First, what is the RIGHT GOSPEL MINDSET? It is simply this—I am a SINNER and
Jesus is the SAVIOR! I am a guilty sinner (Romans 3:19). As such, I am also a
needy sinner (Galatians 3:24-26). I need a SAVIOR!!! Jesus died on the cross to
pay for my sins. He was buried. Three days later, Jesus physically resurrected
from the dead. That is “The Gospel” (or “Good News”) according to 1st
Corinthians 15:1-4. I am saved simply by receiving Christ's sacrifice on the
cross as payment for my sins, believing that He raised up from the dead. If
Jesus were still dead, then He couldn't save anybody! The Gospel mindset is
simply that I am trusting completely in what Jesus did for me through the cross,
and not anything in the least way that I need to do for Him!Having said that, now let me show you the WRONG GOSPEL MINDSET, which is not the Gospel at all. I was really disturbed the other day, as I listened to Dr. Steve Pettit teach 2,700 students at Bob Jones University, another gospel of Lordship Salvation. It was creepy! The sermon preached in chapel on January 26, 2015 is titled: “What Does It Mean To Run The Race?” (MP3, 'The Daily Platform,' Dr. Steve Pettit). Evangelist Steve Pettit is the new president of Bob Jones University (since 2014). Pettit heretically teaches that “THE RACE” we run as Christians is necessary for salvation. That is NOT the imputed righteousness of God which is by faith!
Mr. Pettit goes on to teach that a person MUST start, run and faithfully finish 'The Race' to merit the “AWARD” of Heaven. Folks, eternal life is a “free gift” (Romans 5:15, 16 and 18), not an award. He teaches that this race is “HARD,” and that one must “PERSEVERE” to obtain the “AWARD” (those are all his heretical terms)...“'The race' is a description of the whole of the Christian life of faith.” —Dr. Steve Pettit (“What Does It Mean To Run 'The Race'?” - 4:26)
“We run the race, we cross the finish line, and so what’s the prize? What is the award? Well, there are different viewpoints. Some would have the viewpoint that the awards are crowns in Heaven. But as I read the book of Hebrews and see the whole gist of the book and the flow of the book, I don’t believe its referring to crowns in Heaven. I think it is referring to Heaven itself.” [emphasis added] —Dr. Steve Pettit (“What Does It Mean To Run 'The Race'?” - 22:57)
That is not the righteousness which is of God by faith. Steve Pettit is a religious conman, who has never been born-again. He has a totally wrong corrupted mindset toward the Gospel, which cannot produce the new birth.
Dr. Pettit further heretically teaches:
“So not only does it have a start, but 'The Race' has to be run! It starts with faith, but it continues with faithfulness. You start the race with the purpose of finishing the race. Nobody starts the race, so that they can quit half-way through. When you start in faith, you need to run and finish in faith. However, let me also remind you, that this race is HARD. Is a race not hard? Is it not difficult to get out and run?” —Dr. Steve Pettit (“What Does It Mean To Run 'The Race'?” - 6:34)Where does the Bible teach that getting saved is HARD? You'll only find that garbage in the corrupt modern Bible perversions, but not in the inspired King James Bible! By the way, check out Matthew 7:13-14 in the King James Bible versus the damnable English Standard Version (ESV) that Bob Jones University officially sanctions, uses and sells...
KING JAMES BIBLE (KJB) - Matthew 7:13-14, “Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.”
ENGLISH STANDARD VERSION (ESV) - Matthew 7:13-14, “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life and those who find it are few.”
No wonder Steve Petit is corrupted in his theology! I hate these new damned Bible revisions that pervert theology!!! Mr. Pettit is literally saying that the AWARD for running 'The Race' is salvation!!! Folks, eternal life is not an “AWARD,” it is a free gift! Are you getting this? What a demonic heretic!!! Salvation is a “free gift” (Romans 5:15), which does NOT require living a faithful life to secure!!! Steve Pettit is a reprobate in the pulpit, an unsaved heretic, a theological liar!!!
Dr. Pettit further makes a heretic out of himself, saying blasphemously against the truth of God's Word...
“You can't just speak about getting saved, and you accepted Christ, and then that's it! There is a justification; There is a sanctification; There's ultimately a glorification, and though there are three parts, they are all part of the whole, and you cannot separate them. In order for you to qualify for the award, you have to get into the race, you have to stay in the race, and you have to finish the race. If you want to win, you have to run to the end; and winning in the Christian life is everything, because if you lose—if you don't finish—you lose everything—you lose your SOUL. And so, the Christian race is the life of faith that begins, is run, and is finished when we cross over into Heaven!” —Dr. Steve Pettit (“What Does It Mean To Run 'The Race'?” - 11:34)
GET THEE BEHIND ME SATAN!!! I sure can speak about getting saved, and accepting Christ, and then THAT'S IT!!! I was born-again at age 13, and it is a DONE DEAL!!! I am forever safe and secure in the Father's hands. John 10:28-29, “And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.” Once saved always saved! Steve Pettit doesn't believe that! He'll say that he does, but he means something completely different, like Seventh-Day Adventists do! In Mr. Pettit's unbiblical mindset, faith is the mere beginning of life's journey to Heaven, and if you fail to follow through to faithfully run 'The Race,' you lose your soul! That is absolutely NOT the right Gospel mindset; it is a damnable false mindset of Lordship Salvation (i.e., Calvinism). Calvinism is not the Gospel; it is not an alternative viewpoint held by some Christians, it is a Satanic false religion!!!
The following teaching by Steve Pettit is junk theology...
“For the real reality of the genuineness of your faith is that you are faithful to run the race!” —Dr. Steve Pettit (“What Does It Mean To Run 'The Race'?” - 22:44)
Calvinists will deceitfully say you're not saved by works, but if you don't
have works you're not saved. How is that a free gift? Somehow in Steve Pettit's
garbage theology he lost sight of the concept of eternal life being the gift of
God. Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is
eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” A “gift” does not require a
believer to RUN THE RACE to earn the AWARD of HEAVEN!!! That is another gospel,
strange doctrine, false teaching! Steve Pettit is teaching doctrines of devils,
and Bob Jones University is a cult!!!
Are You In Your Right Gospel Mind?
Kindly
said, Dr. Pettit is out of his right mind concerning the Gospel. He is thinking
all wrong, and is not saved! The truly born-again believer has the sweet peace that all is okay no matter
what, because my total trust is in Jesus' righteousness by faith alone! I
couldn't save my self, and I surely cannot keep myself saved. I wasn't saved by
good works, and I am not kept saved by good works, nor am I lost by bad works.
WORKS (whether good, bad or dead) have absolutely NOTHING to do with salvation. Steve Pettit gets it wrong on
multiple counts, perverting the Gospel of free grace. Galatians 1:6-9 warns of
the seriousness of perverting the Gospel, pronouncing a curse on any man (or
even angel) that does!!! Galatians 1:6-7, “I marvel that ye are so soon
removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:
Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the
gospel of Christ.”
In Acts 15:1 we see the Gospel was perverted by a group of men, “And certain men which came down from Judaea taught the brethren, and said, Except ye be circumcised after the manner of Moses, ye cannot be saved.” That is exactly what Steve Pettit is doing, ADDING to grace. He says you “MUST PERSEVERE” in holiness, ministry and service to others to earn the “AWARD” of Heaven. Dr. Pettit foolishly teaches:
“God's people HAVE TO continue in the faith! They MUST PERSEVERE, because perseverance is the testimony of the reality of your faith!” [emphasis added] —Dr. Steve Pettit (“What Does It Mean To Run 'The Race'?” - 25:13)
That is NOT the Gospel of free grace. What he is teaching is Calvinism, and it creates uncertainty, fear and worry in a person's mind, continually making sure they don't backslide and miss Heaven. Evangelist Paul Washer teaches this same crap, calling soulwinning Baptists “stupid” for encouraging new converts to write their name, date and place they were saved in their Bible. Paul Washer foolishly states at 2:00 minutes into the following video:
“The evidence that someone is saved is that they continue walking in the narrow way.”
SOURCE: Paul Washer Sermonette
As you can see for yourself. Steve Pettit and Paul Washer both teach the same junk theology. In their faulty mindset, you cannot merely claim to have been born-again on a certain date, and that's that! In their errant thinking, if you fail to continue living the Christian life, all the way to the very end in Heaven, you lose everything!!! That is a damnable counterfeit plan of salvation, which is not the Gospel of free grace. Eternal life is a free gift, which you cannot merit or earn. Nothing more is required than to “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved” (Acts 16:31).
Dr. Pettit says justification, sanctification and glorification are all a package deal, and you cannot separate them, so your faith is insufficient to save if it doesn't follow through to sanctification and glorification. My God, that is straight from the depths of Hell beneath!!! I was honestly surprised to hear him teach this garbage. I knew John MacArthur was an alumni of Bob Jones, but I didn't realize that BJU is a hardcore supporter of John MacArthur's perverted Lordship Salvation theology!!!
It is truly pathetic and sad how many Bible colleges, churches and preachers are getting the Gospel wrong nowadays. If you don't have the mindset that you are saved permanently, because salvation rests 100% completely in the finished redemptive work of Christ, then you are NOT saved! If you think you can lose your salvation, then you DON'T have it! A genuine born-again Christian realizes that salvation is of the Lord, and our part is only to believe. Nothing else is required. If you come to God as a needy sinner, and place your trust in Christ's death on the cross, burial and bodily resurrection, you are saved. That is a one time event! Just as you were born one time into the world PHYSICALLY, so also are you born into God's family in a moment SPIRITUALLY. It is a new birth, not a process. We are born-again, not born again and again and again. No one has ever lost God's gift of eternal life once they possessed it. Once God saves a person by faith alone, He seals that individual with the blessed Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is God's earnest (downpayment) on us, showing that we are His! Ephesians 1:13-14, “In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.”
Are you in your right Gospel mind friend? If you think there is anything you could ever do to lose salvation, it is only because you have a WRONG WAY OF THINKING! A wrong mindset toward the Gospel will prevent you from going to Heaven, as we see in Matthew 7:21-23. I know that nothing in Heaven, earth or Hell could ever cause me to lose, forfeit or risk the gift of eternal life which God has given to me by faith alone. I am saved by HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS (Mathew 6:33), and not by my own corrupt self-righteousness (Isaiah 64:6). 2nd Corinthians 5:21, “For he [God the Father] hath made him [God the Son] to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him [God the Son].”
Jesus paid a debt that He did not owe, because we owed a debt of sin we could not pay!!! JESUS PAID IT ALL!!! As far as redemption is concerned, the only difference between the holiest saint on earth, and the vilest criminal sinner, is the precious blood of Jesus Christ that washes our sins away! The only difference between a saved man and an unsaved man is Jesus Christ! Apart from Jesus' precious blood that He shed for my sins, I have NO RIGHTEOUSNESS to offer God. Steve Pettit is a scary man theologically!!! Halloween came early this year! When anyone comes preaching that to be saved you must faithfully “RUN THE RACE” and “PERSEVERE,” as Steve Pettit is doing, he is preaching ANOTHER GOSPEL!!!
