What Does “do works meet for repentance” Mean in Acts 26:20

What Does “do works meet for repentance” Mean in Acts 26:20?

By David J. Stewart

“Whereupon, O king Agrippa, I [Paul] was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision: 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.” —Acts 26:19,20

I recently received a letter from someone who tried to use Acts 26:20 as evidence that works are necessary for salvation. They are not. Curiously, I searched for an opinion from Dr. John R. Rice, Dr. Oliver B. Greene and Pastor J. Vernon McGee in their commentaries, but surprisingly couldn’t find anything explaining Acts 26:20. However, I did find some helpful information in VINE’S COMPLETE EXPOSITORY DICTIONARY OF OLD AND NEW TESTAMENT WORDS [ISBN: 0-7852-1160-8]. I looked up the word “meet” for Acts 26:20 because it is the key word (adjective) here.

1. axios has the meaning of being of “weight, value, worth”; also “befitting, becoming, right on the ground of fitness,” e.g.

Thus, we can rightly interpret Acts 26:20 as: “…that they should repent and turn to God, and do works becoming or befitting [appropriate] for repentance.” We could also interpret Acts 26:20 as: “…that they should repent and turn to God, and do works on the ground of repentance.” In other words, works are the evidence of saving faith; not a means to salvation. The Perseverance of the Saints is a false doctrine of Calvinism, which teaches that a person must “persevere” (i.e. continue) living a holy life ’til death in order to be saved. Satan loves Calvinism, because it leads men straight into Hell. The hellish doctrine of Lordship Salvation is deeply rooted in Calvinism. John Calvin himself was an evil man, who corrupted the Scriptures and laid the foundation for the Satanic Calvinism doctrine. Oh, how sad that men today do not follow the Word of God! Works are not a part of saving faith; but rather, the evidence of saving faith.

Salvation Verses Discipleship

Carefully notice that Paul states in Acts 26:20, “…that they should repent and turn to God” before he mentions “works“. Salvation comes first, then the works (i.e. fruits). The works are befitting of the repentance which has already taken place. Paul states in Romans 12:1, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.” Please notice that these men were already saved, i.e. “brethren” (see Romans 1:7). Paul pleads with them now to “present” their bodies a living sacrifice. Clearly, these men had a choice to make, i.e. whether or not they would present their bodies as a living sacrifice to God in holy living. Paul calls this their “reasonable service“. This is exactly what Paul meant in Acts 26:20 when he said “do works meet for repentance.” It is befitting of one who has been saved (i.e. they’ve repented and turned to the Lord Jesus in faith for the forgiveness of sin), that they should now present their bodies as a living sacrifice to God and DO WORKS MEET FOR REPENTANCE. This is what Paul truly means in Acts 26:20.

We see the same statement again in Matthew 3:8 where John the Baptist tells the hypocritical Pharisees and Sadducees “Bring forth therefore fruits meet [becoming of] for repentance.” John is saying the same thing that James says in James 2:18, “…shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.” John was denouncing the salvation of the religious leaders, based upon their lack of works to validate their professed faith. John says, bring forth works to evidence your alleged faith. In Acts 26:20, Paul is simply saying that he won people to the Lord and then taught them that they ought to live like Christ. So we see that Paul taught both salvation and discipleship.

Repentance and Faith in Christ Happen Simultaneously

Please note that “repent and turn to God” in Acts 26:20 are not two separate events, but one and the same. Proponents of the Lordship Salvation heresy often misinterpret Acts 20:21 “Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.” Although repentance and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ appear to be separate events, they are one and the same according to Granville Sharp’s Rule of Greek Exegesis. A person doesn’t repent, and then at a later time turn towards the Lord in faith. No, rather, to turn to the Lord by faith to have one’s sins forgiven is repentance. It is a man’s realization of guilt, and condemnation under God’s Law, that causes him to call (i.e. to repent, turn) upon the name of the Lord for forgiveness of sins and salvation.

Now please don’t miss this. Repentance is not a turning from committing sins; but rather, a turning from the guilt and realized condemnation which sin brings (Romans 3:19) to the Lord Jesus Christ to be cleansed of those sin by His precious blood. The forsaking of one’s sins should come as the result of repentance; not as part of repentance itself. We read in Romans 3:19, “Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.” The word “guilty” in the Greek is “hupodikos” and means “under judgment, one who lost his suit; of liable to punishment from God” (SOURCE: Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon). Hence, a person must realize their GUILT to be saved, i.e. that the condemnation of God is upon them because of their own sins.

This is vastly different from a FEELING of sorrow or remorse over one’s sins. To FEEL sorry for one’s sins is an act of self-EMOTION; whereas, GUILT is a matter of self-AWARENESS. The two are often NOT connected. Many convicts are sorry (emotionally) for their crimes, but only because they got caught. They have no genuine awareness of the sins they’ve committed. Likewise, a person may walk down to a church altar and cry with emotion over their failures in life; YET, have NO awareness that they are under God’s condemnation and awaiting judgment. So you see, a feeling of emotion, i.e. sorrow over one’s sins is not Biblical repentance.

Biblical repentance is when a lost sinner becomes AWARE that they are under the condemnation of GOD’S LAW for their own sins, and they TURN in faith to the Lord Jesus Christ, trusting upon His shed blood to forgive and take away those sins “Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ…” The reason why salvation is found alone in Christ, and why we are to believe ONLY upon Him, is because Jesus paid the price for our sins with His precious blood. Muhammad never did this. Confucius never did this. Buddha never did this. In fact, if you’ll look in those graves, you’ll find the bodily remains of each of those men; but Jesus’ tomb is EMPTY, because He is alive forevermore. What a precious Savior!!!

Forsaking the Act of Committing Sin is NOT Biblical Repentance

Again, Biblical repentance is a “change of mind” (i.e. a turning) from the guilt and realized condemnation which sin brings TO the Lord Jesus Christ to be cleansed of those sin by His precious blood. Repentance and faith are not two separate steps in a process of salvation. When a man TURNS to the Saviour for salvation, he has simultaneously TURNED from sin (not the act of committing sin itself; but rather, from the guilt and condemnation of sin). Galatians 3:24 states, “Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.” The purpose of God’s Law is simply to show us our GUILTY condition and desperate need for the Saviour, Jesus Christ. God never intended for a man to keep the Law, or BE WILLING to keep the Law, in order to be saved. Salvation is a free gift from God, paid for by Jesus’ precious literal physical blood (1st Peter 1:18,19; Hebrews 9:12).

Interestingly, the word “repent” is not even found in the Gospel book of John. Obviously, “repentance” is a part of “believing“. Dr. John R. Rice agrees with this.

“To repent literally means to have a change of mind or spirit toward God and toward sin. It means to turn from your sins, earnestly, with all your heart, and trust in Jesus Christ to save you. You can see, then, how the man who believes in Christ repents and the man who repents believes in Christ. The jailer repented when he turned from sin to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ” (John R. Rice, What Must I Do to Be Saved?, 1940).

Now, the above statement can really be distorted if you don’t read carefully what Brother Rice says. Dr. Rice clearly states that he views repentance and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ as one and the same… “You can see, then, how the man who believes in Christ repents and the man who repents believes in Christ.” Thus, the “turning from sin” which Brother Rice speaks of is only in the sense of a realization of one’s guilt, not actually ceasing from committing sin.

Some critics, like David Cloud, have misapplied the above quote by Dr. John R. Rice, in an attempt to support the unbiblical position that a sinner cannot be saved unless he is ready to forsake his sins after he is saved. In effect, a person is told he cannot be saved unless he is willing to depart from sinful living after he is saved. This is a damnable heresy! Although David Cloud denies that believes in Lordship Salvation, he certainly takes a backdoor approach to it. Although Mr. Cloud states that he does not believe in works salvation; he contradicts himself by teaching that a man who is unwilling to give up his sinful lifestyle cannot be saved. The Bible does not teach that. Scripturally, Jesus said in John 6:37, “All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.” Please also read, The Raging Battle Over Repentance to understand more about biblical repentance.

“But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.” —Romans 4:5

Do I Have to Give Up My Sins to be Saved?

Do I Have to Give Up My Sins to be Saved?

By David J. Stewart

“And they went out, and preached that men should repent.” -Mark 6:12

The answer is No! You do NOT have to stop sinning to be saved, but you should want to if you want to be a Christian and a servant of God.  No one can completely stop sinning (Romans 3:23)!  No one can live totally above sin–no one (Isaiah 64:6).  Jesus Christ came into this world to save sinners.  You do NOT have to give up anything to be saved except your UNBELIEF. However, you DO need to realize your sinful condition and “confess” (or admit) to God that you are a sinner, deserving of hell.  Before some of you roast me, please let me explain this further because I do believe in repentance (which is greatly misunderstood).  You should at least be convicted about your sins at the time you come to Christ for salvation.  A sinner must be convicted to the extent that they realize they’re going to burn in Hell if they don’t get saved.  A person who is convicted about their sin won’t have the joyous attitude that they can continue living in sin and still go to Heaven.  I would greatly doubt the salvation of anyone who rejoices that they can continue living in sin.  This is one of the favorite arguments of Lordship Salvationists.  The truth is that God holds believers much more accountable for their words and actions than He does the unsaved (1st Peter 4:17).

Repentance is a turn-around.  When you turn to Christ for forgiveness, you have just turned your back on sin.  The only thing you need to give up to be saved is your unbelief!

The big question friend is this…what exactly is “repentance?”

What is Biblical Repentance?

Repentance is a turn-around!  Whereas we were heading towards hell-fire and destruction, we realized our sinful condition and turned around to the loving Saviour Who forgave us and saved us from that awful fate.  Repentance is a change of heart and mind that eventually leads to a change of life (but it may take time, each person is different).  Before we were saved, sin was magnified in our life while Jesus was diminished.  Now that we’ve been born-again, Christ is magnified and sin is diminished.  As we grow in the Lord, this trend should continue to where Jesus becomes everything to us, and sin nothing.  Notice from the picture above that for a person to turn to Christ in heaven is to turn one’s back on sin and hell.  Does a believer have to repent to be saved?  Absolutely!  But it’s a repentance of the heart (a turn-around of our heart) concerning Jesus Christ and our sins.  Whereas before we did not believe on Christ, now we do!  Whereas before we lived in sin with no remorse, now we are convicted for our sins and know that God wants us to make some lifestyle changes.  It is uncommon that new believers simply clean up their acts right away, it takes time for the Holy Spirit to work in their heart.  It’s a lifetime learning process, a time of growing.  We grow with the milk of God’s Word (1st Peter 2:2).

We are all woeful sinners (Romans 3:10,23).  To be saved, a person MUST realize their sinful condition.  It is NOT enough simply to commit your life to God or decide to turn over a new leaf.  To be saved, you must confess to God (not to men) that you are a wicked sinner in need of forgiveness, and then ask Jesus Christ to forgive you.  God (Jesus) promises in the Bible to forgive all those who confess their sins to Him.

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” -1st John 1:9

What a Wonderful Saviour!

Do you need to give up your sins to be saved?  No, but you must acknowledge them for what they are, wicked sins.  You see friend, many people do not think that their lifestyles are sinful or wicked.  I’ve heard the vilest of sinners claim that since Adam and Eve were naked in Eden that pornography must be acceptable with God.  Some people justify immoral sex on the basis that God made the body beautiful.  Others seek to justify smoking Marijuana or cigarettes on the basis that it grows from God’s earth.  This of course is absurd!  Pornography is of the devil.  Destroying the body is sinful.  Sinners generally try to rationalize and justify their sins.  However, the Bible condemns our sins and we have no excuses.  The law condemns our sins and shows us our wickedness.

“Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.” -Romans 3:20

Do you have to give up your sins to be saved?  No, just your unbelief.  I get upset when people teach “Lordship salvation”. What is that? Lordship salvation is the false doctrine that you must make Christ the “Lord” of your life to be saved, that you must repent and depart from sin.  This is impossible!  There is no such thing as a believer who does not commit sin.  We are all woeful sinners.  If I have to give up a certain amount of sin to be saved, then how much do I have to give up?  Just because a person accepts Jesus Christ as personal Saviour does not mean they are above sin.  As a matter of fact, getting saved is just the start of a lifelong process If you are still living upon this earth (in the flesh), you are not going to escape sin.  Try as hard as you may, you are going to walk in the flesh at times and sin.  I have often said, “Christians at best are people, and people at best are sinners.”  We can walk in the spirit at any given time, but the fact is that were not always going to do that because we are sinners.

A License to Sin?

On the other hand, just because you are a Christian does NOT give you a license to sin (Romans 6:1,2).  We should have a desire to turn from our sins AFTER we get saved.  I do NOT believe that a person can become a Christian unless there is at least some amount of “godly sorrow” because of their sins.  We should be sorry to God!

“For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.” -2nd Corinthians 7:10

If someone has no remorse for their sins, then something is very wrong!  You can’t get saved without sincerely confessing your sins to God.  This means being honest with God.  This means being sorry.  If your not sorry, then why would you ask for forgiveness?  That would be silly.  We are sinners.  We should be sorry for our sins.  If were not, something is wrong.  A person who is sorry for their sins is NOT going to have the attitude that they can just keep living in sin. If they do live in sin, they will be convicted by the Holy Spirit, they will be miserable.  I would seriously question the salvation of anyone who lives in sin with no remorse.  There was a 25-year old woman on the news who claimed to be a Christian, then she said she works as a stripper.  I do not believe she is a Christian.  She shows no sorrow over her sins.  The Bible clearly teaches that there should be a change when a person gets saved.

“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” -2nd Corinthians 5:17

This does NOT mean that we will be perfect.  It simply means that there should be signs of a new heart.  When Jesus Christ comes into a person’s heart, something WILL change!  I would question the salvation of any person who has never shown any evidence of being a believer.  I knew a woman who claimed to be a Christian; however, she never spoke of the Lord, she listened to rock music, she cursed in God’s name often, she never mentioned the Bible, she never went to church, she was mean to people, she lied, she had a horrible temper, etc.  She showed no indication of being a believer.  The Bible says there should be a change.  I seriously doubt her salvation.

So you do NOT have to depart from sin to be saved (but you should sincerely want to with the Lord’s help), but you do need to change your mind about sin.  You do need to ask Jesus to forgive you.  This is what repentance is.  You have to depart from your unbelief, not your sin.  Once you trust Christ as your Saviour, Christ wants to help you clean up your life of sin (1st John 1:9).

Most unsaved people won’t come to Christ because of their love for sin.

“For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.” -John 3:20

The Biggest Problem in Winning Someone to the Lord

It’s only when a person truly repents in their heart and is sorry for their sins that they WILL COME to the loving Saviour for forgiveness and salvation.  I’ve often said that the hard part about getting people saved is getting them lost!  It’s not too difficult to win someone to the Lord once they’ve come to the realization that they’re on the road to hell-fire and destruction.   The problem is trying to get a sinner to realize his or her sinful condition.  John 3:20 tells us that it’s the love of sin that alienates sinners from coming to Christ for salvation.  Who can truly enjoy sin if they have God living in their heart?  No one!  They may enjoy the sin for a moment, but the heart will be miserable (Hebrews 12:6).  Christians who willfully live in sin can become monsters!

The Best of Christians are Still Sinners

A lot of Christians have a problem with the idea that a person can be a born-again believer and yet commit horrible sins.  I am not condoning sin at all, I am saying that even the best of Christians are still sinners.  It does happen!  King David was a Christian who killed a man to cover up his sin of adultery with the man’s wife.  It took one year for David to repent.  Peter was one of the Apostles, yet denied Christ, cursed and quit the ministry.  Moses killed a man.  Sometimes Christians really do horrible things because they backslide (or have never grown in the Lord).  This does not mean they’re not truly saved.  I knew of a minister with a wicked hot-temper who poured bleach over his wife’s head while she sat crippled in a wheelchair.  It’s hard to believe that a Christian could do such a thing, but it happened.  It’s wrong, I’m not condoning sin, I’m simply saying that believers are still sinners.  You need to be very careful about deciding who’s saved or not based on what you see (1st Samuel 16:7).  I’ve known decent believers from my past who later committed some really horrible sins.  Though sad and tragic, it does not mean that they’re not saved.  It does mean they got away from the Lord.

Please don’t misunderstand me, I’m not trying to go light on sin here.  We should try to live above sin.

“Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.” -2nd Timothy 2:19

God wants His children to live right, but living right is not a prerequisite for salvation.  You do NOT have to give up anything to be saved except your unbelief!  Put your faith in the Lord friend to forgive your sins and you will be saved.  Jesus will help you to straighten out your life.  Give God your heart and he’ll comb the kinks out of your head.  Never let anyone tell you that you must depart from sin to be saved, this is heresy.  Again, “repentance” in the Bible simply means a “turn-around.”  Repentance means that we decide to trust Christ as our Saviour to forgive us of all our wicked sins.  Repentance simply means to get saved.  We get saved by confessing our sins to God and asking Him to forgive us.  To turn to Christ is to turn from sin–this is repentance!

The Lord Jesus had plenty to say about REPENTANCE–

Luke 5:32, “I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to REPENTANCE.”

Luke 24:47,  “Jesus said to them] that REPENTANCE and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.”

Mark 1:15,  “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: REPENT ye, AND BELIEVE the gospel.”

I have known believers who claimed to be Christians, yet they went to nightclubs.  I’ve known people who claimed the name of Christ who were often mean and abusive to other people.  Does that mean they’re not saved?  Not necessarily.  It does mean that they’ve not been converted yet.  Conversion has NOTHING to do with being regenerated (saved).  At the time we are saved we are re-gened, or regenerated with the Holy Spirit of God.  Salvation is like being pulled from the garbage.  Just because God pulled you out of the garbage of hell doesn’t mean that you’ve been RECYCLED yet.  The recycling process is conversion.  Being saved from hell is just the very beginning of our salvation.  God has a recycling program for every believer.  Of course, we are instantly saved at the moment we trust Christ as Saviour, but the conversion process to make us what God wants us to be takes much longer.  Please don’t misunderstand, a person does NOT have to be converted to be saved, but an unconverted person will remain outside of the will of God for their life.  A person DOES have to be regenerated (born again) to be saved.

Sadly, I knew a minister who went to be honored at a Masonic lodge.  When the minister wasn’t at his church, he usually would hang out at local bars.  Does this mean he’s not a Christian?  Not necessarily.  I just believe he’s a dead-beat minister, and there’s a lot of them out there.  He has not repented of his sinful ways, just as King David didn’t repent of his sinful ways for so long.  When a believer chooses to go into sin, they must repent of their sinful ways and get right with God.  I’ve known many people to get saved, live for the Lord for a short time, and then go back into the world again.  No doubt, many of them were never saved to begin with, but some were.  We must be careful not to judge.  Some of the people whom you think are Christians may not be (like Judas, one of Christ’s Apostles).  Likewise, some heathen (like Lot in the city of Sodom) may be a just man and you not know it.

To be saved, we must repent of our sins only in the sense that we must agree with God that we are hell-deserving sinners! To be truthful, we will be repenting of sins for the rest of our life.  To clarify, we are saved ONCE and only once.  Once you accept Jesus into your heart as personal Saviour, you are a child of God forever.  You CANNOT lose your salvation!  Now once you’ve become a believer, there are going to be times in your life where God is going to have to convict you of sin which has entered your life.  You will have to confess and repent of that sin to have restored fellowship with God.  Now that has nothing to do with your salvation, you are already God’s child.  King David went for almost a year in denial after killing a man after stealing the man’s wife.  It wasn’t until Nathan the prophet came to open David’s eyes that he repented.  David was saved, but hadn’t repented until almost a year later.  This happens to every believer, we get out of line and fail to see it until someone else points it out to us.

Beware of Lordship Salvation

Too many Christian want to add holy living to salvation under the guise of repentance.  No friend, repentance is simply a turn around (the beginning point of the Christian life).  At salvation, a man’s mind has changed about sin and the Saviour, so much so that he makes a personal decision to trust Jesus Christ as his Saviour.  This is the beginning of his new life in Christ.  Yes, he should be sorry for his sins.  Yes, he should have a desire to change his sinful ways to please God.  However, this will be a lifelong process.  The test of whether or not he was really saved will be revealed, not in days or weeks, but in the years and decades to follow.  To say that a new believer should be holy and separated is like saying that a newly born baby should be able to play sports or run a marathon.  How ridiculous for anyone to place such a burden upon new believers.  God never asks us to give up anything to be saved except our unbelief.  There are two types of religions in the world: “Do”  and “DONE” (either you believe you have to do something to get to heaven, or else you believe it’s already done, paid in full by the Lord Jesus Christ).  I’m in the DONE group.  Jesus paid it all, all to Him I owe; Sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow!  You do NOT have to make Jesus your Lord in the sense that you’ll do anything or go anywhere for him to be saved.  The Greek word for “Lord” means “curious” (supreme in authority).  To trust Jesus as your Lord biblically means to accept Him as God, the ONLY One Who is supreme in authority.  Do you recognize Jesus as Almighty God?  Have you asked Him to forgive your sins and save you from hell?  If so, then you have trusted Christ as your Lord.

Acts 26:20 …they should repent and TURN TO GOD, AND DO WORKS MEET FOR REPENTANCE.

Acts 2:39, 3:19 REPENT YE therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out…

Acts 17:30 And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to REPENT:

Acts 20:21 Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.

Again, repent simply means a “turn-around.”  If I’m going down the road the wrong way and then make a U-turn, I’ll have to spend some time driving back.  Likewise, when you get saved, depending how far you’ve gone down the road of sin, it’s going to take you some time with the Lord’s help to get back to the place where you went wrong.  Lordship salvation totally eliminates the growing-in-grace process.  It takes years to mature in the Lord.  All you need to do to be saved is to place a child-like faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, nothing else!

Do you have to give up your sin to be saved?  No friend, just admit that you are a sinner.  Go to the Lord Jesus and ask Him to forgive you.  What’s done is done and you can’t make up for it, that’s why Jesus came to die on the cross for you.  Simply place your 100% faith in Christ for salvation, ask Him to forgive you and to come into your heart.  Make that decision to rely upon Jesus for your salvation apart from all else.  You don’t need to be baptized to go to heaven, nor do you need the holy communion.  All you need is Jesus, just like the thief on the cross needed Jesus and called out to Christ for salvation.

“Turn from Sin” to be Saved? Be Careful!

“Turn from Sin” to Be Saved?

By David J. Stewart

“Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders.” —Matthew 27:3

With all the talk nowadays about forsaking sins to be saved, I present Matthew 27:3 to you for consideration.  Judas “repented” for betraying Jesus, and even tried to make amends by returning the money; but it wasn’t genuine repentance.  Obviously, forsaking sins is not Biblical repentance.  If it was, then Judas would have been justified; but he went to Hell.  Biblical repentance must be rooted in the Law of God.  There are criminals in prison who are sorry they got caught, and likely wouldn’t commit the same crime again if released; but they have never repented TOWARD God for their sins.  So we see that the emotion of sorrow, forsaking the act of sin itself, and trying to make amends are not Biblical repentance.

There is a lot of fighting and misunderstanding today over the issue of repentance, and I believe God has laid it upon my heart to write this needful article.  On the one hand we have the Lordship Salvation crowd, and on the other hand we have extremists those who want to label every preacher who dares to mention the phrase “turn from sin” as a heretic.  In particular, The Repentance Blacklist at http://www.repentanceblacklist.com has Bro. Lester Roloff and Dr. Oliver B. Greene listed as heretics.  I know I am doing the right thing to defend these heroes of the faith, and at the same time, hopefully share some Biblical insight into this critical subject, which I believe will help to clarify the matter.

Many sincere believers have differences regarding doctrinal issues, but when it comes to disagreement over the doctrine of salvation, the very foundation of our faith, the false one must be exposed and the truth firmly established in the heart of every believer. If we’re wrong on repentance, then we’re wrong on everything else too. This necessity is markedly seen today in the debate between Lordship Salvation and Free Grace. Not merely a matter of language meaning, these two messages are diametrically opposed to each other.

John MacArthur’s Heresy On Lordship Salvation

Let’s start with the obvious. John MacArthur is wrong on repentance, when he states:

“Eternal security is a great spiritual truth, but it should never be presented merely as a matter of being once saved, always saved—with no regard for what you believe or do.  The writer of Hebrews 12:14 states frankly that only those who continue living holy lives will enter the Lord’s presence.” [emphasis added]

SOURCE: Kingdom Living Here and Now (pg. 150).

This is clearly unscriptural. Dr. MacArthur is teaching works salvation. Hebrews 12:14 doesn’t mean that at all. To read more about what this verse does mean, and also read Dr. Oliver B. Greene’s correct interpretation of this Scripture, please read John MacArthur Perverts Hebrews 12:14! Interestingly, MacArthur’s recent “Revised and Updated” The MacArthur Study Bible correctly interprets this Scripture. So either Nelson Publisher’s helped him write his commentary, or else he’s changed his doctrine and refuses to recant his previous heretical writings. The fact is that MacArthur contradicts himself often, which certainly doesn’t bode well with being touted as a “world-class scholar”.

Dr. Jack Hyles and Dr. Curtis Hutson Are Correct Concerning Repentance

In Brother Hyle’s book, Enemies of Soulwinning, in the chapter Misunderstood Repentance, he states:

So, from what must a person repent in order to be saved? He must repent of that which makes him lost. Since “believing not” makes him lost, “believing” makes him saved. In repentance there is a turning from the thing that keeps him from being saved to the thing that saves him. So, yes, there is a repentance from unbelief in order to believe. It is simply a change of direction. It means a turning around. You are going away from believing, and you decide to turn around and believe. You change your direction; you change your mind. With your will you believe and rely upon Christ to save you. In order to believe, you have to repent of unbelief. That which makes a man lost must be corrected.

Former Sword Of The Lord editor, and faithful man of God, Dr. Curtis Hutson, also believed the same thing. I think Pastor Hyles and Bro. Hutson make the best presentation of Biblical repentance. One must never forget that eternal life is a free gift, paid in full by Jesus’ precious blood (1st Peter 1:18,19).

Bro. Lester Roloff and Oliver B. Greene

The Repentance Blacklist at http://www.repentanceblacklist.com lists these men as heretics. Are they? Here’s the quotes cited as heresy by the website:

“Repentance is a godly sorrow for sin. Repentance is a forsaking of sin. Real repentance is putting your trust in Jesus Christ so you will not live like that anymore. Repentance is permanent. It is a lifelong and an eternity-long experience. You will never love the devil again once you repent. You will never flirt with the devil as the habit of your life again once you get saved. You will never be happy living in sin; it will never satisfy; and the husks of the world will never fill your longing and hungering in your soul. Repentance is something a lot bigger than a lot of people think. It is absolutely essential if you go to heaven” (Lester Roloff, Repent or Perish, 1950s).

Carefully notice that Bro. Roloff says “Real repentance is putting your trust in Jesus Christ so you will not live like that anymore.” Pastor Roloff is correctly teaching that genuine repentance brings forth a changed life; but he is not requiring a changed life to get saved.

“True repentance is sorrow for sin committed against a holy God and not only sorrow for sin, but TURNING FROM SIN, FORSAKING SIN AND TURNING TO GOD. Sin nailed the Savior to the cross and certainly that fact alone is sufficient reason why ALL WHO HAVE GENUINELY REPENTED HATE SIN AND FORSAKE SINFUL WAYS” (Oliver B. Greene, Commentary of Acts of the Apostles, Acts 2:37-38, 1969).

Carefully notice that Dr. Greene says, “ALL WHO HAVE GENUINELY REPENTED…” Again, he is speaking about the evidences of those who HAVE (already!) repented. He is not teaching Lordship Salvation.

Obviously, Brother Roloff didn’t believe that a person has to cease from sinning to be saved. This is clear from his other sermons. The same is true of Dr. Greene. The interesting thing about The Repentance Blacklist is that they promote Dr. Hyles as being true in his doctrine; but Bro. Roloff as being a heretic. Folks, Dr. Hyles and Bro. Roloff were lifelong friends, who preached together and were both greatly used by the Lord to reach millions of lives. Do you think Bro. Hyles would have supported and honored Pastor Roloff if he taught heresy? No way!

Dr. John R. Rice

For some reasons the author of The Repentance Blacklist hasn’t added Dr. Rice’s name, but they need to if they’re going to be honest with their thinking, because Dr. Rice preached the same thing as Dr. Greene and Bro. Roloff:

To repent literally means to have a change of mind or spirit towards God and toward sin. It means to turn from your sins, earnestly, with all your heart, and trust in Jesus Christ to save you.

SOURCE: What Must I DO To Be Saved, by Dr. John R. Rice

Considering this quote by itself, one could be misled to believe that Brother Rice was teaching Lordship Salvation; BUT, he certainly is not. Dr. Rice goes on to state…

The change in your heart, sinner, is God’s part and you may be sure He will attend to that. Your part is to simply believe in Him. Whatever else is necessary in your eternal salvation, the Lord attends to when you trust in Him, or believe in Him.

SOURCE: What Must I DO To Be Saved, by Dr. John R. Rice

Did you read what Dr. Rice said? “The change is in your heart…” This is exactly what Brother Hutson and Pastor Hyles taught. Salvation is of the heart; not of works. Salvation is of God, not man. Our part is simply to believe, but it is God who changes our heart. Dr. Rice further states…

One who believes in Christ has repented.

SOURCE: What Must I DO To Be Saved, by Dr. John R. Rice

This statement alone by Dr. John R. Rice clearly shows that he didn’t believe in Lordship Salvation!  Here is a quote from Dr. Curtis Hutson, with a quote which he provides from Dr. John R. Rice…

In an article in THE SWORD OF THE LORD, Dr. John R. Rice said:

“Sometimes the preacher does not himself fully understand the plan of salvation. He thinks of salvation as a process. First, there is a period of conviction, then a period of repentance, then an act of faith.”

He [Dr. John R. Rice] went on to explain that when one trusts Christ as Saviour he also repents.

Dr. Rice is absolutely right. Faith and repentance are the same; they are not two separate decisions. One cannot trust Christ as Saviour without repenting or changing his mind. The very fact that he trusts Christ for salvation shows that he has changed his mind regarding sin, salvation, and God.

If one book of the Bible had to be considered “the salvation book,” it would have to be the Gospel of John. The Gospel of John is printed and distributed more than any other book of the Bible. The purpose of this book is given in 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.”

According to this verse, the whole purpose of the Gospel of John is that men might believe that Jesus is the Christ and believing they might have life through His name. In other words, it is written that men might be saved. Yet “repent” or “repentance” is not used one single time in the Gospel of John. On the other hand, “believe” is used more than ninety times in the twenty-one chapters.

SOURCE: Repentance: What Does the Bible Teach?

Curtis Hutson and John R. Rice are 100% in AGREEMENT on repentance!  Dr. Rice further states…

“Repentance is inseparable from faith.  The Greek word for repentance in the Bible simply means a change of mind; that is, a wholesome change of attitude toward sin and toward God.  One who turns his heart to trust in Christ has, naturally, turned his heart away from the love of sin.”

SOURCE: Dr. Rice, Here is My Question…; pg. 248, by Dr. John R. Rice, Sword Of The Lord Publishers; ISBN: 0-87398-158-8

Let us ponder the words of Jesus, who said in John 6:37, “…him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.” Any sinner who sincerely wants to be saved, may be saved, if he’ll simply come by way of the precious blood of Jesus.

I also want to quote Dr. John R. Rice from his excellent book, “Dr. Rice, Here Is My Question…”, page 248:

Question 200. Is repentance still necessary to salvation?

“Repentance is inseparable from faith. The Greek word for repentance in the Bible simply means a change of mind; that is, a wholesale change of attitude toward sin and toward God. One who turns his heart to trust in Christ has, naturally, turned his heart away from the love of sin. It is a mistake to make a process out of salvation with repentance and faith as separate steps. They are really different parts of the same step or different ways of speaking of the same attitude of heart. One who repents, that is, has turned from rebellion and unbelief to trust Christ, has believed, of course. One who trusts in Christ has necessarily turned his heart from rebellion and rejection of Christ and so has repented.”

SOURCE: “Dr. Rice, Here Is My Question…”; ISBN: 0-87398-158-8; copyright, 1962, by Viola M. Walden

I agree with Dr. Rice 100%. Don’t miss what he said “The Greek word for repentance in the Bible simply means a change of mind; that is, a wholesale change of attitude toward sin and toward God.“ Brother Rice doesn’t define “repentance” as turning from the act of committing sin, nor even as a willingness (desire) to turn from the act of sin; but rather, as simply a change of attitude towards one’s sin and the Savior. This is Biblical repentance. If you know you are a GUILTY sinner, condemned under God’s Law and deserving of hellfire, then you need only believe on the Jesus Christ to be saved.  Romans 3:19 tells us that the Law was given that all the world might become “GUILTY BEFORE GOD.”

More Quotes from The Repentance Blacklist

Are these men all heretics? Or is there a simple explanation for the misunderstanding?

Just now some professedly Christian teachers are misleading many by saying that ‘repentance is only a change of mind.’ It is true that the original word does convey the idea of a change of mind; but the whole teaching of Scripture concerning the repentance which is not to be repented of is that it is a much more radical and complete change than is implied by our common phrase about changing one’s mind. The repentance that does not include sincere sorrow for sin is not the saving grace that is wrought by the Holy Spirit. God-given repentance makes men grieve in their inmost souls over the sin they have committed, and works in them a gracious hatred of evil in every shape and form. We cannot find a better definition of repentance than the one many of us learned at our mother’s knee: ‘Repentance is to leave the sin we loved before, and show that we in earnest grieve by doing so no more’” (Charles Haddon Spurgeon, “The Royal Saviour,” Metropolitan Tabernacle, London, England, Feb. 1, 1872).

Notice that Spurgeon said God-given repentance “works in them a gracious hatred of evil in every shape and form.” Spurgeon is talking about the FRUIT of genuine repentance; not works salvation.

The lack of preaching against sin has brought in multitudes of false professions and false beliefs. In the New Testament concerning salvation, repentance is always a change for the better and always a repentance from sin. Biblical repentance is changing one’s mind about their sin, the Saviour, and the Scriptures, which brings about a great change of direction in their lives (Acts 3:19)” (Pastor John L. Graf, Valiant for Truth, March 1997).

Notice that Pastor Graf said Biblical repentance “brings about a great change…” Again, he is talking about the FRUIT of genuine repentance; not forsaking one’s sins to get saved.

“You cannot have salvation without repentance and the evidence of salvation is a changed life (2nd Corinthians 5:17, 2nd Peter 3:9). You don’t make Jesus “Lord,” He is Lord. Salvation recognizes that and humbly submits to Him. Better to confess it with the mouth and bow the knee in this life than the one to come! (Romans 10:9, Act 16:31, Philippians 2:10-11). Repentance is not a work, it is part of the salvation God grants. It is from God so we can expect real and significant change in mind, heart, direction, motives, philosophy, life (Acts 11:18, 2nd Timothy 2:25, Ephesians 2:8-10)” (Pastor Steven Pawley, Antioch Bible Baptist Church, Lockport, New York).

Notice that Pastor Pawley said, “the evidence of salvation is a changed life.“

Each of these men of God are talking about the FRUIT that follows genuine Biblical repentance; and NOT the forsaking of the act of sin to be saved. I guarantee you that not one of these men of God believe that you have to forsake the act of sin as a requirement to be saved. What they do believe is that genuine repentance will bring about a changed life, as a result of saving faith, and this is certainly Biblical (James 2:18).

Repentance Towards God

You can put all the faith in Christ you want, it means nothing if you’re in denial about your sins. The entire matter of salvation deals with OUR SINS. Thus, repentance is when we come to the realization that we have sinned AGAINST GOD. Notice what Joseph said to Potiphar’s adulterous wife, who tried to seduce him in Genesis 39:9 “There is none greater in this house than I; neither hath he kept back any thing from me but thee, because thou art his wife: how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin AGAINST GOD?” Joseph realized that if he did commit adultery, he would be sinning AGAINST GOD!  In Luke 15:21, the repentant prodigal son said “Father, I have sinned AGAINST HEAVEN, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son.” Notice what king David said in Psalm 41:4 “LORD, be merciful unto me: heal my soul; for I have sinned AGAINST THEE.” Notice what the Apostle Paul taught in Acts 20:21 “Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, REPENTANCE TOWARD GOD, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.” You see, lost sinners need to repent TOWARDS GOD. Carefully notice in Mark 1:15 what Jesus said “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.” Notice that Jesus DIDN’T say “repent ye, and forsake your sins.” No, rather, He said, “repent ye, and believe the gospel.“

The Guilt of Sin

Most preachers today have lost touch with the reality of God’s Law. Here’s a brief quote from Jonathan Edwards’ classic sermon Sinners in the Hands of An Angry God…

Your wickedness makes you as it were heavy as lead, and to tend downwards with great weight and pressure towards hell; and if God should let you go, you would immediately sink and swiftly descend and plunge into the bottomless gulf, and your healthy constitution, and your own care and prudence, and best contrivance, and all your righteousness, would have no more influence to uphold you and keep you out of hell, than a spider’s web would have to stop a falling rock. Were it not for the sovereign pleasure of God, the earth would not bear you one moment; for you are a burden to it; the creation groans with you; the creature is made subject to the bondage of your corruption, not willingly; the sun does not willingly shine upon you to give you light to serve sin and Satan; the earth does not willingly yield her increase to satisfy your lusts; nor is it willingly a stage for your wickedness to be acted upon; the air does not willingly serve you for breath to maintain the flame of life in your vitals, while you spend your life in the service of God’s enemies.

Could you imagine Joel Osteen speaking these same words to his coliseum of 44,000 followers? He’d be preaching to empty seats mighty quickly. Could you imagine Pat Robertson on The 700 Club speaking these words on national TV? He’d be finished. 2nd Timothy 4:3 tells us why “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears.” Americans are spoiled rotten with pride and self-righteousness. Most Americans today only want to hear about how to get rich, prosper, and have better health. This is apostasy!

Dwight L. Moody

It was Pastor D.L. Moody who stated in his sermon Repentance:

The day will come when you will wake up and know that you have been deceived by the devil. No unrepentant sinner will ever get into Heaven, unless they forsake their sin they cannot enter there. The law of God is very plain on this point: “Except a man repent.”That’s the language of Scripture. And when this is so plainly set down, why is it that men fold their arms and say, “God will take me into Heaven anyway.”

Was Mr. Moody teaching Lordship Salvation? After reading the entire sermon with much scrutiny, I am firmly convinced that Pastor Moody did NOT believe in Lordship Salvation. In the sermon “What Must I Do To Be Saved” by Moody, no mention is made of “forsaking one’s sins” to be saved. In the sermon Repentance, Moody admits that he usually doesn’t preach on repentance; but, due to pressure from critics, he does so to appease them. It is clear to me that Mr. Moody would have chose his words more carefully, if he knew someone was going to accuse him of teaching works salvation. Respectfully, I think Mr. Moody could have chosen his words better; but, in lieu of the overall context of this sermon, it is abundantly clear to me that Mr. Moody did NOT believe a person must forsake the literal ACT of sin to be saved.

What Moody meant (which is clear from reading his entire sermon) is that a person who is legitimately saved, i.e., has experienced genuine repentance, WILL have a changed life. Moody makes the following statement below which shows this…

“I heard of a man who said he had been converted, A friend asked him if he had repented. “No,” said he, “I never trouble my head about it.” My friends, when a man becomes converted the work has to be a little deeper than that.  He has to become repentant, and try to atone for what he has done.  If he is at war with anyone he has to go and be reconciled to his enemy. If he doesn’t his conversion is the work of Satan.”

Mr. Moody is talking about the FRUIT which evidences genuine repentance; he is not giving a plan of salvation here. D.L. Moody was simply reiterating 2nd Corinthians 5:17, which states: “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature…” Carefully notice that the Word of God states “…if any man BE IN CHRIST…” He’s already in Christ. Hence, you don’t forsake your sins to get saved; but rather, you forsake your sins because you ARE saved. Moody’s entire sermon on repentance is aimed at the phonies who profess Christ; but, there is no signs of Christ in that person’s life. We see such false conversions much today.

A Shallow Gospel vs. The Simple Gospel

Many unrepentant people today, who are proud and self-righteous, “think” they are saved simply because they “gave their life to Jesus”. This is the nonsense being taught in apostate churches today, and by greedy televangelists. Judas gave his life to Jesus and went to Hell.  The Pharisees gave their lives to God, and went to Hell. You’d better get BORN-AGAIN! We are saved through Jesus’ blood which takes our sins away.

The great evangelist Charles Finney said…

“The severity of the Law should be unsparingly applied to the conscience until the sinner’s self-righteousness is annihilated, and he stands speechless and condemned before the Holy God.”

This is the only way in which a lost sinner needs to TURN FROM SIN to be saved, i.e., to stand condemned before the Holy God. This is exactly what Romans 3:19 says “Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.” Salvation is simple, and we must not make it complicated to where a small child could not be saved. If you authentically realize you are a guilty sinner, and you turn to the Lord Jesus by faith to save you, then you WILL be saved (Romans 10:13)!  Salvation is that simple. Salvation is receiving; not giving. It is the gift of God!

Now a shallow Gospel is when the Law of God is absent. Too many preachers today explain the CURE without the GUILT of sin. We don’t hear much today about the GUILT of sin. What we do hear a lot about is the CURE. Televangelists utterly fail to preach against America’s sins. All we hear is how someone was on the brink of bankruptcy, but then sent in their last $20 to The 700 Club, and now their life is a bed of roses. 2nd Peter 2:3 describes these greedy imposters in exact Words… “And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.” Woe unto America’s televangelists!!!

Aiden W. Tozer was a False Prophet!

Mr. Tozer unquestionably taught Lordship Salvation…

“In the Bible the offer of pardon on the part of God is conditioned upon intention to reform on the part of man. There can be no spiritual regeneration till there has been a moral reformation.“

SOURCE:  The Best of A.W. Tozer, Book 2, p115-117. Compiled by Warren W. Wiersbe

Wrong! Salvation is receiving; not giving. Mr. Tozer requires sinners to reform before they can be saved. This goes contrary to the plainest teachings in the Bible. Romans 4:5 states “But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.” Mr. Tozer is teaching works salvation.

The “Salvation Army” Teaches Damnable Heresy!

Now here’s a group that should be on The Repentance Blacklist. I was greatly saddened recently as I read the official doctrinal statement of the Salvation Army. If you look at the Salvation Army’s list of doctrines, you’ll come down to doctrine # 9, which reads as follows…

“We believe that continuance in a state of salvation depends upon continued obedient faith in Christ.”

Doctrine # 9 above is a lie of the Devil, NOT based upon the Word of God. Lordship Salvation necessitates the doctrine of losing one’s salvation. The Salvation Army is teaching the damnable heresy of works salvation. They clearly believe that one’s salvation is conditional upon works.

Ray Comfort is a False Prophet!

On Ray Comfort’s website, http://www.wayofthemaster.com, under the drop-down-menu “Get Equipped”, there’s a link titled Answers to 100 Common Questions. In this section you’ll find Ray’s heretical answer to the question “Is Repentance Necessary for Salvation?” The answers are directly from The Evidence Bible, which was compiled and commented by Ray Comfort. This heresy also appears on Mr. Comfort’s other website at http://www.livingwaters.com/witnessingtool/browse.shtml. Here is Ray’s unbiblical answer to the question…

Is Repentance Necessary for Salvation?

It is true that there are numerous Bible verses that speak of the promise of salvation, with no mention of repentance. These merely say to “believe” on Jesus Christ and you shall be saved (Acts 16:31; Romans 10:9). However, the Bible makes it clear that God is holy and man is sinful, and that sin makes a separation between the two (Isaiah 59:1,2). Without repentance from sin, wicked men cannot have fellowship with a holy God. We are dead in our trespasses and sins (Ephesians 2:1) and until we forsake them through repentance, we cannot be made alive in Christ …

If belief is all that is necessary for salvation, then the logical conclusion is that one need never repent. However, the Bible tells us that a false convert “believes” and yet is not saved (Luke 8:13); he remains a “worker of iniquity.” Look at the warning of Scripture: “If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth” (1 John 1:6). The Scriptures also say, “He that covers his sins shall not prosper, but whoso confesses and forsakes them [repentance] shall have mercy” (Proverbs 28:13). Jesus said that there was joy in heaven over one sinner who “repents” (Luke 15:10). If there is no repentance, there is no joy because there is no salvation.

SOURCE: http://www.livingwaters.com/witnessingtool/browse.shtml

Ray Comfort is a confused man, but I believe he is sincere. He puts the cart before the horse. There is a fine line between the “doctrine of Christ” (2nd John 1:9), and “doctrines of devils” (1st Timothy 4:1). Mr. Comfort teach that a person cannot be saved (i.e. made alive in Christ) until they forsake their sins. It’s supposed to be the other way around!  Bro. Lester Roloff has it right, whom I quoted to you earlier… “Real repentance is putting your trust in Jesus Christ so you will not live like that anymore.” Now that’s preaching brother! You cannot keep the flawed doctrine that Mr. Comfort is teaching which requires a sinner not to “live like that anymore” in order to trust Jesus. That’s backwards!

John MacArthur, Ray Comfort and Aiden Tozer who all teach works salvation.

Genuine Repentance

All of the mighty Gospel preachers in the past (and faithful preachers today) believed that genuine Biblical repentance WILL produce a changed life. 2nd Corinthians 5:17 tells us that a believer is a “new creature” in Christ, former things are passed away, and all things new. I seriously doubt the salvation of most professed “Christians” today, because they have never repented. Phooey on a Gospel which preaches forgiveness without repentance. A person must repent to be saved. But repentance is NOT the forsaking of the act of sin to be saved; BUT rather, it is a lost sinner realizing that he or she is GUILTY, condemned under God’s Law, deserving of hellfire—and simultaneously turning to the Lord Jesus by faith for forgiveness, Whose precious literal blood washes our sins away forever.

Repentance is Biblically “a change of mind” which causes a lost sinner to TURN to Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins. If there is a genuine knowledge of guilt of sin, i.e. an authentic realization of one’s condemnation under the Law of God, and a sincere trust placed on Jesus as the Christ to forgive those sins, then there is salvation.

Salvation is simple, we are the sinners and Jesus is the Savior. We must not complicate salvation, and pervert the Gospel message, by requiring sinners to commit their lives to Christ, or to cease from committing sin, or to surrender their lives to Jesus or to desire to stop sinning in order to be saved. If genuine repentance takes place, then these changes will be evidenced over time. It sometimes takes awhile before a new believer grows in the Lord, to the point where he or she is willing to present their “bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service” (Romans 12:1).

We must not confuse the FRUIT of a believer’s faith (James 2:18-21), with the ROOT of a believer’s faith (Romans 4:5). Just as with a tree, the root precedes any fruit. Although the fruit and the root are inseparably related, the fruit does not bring forth the root; but rather, the root brings forth the fruit.

Jack Chick Teaches Heresy!

I have received numerous letters from people lately, asking me to expose Chick Tracts. As you can see in the Chick Tract (title: “This Was Your Life”) page 20 (pictured below), Bro. Chick defines repentance as “SURRENDER YOUR LIFE TO CHRIST…” This is the heresy of Lordship Salvation.

Also, on the back page of all his tracts, in step # 2, he REQUIRES lost sinners to “Be willing to turn from sin (repent)” to be saved. This again is Lordship Salvation.

If I say to my son “You can use the car if you’re willing to gas it” — the implication is clear — I expect him to fill the gas tank before he returns the car. Likewise, to require a person to “be willing to turn from sin” to be saved is implying that they MUST stop sinning in order to be saved. In other words, if you’re required to be willing to do something, then it effectively becomes obligatory. I sincerely wish Mr. Chick would reword his tracts, but he is stubborn.

Brother Chick contradicts himself. On his website, his statement of faith is vastly different than his Gospel tracts:

“Salvation is the gift of God and includes the forgiveness of sins, the imputation of the Righteousness of Jesus Christ, and the gift of eternal life. Union with the triune God provides all blessings in this life and the life hereafter. Salvation is received by faith alone, apart from all good works and merit.”

SOURCE: http://www.chick.com/information/general/statementoffaith.asp

Yet, as you can clearly see in the Chick tract pages I’ve just presented to you, Bro. Chick teaches something very different. If I have to “surrender” my life to Christ, or “be willing to turn from sin,” to be saved — that is Lordship Salvation! Eternal life is a free gift. Salvation is receiving; NOT giving.  Jesus said, “I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life FREELY” (Revelation 21:6). Did you read that… “FREELY!” Jack Chick is wrong! Folks, he’s teaching millions of children through his cartoon tracts that they have to forsake sin to be saved. I was a supporter of Chick Tracts for many years, until I woke up one day and realized that Jack Chick is teaching lies. It’s a shame that Mr. Chick is more of an artist than a preacher. He is doctrinally corrupted. Get mad at me if you want but you DON’T have to be willing to turn from sin to be saved. You simply need to BELIEVE on Jesus to forgive your sins!

The problem is that a willingness to turn from sin is a FRUIT (i.e. a result) of genuine repentance, and not a prerequisite to salvation. People can easily be misled by the wording in Chick tracts. Again, I think Pastor Roloff said it best, “Real repentance is putting your trust in Jesus Christ so you will not live like that anymore.” 2nd Corinthians 5:17 tells us that salvation brings a change. But, we must never require a change, or even a willingness to change, as part of saving faith. To do so perverts the Gospel message. Salvation is WITHOUT WORKS (Romans 4:5).

Saul (later named Paul) had a miraculous conversion in Acts 9:5, and in the very next verse he said, “What wilt thou have me to do?” Many preachers use Paul’s conversion as a benchmark for salvation. I think this is wrong. It is important to notice that Jesus didn’t require Saul to surrender his life in order to be saved—Saul VOLUNTEERED himself as a result of having saving faith and genuine repentance.

Dr. Jack Hyles Taught the Same Thing as Dr. John R. Rice

When Dr. Hyles says that UNBELIEF is the only sin that a person needs to repent of to be saved, he is talking about literally turning from that particular sin. Keep in mind that Dr. Hyles book is titled “Misunderstood Repentance” and he is countering the heresy of Lordship Salvation which is an enemy of getting people saved. The ONLY sin which we must literally stop doing to be saved is UNBELIEF. That’s it. Does a person have to stop getting drunk to be saved? No. Does a person have to stop fornicating to be saved? No. Does a person have to stop stealing to be saved?  No. The only sin which a person must literally forsake (in the sense of not doing anymore) is unbelief. To say otherwise is to state the impossible, for who can forsake all their sins? (Romans 7:14-24).

Now for those of you who would wrongfully call Dr. Hyles “shallow” let me correct you by sharing with you chapter 7 from his book, Salvation Is More Than Being Saved. The chapter title is Salvation And The Law in which Bro. Hyles states:

“Coming to Christ does not give us a license to sin; it gives us even more of a hatred for sin and causes us to desire to live a life of righteousness so that we can be pleasing to our God and show our gratitude and our love to our Saviour… Jesus set me free FROM sin, not TO sin.”

Clearly, Bro. Hyles believed that genuine repentance brings forth a changed life. This is what Dr. Rice meant when he said “to turn from your sins, earnestly, with all your heart.” Dr. Rice was referring to the “attitude” that genuine repentance produces.

Didn’t Judas Repent?

I quoted Matthew 27:3 way back at the beginning of this article because it evidences the fact that there is indeed a false type of repentance “Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders.” Judas felt the emotion of sorrow, and even tried to undo the sin he had committed; but this was not genuine Biblical repentance. Judas went and hung himself, literally. This is very interesting.

You see, unlike Peter who remembered the Words of Jesus (i.e., God’s Word) and wept bitterly, crying out to God for forgiveness; Judas experienced a shallow type of repentance that was void of the Law of God. Many unsaved people today are joining apostate churches which never preach against sin. Since the Law of God is not preached, there is no guilt or conviction concerning sin. As a result, millions of Americans are giving their hearts and lives to Christ; but they are not getting saved. They have churchianity without Christianity. They think they have been forgiven because they said a prayer, or have learned the philosophy of Christ; but they’ve never addressed the GUILT and CONDEMNATION upon them because of sin. They have never experienced genuine Biblical repentance.

Conclusion

I trust that this study of repentance has been beneficial to you. I have gladly spent several hours writing this article, and it has been my sincerest heart’s desire to be as honest, Biblical and fair as possible in this critical matter. The one truth which we must never forget is that it only requires a childlike faith to be saved. Salvation is simple. So simple that Jesus likened it to walking through a door (John 10:9). So simple that Jesus likened it to drinking a glass of water—John 4:10, “Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.” Man has absolutely no part in God’s gift of salvation. We are not saved by good works, and we cannot be lost by bad works. How can we lose that which was not ours to give in the first place? Salvation is receiving; not giving.

There is a fine line between the “turning from sin” that genuine repentance brings verses the “turning from sin” that false prophets require for people to get saved.

Oh listen my friend, Matthew 6:33 says, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God and HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS!” Do you have HIS righteousness? We have no righteousness of our own (Isaiah 64:6). To get to Heaven we need God’s righteousness, which is found only in Christ Jesus (Romans 10:3,4).

The Raging Battle Over “Repentance”

The Raging Battle Over “Repentance”

By David J. Stewart

There is a raging battle today in theological circles over the meaning of REPENTANCE. Jesus exclaimed in Mark 1:15, “…repent ye, and believe the gospel.” The Greek word for “repent” here is METANOEO, which means, “to change one’s mind.” Biblical repentance is a change of one’s mind. There is NO controversy if you believe the Bible.

The FACT is that the Bible never uses the phrases “repent of your sins” or “turn from your sins” in regards to salvation. Salvation is a free gift of God–not of works–and relies totally upon God’s mercy through the LITERAL blood sacrifice of Jesus Christ (Hebrews 9:12); not “turning from sins” (Titus 3:5, Ephesians 2:8,9). “Repent” in regards to salvation does not mean “turn from your sins.” It means to “change one’s mind.” Carefully notice in Mark 1:15 what Jesus said “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.” Notice that Jesus DIDN’T say “forsake your sins, and believe the gospel.” No, rather, Jesus said “repent ye, and believe the gospel.“

Romans 3:19 Clarifies the Meaning of “Repentance”

So what needs to happen for a lost sinner to be saved?  Romans 3:19 gives us the answer “Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.“ The word “guilty” in the Greek is “hupodikos” and means “under judgment, one who lost his suit; of liable to punishment from God” (SOURCE: Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon). Hence, a person must realize their GUILT to be saved, i.e., that the condemnation of God is upon them because of their own sins. In other words, a person must realize that they are a guilty sinner, who justly deserves to be punished in Hellfire. A person does NOT need to feel regret, sorrow, or a desire to live better to be saved. These are all emotions. Repentance is a “change of mind”, not a change of emotions.

Realizing one’s GUILT is vastly different from a FEELING of sorrow or remorse over one’s sins. Do you see the big difference? To FEEL sorry for one’s sins is an act of self-EMOTION; whereas, GUILT is a matter of self-AWARENESS. The two are often NOT the same. Many prison convicts are sorry (emotionally) for their crimes, but only because they got caught. They have no genuine guilt or awareness of the sins they’ve committed. Likewise, a person may walk down to a church altar and cry with emotion over their failures in life; YET, have NO awareness that they are under God’s condemnation and awaiting judgment for their sins.

So you see, a feeling of emotion, i.e., sorrow over one’s sins, is not Biblical repentance. Biblical repentance is when a lost sinner becomes AWARE that they are under the condemnation of GOD’S LAW for their own sins, and simultaneously TURN in faith to the Lord Jesus Christ, trusting upon His shed blood to forgive and take away those sins… “Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ…” Biblical Repentance and faith happen simultaneously, they are not two separate events. This fact is clearly evidenced by the Gospel of John, in which the words “repent” and “repentance” are not even mentioned once. Yet, we find the words “faith” and “believe” 98 times in the Book of John. Clearly, to believe upon Jesus is to have also repented. When a person repents, i.e., changes one’s mind, about sin and the Savior, trusting upon the Lord for forgiveness, it is at that very moment of faith that the Holy Spirit comes to indwell that person forever.

The reason why salvation is found alone in Christ, and why we are to believe ONLY upon Him, is because Jesus paid the price for our sins with His precious blood (1st Peter 1:18,19). Muhammad never did this. Confucius never did this. Buddha never did this. In fact, if you’ll look in those graves, you’ll find the bodily remains of each of those men; but Jesus’ tomb is EMPTY, because He is alive forevermore. What a precious Saviour!!!

Lordship Salvation is of the Devil

One widely taught heresy nowadays is LORDSHIP SALVATION, i.e., the false teaching that a sinner MUST forsake their actual sins to be saved. Nothing could be further from the truth. No such false doctrine is taught in the Word of God. Proponents of this heresy pervert the Biblical meaning of the Word “repent”. Again, Jesus exclaimed in Mark 1:15, “…repent ye, and believe the gospel.” The Greek word for “repent” here is METANOEO, which means, “to change one’s mind”. This is irrefutable evidence against the heresy of Lordship Salvation, which perverts the meaning of repentance to mean “forsaking one’s sins”. Biblical repentance is a change of one’s mind about sin and the Savior, which causes that person to believe upon the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation. There is NO controversy if you believe the Bible.

Lordship Salvation is a plague upon America today, taught by such heretics as John MacArthur, Ray Comfort, and literally thousands of internet websites. Acts 20:21 speaks of “repentance TOWARD GOD.” The Bible does NOT teach repentance FROM sin to be saved; but rather, of repentance TOWARDS GOD because of our sins.

An Example of Lordship Salvation Fruits: David Cloud’s Malicious Attack Against America’s Soulwinners

Way of Life author, David Cloud, ruthlessly attacks soulwinners like Pastor Jack Hyles and Dr. Curtis Hutson on the issue of repentance. Dr. Hyles was one of the greatest preachers of the 20th century, and a Biblical scholar. Dr. Hutson was as genuine and doctrinally sound a man of God as was Sword of the Lord founder, Dr. John R. Rice. Yet Mr. Cloud criticizes these two great men of God by stating that they invent their own doctrines regarding the relationship between REPENTANCE and SALVATION.

Here is an excerpt below from David W. Cloud’s own writings against Curtis Hutson. Mr. Cloud begins here by attempting to redefine the Greek word “metanoia” i.e., to change the mind. Cloud says that it is “error” to translate it as “merely” a change of mind. Any honest Greek student would not approach God’s Word by replacing it’s correct definition with a pre-conceived interpretation of the word which is not in context of the verse. This is blatant deception and is mishandling the Scriptures. If you follow his reasoning through, you will see that he and Ray Comfort are like two peas in a pod. The only difference is that Cloud is attempting to teach reformation “BEFORE” salvation, thus thrusting human effort into the free gift of God! Ray Comfort teaches this same heresy.

David Cloud states…

THE ERROR OF DEFINING REPENTANCE MERELY AS A CHANGE OF MIND (David Cloud)

“Another man who has widely influenced the doctrine of repentance held by independent Baptists is the late Curtis Hutson, former editor of the Sword of the Lord. His 1986 booklet “Repentance: What Does the Bible Teach?” has been distributed widely. Hutson boldly denied that repentance means to turn from sin (p. 4). He denied that repentance is sorrow for sin (p. 8). He even denied that repentance means “a change of mind that leads to a change of action” (p. 16). He claimed that repentance simply is “to change one’s mind” and that it did not necessarily result in a change of life. In an attempt to build his doctrine of repentance, Curtis Hutson quoted Scripture that appears to support his position but he ignored the Scriptures that plainly denounce his position. He misquoted the writings of men like his predecessor John R. Rice. He also mixed in a heavy dose of human reasoning.”

SOURCE: http://www.wayoflife.org/fbns/repentancelordship.htm

David Cloud is wrong to sow discord amongst brethrens who refuse to follow his philosophy regarding “repentance” and choose to follow the Bible instead (Proverb 6:16-19). Dr. Hutson and Dr. Rice are in complete agreement on the matter of repentance! You simply cannot take a word and make it mean something that the context never intends to mean, especially about “repentance” in regard to Salvation. Cloud’s approach is wrong at the begining. Dr. Hutson is not denying everything. Cloud is upset because Hutson’s teachings refute his private interpretation of what “repentance” means. The real issue is: what is one changing his mind about. It is impossible to make “METANOEO” mean “turn from sins” as Cloud seems to claim, in any given instance where word is used. This is where Cloud gets himself into trouble.

David Cloud states…

He [Dr. Curtis Hutson] even denied that repentance means “a change of mind that leads to a change of action”.

SOURCE: http://www.wayoflife.org/fbns/repentancelordship.htm

Instead of Cloud here trying to prove his own argument he chooses a clever tactic of self-supremacy; that is, his view is the confirmed stance of all good men; to “even” consider any other explanation is intolerable. Scripture does not support this exclusive view of repentance at all. Repentance always leads to “SALVATION” first in the Scriptures; not a change of action as Cloud claims. This is the consistent Bible pattern: The Holy Spirit changes your mind, you get saved, then the life and actions change! (1st Peter 2:2; 2nd Corinthians 5:17). In Romans 12:1, Paul begged the believers at Rome to surrender their lives to God. They were saved, but they hadn’t presented their bodies to God “a living sacrifice” yet. Look at the carnal church at Corinth! They were suing each other (1st Corinthians 6:6), eating meats offered to idols (1st Corinthians 8:12), allowing fornication within the church (1st Corinthians 5:1), showing up drunk at the Lord’s Supper (1st Corinthians 11:21),…etc. The idea of “turning from sins” prior to salvation is not anywhere taught except in Cloud’s false teachings and is nigh unto the heresy of works salvation, if not altogether so.

David Cloud Attempts to Justify His Philosophy by Using Acts 20:21

David Cloud further states…

If repentance and faith are the same, why does the Bible make such a plain distinction between them? “Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ” (Acts 20:21). In reality, repentance and faith are two different actions though they are intimately connected and cannot necessarily be separated in time. Repentance is to acknowledge one’s sin and rebellion against God and to change one’s mind about sinning against God. Faith is to trust the finished work of Christ for forgiveness. Repentance and faith are the two aspects of man’s response to God’s offer of salvation.

SOURCE: http://www.wayoflife.org/fbns/repentancelordship.htm

David Cloud even accused Brother Hutson of preaching “Easy Prayerism” in his writings. The term “Easy Prayerism” is a dangerous term, because we read in Luke 18:13 “And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.” The publican cried out to God in a simple, easy, sinner’s PRAYER. It is extremely dangerous to criticize soulwinners who are following the Bible, who are preaching the simple Gospel. The truth is that a simple prayer is enough to save a person IF that person has repented, i.e., changed his or her mind concerning sin and the Savior. Mr. Cloud has even written a book titled Repentance is More Than a Sinner’s Prayer. Again, this is an extremely dangerous thinking, because Romans 10:13 simply states “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” I realize that there are false conversions today; but it is not because of leading people in a sinner’s prayer. The thief on the cross admitted he was a sinner (Luke 23:41), and then turned to Jesus for salvation (Luke 23:42). Jesus didn’t ask the thief if he intended to stop stealing after he was saved. Jesus didn’t ask the man, as David Cloud teaches, if he was ready for the changes that were coming. How ridiculous! The thief on the cross simply realized his guilt, and turned in faith to the Savior in for salvation.

Who is David Cloud to judge a person’s heart (which only God can do)? By all indications from the Old Testament, Lot was no Christian; BUT, 2nd Peter 2:7 in the New Testament calls Lot a “just man”. The Bible is filled with carnal believers who shamed the Lord by committing sins: Noah, Moses, Rahab, Lot, Abraham, David, Solomon, Peter, Ananias and Sapphira, the adulterous Christian man at Corinth (1st Corinthians 5:1-5), the drunkard Christians at the Lord’s Supper (1st Corinthians 11:21),…etc. Concerning the man living in fornication, the Apostle Paul said in 1st Corinthians 5:5… “To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.” In other words, the man may choose to live the remained of his Christian life in unrepentant sin, and destroy his own life, but the Lord will settle the matter when He returns at the Rapture.

Whether people like David Cloud want to admit it or not, some believers do choose to continue living in unrepentant sin. Sometimes believers commit hideous sins, such as when David conspired to murder Bathsheba’s husband, and he did. Hebrews 12:8 tells us that God WILL CHASTISE his own. No genuine Christian can enjoy living in sin, because the Holy Spirit living within will convict them. We have a group of pious, arrogant, sanctimonious, pompous, hypocritical believers today who seem to have forgotten just how rotten and dirty they are as sinners themselves. The big difference between a Christian who sins, and the world, is in one’s attitude towards their own sin. The wicked world attempts to justify, avoid, and ignore their sins; but the believer is convicted by the Holy Spirit, and has a desire to forsake his sins, even though he may not do it in reality.

The following Greek rule proves that David Cloud misinterprets Acts 20:21…

Granville Sharp’s Rule of Greek Exegesis

Sadly, Cloud falls short of 2 Timothy 2:15. He simply does not study the Bible thoroughly! Acts 20:21 does not teach two separate actions at all! Repentance and faith are shown as the same thing in this verse. Here is why;

“Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ”.

Any time two singular Greek nouns appear in a sentence and are connected by the conjunction “and” (kai Greek) and the definite article “ho” precedes the first noun, but not the second, they both mean the same person! This means that the appositive, our Lord Jesus Christ, is referring to ”God” in the first clause! Rendering this into the sentence it is then to be read as follows:

Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, “EVEN” (or) “that is” faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ”.

This is what Paul was preaching! Repentance toward God using the Granville Sharp’s rule of Greek exegesis, is synonymous (means the same) as faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.

Faith and repentance are the same thing according to Greek grammatical rendering of this verse. However, David Cloud does not follow this rule of biblical interpretation and ends up with a false interpretation to support his false claims. If we need to be right about anything in the Bible, it is SALVATION. If we are wrong here we will be wrong everywhere else, not to mention our destination if we believe a false Gospel.

The bottom line to Cloud’s teaching on repentance is that you cannot come to Christ for salvation unless you first intend not to walk in sin after you receive Him. This is “qualification by works” as a prerequisite for receiving Christ as Savior. This is utter heresy.

More Heretics on Repentance!

The internet is infested with false prophets and wannabe Bible-scholars who are butchering the Word of God. Here’s one example of the type of heresy which is circulating around the world on the internet…

Today, in the ranks of our Independent Baptist churches, we are overcome by the super salesmen “soulwinners” who pull professions out of lost souls with a promise that they will go to heaven on the basis of a little prayer and a profession of faith in Jesus. They follow the Hyles, Hutson, Gray, Vineyard, statement of faith and never know the reality of passing from death to life. The followers of these preachers of corruption are promising lost souls liberty where there is no liberty…

http://lostinchurch.com/easy_believism_fast_track_to_hel.htm

Now, that is just the most ridiculous, unfair, and downright false statement I have ever read. Pastor Jack Hyles is unquestionably responsible for winning many souls to the Lord just as many other great preachers in America. Not only was Dr. Hyles a passionate soulwinner, but he also trained and inspired literally thousands of people to take the Gospel into the highways and hedges of this dark and dreary sinful world. Critics like David Cloud, and the fool who made the above quote, have no idea of the damage they are doing to the cause of Jesus Christ. Sadly, they don’t even care, and that’s the biggest problem. David Cloud has even scorned Pastor Hyles, labeling him as “The King Of Shallow Soulwinners”. Interestingly, when Jesus was crucified, some mocker also labeled our Savior as “The King Of The Jews”. By the way, according to the philosophy of Cloud, you will be a “shallow soulwinner” if you don’t teach unbeleivers major doctrines of Christianity before you invite them to accept Jesus Christ. Cloud certainly does not care whether unbelievers can understand doctrines of Christianity without the guidance of the Holy Spirit or cannot. David Cloud ought to be ashamed of himself, and he will have to answer to God for assassinating the character of godly men who gave their hearts, minds, souls and their own lives to help unbelivers.

The author of lostinthechurch.com further states…

One “Easy-Believism” preacher, Jack Hyles of the large First Baptist Church of Hammond, Indiana, says that “sin does not have to be repented of, only forgotten.”  I have heard these preachers use Hebrews 10:17 as a proof text. “And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more”. I have news for them, Only God has that kind of “Forgetter”. I am afraid these preachers want to hide their sins instead of forget them.

http://lostinchurch.com/easy_believism_fast_track_to_hel.htm

The person who made the above statements does admit that “…Only God has that kind of ‘Forgetter’…“ but then inject his own thinking: “I am afraid these preachers want to hide their sins instead of forget them.” So much for the plain-green-old envy. Here are Dr. Jack Hyles’ own words concerning repentance, from his book, Enemies Of Soulwinning…

Over and over again the question is asked me, “Is repentance necessary for salvation?” Of course, this is of utmost importance…

There are those who say we have to repent of our sins in order to be saved. No, we have to repent only of the thing that makes us unsaved, and that is unbelief.

SOURCE: Enemies Of Soulwinning, Chapter 4, Misunderstood Repentance

Dr. Hyles is correct, and he certainly believes in Biblical repentance! The Gospel of John never mentions the words “repent” or “repentance” even once, yet we find the words “believe” and faith” 98 times in the Book of John. John 20:31 tells us why the Gospel of John was written “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.” Clearly, to believe on Jesus Christ is to simultaneously turn one’s back against sin, otherwise the word “repent” would have been mentioned repeated in the Book of John, but it wasn’t mentioned even once. Acts 16:30,31 state… “Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved…” Again, there is NO mention of repentance. To believe on Christ is to repent TOWARDS God (Acts 20:21).

Dr. Curtis Hutson is Correct on Repentance

There is a raging battle today over the matter of Biblical “repentance” in regards to salvation. Pastor Curtis Hutson, former editor of the Sword Of The Lord, has it 100% correct…

Several years ago, after I finished preaching a Sunday morning service, several people trusted Christ as Saviour, including a lady and her five children. I noticed a man sitting on the same pew who did not respond. After the service, I spoke to him, while many of the members of the church were shaking hands with the lady, her children, and others who had trusted Christ that morning.

“Sir,” I said, “is this your wife and children?”

“Yes,” he replied.

I said, “Isn’t it wonderful that they have trusted Christ as Saviour!”

“Yes,” he replied.

Then I asked, “Have you trusted Christ as your Saviour?”

He dropped his head and said, “I’m afraid I haven’t.”

“May I ask why you haven’t trusted Christ as Saviour?”

“Well,” he said, “to be honest with you, I’m afraid I can’t live it.”

I suspected that this man had an idea that in order to be saved, he must promise God that he would never sin again, or he thought that repenting was turning from sin. So I pressed the issue. “What do you mean, you can’t live it?”

“Well,” he said, “I know that I will probably sin again.”

I said, “Sir if getting saved is promising Jesus you will never sin again, then I would never get saved, because I know I cannot live a sinless life.” I explained that to be saved one simply had to trust Jesus as Saviour. I opened the Bible to John 3:36 and read, “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life.” Then pointing to the verse, I asked, “Does the verse say ‘He that believeth on the Son and lives it has everlasting life’?”

“Oh, no,” he replied.

“Then what does the verse say?”

“He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life.”

“Then must one believe on the Son and live it in order to be saved? Or must one simply believe on the Son, as the Bible says, to have everlasting life?”

“Well,” he said, “I suppose that one must do what the Bible says – believe on the Son.”

“Then will you trust Jesus Christ right now as your Saviour?”

With a smile on his face, he answered, “I certainly will.” In a moment he joined his wife and children as the church members came by and shook hands, rejoicing with them in their decision to trust Christ as Saviour.

SOURCE: Repentance: What Does the Bible Teach?

Now in sharp contrast read David Cloud’s method of dealing with the same situation.

Conclusion

Once a person is saved, then they must grow in grace by feeding on the Truth of God’s Word (1st Peter 2:2). As a believer grows in the truth, he or she realizes that there are changes in their life that need to be made. It is this change of mind (repentance) that leads to a holy life sanctified unto God. Thus, it can be clearly seen that repentance unto salvation is very different from the repentance from sins. Dr. Hyles explains this subject in his excellent free online book, Salvation Is More Than Being Saved. In Mark 1:4, John the Baptist speaks of “…repentance for the remission of sins” NOT repentance of sins. Acts 20:21 reads, “Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.” Notice that Biblical repentance is TOWARD God. In Acts 11:21 we read, “And the hand of the Lord was with them: and a great number believed, and turned unto the Lord.” This is Biblical repentance-turning to the Lord. To turn towards Jesus Christ in faith for salvation is to turn one’s back against sin, even though the person may not be willing to forsake sin at the time of salvation.

It is ludicrous for anyone to teach that a lost sinner must give up their sins to be saved. It is equally ludicrous for anyone, such as David Cloud, to teach that a person must be “ready” for the coming changes, i.e., turning from sin after being saved, or else they “cannot be saved”. The bottom line to Cloud’s teaching on repentance is that you cannot come to Christ for salvation unless you first intend not to walk in sin after you receive Him. This is “qualification by works” as a prerequisite for receiving Christ as Savior. As we saw with Lot and Samson in the Old Testament, not all believers live a holy life. Argue as you may, “repentance” in the Bible simply means “a change of mind”. Salvation is as simple as a person realizing their guilt as a sinner, and turning in faith to the Savior for salvation. The Law of God shows us our hopeless condition, and then points us to the Savior for salvation. Romans 4:5 silences all the critics:

“But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.” -Romans 4:5

Ray Comfort Perverts Luke 8:13

Ray Comfort Perverts Luke 8:13

By David J. Stewart

On Ray Comfort’s website, http://www.wayofthemaster.com, under the drop-down-menu “Get Equipped,” there’s a link titled Answers to 100 Common Questions. In this section you’ll find Ray’s heretical answer to the question… “Is Repentance Necessary for Salvation?” The answers are directly from The Evidence Bible, which was compiled and commented by Ray Comfort. This heresy also appears on Mr. Comfort’s other website at… http://www.livingwaters.com/witnessingtool/browse.shtml. Here is Ray’s unbiblical answer to the question…

Is Repentance Necessary for Salvation?

… We are dead in our trespasses and sins (Ephesians 2:1) and until we forsake them through repentance, we cannot be made alive in Christ …

If belief is all that is necessary for salvation, then the logical conclusion is that one need never repent. However, the Bible tells us that a false convert “believes” and yet is not saved (Luke 8:13); he remains a “worker of iniquity.” Look at the warning of Scripture: “If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth” (1 John 1:6). The Scriptures also say, “He that covers his sins shall not prosper, but whoso confesses and forsakes them [repentance] shall have mercy” (Proverbs 28:13). Jesus said that there was joy in heaven over one sinner who “repents” (Luke 15:10). If there is no repentance, there is no joy because there is no salvation.

SOURCE: http://www.livingwaters.com/witnessingtool/browse.shtml

Carefully notice that Mr. Comfort attempts to use Luke 8:13 to support his heresy that believing on Jesus Christ is insufficient by itself to save a person. Luke 8:13 states:

“They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away.”

Now let’s take a broader look at Luke 8:12-14:

• Luke 8:12 — “Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.”
• Luke 8:13 — “They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away.”
• Luke 8:14 — “And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection.”
• Luke 8:15 — “But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.”

We see FOUR distinct groups here. The first group clearly did not get saved, because the Bible states it.

The second group DID get saved, because the Bible says they believed for a while. For Ray Comfort to teach that the people in Luke 8:13 weren’t saved is heresy. The Bible says they received the word “with joy.”  We read the parallel account of Luke 8:13 in Matthew 13:20-21:

“But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it; Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended.

This Scripture is addressing the believer who does not confess nor bare fruit for Christ because of fear of persecution.  This truth is perfectly illustrated by the chief rulers in John 12:42-43 whom the Bible states were SAVED…

“Nevertheless among the chief rulers also MANY BELIEVED ON HIM; but because of the Pharisees they DID NOT CONFESS HIM, lest they should be put out of the synagogue: For they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.”

Ray Comfort is wrong!  For someone to receive the Gospel with joy, and believe, is saved!!!  There are many believers today, most in fact, who cower in their churches.  They would never protest on a street corner against abortion, would never go door-to-door confrontational soulwinning,…etc. The Bible clearly states that the people in Luke 8:12 didn’t get “saved,” and even uses the term. In sharp contrast, the people in Luke 8:13 wanted to be saved, and were saved, but they were not strong enough in the Lord to deal with persecution. Every one of Jesus’ disciples abandoned Him when he was arrested, and was tried as a criminal, and sentenced to death on a cross. They fell away in a time of temptation (i.e. hardship); but they didn’t lose their salvation, nor does it mean that they had only believed without repenting. Ray Comfort is teaching heresy!

The folks in Luke 8:13 were saved, and so were the people in Luke 8:14. The Bible says they were “choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life.” This again describes most believers today.  The average believer today is more concerned about making money, upgrading their cellphone and having a good time. They are not honoring God with their life or resources. If anything, they give God a little pocket-change and some spare time. The believers described in verses 13 and 14 never make an attempt to win a soul to Jesus Christ.

In striking contrast, the believers in Luke 8:15 are soulwinners, who faithfully and patiently preach the Gospel.

Biblical Repentance

There is a fine line between the turning from sin that genuine repentance brings; verses the turning from sin that false prophets like Ray Comfort require for people to get saved. Again, Mr. Comfort states:

If belief is all that is necessary for salvation, then the logical conclusion is that one need never repent. However, the Bible tells us that a false convert “believes” and yet is not saved (Luke 8:13); he remains a “worker of iniquity.”

SOURCE: http://www.livingwaters.com/witnessingtool/browse.shtml

In sharp contrast, Dr. John R. Rice correctly states…

“To repent literally means to have a change of mind or spirit toward God and toward sin. It means to turn from your sins, earnestly, with all your heart, and trust in Jesus Christ to save you. You can see, then, how the man who believes in Christ repents and the man who repents believes in Christ. The jailer repented when he turned from sin to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ” (John R. Rice, What Must I Do to Be Saved?, 1940). [emphasis added]

Whereas Ray Comfort attempts to separate repentance from belief; Bro. Rice correctly recognizes them as ONE AND THE SAME. A man who turns toward God in faith to be forgiven of his sins has repented!  A man who has repented of his sins is one who has come as a guilty sinner to the cross of Christ for salvation. This is the simplicity of salvation.  Ray Comfort, as the heretic John MacArthur, makes salvation hard.

Take a look at what MacArthur says on page 93 of his book, Hard To Believe:

“Salvation isn’t the result of an intellectual exercise. It comes from a life lived in obedience and service to Christ as revealed in the Scripture; it’s the fruit of actions, not intentions. There’s no room for passive spectators: words without actions are empty and futile…The life we live, not the words we speak, determines our eternal destiny” (Hard to Believe, p. 93). [emphasis added]

Do you see the night-and-day difference between turning from sin that genuine repentance brings; verses the turning from sin that false prophets like Ray Comfort and John MacArthur require for people to get saved?

Conclusion

I believe Mr. Comfort may be sincerely confused (i.e. ignorant of the Scriptures). Nevertheless, he is teaching damnable heresy and must be exposed for doing so, because he is influencing millions of people for Satan.  Many people today think they can’t be saved unless they are willing to turn over a new leaf and stop committing sin.  I have news for you, Ray Comfort commits sin every day, just like you, me, and everyone else.  Salvation is receiving; NOT giving.  Eternal life is a free gift from God (Romans 5:15;6:23), paid for by Jesus’ precious literal liquid blood (1st Peter 1:18,19).

The problem is that preachers oftentimes confuse the FRUIT of a believer’s faith (James 2:18-21) with the ROOT of a believer’s faith (Romans 4:3-5). Genuine repentance brings forth FRUIT; but the fruit is NOT a prerequisite to obtaining the ROOT (i.e., salvation by grace through faith in Jesus). Luke 8:13 cannot be used to prove the false doctrine that believing on Jesus is insufficient to save. Those folks were already saved. If you have childlike faith in the Savior to forgive your sins, that’s all you need to be saved.

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The Damnable Heresy of Ray Comfort

The Damnable Heresy of Ray Comfort

By David J. Stewart

“But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.” -Romans 4:5

It hurts me to write this article, because I like Ray Comfort.  I believe Mr. Comfort is a very sincere man; but sincerely wrong.  Unfortunately, as is the case with John MacArthur and so many other heretical Bible teachers today, Ray Comfort teaches damnable heresy.  The great deception is that 95% of everything they say is good wholesome Bible.  Ray Comfort is an awesome speaker, and he is certainly correct on the issue of God’s Law, i.e., a person cannot be saved without realizing their GUILTY condition, and condemnation under the Law of God.  However, the problem with Ray Comfort and Kirk Cameron is that they teach the damnable heresy of LORDSHIP SALVATION.  Like all Lordship Salvationists, Ray Comfort claims that salvation is by faith ALONE in Jesus Christ, without works; but then he turns around 360 degrees and teaches sinners to forsake their sins in order to be saved.  No sir! You can’t show me one verse in the entire Bible that requires a person to forsake their sins to be saved.  If that were true, then who could be saved?… “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).

The problem is that there is a common misunderstanding of the word “repent.”  Many false teachers today are saying that “repent” in the Bible means “to forsake one’s sins.”  Nothing could be further from the Truth of God’s Word.  In Mark 1:15 Jesus said, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.“  The word repent here is the Greek METANOEO, meaning “to change one’s mind.”  When a person realizes that they’re a GUILTY sinner, under the condemnation of God’s Law, deserving of Hellfire; and then that person believes upon the Lord Jesus Christ for forgiveness–they are saved eternally.  We are the sinners, and Jesus is the Savior.  It’s that simple.  Please read, What is Biblical repentance?

On Ray Comfort’s ministry website, at LivingWater.com, he has a short presentation titled “The Good Test.”  At the end of the presentation the following heretical teachings are found…

Do you see God’s great love for you? Do you see your need for His forgiveness? Do what He commands and “Repent…that your sins may be wiped out and times of refreshing may come from the Lord.” (Acts 3:19) You must turn away from sin and turn to God. Desire to have NOTHING to do with sin, and surrender your life to the One who can save you. Jesus died to set you free, and then he rose from death to be your Lord. Jesus said, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” If you will confess and forsake your sins (repent) and trust in Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord, God will forgive you and you’ll pass from death to life.

If you are not sure how to pray, read Psalm 51 and make it your prayer.

What does it mean to “put your faith in Jesus Christ?” It means to personally trust in Jesus the same way you’d trust in a parachute if you had to jump 25,000 feet out of an airplane. You wouldn’t just “believe” in the parachute; you would put it on! In the same way, the Bible says, “Put on the Lord Jesus Christ…” and you will be saved. There are millions of people who “believe” Jesus exists . . . but they have not put on the Savior—there’s a BIG difference. And the difference will be obvious when you “jump” through the door of death.

Today, with all your heart—turn away from sin, and surrender your life to Jesus Christ. Please don’t put it off till later. You may die today and then it will be too late. You may not yet have all the answers to your questions, but better to put on the parachute first and then ask questions, then to pass through the door unprepared, grasping for the parachute when it’s too late. You can pray something like this—“Dear God, today I turn from all my sins (name them), and I put my trust in Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. Please forgive me, and grant me your gift of everlasting life. Amen.” There is nothing magic about these words—it is the attitude of your heart that God cares about. (emphasis added)

SOURCE: http://www.livingwaters.com/good/022.shtml

Ray Comfort is a heretic!  He clearly states… “You must turn away from sin” to be saved.  Say what you will… anyone who teaches that a lost sinner MUST forsake their sins to be saved is a LIAR.  Romans 4:5 couldn’t be any clearer on this matter… “But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.” It is sad that the simplicity of salvation, i.e., the Gospel, has been perverted in so many ways today. It is a shame that someone like Ray Comfort, who is a dynamic and charming speaker, and a nice guy, is preaching a false gospel to the masses.  Perhaps Mr. Comfort does it ignorantly; but nevertheless, he is teaching works salvation. There is absolutely nothing in the Word of God which requires a person to “surrender your life to Jesus Christ” to be saved.  It is a damnable heresy to require people to make a commitment to Christ to be saved.  Jesus DIDN’T ask us to surrender our life to Him to be saved; He asked us to BELIEVE (trust upon) on Him (John 3:16).  Jesus DIDN’T ask us to forsake our sins to get saved; no, rather, He asked us to BELIEVE (trust upon) on Him–that He could save us from our sins. Being a Christian does NOT give us a license to sin. Not at all. Every believer will give account to God for their deeds at the Judgment Seat of Christ (Romans 14:12; 2nd Corinthians 5:10).  The notion that a lost sinner must “desire to have nothing to do with sin” to be saved (which is exactly what Ray Comfort teaches) is of the Devil.  Most of what the Jehovah’s Witness cult teaches is 100% Scriptural; but it’s that small percentage of damnable heresy that condemns them to Hell.  John MacArthur is a dynamic Bible teacher and pastor; but ruthlessly denies the literal blood of Jesus. Therefore, John MacArthur is an unsaved heretic.

Satan is a Master Deceiver

Ray Comfort is awesome in many ways, which is why he is so dangerous.  Most “everything” you read from this man is 99% right on target; however, Ray Comfort adds WORKS to God’s Plan of Salvation which renders it VOID and USELESS.  The most effective lies are the one’s that sound the most like the truth, and Satan is the Master Deceiver behind Ray Comfort’s ministries (Living Waters, Way of the Master, etc.).

Ray Comfort misdefines “repentance” and does not use the original Greek meaning that Christ talked about, which is “metanoia” (a change of mind about sin and Christ).  He is very accurate in other areas; yet, what he is telling us is that WORKS are necessary for salvation (even though he explicitly tells us that works are not necessary for salvation in other writings).  Why the total contradiction?  Mr. Comfort mixes discipleship with Grace, i.e., works of righteousness with Christ’s Blood.  This, according to the Bible, is a FALSE GOSPEL which cannot save a lost man from Hell.

Ray Comfort is just “one of thousands” who twist the Bible to make it say what he wants it to say, rather than telling us what it really says. Satan’s time is short. We’ve not long to go before the Rapture, and Satan is busy deceiving everyone he possibly can.  Remember, the best lies are the one’s that sound the most like the truth.  Ray Comfort is a master deceiver.

What the Bible Says

Let me refute and rebuke Ray Comfort using the King James Bible by giving you references:

1a) What Ray says: Ray tells us that in order to be saved we must forsake all sins.

1b)What the Bible says: Forsaking sins is a condition for being a disciple, not for being saved (Luke 14:26-27 / Luke 9:23 / Luke 14:33 / Romans 4:5 / John 12:42 ).

2a) What Ray says:  Commit your life to Christ / Turn from your sins to be saved / Surrender your life to Christ / Make Him Lord of your life, etc…

2b)What the Bible says:  Jesus Christ is the Savior! Living the “Christian Lifestyle” cannot save us (John 5:39-40).

The Bible is clear that man’s good works and intentions have no part in gaining him salvation, just look: “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).

Ray Comfort is subtle, as are many false prophets today.  Here is Ray Comfort’s doctrinal Statement of Faith, and it is 100% Biblical.  But then you listen to his videos, and The Good Test I just mentioned, and Mr. Comfort teaches something totally different.  Benny Hinn does the exact same thing.  Mr. Hinn’s website presents the basic plan of salvation, and it is Biblical; but then in public he endorses Catholicism’s Our Lady of Fatima, praises the Pope, never condemns works salvation, never condemns Baptismal Regeneration, etc.  Benny Hinn exploits the Gospel to make merchandise of his victims… 2nd Peter 2:3, “And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not“. Martin Luther, as do many Lutherans today, are guilty of the same hypocrisies.  Martin Luther is renowned for his realization from the Bible that “the just shall live by faith”; YET, Luther hypocritically, and damnably, clearly taught Baptismal Regeneration in his Catechism writings. Ray Comfort speaks out of both-sides-of-his-mouth, as do John MacArthur, and Martin Luther.  All these men claim salvation by faith alone in Jesus Christ; BUT then PERVERT the Gospel by requiring people to either give up their sins, get baptized, or surrender their life to Christ to be saved. It can’t be both ways!  Salvation is either by faith, or by works–not BOTH.  Titus 3:5 plainly states that salvation is NOT BY WORKS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS WHICH WE HAVE DONE!  Ray Comfort’s doctrine is flawed, and he needs to reconsider what he is teaching people.  You don’t have to forsake your sins to be saved, just realize that you are GUILTY and bound for Hellfire because of them; thus, you need a Savior, and Acts 4:10-12 tells us His name–Jesus Christ.

Please read, Guilt verses Feelings in Salvation, and, No Salvation Without the Law.

Conclusion

On Ray Comfort’s website, http://www.wayofthemaster.com, under the drop-down-menu “Get Equipped,” there’s a link titled Answers to 100 Common Questions.  In this section you’ll find Ray’s heretical answer to the question… “Is Repentance Necessary for Salvation?“  The answers are directly from The Evidence Bible, which was compiled and commented by Ray Comfort.  This heresy also appears on Mr. Comfort’s other website at… http://www.livingwaters.com/witnessingtool/browse.shtml.  Here is Ray’s unbiblical answer to the question…

Is Repentance Necessary for Salvation? …

We are dead in our trespasses and sins (Ephesians 2:1) and until we forsake them through repentance, we cannot be made alive in Christ.

I didn’t write this article to be unkind, but to warn people about the dangers of Lordship Salvation.  Shame on Ray Comfort for teachings such things.  If Mr. Comfort would stand true to his Statement of Faith on his website, then there would be no problem; but he doesn’t.  Instead, he teaches lost sinners that salvation is conditional upon forsaking the act of sin.  But the Bible teaches salvation is receiving; NOT giving (John 1:12; 4:10).  Eternal life is a free gift (Romans 5:15).  There is a fine line between the turning from sin that genuine repentance brings; verses the turning from sin that false prophets require for people to get saved.  Ray Comfort is putting the cart before the horse, as does pastors John MacArthur and Aiden W. Tozer.

Ray Comfort is condemned by his own words.  The Bible is clear… “But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.“

Repentance

Repentance

by David J. Stewart

“The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that ALL SHOULD COME TO REPENTANCE” (2nd Peter 3:9). God wants ALL people to repent; that is, change their mind. Repentance is a change of mind. Most people try to rationalize and justify their sins. Romans 3:19 states “Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become GUILTY before God“.  We are all guilty sinners, under the condemnation of God’s Law, justly deserving of Hellfire.  Thanks be to God the Father, He sent His only begotten Son into the world to pay for our sins by His own LITERAL blood (Hebrews 9:12).

To be saved, one must turn in faith to Christ alone, believing on Him for the forgiveness of sins. Acts 20:21 speaks of “repentance TOWARD GOD.”  The Word of God NEVER teaches repentance FROM sin to be saved; BUT, rather, repentance TOWARD GOD. Repentance is a change of mind concerning sin and the Savior. Childlike faith is all that is required for salvation.  If a person knows they are a guilty sinner, bound for Hellfire, and turns in faith to Jesus Christ to forgive their sins and save them–that person has repented.

Repentance Towards God

You can put all the faith in Christ you want, it means nothing if you’re in denial about your sins… “If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us” (1st John 1:10).  The entire matter of salvation deals with OUR SINS.  Thus, repentance is when we come to the realization that we have sinned AGAINST GOD.  Notice what Joseph said to Potiphar’s wicked, adulterous wife who tried to seduce him in Genesis 39:9… “There is none greater in this house than I; neither hath he kept back any thing from me but thee, because thou art his wife: how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin AGAINST GOD?“  Joseph realized that if he did commit adultery, he would be sinning AGAINST GOD!  In Luke 15:21, the repentant prodigal son said… “Father, I have sinned AGAINST HEAVEN, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son.“  Notice what king David said in Psalm 41:4 “LORD, be merciful unto me: heal my soul; for I have sinned AGAINST THEE.“  Notice what the Apostle Paul taught in Acts 20:21… “Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, REPENTANCE TOWARD GOD, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.“  You see, lost sinners need to repent TOWARDS GOD.  Carefully notice in Mark 1:15 what Jesus said… “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel“. Notice that Jesus DIDN’T say “repent ye, and forsake your sins.”  No, rather, He said, “repent ye, and believe the gospel.”

The Sin-Question and the Son-question

Tragically, few people today have genuinely repented.  Many people today falsely claim to be “Christian,” but they are not.  They have never repented concerning their sins.  Please note that I said “concerning their sins,” and not “from their sins.”  There is a big difference.  Salvation involves BOTH the sin-question and the Son-question:

1. THE SIN QUESTION. If a person does not see their need, then why would he or she need a Savior?  To be saved, the sin-question must be dealt with.  We are all sinners (Romans 3:23), guilty before God (Romans 3:19), and justly deserving of eternal punishment (Romans 6:23).  1st John 1:10 states that we are calling God a LIAR if we deny that we have sinned.  Many people today falsely think they are going to Heaven because they “committed their life to Christ,” or “made a decision for Christ.”  There can be NO salvation without the Law of God.

   Many unrepentant people today, who are proud and self-righteous, “think” they are saved simply because they “gave their life to Jesus.”  This is the nonsense being taught in Charismatic circles today, and by their televangelists.  Judas gave his life to Jesus and went to Hell.  The Pharisees gave their lives to God, and went to Hell.  You’d better get BORN-AGAIN!  We are saved through Jesus’ blood, that takes our sins away.  The great evangelist Charles Finney said…

   “The severity of the Law should be unsparingly applied to the conscience until the sinner’s self-righteousness is annihilated, and he stands speechless and condemned before the Holy God.”

   Too many preachers today explain the CURE without the GUILT of sin.  We don’t hear much today about the GUILT of sin.  What we do hear a lot about is the CURE.  Televangelists utterly fail to preach against America’s sins.  All we hear is how someone was on the brink of bankruptcy, but then sent in their last $20 to The 700 Club, and now their life is a bed of roses.  2nd Peter 2:3 describes these greedy imposters in exact Words… “And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.“  Woe unto America’s televangelists!!!
   

2. THE SON QUESTION. It is not enough to merely decide to turn over a new leaf to be saved.  One cannot admit his or her sinful condition, and then attempt to reform the sinful flesh, expecting to be saved.  Only Jesus has the nail-scared hands and feet, and we can only be saved through Christ.  Roman Catholics readily admit their sinfulness, but foolishly trust the Catholic Church to save them, instead of relying on Jesus Christ alone as the Word of God teaches (John 14:6).  There can be NO salvation apart from the name of JESUS (Acts 4:10-12).

Thus, repentance is a change of mind, i.e. turning by faith to Jesus Christ for forgiveness, because of the acknowledgment of one’s sinful condition.  It’s that simple.  It is the blood of Jesus that washes our sins away; not water baptism, not church membership, not turning over a new leaf, not surrendering one’s life to God, not forsaking one’s sins…etc.  We are sinners, and Jesus is the Savior!  To go to Heaven, our sins must be washed away by Jesus’ blood, and all we have to do is BELIEVE upon the Lord as our Savior.

Except Ye Repent, Ye Shall All Likewise Perish!

There were present at that season some that told him of the Galilaeans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And Jesus answering said unto them, Suppose ye that these Galilaeans were sinners above all the Galilaeans, because they suffered such things? I tell you, Nay: but, EXCEPT YE REPENT, ye shall all likewise perish. Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you, Nay: but, EXCEPT YE REPENT, ye shall all likewise perish” (Luke 13:1-5).

Some people had brought bad news to Jesus, about the tragic deaths of others.  We experience these same types of reports almost daily in modern times.  In fact, there’s not a day that passes that we don’t hear from the news-media about the tragic deaths of so many people.  Death is often sudden, and without warning.  This is what Jesus meant when He warned… Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. Jesus was simply saying that life is unpredictably short, and all that matters is whether or not we’re ready to meet our Maker! Hebrews 9:27 states that we all have an appointment with death. Death is often sudden and we have no guarantee of tomorrow (Proverb 27:1). Are we any better than others, that we are immune to heartache and tragedy? No, not for one moment. Are you ready to die?

I recall hearing of a tornado that ripped through a little Baptist church in Georgia, killing many of the members. Were they being judged by God? No, not at all. The earth is under a curse because of man’s sin, and all men are susceptible to the woes of living in a fallen world.  Life is short.  All that will matter 100 years from now is whether you died in the Lord (Revelation 14:13), or in your sins (John 8:24).  Hopefully, you’ll die in the Lord. 2nd Corinthians 6:2 states, “…behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation“. Only a fool would postpone getting saved.

The road to Hell is paved with good intentions and neon signs. The road to life is plain and simple. The road to Hell exalts religion; but the road to Heaven exalts Jesus. There are two types of religions in the world: DO and DONE. Either you believe that you must DO something to get into Heaven OR you are simply resting upon Jesus and His precious blood. DO or DONE, which are you? I’m in the DONE category!

Repentance is Not an Option

God COMMANDS us to repent… “And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent“ (Acts 17:30). It is not an option whether or not we want to repent, it is a divine command from Almighty God. 2nd Thessalonians 1:8,9 WARNS… “In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction…” This is a serious matter friend. God has commanded all men to repent.

Easy Believism Defended

Easy Believism Defended

By David J. Stewart

Soulwinning Christians are sometimes accused of propagating “Easy Believism.”  Some might call this the “1-2-3-follow-me-plan-of-salvation.” This is where a soul-winner takes a Bible and shows someone a few quick verses (concerning salvation of course) and then leads him or her in the sinners prayer to get saved. Many critics have tried to discredit other soul-winning Believers who have successfully won many souls to Jesus Christ. These scorners accuse us of being “out for the numbers” so we can brag to others of what we’ve done for God. Let me tell you my friend, it is “…GOD THAT GIVETH THE INCREASE” (1st Corinthians 3:7). I cannot save anyone (surprised huh?). That was a joke of course. No priest or Pope can save you-Only Jesus!!! All we can do as soul-winners is to speak the Gospel of Christ to lost sinners and then pray that God will work in their hearts. However, it will be God that does the saving, not us.

Jesus Said, “Compel Them!”

Someone who would criticize a church for knocking on doors to win souls has a problem. Thank God for the churches who take the time and effort to go out into the streets and the community preaching the Gospel. Listen to the Words of Jesus Christ Himself, “Go out into the highways and hedges, and COMPEL THEM TO COME IN, that my house may be FILLED” (Luke 14:23). Look up the word “compel” and you might be surprised. It means “to force or make someone do something.” Wow!!! Does Jesus want us to force people to get saved? Well, yes and no. No, because you can’t force a person to accept Christ-It must be from the heart. Yes, because people get stuck in life and need someone else to prod (help) them along to do what is right. We must be gentle though, “…be gentle unto all men, apt (ready) to teach, patient” (2nd Timothy 2:24). God does NOT want us to shove the Gospel down anyone’s throat. However, we are COMMANDED to go forth preaching the Gospel, “GO ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15). The biggest problem with Believers today is that they have lost their “get-up-and-GO.” GO!!! Soul-winning is NOT an option, it is a command from God. You can argue and speculate whether or not a Christian should go out door-to-door-soul-winning, but you cannot argue about soul-winning.

Tragically, Most Church are Not Soul Winning Churches

If you’ll do some homework you’ll find that the Believers who are not actively involved in a soul-winning church rarely ever tell a soul about Jesus Christ-If ever!!! When do you tell others about Jesus??? This is what the ministry is all about–Finding a way to get the Gospel to others. Very few Believers have any idea what I am talking about- It’s called soul-winning. Also notice the word “filled” in Luke 14:23-God wants His house FILLED! If God is not interested in numbers, He’s sure not interested in empty pews!!! God wants us to “compel” others to come to church to hear the preaching. Perhaps this means giving away bikes, a meal or a computer as a promotion. This is acceptable to God–He told us to “compel” others to come. God wants us to “compel” others if necessary to allow us to share the Gospel of Christ with them. They won’t come to us–We must go to them!!!

Lifestyle Evangelism – An Enemy of Soul Winning

There is a great enemy of soul-winning called “lifestyle evangelism.” It is the belief that a Christian does not need to go soul-winning, just as long as he lets his light shine (a lifestyle) so others will come to him and want what he has. Now I’m not against letting our light shine-God commands us to do so, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16). However, this is NOT acceptable as an end in itself. Too many lazy Believers are looking for excuses not to go soul-winning. Jesus wants us to tell others about the good news of Christ. This is all God is asking of us. We don’t need to act religious or wear some strange clothing. No, we simply need to be ourselves and share with others what the Lord has done for us through His infinite grace. God is simply saying that He wants us to put forth as much effort as possible (to do what it takes) to help bring other folks to Christ as Savior.

It’s Not Our Place to Judge a Person’s Sincerity

The argument against “easy believism” is that many people are coerced into praying a prayer but DON’T actually get saved because they didn’t know what their doing. Unfortunately, I would have to agree that this does happen sometimes; However, it is not for us to judge what is going on in another persons heart. There are people in the past with whom I had spent countless HOURS UPON HOURS teaching them the Word of God. Today many out of them are out of church and I sincerely doubt their salvation. One young man whom I had taught quite a bit is now working as a bouncer in a night club. At one time, he was a faithful member of a Baptist church. Satan offered him a good time and he fell for it. By the way, he didn’t quit church overnight. He started going to a nightclub while he was going to church also. This is usually how it happens-straddling the fence (the middle of the road game). After a short time, he quit church and stayed in the nightclubs. Last I heard, he was in trouble with the law and his mother was worried sick (literally) over him. It bothers me to this day–Satan has control of his life now!!! Do you see what the devil does to people? On the contrary, I can show you people whom I’ve known from years ago who are still in church today and are doing a wonderful work for God. Some people stay and some quit–why? Only God knows that answer. I’m simply saying that whether you spend five minutes or five years teaching someone–some people will disappoint you. It’s painful to see many years worth of labor go down the tubes to Satan. The Apostle Paul felt the same way towards the Galatians, “ I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you LABOUR IN VAIN” (Galatians 4:11). These folks were dabbling with false religion and the Apostle Paul was sick over it. I know to an extent how Paul must have felt.

Like it or Not, Salvation is Easy

I simply don’t buy this criticism of “easy believism.” Why not? Because it is EASY to get saved. God only requires faith as a small grain of mustard seed for us to be saved.  I’m tired of dead-beat Believers attacking dedicated Christians Who are getting the job done. Praise God for the soul-winners!!! “High-pressure, button-hole evangelism” some call it. So be it!!! Of course it’s high-pressure when a Bible-toting soul-winner walks up to a child of the devil and presents the Gospel. Of course your going to offend wicked sinners when you tell them they deserve to go burn in hell. I could introduce you to multitudes of Believers Who would thank God that some soul-winner cared enough and was willing to OFFEND them one day. Jesus said, “…blessed is he, whosoever shall not be OFFENDED in me” (Matthew 11:6; Luke 7:23). Most people are offended at the mention of Jesus’ name. Many people throughout history have even lost their lives for mentioning Jesus’ name. What a wonderful Savior–Jesus, Jesus, Jesus!!! We hear of churches which claim to have hundreds of people saved (even thousands) on a single Sunday. I say “Amen!!!” It’s easy for the critics of red-hot soul-winning Christians to sit on their blessed assurance and criticize. These dead-beat Believers never do anything for God, they just try to quench the spirit of those who have a zeal for God.

Hypocrite Believers Attack Soul Winners

I once heard a Christian man say he didn’t believe in “putting cow’s up on the roof to get people into church.” What a sad attitude this man had! I heard another Christian man say that he would quit his church in a heartbeat if they ever gave away pumpkins as a promotion to bring kids to church. It’s hard to imagine a man having so little loyalty for his own pastor and church that he would quit everything over a lousy pumpkin giveaway–this is where Christians are at nowadays. Fight over this, fight over that. If you don’t want to give out pumpkins at your lukewarm church, fine, but don’t criticize the red-hot soul-winning church that does. If a pumpkin or a cow up on the roof will bring people to church to hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ, I say wonderful!! If a church can use promotions to bring lost sinners to Christ, amen. I am NOT condoning Halloween–it is Satanic in origin. However, God created pumpkins and I love pumpkin pie!!! Should we never display a rainbow in our churches because it is the official icon today of homosexuality?  Those heathens stole the rainbow, I want it back! There’s a fine line between faith and foolishness. Hell has fire folks!!! If you don’t agree with me, I sincerely wonder just how much you believe in a place called hell that burns with fire and brimstone. Those who die in their sins will plunder into the depths of hell-fire and be tormented. How could anybody be against promotions which bring people to church to hear the Gospel. If a pie in the face or a water-balloon toss will fill the pews-Amen!

God Loves Aggressive Soul Winners

Perhaps you think God is not interested in numbers.” Oh? You had better read Luke 14:23, “And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be FILLED”. “Filled” is the opposite of “empty.” Lord deliver us from lukewarm Christianity!!! Jesus said He wants us to be hot or cold!!! Listen to the Words of Revelation 3:16, “So then because thou art LUKEWARM, and neither COLD nor HOT, I will spew thee out of my mouth.” God detests middle of the road Christianity. Where are you? The term “easy believism” was conjured up by some jealous and immature people who were too lazy to do any soul-winning for themselves. That is so typical of human nature–If I am not willing to do what is right, then I must tear down and discredit those around me who are doing what is right-to make myself feel better. This is childish and foolish. Unfortunately, many people never grow up. We must grow up in the Lord. The Apostle Paul said, “When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away CHILDISH THINGS” (1st Corinthians 13:11). What childish things did the Apostle Paul put away? Childish thinking, understanding and speaking. So many adults are still stuck in the rebellious teenage mentality. So many adults are like little whining and fighting children. It’s not hard to get people saved, it hard to get Believers to obey God’s Word and GO soul-winning with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Life is short, heaven and hell are real, we must GO if souls are to be saved. Too many believers are sitting on the premises instead of standing on the promises. God only expects us to do what we can.

“…How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!” -Romans 10:15

The Hypocrisy of Lordship Salvation

“But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.” -Romans 4:5

By David J. Stewart

There is a raging battle in theological circles today over the issue of LORDSHIP SALVATION, i.e., the false teaching that a sinner MUST forsake their actual sins to be saved.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  No such false doctrine is taught in the Word of God.  Proponents of this heresy pervert the Biblical meaning of the Word “repent.”  Jesus exclaimed in Mark 1:15, “…repent ye, and believe the gospel.“  The Greek word for “repent” here is METANOEO, which means, “to change one’s mind.”  This is irrefutable evidence against the heresy of Lordship Salvation, which perverts the meaning of “repentance” to mean forsaking one’s sins.

Biblical repentance is a change of one’s mind about sin and the Savior, which causes that person to believe upon the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation.  It is utter self-righteous hypocrisy for the proponents of Lordship Salvation to demand that a person cease from doing any bad works (i.e., sins) to be saved.  Lordship Salvationists, in a futile attempt to support their hellish doctrine, paint an ugly picture of their opponents–by alleging that we believe someone who puts their faith in the Lord can happily indulge in open sin with no remorse whatsoever.  That is simply not the case at all.  Please remember that Biblical repentance IS A CHANGE OF MIND ABOUT SIN AND THE SAVIOR.  A person who is genuinely saved has a different attitude now about sin.  If a man is a true Christian, he won’t have the haughty attitude that he can continue in open sin with no consequences.  Each believer has the Spirit of Christ living within (Romans 8:9).  This is the Holy Spirit.  Hebrews 12:8 makes clear that God will CHASTEN His children.  The Holy Spirit always convicts the believer of unrepentant sin.  In sharp contrast, the heathen unsaved world knows not God, and sins with no remorse or concern for the things of God.

Lordship Salvationists are wrong!  They attack Bible-believing Christians with shallow accusations which simply CANNOT be substantiated with the Scriptures.  A person who has been genuinely saved, has repented concerning their sins, i.e., they realized their GUILT and just condemnation to hellfire, and then turned to Christ in faith for forgiveness.  The garbage that Lordship Salvationists teach is not found anywhere in the Scriptures.  They mandate repentance FROM sins to be saved, but this is not Scriptural.  Biblically, we are to repent OF our sins, i.e., agree with what God says about them.  God says we are all sinners (Romans 3:10,19-23).  If we realize our guilt, and deserved condemnation to hell, then we only need to turn to Christ in faith to be saved.  Repentance from sin is an entirely different matter.  Just because a person believes upon Christ as Savior doesn’t automatically mean that their life is cleaned up.  It takes time for a new believer to grow in the Lord.  A person doesn’t just get saved and INSTANTLY stop drinking, smoking, cursing, etc.  Now some believers DO, but most don’t.

Lordship Salvationists are hypocrites because they expect a sinner to change instantly at the time of salvation, and even worse, in order to get saved.  Lordship Salvation prohibits anyone from coming to Christ for salvation who isn’t willing to forsake their sins.  So then how can anyone be saved?  No one can forsake ALL their sins, otherwise they’d be perfect, and only Jesus Christ is without sin (2nd Corinthians 5:21; Hebrews 4:15).  Lordship Salvation is hypocritical because no one can truly forsake all their sins.  As Christians, we are expected to try to live as perfect as possible in the power of the Holy Spirit; BUT, we are still bound by the fleshly and carnal sin-nature.  Christ is our example of Perfection to follow.  So the big difference is that the unsaved don’t even try to live right; but Christians at least make an attempt.  This is exactly what Proverb 24:16 means when it states, “For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief.“  I’ve seen many people come to know Christ as Savior, but bounce in and out of church for several years before finally recommitting their life to Christ.  This proves that Lordship Salvation is a dirty rotten lie.

What about 1st John 3:8, “He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.“  Lordship Salvationists are ready to condemn to Hell anyone who professes Christ while committing sin.  It is obvious that this Scripture is not referring to every person who commits sin, because we all commit sin, and would all be of the Devil.  Rather, 1st John 3:8 is speaking about those who have no guilt concerning their sins, people such as Beyonce Knowles, who claims that God has given her permission to be a stripper, and to dress sexy while entertaining lustful men (Sky News Report).  You see, there has been no repentance.  Her attitude towards sin has not changed.  This is in sharp contrast to the sinful man Lot, who’s soul was vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked (2nd Peter 2:7).  Lordship Salvationists REFUSE to acknowledge these differences.  Lot deliberately moved into the wicked city of Sodom.  He offered up his daughters to an angry mob of rapists (Genesis 19:8).  What a horrible person!  Yet, God says Lot was convicted of sin, and was a righteous (i.e., saved) man (2nd Peter 2:8).  Thus, Lot was a just man who did live in sin, but he was miserable through it all.  No Christians can live in sin without guilt, because the Holy Spirit will convict that person (Hebrews 12:8).

The problem is that Lordship Salvation confuses the ROOT of a believer’s faith, i.e., faith in Christ (Romans 4:5), with the FRUIT of that faith, i.e., good works (James 2:18).  The ROOT should bring forth the FRUIT; but the FRUIT cannot come before the ROOT.  DO you understand the difference?  Lordship Salvationists are demanding the FRUIT as a prerequisite to salvation.  They are putting the cart before the horse.  2nd Corinthians 5:17 states… “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.“  Carefully notice that the Bible says, “…if any man BE IN CHRIST…“  He is already saved, and then the change comes AFTERWARDS.  Lordship Salvation puts the cart before the horse.  You cannot mutate the ROOT and the FRUIT of a believer’s faith into one, for in so doing you have created a works-based salvation, which is NO salvation at all.  Lordship Salvation is a two-headed monstrosity, and is straight from the pits of Hell.

Lordship Salvationists are hypocrites because they draw a sharp line, demanding for lost sinners to stop sinning in order to be saved.  Yet, no one can stop sinning.  The truth is that all Christians DO SIN, but they experience guilt and remorse because of the conviction of the Holy Spirit.  The unsaved world couldn’t care less about living right.  As an opponent of Lordship Salvation, I realize these differences.  Yet, Lordship Salvationists refuse to acknowledge them.  Instead, they just accuse people like me of teaching that a believer has a license to sin.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  The truth is that a believer may choose to go into sin, but if they are genuinely saved God’s Spirit will tear their heart out with conviction.  In effect, the Lordship Salvation army kills their wounded.  There can be no babes in Christ or backsliders in the eyes of the Lordship Salvation hypocrites, everyone is expected to either surrender to Christ in total obedience or go to Hell.  Thus, Lordship Salvation violates everything which the Word of God teaches.

“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.” -John 3:16

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