2nd 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.”
One of the great truths taught in the inspired Word of God is that God's plan of salvation for mankind is SIMPLE. I absolutely love the phrase in our text passage “the simplicity that is in Christ.” What is the Bible referring to? What is simple? The Apostle Paul is clearly speaking about the Gospel. Paul says in Romans 1:16-17, “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. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.”
Faith in the Gospel (i.e., the Good News) of Jesus Christ crucified on a cross, buried and risen from the dead three days later is the simple way to be saved. This is THE GOSPEL according to 1st Corinthians 15:1-4. If you realize that you are a guilty sinner in God's sight (Romans 3:19-23), that is all you need to know to be saved. A person must know what they are being saved from. There is a penalty for our sins, which according to Romans 6:23 is death. This includes a second death in Hell according to Revelation 20:11-15 and 21:8.
But thankfully Christ paid our debt of sin through Calvary's cross. This is all very simple dear friend. You and I are dirty guilty sinners in the sight of the only holy perfect living God, but Jesus paid the price for our sins with His precious blood. 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 is the sinless Lamb of God Who died on the cross to take away the sins of THE WORLD. John 1:29, “The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.”
By the way, this Bible verse strongly refutes the Calvinist lie of Limited Atonement (i.e., the false teaching that Christ didn't die for all humanity, but only for the saints). The Bible plainly teaches (as we just read) that Jesus died for THE WORLD. How else could He take away the sins of THE WORLD unless He had died on the cross for THE WORLD? If Christ only died for the saints, then the Bible would say that the Lamb of God taketh away the sins of the saints. Yes dear reader, Christ died for the ungodly, which includes every unsaved person too. 2nd Peter 2:1, “But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.” Carefully notice in the preceding Bible verse that Jesus “bought” these false prophets!!! Jesus has already paid for their sins, even though they deny Him. Christ died for the sins of THE WORLD! Calvinism is a Devil's lie.
The simplicity that is in Christ simply refers to the simple way that we are saved, by simply BELIEVING in His name. Acts 10:43, “To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.” Upon hearing these truthful words preached by the Apostle Peter, Cornelius and the lost people who were with him were all saved. They simply BELIEVED. Nothing more was required. Carefully notice in Acts chapter 10 that Peter never told these people to do anything to get to Heaven. Peter simply told them the blessed story of Jesus Christ crucified, buried and risen, and taught them that salvation comes immediately to whosoever BELIEVES in His name. They BELIEVED and were instantly and forever born-again.
There is a demonic falsehood being preached in many churches today called Calvinism, which says that if you are really saved that your life will change, you will turn away from a lifestyle of sinning, and you will persevere to live for Christ in a sanctified life. This is Satan's way of ADDING works to the Gospel. Whether ADDED before, during or after the new birth, WORKS have no place in God's plan of salvation. Nowhere in the Bible are we taught that a saved person must prove it to God by living a changed life, otherwise they are not saved because their faith is false. This is the fraud of Calvinism!!! There is a wicked false prophet named Chuck Phelps (senior pastor of the Colonial Hills Baptist Church in Indianapolis, Indiana). Pastor Phelps maintains close affiliation with the apostate Bob Jones University crowd today. Birds of a feather flock together!!! These wicked men are all pulling on the same rope as the Devil, complicating God's simple plan of salvation.
Calvinism refuses to allow a person to claim immediate salvation. Calvinism complicates things, false telling new converts of their false religion that in order to have assurance of being saved, only time will tell. According to Calvinists, we must examine, watch and monitor a new convert's life to see if changes take place. The individual is expected to turn away from former sinful bad habits (behavior modification). The individual is expected to manifest growth in the things of Christ. If these outward evidences are not visible, Calvinists ASS-U-ME that the person's faith isn't real and they are still lost in their sins, hellbound without Christ. Even though the person still strongly professes faith in Jesus Christ it doesn't matter, Calvinists have decided that they are not a child of God solely based upon the lack of external evidence.
Folks, I am not kidding. If you doubt what I say, please read this horrible untrue statement by Evangelist Paul Washer:
What about Lot? Lot lived so sinfully that his unsaved sons-in-law laughed in his face when he tried to warn them concerning the judgment to come. Genesis 19:14, “And Lot went out, and spake unto his sons in law, which married his daughters, and said, Up, get you out of this place; for the LORD will destroy this city. But he seemed as one that mocked unto his sons in law.” 2nd Peter 2:7 calls him “just Lot.” Lot was 100% saved. What about the carnal church at Corinth? Paul calls them “carnal” and “babes in Christ” in 1st Corinthians 3:1. They certainly were carnal and saturated with sins. Yet, Paul Washer foolishly ignores the plain teaching of the Scripture that these believers at Corinth were CARNAL. The Apostle Paul called himself CARNAL in Romans 7:14, “For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin.” Kindly said, Paul Washer is a false teacher!“There is no such thing as a carnal Christian (time: 21:40 in video)... The Bible never teaches that a person, can be a genuine Christian and live in continuous carnality and wickedness and sin all the days of their life...” —“Paul Washer - Shocking Message (full length)”
Paul Washer further heretically states:
Paul Washer is referring to Matthew 7:13-14, “Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.” Clearly, Jesus is speaking here about salvation, not sanctification. The great error of Calvinism is in merging (combining) sanctification with justification. If we do not put a difference between justification wrought by the man Christ without, and sanctification wrought by the Spirit of Christ within, we corrupt the Word of God and cast stumbling blocks before the people. That is exactly what Paul Washer, Gary Walton, Harvest Baptist Church on Guam, Marty Herron, Steve Pettit, John MacArthur, Bob Jones University, Ray Comfort, Andy Stanley, John Piper, Moody Bible Institute, Mark Driscoll, Tim Keller, Pacific Garden Mission (Unshackled), Chuck Phelps, Sam Horn and other Calvinists are doing!!!“But if you profess to have gone through the narrow gate, and yet you live in the broad way ... just like all the other people who are carnal and wicked ... the Bible wants you to know that you should be terribly, terribly afraid — you know not God.” (time: 24:37 in video) —“Paul Washer - Shocking Message (full length)”
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