Category Archives: Free Grace

Jack had his valve replacement surgery at 1:30 p.m. today.

Holly posted the following update:

Hi everyone, Jack’s daughter updated, the surgery had been delayed about 4-1/2 hours, and by 1:30 Florida time, they had not operated. But she just updated again:

Things went perfect. Still asleep but ICU. Thank your Lord for your Grace.

We are thankful that Jack was finally able to have this surgery, and that the Lord brought Jack through this surgery today.

Please continue to pray for Jack’s speedy recovery, and for peace and rest for Shirley and all of Jack’s family.

By johninnc

Romans 1:16: For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.

It’s time to stop pretending that Lordship Salvation (LS) is part of the Christian faith.  

LS is the unsupportable belief that the PERFORMANCE of works, the PROMISE of works, or the EVIDENCE of works must accompany faith in Christ in order to establish, or provide evidence, that such faith has resulted in eternal life.

LS is, at its core, salvation by works – salvation by faith in Christ plus adherence to some arbitrary set of rules.

LS is a false gospel. No one has EVER received eternal life by believing a false gospel. Therefore, no one has ever received eternal life by believing in LS.

Following are some of the more common false LS beliefs that are masquerading as tenets of the Christian faith:

Lottery System – the Calvinist belief that whether one spends eternity in Heaven or in Hell is just based on the luck of the draw.

Let’s See, or Later Salvation – another part of the Calvinist family of heresies, also known as “perseverance of the Saints.” Under this errant belief, a “true believer” is someone who endures in faith and good works until the end of his life. If one fails to do this, it proves he was never saved to begin with.

Less Sin – this one centers on the direction of the believer’s life. If he sins less than he used to, then he is headed in the right direction and must be saved. If not, the converse is true.

Lesser Sins – the belief that some sins are worse than others – usually in the form of “somebody else’s sins are worse than mine.”

Lower Standards – at the heart of this error is belief that behavior, feelings, or good intentions have anything whatsoever to do with getting into Heaven. This replaces God’s perfect Law with an inferior man-made law that the adherent to this heresy believes is good enough.

Lampoon Saints – the practice of pointing people away from the salvation available EXCLUSIVELY by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone by ridiculing the concept. This includes use of pejorative terms like “easy believism”, “greasy grace”, and “sloppy agape.”

Does LS stand for anything that I would advocate? Yes! Let’s Stop!

Let’s stop pretending that we are “on the same page” with Lordship “salvationists”!

In his sermon entitled “Understanding the Two Natures, Pt 1, pastor Tom Cucuzza of Northland Bible Baptist Church made the following appeal:

Let’s stop making excuses for people who use these phrases. It is wrong and they need to stop it. Don’t say: “well they said that, but, you know, they say a lot of good things.” No, let me tell you something. If they say these things, they are giving a false plan of salvation. Here’s some of the things you’ll hear:

(Note: the following are selected excerpts)

“If you’re really saved, you will hate the things you once loved, and love the things that you once hated.”

“If you haven’t forsaken all of your sin, you were never really saved to begin with. You had a head belief, not a heart belief.”

“If you haven’t repented of all of your sin, you are not saved yet. You have to really quote/unquote mean business with God and repent of all your sins.”

“If you’re still desiring the things of the world, you are probably not saved.”

“You can’t go to heaven if you’re hanging onto the world.”

“If Christ is not Lord of all, He’s not Lord at all.

“If you are practicing sin, you are not saved.”

“If you’ve grown cold towards the Lord, you were probably never truly saved to begin with.”

“If you do not endure and persevere as a Christian to the end of your life, you were never a real Christian to begin with, because all true Christians endure to the end.”

The stark reality is that there is NO SUCH THING as Lordship Salvation.  There are lots of Lordship “salvationists”.  But, there is no such thing as having been saved by believing Lordship “salvation”.

If you are not sure of heaven, and would like to be, please click on the following link: Let’s Start

By johninnc

John 5:24: Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.

The Bible teaches that anyone who believes in Jesus as Savior receives, at the moment of belief, eternal life that can never be lost or forfeited.

The Bible teaches that we are saved by grace through faith in Christ (Ephesians 2:8-9).

The Bible does not teach that there is any evidence of salvation, other than whether one has trusted in Christ alone for eternal life.

Lordship “salvation”, on the other hand, involves the endless search for evidence of salvation – even while explaining away the proof of salvation.

Let’s first review what Lordship “salvation” (LS) is:

LS is the unsupportable belief that the PERFORMANCE of works, the PROMISE of works, or the EVIDENCE of works must accompany faith in Christ in order to establish, or provide evidence, that such faith has resulted in eternal life.

Now, let’s evaluate three examples in which the Bible says someone believes, and yet LSers will deny that the people in question have  eternal life.

Soil number 2 in the parable of the Sower

Luke 8:13: They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away.

The Bible CLEARLY and unambiguously says these people believed. As such, they have passed from death unto life (John 5:24).

This is is not good enough for the unflinching LSer. No. The lack of perseverance of people represented by soil number 2 convinces the LSer that such people were never saved.

Consider the following quote from J.D. Greear, pastor of the multi-campus Summit Church in Raleigh, North Carolina:

They remain in the church for a period of time. But, they do not endure when the sun of persecution comes out and will not in the end be saved. 

Believers who do not confess Christ

John 12:42:  Nevertheless among the chief rulers many believed on him; but because of the Pharisees they did not confess him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue:

The Bible says these people believed. What other evidence should we need?

But, that’s not good enough for the intrepid LSers.  For example, another huge North Carolina church – Calvary Church in Charlotte – has something contradictory to what the Bible says.

Calvary says that one  must confess Christ in order to be saved.  From their “Articles of Faith”:

We believe that all who receive by faith alone, Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, and who confess Him before their fellow men, are born again of the Holy Spirit and thereby become children of God. 

Demas

Philemon 1:24: Marcus, Aristarchus, Demas, Lucas, my fellowlabourers. 

2 Timothy 4:10: For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed unto Thessalonica; Crescens to Galatia, Titus unto Dalmatia.

Paul describes Demas as a fellow laborer, but later says Demas has forsaken him for the world. Demas is a Christian who did not persevere.  According to the Bible, anyone who believes in Christ has eternal life that can never be lost or forfeited – no matter what happens in their life down the road.

What would the Southern Baptist Convention – a group of 50,000 cooperating churches – have to say? Following is an excerpt from”The Baptist Faith and Message”:

All true believers endure to the end. 

What does “endure to the end” even mean? Did Demas “endure to the end”? Was Demas a “true believer”?

Jack Weaver sums it up this way:

LSers insist on evidence by works to scare their followers – by promising them a false sense of security based on the evangelist’s idea of a sufficient (but indeterminate and never defined or enumerated) quality and quantity of works as proof to the evangelist or his cohorts. 

In other words, LSers are so hung up on works providing evidence of salvation that they will deny irrefutable PROOF from scripture that someone is saved.

 Does your church teach that you should look for evidence of salvation (other than whom one is trusting to get to heaven) and deny, or explain away, proof from the Bible that someone was saved?

If you don’t know, find out.  And, if the answer is yes, get out.

For what God’s Word says about how to receive eternal life, click here:  The Real Story

We all seek approval and validation. And it is a stark warning to each of us. Each of us is torn by a myriad of emotions. And to us, many of these emotions are invisible and unseen by us . . . because we are in the middle of them. They can taint our view of reality. Whether it is the pain of recognizing that someone we loved is probably in Hell, or the need for validation, or any other emotional motive, Satan stands ready to seduce each of us from the purity of the gospel, one inch at a time.

Ron Shea wrote the above words in reference to the cross-less gospel movement of the late Zane Hodges, Robert Wilkin, and the Grace Evangelical Society.

But his warnings extended to other areas as well:

This Crossless Gospel is not the only heresy we will see in our lifetime. Throughout our lives, each of us will be targeted by the enemy. And he will seek to sift each of us like wheat in a moment when we are weak. A moment when we deeply need an income to support our family, and a church or teaching job comes available, but at a cost. A moment when our dignity as a theologian has been abased, and we covet the validation of another. A moment when we have been rejected, and covet the love and acceptance of someone we can see and hear and touch.

Stand strong my brethren. The battle is not behind us. It is in front of each of us. And we do not know where the ambush for us has been set.

I believe that one of the ongoing assaults on the true universal church is people and ministries posing as defenders of grace, but who in reality are not clear on the gospel.

Their tactics are the same as the tactics of anyone who wants to gain acceptance within a group. They press the flesh. They find common ground. They attend the same churches and conferences that we attend. They are all around “stand up” kind of guys. We like them.

In other words, they come among us secretly.

2 Peter 2:1: But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.

When warning signs come about the doctrines they teach, we overlook them. After all, they’ve been coming to Christian gatherings for years. They say they are free grace (who doesn’t). They have keen insight into things with which we are fascinated. They use the same language that we use. They believe in the premillennial rapture. They are experts in Biblical prophecy. They believe everything we do – except for the gospel.

When Christian brothers point out their heretical assaults on the gospel, we overlook them. We tell the brothers that they are mean-spirited. We choose sides with purveyors of heretical doctrine over the truth of the gospel. We choose to overlook their errors.

And so continues the Ecumenical Grace movement.

But we who know and proclaim the Truth of the Gospel of God’s Grace MUST stand steady and faithful to that Truth. We must not waver but expose the lie when it rears its ugly head.

1 Corinthians 2:5: That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.

Galatians 5:1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.

John10:28:  And I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. 

My family and I recently traveled to France for vacation. Among our stops were the beaches of Normandy, on which the allied invasion of France began on June 4, 1944 (D-day), and the American Cemetery.

These sites held particular significance for me, as my father was among the soldiers who fought in the Normandy campaign. He and my mother were able to visit Normandy for the 70th anniversary of D-day about a month before we were there.

The American Cemetery tells the stories of many of the brave soldiers who fought and died to liberate Europe from the grip of tyranny. There is also a chapel at the  Cemetery. The chapel contains an altar that tells the story of Christ’s ultimate sacrifice to save mankind. The altar has an inscription that reads: “I GIVE UNTO THEM ETERNAL LIFE AND THEY SHALL NEVER PERISH”.

This brief inscription, which quotes Jesus, is extremely well-chosen. Its eleven words affirm many Biblical truths that are central to the gospel,including the following:

Jesus is God.   The Bible says that God grants eternal life. So, if Jesus gives eternal life, it follows that He is God.

John 1:14:  And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

Belief in the Deity of Christ is essential to believing in Him as Savior.

John 8:24: I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if  ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.

Eternal life is a gift.  The Bible calls eternal life a gift – unmerited favor.

Romans 6:23: For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. 

“Faith” is not the gift of God, as Calvinism mistakenly teaches. The gift of God is eternal life. Jesus is not only necessary for eternal life. He is enough. Believing in Jesus as Savior means believing that our good intentions or good works have nothing to do with receiving eternal life. Neither does their presence or absence prove whether or not we possess eternal life. We must trust in Christ alone as Savior in order to receive eternal life. Faith and works do not mix for receiving, or retaining, eternal life.

Romans 11:6: And if by grace, it is no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then it is no more grace: otherwise, work is no more work. 

Eternal life is available to everyone.  Who is the “them” to whom Christ gives eternal life? The Bible says that anyone who will believe in Christ as Savior will receive eternal life.

John 20:31: But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.  

The God of the Bible did not choose some to receive eternal life while consigning others to hell. The Bible says that God desires that everyone be saved.

1 Timothy 2:4: Who will have all men to be saved, and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 

Eternal life is eternal.  The doctrine of eternal security of Christians is taught throughout scripture. Eternal security is a necessary conclusion of grace. We cannot work our way into eternal life, and we cannot work our way out of eternal life.

Ephesians 1:13-14: In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.

Every one of the soldiers who has defended our freedom on the battlefield deserves our gratitude. Jesus Christ died for our sins. He was buried, and He rose from the dead. He gives us eternal life. How infinitely more He deserves our love and gratitude.

If you want to know more about how to receive eternal life, please click this link: Eternal Life

I cannot tell you how many times I have walked into a restroom of a private business and found “gospel” tracts strategically placed for the patrons of that business. In addition to violating the property rights of the business owner, the tracts I have found and read have more often than not violated the gospel as well.

Among the more popular of the so-called gospel tracts are those published by Chick Publications. Consider the following excerpts from their tract entitled “God’s Plan of Salvation”:

 Trust Jesus Christ today! Here’s what you must do:

1. Admit you are a sinner. “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;” (Romans 3:23) 
”Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:” (Romans 5:12) 
”If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.” (1 John 1:10)
2. Be willing to turn from sin (repent). Jesus said: “I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.” (Luke 13:5) 
”And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:” (Acts 17:30)
3. Believe that Jesus Christ died for you, was buried, and rose from the dead. “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.” (John 3:16) 
”But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners. Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8) 
”That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” (Romans 10:9)
4. Through prayer, invite Jesus into your life to become your personal Saviour. “For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” (Romans 10:10) 
”For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Romans 10:13)

My comments: No one can be saved by following the false plan of salvation set forth in this tract. This is not God’s plan of salvation. It is one of Satan’s counterfeits. Turning from sin is a work. Being willing to turn from sin is an IOU for a work. In addition, praying for Jesus to come into your life is not how you become saved. Believing in Christ ALONE as Savior results in one receiving eternal life.

Next, we will review excerpts from “Steps to Peace with God” from the Billy Graham Evangelistic Organization:

To receive Christ you need to do four things:
1. ADMIT your spiritual need. “I am a sinner.”
2. REPENT and be willing to turn from your sin.
3. BELIEVE that Jesus Christ died for you on the cross.
4. RECEIVE, through prayer, Jesus Christ into your heart and life.

CHRIST says, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in” (Revelation 3:20).

The BIBLE says, “Whoever calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved” (Romans 10:13).

My comment: This is the same accursed “works for salvation” message we found with the above tract from Chick publications. One is not saved by being willing to turn from sin, nor by asking Jesus into your heart and life through prayer. One can receive eternal life only one way – by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.

And, finally, we have this “gem” entitled “Got Fruit?” from Pinpoint Gospel Tracts:

Jesus said in Matthew 7:16 that you will know a person by their “fruit.” A person isn’t a Christian just because he says he is, prays a little prayer, gets baptized or “asks Jesus into his heart.” For someone to become a Christian, the Bible says that he must Repent of his sins and put his Faith/Trust in Jesus alone! Now read these scary words of Jesus in Matthew 7:21-23: “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.'” Will YOU be one that Jesus says, “Depart from me”? Yes, a person IS saved by GRACE, but do YOU truly have the Grace of God? This is the Biblical description of someone who has the Grace of God: “For the Grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and Godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.”(Titus 2:11-14) Do YOU have the Grace of God according to the Bible? Here’s the “good fruit” of the True Christian: the fruit of the spirit (Gal 5:22-23); the fruit of repentance (Matt 3:8); they will obey God (John 14:15); they will know Christ intimately (John17:3, Matt 7:23) and they will evangelize (Mark 16:15, 1 Cor 9:16). Do YOU have the fruit of a Christian? Are YOU A CHRISTIAN ACCORDING TO THE BIBLE? 2 Corinthians 13:5

My comment: This attack on God’s gospel of grace requires works to become saved (front door Lordship “salvation”) and works to prove that you are saved (back-door Lordship “salvation”).   Both are unbiblical and turn the gospel into just another worthless religion.

The above sample of tracts is just a reflection of the pervasive religion of Lordship “salvation” masquerading as Christianity.   Due to their brief content, these tracts can’t hide behind mission trips, humanitarian relief efforts, or celebrity testimonials. They have to cut to the chase – salvation by works.

The next time you see someone distributing a gospel tract, it might be worth letting him go over it with you. You might be talking to someone who has never understood or believed the gospel.

2 Timothy 3:16-17:

[16] All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:

[17] That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.

One of the favorite mantras of the Lordship “salvationist” is that Christian discipleship is inextricably linked with receiving eternal life. In other words, one cannot be saved by simple faith in Christ unless he agrees to become a “Christ follower” or disciple of Christ. Consider the following quotes:

Disciples of Jesus are the ones who are saved; not those who go through a ritual. (J.D. Greear, from an interview with Trevin Wax dated January 31, 2013).

Just to say “believe in Christ” can produce a false assurance of the hope of Heaven. Jesus spoke often about the gift of eternal life. To make it clear, He said, “Count the cost.” (Billy Graham, from his book “The Reason for My Hope”)

Contrary to the false statements above, the Bible clearly teaches that we are saved by grace through faith in Christ.

Ephesians 2:8-9:

[8] For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

[9] Not of works, lest any man should boast.

Furthermore, the Bible also teaches that God will not look to our works to prove that we have believed in Christ. He will not look to whether we have been faithful as Christians in deciding whether or not we ever believed in Christ.

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

LS is the unsupportable belief that the PERFORMANCE of good works, the PROMISE of good works, or the EVIDENCE of good works MUST accompany faith in Christ in order to make that faith result in eternal life (or to prove that one has received eternal life).

LSers come in two basic varieties:

1. Those who have never trusted in Christ alone for salvation, who think works are necessary to prove one has received eternal life.
2. Those who have trusted in Christ alone for salvation, who think works are necessary to prove one has received eternal life.

Neither of these groups meet the Biblical requirements for discipleship.

Why would I say that? Because LSers are either confused about – or have rejected- God’s grace.

LSers miss the point of why the Epistles were written. They use them as “field guides” to try to identify what BEHAVIORS reflect someone who is a Christian versus what behaviors are befitting of a Christian.  LSers misuse scripture.  They consider it not only profitable for reproof (correction) but for proof (position).

The Epistles were written to edify (teach) the saints (all people who have received eternal life by grace, through faith in Christ). LSers misuse much of what is written in the Epistles to assist them in their ongoing wrestling match with grace. They seize upon any verse that seems to bolster their confusion with – or outright rejection of – grace.

People who have never received grace CANNOT make any progress in their “Christian walk.” People who are saved, but are in a state of confusion about grace WILL NOT make any progress in their Christian walk.

God does want believers in Christ to be disciples. But, discipleship isn’t effective or possible for anyone who doesn’t have a clear understanding of grace. This is made abundantly clear in Galatians, which was written to eternally secure believers in Christ.

Galatians 3:1-3:

[1] O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you?

[2] This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?

[3] Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?

The next time someone tells you that all “true Christians” are faithful followers of Christ, or disciples, ask them why the Epistles were written.  Ask them if they think changing the terms of salvation (even tacitly, by their insistence that good works are a necessary result of salvation) is consistent with being a disciple

Graphic Thanks to Holly Garcia, Redeeming Moments

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.

“Grace” means a gift – freely bestowed by a giver and freely received by a recipient.  From Clear Gospel Campaign:

The eternal salvation of mankind is the ultimate gift of God.  It is a gift because it cost sinful man nothing.  It was not free to God, however, but cost God His only begotten Son.

Most of the false religions that masquerade as Biblical Christianity (such as Lordship “salvation”) have redefined the clear meaning of the word “grace”, to inherently include works, such as turning from sin or commitment to following Christ in discipleship.

To keep the meaning of “grace” clear, remember that grace is free, but discipleship is costly.  And, being an eternally secure believer in Christ does not guarantee being a committed disciple.  Something that is free (grace) cannot be costly (discipleship).  That would be a contradiction, and one of the attributes of God is that He cannot lie, nor contradict himself.

Titus 1:2:  In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;

John 8:31-32 is a good passage that makes the point about the distinction between receiving eternal life (grace) and discipleship:

Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

Note that Jesus said to those which had believed on him (and had eternal life) that if they continued in His word, then they would be His disciples indeed (in deed).

Other passages that make clear that receiving the free gift of eternal life and serving Christ are not one and the same are passages that deal with the Judgment Seat of Christ, such as 1 Corinthians 3:10-15:

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.

Just to be sure that everyone is clear that grace is free, without cost or obligation to the recipient, the Bible has a lot of clear passages, such as:

Romans 5:15-18:

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.  And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification.  For if by one man’s offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)  Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.

One should be particularly attentive to any teaching that implies that a “true believer” WILL have changes in his behavior, WILL automatically do good works, or WILL turn from sin and start manifesting fruits.  This teaching is what we refer to as “back-door Lordship Salvation.”  If one believes that good works WILL accompany salvation, then logically he would believe that good works MUST accompany salvation. If that were the case, grace would no longer be grace.

Romans 11:6 makes it abundantly clear that one cannot mix grace and works for the hope of eternal life:

And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.

We would advise anyone to consider interpretation of scripture in light of the following three clear tenets.  If someone’s interpretation of scripture renders an answer of “NO” to any of the following questions, it cannot be true:

1.  Is it consistent with eternal life by Grace alone through Faith alone in Christ alone?

2.  Is it consistent with eternal security?

3.   Is it consistent with assurance of eternal life, based on God’s promises alone (i.e., it is not internally-focused on changes in attitudes, behavior, etc.)?

A good question to ask someone who is confused about grace is:

“If someone believes in Jesus Christ as Savior and never turns from any sin, nor does even one good work, would he get into heaven?”

If the answer is “NO, or “I don’t know”, or “maybe”, or “it seems like any true Christian…” (that is, anything other than a definitive “YES”), then the person with whom you are speaking is not clear on how one receives eternal life.  It is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.

 A Christian SHOULD live for Christ.  But, it is not that he MUST (that would be works for salvation).  And, it’s not that he WILL (that would be Calvinism).

One of the things that has really been on my heart, of late, is the use of the terms “true Christian” or “true believer” or “truly saved.”

Modern Christendom is flooded with these terms.  For example, I did a search on Google using “true believer in Christ” and found 2.4 million results. The only problem is, I can’t seem to find any of these terms in the Bible.

I only looked at a few of the sites that came up in my internet search. Most of them included “tests” of feelings, or behavior, to help one determine whether or not he is a “true believer.”  Such  “tests” are often tools of the devil, designed to have us look to ourselves for assurance of salvation, rather than to Jesus.  And, since there is no Biblical reference to a “true believer”, any test of a “true believer” is, by extension, unbiblical.

One of the more troubling things I found in my internet search was from a website that claims to reject Lordship “salvation”.  The author of the article, David J. Stewart,  wrote the following (I have bolded selected phrases for emphasis):

 Wicked people, living the most ungodly lives, can be heard professing to be born-again Christians. Pornography models and homosexuals claim to be saved Christians, while yet arrogantly living in their sins. There are even churches with Sodomite ministers and a Sodomite congregation. Surely, this is not acceptable to God in Heaven. These are not true believers, though they may be sincere! Genuine repentance brings about a change of heart, which should discourage a believer from parading their sins in public with no sense of shame or remorse. Although a person does NOT have to give up their sins to be saved, there should at least be a desire to give up their sins because they ARE SAVED. There’s a big difference between the two.

I’m sorry Mr. Stewart, but what you have said is just Lordship “salvation” 101.  Are Mr. Stewart’s sins any more acceptable to God than the sins of those whom he is condemning? While I do not advocate homosexuality or pornography, a believer can persist in a sinful lifestyle. The Bible gives clear evidence that such is a possibility:

Romans 6:12: Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.

Romans 12:2: And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

1 Peter 2:11: Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul;

We cannot look to our feelings or behavior, or anyone else’s behavior, for evidence of salvation. It is heretical to do so. Following is an excerpt from the Statement of Faith of Calvary Community Church in Tampa Florida, with which I agree:

We believe the only evidence of salvation is revealed in whom a person is
trusting in to get him to heaven. We believe it is heresy to teach that a person can know he is saved or lost because of his behavior, or for others to believe a person is saved or lost because of his behavior. (Galatians 2:16; Romans 4:5; 11:6).

Someone either believes in Christ for eternal life, or he does not. There is no such thing as a false believer.  There are believers in false gospels.  That is why it is essential to determine whether someone professing faith in Christ has believed the real gospel, or one of its many counterfeits.

A “true believer” in Christ is someone who has received eternal life by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. In other words, a TRUE believer is just a BELIEVER. Let’s stop adding qualifications to belief that the Bible does not!

From Wikipedia: Rock-paper-scissors is a hand game usually played by two people, where players simultaneously form one of three shapes with an outstretched hand. The “rock” beats scissors, the “scissors” beat paper and the “paper” beats rock.

In trying to defend the gospel against Calvinism and Lordship “salvation” (LS), many are playing a theological game of rock-paper-scissors, in which their tepid defenses of the gospel are vulnerable to defeat.

LS is the unsupportable belief that the PERFORMANCE of good works, the PROMISE of good works, or the EVIDENCE of good works MUST accompany faith in Christ in order to make that faith result in eternal life.

Performance-promise-evidence are the rock-paper-scissors of Calvinism/LS. A defense of the gospel that allows room for any of these, either directly or indirectly, is no defense at all. It is an attack.

So, how is this game played? Unfortunately, Satan plays hard. There is no end to the number of ways he tries to deceive people into attacking the gospel. I will cover three of them.

Allies who attack the gospel.

This so-called “defense of the gospel” brings in “allies” who want to maintain only part of the integrity of the gospel.   For example, a teacher can rail against the evils of promising good works in exchange for salvation, but then endorse the evidence of good works as being a necessary result of salvation.

Some other examples are:

Using LSers to defend against Calvinism;

Using Calvinists to defend against evolution;

Using LSers to defend against the dangers of reformed theology.

Calvinism and LS share the same theological roots. The point at which they intersect is the Calvinist tenet of “perseverance of the saints.” Anyone who embraces any of the tenets of Calvinism or any of the tenets of LS is not a dependable ally in trying to advance or defend the gospel. Using any such people in defending the gospel will only lead to further blurring of the gospel message.

 Pretending that LS is new.

Another half-hearted “defense of the gospel” includes the notion that somehow Calvinism/LS is relatively new – that it came into vogue, and was popularized by John MacArthur. Imbedded in this argument is that Biblical Christianity has only recently become subsumed by LS. This might also include the notion that some of the “big names” in the past were teaching Biblical Christianity, but that their modern adherents have deviated from their teachings. For example, some defenders of the gospel believe that John Calvin wasn’t really a Calvinist!

But, the attempts to insert works into the gospel have been around since they early church. It is discussed at length in the book of Galatians. Most of what passes for “church history” is really false works for salvation.

Depicting Calvinism/LS as something new gives the impression that older teachers (such as John Calvin and Charles Spurgeon) are dependable, when in fact they were false teachers.

Giving some people a pass.

I am really mystified by this. Someone can give a full-throated denunciation of John MacArthur’s false teaching, but treat others who have written and said the same things as sacred cows.

It should be obvious that giving anyone a pass for distorting the gospel, while calling others to task, is no defense of the gospel at all.

Romans 1:16:  For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.

As we each strive to advance and defend the gospel message, let us be particularly vigilant against the tactics outlined above, and the dangers they present to lost people, babes in Christ, and even to mature believers.