Titus 3:4-7, “But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”
The Greek verb for “repent” is metanoeo, which translated into English means: “to think differently.” Repentance does not mean to turn from sin. That would add works to salvation. Jonah 3:10, “And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not.” Turning from one's sins is works.
Also, please take note that God Himself repented in Jonah 3:10. We learn in Titus 1:2 and James 1:13 that God is incapable of sinning. So, how could God repent if the word means to to turn from one's sins? Obviously the word “repent” in the inspired Holy Bible does NOT mean to forsake a lifestyle of sinning, abandon the world, nor turn from one's sinful ways. To repent simply means to change one's mind “toward God” (Acts 20:21). It means to think differently.
Pastor Brad Strand does an excellent job explaining biblical repentance. Dear reader, very few pastors rightly divide the Word of Truth. It was the same 2,500 years ago during ancient biblical times. Jeremiah 5:30-31, “A wonderful and horrible thing is committed in the land;The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means; and my people love to have it so: and what will ye do in the end thereof?” There is an estimated 350,000 churches in the United States. Tragically, 99% of them are wicked false religions, cults, fun centers and social clubs. New Testament churches are becoming as an extinct animal on the endangered species list.
Repentance for salvation means a change of mind from men's ideas of salvation and religion, to an acceptance of Gods only way of salvation.
This results in a completely new creation, not a reformation of the old. The old nature remains as evil as ever after salvation and has not been reformed. The old nature can now be put under subjection by the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit, as we continue to yield ourselves daily to Him and walk in God's will (Ephesians 5:18; Galatians 5:16).
The moment you trust (rely upon) Jesus alone by faith as your personal Savior, you receive God's free gift of Eternal Life (Romans 6:23). That same moment you are baptized into the Holy Spirit (Luke 3:16; Galatians 3:27). He seals you (Ephesians 1:13-14, 4:30). He indwells you (1 Corinthians 3:16; John 14:17; 1st John 3:24). 1st Thessalonians 4:8, “He therefore that despiseth, despiseth not man, but God, who hath also given unto us his holy Spirit.” The only thing that a believer receives at the time of salvation is the gift of the Holy Spirit, who lives inside of every child of God (Romans 8:9; 1st John 3:24).
Living Versus Walking In The Holy Spirit
At the time of the new birth, the Christian believer is spiritually baptized (this is not water baptism) into the Holy Spirit, sealed and indwelt ONCE and FOREVER; but to be FILLED with the HOLY SPIRIT must be continually sought after in the life of a believer, and it's a command. Ephesians 5:18, “And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;” Someone has rightly said that Jesus never turned anyone away empty-handed except those who came full of themselves. There is not enough room on the throne of one's heart for both self and the Holy Spirit to reign. We must yield to God's blessed Holy Spirit in obedience to the revealed written Word of God (John 17:17; 2nd Corinthians 10:5-6).
Galatians 5:25, “If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.” If you have been born again by faith in Jesus Christ (Galatians 3:26; 1st Peter 1:23), then you are alive (quickened) in the Holy Spirit of God; but you must daily choose now to walk in the Holy Spirit. In other words, the Christian life must be lived on purpose. By default humans walk in the flesh. No matter how spiritually close to God you may be on Sunday evening, when you wake up on Monday morning you will be carnal. By default we are all carnally minded and selfish.
This is why the Scripture teaches us to seek God early. Psalms 63:1, “O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is;” It is highly advisable to have early morning devotions; a time each day when we search the Scripture (John 5:39), pray (Philippians 4:8-9) and fellowship with our Creator (James 4:8-10). I enjoy knowing that God enjoys my fellowship.
The word “carne” in Spanish translates to “meat” or “flesh” in English. Hence, to be “carnally-minded” means to think within the temporal realm of humanity (as versus spiritual things).
1st Corinthians 2:14-16, “But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.”
For a born again believer who walks closely with the dear Lord, and has the unconditional love of God abounding in our soul toward all mankind, it is very easy to forget that the world is full of unsaved sinners who do not know the love of God. I too forget this terrible fact oftentimes, bewildered by the cruel and wicked things that people do. But then the Holy Spirit reminds me that the unsaved person cannot see the Holy Spirit, because they do not know Him.
John 14:17, “Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.”An unsaved man doesn't have the Holy Spirit, neither can that man know Him. This is an important truth to learn dear reader. The lost person thinks totally different than a redeemed child of God does.
This is what 2nd Corinthians 5:17 means, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” I get sick and tired of wicked neo-evangelicals who preach their damnable lies of Misunderstood Repentance (aka, the “turn from your sins” to be saved heresy) and Lordship Salvation, using 2nd Corinthians 5:17 as their Go-to Scripture passage. The Bible is simply saying that when someone partakes of the new birth by the Holy Spirit of God, the eyes of their spiritual understanding are now opened. They can no discern spiritual things because the indwelling Holy Spirit“will guide you into all truth” (John 16:13b).
Pacific Garden Mission's 'UNSHACKLED' radio program is one of the worst offenders of perverting the Gospel. In fact, on their main webpage 'UNSHACKLED' promotes infidels', Charles Stanley, John MacArthur, Robert Jeffress, Adrian Rogers, James Dobson and others. My ministry friend, Christian author Michael P. Bowen, refutes these false prophets in his helpful free online book titled: 'I NEVER KNEW YOU.'
For the born again believer, it is a sin not to walk in obedience to the Holy Spirit...
Romans 8:6-7, “For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.”
To be filled of the Holy Ghost is what determines the success and the growth in the life of a believer (Joshua 1:8). A believer becomes fruitful as he or she submits and yields to the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22-25; Romans 12:1-2; John 15:4-8). Ephesians 4:23-24,“And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.”
God guarantees salvation to “him that believeth” (1st Corinthians 1:21).
God guarantees a “reward” to the saint that labors for Christ (1st Corinthians 3:8)
God guarantees “chastisement” and “loss” of rewards to the disobedient son (Hebrews 12:6-8; 1st Corinthians 3:15).
I repeat again! Shallow Christianity cannot be remedied by adding works to salvation. Salvation is not the result of what we do, it is the result of our faith in what Jesus did through Calvary's cross. We are saved by His blood (1st Peter 1:19-19).
Here is a wonderful passage of Scripture about our precious Savior...
Acts 13:38-39, “Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.”
In the next verse “repentance” means “to think differently” toward God. The Bible does not say to turn from your sins, turn over a new leaf, forsake the world nor surrender all to Christ to be saved; it says to repent toward God. That is, you need to agree with God that you are a guilty sinner (Romans 3:19-20), and then turn to Jesus in faith to be saved (Galatians 3:26).
Acts 20:20-21, “And how I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, but have shewed you, and have taught you publickly, and from house to house, Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Dear reader, to avoid confusing people and corrupting God's simple plan of salvation, we absolutely must keep discipleship (service) completely separate from sonship (salvation). My favorite preacher's quote is from Pilgrim's Progress author John Bunyan (1628-1688)...
“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.” [emphasis added] —Evangelist John Bunyan
John Bunyan was exposing the Lordship Salvation heresy of his generation. In every generation since the beginning of human civilization, there have been ungodly false prophets who mix works with grace to pervert the Gospel of free grace. The reason why they do it is in a futile attempt to force people to live a holy life. Preachers get tired of seeing professed Christians who live like the Devil. So, instead of preaching against sin as the Bible commands in Isaiah 58:1 and 1st Timothy 5:20, they corrupt God's simple plan of salvation in an attempt to scare lost sinners to forsake their sinful bad habits, and in so doing bring God's judgment upon themselves for preaching another gospel (Galatians 1:6-9).
Woe unto the Lordship Salvation crowd! Woe unto any lying pastor who says that you must “repent of your sins” to get to Heaven. No such requirement is found in the inspired King James Bible. Wicked men added those words to the Holy Bible (Proverbs 30:5-6). Bible repentance is simply acknowledging THE TRUTH that you are a guilty sinner in the sight of a holy God, and believing that Jesus is the only begotten Son of God, the Christ (John 20:31). This is salvation. Behavior modification is an entirely separate matter of service (Romans 12:1).
All scriptures are quoted from the inspired King James Bible. Thank you for reading my ministry blog. Jesus is precious!
I feel like the Lone Ranger more than ever preaching THE TRUTH. Corrupt pastors are preaching the Devil's lie that to get to Heaven you must be willing to forsake your sins, repent of your sins or turn from your sins; but these manmade fallacies are nowhere taught in the inspired King James Bible. Wicked pastors must STOP embellishing, tampering and perverting God's simple plan of Salvation.
➜ Pensacola Christian College (PCC) is corrupt! ➜ Any church that supports PCC is corrupt! ➜ Chick Tracts are corrupt! ➜ Any church that distributes Chick Tracts is corrupt! ➜ Pastor Peter S. Ruckman (1921-2016) was corrupt! ➜ Evangelist Samuel C. Gipp is corrupt! ➜ Dr. William P. Grady is corrupt! ➜ Bob Jones University (BJU) is corrupt! ➜ Harvest Baptist Church on Guam is corrupt! ➜ Pastor Marty Herron is corrupt! ➜ Faith Baptist Bible College and Theological Seminary is corrupt! ➜ Smyrna Baptist Church in Pensacola is corrupt! ➜ Pastor Bill Adams is corrupt! ➜ Fairfield Drive Baptist Church is corrupt! ➜ Pastor Josh Thompson is corrupt! ➜ Pastor John MacArthur (1939-2015) was corrupt! ➜ Family Baptist Church in Pensacola is corrupt! ➜ Pastors' Brad and Bobby Moffett are corrupt! ➜ Evangelist Franklin Graham is corrupt!
Sadly, 99% of professed Christians today couldn't care less because they are carnally-minded. They're more interested in sports, music, riches, pleasures and other worldly diversions.
RIGHT DOCTRINE MATTERS!!!
Woe be unto these damnable FALSE PROPHETS!!!
You don't have to be an apostle to expose falsehoods, untruths and corrupt religious leaders (Titus 1:9-14). It is tragic and an astonishment that most Baptist pastors and congregations today have succumbed to the Devil's lies of Wrong Repentance and Lordship Salvation.
We must expose the evils of Misunderstood Repentance, False Bibles and Lordship Salvation (excellent articles by Pastor Jack Hyles). It is a sin for Christian men to remain silent. Evil men triumph when good men do nothing. The most important job is the one that doesn't get done. I know how the Apostle Paul felt in Philippians 2:20, “For I have no man likeminded, who will naturally care for your state.” When I post a picture of a cute dog or cat, fifty people respond on Facebook. But if I post a meme that exposes the falsehood of Lordship Salvation, it is fortunate if two people favorably reply. That speaks volumes concerning the dire spiritual condition of the saints today.
We've become complacent, indifferent and at ease in Zion. Amos 6:1, “Woe to them that are at ease in Zion, and trust in the mountain of Samaria, which are named chief of the nations, to whom the house of Israel came!”Mount Zion is one of seven hills in the mountain range surrounding Israel. Mount Zion has an elevation of 2,510 feet above sea level. In Amos 6:1-14 God sent the prophet Amos to preach against the northern kingdom of Israel, who were at ease in their lofty dwelling place in the mountains, thinking they were safe and secure from judgment. The kingdoms of Calneh, Hamath and Gath had already fallen by war to Assyria. The prophet in Amos 6:2 asks the Israelites if they think they are “better than these kingdoms”? They were not! The prophet Amos delivered this prophecy of doom in 765 BC, which was fulfilled 44 years later when Assyria conquered the northern kingdom of Israel in 721 BC. God's inspired Word never returns void, it always comes to pass!
Likewise, thousands of years later, churchgoers in 2025 sit idle at ease in Zion in spiritually dead churches all across the United States who care nothing about door-to-door soulwinning, don't contend for the Christian faith, disregard modesty (their women all wear immodest pants), don't expose false bibles and false prophets by name, do not care about right doctrine, woefully lack genuine love and compassion for people, et cetera.
I speak of shameful spiritually dead organizations; such as, the ungodly Family Baptist Church in Pensacola, whose wicked incompetent pastors preach the Devil's fraud to “repent of your sins” to get to Heaven, which is unbiblical. You cannot show me any place in the inspired King James Bible where it teaches to repent of your sins, turn from your sins, become a Christ follower, or surrender your life to Christ in order to get to Heaven. These embellishments are responsible for confusing lost sinners and damning billions to everlasting fire. The true Gospel always points you to CHRIST; a false gospel always points to YOU. Salvation is not doing your best, it is having Christ's best put to your account through receiving Him by faith. Salvation is not a reward for the righteous, it is a gift for the guilty!
Dear reader, I just want to be a blessing to others for my precious Savior, God and Lord, Jesus. God knows my humble servant's heart. I have never asked nor accepted a single penny for my diligent labors on social media for 23 years since 2002. My ministry is a labor of love for God, truth and people.
By God's grace, I have an earned bachelor's, master's and doctorate's degree in theology, but I don't use any titles before my name. Titles mean nothing to me, helping others does. My goal has never been to write a great blog that will impress others; but rather, to preach THE TRUTH to help others. I want to feed the Lord's sheep. I want to present the Gospel as simple as possible, so that lost sinners can see how simple and easy it is to receive God's free gift of eternal life through faith in Jesus. Faith is the only righteous thing that I can do.
Where Are The 7,000 Who've Not Bowed To Baal?
I know that I am not the Lone Ranger, but that's how I feel. Elijah felt alone too.
1st Kings 19:10, “And he said, I have been very jealous for the LORD God of hosts: for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.”
The prophet Elijah told God that he felt like the last man standing, but later learned that there were an additional 7,000 Christians who had not bowed their knee in idolatry to Baal...
1st Kings 19:18, “Yet I have left me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him.”
Amen and amen! One of my favorite sermons by Pastor Jack Hyles (1926-2001) is titled: “It's Time To Come Out Of The Closet.” Where were the 7,000 who could have stood with the prophet Elijah? Where are all of the redeemed saints today in 2025? I don't want your money, but I very much do ask for and need your earnest prayers. Please ask the Lord to grant me the strength in body to keep going, the love in heart to keep caring, and the wisdom of mind to continue rightly dividing the Word of Truth.
I don't claim to be a great Bible preacher, but I am still passionate after 23 years of writing for the Lord on social media; and by God's grace and help I plan to continue (John 15:1-5). I don't claim to be a good Christian, but I do tremendously care and want continue helping everyone for as long as I can. I love what John Wesley said and I wholeheartedly agree with him...
“Do all the good you can,
By all the means you can,
In all the ways you can,
In all the places you can,
At all the times you can,
To all the people you can,
As long as ever you can.”
―John Wesley
That is beautiful. Sadly, this attitude is becoming rare among churchgoers today. Most people only go to church for selfish reasons, to be entertained and feel good when they leave. These phony churches that require people to repent of your sins to be saved are cults, not churches.
Galatians 1:6-9, “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. As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.”
I am heartbroken to hear Pastor Jenkins Sr. of the First Baptist Church of Glenarden, Maryland, preach damnable heresy. The following sermon is titled: “EVANGELISM”, which was preached on November 18, 2018. At point # 3 in his sermon, Pastor Jenkins corrupts the Gospel, adding works...
Damnable Heresy Being Preached by Pastor John K. Jenkins Sr.
Nowhere in the inspired Word of God are we taught to "be willing to turn away the way you've been living your life" to get to Heaven, which would be WORKS! I pray that Pastor Jenkins will repent of his false repentance. Former Moody Church pastor, Pastor Harry Ironside (1876-1951) gets repentance 100% correct:
“The Gospel is not a call to repentance, or to amendment of our ways, to make restitution for past sins, or to promise to do better in the future. These things are proper in their place, but they do not constitute the Gospel; for the Gospel is not good advice to be obeyed, it is good news to be believed. Do not make the mistake then of thinking that the Gospel is a call to duty or a call to reformation, a call to better your condition, to behave yourself in a more perfect way than you have been doing in the past … Nor is the Gospel a demand that you give up the world, that you give up your sins, that you break off bad habits, and try to cultivate good ones. You may do all these things, and yet never believe the Gospel and consequently never be saved at all.” SOURCE: "What Is The Gospel?"
Tragically, at least 90% of America's Baptist pastors today are preaching another gospel, and the people in those messed up churches are okay with it! Jeremiah 5:31, “The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means; and my people love to have it so: and what will ye do in the end thereof?” Dr. Curtis Hutson (1934-1995) gets Bible repentance for salvation 100% correct...
Pastor Curtis Hutson: I Hate The Repent Of Sins HERESY!
What Must I Do To Be Saved?
(Pastor Curtis Hutson, 1974)
Dear friend, there are NOT two different Gospels. The Apostle Paul makes this truth abundantly clear in our text passage of Scripture from Galatians 1:6-9. Pastor Curtis Hutson teaches that you don't have to give up one sin to be saved, Christ cam to die on a cross for our sins to pay for them! Yet, Pastor John K. Jenkins Sr. clearly teaches that there can be no regeneration (the new birth) until you first "be willing to turn away the way you've been living your life" to get to Heaven. I triple-dog dare you to show me that bullcrap Pastor Jenkins is preaching from the inspired Holy Bible! You cannot dear reader.
Ironically, Pastor Jenkins says in the preceding sermon that you've got to preach the truth, yet he doesn't even have THE TRUTH! Pastor Jenkins bloviates that he is not ashamed to preach DAMNABLE HERESY, lies that will mess up people's lives and send them to Hell forever!!! You DON'T have to believe AND repent to be born-again. Repentance is automatically included with believing the Gospel.
Mark 1:15, “And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.” The Greek word for “repent” here simple means “to think differently.” The Bible is simply teaching us to think differently to BELIEVE THE GOSPEL to be saved. The only requirement to be saved is to know what you're being saved from, the consequences of sin. Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
Pastor Jenkins used to be doctrinally sound, but then he started hanging around corrupt neo-evangelicals. One healthy person plus one sick person always equals two sick people! The Bible commands us to “come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord” (2nd Corinthians 6:17b). You cannot change a corrupt group, which is why God commands us to leave that group! I am seriously doubting if John K. Jenkins Sr. is saved!!! Pastor Jenkins is preaching the same damnable false meaning of repentance as the Roman Catholic cult, Church of Christ cult, Mormon cult, Jehovah's Witness cult and Seventh-Day Adventist cult. If you think that repentance means turning away from a lifestyle of sinning, you are in harmony with the Satanic cults!!!
In sharp contrast, here again are the helpful doctrinally sound words of Pastor Harry Ironside:
“Which comes first, repentance or faith? In Scripture we read, 'Repent ye, and believe the gospel.' Yet we find true believers exhorted to 'repent, and do the first works.' So intimately are the two related that you cannot have one without the other. The man who believes God repents; the repentant soul puts his trust in the Lord when the Gospel is revealed to him. Theologians may wrangle over this, but the fact is, no man repents until the Holy Spirit produces repentance in his soul through the truth. No man believes the Gospel and rests in it for his own salvation until he has judged himself as a needy sinner before God. And this is repentance.” (Except Ye Repent, p. 16) [emphasis added]
Dear reader, the man who BELIEVES on the Lord Jesus Christ, has repented. Repentance is not a separate act from placing your childlike faith in Jesus Christ as your personal Savior.
Jeremiah 5:30-31, “A wonderful and horrible thing is committed in the land; The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means; and my people love to have it so: and what will ye do in the end thereof?”
The Hebrew word for “wonderful” in Jeremiah 5:31 is shammah which means “consternation,” that is: “fear resulting from awareness of danger.” Other words in the Old Testament that are translated from this same Hebrew word are: astonishment, desolation and waste. The prophet was fearful over what he saw, pastors preaching false doctrine and the people loved it.
I was immediately reminded of several ungodly churches that I have attended, whose wicked incompetent pastors preach another gospel. These wicked churches include: Harvest Baptist Church on Guam, Lighthouse Baptist Church on Guam, Agana Heights Baptist Church on Guam, Bayview Baptist Church on Guam (they have since thankfully dropped the word “Baptist” from their name), Campus Church at Pensacola Christian College (PCC), Family Baptist Church in Pensacola, Smyrna Baptist Church in Pensacola, New Warrington Baptist Church in Pensacola, First Baptist Church in Pensacola, Fairfield Drive Baptist Church in Pensacola and others. These are all damnable cesspool of iniquity and shame, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men (Mark 7:7-9).
It is no small matter for a pastor to preach another gospel, and for those church congregations to rally behind their fool-headed pastor and his damnable heresy. I-chabod (the glory of the Lord is departed) is written over the doors of these spiritually dead churches. Woe be unto all of them! 2nd John 1:10-11, “If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed:For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds.”
All of the wicked churches that I just mentioned, have incompetent pastors who teach that to get to Heaven you must repent of your sins. They say you must be willing to turn from your sinful bad habits to be saved. But don't take my word for it. Here are the damnable words from Campus Church at PCC...
On page 62 of their “John & Romans” booklet, Campus Church tells the reader that to be saved, you must make a mental check requiring the reader to agree to:
“I repent of my sins. I realize that sin is something that God hates and I no longer want to hold onto sinful bad habits in my life.”
SOURCE: “John & Romans,” Campus Church at Pensacola Christian College, p. 62
Oh My! Folks, this is NOT part of the free grace Gospel which the Apostle Paul preached in 1st Corinthians 15:1-4...
1st Corinthians15:1-6, “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.”
There you have it! The “Gospel” is the “GOOD NEWS” that Jesus Christ DIED on a cross for our sins, He was BURIED and after three days He physically RESURRECTED from the dead. In Paul's Gospel (which Paul said he received directly from Jesus in Galatians 1:12), did you see anything that says to be willing to forsake your sinning? No. Did you see anything about surrendering your life to Christ? No. Did you see anything about water baptism, doing good works, forsaking the world or repenting of your sins? No, you did not, because those things are not taught in the inspired King James Bible concerning the new birth.
In their demonic booklet of “John & Romans” issued by Campus Church at PCC, it also reads that to be saved you must: “follow and obey God's will instead of your self-serving sins.” No, that is not what Paul taught. That is not a free grace Gospel! So, why is PCC and their Campus Church promoting this ungodly filth? Every church I am aware of that is affiliated with PCC teaches this same Satanic damnable heresy!!!
Pastor Josh Thompson, senior pastor of the corrupt Fairfield Drive Baptist Church in Pensacola, shamefully teaches a class at PCC. Josh has blood on his hands. I met Josh at the Pensacola Interstate Fair in 2022. He was working at PCC's wacky religious booth in the Exhibition Hall, adjacent to the Jehovah's Witnesses. False prophets flock together! I asked Josh is he was teaching Lordship Salvation and he confirmed that he was. Pastor Thompson quoted Acts 16:31b, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.” Josh emphasized the word “Lord” and heretically said that this verse proves you must receive Jesus as the “Lord” of your life to get to Heaven.
As a gentleman, I tried to reason with Pastor Thompson but he was belligerent and closed-minded, a “fool” subverted of himself the Bible says in Titus 3:10-11. I properly rebuked Josh sharply for his folly, and said I was going to pray for God to open his blinded eyes. I then politely walked away frustrated with his woeful ignorance of the inspired Holy Bible. Folks, these are the shameful type of damnable false prophets who teach in the classrooms at PCC. Please DON'T entrust your precious impressionable children to PCC; I beg you not to!
You will be feeding your children to ravening hungry spiritual wolves if you send them to Pensacola Christian College (PCC). Please don't bid those evildoers Godspeed (2nd John 1:10-11). There is a woeful lack of love, compassion and genuine concern for the students and church members at PCC, which I learned firsthand in 2021 when I attended their Campus Church for several months, and was horribly mistreated by their cold, uncaring, haughty and incompetent senior pastor, Jeff Redlin. I wrote a kind heartfelt letter to PCC as well (in the summer of 2022), asking for their help to reconcile with their pathetic so-called Campus Church pastors, but they totally ignored me. So be it, we have been enemies since. There is no love for people at PCC. The cult system always comes first, but individual people do not matter. I have heard that same complaint from many of their alumni, and it is 100% sadly true.
In the following truthful quote, Pastor Jack Hyles (1926-2001) practically gives their address at 250 Brent Lane in Pensacola for PCC...
“The pastors have destroyed the churches, and they've been trained by people that have never built churches, and they have no compassion.” —Pastor Jack Hyles, “Many Pastors Have Destroyed My Vineyard”
So true! Shame on PCC's uncaring leaders and brutish pastors. PCC takes in over $150 million per year in revenues. Truly the love of money is the root of all evil as God warns everyone in 1st Timothy 6:6-11. Woe unto PCC! God hears the cries of their victims dear reader. PCC is a disgrace to the cause of Jesus Christ. They don't contend for the Christian faith. PCC refuses to take a stand against Satan's corrupt Bible revisions. They refuse to preach against the Devil's lie of Lordship Salvation because they preach it themselves. In 2022, PCC wickedly invited to speak to their students and honored infidel Ken Ham, who preaches hard core Lordship Salvation. Right doctrine matters!!!
The only requirement to believe the Gospel is to know why you need to be saved. You need to know what you're being saved from. You are a guilty sinner, and so am I. No one has ever lived who didn't sin (Romans 3:10-23), except Jesus (Hebrews 4:15). He is the perfect sinless Lamb of God (John 1:29). The Bibles teaches and warns that the wages we earn from our sinning is death (Romans 5:12, 6:23). This includes a second death in Hell, fire and brimstone forever (Revelation 20:11-15; 21:8). If you admit by faith to God that you are a guilty sinner deserving of Hell, then that is all you need to know to believe the GOOD NEWS that Jesus Christ died on a cross to pay for your sins, was buried and three days later He bodily raised up from the dead for your justification. BELIEVE THE GOOD NEWS, oh sinner, and you are saved!
The worst enemies of the Lord Jesus Christ are not the abortionists, feminists, witches and warlocks, Freemasons, homosexuals or even Satanists; sadly, it is Baptist pastors! Please be very careful of whatever church you are attending dear reader, to make sure that it is not a religious cult. Any pastor who tells you that you must “Repent of your sins” to get to Heaven is a cult leader, not a genuine man of God. Jesus is precious!
2nd Corinthians 5:17, "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new."
Yes! One of my favorite sermons by Pastor Jack Hyles (1926-2001) is titled: "Your Salvation Did Not Change You One Bit." In that sermon Dr. Hyles likens getting saved to the church purchasing a strip joint (which the First Baptist Church of Hammond actually did). When the real estate transaction was complete, that house of ill repute now belonged to the FBCH. The church owned it, but the building wasn't able to be used as it. The new building needed to be converted to make it useful, so that the church could use it for the Lord.
Likewise, when we get saved we become God's property (1st Corinthians 6:20), but God cannot use us the way He wants to until we've been changed to be fit for service (Romans 12:1-2). So there is SALVATION, and then there is SERVICE. One thing has nothing to do with the other. Dr. Hyles is right that salvation does NOT change a person's character, sinful habits or ways). The only thing that getting saved changes is that we now have the indwelling Holy Spirit living inside of us (Romans 8:9; 1st John 3:24).
However, having the Holy Spirit of God inside of us DOES change things. When I got saved at age 13, no one told me that I had to turn away from my sinful ways. If they had, I couldn't have been saved that way. I just heard the pastor preach that "If you can sin without any conviction from the indwelling Holy Spirit, you need to get saved." I knew that day I wasn't saved, so I got saved. The Holy Spirit has been convicting me about the sins in my life ever since.
In hindsight, as I think back, all I see is darkness in my life. Before age 13 I remember attending Sunday School with my Mom. I remember attending a few different Christian schools, and public school in between. But there is no awareness of God in my life before I got saved. But ever since I got saved at age 13, I have felt the presence of God's blessed Holy Spirit in my life. The first thing that I remember when I got saved, is that the Holy Spirit started to convict me about sassing my Mom. Before I was saved I used to cuss and talk back to my Mom all the time. When I got saved, I could hear that still, small, quiet voice of God's Spirit in my soul saying, "David, I don't want you to talk to your Mom like that anymore." I started reading my Bible when I got saved. Nobody asked me to, I did it on my own because I was hungry as a newborn baby, desiring the milk of God's Word to grow (1st Peter 2:2).
I used to fall asleep reading my Bible late at night, with my nightlight above me still on. My Mom would turn off my light. I remember one night a few months after I got saved, that she said: "You've changed." I didn't see it, but she did. Looking back, I am so glad that my Mom said those words to me, which confirms in my mind that something had changed in my life. We read in John 3:20-21, "For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God."
Carefully notice in verse 21 that the Bible does say, "But he that turns away from his sins" comes to the light. No, it says, "But he that DOETH TRUTH" comes to the light. Bible repentance is NOT forsaking one's sinful lifestyle, it is acknowledging THE TRUTH that we are a guilty sinner in God's sight. A man must realize why he needs to be saved, and from what he is being saved. All men are sinners and are under the condemnation of God's law, hellbound in the wages of sin (Romans 6:23; Revelation 21:8). 2nd Timothy 2:25, "In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;"
Again, carefully notice the words, "repentance to the acknowledging of THE TRUTH." Repentance concerning getting saved means to acknowledge THE TRUTH. I love this quote from Pastor Harry Ironside (1876-1951) about what is repentance...
“Which comes first, repentance or faith? In Scripture we read, 'Repent ye, and believe the gospel.' Yet we find true believers exhorted to 'repent, and do the first works.' So intimately are the two related that you cannot have one without the other. The man who believes God repents; the repentant soul puts his trust in the Lord when the Gospel is revealed to him. Theologians may wrangle over this, but the fact is, no man repents until the Holy Spirit produces repentance in his soul through the truth. No man believes the Gospel and rests in it for his own salvation until he has judged himself as a needy sinner before God. And this is repentance.” ("Except Ye Repent," p. 16)
I love that! "No man believes the Gospel and rests in it for his own salvation until he has judged himself as a needy sinner before God. And this is repentance." I fully agree. That is what Romans 3:19-20 teaches in the Bible. Verse 20 says that, "For by the law is THE KNOWLDGE OF SIN." God's Old Testament LAW shows humanity our sinnership. Galatians 3:24-26 teaches the same thing, that the LAW is our schoolmaster which brings us to CHRIST in the New Testament, to be saved by faith alone. The whole Bible can be divided into two parts of: LAW and CHRIST; or, respectively, OLD and NEW Testaments.
When a person gets saved, there IS going to be a change inside of them, and that change is the presence of the HOLY SPIRIT. But this does not guarantee that a saved person will change their behavior. It depends on whether that individual person chooses to WALK IN THE SPIRIT, that they not fulfill the lust of the flesh. Pastor Hyles taught that even though we cannot sin when we choose to walk in the Spirit, we won't always make that right choice, because we are inherently sinful. Even though we have the new nature as a believer, the old nature (the flesh, which is where the Spanish word "carnal" comes from, as in Carna Asada steak... my favorite) is still present.
That is why the Apostle Paul said in Romans 7:24-25 that he struggled with the flesh daily. There is a constant battle in every believer between the flesh that desires to sin, and the indwelling Holy Spirit of God (now united with our human spirit) which desires for us to do righteousness. When we choose to sin, we do so in THE FLESH.
That is why we read in 1st John 3:9, "Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God." When we sin, we do so in the flesh, never in the Holy Spirit. God's Spirit cannot sin! Also, Jesus has already paid for all of our sins with His precious blood (1st Peter 1:18-19). So we cannot sin as far as redemption is concerned, because God only sees Christ's imputed righteousness, which is through faith in Jesus Christ (Philippians 3:9; Romans 10:3-4; Romans 4:5-6).
Albeit, when we sin as God's redeemed children, we can only fall "in grace" but never "from grace." Only unsaved Christ-rejecters, and those unsaved religious people who are trying to get to Heaven by their own works, have fallen from grace (Galatians 5:4). Romans 6:1, "What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?" Notice the words "Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?" I love that Bible verse! When we choose to sin as believers (which we ought not do), God's grace abounds more, so that we can NEVER lose or risk losing eternal life.
Eternal life is the "free gift" of God (Romans 5:15-18, 6:23; Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:5). So we see that it is IMPOSSIBLE for a born-again saint to ever lose God's gift of forgiveness of sins and eternal life. Having said all that, a man who was formerly a cold-hearted murderer is very unlikely to continue killing people. But keep in mind that King David was saved when he murdered Uriah, to cover-up his adulterous relationship with Uriah's wife, Bath-Sheba. David got her pregnant and couldn't hide what he had done. Uriah was away in battle for one year, and now his wife was pregnant, David panicked. So he had Uriah deliberately murdered in battle.
This is the man whom God called: "a man after mine own heart." All God has to work with are dirty sinners. ALL saints are still sinners. The only different is that God has freely redeemed us by faith in His only begotten Son, Jesus. The ONLY thing that makes you, me or any other believer any more righteous in God's sight, than mass-murderer's Jeffrey Dahmer, Ted Bundy or John Wayne Gacy is the precious blood of Jesus that washed ALL our sins away. We have no righteousness of our own (Isiah 64:5). Our righteousness as saints is GOD'S RIGHTEOUSNESS. That is why Matthew 6:33 tells us to seek first the Kingdom of God and "HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS."
We need God's imputed righteousness to get into Heaven, because we don't have any goodness to offer God. Cain failed to understand that truth. Abel offered up to God a blood sacrifice from the innocent animal he had just slain, which pictured Abel's faith in the coming Messiah, Jesus. But Cain brought some corn, bell peppers, tomatoes and other vegetables from his field, which God rejected. Cain failed to grasp that salvation is of the Lord. Interestingly, that is the very truth that Jonah was pondering in the belly of the whale (Jonah 2:9). Anyway, yes, a person who is saved CAN commit murder, rob a bank, and do other wicked crimes and still be safe in God's free gift of eternal life.
I know of a college Bible professor who was sentenced to 114 years in prison for his crimes. Another youth director was sentenced to 200 years in prison for his crimes. That is so scary and sad. There but for the grace of God go you and I. That is why my favorite Bible verse for many years has been Proverbs 4:23, "Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life." Put another way, "Watch your back Jack!" The Devil roams about as a roaring lion, seeking his next victim to destroy their life (1st Peter 5:8). Thankfully we can hear his roar and run away first.
From my own experience of watching people, MOST people who get saved show some evidence of salvation. However, it is heresy and wrong to mandate such changes to prove that someone is saved, because some people came out of difficult situations and broken homes, and will never be all that God desires for them to be. And for that matter, even unsaved people usually show some degree of growth after attending self-improvement classes. The truth is that not every person who comes to Christ has some radical life-changing experience as did Saul (who later was renamed Paul, Acts 9:1-5).
There are MANY false prophets today (e.g., Ray Comfort, Kirk Cameron, John MacArthur, Joyce Meyer, Rick Warren, Ken Ham, Joel Osteen, et cetera) who falsely preach that you must turn away from your sinful bad habits to get to Heaven. The Bible doesn't teach that. We are saved by faith and faith alone, not by living a changed life. My life did change when I got saved, but I grew up in a home with Christian parents. They weren't perfect (far from it), but they cared about me enough to put me into a Christian school. So I was blessed to have positive influences on me during Jr. high and high school.
Evangelist John R. Rice (1895-1980) said something great, which I quote in this helpful article. I love what Dr. Rice said. Many people assume that professed Christians are not really saved because they are still worldly, and don't seem to care about pleasing God. Dr. Rice correctly says that such rebellious teenagers need to be taught. Many preachers are sick and tired of seeing professed Christians continue in wild sinful living, so they foolishly corrupt God's simple plan of salvation, requiring lost sinners to "turn away from their sinful ways" to get to Heaven. But they have changed and perverted the Gospel (Galatians 1:6-9).
The Apostle Paul plainly defines THE GOSPEL in 1st Corinthians 15:1-4 as three things:
Jesus DIED on a cross for our sins.
Jesus was BURIED.
Jesus bodily RESRRECTED three days later.
That is why we read in 1st Thessalonians 4:14, "For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him." There we see the Gospel. The Bible doesn't mention anything about surrendering control of our life over to Jesus as "Lord." The Bible doesn't mention anything about turning away from our sins to be saved. We are simply taught to "believe" THE GOSPEL.
Repentance is included in believing, which Pastor Curtis Hutson (1934-1995) rightly teaches...
I Hate The Repent Of Your Sin Heresy!
I hear critics accusing free grace Gospel preachers like me of preaching "cheap grace." Oh no, eternal life is not cheap, it is completely free! But like everything else in life, there are no free meals. Somebody had to pay for it. Jesus has already paid for everyone's sins with His blood. That is why we don't have to "ask" Jesus to save us. God is already freely offering His gift and wants us to simply take it, by faith in the Good News (Gospel) of His only begotten Son, Jesus. Jesus doesn't forgive sins, He has already paid for them. It is a gift. All we need to do is receive it, by taking God at His Word as written in the Holy Bible.
I quoted to you earlier John 3:20, "For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved." The Bible teaches that people who love their sinning won't come to the light of the truth of the Gospel to be saved. In the Bible, "evil" is deliberate sin. Sin is doing wrong, or not doing right. But evil is planned sin. For example: If someone blows up in sudden anger, that is called "a crime of passion." If someone kills another person, in sudden anger, that is legally called "second degree murder." But if it was a planned killing, like an abortion, that is called legally "first degree premeditated murder.
So the Bible in John 3:20 is teaching that lost sinners who love sinning won't come to Christ. Let's say that a mobster goes around killing people, as ordered by the mob boss. The Bible teaches that such a wicked man won't come to Christ to be saved, because he hasn't repented. Here we see the function of repentance in salvation. Repentance is NOT a willingness to stop sinning (reformation), nor sorrow for sin (penitence), nor is it a desire to do better (penance), nor to better one's self. Repentance is a change of mind toward God (Acts 20:21), in which a lost sinner admits that they are a guilty sinner in the sight of a holy God. It is obvious from John 3:20 that repentance to some degree involves a change of mind toward sin. For salvation to remain of grace, and not works or debt, this change of mind is limited to acknowledging the knowledge that one is a guilty sinner (Romans 3:19-20).
I wrote a whole webpage to teach what repentance is, which is helpful. Here is an excellent and needful writing by Dr. Mark G. Cambron (1911-2000) on the subject of REPENTANCE.
Please read the following quote carefully, because Dr. Cambron is one of few theologians who gets it, that is, he understands the simplicity of the Gospel and that repentance does not mean turning from sin as proponents of Lordship Salvation foolishly teach...
"Repentance is necessary for salvation. The Greek word for repent is metanoeo, which, translated into English is: to change ones mind. It does not mean to turn from sin. That would add works to salvation.
Repentance for salvation means a change of mind from men's ideas of salvation and religion, to an acceptance of Gods only way of salvation.
This results in a completely new creation, not a reformation of the old. The old nature remains as evil as ever after salvation and has not been reformed . . . The old nature can now be controlled by the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit.
God guarantees salvation. This is His gift to us. God guarantees reward and fruit to the obedient son. God guarantees chastening and loss of rewards to the disobedient son.
God does not cast out disobedient children, but in some cases, does take them home. He does not permit His children to live as they please without His discipline and guidance.
Many teach repentance for salvation incorrectly, by including some form of human effort or righteousness, such as willingness to turn from sin, or turning from sin. This is heresy and has confused many people. It adds works to salvation and causes many to not understand Gods great gift. It is probation, not salvation. It is completely unscriptural. It is Galatianism and a counterfeit of the gospel.
It is a tragedy that many Christians live shallow Christian lives. The Cambron Institute is dedicated to the task of training Christian men and women in the importance of total dedication and making Jesus the Lord of their lives not to be saved but because they are saved.
Shallow Christianity cannot be cured by adding works to salvation.
Salvation is not the result of what we do, but is by receiving what God has done for us. Acts 13:38, 39; Acts 20:20: Gal. 1:8,9; Gal. 2:4; Gal. 2:21; Gal. 3:1.3; Gal. 5:1-4; Eph. 2:8-10; II Cor. 5:21;John 3:16-18; Phil. 3:9; Titus 3:5-8:11 Cor. 11:13-1 5."
SOURCE: The Cambron Institute
Dr. John R. Rice is correct that a change of mind toward sin is necessarily involved in repentance, but the total extent of that change of mind about sin is simply that someone acknowledge that they are a guilty needy sinner, so that by believing the Gospel they will be saved. Repentance cannot mean anything more than to realize one's sinfulness, otherwise salvation would be by WORKS. Without REPENTANCE, no sinner would ever come to Christ to be saved. We are not saved by repenting, but by BELIEVING. John 6:47, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life."
Repentance is necessary to be saved, but repentance is included with believing. Repentance and faith are not two different STEPS to be saved, they are two parts of ONE STEP. Dr. John R. Rice is correct that the man who repents has believed, and the man who believed has repented. Repentance and faith are inseparable, like two sides of the same coin. I hear corrupt preachers talking about fake Christians who believe, but have never repented. That is impossible! Those pastors don't understand repentance.
There is no such thing as believing on Christ without repenting, unless you errantly think that repentance means to give up your sinning. That is a false plan of salvation. Bible repentance is just a change of mind unto the Gospel itself. What must we change our mind about? Anything and everything that has been hindering us from "BELIEVING ON THE LORD JESUS CHRIST" (Acts 16:30-31).
Anyone who comes to God by faith as a needy guilty sinner, receiving Christ's sacrifice on the cross as payment for their sins, believing that Jesus was buried but is risen from the dead, is saved. That is all God requires to obtain eternal life. If someone has the horrible attitude that they are glad they can be saved and keep living in sin, that ought not surprise us, because in fact THAT IS EXACTY WHAT WE ALL DO. Every person who gets saved continues living in sin.
We tend to categorize sins as humans, esteeming murder and bearing false witness as being REALLY BAD; but then most people dismiss and trivialize sins like divorce, lying, public nudity at the beach, fornication, drunkenness and gossip. These sins in God's eyes are just as bad as murder. So in fact, every born-again believer still sins. I agree with you that it seems wrong that someone can come to Christ by faith, while still having the wicked attitude that they can continue in sin. But this is where repentance comes into the picture at the time of salvation.
A lost sinner wouldn't come to God by faith, unless they had been convicted by the Holy Spirit about their wickedness. The Bible teaches in 2nd Timothy that God works repentance in a sinner's heart. I get criticized often by crazies who hate Pastor Charles Spurgeon and pick apart every word from his sermons to attack him. I am not a fan of Spurgeon because he was a partial Calvinist. Spurgeon taught that Jesus didn't die on the cross for everyone, only for the saints. 1st John 2:2 plainly says that Jesus is the propitiation FOR ALL MEN, and not just for the saints. Calvinism is so blatantly false! Albeit, Spurgeon made some great quotes, like this one...
“Repentance will not make you see Christ; but to see Christ will give you repentance. You may not make a Christ out of your repentance, but you must look for repentance to Christ. The Holy Ghost, by turning us to Christ, turns us from sin. Look away, then, from the effect to the cause, from your own repenting to the Lord Jesus, who is exalted on high to give repentance.” —Pastor Charles Spurgeon; “All Of Grace,” Chapter 11 - “Alas! I Can Do Nothing”
The very act of turning TO Christ for salvation, involves turning FROM the consequences which sin brings, eternal damnation in Hell. There are some false teachers today (most on YouTube) who would completely remove the reality of sin from God's simple plan of salvation. NO ONE has ever been saved who didn't admit that they are a guilty sinner (1st John 1:8-10). I hope some of that information is helpful. I wanted to share a bunch of Bible with you, to lay a foundation to help you understand what repentance is for salvation.
Getting saved necessitates a change of attitude toward sin, but only to the extent that a person understands and now admits that they are guilty for breaking God's commandments, and consequently realize they are condemned to the second death in the Lake of Fire. Thus seeing their need for the Savior, they BELIEVE and are saved. I heard a cross-dressing man who professed to be a born-again Christian. But Ray Comfort provokes people. So I don't know if the man was being serious, or just upsetting Ray Comfort. Could that man be saved? Sure he could. The Bible is full of ungodly saints who did horrible things.
In Acts 5, God killed Ananias and Saphira for lying about a property they had sold, reneging on a promise to give money to the church. When Jesus raised up from the dead, He found Peter completely naked in public. Noah went from being the captain of his ship, to a drunken sailor. These are God's brightest saints. We're all a mess! I have had numerous people ask me over the years if a person can have the bad attitude that they have no intentions of departing from their sins, and still be saved. It is a loaded question, because where do we draw the line? Does a person have to be willing to give up their sins to be saved? If so, then it cannot be a gift. Cartoon evangelist Jack Chick teaches that heresy in all his Chick Tracts. For salvation to remain a free gift, there can be NO stipulations or obligations before, during or after bring saved. That is what a gift is!
The ONLY change of attitude that a person must have to be saved, is that they are guilty as a sinner and need the dear Savior to escape Hell. But once that sinner gets born-again, God's indwelling Holy Spirit will immediately start working on them, convicting, scourging and chastening them as God's adopted child (Hebrews 12:6-8). God is not an absent parent! A believer who lives in gross immorality will be of all men most miserable.
If a man can sin and win, he is not in! That is, if a person can live in sin without any conviction whatsoever from the Holy Spirit, then he is not saved. Romans 8:9, "But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his." There is SALVATION (1st Corinthians 15:1-4), and then there is SERVICE (Romans 12:1-2). One thing has nothing to do with the other.
The truth (whether you like it or not) is that a person CAN have the bad attitude that they intend to keep sinning, and still be saved. Critics of easy-believism immediately think of murder, and they have a hard time wrapping their brain around such a thing. But dear friend, if you were required to stop doing even one sin, salvation would be by WORKS! John 3:20 teaches that those who love evil will NOT come to Christ to be saved. So we see that the problem takes care of itself. Nobody comes to Christ until they have judged themselves as a guilty sinner in the sight of almighty God, and that is repentance.
In 1st Corinthians 5:1-5 we read about a wicked man who was living in open fornication with a woman in the church at Corinth. The Apostle Paul was in a different city and heard about the matter, which upset him. So Paul writes to the church at Corinth to rebuke them strongly. He says to confront the man living in open immorality and ask him to stop it, or ask him to leave the church. In 1st Corinthians 5:5 Paul makes clear that if the man had refused to repent, he still would be safe in God's free gift of eternal life. This teaches us that, yes, a man CAN have the wrong sinful attitude that he intends to continue living in sin, and still be saved. That is why the Holy Bible repeatedly calls God's blessing of eternal life a "free gift" (Romans 5:15-18).
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.”
Acts 16:29-30, “Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas, And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.”
The dear Savior Himself said that the work of God for salvation is simply to BELIEVE ON HIM. When asked by the Roman jailor how to be saved, Paul and Silas simply told him to BELIEVE ON THE LORD JESUS CHRIST. Yet, many preachers when asked how to get to Heaven, have a very different answer.
One such dangerous false teacher is John Charles Ryle (commonly know as: J.C. Ryle):
“The man in whose heart a true work of the Holy Spirit has begun, will never be content with thinking and resolving. He will break off from sin. He will come out from its fellowship. He will cease to do evil. He will learn to do well. He will turn to God in humble prayer. He will confess his iniquities. He will not attempt to excuse his sins. He will say with David, 'I acknowledge my transgression.' He will say with the tax-collector, 'God be merciful to me a sinner.' (Psalms 51:3. Luke 18:13.)
Let us beware of any repentance, falsely so called, which is not of this character. Action is the very life of “repentance unto salvation.” Feelings, and tears, and remorse, and wishes, and resolutions, are all useless, until they are accompanied by action and a change of life. In fact they are worse than useless. Insensibly they sear the conscience and harden the heart.” —Pastor J.C. Ryle (1816-1900)
BLASPHEMY!!! Dear reader, what you just read is another gospel by J.C. Ryle. It is blatant damnable false doctrine! Not one verse in the Bible mandates a changed life to get into Heaven. What he is effectively teaching is that getting saved must result in keeping the law, so if you don't keep the law you never really got saved. The woeful theological error that J.C. Ryle has made is that he mixed sanctification with justification. We must not confuse these two things.
The following blatant heresy is mind-blowing dear reader! It is very obvious that John Ryle was an infidel (unsaved), a foolish man who didn't have a clue how to really be saved. If you read his biography on Wikipedia, you'll learn that John Charles Ryle was an Anglican minister (the same as Brooke Westcott and Fenton Hort, the two infidels behind all of the corrupt modern Devil's Bibles). Anglicans are part of The Church of England, which requires water baptism to get to Heaven. This is a counterfeit gospel which does not produce the new birth in Jesus Christ. Read this shocking heresy by J.C. Ryle (1816-1900):
“"Make every effort" teaches that men and women must expect many adversaries and a hard battle, if they would have their soul saved. And this, as a matter of experience, is strictly true. There are no "gains without pains" in spiritual things any more than in earthly things. That roaring lion, the devil, will never let a soul escape from him without a struggle. The heart which is naturally sensual and earthly will never be turned to spiritual things without a daily fight. The world, with all its opposition and temptations, will never be overcome without a conflict. But why should any of this surprise us? What great and good thing was ever accomplished without trouble? Wheat does not grow without plowing and sowing; riches are not obtained without care and attention; success in life is not won without hardships and work; and heaven, above all, is not to be reached without the cross and the battle. The "kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men and women lay hold of it" (Matthew 11:12). A man or woman must "Make every effort.”
I am numb with bewilderment at the utter gross theological incompetence of J.C. Ryle! In the entire preceding article titled: “How To Be Saved,” not once does Ryle mention the death, burial or resurrection of Jesus Christ!!! Not once does he mention the word “gift.” Eternal life is a free gift (Romans 5:15-18; 6:23). One of my favorite preachers (and the author of Pilgrim's Progress), John Bunyan, correctly teaches:
“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.” —John Bunyan (1628-1688)
Bravo! Boy, I love that quote! Here is another profound helpful quote, this time from Pastor M.R. DeHaan (1891-1965):
“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)
Thank God for doctrinally sound men like John Bunyan and Martin R. DeHaan, who've studied the Scriptures to show themselves approved unto God, rightly dividing the Word of Truth, workmen who need not to be ashamed before God.
Here is another excellent quote from one of my favorite preachers, Pastor Curtis Hutson:
“But we've so muddied the Gospel, that when men want to make a decision to trust Christ, we've made it so complicated that they can't make a simple decision to 'Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.' We'll say, 'If you don't do this' or 'You don't do that' or 'You haven't done that,' you're not saved'; but the truth of the matter is that when asked in the Bible, 'Sirs, what must I do to be saved?,' one clear simple answer was given to him — 'Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.'” —Pastor Curtis Hutson, “Things That Are Different Are Not The Same” (preached at Southwide Baptist Fellowship on October 3, 1994)
What saith the Scripture? John 3:14-16, “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. 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.” I love the simplicity of the Scriptures!
Here is another mind-blowing quote from Pastor J.C. Ryle, preaching a perverse false gospel of works:
Narrow as this door is, it is "a door always ready to open." No sinners of any kind are forbidden to draw near: whosoever will, may enter in and be saved. There is only one condition of admission: that condition is that you really feel and hate your sins and desire to be saved by Christ in His own way. Are you really aware of your guilt and wickedness? Have you a truly broken and contrite heart? Look at the door of salvation, and come in. He that made it declares, "Whoever comes to me I will never drive away" (John 6:37).
The question to be considered is not whether you are a great sinner or a little sinner—whether you are elect or not—whether you are converted or not. The question is simply this, "Do you feel and hate your sins? Do you feel burdened and heavy-laden? Are you willing to put your life into Christ's hands?" Then, if that be the case, the door will open to you at once. Come in this very day. Why are you standing out there? ~Evangelist J.C. Ryle (1816-1900), “How To Be Saved”
I wonder if this man has ever even read the Holy Bible! J.C. Ryle doesn't even mention faith in Christ, he merely tells people to hate and turn away from their sins, and to put their life into Christ's hands. Folks, that is NOT the Gospel. What Ryle is preaching is WORKS!!! You don't get to Heaven by hating and forsaking your sins, and by putting your life into Christ's hands. You cannot show me that nonsense in the Bible. Where does he get this garbage theology? He sure didn't get it from the inspired Word of God.
Dear friend, a good rule to follow when interpreting the Bible is to never use an obscure passage to contradict a clear one. We have the entire Gospel of John, which was written solely to show us the way of salvation. John 20:31, “But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.” The Gospel of John is God's Gospel tract! In this blessed book we find the word “BELIEVE” mentioned 88 times, but the word “REPENT” is not mentioned even once! That speaks volumes! It means that repentance is automatic, included with BELIEVING. Evangelist John R. Rice got it 100% correct, who wrote these eloquent true words:
There are those hyper-dispensationalists who think that John the Baptist preached a different Gospel from Christ when he commanded repentance (Matt. 3:2). But it is the same repentance Jesus commanded in Matthew 4:17, in Luke 13:3 and 5, and the same repentance that Paul preached in Athens that God “now commandeth all men every where to repent” (Acts 17:30 31). Repentance is not a different plan of salvation from having faith: it is part of the same plan of salvation. Or rather repentance is simply another way of describing or looking at the plan of salvation. One who turns from sin to God has done so by trusting in Jesus Christ. A change of mind toward sin is necessarily involved in saving faith.
Everyone who genuinely repented under the preaching of John the Baptist put his trust in the Saviour John the Baptist preached, and was regenerated. There is no such thing as being “a disciple of John the Baptist” in any honest sense without being a disciple of Jesus, that is, without trusting Christ for salvation. [emphasis added]
That is VERY different than what Pastor J.C. Ryle taught. Things that are different are not the same. Perhaps you say: “J.C. Ryle was a good man. He helped multitudes of people. He did many wonderful works throughout his earthly life. John Charles Ryle loved Jesus and followed Him as his Lord. Surely this man must have been saved? Surely he must have been a child of God?” Not so fast friend! What saith the Scripture? ...
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.”
These people in Matthew 7:21-23 were very sincere! Proverbs 16:25, “There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.”They followed Christ. The called Him “Lord.” They prophesied (preached) in His name. Yet, Jesus denied even knowing them, calling them workers of iniquity. So you see friend, it is absolutely possible to serve Christ and follow Him loyally as your Lord, and yet still die in your sins and go to Hell to burn for all eternity.
The Bible tells us why in Matthew 7:21, “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.” The will of the heavenly Father is to BELIEVE ON HIM. John 6:40, “And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.” Oh dear friend, that is so beautiful. Jesus didn't come to save those who are willing to turn from their sins, but to save everyone who believes on Him for the remission of their sins! That's the Gospel!
Pastor Curtis Hutson makes these helpful statements:
“And when it comes to salvation the only thing that counts with God today is the death of Jesus Christ the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world. If you are counting on anything other than Jesus Christ to take you to Heaven, then you are counting on something that God doesn't count. Won't you trust Christ today? If you are not absolutely sure that there was a time in your life when you knew you were a sinner and made a definite decision to trust Jesus Christ completely for salvation, then we urge you to trust Him now.” —'Salvation Crystal Clear,' by Dr. Curtis Hutson (1934-1995)
It's true, Jesus was a friend of sinners, and because he was a true friend, He called those friends to repent of their unbelief, so that they would BELIEVE ON THE LORD JESUS CHRIST. The Bible way of salvation is through faith in Jesus Christ. John 14:6, “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” I have no doubt that Pastor J.C. Ryle is burning in Hell this moment, because he trusted in his own human effort to hate and turn away from his sin. Mr. Ryle didn't not preach the Gospel of free grace, because clearly he did not even understand it!
Pastor Ryle keeps foolishly speaking of “making every effort to be saved,” but dear reader, Jesus has already paid the price for our ticket to Heaven. The payment has been made with Jesus' precious blood. So in fact, we DON'T have to make every EFFORT to get to Heaven. But contrawise, we simply are told in Hebrews 4:10-11 to REST in Christ our Savior. Hebrews 4:10-11, “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.” So, no, you don't need to MAKE EVERY EFFORT! That is false religion! That is of the Devil! That is J.C. Ryle's foolish words, not God's! The false teaching of "Lordship Salvation" is not the SAME as "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved" (Acts 16:30-31).
The True Gospel Of Free Grace
In closing, let me give you the TRUE Gospel. Here is a wonderful excerpt from Michael P. Bowen's helpful book titled: “I NEVER KNEW YOU: The Horror Of The Great White Throne Judgement And How You Can Avoid It”:
Here is the gospel: God says that we are sinners and that no amount of good works or behavioral changes on our part could ever make us holy enough to enter heaven. God sent His Son to pay for all of our sins. Jesus paid for our crimes by dying on the cross for us all. His dead body was buried in a grave. On the third day, Jesus arose from the dead. The instant you believe this, He knows it and He saves you. “Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that believeth on Me hath everlasting life”(John 6:47). The free gift is based solely upon your trust in what Jesus did for you and has nothing at all to do with what you do for Him. “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9). ~ Michael P. Bowen, “I Never Knew You,” p. xii
There you have it dear friend—God's simple, easy and free plan of salvation!
As you can plainly see for yourself, you don't have to “make every effort” to be saved (as J.C. Ryle errantly preaches). Christ has already made every effort on the cross to pay for our sins. That is why Jesus came down from the riches of Heaven, to became poor on earth, going to the cross to be crucified for our crimes. 2nd Corinthians 8:9, “For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.” Through Christ's sacrifice we can have the victory!
Pastor Jack Hyles (1926-2001) once said: “If you succeed without sacrificing, it is only because someone else sacrificed without succeeding.” So true! Jesus was beaten, spit upon, stripped naked in shame, belittled, berated and ultimately crucified as a criminal on a lonely cross, but He was totally innocent. Jesus never did anything wrong! So why did He volunteer to do die for us? Dear friend, Jesus did it because He loves you very much, and He loves me, and He knew that the only way we could ever escape God's wrath in an eternal fiery Hell, was that He needed to pay the price for our sins. THANK YOU JESUS!!!
Revelation 20:15, “And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.”
