A Free Gift? Absolutely FREE? You Gotta Be Kidding Me!

Posted on December 24, 2013 by | 11 comments

John 8:32 “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

By Jack Weaver

TV Clothing store – Buy one get two absolutely free

An electric razor, buy one and get one absolutely free — just pay shipping and handling.

Free web computer scan for problems — absolutely free — just a small fee to find out what it is and fix the problem.

Christmas – good kids get absolutely free  gifts — “bad” kids get none.

There always seem to be strings or conditions attached to FREE! Don’t believe the advertisers. NONE of these are free. The words FREE and GIFT have been perverted in so many ways that when we speak of salvation and eternal life as God’s free gift, folks automatically throw up a guard and think there must be conditions attached.

THE GIFT:

It did not begin with the Creation of the world. John 1:1-3

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God.  All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.”

It did not end with the Birth of Jesus Matthew 1:22-23

“Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.”

It did not end with the Life of Jesus (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John)

It did not end with the persecution of Jesus John 19:16:17

“Then delivered he him therefore unto them to be crucified. And they took Jesus, and led him away. And he bearing his cross went forth into a place called the place of a skull, which is called in the Hebrew Golgotha:”

It did not end with the crucifixion of Jesus. John 19:18

“…  they crucified him, and two others with him, on either side one, and Jesus in the midst.“

It did not end with the burial of Jesus. 1 Corinthians 15:4a

“And that he was buried, …. according to the scriptures:”

It did not end with the resurrection of Jesus. 1 Corinthians 15:4b

“…and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:”

It does not end!!

God’s GIFT of Eternal Life is still FREE to you — no strings attached, never ending.

Jesus Christ, the Creator of the universe, the Savior is Himself Eternal. His Gospel of FREE Eternal life is just as ETERNAL. Eternal means NEVER ENDING!!

Eternal Life — the totally FREE Gift <<< Click and Believe

11 Comments

Posted in Assurance, Assurance of salvation, Bible, Christianity, Christmas, Eternal Security, Faith, Grace, Hope, Joy, Once saved always saved, Salvation, Security of the believer

Why We Can’t Judge Whether or not Someone Possesses Eternal Life

Posted on December 21, 2013 by | 43 comments

By Jack Weaver and our fellow Administrator, John.

We at ExP are sometimes accused of condemning to hell people that don’t agree with our Biblical view of the gospel.  We would like to state, unequivocally, that we cannot, and therefore do not, judge whether someone is or is not a believer.

We cannot condemn anyone, nor do we wish to see anyone condemned.  The Bible is very clear on why anyone would be condemned, or not condemned:

John 3:18:  He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

When we hear someone introduce works into the salvation equation, it would be negligent for us to ASSUME they were saved.  If someone is not currently clear on God’s plan of salvation, it is at least possible that they were never clear on God’s plan of salvation.

What if someone currently claims to be an atheist?  Can we know that such a person has never believed in Jesus as his Savior?  No.  According to scripture, someone who is believer can fall away:

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 teaches that anyone who has ever believed in Jesus as Savior is eternally secure.  So, even a professing atheist COULD be a heaven-bound believer, if he ever trusted in Jesus as his Savior.   Having said that, would it be wise to assume that a professing atheist is a believer?  We don’t think so.  We think it would be best to tell such a person the gospel message.

What if someone is a professing Christian, is an active churchgoer, prays regularly, reads his Bible, tries to live a clean lifestyle, and does good works, but contradicts his profession of faith in Christ with statements that indicate that he thinks works are necessary in order for someone to get to heaven? His contradictory statements could include that one must “repent of sins” or “commit one’s life to Christ” in order to be saved, or that one must have a change in behavior and/or good works if he really is saved.  He might even think that he could lose or forfeit his salvation.  In such cases, would it be wise to assume he has ever trusted in Christ alone as Savior?  Just like with the atheist, we think it would be be best to tell such a person the gospel message.

In the case of the professing atheist, his confession is “I don’t believe in God.”  In the case of the professing Lordship “salvationist”, his confession will most likely be “I believe salvation is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone”, but then he will contradict that statement by adding works to the equation.  So, in reality, neither the atheist nor the Lordship “salvationist” is testifying to believing the gospel NOW.

We should approach each person with the assumption that he may not have heard or believed the gospel, unless he can clearly articulate why he is going to heaven, and it is based solely on the finished work of Jesus Christ.  This is not because we want to be judgmental or condemning, but because God wants all men to be saved, and so should we.

43 Comments

Posted in Assurance of salvation, Bible, Free Grace, HELL, Hope, Lordship Salvation, Salvation, Security of the believer

True or False: A Person Who Believes In Jesus For Salvation WILL Have A Change Of Behavior

Posted on December 14, 2013 by | 486 comments

By Jack Weaver and our fellow Administrator, John.

 In a recent Internet conversation with a gentleman, he insisted that a person who believes in Christ WILL have a change of behavior.

He insisted that a believer, being indwelt “with the Holy Spirit in their life, there WILL be change.” [our Caps emphasis]

Too often folks look to changes they have experienced as a validation of their salvation. Let’s not get bogged down in “experiences” of change, but look to Bible doctrine. Experience will beg the question, “How much change would satisfy God”?

By saying “there WILL be change” in a believers life, this gentleman seems to be discounting the fact that any believer in Jesus Christ still has a human will which can be motivated by his personal choice to disobey (or obey) the prompting of the Holy Spirit.

Every Christian, upon the first moment of believing, is instantly indwelt, sealed and regenerated by God’s Holy Spirit (simultaneous events – Ephesians 1:13). Believers do not become robots by faith, but have the choice to obey or disobey the promptings of the indwelling Holy Spirit. That is why believers are told: “Quench [tune out, or stop responding to the prompting of] not the Spirit.” (1 Thessalonians 5:19).

Most churches to whom Paul wrote had some (often many) believers (addressed as Brothers in Christ, or brethren) who CHOSE not to change and CHOSE to be disobedient, thus quenching the Holy Spirit:

1 Corinthians 3:1-3:

[1] And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.

[2] I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able.

[3] For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?

Among the believers in Corinth there were contentions and strife, they were puffed up, there was fornication with one’s own father’s wife, covetousness, idolaters, etc. (1 Corinthians 5)

Believers were constantly admonished by the Apostles to “walk in the Spirit”, “be filled [controlled] with the Spirit”, “walk in good works”, “put on the new man”, and “put on the whole armour of God”.   They were guilty of such despicable behavior that Paul found it necessary to instruct them in how to behave – it was not automatic simply by virtue of them being believers in Jesus.

Thus we see in Scripture that behavioral change is NOT automatic upon belief.

To say that believers WILL change (behavior) means that good works must accompany faith in Christ.  And, if good works must accompany faith in Christ, than good works would be required for someone to go to heaven.

The Bible does not teach that works are required as a condition for receiving eternal life, nor does the Bible teach that good works will accompany faith in Christ.  The Bible teaches that salvation is received by grace, through faith in Christ.

 Ephesians 2:8-10:

[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.

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

 It is obvious that God wants our behavior to change once we are saved (Romans 6:4).  Of course God wants us to do good works.   Tom Cucuzza explained this concept in part 1 of his sermon series on the book of James:

 “Grace.  For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.   Not “must” – that would be works.  Not “will” – that would be Calvinism.  No, it’s should.  We should.”

 We see this concept repeated throughout scripture, as believers are exhorted, admonished, and beseeched to live their lives in a way befitting their identity in Christ.  Please note the following examples, all of which are instructions to believers – not to be saved, to keep saved, or to prove they are saved, but because they are saved:

 Romans 12:1-2:

[1] I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

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

 Titus 3:8:

This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men.

 1 Peter 2:11-12:

[11] Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul;

[12] Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation.

 Galatians 5:16

This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.

 Hebrews 13:22

And I beseech you, brethren, suffer the word of exhortation: for I have written a letter unto you in few words.

 James 4:7-8:

[7] Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

[8] Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.

 The notion that a believer’s behavior will change is nothing more than the false teaching of perseverance of the saints – the “P” in the Calvinist TULIP. Calvinists proclaim that a believer will “persevere to the end” or he will not be saved. OR, because he does not persevere to the end, he is not really saved to begin with. That is terrible teaching.

And of course, these teachings are the very essence of Calvinism and Lordship “salvation” which represent NO salvation at all.

Questions to ponder:

1. Could one say that without good works a person cannot be or stay saved? NO!! Titus 3:5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us

2. Does God look at our good works to determine the validity of our faith, our righteousness in Jesus? NO!!! Romans 4:5 But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.

3. How many good works could it possibly take to satisfy God and justify one before God? NONE !! Romans 3:24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:

4. Who dictates to a believer which good works are good enough to justify one before God? NO ONE: 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.

5. Can a person trust Jesus Christ alone as his Savior, be excited, do “good works” for a week or two and then do nothing more until he dies — and still have eternal life? YES, Jesus said: 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.   (Please note that NOWHERE in the Bible does it say that one can walk away from his salvation, and thus lose it.)

6. Are there any circumstances whereby a believer in Jesus Christ can lose or forfeit God’s Gift of Eternal Life? NO!! Jesus said: 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.

True, Simple, Easy Eternal Life For Anyone << Click

486 Comments

Posted in Assurance, Assurance of salvation, Bible, Calvinism, Christian, Eternal Security, Faith, Grace, Hope, Lordship Salvation, Once saved always saved, Reformed theology, Repentance, Salvation, Security of the believer

The Gospel According to Spurgeon

Posted on December 10, 2013 by | 15 comments

This is an excellent and important article on the terrible errors of Charles Spurgeon, well worth the read from our friend Jim Floyd.

jimfloyd12's avatarStand For the Faith

Before I continue with my review of the book by MacArthur, The Gospel According to Jesus, I want to take time to look at another person from the past that advocated a similar position. Some believe that MacArthur’s Lordship Salvation is a relatively new thing. This is intended to show that this message is not new and can come as a logical progression from any Calvinist.

The following quotes are from Spurgeon’s book The Soul Winner.

Consider the errors that Spurgeon taught. He rejected the free grace view that repentance means change of mind. Now he said repentance means “change of mind” but described it this way on page 30 of his book “The Soul Winner”.

“”You will not find a better definition of it than the one given in the children’s hymn.

“Repentance is to leave
The sins we loved before
And show that we in earnest grieve,

View original post 717 more words

15 Comments

Posted in Free Grace

Verses: Justification by Grace Through Faith in Christ Alone

Posted on December 1, 2013 by | Comments Off on Verses: Justification by Grace Through Faith in Christ Alone

Verses Verifying Justification By Grace Alone Through Faith Alone In Jesus Christ Alone.

There are over 150 verses in the New Testament  demonstrating that our salvation comes by grace alone, through faith alone in Christ alone.

Our new permanent Header link, Believer’s Justification provides over 160 verses to illustrate that point. These are Bible verses (all King James Version) referenced by Richard A. Seymour in his great booklet, THE GIFT:

Believer’s Justification <<Click

Comments Off on Verses: Justification by Grace Through Faith in Christ Alone

Posted in Assurance, Grace, Justification, Salvation

With Regret, Appreciation and Thanks!!

Posted on November 29, 2013 by | 12 comments

By Jack Weaver

It is with deep regret I announce that Bruce (CalifGracer), our dear friend and fellow Administrator here at ExPreacherMan.com, has chosen to move on to other venues of ministry for our Savior.

Bruce has been involved with ExP for over three years and he has tirelessly commented, written insightful articles on God’s Grace, exposed the lie of those who oppose His Grace [Lordship “salvationists” and Calvinists] and edited my occasional grammatical errors. He has done all of this while at the same time helping us manage the intricate mechanisms of the ExPreacherMan web site.

In all of this he has labored faithfully and extremely well while holding down a demanding full-time job in the secular world, supporting a wonderful wife and family, as well as taking special care of an elderly family member with Alzheimer’s disease. Bruce also teaches a weekly Bible study for Senior Citizens and plays in the Orchestra at his Church. Bruce is a busy man for the Lord.

I have difficulty expressing the high degree of appreciation I have for Bruce and for his personal help to me, to the web site and to our hundreds of regular readers and friends.

Thanks dear friend, Bruce, you will be missed!!!  We all pray you will continue to be blessed with the all-sufficient riches of His Grace and wisdom in your new focus, direction and ministries.

1 Corinthians 1:4  I thank my God always on your behalf, for the grace of God which is given you by Jesus Christ;

2 Corinthians 13:14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen.

We’ll see you some day in Heaven with our Savior Jesus Christ!

In Jesus Christ eternally, Jack

12 Comments

Posted in Grace

Giving Thanks for What and Why

Posted on November 27, 2013 by | 22 comments

By Jack Weaver

Realizing that ExPreacherMan is read and commented upon all over the World, this post will not necessarily be about the American Holiday, Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving, the act and attitude is not unique to America but should be a constant thing for Believers in Jesus Christ all over the World.

Join with us as we itemize our thanks. This can always be iffy since many things for which we are thankful will be neglected.

Our friend John wrote a note to me this morning: “By the way, the word “thanksgiving” shows up in Psalms eight times.”

THANKFUL FOR:

  • The Gospel of our Salvation so free for the taking.
  • That God loved the whole World and desires that each individual in the whole World choose to believe in Jesus Christ for eternal life.
  • God’s Amazing Grace that saved a wretch like me.
  • That we have been given a choice to believe in Jesus Christ or not.
  • That once one believes in Jesus for Eternal Life — it is Everlasting and without end.
  • God’s everlasting, infallible Word that explains His FREE Gift of salvation so clearly.
  • That God does not require the Performance, the Promise or the Evidence of good works to accompany our faith in Christ in order to make that faith result in eternal life.
  • That our eternal life in Christ is in no way dependent upon our behavior.
  • That when we depart this earth by death or Rapture, we shall “ever be with the Lord”!
  • For the opportunity to share the Gospel of God’s Grace and expose those who would pervert that Pure Gospel.
  • And so many thousands more, ad infinitum.

And we here at ExPreacherMan are forever thankful for our  friends and visitors, some of whom have come out of the darkness of false teaching into the Light of the Gospel Truth. Your testimonies are a blessing to all of us.

If you desire to express your thankfulness, pleases do so in a SHORT paragraph or two. [Edited] 😎

Thankful – The Gospel! << Click

22 Comments

Posted in Assurance, Assurance of salvation, Bible, Christian, Christianity, Eternal Security, Faith, Grace, Hope, Lordship Salvation, Once saved always saved, Reformed theology, Religion, Repentance, Salvation, Security of the believer, Thansgiving

The “Re-start” of Florida Bible College and the FBCAA are Apparently Sharing the Lie of Lordship “salvation.”

Posted on November 13, 2013 by | 91 comments

Circle CC Graham.jpg

By Jack Weaver (FBC Winter ’71)

This article should not have to be written and it pains me greatly to do so — but the truth must be told.

Florida Bible College (FBC) is my theological Alma Mater  (December 1971) and was one of the greatest Grace Bible Colleges ever founded. Recently however, some well meaning alumni have decided to re-start the college after it has been off the map for many years in a state of legal closure.

The Board of Florida Bible College Alumni Association (FBCAA) in their desire to re-start FBC seems to be taking a downward spiral. If we  check out the web site of the church which will house the new FBC campus home, (the Circle Community Christian Church (CCC)) we will see why. Unless CCC scrubs the site due to pressure, you will see a big splash-page advertisement promoting the new Billy Graham program, “My Hope For America.” Graham’s program promotes the same message he preached for 50 years, a pernicious “repent of sins for salvation”, “turn from sin ‘salvation'” and a “commitment ‘salvation’ (probation)“ messages. NONE of these are the Biblical Gospel of God’s Grace. It is nothing more than the modern iteration of a Biblically condemned “works” message. Such messages (adding works to God’s Grace)  and the person or group promoting it are accursed (i.e. banned) according to God’s Word. (Galatians 1:8-9)

In my note on 11/7/13 to Circle Community Church Pastor Ron Hoffmann (an FBCAA Board members), I asked for an explanation as to why he would promote Billy Graham and his false messages on his church web site. I have not heard from him as of today.

Here is the main text of my message to Pastor Hoffmann explaining my background with and interest in the original Florida Bible College in Hollywood, FL:

Pastor Hoffmann,I received the notice that FBC will be re-started in your church soon.

A little of my personal History, FYI:

  • Trusted Christ as my Savior at an FBC Christmas Concert, Grove Community church, December 15, 1964.
  • Served as a Deacon at Grove for many years and then an Elder at Grove and Florida Bible Church when we moved to Hollywood.
  • Served on the Board of Directors of FBC Hollywood, FL for several years in.
  • I graduated FBC, Hollywood, December, 1971.
  • Founded Palmetto Bible Church from which I am now retired at age 84.

I visited your CCC web site and frankly am appalled that your church, as a sponsor of the “new FBC,” would support and advertise an association with Billy Graham and his organization. Graham is known for his ecumenical evangelism, his false “turn from sin salvation” message, his cooperation and association with false teachers, churches and apostates. Graham Videos With Robert Schuller:
Billy Graham Denies Jesus Is The ONLY WAY To The Father

Robert Schuller And Billy Graham Speaking Wide Acceptance

If your church and FBC are running in this kind of Billy Graham crowd, their teaching and affiliation for expediency or whatever reason, you have departed from every vestige of free Grace teaching by which FBC was founded, existed and taught for years.
~~End of note to Hoffmann~~~~

There is NO assurance of Eternal Life in the Billy Graham message.

In contrast to the message at CCC/FBCAA, our friend Dr. Yankee Arnold and his church (formerly Dr. Hank Lindstrom’s Calvary Community Church in Tampa, FL), have already started classes for the officially incorporated Florida Bible College of  Tampa. This is a Biblically sound Grace Bible college.

It is sad to see the old FBC, once a Torch of Grace, shining the Gospel Light into a dark world, surrender to the “works” message of Graham. (through the CCC/FBCAA).

With thousands of compromising seminaries and Bible colleges teaching the Lordship “salvation” lie, why would anyone desire to multiply that number with just one more?

We can only pray that the the FBCAA Board will seek God’s Word and His Will, wake up to the Truth of God’s Grace and reject all vestiges of the terrible, false Lordship “salvation” message of Billy Graham and his ilk. Find out (Lordship Salvation Defined)

A few days ago I communicated by email with another of the FBCAA Board members who assured me he would “bring it up in the next Board meeting.” He did not express any concern one way or the other over the CCC/Graham website connection except to say, “Jack, I personally do not consider Billy Graham accurate or clear on the Gospel. Your question was to the board and I do not have authority to answer for them without consulting them.”

I pray for the general world-wide population of Florida Bible College’s Alumni — that they will be discerning and not be taken in by the FBCAA Board, who seem to exhibit little discernment in this case. I likewise pray that if this is all nothing more that a terrible error in judgment by the FBCAA Board and CCC, they will admit and correct it quickly.

ADDENDUM I: I just visited the CCC web site and the Graham splash screen has been scrubbed. That is why I saved a screen-shot of the CCC web site (above). There was no explanation why it was scrubbed. We will wait for either CCC or FBCAA to offer an explanation. (Jack)

ADDENDUM II: OOOOPS. One of our alert readers, D. Taylor reports that though the splash screen was scrubbed, the web page at CCC/FBCAA is still encouraging their members to attend the Graham presentation — and they invite their friends to attend so they can learn to share their faith. Billy Graham is a terrible example and certainly NOT an example of Biblical soul winning!!! We would encourage someone from both organizations, CCC/FBCAA to drop by and explain. (Jack)

The Gospel TRUTH for Which We Contend << Click

91 Comments

Posted in Assurance of salvation, Bible, Billy Graham, Eternal Security, Faith, Grace, Lordship Salvation, Once saved always saved, Repentance, Salvation, Security of believers

Lordship Salvation’s Strange Bedfellows: Apostate Evangelicals and Mormons Meet at BYU to Build on Common Ground

Posted on November 7, 2013 by | 34 comments

2 Corinthians 11:3-4:

But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.  For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.

A recent article in “Religion News Services” (RNS) highlighted “evangelical” visits to Brigham Young University.  The article was entitled “Evangelical visits to BYU signal a new evangelical-Mormon détente”.

According to the RNS article, recent visitors to BYU have included Southern Baptist leader Richard Land and Albert Mohler, Jr., president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.

What common ground do these “evangelical leaders” and their Mormon brethren think they have?

Mohler:  “That is why I and my evangelical brothers and sisters are so glad to have Mormon neighbors,” Mohler said in his talk on Oct 21. “We stand together for the natural family, for natural marriage, for the integrity of sexuality within marriage alone.”

Land:  “Those who oppose us are not going to make any distinctions,” said Land, the new president of Southern Evangelical Seminary  in North Carolina. “They’re hostile to people of faith, period.”

John Taylor (director of interfaith relations for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints):  “There’s a realization among faith groups generally that despite doctrinal differences — and we have doctrinal differences, there’s no question about that — we do have areas of commonality,” 

What else do these groups have in common?  None of them believe that salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.  They don’t believe what the Bible teaches about how one receives eternal life (see John 3:16; Ephesians 2:8-9).

The recent interaction between evangelicals and Mormons seems to be part of a growing trend, as this excerpt from the RNS article points out:

Gregory Johnson, co-founder of Standing Together, a Utah group of evangelical pastors, has given dozens of presentations with BYU’s Millet called “A Mormon and an Evangelical in Conversation.” He dubbed the recent get-togethers “the year of the evangelical at BYU.”

Mohler plans to return to BYU early next year, as does Christian apologist Ravi Zacharias.

In addition to increasing dialog between evangelicals and Mormons, there has been cooperation between Mormons and Catholics in humanitarian missions, as highlighted in the RNS article:

John Taylor, director of interfaith relations for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, said there is a growing sense that Mormons and non-Mormons can agree in some areas — from humanitarian aid, where Mormons have also joined with Catholics — to the desire to retain their younger members.

I believe we will see groups that teach false gospels continue to coalesce with false religions.  I believe we will see them begin to “iron out” doctrinal issues.  I believe the more they meet and have dialog, the more they will find they have in common.

In fact, my wife has recently been visited a couple of times by two Jehovah’s witnesses.  She has patiently explained God’s plan of salvation to them, and has even referred them to Expreacherman.com.

During one of the discussions, my wife asked the Jehovah’s witnesses whether they thought the people represented by the second soil in the parable of the Sower were saved or not (Luke 8:13).  They said they were not.  My wife told them that people who believe salvation is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone think that soil two represents saved believers, because that’s what the Bible says.

What an insightful comment!  I wonder what the Lordship “salvationists” would say about soil two in the parable of the Sower?  The Mormons?  The Roman Catholics?

34 Comments

Posted in Free Grace

Encouraging News about the Good News (The Gospel). ExPreacherMan Reaching Around the World.

Posted on October 25, 2013 by | 49 comments

By Jack Weaver

Jesus Christ speaks:

“And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” Mark 16:15

All of us here at our Oasis of Grace often express feeling of isolation because of a dearth of sound, Biblical church fellowship with other Believers. ExPreacherMan attempts to offer a small island of fellowship through abiding by an unwavering and uncompromising stand for the Gospel of our salvation  — by God’s Grace through Faith in Jesus Christ alone — and NOT by our works of our righteousness in order to gain or keep Eternal Life. (Ephesians 2:8-9) (Titus 3:5)

The Administrators at ExPreacherMan.com strive to speak the Truth of the Gospel and expose the lies of Lordship “salvation,” Calvinism, “turn from sin probation-ism” and all other subtle (and some not so subtle) teachings which contradict the simplicity that is in Christ and His Word.

This morning I was looking over ExPreacherMan web statistics for the past 365 days.

I was thrilled to see how the Lord has used ExPreacherMan to share Jesus Christ worldwide. Our visitors include many from Islamic countries, China, India, Russia and others in the spiritually darkest areas of the world. Of course we realize some few of these Views represent nefarious spammers who attempt to trade on our worldwide outreach. But, even so, we pray that when these folks do visit, they will read and believe the Gospel, the Truth of God’s Salvation. (John 3:16) Pray for them – God loves them too..

Look over these statistics. Realize that your comments and explanations of God’s Word circle the globe and land in isolated and dark countries (even the spiritually dark USA). We humbly realize one thing before the Lord — we have an awesome responsibility to share that Truth clearly, accurately and without error.

We thank each of you for your part in this outreach. We are approaching half a million total views of ExPreacherMan since our modest beginning six years ago. We are all volunteers who love and are thankful for our Savior and His Precious Gospel Message — His Free Gift of Eternal Life. The Glory and Praise are to the Lord God Almighty.

Good News – Eternal Life FREE

Statistics for the past 12 months alone, as of 10/25/2013. ExP reached 184 different countries in the world.

Country Views
United States FlagUnited States 152,876
Canada FlagCanada 8,005
United Kingdom FlagUnited Kingdom 7,071
Australia FlagAustralia 4,292
Netherlands FlagNetherlands 1,775
New Zealand FlagNew Zealand 1,619
Philippines FlagPhilippines 1,568
South Africa FlagSouth Africa 1,096
Germany FlagGermany 861
Singapore FlagSingapore 735
India FlagIndia 666
Malaysia FlagMalaysia 566
Indonesia FlagIndonesia 546
Brazil FlagBrazil 336
Thailand FlagThailand 307
Switzerland FlagSwitzerland 261
Nigeria FlagNigeria 249
Korea, Republic of FlagRepublic of Korea 209
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Posted in Assurance of salvation, Bible, Calvinism, Christian, Eternal Security, Faith, Free Grace, Grace, Hope, Islam, Israel, Jews, Lordship Salvation, Love of God, Muslim, Once saved always saved, Repentance, Salvation, Security of believers

Lordship Salvation’s Billy Graham Sets Trap

Posted on October 9, 2013 by | 170 comments

image

There is an old adage, often attributed to Ralph Waldo Emerson, that says:  Build a better mousetrap and the world will beat a path to your door.  This adage is intended to describe the power of innovation in the marketplace.

When preaching God’s word, innovation is never a good idea.  God particularly frowns on anyone changing the gospel, due to its unique nature in evangelizing non-believers. In fact, anyone changing the gospel is under His curse.

Billy Graham, the icon of American evangelicalism in the twentieth century, has made a lifetime of preaching a false gospel message.  He has done this by adding conditions that change the gospel from the Good News of how God has provided for our salvation through Jesus Christ, to bad news of how we must add to Christ’s finished work on the cross with our own commitment and faithfulness.

Unfortunately, the prince of this world (Satan) uses men like Billy Graham to keep people lost.  This world offers praise, accolades, fame, and worldly success to men who corrupt the gospel.  On the other hand, Jesus taught that people who lived for Him would be hated in this world.

In his latest book, “The Reason for My Hope”, Billy Graham has made some of his most ardent false claims to date.

Consider the following quote, in which Graham states that faith in Christ is not sufficient to receive eternal life:

I am afraid that many Christians, in their zeal to share their faith in Christ, have made the Gospel message of making disciples for Him too simple. 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.”

Here Graham mixes the concept of receiving eternal life through simple faith in Christ with the cost of following Christ in discipleship.  “Counting the cost” is never mentioned in the Bible as a condition of receiving eternal life.

Next, consider this innovative twist on the gospel message:

Giving up something to follow Christ is not earning salvation; it is giving up what keeps you from salvation. When we hold on to something that is dearer to us than receiving the greater gift of salvation in Christ, we lose.

Graham has subtly changed salvation from a “free gift” to “a greater gift.”  In this way, Graham suggests that what man “brings to the table” in exchange for salvation is but a pittance, compared to the greater gift of salvation that he receives in return.  This view dishonors the blood sacrifice of Jesus as being sufficient to take away our sins, and changes the nature of Grace from being a gift to being a trade.

Teaching that salvation is received as a trade, rather than a gift, is nothing new for Graham.  His tract entitled “My Decision” includes the following under “How to Receive Christ”:  “Be willing to turn from your sins, and ask God to forgive you (repent).”  This is followed by a salvation prayer, aptly entitled “PRAYER OF COMMITMENT”.

Being willing to turn from sins is not a requirement for receiving eternal life.  Nor is asking God to forgive you, nor is our commitment to Christ.  Eternal life is received by Grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.  Nothing more and nothing less is required.  Billy Graham’s additions to the gospel create a false gospel that cannot save.

A recent exhibit at the Billy Graham Library in Charlotte coined Graham as the self-proclaimed “God’s Ambassador to World Leaders.”  Presidents and potentates seek his spiritual counsel.  Presidential candidates “kiss his ring” to attract voters.  He has been called the “Protestant Pope.”  In April of this year, North Carolina’s House and Senate each approved resolutions naming Billy Graham as “North Carolina’s Favorite Son”.  Millions of people have flocked to his crusades.  Hundreds of millions have watched him on TV.  21,000 churches are participating in Billy Graham’s upcoming “national outreach campaign”.  Is your church one of them?

So, has the world beaten a path to Billy Graham’s door?  It would appear so.

Has Billy Graham been caught by his own trap?  Does he really believe what he says?

170 Comments

Posted in Billy Graham, Ecumenism, Lordship Salvation

The Full Armor of God versus The Contemporary Christian Costume

Posted on October 4, 2013 by | 23 comments

Ephesians 6:10-11: Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

As believers, we are told to put on the full armor of God, so that we may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.  Wiles are tricks intended to ensnare.  Only by being strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might may we so stand.

Within contemporary Christendom, many have put on feckless uniforms of outward symbols and identifiers, and have failed to put on the full armor of God.  In so doing, they have left themselves vulnerable to false doctrine, comfortable with compromise, and happily joined at the hip with non-believers in apostate churches.

What is the Contemporary Christian Costume?  It takes many different forms, but often includes some of the following:

  • Clothes – includes church T-shirts and jerseys personalized with names of famous Christian players.
  • Jewelry – includes cross necklaces and earrings, purity rings, and rubber wrist bands with trite phrases.
  • Bibles and Bible accessories – might include the NIV Bible and the NIV Bible Study Notes, stored in a zippered Naugahyde case with convenient carrying handle.
  • Automobile accessories – includes bumper stickers with dubious (questionable or suspect) messages, and front license plates with the call letters or frequency of the local ecumenical Christian radio station.

While some of these items are not harmful per se, they have become caricatures of Christianity to a non-believing world.  It should be noted that these identifiers have nothing to do with being a believer.  In other words,  “wearing the Christian brand” does not make one a Christian, any more than wearing a Tim Tebow jersey makes someone a Heisman trophy winner.  I would venture to say that far more non-believers than believers are adorned in the Contemporary Christian Costume.

The full armor of God includes truth, righteousness (Christ’s righteousness imputed to us, not our own works of righteousness), grounding in the gospel, confidence in our eternal destiny, knowledge of the word of God, and prayer.  These are each essential in protecting Christians from deception.

Ephesians 6:14-17:  Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:

The importance of the above passage in the life of believers cannot be overstated.  Following is an excerpt from Clear Gospel Campaign’s “Statement of Purpose”:

Virtually every item in the Full Armor of God is directed to the gospel message . . . the defense of the gospel message, and the spread of the gospel message.

First and foremost, the discipleship of a believer must root them in Christ crucified . . .  the truth and the purity of the message of salvation.  If it does not do this, discipleship is little more than misguided cheerleading.

It is essential for us to heed the word of God, and rely on His strength to protect us.

23 Comments

Posted in Christianity, Ecumenism

What are The Motives Behind Lordship “Salvation” and Other False Teachings?

Posted on September 21, 2013 by | 144 comments

By Jack Weaver and our friend, John

Are we able to assess the motive of those false teachers/prophets who preach “another gospel”? Galatians 1:6-8

We can certainly assess and discern a false “gospel” message. That would be adding anything to the Gospel of salvation by Grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone. If we see or hear ANY teacher, Pastor, CD — or read any books, web sites or articles that tell you any of the following are requirements for eternal life, “the performance of any works, the promise of any future works, or the evidence of any works,” (to quote our friend John), such are teaching a false “gospel,” which is no Gospel at all. (Examples: Repent, turn from sins to be saved, Turn or burn, make Jesus the “Lord of your life” or commit your life to Christ to be saved, persevere to the end, etc.) These are all Satan’s add-on to the precious Gospel of God’s Grace and totally pervert the Gospel (Good News).

We came up with at least four general categories of people teaching false gospels:

  1. Believers who still believe the gospel, but teach error out of a personal motive.
  2. Believers who no longer believe that salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone (Luke 8:13, Galatians 5:4).
  3. Non-believers, who are counting on their own righteousness to get into heaven (Matthew 7:15 and Matthew 23:15).
  4. Satan’s ministers, disguised as ministers of righteousness (2 Corinthians 11:15).

While the first and second groups are saved, and therefore eternally secure, all who preach false gospels are under a curse (Galatians 1:8-9).

To even attempt to discern the motives behind the person doing the false preaching, we must carefully analyze them, their behavior and their statements.

Following are some of the reasons that believers may teach false gospels:

  1. Ignorance or misuse of scripture – includes use of “proof texts”, always out of context, as well as use of poor or plainly false Bible translations.
  2. Sense of belonging – desires to be part of something big and exciting, with lots of structured programs for kids, etc. Willfully blind to obvious error.
  3. Respect for authority – putting the doctrine of men on par with, or above, the word of God.
  4. Social pressure – a desire to hold a position of honor, even it requires compromise.
  5. Financial allure – big churchs, big money, lucrative demand for books, etc.
  6. Family legacy – “my Daddy’s Daddy’s Daddy believes that, and so do I.”
  7. Eat the meat and spit out the bones “theology” – disregarding the Biblical warnings to separate from false teachers/teaching.
  8. Ecumenism – going along to get along.
  9. Fear of “failure” – desiring the praise of men above the praise of God.
  10. Hero-worship – reverence for icons of evangelicalism, such as Calvin, Spurgeon, Billy Graham, etc.
  11. Gatekeeping – They don’t want “nominal Christians” in their midst, so they change the Gospel from Grace to fit their own rules of behavior.
  12. A Feeling of Spiritual Invincibility – Failure to separate from false doctrine – as if they are not susceptible to being misled by false teaching – thus they let down their guard and find no need to put on the full armor of God (Ephesians 6:11).

It should come as no big surprise that non-believers also teach false gospels for many of the same reasons as those who purport to be believers in Christ — even so, each of them manage to slip in a teaching of Lordship “salvation” (probation).

If anyone claims to believe in a false gospel of works, we should take him at his word. He needs to be treated as an unbeliever, since simultaneous belief in a false gospel and the real Gospel of Christ is impossible! We should lovingly confront such a religious “professor” of faith in Christ with his disbelief. We must proclaim the Gospel, and if possible, show him from the Bible why his false gospel is false. The Lord does not require ANY works to acquire His gift of salvation – it is FREE. Grace and Works are polar opposites and CANNOT coexist as a means of salvation! (Romans 11:6)

The Only Gospel of God’s Salvation <<Click

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Posted in Assurance, Assurance of salvation, Bible, Billy Graham, Calvinism, Chan, Christian, Danger, David Platt, Eternal Security, Faith, Free Grace, Grace, Hope, John MacArthur, John Piper, Joy, Kirk Cameron, Lordship Salvation, Once saved always saved, Ray Comfort, Reformed theology, Religion, Repentance, Rick Warren, Salvation, Secure salvation, Security of the believer, Southern Baptist Convention

Mariella, Sadly “Repenting” Herself to Death – Literally.

Posted on September 19, 2013 by | 52 comments

By Jack Weaver

Just recently I experienced an example of a pitiful case of non-Calvinist “perseverance” while witnessing to my Audiologist. It is an awful object lesson showing an ignorance of scripture and “following the leader” to hell:

Mariella, my Audiologist, is a sweet, early 30s, young Latino lady. I pray she reads this and “changes her mind.” On my first visit several months ago I shared the Gospel and a tract.. She said, “Oh, you are a Christian, here read mine.” Her tract was titled, “The Grace That Saves.” Great Title!! Since I could not read the fine print, I took it optimistically believing the title may be a hint of Biblical contents.

When we returned home I magnified the tract. It was distributed by Fellowship Tract League. They advertise hundreds of different tracts in hundreds of languages. It sounded good until the “salvation” prayer. Very dangerous false doctrine.

The obvious errors are highlighted in bold.

Please pray this prayer or one similar to it: Dear Heavenly Father, I know I am a sinner and need your forgiveness. I believe that Jesus died for my sin. [1] I am willing to turn from sin. I now [2] ask Jesus Christ to come into my heart and life as my personal Saviour. I am willing, by God’s grace, to follow and obey Christ as the Lord of my heart and life. Amen.

[3] Jesus is knocking at the door of your heart. (Revelation 3:20) [3] Will you let Him in?”

[1] The Bible NEVER tells us we must be willing to turn from sin to have eternal life. That is a lie!!

[2] The Bible NEVER says to ask Jesus Christ to come into your heart and life as your personal Saviour to have eternal life. That is a lie!!

[3]  The Bible NEVER asks anyone to “let Jesus into our heart and life in order to have eternal life. That is a lie!! The heart does not have a “door.” That whole statement is a gross misrepresentation of the verse  Revelation 3:20 — which is plea by Jesus, asking for renewed FELLOWSHIP and to dine with the seven last days churches listed in Revelation Chapter Three.

Two weeks later on my next visit I handed her a great booklet illustrating that Salvation is a free gift, (“The Gift,” by Dr. Richard Seymour). She promised me she would read it and make notes which we could discuss. I asked her why she felt that God’s gift of salvation by Grace required her to turn from sin in order to have eternal life. Her answer, “I must repent continually to be ready.” Sadly, we had to depart to make room for another patient.

On our next visit I questioned Mariella further. Amazingly she said that she repents continuously all day long and before she goes to sleep at night. Then she asked me in somewhat broken English, “My father wanted me to ask you if you believe in ‘once saved, always saved?'”

I answered, “Of course, Jesus is The Savior. He alone saves eternally with no works on our part!! We cannot add anything to His work on the cross.” She answered, “My father says I cannot accept your booklet because it has false doctrine and is against the Bible.”

I was flabbergasted. As we left, she said, “I must repent, repent and repent all the time.” I asked “What does repent mean to you?” She said, “Turn from my sin, be sorry for any sins and bad thoughts, etc, etc.” As we departed, I left her with this thought, “I am so sorry you are not sure of eternal life, that you must torture yourself with continually  ‘repenting.’ Just remember, Jesus is The Savior. He alone SAVES!! Biblical repenting is simply changing your mind about Jesus being your Savior — and not your works.” She answered, “Yes but I must always be ‘ready’ by repenting.”

This is a pitiful example of a person believing the false doctrine of repentance and turning it into her own personal “perseverance until the end,” and a father who is teaching his daughter the direct “works” path to hell.

I found her church in the Internet. It is a Latino, Charismatic, holy-roller, “healer,” works preaching mega church in Hialeah, FL. Terrible.

Please pray for Mariella that she may read this and believe the Gospel in order to have the peace that passes all understanding by trusting that her salvation is by Grace through Faith in Jesus Christ alone.

Eternal Life — FREE- No Charge!! << Click

52 Comments

Posted in Assurance, Assurance of salvation, Bible, Christian, Christianity, Cross, Danger, Eternal Security, Faith, Free Grace, Grace, Hope, Lordship Salvation, Once saved always saved, Religion, Repentance, Salvation, Security of believers

Notes on Calvinism: Calvinism, a Rigged Carnival Game

Posted on September 14, 2013 by | 129 comments

Carnival Games
Remember going to a carnival as a child? Pretty fun; pretty exciting, right? I used to love the carnival games. So magical! So enticing! For a small price of a couple of quarters, along with a bit of skill and luck, I just knew that I could win one of those giant stuffed pandas, or a camera, or maybe even that alluring stereo set on the top shelf. Sadly, all that I ever won was a goldfish, a five-cent goldfish for a fifty-cent game fee. Rigged carnival games have been around for generations. Here are few of the most common:

1. Shooting Gallery: Air guns are armed with tiny BBs, air pressure is lowered and the sights are bent to skew the shots.

2. Land the Dime on the Plate: Plates are sprayed with silicone to make the coin slide right off.

3. Milk Bottle Pyramid: Lower bottles are filled with lead weights. Softballs are very soft indeed, being filled with straw or sawdust.

4. Basketball Shoot: Balls are overinflated; rims are undersized, sometimes slightly oval shaped and set higher than regulation height.

5. Balloon Dart Throw: Darts are lighter that store brands; tips are filed and dulled; balloons are underinflated and thick.

6. Ring Toss: Rings are made of hard bouncy plastic; their openings are only a fraction of an inch larger than the bottle tops on which they are supposed to land.

7. Sledge Hammer Ring the Bell: Hammers large but underweighted; carnival operator can apply “brake” as desired.

In many ways, Calvinism is very much like a rigged carnival game. For the Calvinist, some are prechosen to win and others are prechosen to lose. The individual has no say in his own destiny, no opportunity to trust in Christ alone by grace alone through faith alone for salvation, as the Bible says in Ephesians 2:8-9; John 3:16-18, 36; John 5:24; John 6:29, 40; John 11:25-26; Acts 16:30-31; Romans 4:5. But in the case of Calvinism, “losing” involves much more than spending a few dollars at a carnival; it means spending eternity in hell, sent there by a whimsical Calvinist “god.” Yes, Calvinism is a rigged “game” and a very deadly one as well.

Listen to the words of Kent Kelly as he describes in detail the false “god” of Calvinism: a true ogre! (Source, Kent Kelly, “Inside the Tulip,” Southern Pines, NC: Calvary Press, 1986, page 59):

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

129 Comments

Posted in Assurance, Assurance of salvation, Bible, Calvinism, Christian, Christianity, Cross, Danger, Faith, Free Grace, HELL, Lordship, Lordship Salvation, Reformed theology, Religion, Salvation, Security of the believer

Lordship Salvation’s Demon Belief That Does Not Save

Posted on September 4, 2013 by | 114 comments

By Our Dear Friend, John

James 2:19: Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.

James 2:19 is one of the favorite verses that Lordship “Salvationists” quote to try to convince themselves and others that one has to do more than trust in Christ to receive eternal life. Incidentally, you will usually hear them say “demons” instead of “devils”, because that is how the NIV and other LS Bibles have translated this verse.

When you hear someone raise James 2:19 as an objection to God’s free gift of eternal life through faith in Christ, you are hearing the voice of confusion and disbelief. You are a witness to the bad fruit of the LS tree. While it is true that demons believe and tremble, it is not true that this means that simple belief in Christ is not sufficient to save a human believer. Demons are beyond redemption, so the content of their faith is irrelevant. For a more compete discussion of this topic, click the attached link:

A Lordship “Salvationist’s” Prayer To His Prodigal Son

But, besides a demon’s belief, is there a belief that doesn’t save? Is it possible for a human being to believe that Jesus died, was buried, and rose from the dead and still not have eternal life? The answer to the above questions is a resounding YES. There is a belief that doesn’t save. In fact, there are all kinds of beliefs that don’t save, but not for the reasons that Lordship “salvationists” espouse.

Lordship “salvationists” believe that the performance of works, the promise of works, or the evidence of works MUST accompany faith in Christ in order to make that faith result in eternal life. Some of the more common adages that indicate that someone might have been “bitten by the LS bug” include:

  • “There’s head faith and heart faith, and only heart faith saves.”
  • “There’s no ‘fire insurance’. You have to want to follow Christ to be saved.”
  • “A believer won’t be sinless. But, he will sin less.”
  • “We are saved by faith alone, but the faith that saves is not alone.”
  • “We’re not saved by faith plus works, but we are saved by a faith that works.”
  • “A true Christian may backslide, but he will always return to the faith.”
  • “A Christian’s behavior will change once he is saved.”
  • “It is disciples who are saved.”
  • “Believing in Christ isn’t a ‘Get out of Jail Free’ card.”
  • “He can’t be your Savior if He’s not your Lord.”

Each of the above, and other similar expressions, indicate that someone is not quite comfortable with Grace. These types of statements expose an underlying misunderstanding of, or disbelief in, the part of the Gospel that says “Christ died FOR OUR SINS.”

The Lordship “Salvationist” does not believe that Christ paid the FULL PRICE for our sins, leaving us nothing to pay. He believes that Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection were necessary, but not sufficient. He believes that he must add to Christ’s finished work with his repentance from sin, commitment, or perseverance. In other words, the Lordship “Salvationist” seems to view Jesus as Lord and Helper, not Lord and Savior.

So, there is belief that does not save. It is belief in a false gospel of Christ plus works for salvation, more commonly known as Lordship “salvation.”

Can a person believe in Christ alone and not be saved? The answer to this one needs less explanation. The answer is NO.

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.

Eternal Life — No Strings Attached!<< Click

114 Comments

Posted in Assurance, Assurance of salvation, Bible, Calvinism, Christian, Danger, Eternal Security, Faith, Free Grace, Grace, Hope, Lordship, Lordship Salvation, Once saved always saved, Reformed theology, Religion, Salvation, Security of the believer, Social Gospel, Southern Baptist Convention

Are All “Christian” Religions Teaching Lordship “Salvation”?

Posted on August 26, 2013 by | 142 comments

By Jack Weaver

It is sadly evident that virtually every “Christian religious” system ever formulated by mankind (men and women) has veered terribly from those four vital Biblical Gospel points. All “Christian religions” now seem to contain the corrupt seeds, if not the full blown growth and fruit of Lordship “salvation” (LS) as the centerpiece of their teaching.

We here at ExP have written and commented on hundreds of articles documenting errors in organizations and churches, Presbyterian, Southern Baptists, Methodist, Episcopal, Lutheran, Churches of Christ, et al; and by teachers, featuring some of the more obvious and egregious perpetrators of LS such as Spurgeon, Francis Chan, Rick Warren, Paul Washer, David Platt, John Piper, John MacArthur, A.W. Pink, R.C. Sproul, Billy Graham, Al Mohler, Ray Comfort, Kirk Cameron, ad infinitum. (Find them.. search Box on the top right column >>)

We will take the liberty of quoting from our good friend, ExP Co-Administrator, author and commenter, Bruce Bauer, and our good friend, author and commenter at ExP, John.

John quotes from Clear Gospel Campaign, one of the very best descriptions of the not-so-subtle lie of Lordship “salvation”: “the perversions of the Gospel of Grace is the performance of works, the promise of works, or the evidence of works as a necessity for salvation.”

We should use that guideline in our critique of all teachers, thus separating those who would twist or change the Truth of God’s Grace-Gift of Eternal Life in Jesus Christ alone.

John quotes further from Clear Gospel Campaign:

“Ultimately, however, there is no theological distinction between corrupt systems of theology that require works, such as water baptism, to be performed prior to gaining salvation, and corrupt theological systems that require the promise of future works in exchange for salvation. Any gospel presentation that makes, as a requirement for gaining eternal salvation, repentance from one’s sins, committing one’s life to Christ, making Christ the ‘Lord’ (master) of one’s life, becoming a disciple of Christ, and other equivalent statements that require a promise of future behavior is heresy.” (Romans 5:8; Titus 3:5)

We would add that according to God’s Word, the teachers pushing these false doctrines are accursed. (Galatians 1:8,9)

Another pearl of wisdom from John:

“Since the Bible unequivocally teaches salvation by Grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone, I [we] can readily dismiss any teaching that seeks to introduce works (the performance of works, the promise of future works, or the evidence of works) into the salvation equation.”

And then John commends Bruce on his excellent article on David Platt which really gets to the core of Lordship “salvation.”

Particularly striking [is this] quote from Platt:

“To be born-again, one must repent, turn from sin and self, and believe, trust in Jesus as the Savior who died for us and the Lord who rules over us.”

[John’s] comment: This is really the crux of LS. Platt says we must not only trust in Christ as Savior in order to be born again — no, he says we must also “turn from sin” (works) and accept Jesus as Lord who rules over us (implicit obedience – the promise of future works) in addition to believing. This is exactly what is being taught by Billy Graham and the SBC.

Purveyors of LS have turned the Good News into Bad News!

Our message:

“But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.“ 2 Corinthians 11:3

As Scripture says — and is frequently quoted by our good friend, Holly Garcia: “Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. [honest, suitable, worthy]” 1 Thessalonians 5:21

The Gospel is GOOD News << Click

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Posted in Assurance, Assurance of salvation, Bible, Billy Graham, Calvinism, Chan, Christian, Christianity, Danger, David Platt, Eternal Security, Francis Chan, Grace, Hope, John Piper, Kirk Cameron, Lordship Salvation, Once saved always saved, Paul Washer, Ray Comfort, Reformed theology, Religion, Rick Warren, Salvation, SBC, Security of the believer, Southern Baptist Convention, Washer

Lordship Salvationists and Calvinists: Why We Expose Them

Posted on August 19, 2013 by | 87 comments
By Jack Weaver and our friend, John
~~~

We are occasionally asked why we bother to expose Lordship Salvationists and Calvinists. In a few words, we expose them because we love our Savior Jesus Christ and His Gift of Eternal Life by Grace through Faith in Him alone. We simply try to do our best to promote and defend the Biblical Gospel of God’s Grace (Ephesians 2:8-9), to unmask and open to your understanding, those who suppress the truth in unrighteousness. (Romans 1:18)

The “Christian” world is running amok with false doctrines proclaimed by Lordship “salvation” (LS) and Calvinist deceivers. We find that most LSers are Calvinists and vice versa. LSers usually include the many faces of Calvinism, i.e. Traditional, New, Hyper, “Moderate,”some Baptists, etc. Thus, since it fits, we use the acronym, “LS” to include all “works salvation” promoters.

We at ExPreacherMan have written many articles about those whose desire it is to advance, promote and subsidize the false message of LS. You may search our numerous, informative articles here.

The objective of this brief article is to clearly define LS, in as few words as possible, so believers in Jesus Christ may be equipped to discern between the truth of God’s Word and the lies being advanced in His name.

At its core, LS is a disbelief in God’s Word which clearly states that salvation is by Grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. (again: (Ephesians 2:8-9)

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 make that faith result 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)

We expose people who promote LS, because they:

• Keep people lost (Luke 8-12;  2 Corinthians 4:4);
.
• Are accursed (Galatians 1:9)
.
• Frustrate grace (Galatians 2:21);
.
• Bewitch believers, rendering the believers ineffective in their Christian lives (Galatians 5:4)
.
• Are to be marked and avoided (Romans 16:17 and 16:18)

In addition to the above, people who believe and teach LS don’t currently believe the Gospel and need to be confronted with that reality.  They need our prayers.

One wonders why so many thousands of seeking souls flock to the false message of LS. Could it be a cultic draw by charismatic personalities who manipulate scripture, relish the attention, fame and (incidentally) the dollars cleverly conned from their followers?

These pitiful followers are striving for an LS “salvation” that is hopeless and unattainable. Pray for them to see and believe The Truth of the Gospel << Click

*Note: Our special thanks to our friend John for contributing his Biblical knowledge, wisdom and thoughts to this article. JW

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Posted in Assurance, Assurance of salvation, Bible, Billy Graham, Calvinism, Chan, Christian, Christianity, Danger, David Platt, Eternal Security, Faith, Francis Chan, Free Grace, Grace, Hope, John MacArthur, John Piper, Joy, Kirk Cameron, Lordship, Lordship Salvation, Once saved always saved, Paul Washer, Ray Comfort, Reformed theology, Rick Warren, Salvation, SBC, Security of the believer, Southern Baptist Convention, Washer

Kyle Idleman, Lordship “Salvationist” Exposed – Review by Jim F.

Posted on August 10, 2013 by | 160 comments

Dear Friends of ExP,

We have written about Kyle Idleman and posted information about him at our Wiki-Heresies Page.

We are grateful that our friend, Jim F has written an excellent review of Idleman’s book, “Not A Fan” at his web site. Please visit and read Jim’s review:

Jim F’s – Review of Idleman, Not a Fan << Click

In Jesus Christ eternally, Jack

160 Comments

Posted in Free Grace

Dr. Tom Cucuzza’s Collection – NEW!!

Posted on August 9, 2013 by | Comments Off on Dr. Tom Cucuzza’s Collection – NEW!!

Friends of ExP,

We are consolidating Dr. Tom Cucuzza’s Collection of works on the ExPreacherMan website header. We have posted all of his currently available works, his Gospel Video and wonderful PDF doctrinal files. We will post more as he makes them available.

We have just received Tom’s NEW color PDF, “Be Sure You Are Going to Heaven!” © (A beautiful color cover – suitable for an attractive Gospel Witnessing Handout.)

Please click here >> Dr. Cucuzza’s Collection where you may download the NEW article\handout plus his other works and Gospel video. Together for Souls!!

Comments Off on Dr. Tom Cucuzza’s Collection – NEW!!

Posted in Assurance, Assurance of salvation, Bible, Christian, Eternal Security, Grace, Hope, Once saved always saved, Religion, Salvation, Secure salvation, Security of believers

A Lordship Salvationist’s Prayer for His Prodigal Son

Posted on August 7, 2013 by | 23 comments

By our friend, John

(Note: the following article is a PARODY of Lordship “salvation” through the lens of a hypothetical father, who believes in LS, as he prays for his son, who has received eternal life by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. It is meant to demonstrate that Lordship “salvation” is not just another slant on the Gospel. Rather it is disbelief in the Gospel. Each of the false Lordship “salvation” beliefs indicated in the prayer is referenced, with explanatory footnotes provided).

Heavenly Father, I come to you today heavy-hearted. I asked my son today why he wasn’t going to church anymore. He told me it was because he hadn’t found a church in his community that he was comfortable with.

I asked what he meant, since there are plenty of Southern Baptist churches (SBC) in his area. He responded that my church (and the SBC) teaches a false gospel of works that can’t save anyone. He was raised in SBC churches, and I can’t fathom who ever put that idea into his head.

So, I asked what he meant by “false gospel of works.” He said that salvation is “by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone” (he quoted Ephesians 2:8-9). He seemed to think that most churches add something to that – such as “turn from sins for salvation”, or “surrender your life to Christ for salvation.” He said some churches seem to be free grace, but then look to changed behavior as evidence of salvation – which is, by implication, teaching salvation by works.

My son said that those add-ons had been a barrier to him understanding the gospel and accepting Christ. He said that now that he has become a believer in Christ alone for eternal life, he doesn’t want to have anything to do with churches that “frustrate grace” (he referred to Galatians 2:21: “I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain”).

Father, I know that Christ died for my sins, was buried and was raised from the dead. That’s the gospel! A lot of unsaved people believe that too, but they’ve never repented of their sins, nor surrendered to the Lordship of Christ. They’ve never trusted in Christ to change their lives.1 Like James 2:19 says – “even the demons believe, and they tremble”!2

I repented of my sins, surrendered my life to Christ, and accepted Christ as my Savior when I was in high school. I have tried to live a life consistent with my faith. I know I haven’t been perfect, but I’ve tried to be a faithful steward of everything with which you have entrusted me – including raising my children in a Christian home, making sure they attended church regularly, and teaching them the plan of salvation that I was taught.

Father, my son made his profession of faith in Christ when he was a child. He was always a difficult child. He told me when he was in his twenties that he “gave his life to Jesus.”3 I was overjoyed, but his commitment to Christ didn’t last very long. I know he has drifted, and has not ever really been a consistent churchgoer. Father, only You know whether my son ever truly surrendered his life to You, sincerely repented of his sins, and trusted in Christ.

Father, my prayer to you today is this: I pray that you would deliver my son from his deception. I pray that you will convict him of his error. I pray that you will reveal to him that there is more to receiving eternal life than simply believing the gospel and accepting Christ as Savior.4 That you would let him know that there is no eternal life without discipleship.5 I pray that you will convince him that repentance in salvation includes at least a willingness to turn from his sins.6

Father, I pray that my precious son will turn from his mistaken belief that salvation is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.7

Amen

Explanatory footnotes:

1 Repenting of one’s sins”, “surrendering one’s life to Christ”, and “trusting in Christ to change one’s life” are not conditions for receiving eternal life. (Romans 5:8,  Romans 6:23)

2 James 2:19 is often used by Lordship “salvationists” as a proof-text that believing in Jesus is not enough for receiving eternal life. This is not true. Demons are not eligible for receiving salvation, nor does this passage say that demons have faith in Christ.

3 One who is clear on the Gospel would know that expressions such as “giving one’s life to Christ” are not a proper response to the Gospel. The only proper response to the Gospel is belief. (John 3:16)

4 The son is not in error or deceived. The father is. There is absolutely nothing more to receiving eternal life than believing the Gospel and accepting Christ as Savior.

5 Following Jesus in discipleship will not result in eternal life, nor is a discipleship a condition for receiving eternal life.

6 “Willingness to turn from one’s sins” is not a requirement for receiving eternal life.

7 The son is not mistaken in his belief. The father is. Salvation is by Grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. If one is not saved that way, he is not saved at all. By trying to add to the finished work of Christ, one is not trusting in Christ as his Savior, but only as his helper. (Ephesians 2:8-9, Titus 3:5)

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Posted in Bible, Christian, Faith, Free Grace, Grace, Hope, Lordship Faith, Lordship Salvation, Once saved always saved, Salvation, SBC, Secure salvation, Security of believers, Southern Baptist Convention

Wiki-Heresies Debut – Exposing Lordship “salvation” In All of Its Vagaries

Posted on August 6, 2013 by | 9 comments

We at ExPreacherMan take great care in proclaiming the Truth of the Gospel of Salvation by Grace Alone through Faith Alone in Jesus Christ Alone. We know the doctrine of Salvation by God’s Grace alone is Biblically verifiable and true. (Ephesians 2:8-9).

Such Great Salvation is absolutely independent of any Biblical mandate for a performance of “good works,” before, during or after a person makes that one-time decision to trust Jesus Christ as Savior. That is Grace.

Of course, every believer in Jesus Christ SHOULD walk in good works, as taught in many, many places in God’s Word  (Ephesians 2:10), but there is no redemptive power or benefit by doing in good works. God’s Salvation is a FREE Gift, by Grace alone in Jesus Christ alone, without work, effort or merit on man’s part. “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shall be saved..”

Therefore, we at ExP have created a Page whereby our readers may visit and browse a list, of teachers, preachers, writers and organizations who pervert the Biblical doctrine of God’s Free Grace. We include  descriptions, evidence and (in most cases) links to those whom we discuss.

The link has a permanent place as the last line of several links on our Header at ExPreacherMan. It is easy to find. We invite you to visit:

Wiki-Hweresies << Click

Always remember, Eternal Life is a FREE Gift

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Posted in Assurance, Assurance of salvation, Calvinism, Chan, Christianity, Eternal Security, Faith, Free Grace, Grace, Hope, John MacArthur, John Piper, Kirk Cameron, Lordship, Lordship Salvation, Paul Washer, Ray Comfort, Reformed theology, Religion, Rick Warren, Salvation, SBC, Security of believers, Social Gospel, Southern Baptist Convention, Washer

Lordship “Salvation” Icon Kirk Cameron, Promotes Calvin’s Geneva Bible and Teams Up With Liberty University.

Posted on July 28, 2013 by | 47 comments

CameronKirk Cameron

By Jack Weaver

If we thought things could not get any “weirder,” we see that Lordship “Salvationist” (LS) and teeny-bopper Idol, Kirk Cameron is:

  1. Promoting the sale of John Calvin’s terrible Geneva Bible on TV and news web site like World Net Daily.
  2. Convocation speaker and now teaming up with Jerry Falwell’s Liberty (“Christian”) University (LU) in starting a “Christian Film Production” course of study. But this should come as no surprise since LU’s Statement of Faith basically agrees with Cameron and reads: “We affirm that each person can be saved only through the work of Jesus Christ, through repentance of sin and by faith alone in Him as Savior. The believer is declared righteous, born again by the Holy Spirit, turned from sin, and assured of heaven.”
  3. Teaming with Calvinist LSer, John MacArthur on YouTube about their unbiblical idea of the way of Salvation. I’ll not provide the link — but they both agreed that total submission, heart, mind, soul and body to the Lordship of Christ “is the only way of salvation.” Total apostasy!!!
  4. Cameron has been a long-time friend and compatriot of apostate “evangelist” Ray Comfort. We have commented many times about the terrible doctrine of Comfort. Here is one comment by our friend Holly Garcia: Link:>> Comfort- 2013/07/23 at 6:11 pm If there was ever any doubt about Comfort and Cameron preaching an accursed message — this will dispel it. You may follow the link for further excellent comments from our readers.

Friends, we as Free Grace Believers, must remain constantly vigilant in the face of “sweet, charismatic double-talkers” who pervert the simplicity that is in Christ Jesus:

“But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.” 2 Corinthians 11:3

That time has come. We who know the Truth must preach the Word, in context, the Gospel of the Good news of the Death, Burial and Resurrection of our Savior (1 Corinthians 15:1-8) as His all sufficient provision for anyone’s salvation by Grace through Faith in Jesus Christ alone!!! (Ephesians 2:8-9) No more, no less!!

The TRUTH of Salvation

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Posted in Assurance, Assurance of salvation, Atheist, Bible, Calvinism, Christian, Christianity, Emergent, Eternal Security, Faith, Free Grace, Grace, Hope, John MacArthur, Kirk Cameron, Lordship, Lordship Salvation, Once saved always saved, Ray Comfort, Reformed theology, Religion, Resurrection, Salvation, Security of believers

Southern Baptist Convention and J.D.Greear Promote: “The Posture of Lordship Salvation”

Posted on July 13, 2013 by | 91 comments

False

Lordship Salvation: The Devil is in the Details

By: our dear friend, John

A friend of mine recently brought me a parenting magazine he had picked up from his Southern Baptist church. He pointed me to an article entitled “Should We Stop Asking Jesus into Our Hearts?” The article was a series of excerpts from the book of the same title; written by J.D. Greear, lead pastor of the Summit Church in Raleigh, NC.

In reading the article, I was reminded of a couple of old adages.

The first adage is “the devil speaks with a forked tongue.” Greear aids and abets the evil one by mixing Biblical truths with his LS-slanted opinions and quotes from other shameless promoters of LS, including Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

Consider the following excerpt:

“In his parable about the different types of soil, Jesus spoke of a group who heard his word and made an initial, encouraging response of belief, only to fade away over time. These are those, Jesus explained, who hear the gospel and respond positively to it—pray the prayer, walk the aisle, get baptized, or do whatever new converts in your church do. 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.”

Jesus did not say that these people “will not in the end by saved.” Those are Greear’s words, and they reflect an LS orientation. That LS orientation is corroborated by the following quote, which reveals Greear’s belief in the Calvinist/LS false doctrine of “perseverance of the saints”:

“The apostle John almost always talks about “believing” in the present tense because it is something we do continually, not something we did once in the past…The posture begins at a moment, but it persists for a lifetime.”

Which brings us to our second adage: “The devil is in the details.”

Like virtually all Lordship “Salvationists”, Greear pays lip service to belief in the Gospel, but then betrays that belief by what else he says.

First, the lip service:

“Salvation is not given because you prayed a prayer correctly, but because you have leaned the hopes of your soul on the finished work of Christ.”

Then, the betraying twist:

“Repentance means understanding that Jesus is Lord and that you have lived in cosmic treason to him and reversing your direction based on that.”

Greear’s definition of repentance to include “reversing your direction” is code for turning from sins for salvation, making Christ Lord of your life for salvation, and so on. He repeatedly uses the term “posture” toward Christ (I counted at least six) as a way of expressing this flawed belief system. The word posture is never used in the New Testament.

As a follow-up, I read Trevin Wax’s interview with Greear, from January 31, 2013. Following is a telling quote:

“Disciples of Jesus are the ones who are saved; not those who go through a ritual.”

And from Mark Driscoll’s interview with Greear from March 26, 2013:

“…I would ask them if their present posture is one of submission to Christ’s Lordship and trust in his finished work. If so, they are saved, even if they don’t remember the prayer or the moment they got into that posture.

Second, I would ask them to consider whether the signs of eternal life are present in them. As John explains so thoroughly in 1 John, conversion does not bring sinless perfection, but it does begin to make fundamental changes in the human heart.”

Greear reveals, with these comments, his errant belief that discipleship and evidence of a changed life are requirements for salvation.

My friend who brought me Greear’s article did not buy into it. But, the article is indicative of the kinds of false information that millions of people are being fed in their churches every week. In fact, Greear has received glowing recommendations from a veritable “who’s who” of Lordship “salvationists”, and is a prominent leader in the Southern Baptist Convention.

We must pray for those who preach the gospel faithfully, and be vigilant in exposing false doctrine and false teachers.

God’s Guarantee of ETERNAL Life << Clivk

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Posted in Assurance, Assurance of salvation, Bible, Billy Graham, Calvinism, Christian, Christianity, Cross, Danger, Eternal Security, Faith, Free Grace, Hope, Lordship, Lordship Faith, Lordship Salvation, Once saved always saved, Reformed theology, Religion, Salvation, SBC, Secure salvation, Security of believers, Security of the believer, Southern Baptist Convention

John MacArthur Speaks on Predestination: A Rebuttal

Posted on July 9, 2013 by | 198 comments

photo

John MacArthur Speaks on Predestination Question:

A Grace-Based Rebuttal

Source of the MacArthur Interview: Shepherdsconference.org, 2010, Media, General Session 5, an Interview with John MacArthur
Johnny Mac
Introductory Comments:
Generally speaking, when I review an article or interview, I will select several salient statements upon which to comment. This methodology usually works well, but, at times individuals have made the accusation that the writer’s or speaker’s statements have been misquoted or taken out of context. In order to head off this dodge, I have chosen to print the MacArthur interview on the subject, “The Question of Predestination,” in its entirety. My brief, clearly-labeled comments or responses to MacArthur’s open questions and statements will be inserted throughout the text of the interview; they will be in [brackets].

Note: To view the article in its entirety, go to:

http://califgracer.wordpress.com/

John MacArthur on Predestination:

A Grace-Based Rebuttal

Source of the MacArthur Interview: Shepherdsconference.org, 2010, Media, General Session 5, an Interview with John MacArthur

[Interspersed with bracketed comments]

Question posed to MacArthur:

“Why witness? How do we tell people that God loves them and that Jesus Christ did not die for them? Or do we tell them that?
[Inserted comment: A great question posed to John MacArthur. I have often myself asked Calvinists a similar question: “If God’s got it all slated as to who gets to go to heaven and who must go to hell, and the individual has abolutely no say in the matter, then, WHY HAVE MISSIONS?” To date, I have never heard anyone give a logical biblical answer to that question. Let’s see whether John MacArthur will be the first] . . . .

MacArthur answers:

Well, you tell them whatever the Bible tells you to tell them. And the Bible tells you to go into the world and preach the gospel to every creature. That’s what you do because that’s what the Scripture says.”

[Inserted Comment: Right so far, John: Mark 16:15. And verse 16 tells why Jesus commanded the preaching of the gospel (the death, burial and resurrection of Christ, 1 Cor. 15:1-8)—so people would believe and become saved (cf. Acts 16:30-31); he also warns that those who refuse to believe (right through the point of death) will be lost (cf. John 3:18, John 5:40, 47). Christ Jesus would never command something be preached to the world if that proclamation had no possibility of efficacious results, i.e., if the individual had no ability to respond to the message in belief (Calvinists teach “Total Inability,” the “T” of the Calvinist acronym “TULIP,” that is, that men and women are completely dead in their sins and have absolutely no ability to respond in believing faith to the gospel of Christ Jesus). In view of the multitude of verses that call people to believe and thus be saved, e.g., John 3:16-18; Acts 16:30-31; John 5:24; John 6:29, 40; John 7:37-38 (ALL are welcome); John 11:25-26, this (Calvinist) teaching is UNBIBLICAL and illogical.]

MacArthur continues: “Any tension you have between that and the doctrine of divine election and predestination; any tension you feel in those areas, I feel. I feel the same tension. I ask the same question. I don’t know that there’s some kind of quick answer to the question. I am, however, happy to concede that God can resolve all things that I can’t (crowd laughter and applause). Really! I don’t expect the view and you shouldn’t expect of me to be able to unscrew the ‘unscrutable’ [inscrutable?]. Uh, you, you, really don’t think that I’m going to solve all the vast theological dilemmas that have existed since the Scriptures were penned. [Interviewer inserts, ‘Actually, some people do.’ (crowd laughter; then MacArthur continues)] Ya; the best answer to this question is, ‘My brother, I feel your pain’ (crowd laughter).”

[Inserted Comment: Really, Dr. MacArthur? The best answers that you can give are, “I feel the same tension,” “I ask the same question,” “I feel your pain”? Might it be that these issues are “painful” and “unresolvable” only because you view the Bible and the gospel through skewed Calvinist lenses? Christ called us, not to live in tension, anguish and fear, but in trust and rest in his finished work on our behalf. Matthew 11:28 “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” ]

Mac Arthur: “I, uh, I’m not here to give you an answer, but, I will tell you this: I do not believe that Jesus died for nobody. I believe he died for somebody. And I believe he died specifically for those who would believe in him, and those who believe in him are those who are regenerated by the Holy Spirit based upon the eternal sovereign electing purpose of God. I think his atonement was an actual one, not a potential one. I don’t think that it was a general one; I think it was a specific one. I think it was a real death for sin. The issue here is the nature of the atonement.”

[Inserted Comment: Wow, Dr. MacArthur, you are speaking at a leadership conference at a question and answer session, and you say, “I’m not here to give you an answer”? Let’s look at some of your statements: “I do not believe that Jesus died for nobody. I believe he died for somebody.” Response to MacArthur: The Bible declares that Jesus died for everyone, for the world: John 6:33 “The bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto THE WORLD.” 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 eternal life.” 1 John 2:2 “And he is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for the sins of THE WHOLE WORLD.” 2 Peter 3:9 “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some me count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, NOT WILLING THAT ANY SHOULD PERISH but that ALL should come to repentance.” 1 Timothy 2:3-6 “For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; Who WILL HAVE ALL MEN TO BE SAVED, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Who GAVE HIMSELF A RANSOM FOR ALL, to be testified in due time.”

Yet, sadly, NOT ALL THE WORLD WILL RECEIVE his gracious gift (Ephesians 2:8-9) of salvation: John 3:36 (which clearly demonstrates man’s free will to accept or reject God’s gracious gift of salvation through believing in his Son, cf. Matthew 23:37; John 3:18) “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life; and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.”]

To view the entire article, go to:

http://califgracer.wordpress.com/

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Posted in Assurance, Assurance of salvation, Bible, Calvinism, Christian, Christianity, Cross, Eternal Security, Faith, Free Grace, Grace, Hope, John MacArthur, Joy, Lordship Faith, Lordship Salvation, Love of God, Once saved always saved, Peace, Reformed theology, Religion, Replacement theology, Resurrection, Salvation, Secure salvation, Security of believers, Security of the believer