"I was a Baptist before I was saved"

Back when I was in the Church of God of Prophecy, I used to joke around with people and say "I was a Baptist before I was saved."

That statement was total bunk of course...

Prior to my conversion I was no more a Baptist than the Pope in Rome, but I got lots of chuckles with that line because some of us suffered from a kind of spiritual superiority syndrome. Basically, we were of the opinion that most Baptists were a bunch of unregenerate, beer drinking knuckleheads who believed they could live like the Devil and have full assurance of Heaven. Therefore, to hear someone say "I was a Baptist before I got saved" was a real hoot!

Prior to my conversion, I would sometimes identify myself as Baptist. You might say a "cultural Baptist," much like the Über-atheist Richard Dawkins recently identifying himself as a "cultural Christian". I had always heard my mother's side of the family claim to be Baptists, so I figured that if I wanted to get some religious nut off my back, it would be okay to call myself a Baptist.

The perception that Baptists are a carnal bunch isn't helped by all the people who claim to be Baptists, but have never been Born Again. If I were a betting man, I'd wager good money that here in the South, you could poll all the people at a Sunday NASCAR race and find that around 87% would claim to be Baptists! Furthermore, I'd bet these same "Baptists" could probably name 6 brands of beer for each of the 10 Commandments they could remember!

During my school days, many of my best friends were active members of Baptist youth groups. You know what's really sad? We all talked the same, acted the same, and broke God's commandments the same. The only difference between them and myself was that they went to church three times a week and I didn't! They claimed to believe in God and I claimed God didn't exist.

Did any of them try to reach me with the Gospel?

NO!

Until this day, some of the most reprobate people I know will tell you that they are "Baptists." They won't darken the door of a church, or invoke God's name unless it's in blasphemy, but simply because their grand-pappy used to be a deacon, they think the name "Baptist" is their spiritual pedigree or something. What's so disturbing about the majority of these unregenerate "Baptists" is that almost all of them think they are soundly saved and headed for Heaven!

With virtually no church discipline being practiced and after years of unchecked Antinomianism being spewed from many Baptist pulpits, it's really no wonder there are so many false converts who use the Baptist name. When one reads the writings of historic Southern Baptist leaders, it's plain to see that something has gone terribly awry in the SBC. The theology and practices of the typical Baptist church of today would horrify C. H. Spurgeon, J. P. Boyce, or J. L. Dagg.

I used to say I was a Baptist before I was saved, but that was a lie...

I've now been in the SBC for about a year and a half and I've seen true Baptists. True Baptists are people who fear God, love Christ, and are indwelled with the Holy Spirit. They are people who are serious about serving the Lord and seeing others come to faith in Jesus Christ. Anyone who claims to be a "Baptist" but doesn't honor Christ with their lives is a liar and the truth is not in them. A real Baptist is a Christian!

Don't be fooled by the pretenders!

May God send Revival and Reformation to the SBC and all Baptist churches!

Paul Washer: Youth Conference Sermon

Probably the greatest sermon ever preached at any youth event anywhere in the Southern Baptist Convention, and it's said he wasn't invited back! Oh how far the SBC has fallen!!



(H.T. Gordan)

If Election is True, Why Evangelize?

This segment of the Amazing Grace DVD addresses the question that most people ask when first exposed to the Biblical doctrine of Sovereign Election:

God's Sovereignty vs. Libertarian Free Will

Another clip from the Amazing Grace DVD. This time dealing with the topic of God's sovereignty and human freedom. The quality is not the best, but it is well worth watching... Ideas have consequences. And when man's freewill is elevated above God's sovereignty, it only leads to problems: theologically as well as socially!

Perseverance: Not a License to Sin!

Another helpful clip from the Amazing Grace DVD.



Hopefully you will see that true Calvinists are not teaching the modern version of "Once Saved Always Saved" -that a Christian is free to live like the devil and have hope of Heaven. It's also worth noting the similarities of the Arminian and Roman Catholic teachings on this issue.

Was Anyone Saved at The Cross?

James R. White says yes...

It Depends Not on Human Will

Once upon a time, I was researching some theological issues that were on my mind. In particular I was interested in Freewill. So I typed the word "freewill" (and other variations) into my Bible software to search and see what the Bible taught about the subject. Several hits came up and I read them all in context.

Do you know what I found?

I found lots of verses in the Bible where the word "freewill" was used. Almost everyone of those references were about "freewill offerings." I also found a single passage in Ezra 7 where king
Artaxerxes made a decree that "all they of the people of Israel, and of his priests and Levites, in my realm, which are minded of their own freewill to go up to Jerusalem..." (v:13 KJV)

Do you know what I did not find?

I did not find one didactic passage of Scripture in which a Prophet, The Lord Jesus, or an Apostle laid out any doctrine about God giving man an autonomous freewill that is immune to the influence of the Fall of Adam, in which man could therefore freely choose to accept or reject Jesus.

Let me restate that for clarity: I did not find one place in the Bible were anybody taught about God giving man a "freewill to accept Him or reject Him," nor did I find anything in the Bible about God having to "respect man's freewill choice" as I have heard proclaimed by many modern Evangelicals. The fact is, there's no such teaching in Scripture.

The popular Christian doctrine of "freewill" is a phantom doctrine. It's amazing to me how some Evangelicals place so much doctrinal emphasis on "freewill" when there's not one didactic passage in all the Bible they can point to in support of their theories about it! Please bear in mind that I made this discovery not by reading something a Calvinist wrote, but while I was a Semi-Pelagian!

With my denial of the popular conception of Freewill, am I then saying man is an automaton? To answer that, I shall quote the great Puritan scholar John Owen:

"We grant man, in the substance of all his actions, as much power, liberty, and freedom as a mere created creature is capable of. We grant him to be free in his choice from all outward coaction, or inward necessity, to work according to election and deliberation, spontaneously embracing what seemeth good unto him. Now, call this power free-will if you, or what you please, so you make it not supreme, independent, and boundless, we are not at all troubled." -A Display of Arminianism Ch. 7

We have a liberty to make choices, but those choices will always be dictated by our nature and will never escape God's Providence. If, as the Bible clearly teaches in Romans 6, lost men are slaves unto sin, how then can he have a "freewill" to choose to be saved? Slaves are not free! Those who are slaves to sin must be freed in order to become servants of Christ!

Most Christians will proclaim that salvation is of the Lord. They will affirm that God is to get all the credit. However, almost always, they will qualify that by saying something like "but God has given each human a freewill to choose or reject Him."

What does the Bible say about man's will in relation to being saved? I will provide two very clear statements:

He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. (John 1:11-13 ESV)

Here John shows us that people are Born Again not because of their bloodline, nor because of their own will, but by the will of God!

In Romans 9, when Paul is discussing why God chose and loved Jacob and yet rejected and hated Esau, Paul says this:

What shall we say then? Is there injustice on God's part? By no means! For he says to Moses, "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion." So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy. (Romans 9:14-16 ESV)

Note that last sentence! Paul clearly states that "it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy"!!

We see from these two passages that God is in total control of salvation. God, by the preaching of the Gospel and power of the Holy Spirit, brings dead sinners to life through regeneration thus liberating their fallen, sinful, rebellious will so that they may then freely choose to repent and follow Christ! In this way it is God alone who receives all the praise and glory for the salvation of a sinner.

It is solely because Christ is the author and finisher of our faith that Paul can say:

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9 ESV)

(It must also be noted that it's not just Reformed theologians who believe man's will is not autonomous. There are many branches of science in which the existence of freewill is debated.)

Soli Deo Gloria!

Save the Babies and Natives!

Wanna see more people saved? According to some, here's what we need to do:


# 1. We need to bring home all the missionaries and stop preaching the Gospel!

According to many modern Evangelicals, God would never condemn a person who has never had the chance to hear the Gospel. For these well meaning Evangelicals, sin isn't the issue. No, for them it's whether or not a person has a chance to hear the Gospel -and then reject it- that sends the person to Hell.

If this theology is true, we have to conclude that it's actually by the preaching of the Gospel that people are being condemned! We must also conclude that all the tribes in Asia -with no Gospel witness- actually have a better chance of seeing Heaven than people in the U.S.A. with the Gospel being preached on almost every corner!


# 2. Support abortion!

That's right! A gentleman in my old denomination (the Church of God of Prophecy) once told me that he would not oppose abortion because he believed all aborted children go straight to Heaven! He actually said that it would be better for them to be aborted, than to be born into this world and perhaps have a chance to grow up and reject the Gospel!

Therefore Christian, if you want to see more people saved: support Planned Parenthood! Go out and hold "pro-choice" signs instead of witnessing and handing out gospel tracts. Write your representatives in government and tell them to protect Roe vs. Wade!

Reality Check:

Does anything sound strange about these proposals?

Yeah... I agree. They're absurd!

The question of what happens to aborted infants and those dying in infancy is a hard question that is often very sensitive and hurtful for those who've lost a child.

My personal belief is that the infants are redeemed -by God's Grace alone. Many Reformed theologians have also affirmed the same. However, it must be noted that if they are saved, it's not because they have no sin -for they are guilty of Original Sin imputed from Adam- but because God is Sovereign.

God is providentially in control of the situation. Because I do not believe Salvation hinges solely upon human choice and freewill, I fully believe that God is able to regenerate these infants and bring them to saving faith even in the womb in such cases. (Even in spite of my views here, I believe we need to oppose abortion because it is an abominable evil!)

For the "innocent native" in Asia, I believe the situation is much more dire. The native would be not innocent at all. In actuality, he's guilty not only of Original Sin, but also of committing actual sin. Because these people have a conscience and God's law is written upon their heart, the fact they have never heard about Christ is no excuse. I believe these people will be lost unless they repent and believe in Christ.

In conclusion, no matter what happens in these cases, I believe whatever God does: He is right!

What is There to Fear for the Calvinist?

Some Christians believe that the Reformed doctrine of Perseverance will lead to sinful living because a Calvinist "has nothing to fear."

That's not true...

R.L. Dabney explains:

"In conclusion, we believe that all the supposed licentious results of the doctrine of perseverance result from misapprehension; and that its true tendencies are eminently encouraging and sanctifying. (a.) How can the intelligent Bible Christian be encouraged to sin, by a doctrine which assures him of a perseverance in holiness, if he is a true believer? (b.) So far as a rational self–love is a proper motive for a sanctified mind, this doctrine leaves it in full force; because when the Arminian would be led by a backsliding, to fear he had fallen from grace, the Calvinist would be led, just as much to fear he never had had any grace; a fear much more wholesome and searching than the erring Arminian’s.

For this alarmed Calvinist would see, that, while he had been flattering himself he was advancing heavenward he was, in fact, all the time in the high road to hell; and so now, if he would not be damned, he must make a new beginning, and lay better foundations than his old ones (not like the alarmed Arminian, merely set about repairing the same old ones). (c.) Certainty of success, condition on honest efforts, is the very best stimulus to active exertion. Witness the skillful general encouraging his army. (d.) Last: Such a gift of redemption as the Calvinist represents is far nobler and more gracious’ and hence elicits more love and gratitude, which are the noblest motives, the strongest and best.

Just so far as the Calvinist is enabled scripturally to hope that he is now born again, he is, to that extent, entitled to hope that his triumph is sure; that death and hell are disarmed, and that his heaven is awaiting his efforts. To him who knows the weakness of the human heart, and the power of our spiritual enemies, the Arminian’s adoption, beset by the constant liability to fall, would bring little consolation indeed. It is love and confidence, not selfish fear, which most effectually stimulates Christian effort. Let the student see how St. Paul puts this in (1 Cor. 15:58)."

From Systematic Theology, by R.L. Dabney. Ch 26.

Thoughts on Conditional Security and Predestination

As I am able, I plan to continue pointing to reasons why I believe that a true Saint of God cannot forfeit his/her Salvation. In this article I want to write about a controversial, but Biblical, doctrine known as "Predestination."

The passage I want to look at today is one that I would often skip over -or explain away- back when I was an Arminian. The passage is Romans 8: 29 & 30 (ESV):

29. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.

Notice if you will that this passage says "those WHOM [God] foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son." What this passage says is very plain. Some will counter by saying that it means that God used his omniscience (or prescience) to see what was going to happen (what men would choose concerning Christ) and then planned everything accordingly. I used to believe this too, but after thinking about it and studying the Reformed perspective, the Arminian scheme no longer makes sense.

First of all, it says "WHOM He foreknew," not "WHAT He foreknew". Of course God has foreknowledge of all facts past, present, and future; however, this passage is speaking of God foreknowing PEOPLE, not just the facts about people. It speaks of God having a intimate personal knowledge of a person. You will recall that the Bible says Adam "knew" Eve and she conceived. This is the same idea in Romans 8: God had an intimate personal knowledge and relationship with the Elect before the world began (c.f. Eph. 1:4 & 5). For example, look at what God said to Jeremiah:

"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations." Jeremiah 1:5 (ESV)

Secondly, I would like you to notice the progression of Paul's statement concerning those whom God has foreknown and predestined to be conformed to the image of Christ. Theologians have called this the "Golden Chain of Salvation". In this passage we see those whom God predestined (a.k.a. the Elect) would be "called," "justified," and "glorified." Had Paul thought there was a chance of God's Elect forfeiting Eternal Life, he would not been able to write like he did in this passage. Had Paul been an Arminian (pardon the anachronism), the passage would have read much differently.

The "Conditional Security Version" of this passage would read like this:

Those whom God foreknew would choose to be saved he also predestined to the possibility of being conformed to the image of his Son, in order that He might be the firstborn among many brothers. And some of those whom He predestined He also called and some of those whom he tried to call hopefully will choose to be saved so they can be justified, and of those who might be justified, peradventure some of those could be glorified unless they mess it up somehow.

Thirdly, when it comes to Predestination, it doesn't make sense to say that God "looked into the future" to see how men would act and then predestined them accordingly. If that scheme was true, it would make God a mere observer who was bound to predestine (and then create) things based upon that in which He had no ultimate control. If God simply "looked into the future" and saw how things were already predestined to occur, why then would he have to predestine anything?? The notion of "prescient predestination" is illogical, untenable, and an insult to the Sovereignty of God!

Fourthly, the Arminian must admit that even if men are predestined because God looked into the future, then people are already predestined to go to Heaven or to Hell, from the foundation of the world, whether they like it or not! Ultimately, the Arminian (and Open Theist) schemes are simply ways to deny that God is Sovereign determiner of "all things whatsoever come to pass." (See 1689 Baptist Confession Ch 3)

I believe the Arminian view of God (whether they realize it or not) teaches that God leaves salvation up to chance. However, the God of the Bible, by His very nature, cannot leave anything to chance. In fact, Proverbs 16:33 (ESV) tells us that "the lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the LORD"!! As R.C. Sproul says, "chance is not a thing: chance is nothing!" If the eternal destiny of one microbe is left to chance or luck; if one atom in the entire Universe is not under the control of it's Creator, if chance or luck play any part in God's plan of salvation, then God is not Sovereign and our entire belief system is a flimsy house of cards.

The fact is, God already knows who will -and who will not- be saved. Even some Arminians will admit this fact. God can know these things not simply because of His prescience, but because ultimately, it was His choice! He chose whom He chose for His own reasons and for His own Glory. Ephesians 1: 5-6 (ESV) confirms this:

"He predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved."

You see, the plan of Salvation is an infallible PLAN of Salvation. God's not sitting up in Heaven wondering how things are going to turn out. Nay my friends, God is in control and things will turn out exactly as He has decreed.

Those whom God set his affections upon in eternity past have been Predestined to salvation and will be infallibly Called, Justified, and Glorified; none of the Elect will ever perish! Christ will be the firstborn among many brethren because His Father has ordained it to be so! If we serve a Sovereign God, how can His plan to redeem His people go any way but according to His perfect plan? How can the Good Shepherd lose any of His sheep?

Sol Deo Gloria!

Answering the Reformed Challenge

The Reformed Mafia has been placed under arrest! We have been placed in the dock by J.C. Thibodaux to answer for the crime of preaching the doctrine known as Perseverance of the Saints! (see this also) It's a most interesting case because the evidence that Mr. Thibodaux has brought against the Mafia is not something we have said or written, but rather, his own eisegesis of Matthew 5:27-30, Hebrews 4:9-11, Revelation 22:18-19! He believes these three passages are somehow the death of the Reformed doctrine of Perseverance.

The prosecutor seems to believe he has an air tight case against us. However, the Mafia, acting as their own attorneys, have already began to dismantle the prosecution's evidence and it looks as if the whole case against the Mafia is beginning to crumble (please see the links to their responses below).

I may take some flak from the Prosecution for what I am about to do, but I have decided that I would rather approach this case, not by swinging at his supposed proof-texts, (others in the Mafia are doing a good job of that already), but by showing Mr. Thibodaux a couple things that our Lord said which prove his interpretation of the aforementioned passages cannot be correct. In fact, I intend to show solid proof that a true Christian cannot forfeit the gift of Eternal Life.

Have a look at John 10: 26-30 (ESV) for example. Jesus said:

"But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you. My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand. I and My Father are one.”

Did you get that? Did you see what Jesus plainly said? It reads very "Calvinistic", eh? His Sheep hear His voice, they follow Him, they are given Eternal (not temporary) Life, and "they shall NEVER PERISH." Neither can anyone snatch them out of His or His Father's hand!

This passage is crystal clear. TRUE Christians (Christ's sheep) will never perish (underline the word NEVER in your Bible!). Christ, with His own words, totally overthrows any possibility of the the true believer losing his/her Salvation. If no other passage in the Bible said a single solitary thing about the security of the Christian, this one passage alone is enough for us to contend for the doctrine of Perseverance forever and ever.

Not enough? Okay. Look at John 6: 35-40 (ESV):

Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day."

There's that word NEVER again!!! If Jesus himself says that all the Father gives to Him will come to Him, and those who come to Him will NEVER be cast out. How can anyone dispute that? Can Christ lie? Can the Good Shepherd lose any of His Sheep? It doesn't appear to me that Jesus believed any such thing! If Mr. Thibodaux's interpretation is correct, then Christ has lied to us in these two passages. However, because Christ never lied, and because there are no contradictions in Scripture -and no duplicity within the Godhead- I have to conclude that the passages Mr. Thibodaux has presented against us cannot possibly support his position. Whatever the passages do teach, it cannot possibly be that a true Christian can forfeit the gift of Eternal life.

Here's my challenge to Mr. Thibodaux. As a former Arminian (who can totally relate to where you are coming from), I would like to purchase and send you either a copy of the book called "Why I am Not An Arminian", or a copy of the Amazing Grace DVD: which ever you chose. All I ask is that you actually read (or watch) it. No strings attached. No reply needed. If your position is truly what the Bible teaches, you have nothing to fear from what I am offering you. Please email me at rhettswhips@yahoo.com if you would like to take me up on the offer.

Mafia Responses to the Challenge:

Gordan: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3,

Josh: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4,

I'll continue to update the responses from the Mafia as they are posted!

I would also like to submit the following resources to those open to studying this controversial topic with an open Bible and an open mind:

• Chapter 26 of R.L. Dabney's Systematic Theology
• Chapter 38 of J.P. Boyce's Abstract of Systematic Theology
• Chapter 17 of the 1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith

Soli Deo Gloria!

A Perversion of Perseverance

Of all the doctrines I ever despised in the past, the doctrine of Eternal Security, or "Once Saved, Always Saved," had to be at the top of the list.

I can remember teaching Sunday school during my days in the Church of God of Prophecy, ranting and raving about how Baptists in particular "believe a person can get saved and live like the devil for the rest of their life and still go to Heaven."

To make matters worse, I could look around and see plenty of examples of Baptist folks who were not living up to the faith they professed on Sunday morning. I had seen people who professed faith in Jesus and later became hard hearted "backsliders," therefore I had all the evidence I needed to repudiate the doctrine of Eternal Security -or so I thought....

When I finally decided to investigate the doctrine of Eternal Security, it was because I saw some things in Scripture that I couldn't reconcile with my old semi-Pelagian theology. I began a journey to seek after truth, instead of what fit the mold of my theological tradition. I wanted to understand why seemingly decent Christian people believed that their salvation was eternally secure, while others seemed to use it as a cloak for their sinful living.

I began my search to understand Eternal Security by getting a copy of Charles Stanley's Eternal Security: Can You Be Sure?. I had thought Stanley would be a good source because much of what I had heard him teach sounded okay. As I read his book, some of the arguments made sense to me. Some almost convinced me. Then I hit a big snag...

The snag was in chapter 8. It was there that I could no longer follow Stanley's line of reasoning. You see, in chapter 8, Stanley argues that once a person has made a profession of faith, the person can go as far as totally losing all faith in Christ and yet be Heaven bound!

Stanley compares salvation with getting a tattoo:

"If I choose to have a tattoo put on my arm, that would involve a one-time act on my part. Yet the tattoo would remain with me indefinitely. I don't have to have to maintain an attitude of fondness of for tattoos to ensure that the tattoo remains on my arm. In fact I may change my mind the minute I receive it. But that does not change the fact that I have a tattoo on my arm. My request for the tattoo and the tattoo itself are two entirely different things. I received it by asking and paying for it, But asking for my money back and changing my attitude will not undo what is done. Forgiveness/salvation is applied at the moment of faith. And its permanence is not contingent upon the permanence of one's faith."

Before I was a Baptist I rejected such theology and now that I am a Baptist I still reject such theology!!! In my opinion, this sort of nonsense is why the Southern Baptist Convention has millions of absentee members as well as churches full of false converts!

If Dr. Stanley's theory is true, then even Dan Barker, the faith healing evangelist turned apostate God hating atheist, is just as bound for Heaven as the most God fearing saint alive! Stanley's theology is pure Antinomianism. It's nothing more than "Easy believe-ism," plain and simple. Thankfully, I was able to find out that Stanley's version of Perseverance is not in line with the Bible, nor with historic Baptist theology. It is a perversion of perseverance.

Salvation is in no way analogous with getting a tattoo! A tattoo is only skin deep, but Biblical salvation is a work that takes place in the very soul of a man. For God himself tells us "a new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them." (Eze 36:26-27)

Salvation is not a "one time act" on our part: it's a new beginning! It's the temporal realization of what God planned to do in the life of an individual sinner in eternity past! It's a New birth! A life changing experience! Though Stanley's doctrine allows for a person to totally apostatize and eventually be saved, the 1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith says something quite a bit different:

"And though they may, through the temptation of Satan and of the world, the prevalency of corruption remaining in them, and the neglect of means of their preservation, fall into grievous sins, and for a time continue therein, whereby they incur God's displeasure and grieve his Holy Spirit, come to have their graces and comforts impaired, have their hearts hardened, and their consciences wounded, hurt and scandalize others, and bring temporal judgments upon themselves, yet shall they renew their repentance and be preserved through faith in Christ Jesus to the end." (LBCF 17:3) emphasis added

Stanley believes a person can totally lose his or her faith and still persevere, yet historic Baptist teaching says despite their shortfalls, the believer will be "preserved through faith in Christ Jesus to the end!!!" Quite a difference if you ask me!

Stanley's version of Eternal Security denies that God is "able keep [us] from falling, and to present [us] faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy! (Jude 24) It overlooks the fact that we "are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time" (1 Peter 1:5). Once a person has truly met Jesus Christ, they can never be the same. Apostates and those who forsake Christ for "another gospel" show that they were never truly saved to begin with! (1 John 2:19) "If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new!" (1 Cor 5:17)

Our security is not based upon our ability to hang on and hold on, but rather we are secure because God is working to "make [us] perfect in every good work to do His will, working in [us] that which is wellpleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ." (Heb 13:21) God has not saved us so that we can live like the devil and abuse his marvelous Grace, but on the contrary, "we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them." (Eph 2:10)

R.C. Sproul sums up my position well:

"The perseverance of the saints could more accurately be called the preservation of the saints... The believer does not persevere through the power of his unaided will. God's preserving grace makes our perseverance both possible and actual. Even the regenerated person with a liberated will is still vulnerable to sin and temptation, and the residual power of sin is so strong that without the aid of grace the believer would, in all probability, fall away. But God's decree is immutable. His sovereign purpose to save his elect from the foundation of the world is not frustrated by our weakness"

Rejoice dear reader! For if you have been truly saved, you can be "confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ!!!" (Phil 1:6)

Soli Deo Gloria!

Aspects of Faith and Evangelism

In our modern age, people have gotten the idea that true faith can be created in sinners through the craftiness of man's speech, or that conversion can be accomplished by making the message of the Cross palatable to sinners. Others may think that saving faith is generated by being able to employ apologetics to convince sinners concerning the accuracy of Biblical data. Charismatic Christians sometimes insist that miracles and/or manifestations of the spiritual gifts are needed to create saving faith in sinners.

I once had the idea in my head that if I were only able to "say the right thing", "play the right song", or somehow make the Gospel attractive enough, then people might decide to be saved. After some trial and much error, I found out that I was wrong! I have come to understand that none of these things alone (or combined) are what actually "flips the switch" in the heart to cause the sinner see he's lost and in need of Christ.

As my theology has shifted to the Reformed view, and I've gained a different understanding of God's working in the salvation of sinners. I have come to accept the fact that none of the things I have mentioned can create saving faith in a sinner apart from God's sovereign action in the heart of the person! I've learned that true saving faith is a gift of God, not something sinners possess within themselves. Such conclusions often lead to people to ask me questions like "why do we need to preach if it's God that is the one responsible for causing a person to believe?"

I believe in order to better understand the importance of preaching, witnessing, apologetics, and even miracles in regards to evangelism, we must first understand what saving faith is -and just as importantly, what it is not as well! To illustrate, I want to refer to the teaching of Dr. R.C. Sproul as found in the book What is Reformed Theology?.

In a chapter entitled "Committed to Faith Alone", Dr. Sproul discusses the different aspects of genuine saving faith. Of interest to this article is where he writes, "Early Reformed Theologians customarily distinguished among various aspects of saving faith. For the most part they discerned three chief aspects known as notitia, assensus, and fiducia."(emphasis added)

It is these three aspects of faith -and their relationship to evangelism- that I would like to address in this article. Before I do, I want to take a moment and try to define the three words Dr. Spoul has used above. Please try to gain an understanding of the terminology, otherwise it may be hard to follow the rest of the article:

• Noticia is knowledge of the data of the faith. Certain facts must be known before saving faith can be present. Dr. Sproul writes "For Example, we must believe in God, and the person and work of Jesus Christ to be saved. This is the data (notae) of the faith. Without belief in the truth claims of Christianity, saving faith is absent."
• Assensus is intellectual assent. This is more than just awareness of the facts and data concerning the faith. Dr. Sproul writes, "one must also assent mentally (assensus) to the truth of the information. Saving faith gives intellectual assent to the truth of Christ's deity, atonement, resurrection, and so forth. We do not believe in what we believe to be a myth."
• Fiducia is cognitive, effective volitional faith. According to Dr. Sproul, "Fiducia [is] a personal trust and reliance on Christ, and on Him alone for one's justification. Fiducia also involves the affections. By the power of the Holy Spirit, the believer sees, embraces, and acquiesces in the sweetness and loveliness of Christ."

We often see that skeptics, athiests, agnostics, and pagans can have some knowledge of Biblical data (noticia), though they do not believe it to be absolute truth. Others may have noticia and believe the facts to be true (assensus), yet they may still lack a personal trust and reliance upon Christ to save them (in other words they lack fiducia). Dr. Sproul goes on to conclude that in order for there to be genuine saving faith, all three of the different aspects of faith must be present in a person.

In America, statistics show that a majority of Americans have the aspects of noticia and sometimes assensus as well. I commonly meet people who tell me they "believe in God" or even "believe the Bible is true", yet they lack the fruit that indicates they have any genuine saving faith. I have many family members who know some of the facts concerning Christianity -and even believe the facts are true- yet they will not repent of their sins or even attempt to live their lives for Christ! Tragically some of them actually believe they are going to Heaven because of their so-called faith!

The presence of noticia and assensus alone, will not get anyone into Heaven. The only thing these two aspects of faith qualify a person to be is a demon!! According to James 2:19, the devils believe; they even"fear and tremble!" Satan and his demons possess both noticia and assensus, (probably more than any human alive) yet they are in total rebellion against their creator and are heading for eternal destruction. Unfortunately, many people -including those who claim to be Christians- lack the fear of God that James says even the devils possess!

We might think that in the face of irrefutable evidence (or even by the witnessing of miracles) people would certainly place their faith in Christ. Though God may indeed choose to bring people to faith in coordination with such things, I have found that this is not always the case. I've seen that such evidence may lead people to have an increase of noticia, or even to some greater degree of assensus, but it does not always lead to fiducia in every case!

In Matthew 11:21, the Lord Jesus even proclaimed a "woe" against the people of Bethsaida because they had seen "mighty works" yet refused to repent! So there we see from our Lord's own mouth that "mighty works" do not always result in repentance and genuine faith.

For example: Many years ago God miraculously healed my sister-in-law of a disease that is incurable to modern medicine. The disease had disintegrated the "ball" of her hip joint. As a young child, the disease robbed her of the ability to walk and should have resulted in her never being able to walk again. However, at a doctor's visit after a prayer meeting was held at her grandmother's church, the doctors discovered there had been an actual restoration of the entire bone that had been destroyed by the horrible disease!! The stunned doctors involved could only attribute it to an act of God! God had done what was impossible for medical science!

Not only was my sister-in-law able to learn to walk, but before her death in a car accident at the age of 16, she had grown up to be a softball player and a cheerleader with no apparent effects of the childhood disease! This event was (and still is) a great encouragement to the Christians in the family, but even in the face of the irrefutable medical evidence, some people in the family have persisted in their sinful rebellion against God! The miracle indeed brought noticia and assensus to the doctors and members of the family, but not too many have shown any fiducia in spite of what God obviously did!

It is evident that in order for a person to have fiducia, there must be an act of God to give it to the person (see John 1:12-13 and Eph 2:8). We sow, we water, but it is God who gives the increase! (1 Corin 3:6) It is God who draws the sinner! It is God the Holy Spirit who makes our preaching effectual and enables the sheep to hear the voice of the Divine Shepherd.

This brings us to the fact that the work of Regeneration is monergistic -a work of God alone. Though they are a vital part of God's plan of Salvation -apart from the Holy Spirit bringing a spiritually dead sinner to life- no amount of argumentation, witnessing, apologetics, or even bona fide miracles can produce actual saving faith (fiducia) in the sinner. Regeneration and Conversion is not within man nor in his fallen will, but completely an act of God; for Paul declares "He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit." (Titus 3:6 ESV)

These things ought not to discourage us, but they ought to help us to understand that we have an important job to do! We should be honored that God has ordained to give us this vital role in His plan to redeem His Elect sheep. We are to preach Gospel and teach the truth in order to increase a person's degree of noticia and assensus, all the while trusting in the fact that it is God who produces fiducia in the person. All we need to do is be faithful to our calling to witness, evangelize, and support the work of foreign missions! If we are faithful to plant and water the seed, God will cause there to be an increase in which we -and all the angels of Heaven- will rejoice!

Soli Deo Gloria!

Arminian Contradictions

"If salvation depends upon free will, what do you mean by praying that God will have mercy upon all men, and save them with an everlasting salvation, and then tell the congregation that God has done all He can to save them, and the matter now rests with them, whether they will be saved or not? Surely, such vain jangling can never be acceptable to God, however it may feed the carnal mind of man; for if God has done all He can, why pray for him to do more? And if He has not done all He can, why tell the people He has? Strange as such contradictions may seem to a sensible mind, they are frequently produced in the course of one hour by an Arminian preacher." --From a letter by Willian Gadsby (1773-1844) to Edward Smyth.

-Appearing on p. 91 of the April 2006 edition of the Primitive Baptist publication "Advocate and Messenger."

Peace at the Table

And as they did eat, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and brake it, and gave to them, and said, Take, eat: this is my body. And he took the cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them: and they all drank of it. And he said unto them, This is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many. -Matthew 14: 22-24 KJV

A passage from the book "Food at The Time of The Bible" says the following:

"To this day in the Middle East, the 'breaking of bread' with ones former enemy is an important symbol of the end of hostilities. This is one interpretation of the attached to the famous words of Psalm 23:5: 'You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies'... "

It also goes on to say:

"Once a meal was shared, it was a sign that peace had come between the diners. To this day among the desert dwelling Bedouin (many of who's customs can be traced to the Bible), the serving of a meal within one's tent is synonymous with the extending of protection."


When my wife read this to me, automatically my mind seemed to focus on one very important meal in which God's elect are called to be partakers - and that meal is what we call Communion or the Lord's Supper. While this ordinance is significant for many reasons, I never really thought about it in the terms I have quoted above...

Think about it for a second! What an amazing thought:

We who were at one time mortal enemies with God -and deserved nothing but His just condemnation- have now been reconciled to Him through Christ Jesus and now invited to partake in the Lord's Table!

God has made a covenant of peace and protection with his redeemed children through the blood of His only begotten Son. Though we were once His enemies, we have now become co-heirs with Christ -never to be estranged again! The fact that we are allowed to dine at the Lord's Table is a sign of peace having been made with Him! What an awesome, merciful, and loving God we serve!


But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments and ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. -Ephesians 2:13-16 ESV

To God alone be the Glory!

The Unseen Increase

"I have planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase".

1 Corinthians 3:6 (1599 Geneva Bible)

I want to share a story with you today. It is a story about a Christian man and the unseen fruit from his efforts in being faithful to the Great Commission. Many of the details of the story are a bit uncertain and the man's name still remains a mystery; though it is thought that he was perhaps a deacon or leader at a Baptist Church in a small town in central Florida.

It all started about 15 years ago, when the man would stand across the street from a small public High School. The man never caused a fuss, he would simply hand out gospel tracts to students on their way into school. He used a type of tract that was made similar to a small comic book, so the tracts became very popular and were passed around from student to student throughout the day.

In one particular class there was a young atheist. Though he thought religion was for weak minded people, he would read the comic strip styled gospel tracts just to pass the time and see what Christians believed. Each tract had a different theme and taught different things about Christianity, therefore the young atheist was exposed to the concepts of sin, judgement, Law, Grace, Atonement, the Resurrection, the Second Coming, and other Christian truths.

Though the man who gave out the tracts may have never seen any fruit from his labor, the fact is, God used the seed that was sown all those years ago to bring a wonderful increase. You see, as a direct result of reading those gospel tracts, that young atheist was born again about 7 years later! Not only was he converted to Christ, but he was also called of God into the preaching ministry where he has been being used -within both Pentecostal and Baptist churches- to preach the Gospel.

I am well acquainted with this story, not because someone told it to me, nor is it because I read it in a book, but because I lived it! This is the story of how God used one faithful man and a handful of gospel tracts to reach ME! As I look back now, I can see that it was those gospel tracts that were a key element of God's plan to redeem me.

I wanted to share this story with you to encourage you to do something to reach the lost! Even if you are too shy to talk to people, you may be able give out tracts, and God may use your efforts to reach someone who could end up preaching the gospel to thousands more! You can never know what God will do if you'll just be faithful! Just sow the gospel seed and water it often, then trust God to bring the increase in His own timing -even if it takes years and you never see the increase with your own eyes!

Soli Deo Gloria!

Was the Crucifixion a Disappointment?

I recently read a comment on a family member's Myspace blog. It was posted by an agnostic, who recommended for her to tell Christians that they are "the biggest disappointment since the Crucifixion". At first, I was insulted! I even felt tempted to lash out and respond in anger (and that was the intended effect the agnostic desired), but I decided it best to turn the other cheek and think about why he made such a horrible statement.

Obviously his remark was brought forth from his sinful, God hating, heart. It is only natural for fallen humans to hate their Creator, as well as those who remind them of their sinful condition.

Despite all that, I couldn't help thinking that perhaps maybe Christians have actually helped him formulate the idea that Jesus' death on the cross was a failure. Honestly, the way I hear Jesus' sacrifice presented by some modern Evangelicals, it does make it seem like the death of Jesus was a terrible disappointment!

Today's gospel message is not that of the Lord Jesus. It's not that of the Apostles and Prophets of the Bible. It's not even the Gospel of the great Reformers of church history. Their preaching was along the lines of "repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!", not "God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life!". They weren't ashamed of the Cross. They weren't ashamed of the Blood. No, they preached and taught that Jesus' death on Calvary's Cross was the full payment for an infinite sin debt that no sinner could ever pay.

They preached a Sovereign God, who's hand was mighty to save, not an impotent old man in the clouds, who has good intentions, but who's hand was ultimately bound by the perverted "freewill" of man. The Cross they preached was a cross that actually redeemed the sheep, and purchased the Church, not some hypothetical, theoretical, sacrifice that was powerless to redeem anyone. It wasn't a "let go and let God" gospel that they preached! The God they preached ruled and reigned. The plan of Salvation was God's plan from the foundation of the world, not some afterthought that God devised after Adam surprised Him by sinning in the garden.

The modern "easy believe-ism", seeker friendly non-gospel and it's "cross" is a disappointment. Taken to its logical conclusion, the modern gospel will lead the agnostic (and everyone else) to actually believe is that God is not sovereign at all. I suspect the modern gospel is a stench to the nostrils of God. I say we should do away with preaching "please accept Jesus". That's putting the shoe on the wrong foot! We ought to be warning the sinners that their biggest concern is that they will never be accepted by God unless they repent and trust in Christ!

After previewing the first draft of this Rant, my pastor pointed out something I overlooked: the fact that the idea of Jesus' crucifixion being a failure is not a new idea. That line of thinking been around since Jesus walked the Earth. Crucifixion was a shameful death. The one who suffered such a death would be considered "accursed of God" by the Jews (Deuteronomy 21:23). The Scripture itself even tells us that the preaching of the Cross to the Jews is a stumblingblock, and to the Greek and those who perish it is foolishness (cf. 1 Corinthians 1 :18-28). Indeed, His death on the Cross must have been seen as a disappointing failure to all the Jewish zealots who looked for a Messiah to lead Israel in battle against the Romans.

Though agnostics and skeptics still consider Jesus' death on the Cross to be a failure, and while the modern semi-Pelagian gospel may only add fuel to the skeptic's fire; Christians ought to realize that His death was actually a triumph! Because He died, we will live! It was an actual payment for our sins and it purchased our redemption! Through Christ we shall be victorious! Please consider the following quotes that deal with the Cross, the Atonement, Election, God's sovereignty and salvation. Take note how what I've quoted differs with the messages some are preaching today:

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence;" - Paul the Apostle (Ephesians 1:3-8 )

"But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby" -Paul the Apostle (Ephesians 2: 13-16)

"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. And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands;" -Heavenly vision of John the Apostle (Revelation 5:9-11)

"Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors." -Isaiah the Prophet (Isa 53:10-12)

"Some preachers and professors affect to believe in a redemption which I must candidly confess I do not understand; it is so indistinct and indefinite—a redemption which does not redeem anybody in particular, though it is alleged to redeem everybody in general; a redemption insufficient to exempt thousands of unhappy souls from hell after they have been redeemed by the blood of Jesus; a redemption, indeed, which does not actually save anybody, because it is dependent for its efficacy upon the will of the creature; a redemption that lacks intrinsic virtue and inherent power to redeem anybody, but is entirely dependent upon an extraneous contingency to render it effectual". - C. H. Spurgeon (3532.476)

"The Lord God omnipotent reigneth. His government is exercised over inanimate matter, over the brute beasts, over the children of men, over angels good and evil, and over Satan himself. No revolving world, so shining star, no storm, no creature moves, no actions of men, no errands of angels, no deeds of Devil -- nothing in all the vast universe can come to pass otherwise than God has eternally purposed. -A.W. Pink (from his book The Sovereignty of God)

"and unto the Greeks foolishness; as that the Son of God should be crucified; that riches should come through his poverty, and men be brought to a kingdom and glory through one so mean and abject; that there should be life for men in his death, and salvation through his crucifixion, or the shameful death of the cross; that blessings should come through his being made a curse; and that his death should be an expiatory sacrifice for the sins of men; and that justification should be by one that was condemned; and peace and pardon should be by his blood; and that he should be raised again from the dead." -John Gill

"God's justice stands forever against the sinner in utter severity. The vague and tenuous hope that God is too kind to punish the ungodly has become a deadly opiate for the consciences of millions. It hushes their fears and allows them to practice all pleasant forms of iniquity while death draws ever nearer and the command to repent goes unregarded. As responsible moral beings, we dare not so trifle with our eternal future." -A. W. Tozer (The Knowledge of the Holy)

"Christ's sacrifice has purchased and provided for the effectual calling of the elect, with all the graces which insure their faith, repentance, justification, perseverance, and glorification." -R.L. Dabney (Theologian, Southern Presbyterian, and chaplain, chief of staff, and biographer to General "Stonewall" Jackson).

Take the Freewill Challenge

Take the Freewill Challenge!

There is no disputing that both saved and unsaved people have a Will to make choices. I don't think a single Reformed Christian would dispute that. We all make choices everyday. What clothes to wear, what food to eat, there's no doubt life is full of choices. The point of contention between some Christians usually arises when the discussion turns to just how much the sinner's Will plays in the conversion experience.

In some theological systems, the will of man is elevated to an almost idolatrous level! I have heard many good sermons go terribly wrong when the preacher interjects humanistic theology by declaring, "God always respects man's freewill to chose or reject Him" or "God has given man a Freewill to choose or reject Him". Once upon a time, statements like I just quoted, sounded like good preaching, but not anymore! There has been a radical shift in my theology. A few years ago, I learned that is only by God's effectual Grace, working in a lost sinner's heart, that a man's fallen Will is then liberated so that he can then freely chose to Repent and follow Christ!

I realize what I have just written flies in the face of popular Evangelical theology. Some will even label me a heretic for such theology, but that's okay with me. The fact is, had God not granted us the desire and faith to be saved, we would have never chosen to be saved on our own! Ephesians 2 tells us that a sinner is DEAD in trespasses and sins. This illustrates to us the dire situation of the sinner. A sinner has no power to save himself apart from the working of God in his soul. Charles Spurgeon once said, "When we shall see the dead rise from the grave by their own power, then may we expect to see ungodly sinners of their own free will turning to Christ".

In his book The Sovereignty of God, A. W. Pink wrote, "What is the Will? We answer, the will is the faculty of choice, the immediate cause of all action. Choice necessarily implies the refusal of the one thing and the acceptance of another. The positive and the negative must both be present to the mind before there can be any choice. In every act of the will there is a preference - the desiring of one thing rather than another". You see, the Will of man is not autonomous or uninfluenced by outside pressures. The will chooses that which the heart of a man truly desires. Sinners reject Christ because their Will is bound to sin.

Some will still dispute my position. Some will still contend that it's a "Freewill Choice" that makes all the difference in someone being saved, yet in Romans 9:16 (ESV) the Scripture plainly tells us that God's mercy in Salvation "depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy". In John 1:12 (ESV) the Bible tells us that those who are children of God "were born, not of the blood nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God". How much more plain can that be? The Word of God plainly states that man's Freewill is not the central hinge upon what Salvation hangs! Why then do preachers and theologians teach the total opposite and rob God of His rightful position as the Sovereign God of the Universe who alone changes the hearts of evil men?

Reformed Christians have often been slandered by people who teach that we believe God, "turns away sinners who want to be saved, and forces others into the Kingdom against their Will". This is totally false. I believe all Calvinists would affirm that God will save ALL who come to Him through Christ Jesus. We believe that "whosoever believes will be saved". The difference is that we understand that the "whosoevers" will never WILLINGLY believe or come to God, unless God first liberates their fallen Wills, so that they can then freely choose to believe and serve Him. Remember, God has already commanded all sinners to repent! Every man has been commanded to come to Christ, but fallen man lacks moral ability to do so!

In conclusion, the title of my Rant is "Take the Freewill Challenge" and that's exactly what I want you to do --especially if you totally disagree with my theological postion! I want Christians to see that "Freewill" is not as wonderful as some people teach. So with that in mind, I want you to exercise your Freewill and CHOOSE, for the next 12 days, to not sin in word, in deed, or in thought. I want you to use your Freewill to love God with ALL your HEART, MIND, SOUL, and MIGHT (and love thy neighbor as thyself) every second of everyday! "Will" yourself to be "perfect even as your Father in Heaven is perfect"!

In this challange I am including sins of commission as well as sins of omission! If the Will is totally free from all outside influence and is totally autonomous as some people teach, this ought to be a problem at all! You must simply exercise your Will and CHOOSE to do it!

Semper Reformada!

A Tale of Two Converts

In this article I will try to illustrate something that I believe is a common mistake within churches today. Though my story is fiction, it is based on observations I have made and situations I have seen. In setting this up, I need you to use your imagination for a few minutes and let me take you to a imaginary town in the "Bible Belt" of the Southeastern United States. In our small imaginary town there are two churches. One is called the Antinomian* Fellowship Church and the other is called the Arminian* Fellowhip Church.

On a certain Sunday, each of the churches had wonderful services. The two pastors delivered glossy sermons on how God loves sinners and has a wonderful plan for their lives. The preachers make clear that this offer is for all who will simply believe in Jesus Christ. In each of the services, as the invitation is given, a young man approaches the front and prays the "Sinner's Prayer".

Needless to say, both of these churches are happy to have a new convert and within weeks each new convert is baptized and becomes a member of their respective churches. Both the Arminian Fellowship and the Antinomian Fellowship do all they can to nuture and instruct their new converts. All seems to be going well at first. The two converts attend their respective church services regularly, begin paying tithes, and are very helpful around the church. However, after a while, some things start to change! The two stop attending church, stop fellowshiping with other believers, and before long they are both living in outright sin! The two young men eventually renounce Christ and claim their time as Christians was "just a phase" they went through!

When the pastor of the Antinomian Fellowship Church is asked by his members about what became of the convert that left the church, he reassures them that the young man is still saved and on his way to Heaven because God remains faithful to His promises even when man does not. When the pastor of the Arminian Fellowship Church is asked the same questions about the young man who left their church, he warns the church members that the young man has probably lost his salvation and needs to repent and return to the fold if he is to ever expect to make Heaven his home.

Now back to reality for a few minutes... This scenario is not uncommon in todays church world. However, the question must be asked: Which of the pastors in the story above is correct? Did the one fellow from the Arminian Church backslide, renounce Christ, and lose his salvation? Is the other fellow from the Antinomian Church still saved in spite of his backsliding and renouncing of Christ? Obviously both pastors cannot be correct! It is not an option to accept such contradiction. What if there's something both the pastors in my story fail to understand?

I propose that both the Arminian view and the Antinomian view do not take in account one very vital thing: False Conversion! What the pastors in my story miss is this: Every person who "walks the isle" and prays the "sinner's prayer" may NOT actually be Born Again! Sometimes there are false conversions. Often these false conversions are wrought of the flesh and by the manipulation of silver tongued preachers, and not by the power of the Holy Spirit! There is no change of heart (or Regeneration) in the sinner and therefore no genuine faith or repentance. There has been no change! The "converts" in my story were never "new creatures in Christ"!!

A hog returns to the mud because he's just a hog! It is his nature to wallow in the mud. Unless a hog (the sinner) is changed in his inner most being by the power of God, he will return to the mud (the life of sin) at some point. Only "new creatures in Christ" will endure to the end! Therefore the Antinomian pastor is in error for proclaiming his former member is still saved and going to Heaven -thus giving the backslider and the church false assurance. At the same time, the Arminian pastor -while correct in assuming the person is not saved- also errs in saying the fellow was truly saved to begin with! In this situatuion the theological positions of both the pastors leave no room for what really happened in this case. Both pastors failed to discern the Bible's teaching on false conversion!

You see, the fact of the matter is that when we harvest souls there will always be some tares mixed in with the wheat. The tares may look much like the wheat at first, but they will never yield any true fruit. Many of our Lord's parables illustrate true and false conversion though I think many miss this vital teaching. In Matthew 13, the Lord Jesus illustrates true and false conversion very clearly in the Parable of the Sower. In this parable, there are 4 types of ground. All the various "ground" except the "good ground" represents false conversion. This is proven by the fact that none but the good ground ever yielded fruit! All the rest "fell away" because nothing genuine happened within their souls. The ground of their hearts had not been properly prepared to receieve the seed!

I agree with Evangelist Ray Comfort when he teaches that one of the failures of the modern church and reasons for the high "fall away rate" in churches, is due to the fact very few actually preach the high and holy standards of God's moral law. The majority of churches today may preach "the good news", but they leave out the reason why the good news is so good: that's because we have all sinned against a Holy God and deserve nothing but Hell! All humanity has broken His moral law and we are unfit for Heaven. Unless we repent of our sins and truly believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, we shall not enter the Kingdom of Heaven! A proper understanding of this truth will help a person see what makes the Gospel such "good news"!

Many of today's churches and preachers are too worried about offending people with preaching God's Word. Sermons are being watered down or turned into some sort of self help psycho-babble. The sinfulness of man and his need for salvation is replaced by messages about prosperity, finding "purpose in life", or how to have "your best life now". Preaching the whole council of God is frowned upon and deemed to be old-fashioned by the modern pulpiteer. The aim of the modern sermon to create a "warm fuzzy" feeling and maybe a "decision for Christ" instead of repentance unto Life!

For a great handling of this topic, please visit the link below and listen to the message "Hell's Best Kept Secret". May God bless you and empower you as you do!

http://www.livingwaters.com/learn/hellsbestkeptsecret.htm

-Rhett

footnotes:

* Antinomianism- also known as "No Lordship theology"- is the belief that Jesus can be a person's Savior and not Lord. Antinomians often teach that Christians who are saved by Grace are under no obligation to observe the moral laws of God. Antinomians usually teach a twisted version of Perseverance that allows a "convert" to go on living in gross sin or even denying Christ without fear of Hell. This theology in effect makes Grace a licence to sin. Charles Stanley of In Touch Ministries is a good example of an Antinomian. His book "Eternal Security" is full of Antinomian teachings.

* Arminian Christians often affirm genuine God wrought Salvation can be lost through disobedience on the part of the believer.