The Only Way To Have Peace With God

Romans 5:1-2, “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.”

What a precious passage of Scripture! The human race has long sought peace, yet it seems that we are always at war. I just read today of increasing 'Rumors Of Wars: China, India, North And South Korea, Israel And Turkey All Move Toward War.' Of the past 3,400 years, humans have been entirely at peace for 268 of them, or just 8 percent of recorded history. Mankind is inherently evil, prone to war and self-destruction (1st John 5:19; Romans 3:10-23). Our problems as a nation can be seen in our problems as individuals. If we cannot get along on a personal basis, then how can we get along on a national basis? 

The inspired Word of God (which I believe to be the King James Bible in English) teaches in Romans 5:1, “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:” The Bible proclaims again and again that we are JUSTIFIED BY FAITH!!! We are nowhere taught to “repent of your sin” to receive the free gift of God. The false idea that we must be willing to be reformed of our sinful ways to be saved is foreign to the Scripture. You cannot show me the phrases “turn from your sins” or “repent from sin” anywhere in the Holy Bible. 

Beware of the Devil's corrupt modern Bible perversions that change the Scripture into a lie, adding “turning from sins” (see Mark 1:15 and Hebrews 6:1 in the modern revisions). For example: Here is Mark 1:15 in the 'Easy-To-Read Version' (ERV), “He said, “The right time is now here. God’s kingdom is very near. Change your hearts and lives, and believe the Good News!” [emphasis added]. In sharp contrast, the trustworthy King James Bible says in Mark 1:15, “And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.” The incompetent translators of the ERV sinfully assume that “repent” means to change your life, but that is an erroneous meaning. The word “repent” in Mark 1:15 is the Greek verb metanoeo, which means, “to think differently.”

Literally, the Bible is telling the read to: THINK DIFFERENTLY and believe the Gospel to be saved. Repentance is a change of mind from WRONG THINKING to believing the Gospel, nothing more or less. To change the meaning of repentance is to pervert the Gospel of God's free grace, which is by faith alone in Jesus Christ. The only way to obtain PEACE between God and man is through the GOD-MAN, Christ Jesus! 1st Timothy 2:15, “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;”

Only The Precious Blood Of Jesus Appeases God's Wrath

I love the big theological word “PROPITIATION” in the Bible. For example: 1st 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.” It is tragic and a shame that the modern Bible revisions completely remove this beautiful word. Whereas they think they are helping people understand the Word of God, in reality they are robbing people of the important theological concepts of the Bible. The word “propitiation” refers to the wrath of a holy God against sinners, which has been appeased and satisfied by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. That is why 1st John 2:2 says JESUS CHRIST IS THE PROPITIATION FOR OUR SINS (and for the sins of the whole world). The word “propitiation” means “to appease the wrath of.” In this case, the wrath of God. Romans 5:9, “Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.” Amen and amen!

This is why the Gospel is referred to as “THE GOSPEL OF PEACE.” Ephesians 6:15, “And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;” The Gospel is the 'GOOD NEWS' of Jesus Christ, who died on the cross for our sins, was buried, and physically resurrected 72 hours later for our justification. It is this precious Gospel truth that brings PEACE between a holy God and sinful humanity. We are saved by the blood of the crucified one! Here are the lyrics to the blessed hymn, 'Saved By The Blood'...

I've never seen apostasy like I do today in the churches. Sadly, this is especially true of independent fundamental Baptist (IFB) churches. I am an IFB myself, so I have seen the problem up-close. I have been very outspoken and vocal about doctrinal corruption in the local Harvest Baptist Church on Guam. It is tragic and sad. I love them very much at Harvest with God's unconditional love, but they do not love God or truth, and therefore don't want me around. It discourages me to see professed Christians make light of the inspiration of God's Word, and make light of the accuracy of the Gospel. God only authored ONE BOOK (Matthew 4:4; Psalms 12:6-7), and there is only ONE GOSPEL (Galatians 1:6-9; 1st Corinthians 15:1-4). All Scripture references are only to the inspired King James Bible. 

Love Often Means Offending People With The Truth

People often mistake sinful compromise for God's love. If your neighbour's house is on fire, burning in the wee hours of the morning, is it love to say nothing? Likewise, if your neighbour is an unsaved Roman Catholic, is it God's love not to warn them? No, that is the opposite of love. The opposite of love is not hatred, it is indifference! There is nothing destroying churches today like SILENCE. Silence is not golden, it is cowardly yellow! John the Baptist was A VOICE! Every believer, no matter how seemingly insignificant, can be A VOICE for God!!! I encourage Christians to start blogs on Google, which is free! Simply sign-up for a free G-mail account, and then look for the square icon with 9 dots in the upper right corner of your G-mail account, then scroll down to “Blogger” to get started. Either that, or you can go directly to Blogger.com to get started. Let your VOICE by heard oh Christian!

If You See Something, Say Something

We are living in sickening times, where local children's playgrounds have signs which read: “IF YOU SEE SOMETHING, SAY SOMETHING!” Likewise, our churches today need to post big signs which read: “IF YOU SEE SOMETHING, SAY SOMETHING!” When you see the pervert Devil creeping his damnable doctrine of Lordship Salvation into your church, SAY SOMETHING! When you see the pervert Devil creeping his counterfeit Bible revisions into your church, SAY SOMETHING! Brother Lester Roloff (1914-1982) warned us about theological perverts in the churches...

“The worst pervert in America is the Gospel pervert!” —Brother Lester Roloff, a quote from the sermon, “The Gospel Perverts Or Jesus?”

When I was growing up in the 1970's and 1980's, and even as a young adult, we never saw signs like that. We are now beholding the devastating consequences of generations of children indoctrinating in public schools with the Satanic lies of evolution, raised up without God, having no moral compass. The Masonic U.S. controlled government is behind all this, and to no surprise, for Satan is the god of this evil world according to 2nd Corinthians 4:4. All Freemasons worship Lucifer, or at a minimum support his cause through the group. If you see heresy creeping into your church, nip that devil doctrine in the bud. If someone tries to introduce Dr. John MacArthur to your church congregation, tell him to GET THE HELL OUT! Devil-preachers are not welcome in the house of God!!!

John Wesley was right when he said: “What one generation tolerates, the next will embrace!” We ought not be tolerating these Devil's Bible today! We ought not be tolerating the Devil's lie of Lordship Salvation. These evils are destroying our once fundamental soulwinning churches. Revelation 3:2, “Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God.” The Gospel has been corrupted in most churches today. You'll have to travel long, and search diligently, to find a true Bible-believing church nowadays, which hasn't been infected with the damnable heresy of Lordship Salvation. If you have a doctrinally-sound, soulwinning, King James Bible only, Gospel of free grace preaching, people-loving, Baptist church near you... PRAISE GOD!!!

Peace With The Father Through The Blood Of Jesus' Cross

Colossians 1:20, “And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.” The only way to have peace with God is on the basis of Jesus' blood sacrifice through the cross for our sins. 1st Peter 1:18-19, “Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:” JESUS PAID IT ALL! When you hear some wayward preacher telling you that you must “be willing to repent and turn from your sins” to be saved, he is preaching another gospel. The salvation which God offers is without obligation to you, the recipient. True repentance is simply a change of mind, from wrong thinking, to believing the Gospel. 

God is not impressed with you many wonderful works. God is not impressed that you've turned from your lifestyle of sin. God is not impressed that you've forsaken all to follow Him. That is a fool's theology to think you can please God in the flesh. YOU NEED GOD'S RIGHTEOUSNESS, which He imputes to every one who believes on His only begotten Son!!! Philippians 3:9, “And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:”

Jesus Is Our Sabbath In Whom We Rest For Salvation

Hebrews 4:1-11, “Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it. For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it. For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world. For he spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, And God did rest the seventh day from all his works. And in this place again, If they shall enter into my rest. Seeing therefore it remaineth that some must enter therein, and they to whom it was first preached entered not in because of unbelief: Again, he limiteth a certain day, saying in David, To day, after so long a time; as it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts. For if Jesus had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day. There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his. Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.”

I love this passage of Scripture, because it contains so much richness in doctrine. The Gospel is so simple dear reader. I marvel how anyone who professes the name of Christ, could believe that more is required to get to Heaven, than simple childlike faith in Jesus Christ. The Bible plainly teaches that we are saved by RESTING in the finished redemptive work of Christ. God the Father loved humanity so much, that He sent His only begotten Son into the world, to die on the cross for everyone's sins. 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.” Literally, God loved you so much that He was willing to die for you. Repeatedly in the inspired Word of God we are taught simply to BELIEVE on the Son of God to receive eternal life. Eternal life is free, easy and simple to obtain, just take God at His Word as recorded in the Scripture!

Our text passage from Hebrews 4:1-11 teaches that God created the universe, and then rested on the seventh day. Genesis 2:2, “And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.” Likewise, just as God ceased from His labors and rested, the Bible teaches us to cease from our own labors, and rest completely in the finished work of Jesus Christ. This is the way to Heaven. We are not saved by what WE DO, but by trusting what Jesus has ALREADY DONE. Salvation is not doing your best, it is having Christ's best put to your account through receiving Him by faith.

The Old Testament Sabbath Day was a ceremonial law under Mosaic law, a shadow of things to come. Hebrews 10:1, “For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect.” This is an important Bible verse to learn and understand, because it separates the foreshadowing law from the reality that it symbolized. God established the Sabbath Day in Exodus chapter 16 to commemorate the seventh day on which God rested from his creative labors. God fed the Israelites in the Wilderness, giving them the bread of manna in the morning, and the meat of quail in the evening. Exodus 16:25-26, “And Moses said, Eat that to day; for to day is a sabbath unto the LORD: to day ye shall not find it in the field. Six days ye shall gather it; but on the seventh day, which is the sabbath, in it there shall be none.” 

On the Sabbath Day a Jew was forbidden to work, gather sticks, light a fire, or do any thing other than rest. This symbolized the coming Lamb of God, the Messiah, in whom men rest for salvation. This is why we read about an Israelite who was stoned to death for picking up sticks on the Sabbath Day, because it represented adding works to faith to be saved, which is a perversion of grace. God thought it was important enough a matter to take a man's life away from him for collecting sticks on the Sabbath Day. Numbers 15:33 and 35, “And they that found him gathering sticks brought him unto Moses and Aaron, and unto all the congregation. ...And the LORD said unto Moses, The man shall be surely put to death: all the congregation shall stone him with stones without the camp.” With that truth in mind, carefully consider the gross theological flagrancy and wickedness of religious leaders; namely, John MacArthur, Steve Pettit, Ray Comfort, John Piper, Paul Washer, John Calvin, Martin Luther, Charles Finney and other reprobates, who corrupt the Gospel of free grace by adding human effort (works) to it. 

We've all seen our own shadow, cast behind the light shown by the sun; but when the sun is directly overhead the shadow vanishes away. Likewise, when Jesus Christ died on the cross and raised up from the dead, He became our Sabbath Day in whom we rest for salvation. The ceremonial laws were no longer needed, because they had already served their purpose. This is why we read in Colossians 2:14-17, “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; And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it. Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.” Jesus is the divine fulfillment of what the Old Testament Sabbath Day represented and foreshadowed. Hallelujah, glory to God, great fluffy biscuits in the morning, what an awesome truth!!!

Dear friend, are you resting in the finished redemptive work of Jesus? Hebrews 1:11, “Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.” The word “labour” in Hebrews 1:11 doesn't mean to do works to be saved; but rather, to simply trust the Savior. The Lord Himself confirms this truth in John 6:28-29, “Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.” The only “work” that you can do to be saved is to get out of the way, by ceasing from your own labors, and resting completely in what Christ has already done for you on the cross. 

The bad news is that you are a condemned sinner, and so was I before I was saved (Romans 3:10-23). You and I deserve to go to Hell and be punished for our own sins forever (Romans 6:23). But God in His unconditional love made a sacrifice for you, sending His only biological Son to be rejected, despised, shamed and crucified on a criminal's cross, to pay our massive outstanding debt of sin (Romans 5:6-9). To be saved, simply receive Christ's sacrifice on the cross as payment for your sins, believing that He died, was buried and after three days physically resurrected from the dead (1st Corinthians 15:1-6). This is the 'Good News' (Gospel) that saves them that believe. 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.”

I read this beautiful quote from Dr. Bob Jones Sr. (1883-1968) about the Gospel: 

“Men are not saved by analyzing the truth of the Gospel. They are saved by accepting the truth of the Gospel. It is true, whether men believe it or not. It is as true as the multiplication table. Men use the multiplication table to do what the multiplication table is supposed to do. The Gospel will do what it is supposed to do. 'It is the power of God unto salvation unto every one that believeth.'” —Dr. Bob Jones Sr., “Comments On Here And Hereafter,” chapter: Preaching, Evangelism, page 123; Bob Jones University Press, Inc., © 1942

Amen! Dr. Jones taught the simplicity that is in Christ. The Gospel is the “Good News” that Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins, He was buried, and three days later He bodily resurrected from the dead for our justification (that is, that our faith in Him could be justified by a risen Savior). Anyone who receives the Gospel as their own is saved. Please make it your own dear friend! Claim it as your only way to Heaven!

Pastor John MacArthur's False Gospel

Galatians 1:6-8, “I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.”

One of the most spiritually dangerous religious teachers of our time is Pastor John MacArthur of 'Grace To You' ministry in California. I have nothing personal against Mr. MacArthur, but he has done more than any other preacher, to lead preachers and layman away from the true Gospel of free grace. “Lordship Salvation” teaches that faith in the Gospel is not enough to be saved; but also, you must make full surrender to Christ as your “Lord and Master,” committing to follow Him as His disciple. 

The proponents of Lordship Salvation errantly teach that a person must be willing to turn away from a lifestyle of sin to be saved. They errantly call this “repentance.” So if you profess faith in Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, but still live in willful sin, they say you've never repented and are not saved. The Bible teaches that we repent TO believe, not repent AND believe. Repentance biblically as a noun (metanoia) simply means “a change of mind,” not a change of behavior. The verb form (metanoeo) means “to think differently.” Hence, repentance means to change your mind from WRONG THINKING to believing the 'Good News' (Gospel) of Jesus Christ who died on the cross for your sins, was buried and resurrected three days later from the dead. That is 'The Gospel' (1st Corinthians 15:1-4). 

The following helpful information is from Pastor Lou Martuneac:

John MacArthur's Discipleship Gospel 

In Defense of the Gospel 

By Lou Martuneac - October 7th, 2006 

The following appeared at Pulpit Magazine on September 29th, 2006. This paragraph from Dr. MacArthur’s post titled True Faith and True Grace encapsulates the major elements in the Lordship controversy. Dr. MacArthur wrote: 

“Those who teach that repentance is extraneous to saving faith are forced to make a firm but unbiblical distinction between salvation and discipleship. This dichotomy, like that of the carnal/spiritual Christian, sets up two classes of Christians: believers only and true disciples. Most who hold this position discard the evangelistic intent of virtually every recorded invitation of Jesus, saying those apply to discipleship, not to salvation.” 

One of the most significant errors with Lordship Salvation is the confusing of passages meant for the born again disciple of Christ (such as Luke 9:23-24, 14:25-33) and presenting them as though they are evangelistic appeals directed to the lost. It is from this error, where much of the Lordship interpretation of the gospel flows. This error leads to a faulty definition of faith, redefines the role of biblical repentance in salvation, both of which result in a gospel message that frustrates grace (Gal. 2:21). Following are three examples of how John MacArthur’s discipleship gospel redefines the faith that saves: 

“The gospel Jesus proclaimed was a call to discipleship, a call to follow Him in submissive obedience… Forsaking oneself for Christ’s sake is not an optional step of discipleship subsequent to conversion; it is the sine qua non of saving faith.” (The Gospel According to Jesus [Revised & Expanded Edition], p. 27, 142)  

“Thus in a sense we pay the ultimate price for salvation when our sinful self is nailed to a cross… It is an exchange of all that we are for all that Christ is. And it denotes implicit obedience, full surrender to the lordship of Christ. Nothing less can qualify as saving faith.” (The Gospel According to Jesus, p. 140)  

“Let me say again unequivocally that Jesus’ summons to deny self and follow him was an invitation to salvation, not… a second step of faith following salvation…” (The Gospel According to Jesus [Revised & Expanded Edition], p. 221) 

Lordship Salvation conditions the reception of salvation on a lost man’s upfront commitment to what should be the results of salvation. A commitment to perform the “good works” (Eph. 2:10) expected of the disciple of Christ is Lordship’s requirement FOR salvation. The lost man is expected to make a commitment toward what he will do, or become, in “exchange” for what Christ has done for him. John MacArthur states that position this way: 

“That is the kind of response the Lord Jesus called for: wholehearted commitment. A desire for Him at any cost. Unconditional surrender. A full exchange of self for the Savior. It is the only response that will open the gates of the kingdom.” (The Gospel According to Jesus [Revised & Expanded Edition], p. 148) 

In one of the clearest expressions of portraying discipleship as though it is the key to salvation Dr. MacArthur wrote: 

“Anyone who wants to come after Jesus into the Kingdom of God, anyone who wants to be a Christian, has to face three commands: 1) deny himself, 2) take up his cross daily, and 3) follow him.” (Hard to Believe, p. 6) 

The faith that saves is more than simple acknowledgment. Faith is basically a trust or confidence in someone or something. For salvation Jesus must be the object of faith. Faith goes beyond acknowledgement when the lost man transfers his dependence on Christ to save him from the penalty of sin. Mere acknowledgement of what Jesus has done does not save. When biblically defined, faith does not include upfront promises of commitment and surrender.
Discipleship comes at a cost, salvation (justification) does not! It is clear that Lordship Salvation requires much more than a faith that acknowledges one’s sin, a pending judgment for sin, and one’s need of the Savior. The Lordship position does not depend solely on the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross. 

Lordship Salvation, according to John MacArthur above, is a barter system, an “exchange” of what man must offer Christ to receive His free gift of salvation. To imply that receiving the free gift of God requires that man “pay the ultimate price” is a gospel of faith plus works. 

My book, In Defense of the Gospel, does not contain errors that are so common in the works of other men who have written in objection to Lordship Salvation. Many have been alarmed at the increasingly meaningless presentation of a gospel that seems to ignore the Person of Christ, the sinfulness of man, the finished work of Christ and the pending judgment of God. This gospel calls men to salvation when they have been given only a vague idea of just what they need to be saved from. There is, furthermore, a reductionist interpretation of the content of saving faith, with which I strongly disagree. The most extreme example of this reductionist view is known as the “Crossless” gospel. This is a relatively new interpretation of the Gospel originated by (the late) Zane Hodges and is almost exclusively perpetuated by the Grace Evangelical Society’s membership. 

My book does not minimize or reject the lordship of Jesus Christ. Jesus is Lord and Savior throughout all eternity. We all agree that Jesus is the Savior; the only hope mankind has for eternal salvation from sin, death and Hell (Acts 4:12). We all agree that Jesus is the Lord, the King of Kings, and all power belongs to Him (Rev. 19:16; Matt. 28:18). If He is not the Lord, He is not God. If He is not God, He is not the Savior. Christ’s lordship, however, should not be used to create a message where the reception of salvation is conditioned on a lost man’s upfront commitment to surrender and submission, which Lordship Salvation does.
Pastor George Zeller wrote an article titled, The Relationship Between God’s Grace and Lordship Legalism, which appears in the appendix of my book. 

Following is a brief excerpt. 

“Don’t confuse saving faith with that which saving faith ought to produce. Don’t confuse repentance with the fruits of repentance. Behavior and fruit are the evidences of saving faith but they are not the essence of saving faith. Don’t confuse the fruit with the root. Before you can ‘come after’ Christ in discipleship (Luke 9:23; Matt. 11:29-30), you must ‘come unto’ Christ for salvation (Matthew 11:28). Discipleship is not a requirement for salvation; discipleship is the obligation of every saved person.” 

When a man tries to carefully introduce verses about discipleship as part of God’s plan for salvation, remember that the Bible teaches we come to Christ for salvation and that we come after Christ in discipleship. It is wrong to present discipleship verses as salvation verses. We must not use verses intended to teach discipleship to try to lead a man to Christ. To do so creates confusion and frustration. It becomes a gospel of faith, plus works. 

Lordship Salvation demands from a lost man a promise of what he will do, or become, to receive the gift of eternal life. Once man offers anything in addition to the finished work of Christ for salvation that message becomes false through the addition. A gospel that calls for man to do or offer anything in addition to what Christ has done is wrong! 

Dr. MacArthur - I know you mean well, you believe you are being true to the Scriptures. Changing the terms of the gospel, however, to upfront demands for commitment and surrender in “exchange” for salvation, will not make the problems of loose living carnality found in some professing believers go away.
In Defense of the Gospel fully defines and biblically answers the doctrinal and practical problems with Lordship Salvation. I wrote my book to alert Christians, across the broad spectrum of evangelical Christianity, about Lordship’s works based, man-centered interpretation of the gospel that frustrates grace (Gal. 2:21). 

There are many areas where one must balance soul liberty and Christian charity and agree to respect different views. The gospel, however, is not an area in which we can agree to disagree. The doctrine of Lordship Salvation and the Lordship advocates must be vigorously debated, and its spread biblically resisted. END

Any plan of salvation that requires you to do more than simply trust Jesus Christ as your Savior is false! Christ died on the cross for our sins. He was buried. Three days later He resurrected from the dead for the justification of our faith. The moment you believe This “Gospel” (Good News or Glad Tidings) when you hear it preached, you are saved and forever sealed with the Holy Spirit. Simply receive Christ's sacrifice on the cross as payment for your sins, trusting the risen Savior. Salvation is not doing your best, it is having Christ's best put to your account through receiving Him by faith. God will not save anyone who is trying to be saved, He will only save those who are trusting to be saved.

You're not preaching the Gospel if you're not preaching eternal security. If you think you can lose salvation, you don't understand it and are not saved. Remember, it is God's salvation, not yours. We are saved by GOD'S RIGHTEOUSNESS (Philippians 3:9; Romans 10:3-4). You truly understand the Gospel when you know that you cannot lose it! If you are not preaching eternal security, you are not preaching the Gospel. Once saved, always saved!

Sealed With The Holy Spirit (Pastor Ralph “Yankee” Arnold)

Faith Cometh By Hearing God's Word

Romans 10:17, “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”

By the way, let me encourage you to listen to Alexander Scourby read the King James Bible to you. Just kick back with a cold glass of lemonade, or lie upon your bed and listen attentively from Genesis to Revelation. Believe it or not, you can hear the entire Bible read to you in just 75 hours! Wow! You might read the Bible through in a year (extremely few people do), but you can easily listen to the entire Bible dozens of times each year, just by playing it as you work around the house, do yard work, or whatever. I encourage you to listen to God's Word, which you can hear for free on YouTube. Romans 10:17, “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”

The following quotes are beautiful, honoring God's inspired Word. And may I say, today's modern Bible revisions are often NOT based any any legitimate ancient language; but rather, they are the mere rantings of scholarly madmen hellbent on making a buck from marketing their own copyrighted version:

“The Bible is no mere book, but a Living Creature, with a power that conquers all who oppose it.” —Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821) 

“It is impossible to enslave mentally or socially a Bible-reading people. The principles of the Bible are the groundwork of human freedom.” —Horace Greeley (1811-1872) 

“The existence of the Bible, as a book for the people, is the greatest benefit which the human race has ever experienced. Every attempt to belittle it is a crime against humanity.” —Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) 

“That book [King James Bible], sir, is the rock on which on republic rests.” —U.S. President Andrew Jackson (1767-1845) 

“The Bible has been the Magna Carta of the poor and oppressed. The human race is not in a position to dispense with it.” —Thomas Huxley (1825-1895) 

“So great is my veneration for the Bible that the earlier my children begin to read it the more confident will be my hope that they will prove useful citizens of their country and respectable members of society. I have for many years made it a practice to read through the Bible every year.” —U.S. President John Quincy Adams (1767-1848) 

“It is impossible to rightly govern the world without God and the Bible. ” —U.S. President George Washington (1732-1799) 

“The Bible, composes by many authors, over a period of many centuries, yet ONE BOOK, is, in itself, the outstanding Miracle of the Ages, bearing aloft its own evidence of its Superhuman Origin.” —Henry H. Halley (1874-1965) 

“The Old Testament is an account of a Nation. The New Testament is an account of a MAN, The Nation was founded and nurtured of God to bring the Man into the world.” —Dr. Henry H. Halley (1874-1965) 

“Bible reading is an education in itself.” —Lord Tennyson (1809-1892) 

“The Bible is worth all other books which have ever been printed.” —Patrick Henry (1736-1799) 

“The whole hope of human progress is suspended on the ever growing influence of the Bible.” —U.S. Secretary of State William H. Seward (1801-1872) 

“God Himself became a Man, to give mankind a concrete, definite, tangible idea of what kind of Person to think of when we think of God. God is like Jesus. Jesus was God incarnate in human form. His appearance on earth is the Central Event of all history. The Old Testament sets the stage for it. The New Testament describes it. As a man, He lived the most strangely Beautiful Life ever known. He was the Kindest, Tenderest, Gentlest, most Patient, most Sympathetic man that ever lived. He Loved people. He hated to see people in trouble. He loved to Forgive. He loved to Help. He wrought marvelous miracles to feed hungry people. For relieving the suffering He forgot to take food for Himself. Multitudes, weary, pain-ridden, and heart-sick, came to Him, and found healing and relief. It is said of Him, and of no other, that if all the deeds of Kindness that He did were written, the world would not contain the books. That is the kind of man Jesus was. That is the kind of Person God is. Then: He Died, on the Cross, to take away the Sin of the world, to become the Redeemer and Saviour of man. Then: He Rose from the Dead: is Alive Now: not merely an historical character, but a Living Person: the Most Important Fact of History, and Most Vital Force in the world today.” —Dr. Henry H. Halley (1874-1965) 

“The reason you don't like the Bible, you old sinner, is because it knows all about you.” —Billy Sunday 

“The Bible will always be full of things you cannot understand, as long as you will not live according to those you can understand.” —Billy Sunday

I am a big fan of preacher quotes! Quotes are nuggets of truth to help us discern truth and live right. You cannot live right if you don't first think right. A man who walks with wise men shall be wise. Proverbs 13:20, “He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed.” We've got a bunch of fools in church pulpits today, who've been influenced by false prophets like Sam Horn, Ray Comfort, John Piper and Steve Pettit. Worst of all is their leader John MacArthur, who denies that children can be saved, denies that Jesus' blood is on the Mercy Seat in Heaven, and who requires discipleship for salvation (which is NOT the Gospel of free grace).

Many False Prophets Shall Rise Up

The Devil well knows that human beings are very impressionable. Therefore, be careful who you follow dear friend, because you might follow the wrong person over a theological cliff! Faith cometh by hearing the inspired Word of God. And consequently, listening to false teachers may weaken and corrupt your faith! Billions of people around the world are following the religious teachings of some false prophet. Jesus warned us in Matthew 7:15 that “false prophets” would come to deceive us, masquerading as sheep in wolves clothing. Matthew 24:11, “And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.” We are certainly living in those times in 2020 of MANY FALSE PROPHETS!!! The best way to expose the darkness is to shine to light! The Word of God is that light, that is, THE TRUTH. John 17:17, “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.” If you want to get close to God, then you must get close to THE TRUTH. 

There's a large independent Baptist church right down the street from me on Guam. It's the ecumenical Harvest Baptist Church. I attended the church for a whole year in 2014. I loved the church family, and made many friends. I felt at home and didn't want to leave, but I made the fatal mistake of trying to help the pastors and church overcome the doctrinal falsehoods which have infected their church. Harvest uses dozens of different English Bible revisions, bidding Godspeed to the Devil's Bible. Consequently, the beloved Harvest Baptist Church on Guam preaches another gospel of Lordship Salvation, requiring sinners to turn from a lifestyle of sin to be saved. 

I say “beloved” because I love them unconditionally at Harvest, and they are dear to me, and I miss them all very much. I've even tried to return to church services multiple times since 2017, lonely and desirous to have a local church family, but the damage is done and they resent me for telling THE TRUTH. Harvest preaches the same doctrinal error taught by the Church of Christ, Seventh-Day Adventists, Mormons and Jehovah's Witnesses concerning false repentance, that is, they say that you must “turn from sin” to be saved. 

I mentioned Harvest Baptist Church because they have a big sign at the entrance of their church property that reads: “Helping People Develop A Heart For God.” They have it backwards. Harvest does not regard THE TRUTH, and Jesus told the Samaritan woman at the well in John 4:24, that God must be worshipped IN SPIRIT and IN TRUTH!!! You cannot worship God in doctrinal error that corrupts the Gospel. You cannot worship God using corruptible seed (i.e., the Devil's modern Bible versions). I love the folks at Harvest Baptist Church enough to tell them THE TRUTH, even it it means offending them and losing their love and friendship. Satan is behind the modern Bible corrupting movement in America!

Until Harvest's pastors get right with God and forsake their fake Bibles and counterfeit gospel, God will not bless their church. They are not helping anyone develop a heart for God without a love for THE TRUTH. Harvest promotes Bob Jones University, since they are all alumni of BJU. Look at the false gospel that BJU preaches today! You must first develop a heart for THE TRUTH, and in so doing you will develop a heart for God. Biblically they are not a church, they are a religious cult. I say that kindly with love (Ephesians 4:15). A “church” must preach the Gospel of free grace without adding anything to it. Either the inspired Word of God (i.e., the King James Bible) will keep you from sin and doctrinal error, or else Satan's corruptible seed (Genesis 3:15) will keep you from truth and knowing God.

“The Word of God is our only hope—that's our only hope! This has been the generation of translations and abominations, and perversions, of the Word of God! It's been a long time; now when the Revised Standard Version came out, I stood against it before I knew what it was, because the wrong crowd heard of that, and the wrong crowd received it, and I knew it got too much publicity to be right! And I knew if the newspapers publicized something, it had to be wrong! And so I knew that the American people and a lot of American preachers—they welcomed it into their house before they knew it was a rattlesnake!” —Brother Lester Roloff, a needful quote from the MP3 sermon titled, “'THE LIVING BIBLE' EXPOSED!”

Deadly Rat Food Is Less Than 1% Poison

Psalms 140:3, “They have sharpened their tongues like a serpent; adders' poison is under their lips. Selah.”

When you go to Home Depot or a local hardware store, to buy rat food that will kill pesky mice and rats, the food is less than 1% deadly poison. In fact, only about .001% to .005% (one thousandth to five thousandths of the food is actually deadly poison):

Second generation agents are far more toxic than first generation. They are generally applied in lower concentrations in baits—usually on the order of 0.001% to 0.005%—are lethal after a single ingestion of bait and are also effective against strains of rodents that became resistant to first generation anticoagulants; thus, the second generation anticoagulants are sometimes referred to as "superwarfarins". —Wikipedia

That means the manufacturer of the rat food, took one thousand pounds of wholesome healthy food, and mixed into it only one to five pounds of poison. Wow, that is some strong poison! I want you to see that even the smallest amount of poison contaminates the whole batch of food! When the pesky rat comes alone, he smells that good food. He doesn't detect the tiny bit of poison that will absolutely kill him! Let's make a spiritual application, shall we?

All across the world today, false preachers are deceiving the masses. Most of what they preach is good wholesome truth, which causes you not to detect their poison. Our text passage of Scripture is very fitting from Psalms 140:3, “They have sharpened their tongues like a serpent; adders' poison is under their lips. Selah.” An “adder” is a snake. I preach a lot against Neo-evangelicals with their deadly poison of Lordship Salvation. I preach against their deadly poison of the modern Bible revisions. Dr. Steve Pettit (president of Bob Jones University since 2014) teaches BJU's 2,700 students that there's not much difference between the NIV and the King James Bible. Kindly said, Dr. Pettit speaks as a fool! 

You can hear Dr. Pettit's preaching for yourself on 'The Daily Platform' (BJU chapel services). Nearly everything that Dr. Pettit says is good wholesome Bible teaching, just like the rat food that is mostly good food for the rat to eat and digest. Unfortunately, Steve Pettit is not saved, so he preaches the lies of Lordship Salvation (which makes sense to the unregenerate man). It makes sense to the unsaved man that you should have to forsake your sinful bad habits to be saved. But that is not what the inspired Word of God teaches!

Evangelist Ray Comfort is another unsaved religious man, who requires that a man stop fornicating to receive God's free gift of eternal life. Mr. Comfort says God will only save you, “if you'll let go of your sins.” You won't find that teaching anywhere in the Holy Bible! Ray is adding to the Gospel, and in so doing perverting it! The biggest problem I am having as a fundamentalist Baptist Bible preacher, is trying to convince people that the spiritual food they are being fed is killing them, because of the 1% poison in it. 

Pastor John MacArthur is one of the most popular preachers in the world. Tragically, Mr. MacArthur has won the following of Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, and Bob Jones University in South Carolina. Consequently, over 5,000 students accumulatively each year are being brainwashed with MacArthur's Calvinist heresies (aka, Lordship Salvation). MBI even admits on their college's website that they have become generally Calvinistic. MBI are liars to claim that Pastor Harry Ironside (1876-1951) changed in his later ministry to a mild Calvinist view. THEY ARE LIARS!!! 

Dr. Ironside simply believed in the perseverance of the Holy Spirit, as I do, but not the perseverance of the saints (as John Calvin, 1509-1564, heretically taught). The heresy of the perseverance of the saints claims that a saint WILL persevere in holiness and a changed life. The Bible says in Titus 2:13 that a saint “SHOULD” live godly in Christ; not MUST (that is works); not WILL (that is Calvinism). Presenting our body as a living sacrifice to the Lord is our “REASONABLE SERVICE” according to Romans 12:1-2, not our MANDATORY SERVICE according to John Calvin and Moody Bible Institute.

If you think I'm splitting hairs, you need to read Matthew 7:21-23:

Matthew 7:21-23, “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”

This is one of the most enlightening, applicable and important passages concerning the issue of Lordship Salvation being taught in tens of thousands of churches today! Jesus even said you don't get saved by following Him as “LORD.” How much clearer could the Bible be that Lordship Salvation is NOT THE WAY! These were devoutly religious people, who committed their lives to following and serving Christ, but Christ rejected them all!!!

“You can live for Christ, you can love Christ, you can serve Him with all your might, time, talent and wealth. You can pray to Him, read your Bible, get water-baptized, join a church, witness to people, and do every wonderful work contained within the realm of Christianity, but if you fail to trust Jesus Christ alone for your salvation, He will “dump” you.” —'I NEVER KNEW YOU' (.pdf), by Michael P. Bowen; by Barbour Books, © 2009; page 77

I have discussed numerous false teachers in this article. All of the men I have mentioned are excellent orators. They say mostly helpful and Biblically accurate things. But its that 1% of rat poison that makes them deadly false prophets! All it takes is a tiny bit of poison to send you to Hell forever. John MacArthur says many brilliant things. Apart from his heresies on repentance, the blood and the Gospel, he is one of the greatest Bible teachers of our time. Unfortunately, it's that tiny amount of rat poison that makes him so dangerous! This is a critically important matter dear friend. Satan is much smarter than me or you! 

The most effective weapon of a false prophet is truth! That is a remarkable statement that I just made, if you understand it. If I wanted to deceive you, I would use truth as a weapon to earn your full trust, and then I would integrate my lies into those truths, to trick you. That is why the Devil only changes key passages in the modern Bible revisions, leaving 98% of it alone. Literally, there is only a 2% difference between the Alexandrian Bible manuscripts and the Textus Receptus (from which our beloved King James Bible was translated). The 2% that was changed is the deadly rat poison that damns men's souls to Hell. The Devil's Bible versions destroy theology! We need an old-fashioned revival in America of using only the King James Bible, and exposing and rejecting the Devil's new Bibles! We need a revival of simply caring! Religious people have become indifferent, complacent and foolish!

I don't care how good of on orator, interesting or how many doctrinally sound things a preacher may say, if he is wrong on repentance and the Gospel, HE CANNOT BE TRUSTED THEOLOGICALLY! False prophets are everywhere today, like Dr. Steve Pettit at Bob Jones University, and 99% of what he says is doctrinally sound, but he is wrong on the gospel. Steve Pettit bids Godspeed to John MacArthur and his heretical ministry! Our churches are in trouble folks! Remember, rat food is less than 1% poison! So before you accept a man as being okay and of God, make sure you check, you go find out, what he believes about the Gospel and the Word of God. Dr. Pettit endorses the Devil's modern Bible revisions, and he teaches Lordship Salvation! Please don't drink the Kool-Aid!

Infallibly Infallible Or What?

Colossians 2:8, “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.”

The Catholic church sinfully elevate their own manmade traditions as being equally inspired with the Holy Bible:

891. "'The Roman Pontiff, head of the college of bishops, enjoys this infallibility in virtue of his office, when, as supreme pastor and teacher of all the faithful - who confirms his brethren in the faith he proclaims by a definitive act a doctrine pertaining to faith or morals.... The infallibility promised to the Church is also present in the body of bishops when, together with Peter's successor, they exercise the supreme Magisterium,' above all in an Ecumenical Council.[LG 25; cf. Vatican Council I: DS 3074.] When the Church through its supreme Magisterium proposes a doctrine 'for belief as being divinely revealed,'[DV 10 # 2.] and as the teaching of Christ, the definitions 'must be adhered to with the obedience of faith.'[LG 25 # 2.] This infallibility extends as far as the deposit of divine Revelation itself.[Cf. LG 25.]" ([I]Catechism of the Catholic Church[/I], Doubleday:New York, © 1994 United States Catholic Conference, Inc. – Libreria Editrice Vaticana, p. 568)

It appears to be yet another case of Roman Catholic infallible doctrine conflicting with Roman Catholic infallible doctrine. What we read prompts the question: When infallible doctrines are in opposition, is either one infallible?

First some background. The Catholic dictionary defines “infallibility” as:

The inability to err in teaching the truth. In theology, it refers to: 1) the Church, in that she preserves and teaches the deposit of truth as revealed by Christ; 2) the Roman Pontiff, when he teaches 'ex cathedra' in matters of faith or morals, and indicates that the doctrine is to be believed by all the faithful; and 3) the college of bishops, when speaking in union with the Pope in matters of faith and morals, agreeing that a doctrine must be held by the universal Church, and the doctrine is promulgated by the Pontiff. —Peter M. J. Stravinskay, Ed., Catholic Dictionary, (c) 1997 Our Sunday Visitor, Inc. 

In 1546, the Fourth Session of the Council of Trent established an "infallible" rule to be applied when interpreting Scriptures in matters of faith and morals. 

Furthermore, to check unbridled spirits, it decrees that no one relying on his own judgment shall, in matters of faith and morals pertaining to the edification of Christian doctrine, distorting the Holy Scriptures in accordance with his own conceptions,[5] presume to interpret them contrary to that sense which holy mother Church, to whom it belongs to judge of their true sense and interpretation,[6] has held and holds, OR EVEN CONTRARY TO THE UNANIMOUS TEACHING OF THE FATHERS, even though such interpretations should never at any time be published. Those who act contrary to this shall be made known by the ordinaries and punished in accordance with the penalties prescribed by the law. (My emphasis) 

This rule has not been rescinded – nor is it likely ever to be rescinded, for doing so would suggest that the Extraordinary Magisterium had made an error. In fact, it was re-iterated in the "Profession of Faith" and in the "Dogmatic constitution on the Catholic faith, infallible documents produced by the infallible First Vatican Council: 

1. I, Pius, bishop of the catholic church, with firm faith believe and profess each and every article contained in the profession of faith which the holy Roman church uses, namely… 

2. Apostolic and ecclesiastical traditions and all other observances and constitutions of that same church I most firmly accept and embrace. 

3. Likewise I accept sacred scripture according to that sense which holy mother church held and holds, since it is her right to judge of the true sense and interpretation of the holy scriptures; nor will I ever receive and interpret them except according to THE UNANIMOUS CONSENT OF THE FATHERS. —First Vatican Council, 2nd Session, Profession of Faith, 6 January 1870 - [My emphasis]...

8. Now since the decree on the interpretation of holy scripture, profitably made by the council of Trent, with the intention of constraining rash speculation, has been wrongly interpreted by some, we renew that decree and declare its meaning to be as follows: that in matters of faith and morals, belonging as they do to the establishing of christian doctrine, that meaning of holy scripture must be held to be the true one, which holy mother church held and holds, since it is her right to judge of the true meaning and interpretation of holy scripture. —First Vatican Council, 3rd Session, Dogmatic constitution on the Catholic faith (24 April 1870)

9. In consequence, it is not permissible for anyone to interpret holy scripture in a sense contrary to this, or indeed against the UNANIMOUS CONSENT OF THE FATHERS. —Ibid. [My emphasis]

So, here we have an infallible doctrine, infallibly defined by two infallible church councils (Trent and Vatican I), and infallibly promulgated by infallible popes as matters of faith or morals to be believed by all the RCC. The doctrine: no one, not even the Roman Catholic church itself, is to hold an interpretation of Scripture contrary to the unanimous consent of the Fathers. With all these infallible declarations, one wonders that the Roman Catholic church, which preserves and teaches the "deposit of faith as revealed by Christ," should violate one of the rules she infallibly established to determine infallibility.

You see, it is a fact that the church fathers did not unanimously consent to the doctrine of infallibility as currently held and taught by the Roman church: 

God alone swears securely, because HE ALONE IS INFALLIBLE.—Augustine of Hippo, Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, First Series: Volume VIII, St. Augustine on the Psalms, Psalm LXXXIX, Sec. 4 [My emphasis]  

Therefore, one must wonder whether the doctrine of infallibility, which does not meet it's own test of authenticity, is infallibly taught. I do not doubt that Roman apologists will have ready defenses to explain this apparent conflict. However, the clear wording of the Councils leaves no room for equivocation: The dogma of Mary's assumption fails Rome's own test of the unanimous consent of the fathers. When these present their charges and unsupported opinions, bear in mind the words of another church father much beloved of Rome:

"Concerning the Hearers: that those hearers who are instructed in the Scriptures should examine what is said by the teachers, receiving what is in conformity with the Scriptures and rejecting what is opposed to them; and that those who persist in teaching such doctrines should be strictly avoided." —Basil of Caesarea, Fathers of the Church, Vol. 9, Ascetical Works, The Morals, Rule 72, p. 185-186.

Or, as the Holy Spirit inspired Paul to write:

Colossians 2:8, “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.”

Only the inspired King James Bible is infallible. 2nd Timothy 3:16, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:” You must decide for yourself dear reader, whether to follow the inspired Word of God in the Bible, or follow the vain religious traditions of men. I've read the Bible from cover to cover and am convinced that it is God's inspired words. 

By the way, let me encourage you to listen to Alexander Scourby read the King James Bible to you. Just kick back with a cold glass of lemonade, or lie upon your bed and listen attentively from Genesis to Revelation. Believe it or not, you can hear the entire Bible read to you in just 75 hours! Wow! You might read the Bible through in a year (extremely few people do), but you can easily listen to the entire Bible dozens of times each year, just by playing it as you work around the house, do yard work, or whatever. I encourage you to listen to God's Word, which you can hear for free on YouTube. Romans 10:17, “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”

“A test of a Christian's character is what he does after he comes to the blockade in the road and what his attitude is after everything has left him except Jesus. You will never know down here that Christ is all you need until Christ is all you have left.” —Brother Lester Roloff (1914-1982)