The “Faith Alone Saves, But The Faith That Saves Is Not Alone” Heresy

Acts 13:39, “And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.”

Pastor Charles Phelps wickedly corrupts the Gospel. Phelps even quotes John Calvin (1509-1564) in his sermon as a secondary authority to back-up his damnable counterfeit Gospel. John Calvin died in his sins and went to Hell forever! And unless he repents of his false gospel, Chuck Phelps will also spend eternity in the Lake of Fire!!!

Phelps also makes this heretical statement:

“You can't work to have salvation, but if you have salvation it will work!” [emphasis added] —Pastor Charles Phelps, “False Faith” (time - 30:13; November 1, 2009 - Sunday morning)

That is typical false prophet doublespeak! That's like me saying that you cannot earn your birthday gift, but if you accept it you will earn it! What in the world is Chuck Phelps talking about? Folks, this is junk theology at it's worst! Nowhere in the inspired King James Bible are we taught, that if we receive God's free gift of eternal life IT WILL WORK! That doesn't even make sense!!! What did Jesus say about works to get to Heaven? 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.” Jesus laid this question to rest forever about doing works to merit Heaven. The Lord said the ONLY work which God accepts is to BELIEVE on the name of Jesus!!!

Nowhere in the Holy Bible are we taught that we must work to prove that we are really saved. Pastor Chuck Phelps is a theological liar!!! Mr. Phelps is not a born-again Christian, because he is preaching a corrupt gospel based in partial faith in Christ plus works. Phelps misinterprets Titus 1:16, “They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.”

Pastor Phelps wickedly attempts to wrest this verse to support his heresy that works are necessary to verify that you are saved. But Phelps lifts this text out of its context to create a new pretext. He ignores Titus 1:10 which identifies these false teachers as being “of the circumcision.” They were guilty of adding works to faith, the very evil which Pastor Chuck Phelps is guilty of doing!!!

Evangelist John Bunyan (1628-1688) said it best:

“If you do not put a difference between justification wrought by the man Christ without and sanctification wrought by the Spirit of Christ within, you are not able to divide the Word aright; but contrariwise, you corrupt the Word of God, and cast stumbling blocks before the people.” —Evangelist John Bunyan

That is exactly what Pastor Phelps and the Bob Jones University camp are guilty of doing! They corrupt the Word of God and cast stumblingblocks before the people, by failing to put a difference between JUSTIFICATION wrought by the man Christ without and SANCTIFICATION wrought by the Spirit of Christ within. One's behavior is entirely a matter of DISCIPLESHIP, not SONSHIP.

Pastor Martin R. DeHaan (1891-1965) said it very well:

“There is a vast difference between coming to Jesus for salvation and coming after Jesus for service. Coming to Christ makes one a believer, while coming after Christ makes one a disciple. All believers are not disciples. To become a believer one accepts the invitation of the Gospel, to be a disciple one obeys the challenge to a life of dedicated service and separation. Salvation comes through the sacrifice of Christ; discipleship comes only by sacrifice of self and surrender to His call for devoted service. Salvation is free, but discipleship involves paying the price of a separated walk. Salvation can't be lost because it depends upon God's faithfulness, but discipleship can be lost because it depends upon our faithfulness.” —Pastor M.R. DeHaan, “Hebrews”; Zondervan Publishing House, 1959 (p. 117)

Here are some more great helpful quotes differentiating between DISCIPLESHIP and SALVATION...

“Certainly discipleship is a most important aspect of our relation to Christ, but it belongs to the sphere of Christian life rather than entrance upon that life... One does not become a disciple in order to become a Christian, but because he has become a Christian by faith in the Savior, it is fitting that he embark upon a life of discipleship.” —Harrison, Everett F. , “Must Christ Be Lord To Be Savior? No.”; Eternity, September 1959 (p. 14)

“There is no more piously subtle abrogation of the Gospel than to tell a Sinner that he must not only believe in the Savior, but dedicate himself to do God's will, crown the Savior Lord of his life, et cetera, et cetera. Obviously, dedication and service are highly desirable, but they are the privilege and the duty of the saved, never a condition of salvation for the unsaved (cf. Romans 12:1, 2).” —Dr. Unger, Merrill F., “God is Waiting to Meet You”; Moody Press, 1975 (pp. 117-118)

“People are sometimes led to believe that there is saving value in some public confession of Christ, or profession of a decision. "With the heart man believeth unto righteousness." This is salvation. "With the mouth confession is made unto salvation." This is the voice of the newborn child speaking to and of its father. The only condition on which one may be saved is to believe." —Chafer, Lewis Sperry, “Salvation”; Dunham Publishing Company, 1917 (p. 46)

Again, Phelps makes this heretical statement:

“You can't work to have salvation, but if you have salvation it will work!” [emphasis added] —Pastor Charles Phelps, “False Faith” (time - 30:13; November 1, 2009 - Sunday morning)

That is a backdoor forked-tongue false gospel. Dear reader, the Bible teaches that forgiveness of our sins and eternal life is a gift from God (Romans 6:23; Ephesians 2:8-9). There is no requirement to follow through with a lifestyle of obedience, service and commitment to Christ. What Pastor Phelps is preaching is another gospel, not the free grace promised by God by faith alone.

In his heretical sermon Phelps cites some statistics, saying that 74% of Americans claim to have some sort of relationship with Jesus Christ. Yet, Phelps alleges that because of all the sin running rampant in professed believer's lives, it proves that they were never really saved at all. You see, he is foolishly confusing and mixing sanctification with justification. The Bible teaches that we are declared justified by faith alone. Getting saved is a legal matter. You and I are guilty of violating God's commandments. God's law condemns all humanity as being guilty sinners (Romans 3:19-20). The law brings us to Jesus Christ, so we can be freely justified by faith alone (Galatians 3:24-26). Christ paid our debt of sin on the cross (1st Corinthians 15:1-4). Jesus paid for our sins with His precious blood (1st Peter 1:18-19). Once justified, every believer is “JUSTIFIED FROM ALL THINGS” (Acts 13:39b).

From that point on as a child of God our sanctification journey begins. Depending on how well we are mentored, and if a good church exists for us to attend, and several other factors, we will either grow or languish in our Christian growth. We see this truth taught in The Parable Of The Sower And The Seeds in Luke 8:11-15. The “seed” is the Word of God (vs. 11). Some seeds fell among thorns, other upon shallow ground, and some on fertile ground. These were all believers! Only the first group were unsaved, the seeds which fell upon stony ground and the birds (Devil) took the seeds away. The last three groups were all born-again believers.

Obviously then, not all Christians mature to perfection as Chuck Phelps foolishly teaches. These ungodly Calvinists confuse multiples of people, leading worldly believers to think they are not really saved. The Bible says that some seeds fell on shallow ground. These are believers who quit church and never grow in the Lord. Infidels like Chuck Phelps claim they were never saved, but the Bible says they are shallow. They are carnal (1st Corinthians 3:1). In the heretical mindset of Steve Pettit, Chuck Phelps, Marty Herron, Gary Walton and other reprobates of the faith, carnal Christians don't exist. There is no middle ground in their foolish thinking!

If you listen to the preceding lame sermon by Pastor Phelps, he begins the sermon by talking about a former pastor who abandoned his wife and quit the ministry, claiming he was never really saved at all. I am so sick and tired of these Pharisaical hypocrites like Chuck Phelps!!! Just because a man's life falls apart and he quits the ministry doesn't mean that he was never a child of God. Chuck Phelps is a major hypocrite!!!

The Lord spoke in His parable about the seeds which were “choked” by the cares and riches of this world (Luke 8:14). There are tens of millions of choked believers today in the world. They have been distracted from serving Christ. They have been thrown off course because of “the sin which doth so easily beset us” (Hebrews 12:1b). They have been diverted because of the love of money and the riches of this temporal world. But they are saved!!! The Lord simply said they didn't mature in the Lord for various reasons, but Jesus never said that this proved they were never saved at all. You dear friend must choose whether to follow the theology of Jesus Christ, or the corrupt junk theology of the demonic Bob Jones University camp today! I'm going to follow Jesus' teachings!!!

You CAN get saved in an instant and KNOW IT 100%! Former theologically incompetent long time (2014-2022) Bob Jones University (BJU) president, Steve Pettit says you cannot! What a devil preacher. What a theological liar! The Bob Jones crowd are spiritually vile, corrupt and must be exposed for the Calvinist false teachers that they are!!! BJU invited and honored Calvinist Paul Washer in December of 2022. Shame on them! (2nd John 1:11).

The teaching that “Faith alone saves, but the faith that saves is not alone” is damnable Lordship Salvation heresy! This cleverly articulated adage sounds great to an unlearned Bible student, but it is simply not biblical. It is not true that your faith must produce works to be valid. All of the pseudo-Christian cults (Mormons, Catholics, Seventh-Day Adventists, Jehovah's Witnesses, et cetera) errantly teach that your faith is invalid if it doesn't result in doing good works and living a changed life.

I thank God for doctrinally sound preachers like my ministry friend Pastor Ralph Yankee Arnold, who made this edifying statement...

“'You can't tell me you can trust Christ as Savior, and then go out here and live like the Devil, and still go to Heaven!' Yes, I can tell you that! That's what the Bible says. If you don't come to the conclusion, that—Yes, you can trust Christ as your Savior and live like the Devil, and still go to Heaven when you die—you don't get grace, because that is the exact truth! That is the truth! I do not have to change my life! I don't have to stop one sin! You say, 'I've never heard a preacher say that.' You just heard one! And you listen to me—I want to live as holy and as godly as I possibly can. I am now 70 years old. I've been saved for 52 years. ... the only reason I'm going to Heaven is because, 52 years ago in a little living room, I accepted Christ as my Savior.” —Pastor Ralph Yankee Arnold, a great quote from the awesome sermon, “Calvinism And Grace Are NOT Compatible”

The inspired Holy Bible is full of redeemed saints who squandered their lives in sin, accomplishing nothing for the Lord. If it weren't for 2nd Peter 2:7-8 we'd never even know that carnal Lot was saved, “For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds” (2nd Peter 2:8). In Genesis 13:12 the inspired Scripture says Lot pitched the opening of his tent toward Sodom, signifying that his heart was there before he arrived in Sodom. In Genesis 14:12 Lot and his family lived in the wicked city of Sodom. So be careful what you set your heart upon!

As a dire consequence of Lot's foolish materialistic decision to move his entire family to Sodom (essentially the ungodly Las Vegas “Sin City” of their generation), his wife was killed when she looked back and turned into a pillar of salt, two of Lot's daughters died along with their heathen husbands who refused to heed Lot's warning to flee Sodom, and his other two daughters ended up pregnant by Lot from the alcohol they took with them out of Sodom. No doubt Lot and his entire family were infected with immorality by living in Sin City.

The Bible is full from cover to cover with sinful saints. We read in Genesis 15:6 that Abram was saved by faith alone in the Lord. There is no mention of Abram turned away from his sinful habits, nor that he was willing to to do. The entire concept of requiring a lost sinner to be willing to live a changed life as a prerequisite to be saved is of the Devil.

There is no guarantee that just because someone comes to Christ by faith to be saved, that they will live a changed life or produce works meet (fit) for repentance. Acts 26:20, “But shewed first unto them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judaea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance.” Carefully notice that we repent toward God, not from sinning, to be saved. You turn from unbelief to be saved, not sinning.

Also, please don't miss that word “should” (free will); that they SHOULD to do WORKS meet (appropriate) for repentance; not must (Catholicism) or will (Calvinism). Titus 2:12 says believers “SHOULD” live godly in Christ Jesus, not must or will, which would be LORDSHIP SALVATION. Right doctrine matters!

The truth dear child of God, if you have been born again, is that you have a CHOICE to either walk in the Spirit that indwells you, or you can by default walk in the flesh (Galatians 2:25). Kindly said, those false teachers today who claim that you are not really saved unless you live a holy life are dangerous misguided fools. To protect the free grace Gospel, we must at all times keep discipleship (service) separate from sonship (salvation).

The Gift Of Eternal Life Is Wrapped In The Wonderful Package Of Jesus

“Faith is the only righteous thing that I can do!” —Pastor Jack Hyles, a quote from the MP3 sermon titled: “God's Reversal Of Psalm 51”