2nd
Corinthians 2:17, “For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of
God:
but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ.”
By David J. Stewart |
January 2015
There is an enemy of soul-winning lurking on the internet named Evangelist
David Cloud. I enjoy reading many of his informative articles, when he's
not bashing Dr. Curtis Hutson and Dr. Jack Hyles.
Pastor Cloud wrongly calls Dr.
Hyles, “The king of shallow soulwinners.” Nothing could be further from the
truth. May I say, I was saved under the influence of Pastor Hyles'
ministry. Over one million sinners walked a church isle to find out how to
be saved in one of Brother Hyles' churches or that of his preacher boys.
Who is David Cloud to condemn all those thousands of preachers and
churches?
Mr. Cloud corrupts the simplicity that is in
Christ. 2nd Corinthians 11:3, “But I fear, lest by any means, as the
serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be
corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.”
What is the simplicity that is in Christ? Why, it simply means that it
is simple to be saved my friend. 1st Thessalonians 4:14, “For
if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also
which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.” And again we read in 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.” God's plan of salvation is very simple—you
receive Christ's payment upon the cross for YOUR SINS, believing
that He was buried and bodily raised up. This is the “Gospel” as defined
in 1st Corinthians 15:1-4.
David Cloud's Unjust Attack Against the 'Sword
of the Lord'
I support the
Sword of the Lord (history)
ministry in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, which Dr. John R. Rice began in 1934.
For whatever it's worth, I'm proud of the Sword of the Lord for taking a
King James Bible only position, and for maintaining the simple plan of
salvation by childlike faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. I highly recommend
them as an excellent source of fundamental books, gifts, sermons, tracts
and church-related needs. In short, I trust them.
On David Cloud's website, “Way of Life
Literature,” he wrongly attacks the Sword of the Lord...
COMMENT BY BROTHER CLOUD: ...The Sword
of the Lord truly has a problem with repentance, and this is not a new
thing. While the founder of the Sword, John R. Rice, taught that
repentance is “a change of mind toward God and toward sin” and “to turn
from your sin” (What Must I Do to Be Saved, 1940), Rice’s successor,
Curtis Hutson, changed the biblical definition of repentance. He did this
in his influential 1986 booklet Repentance: What Does the Bible Teach?
Hutson denied that repentance means to turn from sin (p. 4), that
repentance is sorrow for sin (p. 8), and that repentance means “a change
of mind that leads to a change of action” (p. 16). He claimed that
repentance simply is “to change one’s mind.”
SOURCE:
The Sword of the Lord and the Carl Hatch Squeeze
The Sword of the Lord does NOT have a problem
with repentance, David Cloud DOES.
Pastor Curtis
Hutson is 100% correct on repentance. Cloud accuses Curtis Hutson of
changing the meaning of repentance to mean, “to change one's mind.” My
friend, that is what the Bible teaches. The Greek word for “repent”
concerning salvation is metanoia, which means “to think
differently.” David Cloud is foolishly basing his beliefs upon the words
of men instead of upon the inspired Words of God. Dr. Rice simply believed
that genuine repentance leads to a changed life, but that is not the
definition of repentance.
Dr. Rice was only a man, capable of error.
Albeit, from reading Dr. Rice's writings, it is clear to me that he
did not
believe Lordship Salvation. The following statement by Dr. John R. Rice
from his Gospel tract, What Must I Do To Be Saved, evidences this
fact...
“The change in your
heart, sinner, is God's part and you may be sure He will attend to that.
Your part is to simply believe in Him. Whatever else is necessary in
your eternal salvation, the Lord attends to when you trust in Him, or
believe in Him.”
SOURCE:
What Must I DO To Be Saved, by Dr. John R.
Rice
David Cloud foolishly trumps John R. Rice over
the Word of God. The truth is that you cannot show me anywhere from the
Bible where God uses the phrases “turn from sin” or “repent from sin.” The
Greek meaning of the word “repent” (metanoia; such as in Mark 1:15,
“Repent, ye, and believe the gospel”) concerning salvation means “to think
differently.” Anyone who expands this definition to also include “turning
from sins” for salvation has corrupted the Word of God. If Dr. John R.
Rice meant to say that giving up one's sinful lifestyle is required for
salvation, then he would be a false prophet.
However, from further reading
of Brother Rice's writings, it becomes clear that David Cloud is
selectively picking and choosing what he wants to use, whole ignoring the
rest of Dr. Rice's writings. Brother Rice, as evidenced by the
preceding quote I shared with you, believed that we are saved simply by
BELIEVING on the Lord Jesus Christ.
Here is
a wonderful article where Dr. Rice refutes the heresy of Lordship
Salvation and the idea of having to cease from sinful bad habits to be
saved. John R. Rice correctly states:
Every saved person still
has the old carnal nature and often-times has the same kind of
temptation he had before. Some people who have truly been born
again have a desperate fight to quit tobacco, and some have never seemed
to get the victory over that or other bad habits. Some Christians
have never learned to trust the Lord enough to bring tithes and
offerings, and some have never learned to win souls. When a baby
is born, he is not born grown. Being born is one thing; growing is
another thing entirely.
So the thing to do is to
take for granted that people are saved when they trust Christ for
salvation. Then one should set out to teach them to read the Bible
daily, to learn to pray about their daily needs, to confess their sins
and failures and grow in grace day by day. It is as foolish to
expect young Christians to be good Christians by themselves as it is to
expect a child, born in the family, to automatically be a great credit
to the family without any rearing—whether they are spiritual babes or
physical babes. I assure you that unless people are taught to be
consecrated Christians, taught to read the Bible and pray, they are not
likely to be good Christians, even if they are truly born again.
SOURCE: Dr. Rice... Here
Are More Questions, by John R. Rice, pg. 76,77, Sword of the Lord
Publishers; ISBN: 0-87398-157-X
Proponents of the Lordship Salvation heresy
expect new believers to live a consecrated Christian life from the get-go
of salvation. This is not reasonable nor Biblical. New believers need to
be taught and discipled.
David Cloud is very deceitful, as are all
false prophets, playing both sides of the table, saying out of one side of
his mouth that salvation is the free gift of God, while saying out of the
other side of his mouth that you must turn from your sins with all your
heart to be saved (having full intention to stop committing them). That's
what Jehovah's Witnesses teach. This is the big difference between Dr.
Rice's and Mr. Cloud's view of repentance. Brother Rice DIDN'T mean that
you have to stop living in sin to be saved. Certainly, every believer
ought not live in sin. We should fulfil the law (Romans 3:31). But that
has nothing to do with the gift of eternal life. If you focus on eternal
life as being the GIFT that God intended for it to be, then the truth
becomes quite obvious.
Dr. Rice states in his excellent book, Dr.
Rice... Here is My Question...
“When you get saved,
you get saved not because you deserve it, but because you simply let God
save you and because you confess your own poor sinful state and your
inability to save yourself.”
SOURCE:
Dr. Rice... Here is My Question, by Dr. John R. Rice, pg. 304; 1962,
Sword of the Lord; ISBN: 0-87398-158-8
I couldn't agree more. This is what the Bible
teaches. Dr. Rice also states in his Gospel tract, What Must I Do To Be
Saved...
“The change in your heart, sinner,
is God's part and you may be sure He will attend to that. Your part is
to simply believe in Him. Whatever else is necessary in your eternal
salvation, the Lord attends to when you trust in Him, or believe in
Him.”
SOURCE:
What Must I DO To Be Saved, by Dr. John R.
Rice
Amen! Dr. Rice is correct. YOUR PART IS
SIMPLY TO BELIEVE IN HIM!!! David Cloud, as does
Evangelist Ray Comfort, picks and chooses the words of great men of
God, attempting to use them as a secondary authority to bolster their
strawman heresy. They cannot use the Word of God because the Bible doesn't
support their heresies.
On David Cloud's website, “Way of Life
Literature,” he wrongly attacks the present Sword of the Lord editor, Dr.
Sheldon Smith...
10. Brother Smith says that some false professions will
always happen.
That is a smokescreen, because it misses the point entirely. Of course
there will be false professions when people are trying to win souls to
Christ. We have often stated this. Every church has false professions. I
have been a church planter since 1979 and we have seen false
professions. That’s not the point. The point is that there is a standard
soul winning program that excels in getting false professions. Not a
few. Not one here and there. Multitudes of them. And this is because the
soul winning program itself is unscriptural and has many fundamental
flaws. That is the real issue.
I read about a pastor who reported 4,000 professions in five years of
ministry, but the church only grew from 98 to 100. That is Quick
Prayerism.
I read about a first-year missionary who reported over 700 professions
of faith and 25 baptisms. That is Quick Prayerism
One evangelist comments: “How could you even pen those words without
asking yourself if there isn’t something wrong with that picture? I seem
to remember 3,000 saved at Pentecost, and 3,000 baptized! The most
refreshing missionary that I have heard in a long time gave his update
to our church recently. He has been in Poland for 14 years and to date
knows of only five people who have been saved under his ministry. Just
like at Pentecost, he only counts the ones who have been saved,
baptized, and are in the church. Most of our ‘one, two, three, pray
after me’ fellows would have dropped his support a long time ago!
Myself, I would drop the guy with 738 saved and 25 baptized and shift
the support to the fellow from Poland!”
SOURCE:
The Sword of the Lord and the Carl Hatch Squeeze
Mr. Cloud criticizes “a pastor who reported
4,000 professions in five years of ministry, but the church only
grew 98 to 100.” May I quote to you Acts 2:40-41, which says that 3,000
people were saved IN ONE DAY! ...
Acts 2:40-41, “And with many other words did
he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward
generation. Then they that gladly received his word were baptized:
and the same day there were added unto them about three
thousand souls.”
David Cloud is barking up an empty tree, trying
to make a fuss over nothing. God's plan of salvation is so very simple
that even a little child, like Timothy (2nd Timothy 3:15), can be saved
simply by BELIEVING the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. As the Apostle
Peter preached against the sins of their untoward (warped, perverse)
generation (and we sure are a warped and perverse generation today) and
shared with them the Gospel of Jesus Christ, a precious 3,000 people
RECEIVED HIS WORD (i.e., they BELIEVED) and were saved. Wow!
Three-thousand souls saved IN ONE DAY. David Cloud seriously doubts the
pastor's claim that he saw over 4,000 converts during a 5-year period. My
friend, if you do the math, that comes out to 15 people saved per week. Is
that so hard to imagine in a soul-winning church? The Bible says they had
3,000 souls saved on the Day of Pentecost. If it weren't for this event
being recorded in the Holy Scriptures, David Cloud would attack them as
well and accuse them of “Quick Prayerism.”
Mr. Cloud attempts to discredit the soul-winning
pastor and his church members by pointing out that his church is only
running a hundred in attendance. First, I doubt if Cloud is giving us an
accurate number of members in the church (notice that he conveniently
fails to mention the pastor's name so you cannot verify his slanderous
claim). The Bible doesn't teach that those 3,000 converts all joined some
local church congregation. In fact, the Bible says that Peter was speaking
to people from at least 16 different nations (Acts 2:9-10). The truth is
that most of these fine folks got saved and then went back home to their
homelands. So David Cloud's argument is null and void.
My next point is just unbelievable. In the
preceding quote by David Cloud, he mentions a missionary in Poland who
only led five people to the Lord in 14 years. That's about ONE CONVERT
EVERY THREE YEARS!!! Cloud contrasts the man to another first-year
missionary who professes to have seen 738 souls saved and 25 baptized.
Unbelievably, Cloud says he would hands-down choose to support the
missionary in Poland and stop financially supporting the other guy who saw
738 converts. Huh?
May I say, we're never supposed to support any
missionary based upon how many people they reach for Christ (or don't
reach), because only God can give the increase according to 1st
Corinthians 3:6-7. We're supposed to support a missionary because we have
confidence in his personal Christian testimony, good character, work
ethic, doctrinal soundness, mission philosophy and walk with God. I'm more
interested in how much time a man spends witnessing to people as a
missionary, not the results. It's not our duty to get people saved as
Christians; but rather, to try to get them saved by preaching the Gospel.
Only God can save them!!!
David Clouds “Quick Prayerism” Deception
Kindly, David Cloud gets upset over the notion
that a person can be saved by praying a quick prayer. He calls this “Quick
Prayerism.” May I say, to be saved the thief on the cross simply said to
Jesus, “Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom” (Luke
23:42). The repent thief upon the cross wasn't saved because he called
out to Christ; but rather, because he BELIEVED in his heart. If he had
believed in his heart and never said a word, he still would have been
saved. The repentant thief on the cross BELIEVED in his heart and was
saved. Romans 10:9, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord
Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from
the dead, thou shalt be saved.”
It is very deceiving when Cloud criticizes
“Quick Prayerism,” because we are saved by “Quick Believism.” If a person
prayers a sinner's prayer because they believe the Gospel in their heart,
then that is salvation. However, if a person is trusting in their prayer
to save them and doesn't understand the Gospel, then they are not saved
and have been misled by a religious worker. For this reason I have gotten
away from leading people in a prayer to be saved. I simply explain the
Gospel and tell them to place their faith in the good news of Jesus
Christ, Who died on the cross for their sins and was raised up three days
later. You can be saved by simply believing the Gospel, and you never have
to open your mouth or confess anything to anyone. We see this truth in
John 12:42-43, where many of the chief priests believed, but did not
confess Him, for fear of the unbelieving Pharisees.
The deception of David Cloud's condemnation of
“Quick Prayerism” is that it seems to also condemn “Quick Believism,”
which in fact it does. A person cannot be saved merely by praying, unless
that prayer is based in a heart of belief. You must know that you are a
sinner to be saved. You must know that Jesus died on the cross for your
sins. You must believe that Jesus bodily raised up from the dead. Cloud
requires sinners to forsake their sinful ways and have intent to live anew
for Christ in order to be saved. This is not the free gift of God.
You confess with your mouth because of the faith
that exists in your heart; but you are saved by BELIEVING, not confessing.
In Matthew 7:22-23 there was a group of false prophets who, confessed
with their mouth, but they did not believe. They BOASTED of their own
good works, all done in Jesus' name. God wasn't impressed (Isaiah 64:6).
They were cast into the Lake of Fire forever! Why did this happen? They
failed to do the will of God (Matthew 7:21). John 6:40 tells us that God's
will is to believe on Jesus Christ. Him who “BELIEVETH” on the Son of God
hath life. John 6:40, “And this is the will of him that sent me, that
every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting
life: and I will raise him up at the last day.” You'd be surprised how
many churchgoers are “going about to establish their own righteousness“
and “have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.”
(Romans 10:3-4).
Also, it would be foolish to say that confession
is necessary for salvation, when hundreds of other Scripture passages
throughout the Holy Bible do not mention confessing. Romans 10:9-10 simply
teach that a saved person confesses with their mouth because they BELIEVE
in their heart. The Lord wants us to confess our faith in Christ, which is
the purpose of water baptism; but this is not a requirement to receive the free gift of God. We must be careful to always consider the whole
counsel of God, and never to lift any particular Bible verse out of
context.
Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death;
but the gift of God is eternal life through
Jesus Christ our Lord.” Why is it so hard for preachers to leave the
simple plan of salvation alone? Eternal life is a free gift, paid for by
the sacrifice of Christ, the Lamb of God. Jesus died as our Lamb and
raised up as our High Priest, to intercede on our behalf with the Father
(Romans 8:34)...
The Real Problem—Lousy Deadbeat Pastors
Instead of corrupting the plan of salvation in
an attempt to force people to live righteously, we need for preachers to
start doing their job. Very few pastors preach against sin anymore. This
is the problem. I attended an independent Baptist church (with an
attendance of 700 on Sunday mornings) for 11 months and never heard the
word “Hell” mentioned once from the pulpit. It is wicked apostasy. Sadly,
the senior pastor just doesn't care. They're making lots of money, so who
cares, right? I prayed, gave the pastor sermons and books, and did all
that I could to help them, but they are set in their Bob Jones University
ways. Most of the women on the church staff wear pants. Sin is never
preached against. The Second Coming is never mentioned. During the
pastor's dead expository sermonettes, kids play videos games and their
parents surf the internet (and the pastor permits it). The church's
theological position is Lordship Salvation. John MacArthur is their hero.
They're just playing church. What a mess!
Christ died for our sins. He died to save us
from our sins. But it is not required that we cease from our sins to be
saved. It doesn't work that way. You get saved by admitting that you are a
sinner and you believe upon the Lord Christ Jesus. And then you are a new
creature, born again by the Holy Spirit of God, and now God begins to work
in your heart as His child, and you will grow in grace (1st Peter 2:2).
But without a good church and a mature believer to mentor a new convert,
they will likely never mature in the Lord. The reason why so many
believers are not living right is because preachers don't teach The Great
Commission anymore (which is to get people saved through the preaching of
the Gospel, water baptize them as a public profession of their faith, and
then mentor them to keep the Lord's commandments and go win others to the
Lord).
The Bible Teaches Easy Believism
The deception behind Mr. Cloud's rhetoric is
that he keeps ringing the bell of “Quick Prayerism,” but what we're really
talking about here is “Quick Believism.” A man's prayer is the outer
expression of his inner belief. This is why a person who responds to an
invitation at the end of a Gospel sermon is saved already before they
leave their pew. They are going forward because THEY BELIEVE. They're just
going down to the alter to find out what just happened. It is a person's
faith in Jesus Christ that saves them, and nothing else.
Mr. Cloud attacks soul-winning Christians,
accusing them of using “Quick Prayerism” to get sinners saved (which he
contends leads to false conversions); but what we're really talking about
here is “Quick Believism.” So the question is now changed to, can a person
be saved by simply believing the Gospel? The answer is YES! But what about
repentance? Doesn't a person have to repent to be saved? Yes, absolutely,
of course, but the person who believes the Gospel HAS REPENTED. This is
why the words “believe” and “believed” are mentioned 85 times in the
Gospel of John, but the word “repent” isn't mentioned even once. The
entire stated purpose of John's Gospel is to convince us that Jesus is the
Son of God, the Christ, so that by BELIEVING we would be saved. John
20:31, “But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the
Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have
life through his name.” Repeatedly throughout the
Scriptures we are taught that the way of salvation to by BELIEVING ON
CHRIST. This is what all the Old Testament prophets also taught. Acts
10:43, “To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name
whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.”
This is the SIMPLICITY THAT IS IN CHRIST!!!
We learn in Romans 3:19, “Now we know that
what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law:
that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty
before God.” Biblically, repentance (metanoia) concerning
salvation simply means “to think differently.” Repentance means that you
come to the realization that YOU ARE A HOPELESS SINNER IN GOD'S HOLY EYES,
GUILTY FOR BREAKING HIS HOLY COMMANDMENTS, AND YOU NOW SEE YOUR DESPERATE
NEED FOR THE SAVIOR, JESUS CHRIST. Thus, all self-righteous boasting
stops, and you become GUILTY before God, just as Romans 3:19 teaches.
There are two ways to Heaven: 1) Live perfect
and never sin even once (which is impossible); or 2) Receive God's
righteousness through faith in Jesus Christ. The latter is the gift of
God! God gave the world His Ten Commandments through Israel, not to keep
as many people errantly think; but as a teacher, so that when we broke
God's law, we would see our 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.” 1st Corinthians 15:1-4 defines the “Gospel” as
three things: Christ died on the cross for our sins, He was buried, and He
bodily raised up from the dead three days later. The word Gospel
means “good news.” We are saved by BELIEVING the good news!
Beware of the heresy which requires audible
confession for salvation. The Bible teaches in John 12:42-43 that many of
the chief rulers amongst the Jews BELIEVED ON HIM, but for fear of the
unbelieving Pharisees DID NOT CONFESS HIM. John 12:42-43, “Nevertheless
among the chief rulers also many believed on him; but because of
the Pharisees they did not confess him, lest they should be put out
of the synagogue: For they loved the praise of men more than the praise of
God.”
This Scripture also disproves the heresy of
Lordship Salvation. This false teaching says that a person cannot be saved
unless they surrender all to Christ, forsake the world and turn away from
their sinful bad habits. These are human effort, which corrupt the
simplicity that is in Christ. These chief rulers believed, yet they loved
the praise of men more than the praise of God, and they refused to confess
any association with the name of Jesus Christ. That's not surrender to
Christ's Lordship! It is a sin to love the praise of men more than the
praise of God. They hadn't left their sins of pride, selfishness and
respect of persons. But the Holy Bible says they were saved, because they
BELIEVED. Acts 14:23, “And when they had ordained them elders in every
church, and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord,
on whom they believed.” This is the
SIMPLICITY THAT IS IN CHRIST!!!
The most important truth for us to get ingrained
into our brain is that ETERNAL LIFE IS A FREE GIFT. Ephesians 2:8-10,
“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. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto
good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”
I love the preceding Scripture passage from
Ephesians 2:8-10. The Christian believer is saved by grace alone through
faith alone in the Gospel of Jesus Christ alone. Christ's Holy Spirit Who
indwells (lives within) each believer's body (Romans 8:9) leads us to do
good works. In sharp contrast, the unsaved religious person thinks that
doing good works will get them into Heaven. Roman Catholics are the most
notable religion which comes to mind. Romans 10:1-4, “Brethren, my
heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved.
For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to
knowledge. 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.” The only thing that we need to repent from to be saved is
unbelief.
What About Charles H. Spurgeon?
It must be kept in mind that Baptist Pastor
Charles H. Spurgeon had no formal theological training and was in fact a
one-point Calvinist, believing that Christ only died for the saved. This
heresy is called “Limited Atonement.” Spurgeon was only a man and is NOT
our authority for doctrine and faith! The inspired Word of God is our ONLY
authority, and Pastor Spurgeon would be the first to agree with that
statement. Despite the abundance of harsh statements made by Spurgeon
concerning repentance (which proponents of the Lordship Salvation heresy
love to quote), it must never be forgotten
how Spurgeon himself was saved.
There was a snow storm and the pastor of the
church didn't arrive. A young 15-year-old unsaved lad named Charles
Spurgeon sat there in a pew. A layman in the church got up behind the
pulpit and preached from Isaiah 45:22, “Look unto me, and be ye
saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.”
That night Spurgeon LOOKED TO JESUS and was saved. My friend, that is
how you get saved, that is, by looking to the cross of Calvary upon which
Jesus Christ died for our sins, and then raised up three days later from
the grave. We're not saved by what we can do for God; but rather, by what
God has done for us through the sacrifice of His dear Son on the cross. It
is unbiblical to add a bunch of extra requirements to receive THE GIFT of
eternal life.
EVERY PREACHER makes some heretical
statements at one time or another. Dr. Jack Hyles admits and teaches this
in his awesome MP3 sermon titled, “Steps
In Sanctification (Or, The Root Of All Heresy).” Every preacher is
tempted to say things like, “If you still smoke, drink and gamble, you
didn't get the same salvation that I got!” That's heresy! Forsaking sinful
bad habits has nothing to do with the gift of eternal life. Then there are
preachers who are so sick of preachers adding human effort to the plan of
salvation, so they simply say “trust Jesus” to be saved. That's heresy
too! You've got to know that you're a sinner. The truth is somewhere in
the middle. We must know that we are a sinner to be saved, and Brother
Hyles taught every soul-winner at First Baptist Church in Hammond,
Indiana, to make sure that a child knows he or she is a sinner before they
can be saved. You can hear Brother Hyles teach these things in the
preceding sermon link I have provided for you. It is really a great
sermon, one of the best and most helpful you'll ever hear.
Thus, it is my opinion that Spurgeon often
got wound-up in his preaching and took very strong positions, even
heretical at times, doing exactly what Brother Hyles was talking about.
The same is true of Brother Hyles and every other great preacher who has
preached thousands of sermons. No preacher is always correct on
everything! We must always look to the inspired Words of God as our ONLY
authority!!! I recently heard Brother Roloff in his MP3 sermon “The
Titanic,” say that the hull of the ship was 6-feet think. In fact (I
looked it up), the hull was less than 2-inches thick. It's an honest
mistake. My point is that all preachers are only men, and men don't always
get it right (I sure don't). God always gets it right and you can trust
your King James Bible.
In their books, sermons and writings, Dr.
John MacArthur and Evangelist Ray Comfort extensively misrepresent
Pastor Charles
H. Spurgeon in an attempt to bolster their damnable heresy of Lordship
Salvation. Spurgeon strongly states, as does John R. Rice, that you must
“renunciate” (renounce) every sin or else you cannot be saved. At a
glance, to the naive Bible student, it may appear as if Spurgeon believed
and taught that salvation requires turning from a sinful lifestyle and
surrendering to Christ's Lordship.
Albeit, notice what Spurgeon says...
"...How many will say, Sir, I will
renounce this sin and the
other...but there are certain darling lusts which I must keep and hold?
Oh, sirs, in God's name let me tell you, it is not the giving up of one
sin, nor 50 sins which is true repentance. It is the solemn renunciation of every sin. If thou dost harbor one of those accursed
vipers in thy heart and dost give up every other, that one lust like one
leak in a ship will sink thy soul." [emphasis added]
SOURCE:
Quote by Spurgeon provided by John MacArthur,
The Call to
Repentance -- John MacArthur
(Note:
Charles Spurgeon originally made this statement in a sermon entitled,
TURN OR BURN,
preached December 7, 1856, at the Music Hall, Royal Surrey Gardens).
Notice that Spurgeon admits it is not the
giving up of one's sins that is true repentance, but renouncing them in
the heart. Spurgeon plainly did NOT believe in Lordship Salvation,
evidenced by the following powerful quote from Mr. Spurgeon himself...
“'Repentance' is a
grace. Some people preach it as a condition of salvation. Condition of
nonsense! There are no conditions of salvation.”
—Charles Spurgeon
SOURCE:
http://www.spurgeon.org/sermons/0044.htm
(Charles
Spurgeon, from
a sermon titled, REPENTANCE UNTO LIFE, preached at the New Park Street Chapel, Southwark, on
Sept. 23, 1855)
Please don't make the mistake of hinging upon
every word that Spurgeon utters, as we ought to do when studying the
inerrant Holy Bible, because Spurgeon was only a man, and no man is
perfect. Spurgeon taught heresy sometimes, as do all preachers who've
preached thousands of sermons.
The Danger of Leading a Sinner in Prayer to Be
Saved
As with most truths, there are two errant
extremes and then there is the correct balance in the middle. The book of
Proverbs has much to say about a proper balance. I will give David Cloud a
little credit here. I do admit that there is a problem in many churches
today with focusing upon a “prayer” to be saved. The danger is that some
people think they are saved because they prayed a prayer, yet they haven't
clue that salvation is by faith in Christ's sacrifice upon the cross for
their sins. There can be NO salvation without THE CROSS. Also, no one ever
got saved who didn't realize that he is a sinner. You must know what
you're being saved from.
I actually heard a Contemporary Christian
Music (CCM) singer say in a radio interview that she “Prayed the Jesus
prayer” as a child. That's her testimony of salvation. I have no doubt
that she is not saved. You don't get saved by “Praying the Jesus'
prayer.” That's false religion, and the airwaves are flooded with it. You
don't get saved by “Asking Jesus into your heart,” nor by “Starting a
relationship with Christ.” Judas had a relationship with Christ, being one
of his very apostles. Judas even repented (Matthew 27:3), but died in his
sins and went to Hell. Jesus said in John 6:70 that Judas had a devil in
him. Judas refused to believe the Gospel.
Our churches are plagued with false professions,
but it is not because there is something wrong with the simple plan of
salvation. The Holy Bible teaches that eternal life is a free gift (Romans
5:15; 6:23), which cannot be earned (Ephesians 2:8-10). I'm tired of false
prophets who don't understand the Scriptures using double-talk, claiming
that eternal life is a free gift, but requires human effort to get it.
Forsaking the world is human effort. Ceasing from a sinful lifestyle is
human effort. Surrendering one's life to Christ is human effort. Receiving
a gift is a TAKE proposition, not a GIVE proposition. You simply take it,
because it is a free gift. Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death;
but the gift of God is eternal life through
Jesus Christ our Lord.”
The Bible teaches easy believism. You don't get
saved by saying a prayer but by believing in your heart. Albeit, if a
person prays because of the belief in their heart, then they are saved. In
such a case, it is certainly appropriate to pray to the Lord for
salvation. In other words, if you trusted in a prayer to save you, you are
not saved; but if you prayed because you believed in your heart that
Christ died on the cross for your sins and raised up, then you are saved.
Prayer is not the plan of salvation; believing the Gospel is the plan of
salvation! There is nothing wrong with leading someone in a sinner's
prayer to receive Christ, just so long as you explain to them that it is
their faith in the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ that saves them.
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.”
Remember, you don't have to be a theologian to get saved, you simply need
to trust Jesus Christ.
In my ministry, for the aforementioned reasons,
I have gotten away from leading people to pray a prayer. It's not wrong to
do so, and I have a few articles that use the Romans Road; however, the
Bible says in Acts 2:40-41 that the 3,000 gladly received Peter's
preaching of the Gospel and were saved. They didn't pray! They BELIEVED!!!
That is how you get saved. Notice again Romans 1:16...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.”
Make sure that no one ever thinks praying is the way of salvation; but
rather, BELIEVING!!!
David Cloud's False Plan of Salvation
David Cloud has foolishly chosen to use an
unbiblical definition of repentance. You need to understand that David
Cloud teaches a false plan of salvation. Mr. Cloud errantly states...
THE DANGER OF QUICK PRAYERISM
For decades I have observed the sad fruit of this
technique: multitudes of false professions, confusion about salvation,
indifference to biblical truth, agnosticism, reprobate living, failure to
practice church discipline, and blasphemy against God. In many communities
a large percentage of the population has prayed a sinner’s prayer under
the ministry of churches practicing Quick Prayerism. VAST NUMBERS OF THESE
HAVE NEVER BEEN BORN AGAIN AND THEY ARE NOW ALMOST INOCULATED AGAINST
BIBLICAL SALVATION. When challenged about their lifeless
spiritual condition, they commonly reply, “I have done that,” meaning they
have prayed the sinner’s prayer and even been “given assurance” of eternal
life. Since they were not told that God requires
that they repent of their sin and idolatry, they are comfortable and
self-assured that they have a ticket to Heaven. In fact, this soul winning
package sometimes even provides them with a “spiritual birth certificate.”
[emphasis added]
Those who observe these things are made to think that salvation means
little or nothing in relation to one’s manner of living, but nothing could
be more unscriptural.
SOURCE:
The Sword of the Lord and the Carl Hatch Squeeze
From the preceding quote it is abundantly clear
that David Cloud believes that a person cannot be saved unless they have
intent to stop living in sin. This is human effort!!! This is NOT the gift
of God. For a gift truly to be a “GIFT,” it must be available
unconditionally, without obligation or strings attached. You simply TAKE a
gift, period. According to Cloud's false plan of salvation, you cannot
receive the gift of God unless you decide to stop indulging in sins and
have intent to cease from lifelong sinful bad habits. 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.” It is only by Jesus' blood
that we are saved, and not in the least way by our own human effort.
Carefully read David Cloud's comments again from
the preceding quote. It is very clear that Cloud errantly understands
“repentance” to mean changing one's mind to cease from sinful bad habits and committing one's
life to live for Christ. This is so unbiblical. Hebrews 6:1 tells us that
repentance is from DEAD WORKS, not from sinful living. You don't get saved
by trying to keep the law in addition to your faith in Christ. That's
exactly what David Cloud is saying when he says you must turn from your
sinful living as a prerequisite to placing your faith in Christ. This is
qualification for salvation by meeting the prerequisite of intending not
to live in sin after you are saved. It is a 100% works-based false plan of
salvation.
The Word of God teaches
that when a person believes the Gospel, the Holy Spirit of God comes to
indwell (live inside) them (John 1:13; 1st Corinthians 3:16-17; Romans
8:9). It is the Holy Spirit Who begins to make changes in our soul. Now
what David Cloud is teaching is self-improvement. Cloud is placing the
burden of change upon the sinner, which he erroneously labels as
repentance. You don't reform, nor commit to intent to reform, to be
saved; but rather, God reforms you after you've been saved (regenerated by
the Holy Spirit). David Cloud has it backwards, as did Aiden Tozer and
many others. There can be no reformation until there has been
regeneration! You get saved first, and then God will attend to the rest.
Mr. Cloud attempts to pitch Dr. John R. Rice
against Dr. Curtis Hutson, by saying that Curtis Hutson changed the Sword
of the Lord's position on repentance. Biblically, the word “repent”
concerning salvation (metanoia, as in Mark 1:15, “Repent ye, and
believe the gospel”) means “to think differently.” If you add anything to
that, you are corrupting it. Curtis Hutson is 100% right on target.
Although I greatly respect Brother Rice, he did in fact add some heretical
statements to the Biblical meaning of repentance. You cannot show me even
one verse in the Bible which says to “turn from sin” or “repent from sin”
to be saved. Cloud selectively picks and chooses Dr. Rice's words,
misrepresenting what Brother Rice taught and believed.
Again, here is what Dr. Rice (1895-1980)
actually taught...
“The change in your
heart, sinner, is God's part and you may be sure He will attend to that.
Your part is to simply believe in Him. Whatever else is necessary in
your eternal salvation, the Lord attends to when you trust in Him, or
believe in Him.”
SOURCE:
What Must I DO To Be Saved, by Dr. John R.
Rice
The preceding quote from Dr. Rice exposes David
Cloud as a bad scholar. Cloud is using John R. Rice as a secondary
authority to bolster up his strawman heresy of works salvation (and that's
what it really is). David Cloud is adding human effort to faith alone in
Christ. If a person must turn away from their sins with all their heart to
be saved, then that is human effort, so how can eternal life still be a
free gift? So what is the truth? The truth is found in Romans 3:19,
“Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who
are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and
all the world may become guilty before God.” The purpose of
God's law (Ten Commandments) in the Old Testament is to show all men that
they are hopeless sinners in need of the dear Savior, Jesus Christ.
Hebrews 6:1 teaches repentance from DEAD WORKS. That is, repentance is
changing your mind from what you want to do to get to Heaven, to what God
says you must do to get to Heaven.
As you have seen, repentance is NOT cleaning up
your act. It is NOT turning over a new leaf. Repentance is NOT deciding to
stop living in deliberate sin. Human effort has no place in God's
salvation of a man. The Bible plainly teaches in Romans 4:5 that salvation
only comes to “him that worketh not, but believeth on him that
justifieth the ungodly.” Instead, “his faith is counted for
righteousness.” David Cloud needs to study the
imputed righteousness
of God, which comes through faith in Jesus Christ. 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.”
David Cloud's problem is that he is tired of
people claiming to be Christians while they're living like the Devil. So
instead of realizing that they have never been properly mentored, or are
backslidden and out of fellowship with the Lord, he corrupts the plan of
salvation in an attempt to force them to live right or go to Hell. That's
not Biblical Christianity. That's not the free gift of God. Please read
Romans 4:5-6, “But to him that worketh not, but
believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for
righteousness. Even as David also describeth the blessedness of
the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, Saying,
Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are
covered.” If you're faith is COUNTED (credited) for righteousness,
that means you don't need any righteousness (and a good thing, because we
don't have any to offer God, Isaiah 64:6). Abraham simply placed His trust
upon the Lord and it was credited to him for righteousness. Genesis
15:6, “And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to
him for righteousness.” What a beautiful Savior!!!
Defending Dr. Carl Hatch
David Cloud attacks Dr. Carl Hatch, because
Brother Hatch teaches soul-winners how to better interact with people to
try to get them saved...
We have been waiting in anticipation
for decades for the Sword of the Lord to renounce the Carl Hatch Squeeze
and unscriptural soul winning program that it represents. There has been
no such renunciation.
If Quick Prayerism is wrong, the Sword of the Lord has lot to answer for
before God, and no amount of smokescreening and strawmaning will change
that fact.
SOURCE:
The Sword of the Lord and the Carl Hatch Squeeze
Here is what Carl Hatch teaches, for which David
Cloud criticizes and accuses him of using manipulative practices...
Carl Hatch says:
I don’t ask anybody if they want to be saved. If you want a positive
answer you must ask a positive question. If you want a no answer ask a no
question. If you want a yes answer ask a yes question. Soul winning is
positive. And in soul winning you use a lot of reverse psychology and
psychology.
For instance, if you are lost and I say, “Mr. Smith, let me ask you a
question. You don’t want to go to hell, do you?”
He will answer, No.
I say, “Wonderful, you want to go to heaven, don’t you?” He will say yes.
I will reply, “Sure you do. Sure you do. Sure you do. Sure you do. I thank
God for a man that doesn’t want to go to hell.”
Did you get that? I am reinforcing the fact that he wants to go to heaven.
I’m keep everything positive.
SOURCE:
The Sword of the Lord and the Carl Hatch Squeeze
Again, David Cloud is barking up an empty tree.
What are you going to say to someone, “You don't want to get saved do
you?” Dr. Hatch is trying to teach other Christians how to interact with
others, so that it will make it easier and more comfortable for them to
come to Christ. I know that the Lord hates what David Cloud is doing,
continually throwing rocks at soul-winners who are getting the job done.
In my opinion, Cloud is jealous, consumed with envy every time he hears
about hundreds or thousands of souls that got saved in some church. Since
Cloud views changing one's behavior as necessary for salvation, he cannot
grasp such large numbers of people being saved at once. May I remind you
that 3,000 souls were saved in one day in Acts 2:40-41. Cloud says he
would rather support the missionary in Poland who leads someone to the
Lord once every three years, instead of the missionary who led 738 people
to the Lord in one year. I say if they're both labouring diligently for
the Lord, support them both. Cloud is focusing on numbers, the very thing
that he accuses others of doing. Only God can give the increase.
I thank God for Dr. Cark Hatch, who has led
thousands of people to the Lord Jesus Christ. Honestly, David Cloud is not
worthy to shine Carl Hatch's shoe-laces!!! David Cloud criticizes pastors
and evangelists who are getting the job done for the Lord, who are
faithfully filling the Lord's house with souls saved. If God is not
interested in numbers, then who counted the 3,000 souls saved in Acts
2:40-41 and why does God mention that number in His Word? Of course God is
interested in numbers, and you're not right with God if you're not. We've
got enough slackard Bible colleges these days like Moody Bible SINstitute,
who don't have a bus ministry, don't go soul-winning, use corrupt Bible
versions, teach the Lordship Salvation heresy, and drop the ball for God.
I stand with the soul-winners who get their hands dirty laboring to reach
the lost, not with the complainers who do nothing to get people saved.
Conclusion
Eternal life is a free gift (Ephesians 2:8-9;
Titus 3:5). If you don't get anything else out of this article, please
remember that changing one's behavior is NOT a part of getting saved. A
gift can simply be TAKEN. That is all. Adding any additional requirements
turns the gift into a reward instead, which is merited by works. The Lord
paid for our sins “through the blood of his cross”
(Colossians 1:20b). Thus, you can be saved by simply believing
the Gospel. You don't have to pray any prayer. However, you are welcomed
to pray a sinner's prayer to accompany your faith in the Gospel, just so
long as you don't trust in that prayer in any way to save you.
You may feel emotions, decide to forsake sins
and pray a prayer at the time you receive Christ, but you don't need to do
those things to be saved. In fact, if you do trust in any of those things,
you didn't really get saved. You get saved by realizing that you are a
sinner for breaking God's holy commandments, and you believe on the Lord
Jesus Christ Who died on the cross for your sins, was buried and bodily
resurrected. That it! God does the saving. Our part is simply to believe
on the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 16:30-31).
When I think of Mr. Cloud, I am reminded of
Proverbs 10:12, “Hatred stirreth up strifes: but love covereth all sins.”
David Cloud is always stirring up strife against First Baptist Church of
Hammond, Indiana. He appears to be very resentful of anybody who is more
successful than he is, evidenced by his critique of the pastor with 4,000
conversions over 5 years and the missionary with 738 converts his first
year on the mission field. Instead of rejoicing over souls saved, as in
Acts 2:40-41, Mr. Cloud scathes, roasts and attacks anybody who is not
fruitless like him.
I published this article in defense of the
simplicity that is in Christ, not to be unkind nor attack David Cloud. I
have nothing personal against Mr. Cloud. If we always keep in mind that
eternal life is a free gift, and don't focus upon what men have said, then
there is no debate. Salvation is a TAKE proposition, not a GIVE
proposition.
