Category Archives: contemplative

Freed From the Bondage of Lordship Salvation and Religions

Posted on May 24, 2013 by | 28 comments

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)

God’s Guarantee of Eternal Life!! << Click

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Calvinist and Lordship Salvationist Objections to the Doctrine of Rewards

Posted on March 12, 2013 by | 61 comments

 Contributed by our dear friend, John

In my day-to-day discussions with professing believers, I have found several that have never even heard of the doctrine of rewards (the Judgment Seat of Christ).  When I have tried to explain the concept to them, responses have ranged from mild skepticism (“why haven’t I ever heard of this”) to outright rejection (“that doesn’t sound right”).

The doctrine of rewards is clearly taught throughout scripture, including in 1 Corinthians 3:8-15:

Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour.  For we are labourers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building.  According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon.  For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.  Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is.  If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.

Following are the top ten reasons I can think of as to why someone might object to the doctrine of rewards:

  1. Ignorance – most churches don’t teach it.
  2. Disbelief in the doctrine of Grace – the doctrine of rewards is in direct conflict with Lordship “salvation.”
  3. Disbelief in eternal security – works must be done to stay saved.
  4. Disbelief in the doctrine of assurance – works are viewed as either the primary or supplemental basis of assurance.
  5. Belief in the Calvinistic tenets of “irresistible grace” and “perseverance of the saints.”
  6. Belief that good works are automatic in the life of the believer.
  7. Misunderstanding of the two natures of the believer.
  8. Confusing the judgment seat of Christ with the Great White Throne judgment or the Sheep and Goats judgment.
  9. Belief in a social gospel – the thought of differential rewards for believers may offend the sensibilities of someone with a socialist perspective.
  10. Confusion between scriptural passages dealing with the gift of eternal life vs. rewards for faithfulness – belief that heaven is the reward (see number 2).

From Clear Gospel Campaign:

“We believe that history unmistakably demonstrates that the lack of a clear understanding of the doctrine of the Judgment Seat of Christ leaves a theological vacuum on the question of human works and divine judgment, and that this vacuum is invariably filled by a corruption of the gospel of grace with some form of salvation by Christ-plus-works.  Accordingly, we believe that the teaching and preaching of the judgment seat of Christ, although not in any way part of the gospel message, is nevertheless essential to the preservation of the purity of the gospel message.”

Eternal Life Free For You <click

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Latest on New Calvinist Timothy Keller: Timothy Keller in Interview Stumbles Over the Gospel; Speculates That There is a “Trap Door” to Heaven

Posted on November 25, 2012 by | 92 comments

See Interview of New Calvinist author and PCA Sr. Pastor, Timothy Keller (Martin Bashir interviews Timothy Keller):

Timothy Keller, widely popular author of, “The Reason for God, The Prodigal God” and “Generous Justice,” is also senior pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church of New York. He has endorsed the “Christian” Mysticism book, “Spiritual Disciplines Handbook,” by Adele Calhoun, a book which promotes contemplative prayer, labyrinth prayer, spiritual formation and inner healing. His church also teaches classes on the subject.

In the YouTube video (link above), interviewer Bashir asks Keller if Christ and Christianity is the only way to heaven. He asks Keller what is his view about other religions like Hinduism, Islam, Judaism and Buddhism and what will be the eternal fate of their devoted followers. For five minutes, the seemingly befuddled Keller stammers and fidgets, dancing around the question and never giving a biblical answer, or any real answer, for that matter. Keller’s response to Bashir was very similar to Bashir’s interview of universalist Rob Bell. Neither Keller nor Bell could give any kind of definitive biblical answer about salvation, heaven or hell. Both simply sidestepped Bashir’s straightforward question.

This is how I would answer Bashir’s question:

Well, Mr. Bashir, it really doesn’t matter what I think about about the matter, but let’s look at what the Bible said and what Jesus himself said on the subject. Then I would quote:

John 14:6 “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life; no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”

Acts 4:12 “Neither is there salvation in any other; for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved [Peter is referring to the name of Jesus].

Acts 16:30-31 “And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.”

Matthew 7:13-14 “Enter ye in at the strait gate; for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat; Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth to life, and few there be that find it.”

John 3:16-18 “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. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned; but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”

What would you say if you were asked the same question?

.

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Paul Washer, Lordship Salvation: Paul Washer Redefines the Plan of Salvation, Obliterating Assurance of Salvation

Posted on August 8, 2012 by | 54 comments

Source: “The Gift Nobody Wants,” True Disciple 2008, by Paul Washer, Preached at Grace Community Church, San Antonio, TX, December 4, 2008. Available for download at SermonAudio.com, Online Sermons: http://www.sermonaudio.com/gcc

The following are some quotations from Paul Washer’s sermon listed above, along with a few associated comments. At the end of this post is an excerpt from Dr. Charlie Bing’s Doctoral Dissertation on Lordship Salvation. That section deals with the true biblical meaning of the term “repentance.”

Paul Washer Quotations:

In a not-so-veiled mocking caricature of the common invitation for people to trust in Christ alone by grace through faith for salvation (Ephesians 2:8-9;), Washer says the following (pp. 1-2):

“‘Who would like to repeat this prayer after me? Oh, I see that hand. Come forward.’ We see none of that [in Scripture]. But the message of our Lord we see, ‘Repent and believe.’ . . . It is only until we come into this modern time that we hear nothing of repentance and faith unless it is redefined in the context of receiving Jesus which means pray this prayer and ask him into your heart and if you have done that sincerely you can stand on the fact that you have been born again. Now that is serious, folks. This is serious.”

Comment: In actuality, the biblical gospel of grace never says to simply say or recite a formulaic prayer or to “come forward” to be saved. It says, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31).

Washer continues: “The reason there were just as many people and still are just as many people going out of the church as coming into the church is because the gospel that we are preaching is not the gospel. It is a truncated version of the gospel and the invitation we give cannot even be found in the New Testament. Now does anyone have a problem with that? The reason why they are leaving, well, they went out from us because they were not of us. They were not truly converted.”

Comment: This is the standard “out” for Lordship Salvation teaching. If anyone, true believer or not, ceases attending church, becomes lukewarm, or seems to have strayed from the faith, the standard LS response is to simply write them off as, “never having been genuinely saved to begin with.”

Paul Washer discusses (p. 4) Mark 1:15:
“‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’ Now both of these commands are in the present tense imperative and I believe there is an issue here. I believe that there is something going on that will cure the malady that is so frequent today in America. It is almost as if Christ is saying, ‘The time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at hand. Now spend the rest of your life repenting and believing.'”

Response: In reference to Mark 1:15 above, as well as John 3:16, the present tense usage in no way mandates that pisteuo must be interpreted as continuous ongoing belief (the default position of Lordship Faith teaching). Quoting Bible scholar, Fred Chay, PhD, “Continual belief is no more in mind in John 3:16 than continual baptizing [also present tense usage “the baptizing one” meaning that John’s baptizing would have to continue while he was imprisoned and even after his death!] is in view in Mark 6:14. With this in mind, it becomes clear that it is dangerous indeed to assume that the normative use of the word pisteuo is always continuous action, especially in the light of the fact that it cannot even be assumed that the present tense in general assumes continuous aspect” (Chay and Correia, “The Faith that Saves,” Grace Line, Inc., 2008, pp. 48-52—available from Free Grace Alliance) http://www.freegracealliance.com/ .

Washer continues, as he describes a man who claims to have trusted in Christ alone as his Savior some ten years earlier:

“They don’t realize that the evidence, the raw bone biblical evidence that there was one time in your life that you repented unto salvation is that you continue repenting until today and growing in repentance. They do not realize that if at one time in your life you believed unto salvation, the evidence of that will be you continue believing unto salvation and growing in faith.”

Comment: the standard Lordship Faith tactic or approach is to place the onus of salvation back onto the person; the individual must continue repenting and believing in order to validate or to prove his true belief; he can never rest in the finished work of Christ on the cross on his behalf. Mr. Washer, your approach decimates assurance of salvation! (we are kept by the grace and power of God—John 10:27-30).

Paul Washer Quotation (p. 5): “A person who can show no mark of the sanctifying work of God in their life has no assurance that they have been justified. Now that is biblical teaching.”

Comment: Again, assurance of salvation is placed, not upon the finished work of Christ on the cross of Calvary (see Corinthians 15:1-8), but back upon the individual to prove or maintain his or her salvation—a standard teaching of Lordship Salvation and a real assurance killer!

Washer Quotation (p. 20): “People ask me, ‘Is there free will?’ I say, ‘Let’s not even answer that question. Let’s just go a little bit farther.’ The question is not: Is there free will? The question is: Is there good will? You are free to will, but will only [act] according to your nature and your nature is evil, so what you are going to do is evil unless God comes in and gives you a new heart, unless God regenerates you.”

Comment: Standard Calvinist unbiblical plan of salvation, that is, God must regenerate the sinner prior to his coming to faith. This false teaching flies in the face of the multitude of calls to salvation in the Bible (to be received—through free will—by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone), e.g., John 3:16, Acts 16:31; 19:4, John 11:26 (calls to believe in Christ for salvation are throughout the Gospel of John), 1 John 5:13.

Washer’s example of a child: Washer uses the example of a young child regarding the plan of salvation [no name or gender will be given] (pp.24-25). The child was concerned with life and death; “I don’t want to die,” they said. He assured the youngster that, although death is always a possibility for everyone, that they were young and healthy and although no one knows the future, we trust in God. But the child pleaded, “I want God.” Washer asked, “You do?” “Yes, I want God,” the child replied. Washer said, “Well, you have heard the gospel . . . You know that you are to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.”
The child responded, “Oh, . . ., I believe. I believe in Jesus.” Washer pondered what to say next: “Now, what do I do with them? Do I sit there and go, ‘[name withheld], you don’t believe. You just don’t believe. You are not fully understanding what is going on here’? But do I say, ‘Oh, [name withheld], you believe and you are saved. Let’s go tell [name withheld]’? That is what most people would do. But, you see, a discerning heart would recognize after talking to the [child]. [They] were not weeping over sin. [They] were not weeping over an offense against God. [They] were weeping over self-preservation. [They] didn’t want to die. And so what did I do? I said, ‘[name withheld],’ I redirected [them]. I said, ‘[name withheld], I want you to know something. If you truly believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as the one who can take away your sins, any [one] who truly believes and trusts in him, recognizes the depth, something in the depth of [their] sin, turns from it and believes in Jesus is saved. And if you are doing that, if you are really doing that, that has really happened to you, you are saved. But now let me tell you something. The evidence of your salvation is going to be God beginning to work in your life, directing you towards Scripture, pointing out sin in your life, making you contrite and things such as that over disobedience to your parents. And [certain people] are just going to watch you, [name withheld]. And [they] are going to use the Scripture and just help you as you go through these next months and years to discern whether you have truly come to know him.”

Response: read the story of the Philippian jailer in Acts 16. There was a violent earthquake. The prison doors had broken open. He was distraught that the prisoners might have fled and he feared for his life. Verses 30-33 tell of the man’s miraculous conversion, along with his family: “And brought them [Paul and Silas] out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway.”

Observation: notice that when the jailer and his family trusted in Christ alone for salvation, Paul and Silas accepted them IMMEDIATELY as brothers and sisters in Christ and then baptized them as an outward symbol of the new inward reality. Paul and Silas did not say that they were going to watch the jailer and his family to make sure that they were truly saved.

Repentance and Salvation

The following is a brief excerpt from Dr. Charlie Bing’s Doctoral Dissertation on Lordship Salvation. This review section deals with the topics, “Repentance and Salvation.” In it, Dr. Bing highlights some of the errors of the Lordship Salvation position on repentance. Below is the excerpt and the associated link to read the chapter in its entirety:

http://www.gracelife.org/resources/dissertation.asp?id=chp6

Repentance and Salvation

The controversy over repentance concerns the scope of its meaning in soteriological contexts. The Lordship Salvation position takes repentance to mean a turning from sin and sins which is necessary for salvation.
By association with metamelomai and epistrepho it is argued that the word metanoeo denotes both regret for sins and turning from sins. The study concluded that this argument is not supported from biblical usage. Furthermore, “repent” is not an accurate translation of metanoeo, which has the basic meaning “change the mind.”
Key Bible passages considered did not substantiate the Lordship understanding of repentance. An evaluation of the passages that concern the offer of salvation by John the Baptist (Matt 3:2, 11; Mark 1:4/Luke 3:3; Acts 13:24), Jesus Christ (Matt 4:17/Mark 1:15; Matt 11:20-21/Luke 10:13; Matt 9:13/Mark 2:17/Luke 5:32; Matt 12:41/Luke 11:32; Luke 13:3, 5; Luke 15; 16:30; 24:47), and the Apostles (Acts 2:38; 3:19; 8:22; 14:15 [with 1 Thess 1:9]; 17:30; 20:21) showed that metanoeo should be taken in its basic sense of “change the mind.” In these passages, that about which the mind changed was not always sin or sins, but could also be God or one’s opinion about Jesus Christ. Turning from sins is more accurately a result of repentance in some of the passages and should not be confused with repentance itself.
When sins are closely associated with repentance in Bible passages (2 Cor 12:21; Heb 6:1; Rev 2; 3; 9:20-21; 16:9), it is usually Christians who are in view, not unbelievers. Turning from specific sins is not required of the unbeliever in order to secure salvation. The exception of the unbelievers in Revelation 9:20-21 and 16:9 is not an offer of salvation.
Passages used by Lordship proponents to define repentance in terms of its fruits or works (Matt 3:8/Luke 3:8; Acts 26:20) did not support that understanding. It was argued that though there is a logical relationship between repentance and its fruits, the term repentance itself does not require resultant works for its meaning.

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Annual ONE Conference; Proceed with Caution: “ONE” Conference Coming to Miami

Posted on February 8, 2012 by | 97 comments

This is an alert for our readers:

A much-publicized Christian “impact” conference is coming to Miami, FL this weekend, February 10-12.  It is youth-oriented, having rock-style music and fiery preaching.  Some of the keynote speakers are quite well known in the Christian community.  Some come from churches and Christian organizations which have solid grace-oriented statements of faith and salvation.  But please be forewarned that some of the speakers are from churches or ministries supporting Calvinist/Lordship Faith teachings.

Here are some of the speakers speaking at the ONE Conference:

Franklin Graham, son of Billy Graham, President of Samaritan’s Purse, a worldwide help organization

Frank Harrison, a Coca Cola executive and well-known Christian conference speaker

Francis Chan, Conference Speaker, Author, radical Lordship Faith promoter (see any of the many articles on the Expreacherman site for more detail on his teaching). 

Bob Coy, Calvary Chapel, Ft. Lauderdale

Brian Houston, Hillsong Church, Sydney; Carl Lentz, Hillsong, NYC.  Hillsong Church has a troublesome LS type statement of faith regarding salvation:  “We believe that in order to receive forgiveness and the ‘new birth’ we must repent of our sins, believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and submit to His will for our lives.”  

James MacDonald, Harvest Bible Chapel, Chicago.  The Harvest Bible Chapel statement on salvation is equally troublesome to the Hillsong statement, again, promoting a Calvinist/ Lordship Faith salvation plan.  It reads,

“We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, as the substitutionary atonement in our place, and that salvation is found in none other than Jesus Christ. Before Creation, God chose those who would be saved and granted this unearned grace solely based on His sovereign good pleasure. Jesus Christ’s death on the cross was the sole and complete payment for sins, fully satisfying God’s righteous wrath, for each person that turns from sin in repentance and places their faith in Christ alone by grace alone. At salvation each person is made a new creation by the Holy Spirit, declared righteous before God, and secured as an adopted child of God forever. Genuine faith continues in obedience and love for Jesus Christ with a life eager to glorify God and persevere to the end.”

Rich Wilkerson, The Rendezvous, Miami.  The ministry’s statement on salvation is more toward the Biblical Ephesians 2:8-9:  “This justification is imputed by the grace of God because of the atoning work of Christ, is received by faith alone . . .”  However, “repentance” as a term is used but not defined and fruits of the spirit and a holy life are expected evidences of true salvation.

Britt Merrick, Reality Church, Santa Barbara.  The church is self-described as “missional” in focus, but does not appear to be connected with the neo-Calvinist movement.  Decent statement of belief:  “We Believe in the absolute necessity of regeneration by the Holy Spirit for salvation because of the exceeding sinfulness of the human nature, and that all are justified on the single ground of faith in the shed blood of Christ, and that only by God’s grace through faith alone are we saved.”

Greg Laurie, Harvest Church, Riverside, CA.  Well-known radio Bible teacher and conference speaker (Harvest Crusades).

Scott Harrison, founder of clean water well-building worldwide help organization called, “WATER.”

Ed Young, Fellowship Church, Dallas.  Pretty solid statements of belief on salvation and eternal security:  “Salvation is a gift from God to man.  Man can never make up for his sin by self-improvement or good works.  Only by trusting in Jesus Christ as God’s offer of forgiveness can man be saved from sin’s penalty.  Eternal life begins the moment one receives Jesus Christ into his life by faith.  . . .  Because God gives man eternal life through Jesus Christ, the believer is secure in that salvation for eternity.  Salvation is maintained by the grace and power of God [John 10:27-30], not by the self-effort of the Christian.  It is the grace and keeping power of God that gives this security.”

Pedro Garcia, Calvary Church Kendall, Miami.  Statement of faith looks alright, but, sadly, the web site recommends books by Calvinist or LS writers like John Stott, Francis Chan and Timothy Keller.

Miles McPherson, Rock Church, San Diego.  Web site’s heading on its statement of belief regarding salvation bore the questionable wording, “Repent and Believe.”  But upon downloading the complete statement it presented a grace gospel message.

Christine Caine, Equip and Empower Ministries, Sydney.  Statement on salvation looked fine.   

That’s about it for now.  Feel free to check out these individuals on your own as well.  Please let us know if you have any additional information or warnings about the ONE conference or about any of its speakers.

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Latest John Piper News: John Piper Speaks to 42,000+ Youth, Redefining the Plan of Salvation; Latest on John Piper

Posted on January 13, 2012 by | 299 comments

Source:  The Christian Post, Jan. 5, 2012

Posted by CalifGracer 

John Piper, pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, Minn., stood before more than 40,000 Christian college students Wednesday and told them that some of them might not be saved.

  • John Piper addresses the crowd at the Passion 2012 conference in Atlanta, Ga.
    (Photo: Andrew Shepherd)
    John Piper addresses the crowd at the Passion 2012 conference in Atlanta, Ga.
While speaking at the Passion 2012 conference in Atlanta, Ga., an event which was also broadcast on the Internet, Piper said some people might be deceived into believing they have received salvation because they made a “decision” when they were young, yet they still haven’t “waved the white flag of surrender” to Jesus Christ.
 
Piper continues:
 

“Believing in Jesus is a soul coming to Jesus to be satisfied in all that he is. That is my definition of faith on the basis of John 6:35. This is not…a decision,” he said.  Piper gave his definition of salvation, explaining one concept in three different ways. He said that saving faith is “Seeing and savoring Jesus, being satisfied with all that God is for us in Jesus, and trusting Jesus,” and that those three things are “equivalent realities.”  But those realities should also be apparent in our actions, Piper said, because “God did not come into the world in Jesus or create the world in order to be glorified invisibly.”

COMMENT:

It seems that John Piper knows something more about the plan of salvation than the Bible itself!  He clearly promotes a Lordship Faith salvation plan which demands complete and immediate surrender along with a call to action (works-based salvation) to prove or to guarantee one’s eternal life.  This is formula for a life of doubt, fear and a decimation of a believer’s assurance of salvation.

The Bible makes the way of salvation so simple, so straightforward, so clear—We are saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone!:

Acts 16:30-31:  “And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?  And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.”

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.”

Romans 4:5:  “But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.” 

Ephesians 2:8-9:  “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves; it is the GIFT of God; NOT OF WORKS, lest any man should boast.”

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.”

Your comments are welcome . . . .

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A Different Kind of Lordship “Salvation”: Following the Lutheran Goddess Sophia???

Posted on November 14, 2011 by | 73 comments

While searching for something else, I happened upon a web site, “Her Church” an Evangelical Lutheran church in San Francisco. (ELCA) “Ebenezer Lutheran Church.”

Often we Bible believing Christians don’t fully realize the degradation that is taking place in American mainline churches.

Quoting their blasphemy:

  • They do not worship the Savior, Jesus Christ but their own invention, “Goddess-Sophia.” Their church, “the Mother of Us All..“
  • They hold a “mass” for their Goddess-Sophia.
  • They recommend their members buy and use a “Goddess Rosary.”
  • They recommend and practice Kundalini Yoga (sexual energy) — Quote: “Kundalini Yoga is an ancient practice that utilizes physical postures …. and meditation to balance the energies of the body, focus the mind and awaken the Kundalini energy that lies coiled, like a wise, sleeping serpent, deep within us.” Their teacher proclaims, “Through this practice, I experience the Goddess within myself …”
  • They are overtly feminist in teaching. Quote: “Our Christian/Lutheran  feminist prayers and liturgy reach back into the storehouse of tradition to bring forth names as Mother, Shaddai, Sophia, Womb, Midwife, Shekinah, She Who Is.  They do so out of renewed insights into the nature of the Gospel empowered by the risen Christ-Sophia.”
  • They see no problem with homosexuals as participating members of their church. Quote: “ [1] that people of all sexual orientations share with all others the worth that comes from being unique individuals created by God/dess; [2]  that GLBT people are welcome within the membership of this congregation (organization or synod;” — and they vow to work to: “chang[e] policies that deny full acceptance and human dignity to all peoples especially GLBT persons”  [in total violation of God’s Word.]
  • Their guiding principle is to proclaim a gospel “empowered by the risen Christ-Sophia.“

I always hesitate to leave links above to blasphemy — but feared you would not believe this wholly blasphemous acceptance of lies by a church in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America.

So now to cleanse one’s mind from this garbage, we recommend the Truth:

Eternal Life Guaranteed by Our Savior, Jesus Christ. << Click

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Posted in Atheism, Atheist, contemplative, Faith, Grace, Lordship Salvation, Salvation

Calvinism and the Sovereignty of God, Calvinism’s “god” of Limited Sovereignty!

Posted on November 7, 2011 by | 81 comments

posted by Califgracer

In his 1986 book, Inside The Tulip Controversy:  Calvinism Rebuked and Revisited, author Kent Kelly lays out a convincing argument for the blatant hypocrisy of Calvinism (on page 59) in that, although Calvinists pride themselves on believing in and boldly declaring an “all-sovereign God” [a term that is not even found in the King James Bible, although the concepts of God’s being all-knowing and all-powerful are certainly declared], Calvinist theology itself inherently and duplicitously DENIES the sovereignty of God that they so vociferously proclaim.  Kelly explains:

“Rather than magnifying the sovereignty of God, the Calvinist denigrates His sovereignty.  A sovereign God has the power to overcome total depravity [a Calvinist term shown by the “T” of their favorite acronym “TULIP”] and provide an opportunity for rational choice if He wills to do so.  The Calvinist denies Him that sovereignty.  A sovereign God could provide an atonement that is legitimately available to every sinner.  The Calvinist would deny Him that sovereignty.  A sovereign God can desire the salvation of every sinner and see that desire unfulfilled, for His own reasons, without being a failure.  The Calvinist would deny Him that sovereignty.”

Kelly goes on to describe (p. 59) the false, unloving, mean-spirited god of Calvinist invention:

“The sovereign god of the Calvinist planned in a past eternity that billions of men, women, and children would be tormented in the Lake of Fire forever.  he had no desire that any of them would be saved.  This god was well aware that because of the sin nature received at conception, they could do nothing but become Hell-deserving sinners by the very fact of their existence.  This same god said that the basis for their condemnation would be a failure to believe in the Saviour and His atoning work.  But this god provided no Saviour for them, and no atonement was made available in which they could believe.  he sent forth people into all the world to command these billions of men, women, and children to believe in a Saviour who was not their Saviour.  he commanded them to repent knowing that he had personally selected them to burn in Hell before they ever received their sin nature.  This god of the Calvinist created billions of vessels of wrath fitted for destruction—commanded them to do what he had willed them to be unable to do—then sent them to Hell for not doing it.  If this is your god, you have my sympathy.”

Kelly delineates above the dark dark side of Calvinism!

Your comments are welcome.

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Posted in Assurance, Assurance of salvation, Bible, Calvinism, Chan, Christian, Christianity, Christmas, contemplative, Cross, Danger, Easy Believism, Emergent, Emerging, Eternal Security, Faith, Francis Chan, Free Grace, HELL, Hope, John MacArthur, John Piper, Lordship, Lordship Faith, Lordship Salvation, Once saved always saved, Reformed theology, Religion, Resurrection, Salvation, Secure salvation, Security of believers, Security of the believer

Beware: Catalyst Conference 2011, Chan, Driscoll, et al.

Posted on October 6, 2011 by | 88 comments

Well, just received a note from a friend who is attending the Catalyst Conference Atlanta 2011 with the comment, “WOW, Fantastic!” Shocking!!!

This conference was apparently started in 1999 by Pastor Andy Stanley, Reggie Joiner and other young ministers, presumably to reach and teach leaders under the age of 40. They opined that church leadership was stuck in a forty to sixty year old mindset and medium. This team was convinced that this needed to change.

The Conference is meeting in Atlanta as I write this.

To get an idea of the direction of this conference we need only look at the speakers list — of which I will name a few:

Mark Driscoll, Pastor of Mars Hill Church, Washgton State. AKA “The Sexpert Pastor,” New Age and Contemplative advocate whose sermons and videos sport the warning, “Mature Content.”

Francis Chan, Author of “Crazy Love” (of which much has been written on this web site), Lordship Salvationist, former associate of John MacArthur, terrible “theology” etc, etc.

Cornell West, Princeton Professor, Radical Black Activist, former confidant and friend of President Obama, now leading an effort to replace Obama with a more “Progressive” (read Socialist) candidate in 2012. Author of “Race Matters” and prominent member of the Democratic Socialists of America. West has described himself as a “non-Marxist socialist” (partly due to Marx’s opposition to “religion,” via Wikipedia). One wonders why there would be a Christian Leadership conference with West as a Speaker. West worked with such public figures as Louis Farrakhan(Nation of Islam head) and Al Sharpton,(Race Hustler) whose 2004 presidential campaign West advised. (*plus so much more*)

Dave Ramsey, OK guy and promoter of personal financial responsibility (not sure why he would go to this affair, much less speak)

And other assorted speakers. The event is sponsored by a plethora of organizations, ecumenical in that some sponsor members are Assemblies of God, Indiana Wesleyan University (Methodist),  Monvee Advisers (recommended by John Ortberg, Contemplative Author) and others some of whom are OK but others questionable.

Seems Andy Stanley has no discernment for Biblical Christian principles – at least in this big event.

Eternal Life is FREE!!! <<Click

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Posted in Atheism, Atheist, Chan, Christian, Christianity, Communism, Conservative, contemplative, Emergent, Emerging, Faith, Grace, Marxism, New Age, Obama, Religion, Socialism

Lordship “salvation” Equals a Bi-Lateral Contract “Salvation”

Posted on October 2, 2011 by | 66 comments

Our friend John brought to my attention (the first time I’d heard it) the description of Lordship “salvation” (LS) as being a Bi-Lateral Contract Salvation. What a wonderful description of the lie of LS. Thank you, John. I am not a lawyer but I think I can explain how it relates to salvation and the LS lie. If I fall short, please back me up.

A Bi-Lateral Contract  is an agreement in which each of the parties to the contract makes a promise or set of promises to the other party or parties. Think about it! This IS Lordship “salvation.

Whereas, in a Uni-Lateral Contract,  only One Party to the contract makes a promise and the second party may accept or reject the contract along with all the provisions and benefits therein. A Uni-Lateral Contract is God’s Salvation by Grace alone through Faith alone in Christ alone. A person may take it or reject it.

God has made His salvation an offer that is absolutely a Uni-Lateral Contract. God sees man as imperfect, a sinner and incapable of ever reaching, on his own, the perfection God requires for Heaven. The requirement for eternal life is TOTAL PERFECTION!! Man himself is absolutely incapable of that, so God provided Himself in the person of Jesus Christ, God in the Flesh, Absolute Perfection to come to earth, live a perfect life and give Himself in death to pay the sin-death penalty for all mankind. Jesus Christ arose from the grave, thereby guaranteeing His Uni-Lateral Contract with mankind.

Now, God’s Uni-Lateral Contract is this — He  has done all the work required for Heaven and offers it Freely to any an all who will take it — There is no obligation on the part of the taker, before, during or after, as it is God’s FREE Gift, a Uni-Lateral Contract to mankind. You simply make the decision to take His Gift by Faith, believing what He has done on that Cross applied to you and could never be accomplished by your good works (Ephesians 2:8-9). You simply believe/trust in Jesus Christ for what God has promised in His Contract. The result is Everlasting, Eternal Life with Him for whosoever believes.

Then we see the counterfeit, “Lordship salvation” whose lie IS a Bi-lateral Contract.. where the proponents say that Christ has “done it” for us but we must do our part, before, during or after “salvation” or, by their rules, we “may not” be saved. There is always that smoldering, lingering doubt. “Have I done enough.” Their theory is such that we must be willing or promise to commit to “follow” Jesus, to work for Jesus and learn the LS subset of rules for their conditional system of eternal life. If we accomplish all their requirements, then maybe someday we will have done enough to qualify for Heaven. We’ve seen that impossible and nebulous teaching proclaimed by the prince of Lordship Salvationists, John MacArthur. Here is one, among many, of his quotes:

“Let me say again unequivocally that Jesus’ summons to deny self and follow him was an invitation to salvation, not . . . a second step of faith following salvation.” (Dr. John MacArthur, The Gospel According to Jesus What is Authentic Faith? pp. 219.)

That, my friends, is a perfect example of the awful lie of Lordship “salvation” or Bi-Lateral Contract salvation. They say that Christ has done His work but in order to gain salvation you must do your part of the Bi-Lateral Contract, “deny self and follow him.” What an horribly absurd distortion of sound Biblical Doctrine!!

“Then said they unto Him [Jesus], What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?
“Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe [Gr. pisteuo = trust] on Him whom He hath sent.” John 6:28-29

The Work of God is complete in His Uni-Lateral Contract. We may either believe on Christ and have eternal life or neglect/reject Christ in God’s Uni-Lateral Contract and suffer eternal separation/death. Either one is a choice one must make, our individual, personal choice. To ignore, put off, refuse or neglect to make a choice IS a choice.

“He that believeth on Him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God [Jesus].” John 3:18

Complete Answer — How to NOT Be Eternally Condemned.

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Posted in Atheism, Atheist, Calvinism, Chan, Christian, Christianity, contemplative, Cross, Danger, Emergent, Emerging, Faith, Free Grace, Grace, John MacArthur, Lordship Salvation, Reformed theology, Religion, Salvation

Is The Charge of “Christian Dominionism” a Foil of The Left?

Posted on September 6, 2011 by | 22 comments

We have seen the charge of Christian Dominionism raised against Christians and Conservative political groups. No doubt there are some Christian leaders who promote the idea of an immediate man-made dominion theology over all the earth. Some would call that a “Theocracy.” I have written about some of them — they are the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR), Emergent Church, Word of Faith movement and many more. In a previous article, our visitor/commenter Glenn brought out that Dominionists are usually post-millennial Christians — or those who believe in a “Kingdom Now” on earth teaching — which is counter to good Bible doctrine.

My point in this short article is this: I believe honest people have falsely accused sincere Conservative Christians and Christian candidates of “Dominionism.” In my research I have also found that Liberal blogs, Liberal “Christians” and politicians are using the Dominionism charge as a “foil” against honest people (Christians and others) — to make them fall back and hesitate to take a position on political candidates for fear of the charge of being or supporting a “Christian Dominionist.” This was the argument against GW Bush’s second term, especially by Liberal Jewish organizations. Their charge was that Bush would install a Christian Theocracy. A Jewish atheist friend wrote and asked me about that. I assured her that the composition of the Bush administration did not resemble any idea of Biblical Theocracy — his friends and appointees came from every religion one can imagine. No chance of a Christian Theocracy from Bush.

I use the verb “Foil” which means to  thwart; impede, hamper, to defeat; check or repulse. That is the purpose of liberals opposing Christian candidates who are pro-life, who stand against abortion, same sex marriage, homosexual indoctrination in schools, etc. In other words these Liberals (posing as Conservatives) oppose Values Candidates with the false charge of “Dominionism”.

Some charge that the Tea Party is an arm of the Christian Dominionist movement. I see that charge on the liberal blogs on the Internet (Huffington Post, Daily Beast, et al) — but I find no indication of that in reality. We see Catholics, Baptists, atheists, Mormons and all shades of “Christians” and non-Christians participating in the Tea Party movement. Tea Party means, “Taxed Enough Already.” Its original purpose was to organize against big government tax-and-spend liberal candidates and support those who believe in true limited Constitutional government and sound values.

In Liberal minds, the charge against a candidate is sufficient to smear, whether or not the facts support the charge. The problem for Christian Conservatives is discerning the truth and then finding and supporting candidates who most closely reflect their own Christian values. There’s nothing wrong with that. Such is NOT “Christian Dominionism.” Don’t be intimidated.

True Bible believing Christians are not looking for a Christian Theocracy/Dominion on this earth but simply a continuing and peaceable environment enabling us to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the lost without restraint — until He returns for His Believers at the Rapture.

We will appreciate your kind comments and opinions.

The Truth of Eternal Life

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Posted in Atheism, Atheist, Calvinism, Christian, Christianity, Conservative, contemplative, Emergent, Emerging, Faith, Free Grace, Jews, Reformed theology, Religion, Salvation, Socialism

Campus Crusade Gone Awry

Posted on August 25, 2011 by | 17 comments

One of our dear readers and friends, Marcella posted on a previous article, a comment about Campus Crusade for Christ International (CCCI) .

With her permission I reprint and comment on it here.. but first I must make a few quick points.

1) INTENT: Perhaps the original intent of CCCI founder Bill Bright was honorable.

2) DISCLAIMER:  Maybe you are one who trusted Christ as your Savior through that ministry. That is good. It is possible in spite of their erroneous message. However, we do not recommend CCCI or Cru at all.

3) FELLOWSHIP: CCCI has given high school and college students a place of fellowship.. but unfortunately it was not a fellowship in the True Gospel of Jesus Christ.

4) SALVATION: The original “salvation” message of Bill Bright and CCCI (especially on their tracts) was: The problem with mankind is that we have “put ourselves on the throne of our life.” Then their solution is to “take self off and put Jesus on the throne of our life.” That sounds almost like an early version of Lordship “salvation” doesn’t it? I hear that their more recent tracts have a slightly different message…

Here I quote Marcella’s note and then I will give my experiences with Bill Bright and with some dear friends, who came to Bible College having previously been steeped in Bill Bright’s “throne” message.

From Marcella:

I’m afraid Campus Crusade for Christ has fallen away from the gospel. In early 2012, their new name will be “Cru.” It’s because people are offended by Christ in their name, so Campus Crusade is going for a short name that will appeal to people. Here’s what Campus Crusade says, “There’s only one reason we’d change. We want to do a better job of connecting people to God’s love and forgiveness. It’s all about helping people experience the good news that Jesus offers.” Removing Christ is sad, but it’s even more sad when He’s entirely removed from the gospel. It reminds me of the Emergent churches. If you don’t agree with Campus Crusade’s new name, be prepared to be banned! I used to support them, but stopped doing that a few years ago due to their law filled gospel. There’s much on the internet about Campus Crusade’s association with the charismatic movement and Roman Catholic Church.

http://www.ccci.org/about-us/donor-relations/our-new-name/press.htm

Thanks Marcella.

In the late 1960s I became friends with several young men who, even though avid CCCI members, decided to attend Florida Bible College in Miami/Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. After being there for a semester they began to see the Truth of the Gospel and realized that through their affiliation with CCCI, they had learned and been preaching a false “gospel.” They were extremely excited to see and learn the Truth — that in order to be saved, one does not “take self off the throne and put Jesus on,” but simply trust Jesus Christ as one’s Savior. (John 3:16-18) They all became great soulwinners while in college and after.

At some time in the late 60’s or early 70’s, the usually very discerning President of the Bible College announced he was having Bill Bright visit the college for a series of speeches to the students.

At that time I sat on the Advisory Board of Florida Bible College and was an Elder in the affiliated Florida Bible Church. I was not happy about the President’s decision to invite Bill Bright. However I was pleased that those students who were former CCCI promoters were also very upset and disappointed that Bright was to speak to the student body  — because NOW they  realized the lie of CCCI.

I spoke with the President, expressing my concern, disbelief and sorrow that he would invite a person like Bright. I explained that Bright was a very appealing and charming speaker who would influence the students — but with a false “gospel” message. I felt he would mislead these young minds. I expressed my belief that he should cancel Bright. Shortly after, several of the former CCCI men formed a student committee and visited the President. They presented their case against Bright and CCCI, pleading that the President should cancel Bright’s visit. Thankfully, we were later notified that Bright would not be visiting or speaking at the Bible College. I must assume Bright’s motivation for visiting was to increase his influence and membership in CCCI. I applauded and thanked the President’s decision to cancel Bright.

A young friend, who trusted Christ as his Savior at an early age, joined CCCI while in college — against my advice. He cannot be convinced that their message is wrong. His ecumenical CCCI fellowship (sponsored by a Presbyterian church) included and accepted students from many different brands of un-Biblical “Christian” religions. They were taught NO Biblical doctrine nor discernment at all. Such is dangerous and it distresses me to see that.

We will appreciate your comments about CCCI/Cru or your experiences with them. Please comment whether you agree or disagree about their message as well as their determination to remove “Christ” from their name.

The Real Salvation Message

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Posted in Campus Crusade, CCCI, Christian, Christianity, Conservative, contemplative, CRU, Danger, Emergent, Emerging, Faith, Free Grace, Grace, Lordship Salvation, Reformed theology, Religion, Salvation

Calvinism: Futile Hope and “Christian” Despair

Posted on August 21, 2011 by | 129 comments

I received an email today from a very dear, long time personal friend, Richard, with whom I have been sharing my faith continuously for probably 15 or more years. As yet, he has not made the decision to trust Jesus Christ alone as his Savior. He is a brilliant man, conservative politically and former military. We have had some wonderful personal conversations (at our home) and by email for years. I will share his email (with his permission – anonymously, of course) and let you, my readers, comment on it for his benefit.

Hi, Jack,

I need help in understanding the appeal of Calvinism, please.

I don’t see what its inherent appeal is.  Ok, I get it if I can sign on to a doctrine that says the Elect can be saved, PROVIDED I know that I’m for sure one of the Elect.

As I understand it, however, a Calvinist DOESN’T know that he’s saved.  All he knows is that he might be.  Why sign on to that?  It’s like enlisting in the Army in the hope that one MIGHT be paid and fed but having no guarantee.

There appears to be or have been a kind of frantic or, at least, anxiety-ridden, life that the Calvinist then leads not knowing his fate.  Apparently, as a way to deceive oneself, the Calvinist then works hard to achieve material success in life to kid himself that success is God’s way of saying, “Don’t worry.  You’re one of the ones I’ve chosen.”

But this apparently isn’t sanctified by official Calvinist doctrine.

Even before one embraces and embarks upon a hamster-in-the-wheel life, the new or would-be convert is still faced with the stark doctrine that the Elect are on a list that only God can see, which list, at least official/doctrinally, he may not be on at all.

Why would anyone jump on that initially?  If it’s unknowable what gets one onto God’s list, you live a life of Christian despair.

Do I have this right?

Stay warm!

Richard

Richard, you have nailed one of many problems of Calvinism, “Election.” I am so happy to read that you see the inherent errors in that teaching and will not fall for it. Obviously, by your question, you have done some serious thought and reading about Calvinism.

It is clear to any serious student of the Bible that the Calvinists have manufactured their teaching by taking God’s Word out of context and by building a religion based on men such as; John Calvin and Augustine of old days, and then the more modern purveyors, John MacArthur, John Piper, R.C. Sproul, Francis Chan and many more. Their words seem convincing to the naive or the dedicated followers until they honestly investigate the teaching in light of a contextual study of God’s Word. It is no wonder that this theology so often morphs into a commitment or lordship type “salvation” message.

Calvinism seems to be growing by leaps and bounds which is not understandable since it has NO appeal to an honest, dispensational student of the Bible. From my experience it seems most folks who become Calvinists have either been raised in it or perhaps they trusted Christ in a Biblical environment and then chose the “appeal” of Calvinism as an easy way to shun any personal responsibility for themselves.

I will limit my comments for now as I am anxious to see what our discerning and faithful readers will have to say. We have covered this subject in several ways in past posts but this one is unique and personal to both of us Richard, and as you know Shirley and I pray daily that you will see and believe the Truth.
“And ye shall know the Truth, and the Truth shall make you free. … If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.” John 8:32, 36

That word “free” in the original Greek means “exempt (from obligation or liability) :- free (man, woman), at liberty.” One who is under the uncertain yoke of Calvinism can never be sure they are “elect” (their definition of the word) and thus they can never honestly say, “I am free (and secure) for all eternity.”

We can be FREE when we decide to believe that Jesus Christ, God in the Flesh, died on the cross for every sin of mine for all eternity.. History confirms He was buried and arose from the grave. Scripture confirms that and Jesus is alive today as an advocate for every one who has put their trust in Him for eternal life.

Richard, thanks for your note and the idea for this post.

Eternal Life IS FREE!!!

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Posted in Assurance, Assurance of salvation, Bible, Calvinism, Chan, Christian, Christianity, Conservative, contemplative, Cross, Danger, Emergent, Emerging, Eternal Security, Faith, Francis Chan, Free Grace, Grace, HELL, Hope, John MacArthur, John Piper, Joy, Lordship, Lordship Faith, Lordship Salvation, Love of God, Once saved always saved, Peace, Reformed theology, Religion, Salvation, Secure salvation, Security of believers, Security of the believer

Emergent Church goes Wild -er

Posted on July 5, 2011 by | 6 comments

For some who know not the new Liberal move in today’s church, this will be a shock. Those of us who know the more recent degradation of the church, it is a confirmation of that which we have been warning.

Here are excerpts from article from The Economist (a liberal rag) which speaks of the “emergent” church and its latest push for universalism and ecumenism.

We see a coming together within the Emergent Church, oddballs, disaffected Calvinists (Francis Shaffer’s son and others) with all sorts of “religionists” who hold an annual fest near Raleigh, NC. It appears to be a modern Emergent church version of Not-Quite-Woodstock of the 60s.

~~~~~~~~~~~

It is described as “Fun in the woods with gay, tattooed and generally liberal folk” and called the Wild Goose Festival—named after a Celtic symbol for the Holy Spirit. The event explicitly pitched its appeal to artists and musicians, nonconformists, post-Christians, non-Christians, disaffected evangelicals and a liberal evangelical subset known as the “emergent” church.

[…] Instead of Bible studies, there were labyrinth walks. Instead of praise-and-worship music, there was hymn-singing in a beer garden and a bluegrass liturgy presided over by a tattooed female Lutheran minister. Visitors were greeted with buckets of water in which to baptise themselves, and tubs of mud to remind them that “dust thou art”. … Lecture topics ranged from sex trafficking and social justice to authority in the church and interfaith relations. Visitors could learn from Tom Prasada-Rao, a singer, how to chant “Om” and “Hallelujah Hare Krishna”, or hear Paul Fromberg, a pastor from San Francisco, talking about his 2005 wedding to another man. “God is changing the church through the bodies of gay men,” Mr Fromberg told a packed session on human sexuality. Not quite Woodstock, yet

[…]  Also under discussion was “religious multiple belonging”—in other words, belonging to a clutch of different faiths at once. Several disillusioned evangelical leaders attended. One was Jay Bakker, son of Jim and Tammy Bakker of the defunct-Praise-the-Lord-TV-network fame, who gave meandering talks on growing up fundamentalist. Frank Schaeffer, who has made a career out of criticising his evangelical parents Francis and Edith Schaeffer,called the Bible “Bronze-Age mythology” and confessed he had a “conflicted ambivalence” about abortion.

[…]  They hope that the emergent cohort will rise from the ashes of an evangelicalism ruined by right-wing politics. As 78-year-old Phyllis Tickle, [New Age] author of several books on emergent Christianity, put it, “We’re at the start of a 500-year upheaval in culture and the church.”

Most evangelicals do not view the emergents so kindly. The few conservatives at the festival privately complained that the panels were stacked with liberals and that issues dear to them, such as abortion, were neglected. Greenbelt has often met similar criticism in recent years.

Mainline Protestants, however, seemed delighted by the festival, and may well latch on to the emergents to shore up their shrinking numbers. Buoyed by their success, Wild Goose’s organisers are planning to repeat the festival next year in the same bucolic place.

——– END——

God’s Way of Eternal Life <<<Click

 

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Posted in Atheism, Atheist, Christian, Christianity, contemplative, Danger, Emergent, Emerging, Faith, Grace, Marxism, New Age, Religion, Salvation, Socialism

False Repentance, Perseverance and Lordship “salvation”

Posted on June 26, 2011 by | 173 comments

False Repentance, Perseverance and Lordship “salvation”

These are the Big Three of theological errors in the modern day church. (there are more).

  • False Repentance, telling folks you must turn from sin to be saved or stay saved.
  • Perseverance, the Calvinist idea that if you don’t persevere until the end, you are not among the “chosen” to be saved. Perseverance-ites say the same thing but in a fancier and more exotic language. Sometime you may even see them speak in Romanist Latin. (Sola, sola)
  • Lordship “salvation,” the theory that you must live righteously and do good works in order to be “saved” and if you don’t continue living righteously according to their rules, you obviously made a false profession of your faith and never were saved.

As we briefly state those obvious lies, we see that all three of these false doctrines are reading from the same pages of the same authors and all have merged into a “works” salvation message..

“Lordship salvation”, “Turn From Sin for salvation” and “Persevere for salvation” seem to be a convergence of “theologies” into one ecumenical mishmash. This uniting of false “theology” is simply a propagation of Galatianism, adding works to be saved, stay saved or persevere long enough to maybe be saved (never sure). None offer any real assurance of an eternity in Heaven with our Savior.

As the Apostle Paul wrote to the Believing Church in Galatia:

“I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.” Galatians 1:6-9

Paul’s message is to those believers in the church in Galatia who formerly understood God’s Grace but, still saved, had turned to “another gospel” of works which we understand clearly when we read further in the book of Galatians. This “another gospel” was “of man” not God. While these are addressed as believers, we see today, many unbelievers tricked into believing the Lie of one of the Big Three or maybe all three.

There we have an explanation of how the “Lordship Salvation,” “Turn From Sin for salvation” and “Calvinist perseverance” teachers have veered (or run headlong) into a false message of works to be saved and/or stay saved.

Let’s discuss it…

Eternal Life For You << Click

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Posted in Calvinism, Chan, Christian, Christianity, Conservative, contemplative, Cross, Danger, Emergent, Emerging, Faith, Free Grace, Grace, John MacArthur, Lordship Salvation, Reformed theology, Religion

What?? A Permanent Salvation?? Are You Serious?

Posted on May 14, 2011 by | 86 comments

Dr. Tom Cucuzza has granted me permission to post this sampling of his wonderful pamphlet, The Permanence of Salvation. Although a scholarly and eloquent treatise, it is easy to read, simple to comprehend and one of the best I have ever seen detailing God’s Grace in Salvation. It effectively destroys all the “isms,” like Calvinism, Arminianism, Lordship Salvationism, Catholicism, etc. Below are some of my favorite quotes from the article. Tom has included a plethora of Scripture references to illustrate the Truth he presents:

“Salvation is permanent because the Eternal God does not give birth to temporary children.” Priceless!!

“If everlasting life could cease, then it would not be everlasting!  It would be temporary.”

 “Salvation is an event that happens only once in a person’s lifetime.”

“Jesus said, ‘Ye must be born again.’  He did not say, ‘Ye must be born again, and again, and again.’  Once you become a child of God, you are henceforth and forevermore a child of God!”

 “This is an amazing fact!  The believer is already seen [by God] as being in Heaven with the Lord.”

A believer “Being ‘sealed’ with the Holy Spirit can best be illustrated by examining the historical function of a king’s signet ring.  …..”

 “So it is evident that the entire Trinity is involved in keeping the believer saved.  He is held in the Son’s hand, enclosed by the Father’s hand, and sealed by the Holy Spirit.”

“The thought of [The Body of Christ] parts ‘coming and going’ is inconceivable and even preposterous”

“[E]verlasting life is a gift–not a reward.”

“[I]t is God who keeps us saved.”

“And so it is clear that when you put your faith in Jesus Christ you are saved forever.  You are safe and secure for all eternity.  This is God’s way of salvation and His promise to you. “

“[I]f it were up to each of us to keep ourselves ‘preserved’ for Heaven, then we are in very feeble–even impossible hands”

You may obtain the entire pamphlet when you go to the link below. Download the PDF file, read it and print it out. Give it to your friends so they may see how simple and permanent God’s Salvation in Jesus Christ really is. Tom will be using this as a bound pamphlet handout for his church members.

By Dr. Thomas M. Cucuzza
3686 County Road 8 S.E.
St. Cloud, MN 56304
Phone: 320.252.5677
 Copyright © 2009 by Thomas M. Cucuzza
All rights reserved.  St. Cloud, MN 56301
 All Bible quotations are taken from
the Authorized King James Version
 
UPDATE*** Just heard from Tom and the finished product is also available from their church in a beautiful booklet form for a $3.00 donation. This includes shipping and handling. 
For the printed booklet, Call Northland Bible Baptist Church 
320.252.5677 ext 0
 

 The Permanence of Salvation PDF << Click here

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Posted in Atheism, Atheist, Calvinism, Chan, Christian, Christianity, Conservative, contemplative, Cross, Emergent, Emerging, Faith, Free Grace, Grace, Islam, Jews, John MacArthur, Lordship Salvation, Mormonism, Muslim, New Age, Reformed theology, Religion, Rick Warren, Salvation

The Resurrection? What’s That?

Posted on April 21, 2011 by | 10 comments

The Resurrection (Greek “Anastasis” = raised to life again) of Jesus Christ is the bedrock of Biblical Christianity – if missing and not true, as so many New Age, Contemplative leaders declare, our faith is void and useless. The Resurrection truth is the very reason so many left-leaning “theologians” and new paraphrases of God’s Word try to downplay and ignore it.

However, Jesus Christ is God in the Flesh, the Savior. After He was resurrected from the dead, He was not an apparition, nor a phantom nor a ghost. He was/is the Messiah, Jesus Christ in the Flesh.

The Truth from God’s Word, KJV:
“In the end of the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre. And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it. His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow: And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men. And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. HE IS NOT HERE: FOR HE IS RISEN, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.” Matthew 28:1-6

HE IS RISEN!! The resurrection of Jesus is not only Biblical fact but is also recorded in secular history. One such historian is Josephus, a Jewish Pharisee and possible a near contemporary of Jesus testifies to the reality of Jesus and His resurrection. (Jewish Antiquities, 18.3.3 §63 )

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope [guarantee] by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,“ 1 Peter 1:3

The Gospel: “For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve:” 1 Corinthians 15:1-5

“And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain [useless]. Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not. For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised: And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished.” 1 Corinthians 15:14-18

Without the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, we as well as all believers in Jesus throughout history have no hope, no Heaven, no fellowship with Christ and no eternal life.

But YES!!
“And God hath both raised up the Lord, and will also raise up us by his own power.” 1 Corinthians 6:14

The Resurrection of Jesus is real, factual and not to be denied or minimized. We thank God for His promise of eternal life. We all deserve to be eternally separated from God but Christ paid that death penalty for everyone and said that all who Believe or Trust in Him alone (without works of righteousness, not joining, not “following”) HAVE eternal life. Then we who have trusted Jesus Christ as our Savior will likewise be with Him eternally in Heaven!

“We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.” 2 Corinthians 5:8

Jesus died and arose, that’s history.

Jesus died and arose for ME and I believe it, that’s Salvation.

Click here — Find out how to be absolutely sure of Heaven.

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