By johninnc
Romans 6:23: For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
The Bible explains clearly how to receive the gift of eternal life that is freely offered by our gracious God through his only begotten Son, Jesus Christ.
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.
This is the most wonderful news EVER!
Unfortunately, many seem to miss the simple message due to its corruption by the world of professing Christianity (aka “churchianity”). Churchianity has created a seemingly endless array of false gospel substitutes in a free-for-all that attempts to turn the good news into bad news.
Merrium-Webster.com has the following definition for free-for-all:
Free-for-all: a competition, dispute, or fight open to all comers and usually with no rules : BRAWL
also : a chaotic situation resembling a free-for-all especially in lacking rules or structure
I recently came across a youtube video by a prominent false teacher. I didn’t watch the video, but read some of the comments. Many of them were appalling! Here a few excerpts that I selected (italicized), along with my comments:
I want them to repent of their sins and give their lives to Christ so that they can have salvation and an eternal home in Heaven.
Neither “repenting of sins” nor “giving one’s life to Christ” is a condition for receiving the free gift of eternal life through Christ Jesus. These things are works, As such, this is teaching the false gospel of Lordship “salvation” (works for salvation) defined as follows:
Lordship “salvation” (LS) is the unsupportable and unbiblical 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 establish, or provide evidence, that such faith has resulted in eternal life.
The false teachers today are mostly from the western (America) Church who are preaching the EASILY disproven issues of the Pre Trib Rapture and Once Saved always saved doctrines. Maranatha
The Bible clearly teaches that eternal life begins the moment one believes in Jesus as Savior. If eternal life could be lost, it would not be eternal life.
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.
This commenter’s objection to the pre-tribulation rapture is likely rooted in his mistaken belief that Christians will have to endure the great tribulation in order to keep their eternal life. This is a false gospel of works. This commenter’s testimony is that he does not presently possess eternal life, and that he is hoping to earn it through his perseverance.
One must hear the word (Romans 10:17, Matthew 7:24); Believe in God and Jesus- (John 3:16, Acts 16:31); Confess faith in Jesus as Lord (Romans 10:9-10); Repent from sin by changing direction (Luke 13:3, Acts 2:38); Be Baptized in water into the name of the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit in order to receive forgiveness of sins and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38, Matthew 28:18-20, Acts 19:5, Acts 8:12,38, Acts 22:16); Be faithful for the remainder of your life (1 John 1:7-10, Phil 1-27-28 and Hebrews 3:13-14).
This is quite a checklist! But, it’s wrong. Believing in Jesus as Savior is how one receives the free gift of eternal life. The Bible never conditions receiving eternal life on confessing Christ, turning from sin by changing direction, being water baptized, or remaining faithful for the remainder of one’s life. People who believe in Jesus as Savior receive the gift of the Holy Spirit and are baptized by the Holy Spirit into the Universal Church at the moment of belief in Jesus as Savior. This commenter’s testimony is that he will have eternal life once he completes this false non-biblical checklist.
The true Christian reads the Bible daily and knows the truth when they hear it, and is also able to detect the false teachings.
This is subtly teaching a false gospel of works. If a “true Christian” reads the Bible daily, then one would have to read the Bible daily to confirm that he had eternal life. Not all Christians read the Bible daily, and it is likely that some non-Christians do read the Bible daily. This commenter’s (tacit) testimony is that if he reads his Bible daily, he has eternal life.
Ray Comfort always said about accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior in your life, believe He died on the cross and rose on the third day, whenever he preached to strangers. Ray Comfort gives the best in gospel with repentance of sins. Because so many false Christians think they do not need to repent and some of them says repent means change your mind about Jesus. It is very dangerous.
Ray Comfort is a false teacher who teaches works for eternal life. This commenter is one of the fruits of Ray Comfort’s false doctrine of LS. This false gospel presents Jesus as necessary for eternal life, but not as sufficient for eternal life. In other words, in this false view of the gospel, God’s complete provision for our salvation must be accompanied by our works of turning from sin in order to receive the free gift of eternal life. This commenter’s testimony is that he knows he has eternal life because he has believed the gospel and because he has turned from his sins. Hence, that if he had failed to turn from his sins, he would lack eternal life.
Chaos seems to rule in a free for all, resulting in great confusion. We know that God is not the author of confusion (1 Corinthians 14:33). So, who is it that is behind this free for all?
2 Corinthians 4:3-4: But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.
The god of this world is Satan.
The Bible repeatedly calls eternal life a gift or a free gift, available to anyone who believes in Jesus as Savior. But, the Bible never conditions receiving the free gift of eternal life on any of Churchianity’s free-for-all.
If you would like clarity regarding the gospel of Jesus Christ, click here: THE GOSPEL