. You don’t have to ask Him anything; you can thank him if you like.
The reason these legalistic churches and TV shows keep trying to destroy our assurance is that they don’t get it: they don’t really understand the complete, final, finished work of Christ to save us. And in the back of their minds they really don’t want your assurance and peace in salvation to be complete. They want it to be based on contingencies and changes in our lives to see if our testimonies “measure up.” (By the way, your testimony does not have to “measure up” or show a changed life: Christ has already completely measured up for you.) One way or another they will keep us on some treadmill of uncertainty. The answer is to not let them get to you. Turn them off and stay away from these legalistic churches and TV shows in whatever form they come, the devil is using them to drive us to give-up and quit.
I invite you to stay here with us at this grace oasis fellowship at Exp. It is the only place I know of to hear the clear gospel message without legalistic conditions attached to it.
Jonathan, I too was raised with the vernacular of asking Him into my heart. I believed, and of course that was what saved me. He does come to dwell in us when we believe (Eph 1:13; Rom 8:9), but 1 John 5:9-13 really kind of sealed it for me. We can KNOW based on the fact we believe God’s testimony of His Son (that He is God come in the flesh, who suffered and died on the cross for our sins, was buried and rose again from the dead). He proved He was God in having the power to take His life back up again, and He had the victory over sin, death and the grave. Our position in Him is secure. Sometimes our behavior is shaky, but talking to Him about it and asking for His help is always a good way to just keep pressing forward. Abiding in Him and spending time in His Word. These things were written ahead of time for our comfort (Rom 15:4), and so that we would KNOW that we have eternal life and will NEVER perish. He will not lose one (John 10:28-29).
Absolutely John. When He actually died for your sins, He paid for all of your sins future, future and future. 😉
Brad, another thing is that Jesus died for my sins before I was even born. So, all of my sins were yet in the future when He died and was raised from the dead. Therefore, He paid for all sins – past, present, and future.
You’re welcome.
Something I have realized recently is that when we trust Christ alone as our Saviour, we receive Christ’s righteousness (which is the full timeline of His perfect life lived on earth, from birth to death) and Christ receives our unrighteousness (which is the full timeline of our sinful life lived on earth, from birth to death). See the contrasts there?
Remember, if Jesus even committed a single sin in His lifetime on earth (impossible because He is God but humour the hypothetical) then He would not be able to save a single person from hell.
Likewise, if Christ failed to pay for even a single one of our sins then that single sin would still send us to hell. Every Christian sins to some degree after being saved, so clearly a provision had to be made for that.
If Christ didn’t pay for ALL of our sins, then he might as well have not paid for ANY of our sins. It really is all or nothing.
Thank you, Brad! I just ordered a copy of his book and I really look forward to growing in God’s grace by reading it.
Even though I have wrestled with immense doubt from time to time, I am so thankful (as we all are) that Jesus accomplished total satisfaction of all eternal debt at the cross so we can live with Him forever!
I highly recommend the book “Full Assurance” by Harry Ironside. It was a blessing to me in times of lacking assurance.
Jonathon, in your first post, you said “Jesus already delivered my victory at the cross.”
That is the truth on which to focus.
I am glad you are here, and not reading Greear or Hagee.
When I was in a period of being unstable about the certainty of my salvation, I read J.D. Greear’s “Stop Asking Jesus Into Your Heart” book. I regret ever reading the book since it only planted more doubts in my mind than I could ever imagine. He seemed to talk out of both sides of his mouth by paying lip service to the need to believe, while planting doubt for those who (like me) have trusted Jesus alone for salvation but did so by asked Him to save (asking Jesus to come into my heart). I feel for those who may only become more shaky and uncertain by reading his books.
As I said before, I remember very well being fearful of going to Hell and I asked Jesus to come into my heart. I grew up in a southern baptist church but when my family moved to a different state, I began to attend school at an independent baptist academy in the 4th grade. I remember walking into class one morning with a New King James’ Version Bible only to be shunned by my classmates. This was also a school that put many legalistic standards on its congregation. Before this point I was never exposed to legalism and was enjoying my young life in Jesus, but I believe that was when the seed was planted for being legalistic.
Over the next several years, I fell into some very bad mistakes and sins that I have since repented of. I also began to doubt my salvation and wondered if I was “truly saved” and “act like this”. One night I was listening to John Hagee who said something to plant even more doubts in my mind. That night, I asked Jesus to save me “just in case”, because I really wasn’t sure what to think. It was only after that deepest point of my valley that God revealed to me the truth of Psalms 91 and His faithfulness to all those who trust Him.
I believe Jesus saved me when I asked Him to come into my heart. My faith has been on a roller coaster ride for the last several years but I know God will heal me with time. The process has only begun, though, and I think that Satan attacks me everyday with accusations. Some days are more victorious over doubt than others. Admittingly, I think that I still have a very long way to go before I’m finally free of the doubts I have allowed in my head. But I know God is patient and who understands my mind. I am so grateful that Jesus Christ paid for my eternal salvation, saving me from every sin debt.
I apologize for taking so much time to write this, but I felt it would help me to talk about this with you all. Thank you for the great work you do here! You are truly an oasis of grace and the world needs so much more of Biblical truth.
Brad, you are right – God’s promises alone are our assurance.
To combat your fears and doubts Jonathan, ask yourself why God would have you grow in His grace daily if you weren’t already saved? Why would He teach you things pertaining to the Christian life if you weren’t already a Christian?
I am sure all of us would love for God to come down from heaven right now and tell us to our face that we are saved. Thankfully He did this already, in His Word.
Jonathon, welcome and thanks for your comment.
We are glad that you have found this post to be a blessing. I have prayed for your continued growth in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior.
Thank you for this post! I, myself, have struggled with doubts and fears. It’s sometimes a constant battle. But I know the Holy Spirit is keeping me stable through it all and Jesus already delivered my victory at the cross. I didn’t understand much when I got saved at 6 years old. All I knew was my need to be saved. So I asked Jesus to “come into my heart”. I barely understood anything else but I absolutely remember wanting to be saved from Hell. God knew my heart and he saved me 01-22-2003. I continue to grow in His grace everyday and I know He loves me more than I can fathom.
John, well said (about lack of humility), and pride has God resisting us. The Word when approached the right way, has a way of softening out our edges 🙂 We get so much from His Word, people don’t know what to do, and Jesus made it simple. Abide in me, continue/remain in my Word. I am afraid too many of these load-ship type churches make it about being disciples by ‘doing’ this or ‘doing’ that without any instruction from the Word, but a whole lot of men’s words that we know can lead to destruction in our lives. Discipleship comes by being in and taking heed to His Word.
Brad, I am thankful that you have had the opportunity to meet with the pastor.
I had a 3 hour conversation with a pastor at a local baptist church last week. Very promising. He agrees about Calvinism being wrong and said the book I lent him (Secure Forever) was a great book. He didn’t dispute it at all. Although I am not sure how much of it he read.
We talked a lot about the role works play in salvation and he agreed adding that works are essential for testimony and that we should be careful telling people they have to do stuff to get to heaven. He appeared to agree that the verses in James 2 are not about justification before God, but justification before men.
He acknowledges the unreliability of the newer bible translations and he specifically called out people like Ray Comfort, Brian Houston and Joel Osteen as being wrong.
Very switched on fellow. No arrogance to be found. I am amazed I may have actually found a church.
He still is a bit iffy on repentance and what it means biblically. I told him that even though a change of mind CAN lead to a change of behavior, it is not automatic. He agreed that living the Christian life is not automatic.
He uses an Old Scofield Study Bible also.
I know there are some good passages in the bible giving proper context to the meaning of metanoia or metanoeo. I will show those to him next time I visit him.
I was SO CLOSE to writing that church off after my initial visit, but I just got the feeling one day to go back and try again. I am thankful to God that I did.
This concludes my blog post 🙂
Holly, clothing is a layer underneath armor. Lack of humility can make us believe we are impervious to the wiles of the devil.
In so doing, we expose ourselves to deception. A very common form of this is believers who knowingly attend churches that teach LS or Calvinism.
Concerning the original topic here and essential details of salvation. We are not saved by our amount of knowledge and grasp of the various details of our salvation: We are saved by knowing the details that bring us to faith in Christ as our Savior, the gospel of our salvation.
Paul spends much of his Letters enlightening and explaining all about salvation to his various churches whose members are ALREADY SAVED. He didn’t do it so they could get more saved.
I was thinking about the armor, we’ve been talking about it quite a bit in class.
Reading in 1 Pet 5 tonight, and the part about being “clothed with humility. Just thinking about both to myself, and hope I remember more and more each day.
Phil, you are right – the full armor of God is grounded in the gospel.
If I could sum up the armor of God, it is the gospel of my salvation, focusing and rejoicing in all that Jesus has done for me to save my dying on the cross, his burial and rising from the dead. What greater shield from the evil one could we have?
John John, putting on the full armor of God is key.
Holly, you make a great point about “after”. Believers need a solid plan for AFTER, when the rulers and authorities make a direct attack on assurance and use the (hopefully) unwitting LS brigade to undermine it.
Thanks Jim, it’s good to hear from you.
John,
I agree with the content of your post.
Jim F
Brad, you’d be surprised. He can always catch us unaware if we’re not paying attention. I read your very good former comment about examining the wrong fruits and debating the loadshippers do on sin, and the ridiculous standard they place on others that they for sure do not do and cannot do (Just ask their wives). Also the ones that go too far in the nth degree trying to define each and every thing that one must know and believe until they’ve corrupted the simplicity that’s in Christ. I don’t want to do either, so prayerfully we continue to put on our armor each day and stay in the strong meat of His Word.
Amen Holly. I’m sure the devil doesn’t find much to eat around these parts 🙂
Brad, I feel the same. I was asking the Lord to teach me from His Word, I was really afraid of websites truthfully and any particular teachers, but I would look and silently watch or read for years on certain people before I’d ever comment because I wanted to be sure. When I was pretty certain within myself that no matter what one said, I was going to try to remember always to check it with the Word I did so much better.
I’m thankful for John, for the time he puts into the Word, for the memory of Jack, for the ministry to continue. Always keeping our armor on, for the enemy, the devil, prowls about like a roaring lion seeking who he might devour.
Brad, we’re glad you’re here!
Thanks for the encouragment John.
When I tried to figure stuff out on my own, it didn’t work out so good. As soon as I started praying to God to reveal Himself to me, He did and still does.
It is funny, when I first started praying in such a way, the first thing God did for me was bring me to this website.
Brad, very good scriptural points on differentiating the “fruit” of doctrine from the fruits of the Spirit.
For salvation, yes, no cart required at any time. I was speaking to a practical turning from sin, which is impossible for the unregenerate person to do without first receiving the Holy Spirit and thus being able to bear the fruit of temperance in their life. Plus the genuine desire for holyness and disdain for sin has to come from a new nature, as it certainly doesn’t come from the flesh.
I know there is the issue of people outwardly looking as if they have the Holy Spirit.
When Jesus said we shall know them by their fruits, people make the understandable mistake of linking that to the fruits of the Holy Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23. Then they start fruit inspecting. If we were to have fruit inspected the Pharisees and Sadducees they would have been declared the most godly men on earth, yet inwardly they were ravening wolves. Jesus was speaking about the fruits of their doctrine as we know, which is consistent with these verses:
Luke 6:45 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.
Matthew 15:11 Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man.
Without knowing God’s Word, it is pretty much guaranteed a person will fall into a ditch of lies one way or another. How can you know what is false without first knowing what is true?
I suspect religious people throughout history have only delighted in the law of God in the sense that they twisted it in order to feed their own pride, so not really delighting in the law itself, but rather what they have turned it into.
Romans 16:18 For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.
Mark 7:8 For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do.
They say they love God and want to live for Him because of a religiously-fuelled fear of what might happen to them if they don’t say that. A Catholic priest once told me, “you have a better chance of entering heaven if you are a Catholic”. Chance? CHANCE?! lol. These people live the way they do out of a fear of hell.
I have seen discussions on the internet amongst legalists that would scare you half to death if you didn’t know any better. Telling people if there’s even one sin in their lives that they haven’t turned from that they will still go to hell. To those people I ask with Jesus’ disciples, “who then can be saved”? Other people seemed to think they had to get EVERY doctrine in the bible exactly right otherwise they were still going to hell, like the debate of the exact hour Jesus rose from the dead etc.
Debate is considered a sin anyways, yet it happens so much in “professing” Christianity today. People hurling insults at each other because they view a non-vital doctrine of scripture differently.
If turning from sin can save anyone, then the blood of Jesus is worthless.
Brad, agree. Turning from sin is not a requirement for receiving eternal life. The Bible is very clear that we are saved by grace, through faith.
Brad, you are right that people mix gift and reward as if they are interchangeable, when they are not.
Also, interesting about putting the cart before the horse. I hear this a lot. The reality is, that the cart is not required before, during, or after, in order for someone to have eternal life.
Also, those who teach turning from sin for salvation ignore very clear verses to the contrary.
Romans 3:20 Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
Galatians 2:16 Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.
Galatians 3:11 But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.
Galatians 2:21 I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.
Philippians 3:9 And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:
Galatians 5:4 Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.
Romans 3:28 Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.
The law’s first purpose is to condemn, not to save.
Romans 3:19 Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.
The law’s second purpose is to make a person aware of their need for a savior, thus bringing them to Christ.
Galatians 3:24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
In Romans 3:20 above, it tells us that by the law is the knowledge of sin. We wouldn’t know what sin was if it wasn’t for the law telling us.
The law’s demand therefore would obviously include “turning from sin”. The thou shalt nots.
So if turning from sin is a deed of the law and we are not justified (saved) by the deeds of the law, then turning from sin can save no one.
Galatians 5:25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
Such a powerful verse, the content of which is a theme throughout the epistles.
It shows clearly that it is possible to live in the Spirit without walking in the Spirit. In other words it is possible to be saved without doing any good works whatsoever.
Romans 4:5 But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.
Does that mean good works are wrong? Of course not. Good works are NEEDED for testimony, a joyful life and rewards in heaven. But not for salvation.
Romans 5:15 But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.
I have never paid anyone in my life to receive a free gift and I’m not about to start now.
In order to be able to practically overcome or “turn” from sins in one’s life, one must first have the Holy Spirit dwelling in them, giving them the needed strength to do so. Only those who are saved have the Holy Spirit.
1 Corinthians 6:19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
Those who say you must turn from sins to be saved are putting the cart before the horse and leaving people in an impossible situation in the process.
1 Corinthians 10:23 All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not.
The Apostle Paul believed ALL things were lawful for him. Bold statement. But not all things are useful or edifying. In Christ we are no longer under the law so the law is no longer our obligation to keep, the law for Christians is simply a recommendation of how to live properly for the Lord.
Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
How many people around the world right now have never pleased God a day in their lives because they are trusting in their works and are not trusting in Christ. Being in Christ is the only we can please God:
Matthew 3:17 And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
If the Father is pleased with His Son, then those who are in His Son the Father is also pleased with equally.
Too many people gloss over the words “gift” and “reward” as if they are synonyms. When I receive a gift from someone, they paid for it and I thus received it for free. In the exact same way, my salvation was paid for by God and received freely by me througg faith. Grace = unmerited favor = free gift.
The prodigal son story is sometimes used to teach about an unsaved person coming to Christ. But that could not possibly be true as the son remained the child of his father throught the whole story. He lost fellowship with his father but despite his sinning against him (while already being his child) he was never booted out of the family. I love that story because it is God’s fantastic demonstration to His erring children: “as my child you can continue sinning against me but you will never cease being my child and I will await eagerly for your return to fellowship with me if you should ever choose to do so.”
The gospel was meant to be kept simple, and there are certain things people innately know. The may know they do wrong, but don’t know that one wrong keeps them separated from God. There are so man things I learned ‘after’ that we’d be going through a process of being saved over time, and once we got everything right we’d finally be saved.
Dan, I think, once you click into the comment window, that two small boxes will appear beneath the comment window.
Dori, it is great to hear from you. Thanks for your support and encouragement.
John, thank you for all you do to keep Jack’s desire to share the Truth of The Gospel of Jesus Christ going!
I share your posts on facebook, to encourage, and inform others of the Truth! This is one of the few sites I know I can trust.
I pray for you to be encouraged and strengthened in Him, each day.
Thank you again for giving your time and energy to this project.
God Bless you and yours.
I would like to receive updates again on posts. Not sure how to sign up.
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Kimberly, thank you so much for your words of encouragement. I know the enemy is like a roaring lion, looking to devour us.
Thank you for your tireless work on behalf of the Lord, John!! It’s really appreciated and NEEDED by the Body who WANTS TRUTH in Love… which I assure you is WHY I love correction that is Salt and Light…not the KISS of the enemy!!
WHY do others hear those that COMPLICATE the Gospel and then in turn WON’T take correction from the SIMPLICITY that is in Christ Jesus??? I just don’t get why they want to listen to those who sound like every other cult out there… you have to DO this or NOT DO that to get their eternal life….well…WRONG!!!!!!… our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ DID and DIDN’T DO it ALL for us… He was sinless(not one spot on that PRECIOUS LAMB of God!!)…and He DID IT ALL(paid the SIN DEBT) for us to be SAVED from Eternal PUNISHMENT in a fire burning hell that we were never created to go…CAUSE HE LOVED US SOOOOOOO MUCH!!
It’s not that hard to know that WE CAN’T(stop sinning…we never could …) every example in the Bible of a Believer is a life of SIN,(even AFTER they are God’s Children…) yet a BELIEF in a GOD*** WHO SAVES!!***
John, I am praying for you right now… the enemy is on the rise right now with many, many of us Bretheren…Sisteren ;)! We can all use a couple of Aaron and Hur’s to hold us UP to the Lord…and this is what I am committed to do for Jack’s work that you have GRACIOUSLY continued to do…and we THANK YOU again for doing so..!!! 🙂 Grace and PEACE be with you my Brother!!
Phil 1:3-11
Kimberrly and Family
beloved palm, same!
Yes sir, Im used to being barraged with comments good and bad, thank you.
beloved palm, welcome and thanks for being considerate in asking us.
We would be happy to have you post this article on your site. Please be prepared to manage any comments that you receive, as we are not equipped to respond to indirect comments.
Do you mind if I repost this on my church website (link removed by administrator).
The grace of God is so fantastic that it is beyond comprehension sometimes. In God’s infinite mercy, a person who may have heard nothing but false gospel his entire life… and even with a horrible message being delivered, can in a millisecond of time, place his faith In Jesus Christ alone for salvation; and because of God’s infinite Grace and Mercy, he is immediately passed from death unto life. This, my friends, is above all we ask or comprehend.