Romans 3:19-20, “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. 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.”
Dear reader, if the entire Lordship Salvation crowd truly understood the
preceding Bible passage, they'd never tell someone to “turn from your sins”
again to be saved. What does the Bible mean by “the deeds of the law”
in Romans 3:20? Everyone is familiar with the Ten Commandments: thou
shalt not commit adultery, thou shalt not steal, thou shalt not kill, thou
shalt not take the Lord's name in vain, thou shalt not covet, et cetera. The
Word of God says you cannot get to Heaven by keeping those commandments!
So please logic with me here. When a proponent of Lordship Salvation tells a lost sinner that they must forsake a lifestyle of committing adultery, stealing, killing, taking the Lord's name in vain, coveting, et cetera, how is that not “the deeds of the law”?
The religious Jews were stuck on the law in the New Testament. That is what the Epistle of Galatians is all about. They totally missed the purpose of God's law in the Old Testament. They thought God intended for them to keep the law to get to Heaven. That is what the advocates of Lordship Salvation are trying to do! Notice above in our text passage that Romans 3:20 says, “FOR BY THE LAW IS THE KNOWLEDGE OF SIN.” God gave mankind the law to be used as a measuring stick, by which when compared, men fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23; Galatians 3:24-26). The law brings a lost sinner to Jesus Christ, to be saved by grace (Galatians 3:24-26).
Dear friend, you cannot get to Heaven by the deeds of the law. Respectfully, when Pastor Marty Herron tells lost sinners to “repent of your sin” to be saved, he is telling them to do “the deeds of the law” to get to Heaven. When Dr. Steve Pettit and Bob Jones University tell their 2,700 students to “be willing to turn from your sins” to get to Heaven, they are teaching them to do “the deeds of the law.” The inspired King James Bible teaches that eternal life is a “free gift” from God (Romans 5:15-18; 6:23; Ephesians 2:8-9). Jesus paid for it with His precious blood (1st Peter 1:18-19). What Marty Herron, Steve Pettit, John MacArthur, Ray Comfort, Paul Washer, John Piper, Stephen Davey and countless heretics are preaching today is not a free gift.
The apostle Paul loved people and desired for all men to be saved. Since the beginning of humanity, sinful human nature has compelled men to attempt to please God in the flesh, by keeping “the deeds of the law.” Paul says that if you want to get to Heaven by “the deeds of the law,” then you have to perfectly keep them. Romans 2:13, “(For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified.” Paul continues his teaching in Romans chapter 3, by describing the depraved human nature (Romans 3:10-22), concluding in Romans 3:23 that no human being has ever perfectly kept the law, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;” Romans 3:19-20, “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. 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.”
What do you think it means, when you tell a man that he must “turn from his sins” to be justified with God? You are telling him to do “the deeds of the law.” This is so simple folks. You don't need a degree in theology to grasp the simplicity of the Holy Bible. So where in the world did John Calvin (1509-1564) come up with the heretical idea that people must persevere in holiness (“the deeds of the law”) to get to Heaven? Why do millions of foolish preachers follow the heresy of an unsaved man who lived nearly 500 years ago? It is because they are not born-again themselves, and do not understand the grace of God, which comes only by saving faith. Our churches are absolutely filled with this type of junk theology today, that demands you “turn from your sins” to receive the grace of God. They say you cannot qualify to receive God's gift of eternal life unless you first are willing to “turn from your sins.” Cartoon evangelist Jack Chick (1924-2016) taught that religious garbage. I still see his perverted religious tracts in every Baptist church that I go to! Consequently, the Gospel has been embellished so much, especially in the Devil's perverted Bible revisions, that professed Christians no longer see the dangers of Roman Catholicism, Calvinism and false religion.
Read this beautiful passage of Scripture. Romans 3:24-26, “Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: 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; To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.” Do you see anything in there about being willing to turn from your sins to be saved? No, you don't! The Bible speaks of GOD'S RIGHTEOUSNESS, which is given to HIM WHICH BELIEVETH IN JESUS!!! We are saved by faith alone!
