1st Corinthians 15:1-4, “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.”
Without a doubt, the most important truth set forth by my website ministry
is the clarity and simplicity of the Gospel, “the simplicity that is in
Christ” (2nd Corinthians 11:3b). 1st Corinthians 9:16b, “yea, woe is
unto me, if I preach not the gospel!” We all have a responsibility as
Christian believers to share the Gospel with the lost. 2nd Corinthians
4:3, “But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost.”
Pastor Ralph Yankee Arnold makes the following very true statement...
“There is power in this Gospel message. Most people just don't know how to present it... The clarity of the Gospel is what makes it easy for them to believe.” —Pastor Yankee Arnold, a quote from the excellent MP3 sermon titled, “WHY GRACE CAN SAVE THE WORST MAN!”
A question that I am often asked by web visitors is how to witness to various religious groups. A sincere man recently asked how to witness to a member of the Church of Christ cult. Another dear man asked me how to effectively witness to a member of the Roman Catholic cult. The answer is always the same, simply give them “THE GOSPEL.” The Scripture tells us that “THE GOSPEL” is the “POWER OF GOD UNTO SALVATION” to them that believe. Romans 1:16, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.” A person is saved by the power of the Gospel. There is power in the Gospel message. Most people just don't know how to present it. Nearly all of the poorly written religious tracts being sold through the internet, which appear in 95% of Baptist churches today, horribly obscure the Gospel, so that no one could ever get saved by reading such garbage!
Here is the Gospel (or, Good News): God says that we are sinners and that no amount of good works or behavioral changes on our part could ever make us holy enough to enter into Heaven. God sent His only begotten Son to be crucified on the cross to pay for our sins. Jesus paid a debt that He did not owe, because we owed a debt of sin that we could not pay. 2nd Corinthians 5:21, “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” Jesus paid for our crimes by dying on the cross for us all. His dead body was buried in a grave. On the third day, Jesus raised up bodily from the dead.
The instant you believe this, God knows it and He saves you. John 6:47, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.” The free gift (Romans 5:15) is based solely upon your trust in what Jesus did for you, and has absolutely nothing to do with what you do for Him. 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.” It is that simple my friend to be saved. ...
“He [God] did everything, so that you would have to do nothing, except receive it as a free gift! And God says, 'I love you so much that I gave My Son to pay for your sins. Will you believe it? And if you will (believe/trust, used interchangeably in the Bible), will you simply believe that Jesus Christ died for you? And God says, 'If you'll do that, I'll promise you on the authority of My Word, that you'll never perish, but you'll have everlasting life!'” —Pastor Max D. Younce, a quote from the Bible study titled, “SO GREAT SALVATION,” Part 7.
We Are Saved By God's Imputed Righteousness, Not Our Own Human Effort
The
Bible teaches that we are saved by GOD'S RIGHTEOUSNESS through faith which
is in Christ, and not by our OWN RIGHTEOUSNESS. This is what most religious
people fail to understand. Philippians 3:9, “And be found in him,
not having mine own righteousness, which is of the
law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the
righteousness which is of God by faith.” There's a fine line
between foolishness and faith, between damnation and salvation.
Colossians 1:20, “And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.” Jesus doesn't forgive sin. That is correct! Jesus has already paid for everyone's sins with His precious blood. Therefore, forgiveness of sins (which includes eternal life) is a free gift, paid for in full by the sacrifice of the Lamb of God on the cross. Jesus died on the cross as our sacrificial LAMB, and He raised up victoriously three days later as our intercessory HIGH PRIEST. Hebrews 4:14-15a, “Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God.” Dr. John MacArthur errantly denies that Jesus' liquid blood is sprinkled on the heavenly Mercy Seat. I have MacArthur's Bible commentary right in front of me, which horribly treads underfoot the blood of Jesus as an unholy thing (q.v., Hebrews 9:12-24). Romans 8:34, “Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.” What a blessed Savior!
1st
Corinthians 1:21, “For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom
knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching
to save them that believe.” Repeatedly
throughout the Holy Bible we are taught that the way to be saved is to
BELIEVE UPON THE LORD. To this gave all the prophets witness. Acts 10:43,
“To him [Christ] give all the prophets witness, that through his name
whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission
of sins.” Amen!
Yet, in lieu of such a simplistic way of salvation, men complicate God's plan of redemption, adding works to faith. Adam tried, but failed, to atone for the sins of him and his wife, by sewing fig-leaves together to cover their nakedness. God rejected Adam's fig-leaf religion. Cain also tried, but failed, to please God with the best grain that his fields could produce. God cannot be impressed with human effort. God cannot be bought off! The only thing that pleases God is faith in the blood of His precious Son! That's why God killed an innocent animal, shedding its blood, to provide skins for Adam and Eve. Those skins of clothing pictured the imputed righteousness of God, which is required if any man ever hopes to enter into the gates of Heaven. You need GOD'S RIGHTEOUSNESS. Matthew 6:33, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”
Romans 10:3-4, “For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.” Notice once again that we all need the RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD to be saved. That is exactly what Romans 10:3-4 teaches. Ninety-nine percent of the world's religions are going about to ESTABLISH THEIR OWN RIGHTEOUSNESS by human effort. There are two religions in the world: One says to DO AND LIVE, the other says to LIVE AND DO. Christianity promises eternal life to sinners who trust in Christ, and then God commands us to do good works because we are saved. This means to LIVE AND DO!
In sharp contrast, the Devil's religions all
teach people to do good works to be saved, and then if they are faithful,
God will let them enter into Heaven someday.
This is what Seventh-day
Adventists and Roman Catholics teach. The former is salvation, the
latter is damnation. True salvation requires no human effort, nor is any
permitted. Salvation is of the Lord (Jonah 2:9). Man in his arrogance
and sinful pride tries to please God in the flesh. This was the dire mistake
of the sincere religious group in Matthew 7:21-23, “Not every one that
saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he
that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in
that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name
have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then
will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from
me, ye that work iniquity.” They foolishly had lived the
Christian life without ever being born-again!!!
Christ is the End of the LAW, Once We've Been Brought to GRACE
God
is not impressed with your many wonderful works, nor that you spend your
life preaching in the name of Jesus. You had better SUBMIT TO GOD'S
RIGHTEOUSNESS, for Christ is the end of the law to them that believe. What
does that mean in Romans 10:4? It means this: The main purpose of God's LAW
(about 720 commandments in the Old Testament) is to shew mankind our
sinfulness. Romans 3:20b, “for by the law is the knowledge of sin.”
God does this so that we will all see our desperate need for the dear
Savior. Galatians 3:24-26, “Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster
to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. For ye
are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.”
Here we learn what is meant by Christ being “THE END OF THE LAW.” Once we have been brought to Christ to be saved by God's GRACE through faith in Christ, the law has already done its job and is no longer needed, as far as salvation is concerned. The believer is no longer under the curse of the law as are ALL unsaved people. Every born-again believer is under GRACE. This is why we read in Romans 5:20b, “But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound.” The Christian believer who sins (and we all do), falls IN GRACE, never FROM GRACE!!! The precious blood of Jesus Christ washes away the toughest stains of sin in our lives. That is the wondrous grace of God my friend!
Of course, this does not exempt believers from
keeping the law to please God in our Christian walk. Romans 3:31, “Do we
then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the
law.” To the unsaved Seventh-day Adventist, the law is a means to
salvation; but to the born-again Christian, Christ was the end of the law at
the time of salvation. We are not under bondage as Christians, but liberated
by the Spirit of God, through the grace that is in Christ Jesus. Although we
ought to keep the law to the best of our ability, by yielding to the Holy
Spirit by Whom we are indwelt as believers, we are not required to do so to
earn, seal, validate, prove nor complete our salvation. My salvation rests
completely in what Christ has already done to redeem me.
3,000 Souls Were Saved in Acts 2:41, With No Probation Period to Prove it
I
know a soul-winning Christian lady, who not too long ago testified at her
church on a Sunday morning, that she had won three people to work that week
at her workplace. The shameful pastor gently scolded her publicly, saying
that we really won't know if they are saved, until we watch them over time
to see if their life shows it. My friend, that is the satanic garbage
theology of Evangelists' Ray Comfort, Paul Washer, David Cloud and Pastor
John MacArthur, poisoning the minds of people worldwide over the internet.
If a person professes faith in the Gospel, apart from all human effort, we
ought to assume they are saved, which is the Biblical thing to do. It is
sinfully wrong to deny someone the assurance of salvation until they “prove
it” by works. That is so ungodly that I cannot even find the words to
describe how wicked it really is. Eternal life is a gift (Romans 6:23).
Acts 2:38 and 41, “Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. ... Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.”
The Bible says in Acts 2:41 that 3,000 souls were saved in one day, simply by gladly receiving the Gospel message by faith. Interviews were not given. People were not monitored for months to come. No one was interrogated. No one was asked if they had intentions of forsaking sinful bad habits. Please understand that the Bible is very easy to misinterpret if you don't study it carefully. Due to the European and American emphasis on religion, people automatically associate every mention of “baptism” in the Bible with water baptism, but this is often not the case in the Bible. For example: Acts 2:38 is not speaking about water baptism. It plainly says to be baptized (i.e., immersed) “every one of you in THE NAME OF Jesus Christ.” This is what Acts 10:43 says, “To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.” It would be wrong to base a doctrine solely upon one passage of Scripture, which is how many false teachings are started. To correctly discern spiritual truth, we must compare a suggested interpretation of a single Scripture passage, with the entire counsel of God. If a suggested interpretation of a Bible passage agrees with the whole Bible, then we know we have found the proper meaning.
For anyone to suggest that Acts 2:38 is
requiring water baptism for salvation, would disagree with the entire Bible.
John 1:33, “And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with
water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit
descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which
baptizeth with the Holy Ghost.” Clearly, Jesus came baptizing
people with the Holy Ghost, that is, being born anew by the Holy Spirit.
John 1:12, “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the
sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which
were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of
man, but of God.” Romans 8:14, “For as many as are led by the
Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.” Hence, the 3,000 souls saved
in Acts 2:41 were immersed in the name of Jesus by faith, having changed
their minds (repented) toward God unto the Gospel itself, who were
born-again by the Holy Spirit of God. The gift they received was the
indwelling of the Holy Spirit. John 14:17, “Even the Spirit of truth;
whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth
him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.”
Did you read that? ... THE WORLD SEETH HIM NOT!
Many Baptist Churches Have Been Corrupted By Satan
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HOW THEY PRAYED George Whitefield, the famous English evangelist, said, “O Lord give me souls, or take my soul!” Henry Martyn, a missionary, cried as he knelt on India's coral strands, “Here let me burn out for God!” David Brainerd, missionary to the North American Indians 1718-1747, declared, “Lord, to Thee I dedicate myself. Oh, accept of me, and let me be Thine forever. Lord, I desire nothing else; I desire nothing more.” The last words in his diary, written seven days before he died, “Oh, come, Lord Jesus, come quickly. Amen.” Thomas a Kempis, 1379-1471, said, “Give what Thou wilt and how much Thou wilt, and when Thou wilt. Set me where Thou wilt and deal with me in things as Thou wilt.” Dwight L. Moody implored, “Use me then, My Saviour, for whatever purpose and in whatever way Thou mayest require. Here is my poor heart, an empty vessel; fill it with Thy grace.” John McKenzie prayed thus when as a young missionary candidate he knelt on the banks of the Lossie: “O Lord, send me to the darkest spot on earth!” “Praying Hyde,” a missionary in India, pleaded, “Father, give me these souls, or I die.” Mrs. Comstock, a missionary in India, uttered this prayer of parting when she sent her children home, “Lord Jesus, I do this for Thee.” |
The world's churches are filled with faithful religiosities, unsaved reprobates, who have never been born-again, and do not see or know the Holy Spirit. I have visited numerous Roman Catholic churches and they were all spiritually dead, but very religious. The presence of the Holy Spirit was not there, except in me. Oh, how Satan blinds the masses from the clarity and simplicity of the Gospel, “lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them” (2nd Corinthians 4:4).
There is a very real and big problem in many
Baptist churches today, which is that the Gospel is being obscured by poorly
written tracts, and pastors are dropping the ball theologically (teaching a
false Gospel of partial faith in Christ plus works). Many churches have been
corrupted with the heresies of John
Calvin (1509-1564), which teach that salvation necessitates a life of
perseverance in holy living. This is exactly what
Paul Washer teaches.
They scoff at the very idea of someone getting born-again in an instant and
writing the date, time and place they were saved in back of their Bible. But
my friend, that is 100% Biblical, that is, that you can be born-again in an
instant and know that you have gone from darkness unto life. Salvation is
not a process, it is a new birth.
The Offence of the Cross
Beware of any Baptist church that uses any Bible other than the King James Bible, because all of the modern Alexandrian Bible versions pervert the Gospel horribly. For example: Look what the popular Easy-To-Read Version (ERV) does to change Mark 1:15 into a lie of the Devil requiring a change of life to be saved. Folks, the Alexandrian Bible versions substitute behavior modification in place of repentance! Effectively this corrupts the Gospel, adding keeping the works of the law to faith. If you have to turn away from former sinful ways to be saved, then keeping the deeds of law are necessary to be saved. Romans 3:20, “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.” Romans 4:5, “But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.”
Religion is a dangerous thing and always has been. Religion wants to fit us with glasses, but the Lord wants to open our eyes! YE MUST BE BORN AGAIN!!! That is what John 3:7 teaches, straight from the Word of God. John 3:7, “Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.” John 3:3, “Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” It is rare to here anybody talking on religious radio nowadays about being born-again, because the term is offense to people. It is too truthful for many religious people. The same goes for mentioning the blood of Jesus by which we have been redeemed. The term is too truthful for most religious people.
No wonder the Bible calls the Gospel an “offensive” thing to the lost. Galatians 5:11, “And I, brethren, if I yet preach circumcision, why do I yet suffer persecution? then is the offence of the cross ceased.” The preaching of the cross is offensive (foolishness) to “THEM THAT PERISH” (1st Corinthians 1:18-21). Any mention of works being necessary to be saved pacifies the pride of the unsaved man. A Gospel that rests completely in God's righteousness through faith in Christ alone, offends the proud unsaved person. The apostle Paul said to the Galatians that if he allowed circumcision to be added to the Gospel, then the OFFENCE of the preaching of the cross would cease. You see, the Gospel is only offensive if it is preached correctly, with clarity and simplicity. Do you know why the King James Bible is so offensive to people? It is because the King James Bible is uncompromisingly bold, unapologetically direct and brutally tells THE TRUTH!!!!!!!
In sharp contrast, the modern Bible versions are so confusing, ambiguous, inconsistent and corrupt, that the Gospel has been obscured. Only a wicked retard would defend such ungodliness!!! If you love Jesus Christ, Whose name is the Word of God (Revelation 19:13), then you must also love the King James Bible, which uplifts, honors and respects Him as He deserves. The modern Bible PERversions attack Christ's deity, remove the Godhead, and turn the Bible into a religious book instead of God's authoritative Word!!!
If the Gospel is preached correctly, one of two things will ALWAYS happen: 1) People will get saved, or 2) People will become angry at you. Everywhere that the early Christians went in the book of Acts, preaching the Gospel message, either revival or riot broke out! Now if you preach a perverted Gospel, then Satan will leave you alone. Even heavy metal Satanist singer, Ozzy Osbourne, wears a cross necklace. The symbol of the cross doesn't offend the world. It's the preaching of the cross that offends them. 1st Corinthians 1:18, “For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.”
There
is no mention of “repenting from sins.” No where does the Bible tells us to
“turn from sin” to be saved. But repeatedly we are told to believe to be
saved. John 6:28-29, “Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we
might work the works of God? Jesus answered and said unto them,
This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath
sent.” 
