Notes From A Retired Preacher

No Good News from Ray Comfort

Posted on March 30, 2015 by johninnc | 113 comments

By johninnc

We recently received an e-mail from one of our readers alerting us of a full-throated denial of the gospel, in favor of the false gospel of Lordship “salvation,” issued by Ray Comfort.

Comfort’s article was entitled THE DAMNABLE HERESY OF RAY COMFORT, By Ray Comfort.

The article’s main thrust is that repentance, in the form of turning from sin, is a requirement for someone to receive eternal life.

I have selected some key excerpts from Comfort’s article. Comfort’s words are in non-bold italics, and my comments are in bold.

Following are his thesis, and his conclusion:

Thesis:

Note the Order

Sinners are to both repent and believe: “Repent, and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:15). The Apostle Paul preached “Repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ” (Acts 20:21). Note the order of repentance in both of these cases BEFORE faith.

My comment: Repentance is required for salvation, but not in the way that Ray Comfort defines it. In an eternal salvation context, repent means “a change of mind” – from any idea of religion that man may have, to an acceptance of God’s way of salvation in Jesus Christ alone. It does not mean to “turn from sin.”

Conclusion:

Our churches are filled with workers of iniquity (hypocrites) who were told that they merely have to believe in Jesus. For most, there’s never any repentance because they have been given assurance that they are saved without it.

On Judgment Day they will understand the sobering words of Jesus when He said, “…unless you repent you will all likewise perish” (Luke 13:3).

My comment: The “hypocrites” who were told that they merely have to believe in Jesus were told that by Jesus himself.

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.

In addition to scriptural references, Comfort provided extensive quotes from such “luminaries” as Charles Spurgeon and John Wesley to support his false claims – even though they had radically different theologies. They have one thing in common – SALVATION BY WORKS!

Examples:

One catalyst for the teaching that repentance is unnecessary for salvation is the belief that repentance is merely “a change of mind.” This erroneous teaching is nothing new. Spurgeon had to deal with it in his day:

“Apparently they interpret repentance to be a somewhat slighter thing than we usually conceive it to be, a mere change of mind, in fact. Now, allow me to suggest to those dear brethren, that the Holy Ghost never preaches repentance as a trifle; and the change of mind or understanding of which the gospel speaks is a very deep and solemn work, and must not on any account be depreciated. Moreover, there is another word which is also used in the original Greek for repentance, not so often I admit, but still is used, which signifies ‘an after-care,’ a word which has in it something more of sorrow and anxiety, than that which signifies changing one’s mind. There must be sorrow for sin and hatred of it in true repentance, or else I have read my Bible to little purpose.”

My comment: Spurgeon had to “deal with it in his day,” because it is true. We are not saved by hating sin, or being sorry for sin. And, regarding Spurgeon having “read my Bible to little purpose”: If the shoe fits…

John Wesley believed that there is no justification without repentance:

“God does undoubtedly command us both to repent, and to bring forth fruits meet for repentance; which if we willingly neglect, we cannot reasonably expect to be justified at all: therefore both repentance, and fruits meet for repentance, are, in some sense, necessary to justification.”

My comment: This is works for salvation. If we willingly neglect producing fruits, Wesley says we can’t expect to be justified. The Bible says we are justified by grace, through faith in Christ.

The scriptures that Ray Comfort did use were mostly misused.

Examples:

Repentance is a turning away from sin:

“Unto you first God, having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, IN TURNING AWAY EVERY ONE OF YOU FROM HIS INIQUITIES” (Acts 3:26).

My comment: the context of Acts 3:26 is not that “repentance is a turning away from sin.” This verse has to do with the order of the gospel being preached first to the Jewish people (a concept we also see in Romans 1:16).

Note that it is Jesus turning people away from their iniquities (i.e. taking away their sins) – not the people doing it themselves.

If repentance means “turning away from sin,” AND it precedes faith in Christ, THEN there would be NO ROLE for Jesus in turning people away from their iniquities.

This is the crux of why Lordship “salvation” is a false gospel. It is trying to be saved by keeping the law (turning from sins means to stop breaking the law).

Galatians 2:21: I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.

The unsaved must to be sorry for their sins because “…godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation…” (2 Corinthians 7:10). Repentance leads to salvation.

My comment: this passage was written to Christians. It has NOTHING to do with repentance unto eternal life.

On Judgment Day they will understand the sobering words of Jesus when He said, “…unless you repent you will all likewise perish” (Luke 13:3).

My comment: this passage means that people who think they will escape hell because they are relatively better than others need to repent (change their mind) about that false notion and trust in Christ alone.

In case there was ever any doubt, Ray Comfort is wrong on the doctrine of repentance. He is a doctrinaire Lordship “salvationist” who should be marked and avoided.

If you would like some good information on repentance, click here: Repentance

113 Comments

Posted in Lordship Salvation, Ray Comfort, Repentance

Christ Follower, or False Gospel Swallower?

Posted on March 22, 2015 by johninnc | 220 comments

By johninnc (with thanks to our friend Curtis for suggesting this topic, and our friend Preston who provided input through previous commentary)

John 10:27: My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:

The above verse is often used as a proof text by those who think that works are necessary for eternal life.

Following is an example from a recent comment:

Don’t you all have verse 27 of John 10 in your Bibles? Why are you quoting verse 28 ALONE without 27? John 10:27-28 “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, [they know My voice] AND THEY FOLLOW ME. And I give them eternal life …”

Following are excerpts from the sound Biblical response that our friend Preston provided, along with a link to the entire comment:

So do we have “to follow” to be saved. the answer is YES (but not by works). Let me explain…

although faith is NOT a work, Jesus called it a “work” in CONTEXT when He was asked, what must we do to work the workS of God” and Jesus replied, this is the work of God, that ye believe on the one whom He hath sent” John 6:28-29…

SUMMARY/POINT – what did Jesus say to do to have eternal life? He said to “believe in Him” or “TRUST in Him” to have eternal life. So if one “believes in Him”, that HE died for our sins and rose again they HAVE FOLLOWED and done the “ONE THING” that Jesus said to do for everlasting life.

https://expreacherman.com/2015/02/10/i-give-unto-them-eternal-life-2/#comment-53291

Despite the confusion caused by conflating following Christ in discipleship with believing in Christ as Savior, or perhaps because of it, it has become fashionable in the world of professing Christendom to use the term “Christ follower” as a synonym for “Christian.”

The term “Christ follower” can mean a lot of things. One of the more benign uses of the term is to connote a Christian, who is a also a faithful disciple of Jesus Christ.

Unfortunately, the term “Christ follower” can communicate much more sinister messages. Among them are:

That use of the term “Christian” should be avoided, because it carries a stigma in broader society
That there are clearly-defined strata of Christians – that one is either a “Christ follower” altogether, or not at all
That the message of salvation is about what we are doing for Jesus, instead of what He has done for us
That believing in Jesus as Savior is not sufficient for eternal life

In his sermon entitled “Living in Light of Our Redemption”, delivered March 10, 2013, Tom Cucuzza discussed the use of the term “follower of Christ”, and how it communicates the wrong message. Following is a pertinent excerpt:

Minutes 41:10- 42:30

We don’t talk about believers anymore. Well, we do, ‘cause that’s what the Bible calls us. But, you know what? Because of the huge impact that those who are preaching Lordship salvation, which is works for salvation, because of the huge impact they’re having on Christendom today, the new buzzword is “followers of Christ.”

You hear that a lot – followers of Christ? A follower of Christ. Where’s the emphasis there? It’s on how you’re living, right? Not what you believe, but how you’re living. There are people who have followed the moral teachings of scripture their whole lives, who when they die, they won’t go to Heaven. They have followed the Sermon on the Mount as best they can. I’ve had people tell me “I’m going to Heaven.” Why? “Because I follow the Sermon on the Mount.” And I’m thinking, “no you don’t. No, you don’t. You can’t. It’s an ideal. It’s great. There are great principles there. I believe them. But, you know what? If you’re going to follow that, your gonna have to be perfect, and none of us are. You’re not gonna make it there by that.”

So, when somebody says, “oh, they’re a follower of Jesus”, my question is “what do you mean by that?” Well, usually they’ll say “well, they follow the teachings of Jesus.” Well, that has to do with how you live. Are you gonna get to Heaven by how you live? No. You get to Heaven by faith in Christ.

If you would like to know how to have eternal life, whether you are a Christ follower, or not, please click here: The Gospel

220 Comments

Posted in Assurance, Christian, Grace, Justification, Lordship Salvation, Salvation

Something Greater than a Mother’s Love

Posted on March 5, 2015 by johninnc | 77 comments

By johninnc

My wife’s mother passed away last week, and I had the privilege to deliver the following message at her funeral. My wife’s mother (Doris) did not write this, but we are sure she would have approved.

Ephesians 2:4-7:

[4] But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,
[5] Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)
[6] And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:
[7] That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.

There’s something that Doris knows is true that she wants everyone else to know. I don’t think she would mind us paraphrasing for her. It goes something like this:

Dear friends,

There is an old adage that there is nothing greater than a mother’s love. As someone who has a mother, and is a mother of five, I understand why some would say this.

But, a mother’s love cannot compare to the perfect love that God has for us.

There is a God. He is the eternal creator, without beginning or end. He created everything, including you and me. He is perfectly holy, perfectly just, and perfectly loving. As such, He cannot allow anything that isn’t perfect into His presence.

You and I aren’t perfect. We have all broken God’s laws, and can’t do anything to fix that. Our efforts to work our way back to God are completely useless.

But, God loves us so much that He would rather die than spend eternity without us.

So, He gave his only begotten Son –Jesus Christ – God in the flesh – to reconcile us to Him.

Jesus had no sin of His own, but bore our sin so that we might be reconciled to God. He had no sin and we had no righteousness. Jesus took our sin from us. He made the complete payment for our sin, leaving us nothing to pay.

He did this by suffering a criminal’s death by crucifixion. He died on the cross, He was buried, and He was raised from the dead three days later, proving that His payment for our sins was accepted.

Anyone who believes in Jesus, and what He accomplished through His death and resurrection – that he paid the full price for our sins, leaving nothing for us to pay – has eternal life. Eternal life means that it can never be lost or forfeited. God no longer sees believers in their sins, but sees them as perfectly righteous.

People will tell you all kinds of different ways to have eternal life, or even that there’s no such thing.

Many people will tell you that Jesus is necessary for salvation, but that He isn’t enough – that you have to “do your part” by reforming your behavior, doing good works, and so on. But this is not true. We are saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.

You should listen to what Jesus has to say, above what anyone else tells you. Since Jesus is God, and God is perfect, He cannot lie.

Here is what Jesus says on how to have eternal life:

John 11:25-26:

[25] Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:
[26] And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?

I hope you believe this. I do.

Love. Doris

77 Comments

Posted in Christianity, Cross, Eternal Security, Hope, Joy, Love of God, Once saved always saved, Peace, Resurrection, Salvation, Security of the believer

The Gospel According to Internet Comments

Posted on February 25, 2015 by johninnc | 1,424 comments

The false gospels that pervade our churches are reflected in comments that show up in response to articles on the internet. Whether the subject is moral, political, or religious, “defenders of the faith” can be counted on to respond with their versions of how people can receive eternal life. I have rarely seen anyone who gets it right.

Following are some examples that I have garnered over the past few months. The comments are in italics, and my responses are in bold:

Jesus Christ, the Son of God loves you! As a matter of fact He loved you soooo much that He came to Earth and lived a sinless life and died on the Cross for your sins and if you Repent of your sins and accept Him as Lord and Savior, then you will be saved. Jesus Christ loves you! 🙂

My comment: Repenting of your sins is not a requirement for eternal life.

…I have a changed life and heart after turning my life over to the god of the universe. I struggled for 20 years to obtain these changes to no avail. His word did the work that I could not. If you really want proof I can tell you how to obtain it, but you have to really be serious. If you are joking around it won’t work. If you really want to know and if God is real and He proves it to you will you give him the rest of your life? Will you make Him your God? If you are serious, God says that when you seek him with all of your heart you will find him. You must be willing to give up everything. If you are willing He will answer you. The God I serve cannot lie. Willing to take me up on it? I will lead you every step of the way.

My comment: We are not saved by giving God our lives. We are saved by believing that Jesus Christ, God in the flesh, died for our sins, was buried, and was raised from the dead.

It is also clear that there are those who don’t like rules, don’t want to be judged, and want unconditional forgiveness. Jesus didn’t say there wouldn’t be any rules. Jesus said “if you love me, keep my commandments.” So I can understand why some would want to call me a hypocrite for pointing to the commandments. Because it causes people examine their own faults. But the bigger picture here is that Jesus paid the price for sin. He didn’t take away the rules, but He paid the ransom for breaking them if we abandon our lawlessness and follow Him. To all sinners, there is forgiveness, but it wad bought with a price, and we must repent of our sins, abandon them and walk in the light. We can’t have it both ways. We can’t serve two masters. We can’t live in sin and live for God. True Love is Jesus dying on the cross for you while you were yet an enemy of God and extending peace to you if you will surrender your life to Him and follow Him and deny yourself.

My comment: This is full of errors. We are not saved by surrendering our lives to Christ, nor are Christians under the law.

doesn’t matter if the muslims love and follow Jesus.it doesn’t matter if ISIS loves and follows Jesus or angels.if either group is not saved and have not repented for their sins all of the above groups are lost in eternal hellfire.without accepting JESUS as LORD and savior NO ONE can be saved according to the bible which IS GODS word.it is simple really,do you believe Jesus is the son of GOD and do you believe he rose from the dead for the remittance of sins? just pray and ask Jesus to come into your heart and save you and forgive you of your sins and GOD promises in his word you WILL be saved.this is the ONLY way to heaven.see Romans 10:9,10,11,12

My comment: We do not have to repent of sins to receive the free gift of eternal life. Jesus is Lord – we cannot make Him Lord.

______________________________________________________

The Bible says 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.

If you are a “defender of the faith”, but have never received eternal life by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone, click here: The Real Story

1,424 Comments

Posted in Free Grace, Justification, Salvation

“I Give Unto Them Eternal Life”

Posted on February 10, 2015 by johninnc | 31 comments

Note: the following article was originally posted on July 30, 2014. I decided to re-post it today, in memory of my earthly father, who died yesterday at the age of 95, and in honor of our heavenly father who gave his only begotten Son through which all might be saved.

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 6, 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 in the flesh.

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.

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.

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 need only believe in Christ alone as Savior in order to receive eternal life.

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.

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 making it unavailable to others. 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, who came to seek and to save that which was lost, deserves our gratitude infinitely more. He died for our sins. He was buried, and He rose from the dead. He offers us eternal life as a free gift.

All one needs to do to have eternal life is to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior.

31 Comments

Posted in Eternal Security, Grace, Hope, Justification, Love of God, Once saved always saved, Salvation

Casting All Of Your Care Upon Him

Posted on February 7, 2015 by johninnc | 11 comments

By johninnc (image provided by Holly Garcia)

1 Peter 5:6-7:

[6] Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:
[7] Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

For those who have received the free gift of eternal life through Christ Jesus, learning to cast our care upon God can be frightening. Our natural instinct is to try to fix our problems on our own, or do it with an “assist” from God. Satan preys on these tendencies.

But we really only cast our care upon God when we realize we are helpless. This is when we find ourselves truly humble. Sometimes, we wait until our own abilities are exhausted and then cast our care upon Him.

1 Peter 5:8-9:

[8] Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
[9] Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.

Our fleshly rendition of this passage is to keep an eye out for trouble, and to make sure to fight it off. But, we are no match for the devil. He doesn’t fight fair. He gets in our heads. He influences our thoughts.

Ephesians 6:12: For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

Ephesians 6:13 gives us the solution:

Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

The full armor of God is not His trappings. It is God Himself.

Ephesians 6:16: Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.

The shield of faith – the object of our faith – is God Himself.

Psalm 28:7: The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him.

The Lord is trying to teach us to cast our care on Him. He doesn’t punish us when we don’t – he allows us to feel the pain. But, he blesses us when we do.

Psalm 23:

[1] The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
[2] He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
[3] He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
[4] Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
[5] Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
[6] Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.

I find Psalm 23 to be one of the most comforting passages of scripture – the calmness associated with the Good Shepherd. He will come get us if we are in the ditch and call out to Him. He will defend us against the enemy. He is there for us always. Cast all of your care upon Him.

If you would like to know how to receive the free gift of eternal life Click Here

11 Comments

Posted in Assurance, Love of God, Peace

To Declare HIS Righteousness

Posted on January 28, 2015 by johninnc | 84 comments

By johninnc

Romans 3:26: To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.

The more I think about what really keeps people from understanding the gospel, the more I am convinced that it is a problem of focus.

Once someone understands that he is lost, and helpless, then the full focus needs to be on Jesus – who He is, why He came, and how He has taken away the sins of the world.

Amytime the focus of our redemption is not squarely on Jesus, the message gets confused or altered.

The questions about how Christians should live are not relevant to an unbeliever. The questions about any expectation of commitment are not relevant to an unbeliever. Whether or not one wants to live the Christian life is not relevant to an unbeliever. Whether or not one wants to give up any sins is not relevant to an unbeliever.

What is relevant is this:

Is Jesus God in the flesh? Did He die for our sins (all of them, for everyone in the world – past, present, and future)? Did that include your sins – past, present, and future? Was He raised from the dead, proving that His payment was accepted?

The “what if I?” questions need to be turned back and met with “what DID Jesus do?”

Romans 4:25: Who was delivered for our offenses and raised for our justification.

—————————————————-

Following is a real-life example of a young man contending with highly-experienced purveyors of a false man-focused gospel. His questions are in italics and my answers in bold.

I have slightly modified some jargon, and edited for length.

Recently there have been several preacher guys on campus. They are no doubt LS. I asked one of them what they thought about free grace and I told him my beliefs and MANY other students seemed very interested in what I had to say. Of course he was prepared with rebuttals but I wanted to hear what his arguments were because the students are annoyed at these guys and want to hear the actual gospel. Here are some of the things he said and I wanted to know what you think about them because I feel like this would be a really good opportunity to tell people about free grace.

1. They claim that they believe you can only be saved by the blood of Christ, but you have to want to turn from your sins (their false definition of “repent”). They say that repenting from your sins means that when you have the desire to sin, you decide to not do it.

The Bible calls eternal life the gift of God (Romans 6:23). A gift means something freely given, without cost or obligation to the recipient.

If we had to agree to go give up anything to receive the gift of eternal life, it would no longer be a gift. It would be a trade. That is the key concept in all of this. Salvation is God’s gift to us through Jesus.

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

The phrase “repent of your sins” never shows up in the King James Bible. Never.

“Repent”, when used in a salvation context, means to change your mind about what religious people tell you that you must do to be saved (such as turning from sins) and to trust that Jesus really did pay for all of your sins (past, present and future).

2. Every sin you commit comes from what is in your heart so if you are sinning you are not necessarily saved by believing that Jesus died for your sins.

Every sin does come from your heart. But, the Bible says whoever believes in Jesus as his Savior has eternal life that can never be lost or forfeited (see John 5:24).

3. The reaction to 3:23 was that it all men HAVE sinned and fall short of the glory of God, but that a person who is truly saved will no longer sin.

A good question for them: “Do you still sin?”

4. What I gathered from them was we are saved by WANTING to be saved and the only way to WANT to be saved is to try to stop sinning.

You do not have to try to stop sinning to be saved.

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

“Justify” means for God to declare someone “not guilty” of his sins, based on his faith in Christ. “Righteousness” means “sinless” – this is based on Christ’s righteousness imputed to you when you believe in Him as your Savior. It is not based on our righteousness in turning from sin or anything else.

The verse I cited above says God justifies (saves) ungodly people. The LSers are saying that you have to try to be godly (to be saved).

5. They talked about Matthew 21:31, Matthew 7:3, and the verse about plucking out your eye.

I’m not sure where they are going with Matthew 21:31 or Matthew 7:3. But, trust me – if none of these verses existed, they would find other verses to use to promote their false doctrine.

Regarding plucking out an eye – this is Matthew 18:9. No one has ever received eternal life by plucking out his eye. And, no one has been refused eternal life because he wouldn’t stop sinning (or even be willing to).

Romans 5:8: But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

What do you recommend I say to the people who want to listen because some people talked about it with me for a minute but I’m not prepared enough to have a good conversation. Also it would be completely pointless to try and argue with the “crazy preacher guys”. They are EXTREMELY well read.

The errors of these “extremely well read” people are no match for the Word of God.

Try this:

1. Everyone is a sinner
2. The penalty for sin is death (eternal spiritual separation from God)
3. One must be perfect to get into heaven. Not good. Not great. Perfect.
4. One cannot do anything of himself to obtain this perfection – this includes turning from sin, committing your life to Christ and so on. God offers eternal life as a gift – it’s not for sale or barter.
5. God provided a sin-bearer for us (The Lord Jesus Christ, God in the
flesh. He had no sin of his own, but he came to die for us, paying the full penalty for our sin. He was raised from the dead, proving that His payment was acceptable).
6. All we can do to receive everlasting life is to believe in Jesus Christ as our Savior.
7. Eternal life, once received by faith in Christ, can never be lost or forfeited, no matter what happens in our lives down the road.

What is there to do to receive eternal life? Simply BELIEVE that Jesus made that payment for your sin – for you.

Don’t let yourself get drawn into the snares of the LS guys. Proclaim the truth to people who will listen.

Not everyone will believe what you tell them. That’s not on you. Your job is to tell them the truth.

84 Comments

Posted in Justification, Lordship Salvation, Repentance, Salvation

Jack Weaver – Now in the Presence of our Lord Jesus Christ

Posted on January 20, 2015 by johninnc | 91 comments

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

Jack Weaver, founder of the ExPreacherMan ministry, passed away this afternoon. Jack had recently undergone heart valve replacement surgery, and had been in the hospital for just over a month.

Jack loved the Lord, and had a heart for the gospel. He spent his life preaching, teaching, witnessing, and leading people to understand the free gift of eternal life available through faith in Christ Jesus.

I am thankful for Jack’s life, his friendship, his mentorship, and the example he set in using his life fully for the Lord.

Please see the link below for Jack’s personal testimony:

Jack’s Testimony

I will miss Jack terribly, but I look forward to meeting him in heaven one day soon.

I will provide more details as they become available.

Thanks. John

91 Comments

Posted in Christian, Conservative, Free Grace

Lordship Salvation: Worthless Religion

Posted on January 18, 2015 by johninnc | 64 comments

By johninnc

John 3:16: For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

I recently read a fascinating article on Yahoo entitled “Raising Kids Without God (But Maybe Not Without Religion)”, written by Calvin Hennick.

The crux of the article seemed to be that the writer wanted his kids to go to church so that they could contemplate the meaning of life.

Following are some of the salient excerpts:

My wife and I both grew up with a fairly evangelical, literalist brand of Christianity, and while we don’t quite consider ourselves atheists, we certainly don’t believe the things we believed when we were kids…

So, if I no longer believe that God can grant my family salvation in a life after this one, why am I thinking about going back to church now that I have kids? It’s not out of a desire to instill morality in them. Anyone who takes a look around can see that there are good and bad people of all faiths, and of no faith, and personally, I have pretty much the same sense of right and wrong that I did when I was a born-again Christian…

Instead, I’d like my kids to have a place where they can contemplate essential, universal questions about what it means to live a good life. I’d like for them to be part of a community searching for something bigger than the joys and struggles of everyday life – even if this “something greater” isn’t God. And I’d like these things for myself, too…

I still think it’s possible for my kids, and for me, to find meaning and community without God. But it might be a whole lot harder to find these things without church.

This is a very tragic article on so many levels.

First, the writer says that he and his wife “grew up” with Christianity. Did they? Was it ever made clear to them that they were sinners, alienated from God due to their sin? Were they taught that God, in his love for us, gave His only begotten Son – Jesus Christ (God in the flesh) – to take away the sins of the world by dying for us? Was it ever made clear to them that one need only to believe in Jesus as Savior in order to receive eternal life?

Second, the writer seems to equate trusting in Christ for eternal life with trusting in Him to make us good, and moral. Jesus did not die to give us a “sense of right and wrong.” He died to take away our sins. Were the writer and his wife taught that one believes in Jesus in order to make them good? Or, were they taught that one believes in Jesus for eternal life?

Third, the writer says that he used to be a born again Christian. There is no such thing as someone who used to be a born again Christian. If the writer ever believed in Jesus as his Savior, he has eternal life that can never be lost or forfeited.

Last, having one’s children explore “what it means to live a good life” without teaching them how one receives eternal life is worthless.

While the writer claims to no longer believe in God, his faulty views of the Christian faith seem to have been embraced by many groups masquerading as Christian churches. And, many such groups are worthless in terms of either leading people to the Lord, or helping believers to grow in their faith.

Let’s investigate how three groups of people who identify as Christians deny the gospel. We will use John 3:16 as the backdrop:

Calvinists – believe that God chooses who will believe and who will not. Therefore, they deny the “whosoever” of John 3:16. They also believe that all “true believers” will persevere in holiness, and Godliness, thus revealing that they are believers through their good works. Since one cannot know whether he has been “chosen”, and since one’s works will demonstrate that he has been “chosen”, these people will invariably look to works for assurance of eternal life.

Lordship “salvationists” – believe that one must either make a bi-lateral contract with God in order to receive eternal life (such as “repenting from one’s sins” or “making Christ Lord of one’s life”) or that one who has received eternal life will show some ill-defined “life change” to prove he is a believer in Christ. Therefore, they deny the “believeth in Him” of John 3:16. Like the Calvinist, LSers will invariably look to works – at least in part – for assurance of eternal life.

Arminians – believe that one can lose his eternal life through sin. Since this is a concept not found in the Bible, this group can never tell you how much sin it takes to lose one’s “eternal life.” Accordingly, they look to works for evidence of eternal life, thereby denying the “everlasting life’ promised in John 3:16.

Perhaps your church is clear on the gospel, and never teaches any of the above concepts. If so, great! But, if your church teaches any of these things – either implicitly or explicitly – you and your family are in grave danger.

If you would like to know how to receive eternal life please click here: ETERNAL LIFE FOR YOU

64 Comments

Posted in Assurance of salvation, Calvinism, Eternal Security, Free Grace, Lordship Salvation

Lordship Salvation: Frustrating Grace Down Under

Posted on January 4, 2015 by johninnc | 137 comments

by johninnc

Galatians 2:21: I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.

One of our readers sent me the following e-mail today depicting her interaction with an ardent LS minister in Australia. It was in response to our recent article entitled “Lordship Salvation: The Devil’s Advocate.” See link below:

Lordship Salvation: The Devil’s Advocate

The gentleman’s e-mail comments, which are presented with only minor edits, are in italics. My views regarding his comments are imbedded in red bold.

Hi (name of recipient withheld),

This completely denies the fact that there is a counterfeit salvation. It allows for people to think they are saved and are not.

My comment: We teach that one is saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. There never has been ANYONE who believed in Jesus as his Savior who does not have eternal life.

Grace is grace alone but that grace comes with fruit and that fruit is works, repentance, etc.

My comment: I will go through each of the conditions that you have added to faith alone in Christ alone in order for one to be justified.

Works – we are saved by grace (unmerited favor), without works.

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.

And, I have heard the tired rebuttal that I need to read Ephesians 2:10, I have. Here it is:

Ephesians 2:10: For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

Notice that it says SHOULD. Should is the only word consistent with grace. To quote a preacher friend of mine:

It’s not that we must – that would be works for salvation. And, it’s not that we will – that would be Calvinism. It’s should. And we should.

Repentance – repentance in salvation means a change of mind from any idea of religion that man may have and to accept God’s way of salvation. Repentance does not in any sense include a demand for a change of conduct before or after salvation.

Etc. – as if insistence on works and repentance (undefined) were not enough for you to sufficiently frustrate grace, you have added “etc.” I have no idea what that even means.

There is NO justification without Sanctification. God does not start and then not finish.

My comment: one is positionally sanctified that moment he believes in Jesus as his Savior. But, the Bible does not promise “progressive sanctification” (transformation) in the life of a believer. Such transformation requires a believer’s cooperation (see Romans 12:2). We have addressed a verse (Philippians 1:6), often used by LSers to falsely prove the notion of the guarantee of progressive sanctification under our “Difficult Verses” section. See link below:

Difficult Verses

All believers are glorified, so yes, God finishes what He starts.

This site plays into the hands of decisional regeneration. As a pastor I know that many receive Christ ‘amiss’ or ‘in vain’ as the scriptures speak. This is why we have all the warnings including Matt.7:21-23. This article completely ignores these scriptures.

My comment: We have addressed the false argument that we teach “decisional regeneration” in a previous article. Please see link below:

LS/Calvinist Decisional Regeneration Strawman

When scripture speaks of someone receiving Christ in vain, it is not because they have trusted in Christ alone, apart from works. In fact, this is the ONLY way that man may be saved. Trying to be saved by Christ PLUS works would constitute believing in vain. We have an article on believing in vain, linked below.

Believing in Vain

Matthew 7:21-23 does not refer to people who have trusted in Christ alone as Savior. It refers to those who recognize Jesus as Lord, but not as Savior.

It also has many ‘strawmen’ of what people supposedly teach on ‘Lordship salvation’ and cleverly misrepresents their views.. You may also not be aware – I do not teach ‘Lordship salvation’ as it is commonly taught today. I may do an article on that also soon.

My comment: In your e-mail to our reader, you have clearly and unequivocally confirmed that you teach Lordship “salvation”. In fact, your views are quite ardently Lordship “salvation” in nature.

I may teach on all this in (ministry name removed) soon .

My comment: You should not be teaching God’s word. As long as you continue to teach the tenets of Lordship salvation, that you deny teaching, you are under a curse.

Galatians 1:9: 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.

Thanks for alerting me to this article.

My comment: Why? So you can warn people against believing in Christ alone as their Savior?

Name of sender withheld

For the truth on how to receive eternal life click here: ETERNAL LIFE FOR YOU

137 Comments

Posted in Lordship Salvation

Lordship Salvation: The Devil’s Advocate

Posted on December 28, 2014 by johninnc | 15 comments

by johninnc

Romans 5:15-18:

[15] But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.
[16] 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.
[17] 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.)
[18] 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.

During my short time serving at ExPreacherMan in an administrative capacity, one thing has become abundantly clear: It is very difficult for many people to believe that eternal life is a free gift, without cost or obligation to the recipient.

We receive countless comments and e-mails that attempt to contradict the gospel by adding conditions to God’s way of salvation, which is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. The conditions may be front-loaded, back-loaded, or both. But, they are all designed to try to prove that belief in Jesus as Savior will not ALWAYS result in eternal life.

Usually, the assaults on the gospel are predictable and trite (“What about James 2:14-26?”; “It’s not faith and works, it’s faith that works.”; “repentance is a change of mind that leads to a change in behavior.”) Other times, they are innovative and subtle. Either way, they reflect a misunderstanding of grace, and a disbelief in the finished work of Jesus on our behalf.

And, leaders of professing Christendom – past and present – have promulgated these errant views. And, they continue to do it, with very little challenge from the duped masses.

Consider the following false doctrine, quoted by some of the so-called “great men of God”:

Billy Graham: 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.”

Charles Spurgeon: The faith which does not produce good works is not saving faith: it is not the faith of God’s elect: it is not faith at all in the Scriptural sense.

Charles Ryrie: Unproductive faith cannot save, because it is not genuine faith. Faith and works are like a two-coupon ticket to heaven. The coupon of works is not good for passage, and the coupon of faith is not valid if detached from works.

Why is it so important for these people to attempt to persuade others that simple faith in Christ will not result in salvation? God has given us the Bible to convince us that eternal life is available as a free gift, without cost or obligation, to anyone who will believe in Jesus as Savior. Why all of the energy in professing Christendom trying to convince people otherwise?

Isn’t that Satan’s job?

Most people think that Satan’s main goal is to get unsaved people to sin more. In reality, he uses LSers to do his job – to keep people out of heaven by confusing them about the truth of the gospel message.

Matthew 13:19: When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side.

Satan also uses LSers to help him accuse believers (“you might not really be saved if…”).

Revelation 12:10: And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.

Note to the Devil and his advocates: You are right that I am a sinner. You are right that I don’t always live like I should. But, Jesus Christ is my advocate. God has imputed righteousness to me WITHOUT WORKS. My sins are forgiven, based on Christ’s finished work on my behalf.

I HAVE A SAVIOR!

Romans 4:5-7:

[5] But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.
[6] Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works,
[7] Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered.

Hebrews 7:25: Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.

1 John 2:1: My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:

If you would like to have Jesus as your advocate, click here: Advocate

15 Comments

Posted in Assurance, Billy Graham, Charles Ryrie, Easy Believism, Eternal Security, Lordship Salvation, Salvation

The Gift That Is Not An Exchange

Posted on December 22, 2014 by johninnc | 19 comments

by johninnc

Luke 2:11: For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

One of the most difficult concepts for people to grasp is the concept of a gift. That is due, in large part, to how our world system has redefined the meaning of “gift” to be a reward, a bonus, or a reciprocal arrangement.

At Christmas, we have Santa, theoretically giving out lumps of coal to bad boys and girls and “gifts” to the good ones. We have the Elf on the Shelf keeping an eye on things.

One of my favorite Christmas classics – “A Christmas Carol” – features the godless miser Ebenezer Scrooge finding redemption by promising to “keep Christmas.”

And, in Cathedrals and churches throughout the world, we have seasonal musicals and Christmas Eve services worshipping Christ the Lord as Savior, while teaching that He really only helps save us. This takes many forms, but generally boils down to the vain attempt to change eternal life from being a gift to being a trade. In other words, much of professing Christendom falsely teaches that our works are necessary to gain or keep the gift of eternal life, or to provide evidence that we have received the gift of eternal life

The Bible teaches that eternal life is the gift of God, given freely to anyone who accepts it by faith in Christ Jesus.

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.

Just as our world system has redefined the meaning of “gift”, many churches and ministries have redefined the “gift of God” to be faith itself.

But, the Bible is clear that eternal life – not faith – is the gift of God.

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

Likewise, many churches and ministries have redefined the meaning of “faith” to include works, either implicitly or explicitly.

The mission of ExPreacherMan is to proclaim the gospel clearly, while soundly refuting the many false gospel substitutes that are collectively referred to as Lordship “salvation”, or LS.

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 establish, or provide evidence, that such faith has resulted in eternal life.

LS can be overt (one must forsake all of his sins and follow Christ in obedience and discipleship in order to be saved) or VERY SUBTLE (one’s behavior WILL change once he is saved). But, do not be deceived. Trying to add ANY human merit to Grace makes it no longer Grace.

Romans 11:6: 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.

The gospel – which means “good news” – is that Jesus (God in the flesh) died for our sins (in complete payment, leaving us nothing left to pay for our sins – past, present, or future), was buried, and was raised from the dead three days later (proving that God had accepted His sacrifice on our behalf).

God offers eternal life, that can never be lost or forfeited, as a free gift to anyone who will believe that Jesus made the full payment for his sins. There is no cost or obligation to us in accepting this gift. We need only accept it by faith.

This is the greatest gift imaginable, and it is available to everyone.

2 Corinthians 9:15: Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.

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.

If you would like to know how to receive the greatest gift ever – the gift of eternal life – click here: The Gift of Eternal Life

19 Comments

Posted in Eternal Security, Free Grace, Lordship Salvation, Once saved always saved

Jack’s Health Update

Posted on December 16, 2014 by johninnc | 50 comments

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.

50 Comments

Posted in Free Grace

A Thanksgiving Gospel Message

Posted on November 26, 2014 by johninnc | 23 comments

By Jack Weaver and johninnc

Colossians 2:6-15:

[6] As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him:
[7] Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.
[8] Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.
[9] For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.
[10] And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:
[11] In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ:
[12] Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.
[13] And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;
[14] Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;
[15] And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.

From Wikipedia: Thanksgiving Day is a national holiday celebrated primarily in the United States and Canada as a day of giving thanks for the blessing of the harvest and of the preceding year.

For Christians, abounding in thanksgiving is an integral part of our walk in the Lord Jesus Christ. We should be exceedingly thankful for our Savior – for who He is, for what He has done for us, and for our resultant position in Him.

Jesus is God our Savior – in Him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily (verse 9). He is the head of all principality and power (verse 10).

Jesus died for our sins (verse 14), was buried, and was raised from the dead (verse 12). He triumphed over the principalities and powers of this world (verse 15).

Once we received Him by faith, He made us partakers in His life (verse 13), freed us from the law (verse 14), and forgave ALL of our sins (verse 13) – past, present, and future. We are complete in Him (verse 10). Our bodies of sin have been put off by Him (verse 11). We are reconciled to God. We have eternal life that can never be lost or forfeited.

Thank you Jesus!

PS – don’t let anyone spoil (ruin) you by leading you astray with fleshly, man-made philosophies that are based on the principles (rudiments) of this world (verse 8). This includes Calvinists, Lordship “salvationists”, and all of the various accusers of the brethren.

If you would like to know how to have the gift of eternal life click here: Eternal Life for You

We thank the Lord for all of our visitors and readers at ExPreacherMan. And, we thank the Lord for the opportunity to read, discuss, and spread His Word.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!

23 Comments

Posted in Assurance, Eternal Security, Free Grace, Lordship Salvation, Once saved always saved, Salvation, Thansgiving

A Distressing and Dangerous Email Message

Posted on November 22, 2014 by johninnc | 81 comments

By Jack Weaver

A couple of days ago I received an email from Miami International Theological Seminary (MINTS), promoting the seminary. MINTS is a moderate in size but is an influential seminary located just a few miles from my home.

I received the email because MINTS founder and President, Dr. Greg Hauenstein was a friend who testified to having trusted Christ as his Savior some 34 years ago at a youth meeting in my home. Soon after testifying to being a believer in Christ, Greg enrolled in and attended Florida Bible College (FBC). FBC is my alma mater, and I believe it was Biblically sound at the time Greg attended. But, while he was attending FBC, Greg was lured away by a charismatic Presbyterian preacher who, to my dismay, had been invited to be a guest speaker at an FBC Chapel service.

This should be a stern warning to anyone who thinks we are being “picky” or “pedantic” or “argumentative” when we insist that we have no fellowship with people who teach false doctrine. False doctrine can spread like wildfire. That is why the Bible tells us:

Romans 16:17: Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them.

Under the protective wing of his new friend and pastor, Greg attended a Calvinist seminary, came back and became lead Pastor of the Calvinist Presbyterian church that had been pastored by the man who lured Greg away from the faith. While pastoring the church, Greg founded MINTS and later resigned his pastorate to focus his attention on building and supporting MINTS. By man’s standards, Greg has been quite successful in building MINTS. There are now over 510 study centers/schools in 68 countries in multiple languages with over 13,000 students in degree programs.

Aside from the number of new Calvinist teachers, the most distressing part is that MINTS is one of many Calvinist seminaries that is producing Calvinist leaders and teachers by the thousands. Each of these new leaders and teachers has the potential to create even more converts to the vile false gospels of Calvinism and Lordship “salvation” (LS).

Our mission at ExPreacherMan is to preach and teach the gospel clearly, and to debunk the false gospels of Calvinism/LS. It is frustrating to watch thousands of lives ruined by groups such as MINTS.

If you are reading this, and are unfamiliar with Calvinism or LS, let me provide some quick definitions:

Calvinism – a series of false tenets that starts with the false notion that God has selected some people to go to heaven, and others to be consigned to hell. The individual has no choice in the matter. It follows with the false belief that someone whom God has chosen to be saved will automatically persevere in a lifetime of good works and following Christ in discipleship and obedience. If that doesn’t happen, according to this false belief, it proves that a person was never saved. So, the focus becomes not what Christ has done, but the works that a believer has done.

LS – 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.

Some of the people lured by MINTS are believers who have turned from the Christian faith to the counterfeit Calvinist/LS lies. The Bible speaks of believers becoming bewitched by false gospels, and the devastating consequences. While such people remain eternally secure Christians, they have set aside all power for Christian living and witnessing. If they teach the accursed gospels they have adopted, they are also under God’s curse, essentially “playing for the other team.”

As they attempt to replicate themselves, Calvinists/LSers have two groups upon whom to prey. They can prey on believers, causing some to fall from grace. Or, they can prey on unbelievers who try to become Christians by believing their false gospels, and thus remain unsaved. Of course, they prey on both groups.

Meanwhile, we struggle to set Calvinists and LSers free of that bondage with the message of the free will Gospel of God’s Grace. And, although our ministry is small, and the numbers of Calvinist/LS ministries are great, we routinely receive entreaties, snarky, and derisive comments that tell us that WE are teaching a false gospel.

Tom Cucuzza touched on this in a recent sermon, which is excerpted below:

However, there are those, though, who are fixed on preaching error and teaching error. And when they are approached with the truth – and we try to make that clear – they say: “That’s not true! I don’t believe that. I believe you’re the one who’s teaching falsehood.”

Of course the perplexing question remains: why do Calvinists educate and send folks out to teach their accursed message when they claim that their god has already predestined those who would be “saved”, thus leaving the balance of the world to be condemned to hell by their god’s alternative choice?

And we wonder why Calvinism is taking the world by storm. They are eager to spread their false message. Why? Because they have been blinded to the Truth, and are deluded. They apparently seek for power, prestige and, not uncommon in some Calvinist circles, the financial profit that ensues.

Greg professed his decision to believe in Jesus as his Savior in my presence some 34 years ago. One wonders why he would, for years now, relish and promote a message contrary to God’s Word and the simplicity that is in Christ.

Distressing !!!!

If you have been lured by the false gospels of Calvinism or LS, and would like to know the truth of how to have eternal life, click here: The Real Story

81 Comments

Posted in Calvinism, Lordship Salvation

Lordship Salvation: How U (1/2) 2 Fans Reject Christ

Posted on November 16, 2014 by johninnc | 42 comments

By johninnc and janeinnc

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.

There have been many articles written on the subject of Lordship “salvation” and what it is, and isn’t.

What LS is: LS is salvation by faith in Christ + works. LS is a formula for rejecting Christ.

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

The Bible teaches that faith and works do not mix for salvation:

Romans 3:28: Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.

Since faith and works cannot be mixed for salvation, LS is simply salvation by works.

What LS isn’t: LS isn’t faith in Christ. LS isn’t the gospel. LS isn’t Christianity.

Are Lordship “salvationists” (LSers) saved? It depends on whether they have ever had a moment in which they trusted in Christ ALONE as Savior.

Either way, LSers do not believe the gospel now.

The false LS formula is: “Salvation” = Faith in Christ + U (½) 2*

* “You have to”

Common forms of “you have to”:

You have to desire a relationship with Christ
You have to want your life to change for the better
You have to want to stop sinning
You have to love God
You have to have your heart set on obeying Christ
You have to be passionate
You have to believe in your heart, not just your head
You have to confess your sins
You have to be willing to turn from your sins
You have to surrender your life to Christ
You have to commit your life to Christ
You have to show evidence of good works
You have to be moving in the right direction
You have to love your fellow man
You have to follow Jesus in discipleship
You have to persevere in your faith
You have to, you have to, you have to…!

—————————————————————————————————-

Following are excerpts of a Facebook interchange between Jane and a U (½) 2 proponent (LSer), in which the LSer reads, and summarily rejects, the truth of the gospel:

LSer: Salvation by grace is one of the bedrock teachings of Baptists. For most of us it is in our blood. I speak as a Baptist preacher’s kid, a deacon, and a frequent short term foreign missionary. Nobody does salvation by grace like us.

Jane: Look at the Southern Baptist Convention website “How to be Saved.”You will see 3 works you must do to be saved – none are biblical: 1. It plainly states that receiving salvation is a commitment before it even tells you the plan of salvation. (The receiving of salvation does NOT involve a commitment! If you must make a commitment, you are doing a work.); 2. Repent of your sins. (The Bible tells us to repent (change the mind), but never to repent of our sins – unless you are reading another version where that was added, so that is a work); 3. You are told to “confess Jesus as your Lord and your God – this is to surrender control of your life to Jesus” (If you must surrender control, then that is also a work).

LSer: …so a dispassionate statement of belief, with nothing behind it, and no intention to serve God in any way is all it takes…interesting belief. Never heard that before.

Jane: That does not surprise me. Most people have never heard the Gospel clearly explained. The Gospel is not about what we do for Christ, it’s about what He has done for us. If one thinks he must serve God in order to be saved, he is not trusting in Christ alone, he is trusting in Christ plus his commitment. Salvation is not a trade of our commitment in exchange for eternal life. It is the receipt of the free gift of eternal life through faith in Christ. If we could be saved by our commitment to Christ, He died in vain.

LSer: The difference of opinion is about what constitutes works. Accepting Christ as our Savior certainly sounds like a relationship to me.

Jane: Nope. Not a relationship, a gift. If you were to pull my drowning carcass from a lake, I may just walk off without a 2nd thought, I may spend the rest of my life thanking you, or I may drift in and out of your life to express appreciation from time to time. Regardless, in all circumstances, I have still been saved from death.

LSer: I guess the bottom line is that if you are going to define belief as any of us would, but commitment as works, we’ll never get together on this. Take care of yourself.

Jane: I’m sorry that you can’t let go of the commitment part. If you are even remotely curious, please check out the following: expreacherman.com, a blog where many articles have been written and biblicly supported regarding this topic, and northlandchurch.com, the website for Northland Bible Baptist Church (unaffiliated, of course). Dr. Cucuzza has an excellent video presentation of the grace plan of salvation.

42 Comments

Posted in Assurance, Eternal Security, Faith, Lordship Salvation, Southern Baptist Convention

Lordship Salvationists Fail Their Own Test

Posted on November 8, 2014 by johninnc | 93 comments

by Jack Weaver and johninnc

One of Jack’s long-ago friends and a great help in his church in South Florida, Tom Croley, dropped this excellent observation to Jack last week. What a classic dilemma this presents for Lordship “salvation” pushers (LSers).

————————————————————————————————–

The other day the Lord gave me an observation about LS that I have never put together before. You have probably already thought of it but here it is.

The same people that say you must examine your faith to make sure your faith is genuine (“true faith”) usually teach that God chooses who will be saved and who will not and the associated erroneous teaching that “faith is the gift of God”.

They never seem to think about what they are telling people.

Suppose I am in the congregation listening to them expound on all the “tests” of true faith and I decide that … “Whoa! I don’t have genuine faith after all.” THEN what can I do about it?

Nothing! Because the same preacher on another Sunday will tell them that God gives you faith. So if you discover that your faith is not genuine upon hearing said sermon, you might as well get up and walk out the door and deposit your Bible on the way out — because according to them, you cannot DO anything about it you’re just not chosen, tough luck!

It makes you wonder why they even bother to preach sermons on “testing your faith to see if you are really saved.”

After all, what are they going to do…. “believe harder?” Or maybe they should go out and do a bunch of extra good works to prove that their faith is real after all?

Since nobody does get up and walk out, it shows that people are not listening, or if they are, they smugly think that their Pastor must be talking about someone else, because “there is nothing wrong with my faith” and “I don’t need to do any more good works.”

This is a form of arrogance. We can always do more for Jesus.

Praise God for Acts 16:31:

“And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.”

————————————————————————————————

Jack’s friend Tom Croley makes an excellent point. Of course, the scriptural passages that LSers misuse to come up with their non-Biblical, gospel-eviscerating “tests”, cannot possibly mean what they say they mean.

The Bible says that one can have assurance of eternal life as soon as he has believed in Christ as Savior:

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.

But, a new Christian doesn’t have anything of himself to examine for salvation. If a new Christian can have assurance of salvation without looking to himself, SO CAN ANY CHRISTIAN!

One CANNOT POSSIBLY look to his works, attitudes, good intentions, commitment, passion, feelings, emotions, direction of his life, sinning less, being more sensitive to sin, or any of these things to affirm, or even to corroborate whether or not he has eternal life.

The Bible teaches that works do not enter into the equation of whether or not someone goes to heaven or hell.

Romans 11:6: 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.

LSers are left on the horns of a dilemma: How can they trust in Christ alone as Savior, yet look to their works for assurance of salvation?

Perhaps as you’ve read this article, it has dawned on you that the “tests of life” that pastors have been teaching are not Biblical.

And, maybe it has dawned on you that in relying on these “tests”, you have never trusted in Christ alone as your Savior.

If you would like to know how to have eternal life, click here: Gospel link

93 Comments

Posted in Assurance, Calvinism, Free Grace, Lordship Salvation, Salvation

I Marvel: Lordship Salvation’s Spookiest Passage

Posted on October 26, 2014 by johninnc | 78 comments

By johninnc

Galatians 1:6-9:

[6] I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:

[7] Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.

[8] 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.

[9] 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 is one of the most misinterpreted passages in the Bible. This is true, in part, because of the mindset of Lordship “salvationists”, who do not realize the passage is talking about them.

Lordship “salvation” (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.

There are two varieties of LSers:

The first group is those who have never trusted in Christ alone as Savior. The Bible refers to this group as “false brethren.”

Galatians 2:4: And that because of false brethren unawares brought in, who came in privily to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage:

The second group is eternally secure Christians who once believed the gospel, but who have since incorporated LS into their understanding of the gospel.

Galatians 5:4: Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.

According to the NIV Bible that is the mainstay of many LSers, Paul is consigning both of the above groups to hell.

Galatians 1:9 (NIV): As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned!

This translation is woefully inaccurate. While it is true that anyone who is preaching a false gospel is accursed, it is not true that they are beyond redemption. In fact, the sad reality is that some people who preach false gospels are eternally secure Christians who have turned from the good news of the gospel to the bad news and uncertainty of LS.

The mistranslations of Galatians 1:8-9, such as the one featured in the NIV, are part of the reason that Christians fail to mark and avoid the false teachers of LS.

I marvel that someone thinks that God could both desire that everyone be saved (John 3:16, 1 Timothy 2:4; 2 Peter 3:9) and also desire that people who are teaching a false gospel be eternally condemned.

I marvel that people cannot discern the contradiction in the NIV “translation” of Galatians 1:8-9 with other scripture.

I marvel that anyone would think that an eternally secure Christian, who falls from grace by incorporating LS into his understanding of the gospel, would be consigned to hell.

I marvel that LSers are not totally freaked-out and spooked by this passage in the NIV!

I marvel that LSers think they can please God with their lifestyle changes, cessation from sin, good works, and so on, without ever having believed in Jesus ALONE as Savior, or after having believed in Jesus as Savior and then having fallen from grace.

I marvel that LSers look to themselves for assurance of eternal life and think they have found it.

I marvel that LSers, who insist that an inspection of self and others for “fruit” of salvation, seem to find it in themselves, but not others.

I marvel that LSers think people represented by soil 2 in the parable of the Sower were never saved. Particularly in light of the FACT that any LSer who is saved is himself represented by soil 2.

I marvel that someone who has never believed in Christ ALONE as Savior thinks he can be a disciple, a “Christ follower” or have a “relationship with Christ.”

I marvel that someone who has fallen from grace thinks he can stay in that state and be in fellowship with Christ.

I marvel how LSers, who mistakenly interpret the book of 1 John to be a series of tests to determine whether or not one has eternal life, routinely conclude that they have passed the test.

I marvel that LSers think the book of James, which was written to believers, is a field guide for determining whether or not one has eternal life – which is received by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone – based on an evaluation of his works.

And finally, I marvel that someone who understands and believes the gospel would attend churches and financially support ministries that preach a false gospel. I marvel that someone who understands and believes the gospel would hold hands with those who do not and pretend they are all on the same page.

I DO NOT marvel that those who take a stand for the gospel are harangued, hassled, maligned, unfriended, unwelcomed, and disavowed by the religious masses claiming the name of Christ.

Have you been spooked by LS? If so, click here: Not Scary!

78 Comments

Posted in Assurance of salvation, Eternal Security, Free Grace, HELL, Once saved always saved, Salvation

Lordship Salvation: Believing in Vain

Posted on October 15, 2014 by johninnc | 92 comments

By johninnc

Galatians 2:21: I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.

The word “vain” appears in the New Testament 38 times. In the context above, vain means “useless” or “ineffectual.”

There are three crucial points to Galatians 2:21.

First, Paul doesn’t participate in frustrating grace, and neither should we. Nor should we have anything to do with those who frustrate grace.

2 John 1:10-11:

[10] If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed:
[11] For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds.

Second, to try to be justified by the law is to frustrate grace. Like the word “vain”, the word “frustrate”, in this case, also means to make ineffectual.

Third, there is no law that could provide righteousness to mankind. If there were, then Christ need not have died to pay for our sins.

Galatians 3:21: Is the law against the promises of God? God forbid: for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law.

As believers in Christ, we know that Jesus has saved us completely. We know that He paid the FULL price for our sins. We know that we didn’t contribute to our salvation by forsaking our sins, confessing our sins, saying a prayer, walking an aisle, committing to reform ourselves, or by allowing Jesus to change our lives. We know that when we believed in Jesus, we received eternal life that can never be lost or forfeited.

We know that our righteousness comes from Christ, and not our attempts to keep the law, whether it be God’s perfect law or the Lordship “salvationists'” (LSers) arbitrary laws. In other words, we know that Christ is not dead in vain. We know that He is risen and alive and that we have eternal life through Him.

Romans 3:21-26:

[21] But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;
[22] Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:
[23] For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
[24] Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
[25] Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;
[26] To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.

LSers frustrate grace by insisting that simply believing in Jesus is not sufficient to either receive, keep, or evidence eternal life. In so doing, they create a false gospel of works, devoid of power to save those who trust in that false gospel for eternal life. And, for those Christians who are duped into LS after they receive eternal life, they are robbed of any power for Christian living or evangelizing the lost.

In Romans 4, the Apostle Paul confirms that the admixture of faith in Christ PLUS works for eternal life is not possible :

Romans 4:14: For if they which are of the law be heirs, faith is made void, and the promise made of none effect.

Notice the similarity between Galatains 2:21 and Romans 4:14. If we could be justified by the law, Christ is dead in vain. If those trying to be justified by the law could be justified by the law, then justification by faith is of no effect.

If you ask an LSer what “believe in vain” means, you will likely get some answer that has to do with one’s works. For example, that someone may believe in Jesus, but not have eternal life, because they haven’t turned from their sins, or they haven’t shown sufficient good works. They may throw “faith without works is dead” or “even the demons believe and they tremble” at you. They may talk about “head faith versus heart faith”, or say that “real faith is obedient faith.”

And, yet, we know that LSers don’t keep God’s laws. They may say they are trying, but trying is a work.

Galatians 3:10-11:

[10] For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.
[11] But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.

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.

Lordship “salvation” is no salvation at all. It is belief in salvation by works. It is believing in vain.

For a message of hope that is not vain, click here: Eternal Life for You

92 Comments

Posted in Assurance, Eternal Security, Free Grace, Hope, Lordship Salvation, Once saved always saved, Salvation, Security of believers, The Law

Helping a New Believer Find an Oasis of Grace in a Desert of Lordship Salvation

Posted on October 11, 2014 by johninnc | 103 comments

By johninnc and Jack Weaver

We recently received an e-mail from a fellow grace believer who wants to spread the gospel to people with whom he comes into contact. Following are excerpts from the e-mail:

When l share the simple plan of salvation and they believe in Jesus to give them the gift of eternal life, what do l do with them to help them grow as christians. lt seems to me that if l send them to a church in my area, they will get this LS teaching…l know that l will have to have a fellowship in my home to encourage and also be encouraged, if you know of a web site that would teach new christians ” what’s my next step” i would love to know about it.

This is a great question. Many of us do not have a home church, and would not be comfortable steering anyone – much less a new believer – to any church that distorts the gospel in ANY way.

Before anyone begins looking for a church, he should be thoroughly grounded in the gospel.

In addition to the home fellowship that you suggested, below are some recommendations to help new believers grow in grace, and some things to avoid.

1. Suggest that they repeatedly read clear explantations of God’s plan of salvation. Such resources will remind them of the Biblical truth that salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. This will also reinforce the truths of eternal security and assurance for the believer in Christ.

We recommend two such resources at ExPreacherMan.

“The Gospel” booklet by Ron Shea

Click to access the-gospel.pdf

“How to Be Sure You are Going to Heaven” by Dr. Thomas Cucuzza:

Click to access how-to-be-sure-you-are-going-to-heaven-with-cover.pdf

2. Have them learn to read God’s Word. Start by suggesting they read through the book of Galatians several times, one chapter per day. The book of Galatians is a defense of the gospel that will help new believers understand the nature of the attacks that they will face from the world of professing Christendom, and the Biblical response to those attacks.

3. Emphasize the importance of not looking to changes in our lives for assurance of salvation, nor to let the lack of sufficient changes in our lives undermine our assurance of salvation.

4. Suggest they read ExPreacherMan articles and comments.

5. Have them listen to online sermons from sources that you have evaluated and are convinced are reliable. We recommend Dr. Cucuzza’s sermons. See link below:

http://northlandchurch.com/go/downloads

6. Warn them to avoid playing “Russian Roulette” with books, sermons, and websites that claim to be teaching Christianity. There is more bad teaching out there than good.

7. Make yourself available for questions – within reason. Some people will fail to do things they need to do to grow in grace, or will do things to undermine their faith (see number 6) and be pretty shaky. Challenge people to take an active role, and not just have you feed them.

8. Pray that God will provide for them, and for you, a church in which the gospel is taught clearly, consistently, and without contradiction. If you are unable to find a church, don’t despair. ExPreacherMan is available as a place for fellowship, discussion and encouragement for people who have church homes, as well as for those who don’t.

9. Let them know to never let down their guard and to maintain vigilance. Avoid any church where there is evidence of Calvinism or Lordship “salvation.” Many churches and pastors will claim to believe in grace, but their words will betray them. Consider the following from one false teaching mega-church:

From “Core Beliefs:

Those who put their faith alone in Christ for Salvation are children of God and heirs of eternal life.

From the Senior Pastor’s blog:

Through my obedience, my Father has given me the final authority to execute judgment over all humanity. One day, everyone will hear my voice and appear before me in final judgment. Don’t marvel at this saying. It is true. This judgment will solely depend on those who have believed in me. John’s gospel repeatedly states this truth (3:16;5:24,25; 14:6). However, good and bad deeds will prove an individual’s faith. If good deeds aren’t there, it proves faith isn’t present. These people face eternal judgment. If good deeds are there, it proves faith is present and they are granted eternal resurrection life.

10. Tell them to share the good news with others.

Want to know the good news? Here it is: Good News!

103 Comments

Posted in Assurance, Assurance of salvation, Calvinism, Christianity, Eternal Security, Free Grace, Grace, Lordship Salvation, Once saved always saved, Salvation, Security of the believer

There is No Such Thing as Lordship Salvation

Posted on September 21, 2014 by johninnc | 107 comments

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, 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

107 Comments

Posted in Free Grace

Lordship Salvation: Looking for Evidence While Denying Proof

Posted on September 3, 2014 by johninnc | 130 comments

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:

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

130 Comments

Posted in Free Grace

My Story: What This Fellowship Of Believers Means To Me

Posted on August 24, 2014 by johninnc | 128 comments

By John and Jack, Administrators

This article will be somewhat different than our norm. Our Goal at ExPreacherMan has always been to share with you the simplicity of the Gospel of Salvation in Jesus Christ alone — and to expose those who would pervert that Good News message.

If you, as a friend of ExP feel so inclined, we would appreciate you telling us and our readers in a short note, what ExPreacherMan means to you. Your note may include your thoughts of how ExP has helped you understand God’s Word, His Grace, salvation, your assurance of salvation, your encouragement, helping get you out of LS, Calvinism, etc. We know all of our readers will be thrilled and encouraged.

A short time line of ExPreacherMan:

2006 was the first year.
2011 we added Bruce Bauer as a co-Administrator. We were so thankful for him and saddened when he resigned due to his other ministry pressures. Thanks Bruce, the Lord used you wonderfully.
2013 John came on board as co-Administrator. [Jacks comment: We are so thankful for John and Jane.]

Since we launched ExP, we have been blessed by the Lord with:

Over 609,000 total views of the web site.
Viewers from 53 different countries in just the last seven days, many more in entirety.
Views ranging from 400 to 600 or more views per day.
ExP has 256 personal subscribers who have signed up to receive notices of our posts.

We see so many folks have been positively influenced by ExP, including your ExP administrators who have been encouraged. The Lord has blessed this ministry by your participation.

We will appreciate you telling us your short story to encourage us and our readers.

Thank you!!!

128 Comments

Posted in Free Grace, Grace, Hope, Joy, Once saved always saved, Salvation, Security of believers

How Eternal is Eternal Life and How Secure is Eternal Security?

Posted on August 6, 2014 by johninnc | 97 comments

By Jack Weaver

John wrote a wonderful article June 30th about the precious Bible verse John10:28. I have recently corresponded with some of our dear friends in Australia so I analyzed for them the verse John 10:28. In doing so, I investigated the meanings of some of the exciting words in that verse.

It answers the question, How Eternal is Eternal Life and How Secure is Eternal Security.

Our Australian friends had been witnessing to a gentleman who proclaimed that a believer can walk away from an ETERNAL relationship with Jesus Christ.

John 10:28: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.

I usually like to ask such folks; “When Jesus Christ gives you ETERNAL life upon belief, what does the word ETERNAL really mean to you”?

The Greek word for ETERNAL is Aionios, and it means perpetual – eternal, forever, everlasting.

That is very clear and pronounced by Jesus Himself – it is absolute and not debatable.

The most interesting and amazing word in that passage is the word NEVER. It is a compound word made up of four different words or word phrases.
These words are: Ou me, Eis, Ho, Aion.

Ou Me is a double negative strengthening the denial; not at all, by any (or no) means, neither, never, in no case (no wise), nor ever, not at all in any wise.

Eis is a primary preposition; for in any place, time, or any purpose — continual, far more exceeding, for [any intent, purpose], of one mind, never perish.

Ho including the feminine he, hay; and the neuter to, in all their inflections; the definite article – the, this, that, one, he, she, it, etc.

Aion is from, and the same as, the Greek word (aei); properly an age; by extension perpetuity (also past); by implication the world; (present or future) – age, course, eternal, forever (forevermore), the beginning of the world (since the world began, world without end).

So we see the ETERNAL implications of what Jesus personally promised to every person who believes in Him, that they would NEVER perish.

That statement, by Jesus, includes:
• Male, female, neuter.
• It means eternal, never ceasing, world without end.
• It means in any place, any time, or for any purpose not at all, by no means, never, in no case, no wise, not ever, not at all in any case.

Read that over carefully and digest it fully.

Shortly after I trusted Christ as my Savior, the man who led me to Christ preached a sermon explaining John 10:28. He included all of explanations I have used here. I was surprised, amazed, thrilled and excited.

How much more definitive, fixed and final could ETERNAL life and NEVER PERISH be, especially when promised by the Savior, Jesus Christ Himself?

A person who says they are Christian but does not believe in Eternal Security has probably never taken the time to check out the depth and meaning of those powerful words in John 10:28.

The bottom line, by Jesus Himself:
• Eternal Life is proclaimed ETERNAL!
• Eternal Security is Proclaimed ETERNALLY SECURE.

We need never doubt our eternally secure position in Jesus Christ. If we do, we would be saying to Jesus, the Creator of the Universe “I don’t believe you”!! Would you stand Him to His face and say that?

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

The Gospel of Jesus Christ IS the Power of God unto salvation (Romans 1:16). If a person chooses not to believe Jesus, as Jesus Himself proclaimed in John 10:28, he is calling Jesus a liar.

We pray you have trusted Jesus Christ alone as your eternal Savior. If not, please do so right now. Read the link below, study the Scriptures therein and trust Jesus.

Eternal Life, God’s FREE Gift to You

97 Comments

Posted in Assurance, Assurance of salvation, Eternal Security, Salvation, Secure salvation, Security of believers, Security of the believer

Grace Ecumenism

Posted on August 3, 2014 by johninnc | 176 comments

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.

176 Comments

Posted in Free Grace

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Grace Ecumenism

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