Calvinism, What Is It? What Saith The Scriptures?

Calvinism Is Not The Gospel

Charles Spurgeon claimed, “Calvinism is the gospel, and nothing else.” The Gospel? Good luck finding it in 1 Corinthians 15:1-6. The gospel is for whosoever (John 11:25-27; Acts 10:43).

Romans 10:13, “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

John 3:15–16, ” That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

Revelation 22:17, “And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.”

The Calvinist does not believe this and teaches that God will save whom He wants to be saved. The problem is that God does not want anyone to go to hell.

2 Peter 3:9, “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.”

They will say that you can’t come unless the Father draws you (John 6:33) in an effort to throw out all the verses that clearly say whosoever, all, etc. This will not work for them either because Jesus said in John 12:32, “And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.”

Two Philosophers

God warns us to beware of man’s philosophies in Colossians 2:8, “Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.”

Rather than building upon the Scriptures, Calvinism is built upon philosophical nonsense. Because of this, they have to wrap it in “enticing words of man’s wisdom” (1 Corinthians 2:4-5). Just like an evolutionary scientist cannot come out and say what he believes in simple, plain language because of how stupid and foolish it would sound, the Calvinist cannot and will not come out and say what he really believes in plain, simple language. That way, he can sound smart while teaching absolutely unscriptural nonsense. Here are the two philosophers the Calvinist system is built upon.

  1. John Calvin
  2. Augustine

Two Councils (the Scriptures give a very negative view of councils)

  • The Canon of Dort
  • The Westminster Confession of Faith

Read your New Testament. The Holy Spirit shows so much contempt for the council of the Jews that He does not even once mention the council’s name (the Sanhedrin). Councils are about men overthrowing the authority of the word of God and establishing themselves as the final authority over believers. They set up themselves as the final authority instead of the written word overthrowing the priesthood of the individual believer (1 Peter 2:9; Revelation 1:5-6) and establish themselves as the authority over your faith through their private interpretations (2 Peter 1:20). This is precisely the kind of thing that is condemned when Jesus calls them Nicolaitins (means to conquer/rule over the people) saying He hates their deeds and doctrine (Revelation 2:6, 15).

Foundations of Calvinism

  1. Calvin’s hero was Augustine, and he followed his teachings.
    • Calvin wrote, “Augustine is so wholly with me, that if I wished to write a confession of my faith, I could do so with all fulness and satisfaction to myself out of his writings.”
    • Augustine is referred to as “the first real Roman Catholic.”
    • “There is scarcely a single Roman Catholic dogma which is historically intelligible without reference to his teaching.” This includes worship and prayer to Mary, to saints and the whole nine yards.
    • Augustine was the “first true Predestinarian.” 
    • Augustine believed in the allegorical method of interpreting the Bible from Origen and the Alexandrian school. This means he did not really believe the Bible but took it all figuratively.
    • In other words, Calvin’s philosophy is founded on Augustine, not the Bible.
  2. John Calvin was a Nicolaitan. Jesus said he hates their deeds and doctrine (Revelation 2:6, 15).
    • Nicolaitans are those who conquer and rule over the laity.
    • Calvin is referred to as “the Protestant pope of a pope hating people.”
    • He ruled Geneva in some attempt to have the church reign over the literal kingdom of heaven just like the Roman Catholic Church and the Muslims.
    • So naturally, since he was reigning on earth himself, he denied the literal millennial reign of the Lord Jesus Christ. He was referred to as “the Genevese dictator.”
    • He banished Anabaptists from Geneva for their theological views.
    • He would burn you at the stake if you did not agree with him doctrinally.
    • He jailed and punished people for all kinds of reasons, like not naming their children approved names, etc.
  3. He believed in Baptismal regeneration.
    • Despite what John Calvin, the Roman Catholic Church, and “Southern Catholics” (Church of Christ) teach, baptism is not the gospel and does not save (regenerate) anyone (1 Corinthians 15:1-6; 1 Corinthians 1:17).
    • John Calvin believed in sprinkling babies.
    • Calvin believed non-elect babies go to hell.
  4. He believed that Jesus died only for some men and not others.
    • He taught God purposefully damned sinners before they were born and “elected” them to hell by making sure not one drop of Christ’s blood was shed for them.
    • He denied that all sinners have the capacity to repent and believe on Jesus Christ.
    • He taught that conversion begins with the new birth without the convert believing the gospel, but believing came after the sinner was saved against his will.

The Philosophy Called Calvinism

This is a product of philosophy and theology. It is NOT the result of taking Scripture in context and comparing Scripture with Scripture. The main points of Calvinism are summed up in the acronym TULIP:

T – Total Depravity

U – Unconditional Election

L – Limited Atonement

I – Irresistible Grace

P – Perseverance of the Saints

Total Depravity – Has To Do With THE WILL & ABILITY

What is said: Depravity means “moral corruption.” The depravity of man is a Biblical doctrine and is used as a smokescreen to cover up what they are really referring to. This is why they add the word “total” to the beginning.

What is meant: Total depravity to a Calvinist has nothing to do with man’s sinful nature or fallen condition, although they emphasize these truths. What a Calvinist really believes is Total Inability. This means that a man has no ability to freely believe and receive Jesus Christ.

They arrive at this by denying man has a free will (also spelled as “freewill”), which the Bible plainly teaches. So the belief is that the GRACE of God over-powers the will of those pre-chosen to be saved and saves them without their believing or using their will. This overlooks the conscience and the law of God written in the heart of man (Romans 2:14-15).

The bottom line is that Calvinism teaches that man is totally incapable of believing the gospel or choosing Jesus as Savior. Read that statement again. Where do you get that out of the Bible? You see why these philosophers have to use “enticing words of men’s wisdom” (1 Corinthians 2:4-5)

God’s decree was that Nineveh would be destroyed in forty days. Was it?

Jonah 3:4–5, “And Jonah began to enter into the city a day’s journey, and he cried, and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown. So the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them.”

These Ninevites had not been taught Calvin’s total inability and eternal decrees. As a result, they believed God, and God changed his decree (Jonah 3-4).

Unconditional Election – Has To Do With God CHOOSING Heaven Or Hell For You Before You Are Born

What is said: Unconditional election is God choosing people for Heaven and hell in eternity past before they were born. Some were created for destruction.

What is meant: This is based upon a perversion of the Biblical terms of election and predestination. In Calvinism, everything that happens is based upon God’s “eternal decrees” from eternity past. This makes God the author of sin.

So, Mr. Calvin, everything is eternally decreed before the foundation of the world? How do you explain God saying this (maybe God hadn’t read Calvin’s books yet)?

Jeremiah 19:3–5, “And say, Hear ye the word of the Lord, O kings of Judah, and inhabitants of Jerusalem; Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will bring evil upon this place, the which whosoever heareth, his ears shall tingle. Because they have forsaken me, and have estranged this place, and have burned incense in it unto other gods, whom neither they nor their fathers have known, nor the kings of Judah, and have filled this place with the blood of innocents; They have built also the high places of Baal, to burn their sons with fire for burnt offerings unto Baal, which I commanded not, nor spake it, neither came it into my mind:”

Predestination has to do with God pre-determining that everyone who gets saved (“in him”) will be conformed to the image of His Son. This is plainly dealing with the believer receiving a glorified body at the rapture. Read the ONLY two passages in the Bible that use the word predestinate(d) in Ephesians 1:3-14 and Romans 8:18-32). Romans 8:23 defines “adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.” See also 1 John 3:1-3 and 1 Corinthians 15:51-28.

Limited Atonement – Has To Do With Jesus ONLY DYING FOR THE ELECT

What is said: Jesus died only for the elect.

What is meant: Jesus did not pay the price for the sin of the whole world, but only for those preselected and created for life. Is this what Jesus meant by John 3:16?

1 Timothy 2:5–6, “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.”

The Calvinist does not believe this or any verse like it. It is just like showing a Jehovah’s Witness what God says about hell. It doesn’t matter what Jesus and the Holy Ghost say; they have their beliefs. They will make a liar out of God every time. However, God is not the one who is lying (Romans 3:4; Titus 1:2; Hebrews 6:18).

Election has to do with foreknowledge. God proves He is God by prophecy. He is eternal (Revelation 4:8) and knows everything. This is how He proves He is God to the exclusion of all else (Isaiah 41:22-23; 42:8-9; 43:18-21; 44:6-8; 44:28-45:25; 46:9-10; 47; 48:3-7). How does God knowing everything past, present, and future, remove man’s free will and invalidate all his offers for whosoever? It doesn’t. The Bible does not have contradictions, but it will certainly contradict Calvin’s philosophy.

Calvinists try to use Romans 9:10-13 which is referring back to Genesis 25:20-23 with Esau and Isaac back in Rebekah’s womb. So although the children were born when the prophecy “The elder shhall serve the younger” was given, nothing took place before the foundation of the world. And not only does the text NOT say “the elder shall be lost and the younger shall be saved,” Esau as an individual never served Jacob; the very opposite happened (Genesis 33:3, 5, 8, 11). The “purpose of God according to election” (Romans 9:11) had nothing to do with individual salvation or reprobation at all. It concerned the Messianic line of Abraham – Isaac – Jacob – Jesus Christ. Ignoring this and force fitting this onto the topic of individual salvation certainly creates a problem. Because Israel was ELECT (Isaiah 45:4) and CHOSEN (Isaiah 44:1), and yet many of them are going to HELL (Romans 11:28), because they have not received Jesus Christ (John 1:10-12). What a mess Calvinism creates.

Most Calvinists will not abandon their position no matter what. They will point to Pharoah in Romans 9 without looking at the chapters it refers to in Exodus. If they had, they would have read in Exodus 5:2, ”And Pharaoh said, Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know not the Lord, neither will I let Israel go.” Pharoah rejected God first, and God responded in kind, just like what you read of God’s dealings with men in Romans 1:18-32.

Irresistible Grace – Has To Do With God’s Grace Overpowering The Chosen

What is said: Irresistible grace is the Holy Spirit working against the will of man and forcing them to be changed from evil to good people.

What is meant: This assumes that God’s will cannot be resisted (despite tons of Scripture pointing out the opposite). According to Calvin’s tale, everything in history is predetermined (predestined) to happen.

Matthew 23:37, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!

Oops, how did Jesus make such a tragic blunder? How was Emmanual “God with us” ignorant of how He overpowers their will? Obviously, Calvin is wrong again.

Perseverance of the Saints – Has To Do With You Justifying Yourself By Your Good Works, Meaning Absolutely No Eternal Security

What is said: God perseveres in keeping the believer saved, and the believer perseveres outwardly in the faith. According to Calvinists:

  1. The saints will persevere in the faith.
  2. Only those who persevere in the faith are true Christians.
  3. Those who do not persevere in the faith are lost.
  4. Real Christians will return to the faith before their demise.
  5. Those who do not return to the faith were never saved.

What is meant: The main emphasis is that those who are truly saved will persevere to the end in the faith. What they really mean by “persevere in the faith” is summed up well by Calvinist Robert L. Shank:

  1. Sincere faith in Jesus Christ
  2. Honoring Christ as Lord and keeping his commandments
  3. Walking after the example of Christ
  4. Loving the Father and his will rather than the world
  5. Habitually practicing righteousness rather than sin
  6. Love for the brethren
  7. Consciousness of the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit

In other words, it is works salvation through the back door. Read that list again. That is your works from 2 to 7. If what Calvinists say is true, you are JUSTIFIED (declared righteous) by YOUR WORKS! But God clearly says the oppossite (Ephesians 2:8-9).

Galatians 2:16, “Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.”

Notice that verse tells you not only what they knew (“Knowing”), but what they did about it (“we have believed”). They are declared righteous (“justified”) WITHOUT works. If you justify yourself, you will go to HELL (Ephesians 2:8-9). If you trust in Jesus, Who justifies the UNGODLY, you are going to heaven (Romans 3:19-28; 4:4-5).

Romans 4:4–5, “Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.”

Calvin’s wild teaching of perseverance of the saints also denies the possibility of carnal Christians (even though there are – 1 Corinthians 3:1, “And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.”).

In the Bible, salvation is one thing, and discipleship is another (1 Corinthians 3:1; 2 Peter 3:18; Hebrews 5:11-14). Being a child, born again of the Spirit into the family of God, is a different topic than behavior as a child (Hebrews 12:5-9).

Reading the list of seven things involved in a Calvinist’s view of the perseverance of the saints shows why their system allows for no real eternal security. Spurgeon and Calvin can both be shown to have doubts and hope that they were part of the elect.

“The only difference between a Calvinist and an Arminian when it comes to assurance is that the Arminian requires holiness to prove salvation while the Calvinist demands holiness to demonstrate election, which then substantiates salvation”

Or as well-known Calvinist Lorraine Boettner states:

“We can never know that we are elected of God to eternal life except by manifesting in our lives the fruits of election – faith and virtue, knowledge and temperance, patience and godliness, love of the brethren. It is idle to see assurance of election outside of holiness of life” (Predestination, p. 309).

It should be noted that this philosophy is “Lordship Salvation.” As Laurence Vance points out:

In seeking to justify their position, lordship salvation advocates do appeal to the Scripture for support. The problem, however, is that they rely almost entirely on modern versions of the Bible for their proof texts.

The topic of Lordship Salvation requires a complete study itself. When they have to change what the Bible says to teach their doctrine, “they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.” (2 Peter 3:16).

Calvin’s Lordship Salvation crowd says opponents believe in “cheap grace.” Cheap grace? In the Bible, grace is not only cheap, it is FREE!! If it is not free, it is not grace at all!

Romans 5:15, “But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.”

Results of Calvinism

  1. It kills off soul-winning.
  2. It kills off personal responsibility.
  3. It kills off missions.
  4. It kills off reconciliation (if you are not as they are, you are not elect and not saved)
  5. It kills off honesty.
  6. It kills off the gospel.
  7. It kills off sound doctrine.

How To Recognize a Calvinist.

The main weapons of Calvinism are ignorance and intimidation. They call anyone who doesn’t agree with them an Arminian and then proceed to apply every heresy to Arminians. The Bible believer is neither a Calvinist nor Arminian. Here are the words and catch phrases used by a Calvinist:

  1. “Reformed Theology”
  2. “Calvinist,” “Calvinist”
  3. “Sovereign Grace”
  4. “Common Grace”
  5. “Doctrines of Grace”
  6. Although sometimes they just hijack the word “grace.”
  7. “Providence” is used to mask a Calvinist indoctrination.
  8. “Total depravity”
  9. “Total inability”
  10. “Primitive”
  11. “Hardshell”
  12. Use of the terms predestinated, election, and chosen contrary to Scripture.
  13. The Westminster Confession
  14. Frequent reference to prominent Calvinists: John MacArthur, J.I. Packer, Author W. Pink, John Gerstner, John Piper, Albert Mohler, James Montgomery Boice

King James regarding the Synod of Dort (Unconditional Election)

“The doctrine is so horrible, that I am persuaded, if there were a council of unclean spirits assembled in hell, and their prince the devil were to put the question either to all them in general, or to each in particular, to learn their opinion about the most likely means of stirring up the hatred of man against God their Maker; nothing could be invented by them that could be more efficacious for this their purpose, or that could put a greater affront upon God’s love for mankind, than this infamous decree by the late Synod, and the decision of that detestable formulary, by which the greater part of the human race are condemned to hell for no other reason, than the mere will of God, without any regard to sin; the necessity of sinning, as well as that of being damned, being fastened on them by a great nail of the decree before-mentioned.”

Charles Wesley’s poem entitled “The Horrible Decree” puts it this way:

O Horrible Decree,

Worthy of whence it came!

Forgive their hellish blasphemy

Who charge it on the Lamb

The Disciple/Discipleship Obsession

Everyone agrees that everyone who receives Christ should be taught and trained to follow Christ. However, the hyper-emphasis on the word discipleship has a sinister twist. Matthew 5:1 “And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him:”

Disciple* = 273 times in 256 verses

Isaiah = 1x in 1 verse; Matthew = 75x in 72 verses; Mark = 46x in 43 verses; Luke = 39x in 37 verses; John = 81x in 74 verses; Acts = 31x in 29 verses

Disciple Has A Very Jewish Connotation

As you notice from the list above the last mention of the word disciple in any form is Acts 21:16 in a book that transitions from Israel to the Church. The Holy Ghost never uses the word in any Pauline epistle nor anywhere in the New Testament after Acts 21 for that matter.

Matthew 28:18–20 “And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”

They love this passage because of the emphasis on teaching, not preaching. However, if you notice they will corrupt what Jesus said to “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations,” instead of “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations.”

Acts 14:27–28 “And when they were come, and had gathered the church together, they rehearsed all that God had done with them, and how he had opened the door of faith unto the Gentiles. And there they abode long time with the disciples.”

Acts 19:1–4 “And it came to pass, that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper coasts came to Ephesus: and finding certain disciples, He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost. And he said unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized? And they said, Unto John’s baptism. Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.”

Why Are People Hung Up On The Word Disciple?

They are trying to force you under the Jewish law.

The Free Will Non-Eterneral Security Crowd

The Free Will crowd (who thinks you can lose your salvation) believes you wind up judging a “perfect” life by the way you live, since you profess that Jesus is the “Lord” of your life: your brother or sister who doesn’t meet your standards obviously is LOST, because if Christ had saved him (or her), he automatically would be completely surrendered to HIM!

  • The self-righteous individuals have confounded salvation with discipleship, salvation with service, and salvation with submission. 
  • What they are saying is that if you defy the Lord (like Paul in Acts 21:11, 20:22, 22:18), you couldn’t really have been saved, for Jesus doesn’t “SAVE” anyone unless he accepts Christ’s complete Lordship over every facet of his life. 
  • Where this puts Peter when he pulled off his stunt in Galatians 2:11, 14, and then argued with the Lord (while calling Him “Lord”) in Acts 10:14, is rather difficult to say.

Calvinist (Lordship Salvation) Crowd (A.K.A Reformed Theology)

This is the group that includes John Gerstner, Arthur W. Pink, R.C. Sproul, J.I. Packer, John MacArthur, Ray Comfort, and many more.

Here is what they say:

  • That’s right. Jesus suffered on the cross for you. He took your punishment upon Himself, and what you must do is repent and trust in Him. Repentance is more than confessing your sins to God. It means to be committed to stop sinning. No more lying or stealing. No more lusting.
  • The terms of salvation are 100% submission to the absolute Lordship of Christ.
  • We can never find Christ as our Saviour until we find Him as the Lord of our life. If He’s not Lord of all, He’s not Lord at all.
  • The Gospel calls upon us to obey, to surrender ourselves fully to the Lordship of Christ, to take His yoke upon us, to walk even as He walked.
  • Friend, if Jesus Christ isn’t the Lord of your life, then you are yet lost in your sins.
  • There is no salvation except “lordship salvation.”
  • The signature of saving faith is surrender to the lordship of Jesus Christ.
  • Those who deny the lordship of Christ are damned.
  • The call to Calvary must be recognized for what it is: a call to discipleship under the Lordship of Jesus Christ. To respond to that call is to become a believer. Anything less is simply unbelief.
  • This kingdom is in the heavens. You cease to be a sinner when you get into this kingdom.
  • Self-denial and daily cross-bearing: if you’re not in complete subjection, you are lost.
  • God’s terms of salvation are to hate mother and father.

Read that last one again. And now we see the reason for the discipleship obsession.

John MacArthur claims that “the gospel of the kingdom” (Mat. 24:14) is the same as “the gospel of the grace of God” (Acts 20:24). He sees no difference between the kingdom of heaven and the kingdom of God. He sees the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John and all that is in them as the gospel.

Lordship salvation teachers deny that there can be carnal Christians. The denial that the believer has two natures, a blurring of the distinction between the believer’s standing and state, the accusation that their opponents believe in “cheap grace” or “easy believism,” the confounding of salvation and discipleship. Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 3:1 “And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.”

Regarding the confounding of salvation and discipleship, it should be apparent that while salvation is obtained in an instant of time, discipleship is an ongoing process. 

  • Some men were disciples first and then Christians (John 2:11). 
  • Judas was a disciple but obviously not saved (John 12:4). 
  • Joseph and Nicodemus were saved, but were secret disciples (John 19:38-39). 
  • Some of Christ’s disciples “went back, and walked no more with him” (John 6:66). 
  • Salvation is one thing; discipleship is another. If discipleship is salvation then the disciples of Christ, who acknowledged him as Lord (Matthew 8:25), lost their salvation, because “all the disciples forsook him and fled” (Matthew 26:56). 

Salvation costs nothing; discipleship costs everything. There is a difference.

Lordship Salvation: A False Gospel

We are not to add to or take away from the Scriptures.

Deuteronomy 4:2 “Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you.”

Revelation 22:18–19

18 For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: 19 And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.

Proverbs 30:5–6

5 Every word of God is pure: He is a shield unto them that put their trust in him.

6 Add thou not unto his words, Lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.

Perverting the Gospel

We are not to add to or take away from the gospel. Unfortunately, there are those who preach another gospel, another spirit, and another Jesus.

2 Corinthians 11:4

For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.

2 Corinthians 11:13–15

13 For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. 14 And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. 15 Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.

So there are false apostles and deceitful workers. These are the wolves in sheep’s clothing that we are warned about in Matthew 7:15 and Acts 20:29.

There are also true believers and preachers who fumble the ball when it comes to the gospel. In other words, overall, they preach the gospel correctly but sometimes preach some perversion of the gospel. They might do this out of ignorance or “respect of person,” preaching what a well-respected preacher says. Or it might be from peer pressure, as we see from the Apostle Peter in Galatians 2.

Regardless of whether it is an outright false teacher or a well-meaning brother in Christ, the gospel must be understood and defended.

Galatians 1:6–10

I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed. 10 For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.

Galatians 2:11–21

11 But when Peter was come to Antioch, I withstood him to the face, because he was to be blamed. 12 For before that certain came from James, he did eat with the Gentiles: but when they were come, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing them which were of the circumcision. 13 And the other Jews dissembled likewise with him; insomuch that Barnabas also was carried away with their dissimulation. 14 But when I saw that they walked not uprightly according to the truth of the gospel, I said unto Peter before them all, If thou, being a Jew, livest after the manner of Gentiles, and not as do the Jews, why compellest thou the Gentiles to live as do the Jews? 15 We who are Jews by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles, 16 Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified. 17 But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is therefore Christ the minister of sin? God forbid. 18 For if I build again the things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor. 19 For I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God. 20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. 21 I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.

We must know what the gospel is as defined by the Bible. We find this in 1 Corinthians 15:1-6. We must understand what it is and what it is not.

Man always tries to insert his efforts into salvation, even though the Scripture is clear.

Ephesians 2:8–9
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.

We are saved by grace (unmerited, unearned favor) through faith (believing). The Scripture is very clear that it is NOT OF YOURSELVES. Our part in the equation is that we are guilty. Jesus is the Savior and the Just One who justifies us through his blood. Salvation is “the gift of God.”

Look at how clear this is.

Romans 3:19–4:5

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. 20 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.

21 But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; 22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: 23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; 24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: 25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; 26 To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. 27 Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith. 28 Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law. 29 Is he the God of the Jews only? is he not also of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also: 30 Seeing it is one God, which shall justify the circumcision by faith, and uncircumcision through faith. 31 Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law.

4 What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found? For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God. For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.

Again notice “justified freely” in Romans 3:24. Look at Romans 5:15, 16, 18 where the Bible tells you three times it is a “FREE GIFT.” What is a free gift? Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Free means free. Charges that we make grace cheap is ludicrous. Grace is free or it is not grace at all.

We should also note that some also assail what they call “easy-believism.”

  • If by easy believism someone means you simply believe the gospel and receive Christ, then that is exactly what the Scripture teaches. Where does the Bible tell you trusting Christ is something difficult to do?
  • Now if someone means that someone just prays a prayer without understanding the gospel and trusting Christ, then that clearly would be wrong.

As far as the much maligned “sinners prayer,” consider the following:

Luke 18:9–14

And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: 10 Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. 11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. 12 I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. 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. 14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

According the Jesus in this example, this sinner went home justified after that prayer of faith. Our part in salvation is that we are guilty, hell deserving sinners. Your efforts, reforms, commitments, and promises will not do. We receive the free gift of eternal life by grace through faith in the gospel (1 Corinthians 15:1-6).

What is Lordship Salvation?

Lordship salvation simply put is unconditional surrender of all to Christ as a requirement for salvation. So commitment to Jesus as Lord of every area of life and complete abandonment of any and everything to Him are made mandatory for salvation. This view works closely with defining repentance as a turning from sin. This linkage is necessary to force sufficient amounts of scripture to conform to this theology. So Lordship salvation is a total surrender and complete commitment.

A. W. Tozer writes:

I warn you – you will not get help from Him in that way for the Lord will not save those whom He cannot command!

He will not divide His offices. You cannot believe on a half-Christ. We take Him for what He is – the anointed Savior and Lord who is King of kings and Lord of lords! He would not be who He is if He saved us and called us and chose us without the understanding that He can also guide and control our lives.

Dr. Adrian Rogers gives an eloquent illustration supporting Lordship salvation that goes a long way towards understanding this theological position.

Have you ever thought that salvation was like a cafeteria where you can pick and choose the aspects of Jesus you want? “I’ll have a little Saviorhood, please, but no Lordship.” Not so, friend. If Jesus is not your Lord, Jesus is not your Savior. What’s the difference? Well, suppose I perform a wedding ceremony and say to the young man, “Would you take Mary to be your lawfully wedded wife?” and he responds, “Well, I’ll take Mary as housekeeper.” Then I say to her, “Would you take John to be your lawfully wedded husband?” and she says, “Well, I’ll take him as provider.” Friend, we can’t pick and choose what we want from Jesus. We simply take Jesus as Lord over all!

That certainly sounds logical. But sinful man is not saved by logic or theological philosophy (Colossians 2:8). He is saved by faith in Christ and His gospel. Not to mention, who in their right mind would ever call marriage “a free gift”? Things that are different are not the same. You are not told to make Jesus King of your life and obey Him to be saved. That is works. Again the Bible says, “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost” (Titus 3:5).

Christian N. Temple points out the confusion. “This is to confuse accepting the Spirit of salvation with the Christian call to walk in the Spirit. At the moment of salvation, a person receives a new nature as a regenerating work of the Holy Spirit. The person is saved first, by simple faith, and then the Spirit will lead him to respond to the Lordship call of Christ.”

In order to make the definition of total commitment and surrender work, one must modify certain scriptures. The Greek word for Lord (kurios) refers to deity in most cases. This presents a problem to the Lordship salvation theologians. The solution is simple. If the Bible does not say what is desired, find a version that does. The forcing of meanings into passages where the context does not clearly give that implication is tragic.

Jesus Christ is Lord by any definition. Time will not be taken to list all the names of Christ and their theological ramifications. How much does the sinner have to understand? Many contend that understanding the gospel is not sufficient and more must be incorporated into the good news.

An absurd statement that floats around is “…free forgiveness in one sense will cost [the forgiven] everything.” This is what is known as false advertising. There is no asterisk in the plan of salvation with small legal type at the bottom of the page. When the Lord told Adam “of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat,” (Genesis 2:16) did He really mean free? When God says free, He means it is free!

When sinful man is thrown into the salvation equation, things go awry. If the sinner must make Christ Lord of his life, then the Lord is in control of it all. Now which believer in the Bible had Christ as Lord of all his life? David? Abraham? Paul? Peter? If making Christ Lord of all their life was the condition for salvation, no one has ever made it to heaven. Now, remember the call being preached by many is complete surrender.

Can a person willfully reject Christ’s Lordship and be saved? The unbeliever must believe that Jesus is the way (the only way), the truth, and the life. Does sinful man have to understand all the doctrines relating to God and Christ in order to be saved? Of course not! Does a person have to understand the full ramifications of the term Lord, Christ, and Jesus in order to be saved? No, nor is it even reasonable to assume that any new convert grasps it all. Do you know the some thirty-eight things that happened to you at the moment you are saved? Did you have to know them? Who did all those things? We need not add to the gospel, nor detract from it.

Romans 10:13 says, “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” It does not insert whoever obeys the Lord. Lordship salvation crams obedience into the passage when the book of Romans refutes obedience as the means of salvation.

Sadly Lordship salvation serves as a backdoor to get man’s effort into the salvation equation. When Adam and Eve sinned, it was the Lord who killed an animal and provided them a covering for their nakedness. Not one fig leaf did they keep. Salvation is of the Lord. When man tries to climb into the equation, he destroys it.

In light of Lordship salvation, it must seem odd to read 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.” Who? Brethren. Do what? Why write this to believers if they have already done this in order to be saved? Lordship salvation makes Romans 12:1 and other passages like it seem utterly absurd.

So can a person who is trusting in themselves by turning from sin, surrendering all, and giving total commitment be saved? No, there are too many scriptures to the contrary. Can a person commit his life to Christ at salvation while trusting only in Jesus to save him? Yes. The bottom line is, “what did that person trust in for salvation?” If the answer is anything besides Jesus and His finished work, then they are lost (John 14:1-6).

Lordship salvation ignores the fact that there are carnal Christians (1 Corinthians 3:1). They confuse justification with sanctification. They confuse being a child (born again John 3:3-18) with your conduct as a child (Hebrew 12:5-9), which are two very different things. They forget that you have two natures as long as you are in corruptible, mortal flesh (Ephesians 4:22).

The teachers of Lordship salvation do not discern the difference between the literal, visible, Jewish Messianic Kingdom of Heaven and the spiritual kingdom of God. This confusion causes false teachers such as John MacArthur to believe that everything in the Bible is the gospel. What a mess! This is based on PHILOSOPHY and not what the Scripture says related to the salvation of your soul.

Colossians 2:8 “Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.”

Obeying Christ and making Jesus King and Lord of your life is not the same thing as believing “on Him that justifieth the ungodly.” And taking up your cross and following Him is certainly not a “free gift.” Growth and service come after salvation. Salvation is a free gift (Ephesians 2:8); rewards are earned by works (1 Corinthians 9:25). Salvation is a present possession (John 5:24); rewards are a future possibility (2 Timothy 4:8). Don’t confuse the two.

Scriptural Salvation of Your Soul Lordship Salvation Heresy
The Gospel (1 Corinthians 15:1-6):

  Christ died for our sins;

  And that he was buried, and that 

  he rose again the third day

The Gospel (MacArthur):

  Make Jesus King and Lord of your life.

  Put Jesus on the throne of your heart.

“Free gift”:

   Come receive “freely”

Like Marriage:

  “Give up all you are for all He is”

By Grace (unmerited, unearned, undeserved) Cost you everything
Through Faith (believing) By Total Surrender (yield control of your life)
Emphasis on what Jesus did! Emphasis on what you must do!

Once again remember: Ephesians 2:8-9 “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.”

Why is the word “Lord” missing from these important salvation passages?

The word know (in its various forms like know, knew, known, knoweth) occurs 39 times in the five chapters of 1 John. 1 John is the book where we read:

1 John 5:9–13

If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for this is the witness of God which he hath testified of his Son. 10 He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son. 11 And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.

13 These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.

Lordship salvation preachers insist one must “make Jesus Lord of their life.” If that were true, isn’t it odd that the Holy Spirit failed to mention the word “Lord” at all in the entire book of 1 John?

Well, how about when God defines the gospel is by which we are saved?

1 Corinthians 15:1–6

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

Oops! How embarrassing that the Lord forgot “making Jesus Lord of your life” was part of the gospel and went so far as to forget to use the word “Lord.” Either you have a forgetful, careless God, or someone is perverting the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Now, look at the entire chapter of John 3, where Jesus is talking to Nicodemus about being born again. Look for the word “Lord” anywhere in the chapter. What we do read is:

John 3:14–16

14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: 15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. 16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

John 3:36

36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.

King & Lord of Your Life

Lordship salvation advocates love to talk about putting Jesus on the throne of your life and being King of your life. He should be, but that is not how you are saved. You ought to get baptized, but that is not salvation. You ought to attend church, tithe, give offerings, witness, read the Bible, pray, forgive others, not sin, do right with the right spirit, but none of those things are means by which you receive Christ.

Consider that you are NEVER told that Jesus is the “King” of the church. Read your Bible. Jesus is called “the king of the _________.” Look it up. (Matthew 2:2; 27:11, 29, 37; Mark 15:2, 9, 12, 18, 26; Luke 23:3, 37, 38; John 18:33, 39; 19:3, 19, 21).

Why the emphasis on Jesus being the King of the Jews? Because He will reign on a literal, visible, physical throne in Jerusalem in Israel. That is what they have been promised and the kingdom is what the Jews are looking for (Acts 1:6). When Jesus comes back to rule and reign, He will return as “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS”.

There is only two mentions of the word “king” in the Pauline epistles (books God gave through the Apostle to the Gentiles). These two times are:

1 Timothy 1:17 “Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen.”

1 Timothy 6:14–15 “That thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukeable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ: Which in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords;”

Notice 1 Timothy 6:14-15 is a second coming passage where the king is coming to take over. This is a different relationship than what is emphasized with the church.

Again consider the book of Revelation. The churches are addressed by our Lord Jesus Christ through chapter 3. Jesus is not mentioned by the title of King three times in the book of Revelation. All three of these are in the tribulation at or around the time of the second advent.

Notice the Jewish connection in the very first mention.

Revelation 15:3 “And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints.”

Revelation 17:14 “These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.”

Revelation 19:16 “And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”

Ruling with Christ is an earned reward for the Christian (Romans 8:17; 2 Timothy 2:12-13). Note also that he has made us kings and priests unto God. The emphasis is on us reigning with Him.

Revelation 1:5–6 “And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.”

Revelation 5:9–10 “And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.”

So the major emphasis on Jesus being King is that He will reign from Jerusalem as King of Kings for a thousand years (Revelation 20). The emphasis is NEVER make Jesus king of all your life and live for Him or you can’t be saved. The emphasis is that Jesus redeemed us by His own blood on His own without asking for or needing our contribution. Hebrews 1:3 “Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;” It is finished!

Bonus Notes: “Perseverance of the Saints”

Lordship salvation falls under Calvin’s “Perseverance of the Saints.” Please see “The Other Side Of Calvinism” by Laurence M. Vance for a complete exposition. This is the most well-documented and Scriptural work I have ever read. Here are some comments excerpts Dr. Vance makes regarding the twisted doctrine called “Perseverance of the Saints.”

Because Perseverance of the Saints is the one point of Calvinism most understood by non-Calvinists, this litany of evidence has been presented to clearly establish, from a wide variety of Calvinists, precisely what a belief in Perseverance of the Saints entails. So according to the Calvinists themselves:

  1. The saints will persevere in the faith
  2. Only those who persevere in the faith are true Christians
  3. Those who do not persevere in the faith are lost
  4. Real Christians will return to the faith before their demise
  5. Those who do not return to the faith were never saved

Although these conclusions are interrelated, they are distinct and clearly evident. But one conclusion that could never be drawn from the Calvinists’ definitions for perseverance is that Perseverance of the Saints is the same thing as eternal security. 

In other words, this teaching is contrary to the eternal security of the believer (see notes from our previous study on eternal security). Many of the same arguments against Lordship salvation and incorrect usage of repentance as it relates to being born again will apply. However, these points bear repeating:

The New Testament is abundantly clear in its declaration that all Christians may not persevere. It is possible to depart from the faith (1 Timothy 4:1), err from the faith (1 Timothy 6:10), err concerning the faith (1 Timothy 6:20), deny the faith (1 Timothy 5:8), make shipwreck of the faith (1 Timothy 1:19), cast off one’s first faith (1 Timothy 5:12), swerve from the faith (1 Timothy 1:6), and not continue in the faith (Colossians 1:23). Believers can fall from their own stedfastness (2 Peter 3:17), become barren and unfruitful (2 Peter 1:8), deny Christ (2 Timothy 2:12), and be ashamed when Christ returns (1 John 2:28). Hymenaeus and Alexander did not persevere–they were delivered by Paul “unto Satan” (1 Timothy 1:20). But this could not mean that they were never saved, like some Calvinists claim, because the fornicator among the Corinthians was also delivered to Satan (1 Cor. 5:5) and consequently restored (2 Cor. 2:6-8). Demas forsook Paul because of his love for the world (2 Tim. 4:10). Yet of Mark, who also deserted him (Acts 13:13), Paul later said “He is profitable to me for the ministry” (2 Timothy 4:11). If the Calvinist claims that only the Corinthian fornicator and Mark were regenerate because they alone returned to the faith before their death, then what about Lot? The Bible calls Lot “just” (2 Peter 2:7) and  “righteous” (2 Peter 2:8). But the last time we hear of him he is drunk in a cave committing incest with his two daughters (Genesis 19:33-36). Did he persevere in the faith? A righteous man can turn from his righteousness and never turn back (Ezekiel 18:24).

Repentance: The most misunderstood word in the Bible

Repentance is the most misunderstood word in the Bible.

Acts 17:29–31 “Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man’s device. And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent: Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.”

Repent* covers any words that start with REPENT, such as repent, repentance, repented, repentest, repenteth, repenting, repentings

Repent* occurs 112 times in 105 verses of the Bible.

Repentance means “a change of mind.”

You can ask ministers in various denominations today, “what is the gospel?” You will get a variety of answers, even though “the gospel” by which we “are saved” is spelled out for you in 1 Corinthians 15:1-6.

In the same way you can ask about the word “repentance” and get varied answers. The problem is that most will answer that wrong even among Bible believing churches. That is a real cause for concern.

When they are honest about it, even those who hold to the false teachings and Calvinism and “Lordship salvation” will admit the word “repentance” means “a change of mind.” Among the more famous of the Lordship salvation teachers through his broadcasts is Reformed Baptist Pastor John F. MacArthur, Jr (Reformed Baptist means Calvinist). In his book The Gospel According To Jesus he writes this about the definition of repentance:

the Greek word for repentance, metanoia, literally means “to think after.” It implies a change of mind [emphasis added].

The basic point is that repentance means “a change of mind.” Men will insist on adding to that, like others do to the gospel.

Repentance in regards to receiving the free gift of eternal life by faith in Christ’s death for our sins, burial and resurrection from the dead is simply a change of mind from unbelief to belief. Jesus said to the Pharisees in John 8:24 “I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.” Salvation is by grace through faith in the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:8-9).

Wrong Definitions

Repentance does not mean to be sorry.

Some have argued that you must weep and feel deep sorrow to be saved. While there is certainly nothing wrong with feeling deep sorrow and being emotionally upset about your sin, that is not what repentance means. Some even argue that most young people who are saved at an early age are not saved because they did not weep over their sins.

Where do they get this idea from?

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

Look at the verse again. Godly sorrow will work the right kind of repentance. So it is one of the things that can produce repentance, but it does not say that it is repentance. The goodness of God does the exact same thing and the goodness of God is not repentance either.

Romans 2:4 “Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?”

Repentance does not mean to quit sinning

We have heard some well-known preachers say, “If you want to be saved, repent of your sins, turn from your sins.” If turning from your sins means to stop sinning, then people can only be saved if they stop sinning.

Did you quit sinning when you got saved? 1 John 1:10 “If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.”

Some tell those they are witnessing to they have to quit or give up certain sins in order to be saved. For instance, if they notice the person they are witnessing to has cigarettes, they will tell them to have to get rid of their cigarettes to get saved – no joke. That is a matter of spiritual growth and has nothing to do with being saved. My uncle led his friend to Christ with a New Testament in one hand and a cigarette in the other.

Preaching that defines or implies repentance in regards to being born again means for you that change your conduct (stop sinning), causes real Christians to doubt their salvation since they are still sinning (and will as long as they are in their fleshly, corruptible body). So they get saved again and sometimes again and again. Which is utter nonsense. Did God give you ETERNAL LIFE as a FREE GIFT or not (John 3:16; Romans 6:23; Romans 5:15-18)? John 10:28 “And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.” What’s so hard to understand about that?

Some insist that the word “repent” or “repentance” be used in witnessing.

Like most cults that try to force fit works into salvation, many will insist you define repentance as a “turning from sins” and tell us you must use that word in every gospel tract and every time you tell someone about Jesus.

If you have to use the word repent, doesn’t it strike you kind of odd that the phrases “turn from your sin” and “repent of your sins” occur ZERO times in the Scripture. That’s odd! The Holy Spirit must have forgotten or He must not have read their literature before inspiring the Holy Scriptures.

If your salvation depends on that one word “repent,” then why does that word not occur even once in any form of the word in the following books of the Bible?

Old Testament Books Old Testament Continued New Testament Books New Testament Continued
Leviticus Isaiah John James
Joshua Lamentations 1 Corinthians 1 Peter
Ruth Daniel Galatians 1 John
2 Kings Obadiah Ephesians 2 John
2 Chronicles Micah Philippians 3 John
Ezra Nahum Colossians Jude
Nehemiah Habakkuk 1 Thessalonians
Esther Zephaniah 2 Thessalonians
Proverbs Haggai 1 Timothy
Ecclesiastes Malachi Titus
Song of Solomon Philemon

You got that right. Out of 27 New Testament books, 17 of them do not mention the word at all. Of the 39 Old Testament books, 21 do not mention the word in any form and of those that do, most mentions are of God repenting.

John is in that list, yet we read 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.” So the book that has John 3:16 and also the book that has 1 John 5:13 (that tells you that you can know you have eternal life) do NOT use the word repent in any of its forms even once. Is this an embarrassing blunder? Of course we should note that the words faith and believe (believ*) occurs 101 times in the book of John alone.

In the book of Romans the only two uses of repentance are in relation to Israel. Chapter 2 of Romans convinces Israel that they are sinners just like the Gentiles. Chapter 11 deals with Israel’s rejection by God is only temporary. Let’s see both verses.

Romans 2:4 “Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?”

Romans 11:29 “For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.”

So not one time in chapter 3 where salvation is so clearly laid out, in chapter 4 where it is so clearly illustrated, in chapter 10 where it tells us how to receive, or the rest of the 16 chapters does the word occur. Isn’t that odd IF repentance means to “turn from your sins.” Yes it would be. Especially since faith and believe (believ*) occure 64 times.

No wonder these confused preachers present it as what is missing in preaching today. Their misuse and misdefining of repentance is not just missing from sound Bible preaching, the Holy Ghost excluded it in 16 New Testament books including the Romans road chapters and the entire books of John and Galatians where salvation are major topics. Even 1 Corinthians that spells out “the gospel” by which we are saved doesn’t contain the word repent in any form in the entire book.

Somebody is confused. Either the Spirit of God is confused or they are. Well, we know which of the two it is. Romans 3:4 “God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged.”

Things That Are Different Are Not The Same

Jesus is the only way to be saved (Acts 4:10-12; John 14:6). Therefore Allah, Muhammad, Buddha, and other religions are not the way. They are different.

Salvation by grace through faith is not the same as salvation by works!

Ephesians 2:8–9 “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.”

Romans 4:2–5 “For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God. For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.”

Our part in salvation is that we are ungodly, guilty sinners. Any attempt to include man’s efforts, works, reforms, etc., are perverting the gospel (1 Corinthians 15:1-6; Galatians 1:6-9).

Repentance and God

God repents 28 times in the Old Testament. Another nine passages tells things God about which will not repent.

They want us to believe that repent means to “turn from sin,” “quit sinning,” “be willing to turn from your sin”? Well, then you would make God a sinner then.

Psalm 110:4 “The Lord hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever After the order of Melchizedek.”

Jeremiah 18:5–10 “Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the Lord. Behold, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel. At what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, and to pull down, and to destroy it; If that nation, against whom I have pronounced, turn from their evil, I will repent of the evil that I thought to do unto them. And at what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it; If it do evil in my sight, that it obey not my voice, then I will repent of the good, wherewith I said I would benefit them.”

The false notion of turn from sin will not work. First of all, God has no sin to turn from (1 John 3:5). Secondly, in the two passages above, a change of mind is the only definition that will work.

Repentance and Old Testament Israel

Let us first say in regards to Israel and to the Old Testament that emphasis was on physical life, a literal land inheritance, and being a good citizen in a country. These are vastly different subjects than that of the salvation of your soul. You must get this difference in order to rightly divid the word of truth (1 Timothy 2:15).

Ezekiel 18:30–32 “Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, saith the Lord God. Repent, and turn yourselves from all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not be your ruin. Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will ye die, O house of Israel? For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord God: wherefore turn yourselves, and live ye.”

Notice the change of mind is given before and in addition to “turn yourselves from all your transgressions.” This has to do with the ruin of the people that leads to physical death (Proverbs 16:25) and not receiving the free gift of eternal life. You will never find a verse that deals with the salvaiton of your souls that says “turn yourselves,” but rather “not of yourselves” (Ephesians 2:8-9).

Matthew is a transitional book with the emphasis on Israel. In Matthew 3 John shows up. His baptism is explained in Acts 19:4 “Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.”

John the Baptist is specifically preaching about the literal and visible kingdom promised to Israel, known as the kingdom of heaven. Remember the emphasis on being a good citizen regarding Israel. This kingdom is physical in nature (Matthew 8:11), while the kingdom of God is a spiritual kingdom (Romans 14:17). Both will be unified under the reign of the Lord Jesus Christ. 

Matthew 3:2 “And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

Matthew 3:8–9 “Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance: And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.”

Above, they were to have a change of mind about things. Additionally, they were to bring for “fruits meet for” (fitting or matching their professed) their change of mind.

When the context has to do with God demanding good conduct from Israel or a group of people to stave off their physical judgment, then obviously a change of mind they will have to produce more than lip service saying they have repented (changed their minds). For example, look at the book of Jonah in relation to Nineveh.

Matthew 12:41 “The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here.”

Repentance In The Book Of Revelation

Revelation 2:5 “Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.”

Revelation 2:16 “Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.”

Revelation 2:21–22 “And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not. Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds.”

Revelation 3:3 “Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.”

Revelation 3:19 “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.”

Revelation 9:20–21 “And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk: Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.”

Revelation 16:9–11 “And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory. And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the seat of the beast; and his kingdom was full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues for pain, And blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and repented not of their deeds.”

The references in Revelation chapters 2 or 3 are aimed at the church getting right. They are already saved and are facing discipline. Chapters 9 and 16 of Revelation is directed at the lost who refused to change their minds about their wicked deeds.

Charles C. Ryrie in A Survey of Bible Doctrine he writes a nice summary in this manner:

To repent is to change your mind. However, this only defines the word, not the concept, for you need to ask, Change your mind about what? Depending on how you answer that question, repentance might be a synonymous concept to believing in Christ or it might become an additional requirement for salvation. If repentance is understood to mean changing your mind about your sin—being sorry for your sin—this will not necessarily save. There are plenty of criminals in and out of jails who are repentant in this sense. They are sorry for making certain mistakes, but this does not mean they give up a life of crime. People can be sorry for their sins without wanting to accept the forgiveness of a Saviour.

But if repentance means changing your mind about the particular sin of rejecting Christ, then that kind of repentance saves, and of course it is the same as faith in Christ. This is what Peter asked the crowd to do on the day of Pentecost. They were to change their minds about Jesus of Nazareth. Formerly they had considered Him to be only a blasphemous human being claiming to be God; now they changed their minds and saw Him as the God-man Saviour whom they would trust for salvation. That kind of repentance saves, and everyone who is saved has repented in that sense.

There is a third use of the concept of repentance and that is in the Christian life. A Christian needs to repent—that is, to change his mind about particular sins committed. If he does repent, then he will confess those sins and experience forgiveness.

Repentance and The Salvation of Your Soul

Gentiles needed a change of mind about the difference between their gods and the true God

Acts 17:29–31 “Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man’s device. And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent: Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.”

Note: “Godhead” is the Bible word for the Trinity.

What sin sends people to hell? The answer is not believing on the Son.

John 3:18 “He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”

John 3:36 “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.”

2 Thessalonians 2:12 “That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”

1 John 5:9–13 “If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for this is the witness of God which he hath testified of his Son. He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son. And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.”

So repentance in context of the salvation of your eternal soul and the receiving of the free gift of eternal life has to do with a change of mind from unbelief to belief in Jesus and the gospel.

Distinctives

Liberty Baptist Church is a King James Bible believing, gospel preaching, premillennial, pre-tribulation rapture, soul winning, missions-minded, independent, Baptist church.

Church is about pleasing and glorifying our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 10:31; Revelation 4:10-11). It is not about adapting to the social whims of society (Romans 12:2).

Our Mission

Our mission is to win the lost, edify the saints, and glorify the Savior (Matthew 28:18-20).

Modern versions of the Holy Bible

We believe the King James Bible that we hold in our hands from cover to cover without apology or excuse. Rather than correct the Bible, we let it correct us. New versions are not the same. They change names, numbers, prophecies, and key doctrines. We serve “the Son of God,” not “a son of the gods” (Daniel 3:25), and there is a difference.

Salvation

Salvation is by grace through faith in the finished work of Christ (Ephesians 2:8-9). The gospel is “that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3-4).

Hyper-Calvinism & Other

We reject Hyper-Calvinism and its teachings of total inability, unconditional election, limited atonement, and irresistible grace as unscriptural.

We reject replacement theology. The church has not replaced Israel. Many prophecies related to the Jews and their land are yet to be fulfilled.

We reject ecumenicalism, the emergent church movement, and the modern charismatic movement.

Manner of Ministry

Leading by example

The pastor is NOT to be a dictator (1 Peter 5:1-3). Sheep are to be led.

It should also be mentioned that the pastor is not a pope or a secondary Savior. When people start quoting a man rather than the Scriptures, something is wrong. Faithful pastors should be honored, but not worshipped.

Visiting people

The pastor visits people, not houses. He does not care about the condition or contents of a house (as in your movies, etc.). He is not interested in being an inspector. He preaches the truth and trusts the Holy Spirit to deal with anything that is not right. A visit is to see a person and minister to them.

Modesty

The Scripture teaches modesty. That is what we preach and practice. However, we do not run off our guests because they do not meet someone’s standards.

Open and honest

We try to communicate and keep people informed. An informed people is a happy people. Bank statements which show copies of all the cleared checks as well as the transactions are posted in the church for everyone to see. The church’s monthly financial statement lists every check and transaction. Church is not a secret society. We want members to know, not think or hope, that everything is above board.

Immorality among the leadership

We are not tolerant of fornication, adultery, pornography, pedophilia, extortion, etc. among church leadership. This is way too common these days.

  • God established the home, the church, and civil government. Each should operate in its God given role. There are clearly things that fall under church discipline (1 Corinthians 5). However, there are clearly things that do not.
  • We teach that a God given role of government is to punish crimes (Romans 13:1-4; Genesis 9:6). Crimes are defined as causing harm to someone’s person or property. For example if someone committed a murder, it would be unimaginable that one would not call law enforcement. The same is true with crimes such as child molestation, which is not a matter for the church to handle, but a serious crime. In such cases call the police.

Religious politics

We are against religious politics. This would include covering up gross moral sin contrary to the commands of Holy Scripture “for the good of the church.” The goal in such instances should be confession and restoration to fellowship, not covering it up, running off victims, and allowing the sin to continue. Religious politics would also include lying or deliberately misleading people in general.

Rock music and new age music

Music has a culture. Rock music (regardless of whether you add a Christian label or not) has a culture of rebellion and immorality. This is contrary to the working of the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:6-8; Galatians 5:16-26).

Music is not neutral, it is spiritual. David played the right music with his harp with no words and the evil spirit departed from King Saul (1 Samuel 16:23). The right words should be accompanied with the right kind of music.

The King James Bible

No, all translations are NOT the same, unless you think the following numbers are the same:

  • 3,000 and 30,000 (1 Samuel 13:5)
  • 70 and 72 (Luke 10:1)
  • 77 and 490 (Matthew 18:22)
  • 50,070 and 70 (1 Samuel 6:19)

We believe the King James Bible that we hold in our hands from cover to cover without apology or excuse. Rather than correct the Bible, we let it correct us. New versions are not the same because they change names, numbers, prophecies, and key doctrines. We serve “the Son of God,” not “a son of the gods” (Daniel 3:25), and there is a difference.

We believe the King James Bible is God’s preserved word. This can be proven:

  1. Prophetically
  2. Numerically
  3. Practically

To summarize, God proves He is God by prophecy (Isaiah 41:22-23; 42:8-9; 43:18-21; 44:6-8; 44:28-45:25; 46:9-10; 47:1-15; 48:3-7). It is so important that the Holy Bible contains 1,817 individual prophecies on 737 subjects in 8,352 verses. That is 27% of 31,102 verses.

A simple reading of key prophetic passages about our Lord Jesus Christ will show modern translations of the Bible destroy/remove/corrupt the prophecies themselves. Try Genesis 22:8 and Daniel 9:26 for starters.

The numerics in the King James Bible both in the text itself and also in the book, chapter, and verse system are so astounding that it could not possibly be from any other source than the Almighty. The numerics tie in directly with prophecy. We can give numerous examples at a moments notice, just ask. Additionally we can point you to resources documenting so many examples of these truths that it will blow your mind.

Practically, the King James Bible is unique in that it is not “politically correct.” Not only does it say things that NO other translation would print regarding social hot topics dealing with things from gender to sodomites, it also speaks in a way that is counter to the culture norms of an apostate Laodicean church. As a matter of fact, look up the following Scriptural words in another translation: damned, damnation, sodomites, effeminate, “pisseth against the wall(like a urinal – yes, that separates the boys from the girls – apparently Somebody knew about restroom confusion thousands of years before it made a headline).

We don’t want “smooth things,” we want “thus saith the Lord” (Isaiah 30:10; Jeremiah 23:36-38; Deuteronomy 4:2; 2 Corinthians 2:17).

Let us give an answer to the Bible correctors who would attempt to slander us. We have NEVER said or taught that people who are led to Christ out of another translation are not saved. Nor have we ever said you have to use the King James Bible to lead someone to the Lord who doesn’t even speak English. They resort to putting words in our mouths to slander us, because they don’t have an answer to what we have said above.

Membership & Baptists

A new believer or candidate does not need to understand everything in order to join. It is important they not be in opposition to these scriptural items.

How to Become A Member of Liberty Baptist Church

Outside of restoration, there are three ways to join the church.

  1. By baptism here at Liberty after salvation.
  2. By transfer of letter (church membership) from another Baptist church of like faith and practice.
  3. By statement of faith that you have been scripturally saved and afterwards scripturally baptized by immersion.

Baptist Distinctives

Here is an Acrostic where the first letter from each spells BAPTISTS

  • Bible as final authority (the King James Bible)
  • Autonomous (see number 2 below)
  • Priesthood of the believer
  • Two ordinances (Baptism & the Lord’s supper)
  • Individual soul liberty
  • Saved membership
  • Two offices (Pastors & Deacons)
  • Separation of church and state

Baptists are different.

  1. A regenerated church membership is not required of the other major denominations, as those denominations count on sprinkling a baby to regenerate it. Scripturally we cannot accept any kind of infant baptism for any reason.
  2. The autonomy of the church means absolute freedom from any and all outside interference from state, government, other churches, other religious bodies, or other individuals.
  3. Another distinctive is eternal security.
  4. Rejection of a Nicolaitan hierarchy which overthrows the priesthood of the believer.
  5. The term “Baptist” is necessary, because if it is not labeled as such, then there is no doctrinal mark whereby it can be proved to be never-Roman Catholic. “Baptist” is the one organized church that has never and will never agree with Rome on the priesthood, the mass, Mary, the plan of salvation, the future, the leadership in the local church, the position of the believer in Christ, or the GOALS and AIMS of the church as a missionary organization.
  6. Baptists are not “Protestant,” as they did not come out of the Roman Catholic church.
  7. Since the book of Acts there have always been believers who believed in salvation by grace through faith in the finished work of Christ (death, burial, and resurrection).

The Baptists have an unusual place in all of these matters, for they are the only group that obeyed the New Testament when it came to water baptism. Baptists can trace their “distinctives” clear back to the book of Acts. No other group can do that.

Eternal Security

How To Know You Are Saved

God’s word tells us that we can know that we are saved.

1 John 5:13 “These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.”

Please see the post “How To Get To Heaven” for a explanation of the gospel and how you can know for sure you are saved. We are here to help if you have any questions or would like to receive Christ.

Eternal Life

John 3:14-18 “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”

John 10:28-30 “And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand. I and my Father are one.”

John 6:35–37 “And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. But I said unto you, That ye also have seen me, and believe not. All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.”

1 Peter 1:3–5 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”

Revealed in the last time: Your soul is saved. Your body is not yet saved/redeemed. Meaning, salvation is not complete until the redemption of the purchased possession – your body (1 Corinthians 6:19-20; Ephesians 1:12-14; 4:30; Romans 8:19-23).

You get your glorified body at the rapture (1 Corinthians 15:51-58; 1 John 3:1-3; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). This is called the “redemption of our body” (Romans 8:23), “the adoption (Romans 8:23) and “the manifestation of the sons of God” (Romans 8:19). This is when salvation is “revealed in the last time” and made manifest. It is showing something outward by means of a glorified body that was already done on the inside when God saved your soul.

Sealed to the day of the redemption of your body (The Rapture).

Ephesians 1:12-14 “That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ. In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.”

Ephesians 4:30 “And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.”

The purchased possession is your body that will be redeemed.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 “What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.”

Romans 8:23 “And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.”

This happens at the Rapture (When Christ comes back for the church: John 14:1-3; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18)

1 Corinthians 15:51-54 “Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.”

At salvation we become part of the body of Christ

2 Timothy 2:12–13 “If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us: If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself.”

The denial has nothing to do with salvation. According to the first part of the verse, it is the denial of a Millennial reign with Christ (Hebrews 3-4). Verse 13 makes it abundantly clear that Jesus Christ will not “deny himself,” and if you are saved, you are “members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones” (Ephesians 5:30). If you quit believing on Christ after you are born again, that wouldn’t change your destination whatsoever (Romans 8:29); nothing can separate you from Jesus Christ (Romans 8:29; 38-39)!

2 Timothy 2:13 “If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself.”

1 John 3:20-21 “For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things. Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God.”

Ephesians 5:29-32

For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church: For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.

1 Corinthians 12:12–13 “For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.”

1 Corinthians 12:27 “Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.”

Christ Paid For Your Sins Once For All, FOR EVER!

There were no seats in the Tabernacle and Temple in the Old Testament, because their work was never completed. Jesus sat down showing “it is finished.” One payment for sins for ever.

Hebrews 1:2-3 “Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;”

Hebrews 10:10-13 “By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool.”

If Christ “purged our sin” with “one sacrifice for sins for ever,” what are you going to do to make sure the work is complete after “the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all”?

If you perish, did you ever have eternal life? Either you have eternal life or you do not. Either you have the Son or you don’t. Once you have the Son and His Spirit, they never leave you (Ephesian 1:12-14; 4:30; Hebrews 13:5-6; John 6:37).

People confuse being a child with how one conducts themselves as a child

You must be born again by the Spirit into the family of God (John 3:3-7). Once you are a child of God (John 1:10-12). For you to lose your salvation which you did not purchase  (Titus 3:5-7) and do not keep (1 Peter 1:3-5), you would have to be unborn of the Spirt Who has already sealed and cannot leave you. That is not possible.

When a child does not behave correctly, the do not become unborn! They get disciplined (read Hebrews 12:5-7).

You can lose your testimony, your health, your family, your job, your possessions, rewards in heaven, and the privilege of reigning as a king during the 1,000 year reign of the Lord Jesus Christ on this earth. You cannot lose your new birth. You did not save yourself and you do not keep it. If we had to keep it, we would lose it (1 John 1:8). Thank God that He keeps it and not us.

Soul Winning & Missions

Liberty Baptist Church has a heart for reaching the world with the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.

We practice door to door visitation, public witnessing, and street preaching.

We support missionaries through our finances and prayers. You can find a list of our missionaries as well a their most recent prayers letters at the back of the church and here online.

Mark 16:15 “And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.”

Matthew 28:18–20 “And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”

Philippians 4:14–18 “Notwithstanding ye have well done, that ye did communicate with my affliction. Now ye Philippians know also, that in the beginning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church communicated with me as concerning giving and receiving, but ye only. For even in Thessalonica ye sent once and again unto my necessity. Not because I desire a gift: but I desire fruit that may abound to your account. But I have all, and abound: I am full, having received of Epaphroditus the things which were sent from you, an odour of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, wellpleasing to God.”

Missions

Liberty Baptist Church has a heart for reaching the world with the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.

It is our privilege to support the following missionaries. To see missionary prayer letters click on their name or see a list of most recent prayer letters here.

MissionaryMinistry
Jeff BellamyRock of Ages Prison Ministry
Andrew DayIreland
Harold GilmerBrazil
Steve GregoryRock of Ages Prison Ministry
Kevin HallSouth Africa
Josh HillGuatemala
Rickey HowardChurch Planting: Utah
Harvest Deaf MinistriesMinistries to the Deaf
Paul JhantAmerica's Troubled Youth in Waco Texas
Joel KingMexico
Cory McTagueCanada
Roderick NamataPhilippines
Luke RyanSpain
Tom SloanMexico
Robert SmithBrazil
Rudy StembridgeMissionaries and Church Ministries
Mitch TillmanMongolia
Gene TraskHonduras
David VelasquezSpain
David WadeMacedonia Printing
LeBron WilliamsHome & Abroad Ministries