But If Our Gospel Be Hid

2nd Corinthians 4:1-4, “Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not; But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God. But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.”

I thought about this Scripture passage today, and how it relates to the False Bibles, Misunderstood Repentance and Lordship Salvation evils which are being taught in most churches today. Tragically, this includes most Baptist churches as well. When you see any church advertising that they preach “Reformed Theology,” run for the hills because it means they preach deadly Calvinism!

Dear reader, if you are caught up into the Devil's deceptions of Misunderstood Repentance, Calvinism, Lordship Salvation and/or Sacramental Salvation, you are NOT saved. The modern corrupt Bibles are teaching these heresies. You cannot be born again through those counterfeit things. The “Gospel” is the Good News that Jesus died on a cross to pay for our sins. He was buried. And three days later he physically resurrected from the dead. What saith the Scripture?

1st Corinthians 15:1-6, “ Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep.”

Anyone who comes to God as an admitted hell-deserving guilty sinner (you need to know why you need to be saved, and what you're being saved from), and believes (put your trust, reliance) in the GOSPEL is saved instantly, irrevocably and permanently. Nothing more is required nor allowed by God to go to Heaven. Eternal life is a FREE GIFT (Romans 5:15-18).

You don't need to forsake your sinning to be saved, nor even be willing to turn away from your sinful bad habits. That would be works! Christ came into the world to die for your sins on the cross, to pay your debt of sin with His precious blood (1st Peter 1:18-19). All that God the Father asks to get to Heaven, is for you to simply BELIEVE that Jesus did it all for you!

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.” Listen to this one minute excerpt from Pastor Ralph Yankee Arnold's tremendous sermon, “Calvinism Is Works Backloaded.” There's nothing in John 3:16 about turning from your sins, being willing to turn from your sins, following Christ as the Lord and Master of your life, keeping sacraments, living a lifestyle of repentance, doing good works, joining some religion or anything else to get to Heaven. Jesus (who is God almighty) simply told us to BELIEVE IN HIM. 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.”

It is tragic that most churches today are hiding their Gospel, because they don't have the Gospel correct, they are propagating a perversion of God's grace instead. Remember that deadly rat poison is only 1% poison, the other 99% is good wholesome food that a human could safely eat. Satan knows that if he can change the Gospel even slightly, he has successfully hindered anyone from being saved. Satan's greatest weapon is to con people into living the Christian life without ever being born again.

• Sadly, Pensacola Christian College are hiding the Gospel
• Bob Jones University are hiding the Gospel
• Pacific Garden Mission's 'UNSHACKLED' radio is hiding the Gospel

Just these three religious institutions combined influence tens of millions of people. Yet, tragically and to their utter shame, they all corrupt God's simple plan of salvation, adding works to grace to hinder people from coming to Christ to receive the new birth. BUT IF OUR GOSPEL BE HID, the Bible says it is HID TO THEM THAT ARE LOST!

The Catholic prisonhouse of religion influences over ONE BILLION people...

• The Roman Catholic religion is hiding the Gospel

A lost sinner cannot be saved from a counterfeit plan of salvation. In Matthew 7:21-23 we read about a group of false prophets who were devout followers of Christ. They boasted of having done “many wonderful works.” They boasted they had “cast of devils.” They called Jesus “Lord, Lord,” but the dear Savior denied knowing them as His sheep. Wow! So, from this remarkable passage of Scripture we learn that it is possible to live the Christian life without ever being born again, and end up in Hell forever.

Please read Acts chapter 10 sometime about Cornelius, an Italian centurion. The Bible says he “feared God with all his house.” Cornelius tithed, gave alms to the poor, fasted and prayed to God. Yet, he was NOT saved. So, again we learn from the inspired Scripture that it is possible to live the Christian life without ever being born again. Thankfully, later in Acts 10:43-44 Cornelius did get saved through faith in Jesus.

All across the world today billions of people are mistakenly trying to live the Christian life to get to Heaven. They are foolishly trying to outweigh their bad deeds without some good deeds. They partake of ineffective to save religious rituals. Some of them foolishly confess their sins to an unsaved Catholic priest, thinking that some sinful man can redeem them. They've all been lied to by the father of all liars, the Devil (John 8:44). Nothing can substitute for the new birth. Jesus said in no uncertain words, “Ye must be born again” (John 3:7b).

Carefully notice the phrase from our text passage, “nor handling the word of God deceitfully” (2nd Corinthians 4:2b). Those false teachers today (e.g., John MacArthur, Joel Osteen, Steve Pettit, Marty Herron, Jeff Redlin, Timothy Zacharias, Ray Comfort, Kirk Cameron, Paul Washer, Beth Moore, Joyce Meyer, Todd Friel and Franklin Graham) who preach another gospel are mishandling the inspired Word of God. Most of them don't even use the right Bible, and the few that do pervert it! They are deceitfully handling the Word of God, for which God will punish them in eternity. Proverbs 19:9, “A false witness shall not be unpunished, and he that speaketh lies shall perish.”