Galatians 3:2-3, “This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?”
World renowned New Zealand Evangelist, Ray Comfort, is a heretical
Calvinist! I do not like picking on Mr. Comfort, God knows my heart, but I do
love to “earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto
the saints” (Jude 1:3).
Kindly, Ray Comfort needs to be exposed, because he is preaching “ANOTHER GOSPEL.” By God's grace, the Lord has blessed me with a keen understanding of the plan of salvation, after being saved now for 40 years (since age 13), so that I can discern what exactly is wrong with false prophets like Ray. His ministry is called: Living Waters. Ray is very subtle and deceptive. Here is his ministry's Statement of Faith, which seems Kosher and accurate; but now take a look at this YouTube video from Living Waters, where Ray plainly states:
“There are a number of people who say I'm a heretic, because I tell the unsaved they must REPENT, and trust in Jesus to be saved. They say that I'm preaching WORKS SALVATION, because I'm telling them to repent, something of which they say they're incapable. They maintain all a sinner needs to do is BELIEVE IN JESUS. They say he's incapable of repentance, but he is capable of believing, that is, of having faith.”
Ray has the wrong understanding of repentance for salvation. There are multiple different words in the Bible for “repent.” The Greek word for “repent” concerning salvation is metanoeo, which is a verb meaning: “to think differently.” Mark 1:15 uses this word: “And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.” A different Greek word in the Bible for “repent” is metamellomai, a verb which means: “to care afterwards, to feel regret or remorse.” Matthew 27:3-4 uses this word (which says Judas repented), “Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, Saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said, What is that to us? see thou to that.”
Judas did NOT get saved, he merely felt guilty and tried to return the 30 pieces of silver. Judas turned from his sins (as Ray Comfort errantly insists we all must do to be saved), but Judas still went to Hell. You see, you don't get saved by repenting of your sins, you get saved by believing the 'GOOD NEWS' of Jesus Christ crucified, buried and risen, trusting upon His name! Judas was sorry for his sins, being one of Christ's very apostles. Judas followed Christ, committing his life to serve Him; but Judas never BELIEVED on Jesus as His personal Savior. So when Ray Comfort speaks of “repentance,” he is referring to the wrong usage of the word, which applied to Judas and not salvation.
So, to clarify, the preceding quote from Ray Comfort is misleading for a couple reasons:
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You don't have to turn away from sinful ways to receive the gift of eternal life, nor to prove that you have it.
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Ray is falsely accusing free grace preachers (like me) of leaving off repentance. What he really means is that we don't teach you must turn away from sins to be saved, you simply turn to Christ to be saved because of your sins.
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All of the free grace preachers that I know (including myself) DO teach repentance for salvation, but we correctly believe that “to repent” simply means to think differently, so that you will BELIEVE the Gospel to be saved.
It is important for you to know dear reader, that Calvinists (aka, Lordship Salvationists) have an entirely different view of what it means to repent, than what the Bible teaches (i.e., the free grace view). And may I add, Calvinists all share the same exact WRONG view of repentance as do the Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormons, Seventh-Day Adventists and Roman Catholics! In fact, Brigham Young University makes Pastor John MacArthur's heretical book, “Faith Works,” required reading for Mormon students. Do you know why? It is tragically because Mr. MacArthur shares the same corrupt view of repentance as do Mormons—that you must turn away from sinful behavior, either to be saved, or to prove you are saved. How can salvation be a “gift” if works are involved at any point? I'll say it again and again until I go home to Heaven to be with Jesus—as Christians we SHOULD live for Christ; not MUST (that would be works); not WILL (that would be Calvinism). Ephesians 2:10b says that we were “CREATED IN CHRIST JESUS UNTO GOOD WORKS,” but that doesn't mean you're not saved if you are slothful to serve God!!! 1st Corinthians 3:15 and 5:1-5 proves this truth, because these unfaithful believers still made it to Heaven.
According to Ray Comfort, believing is not enough to be
saved, you must first apologize to God for sinning and then commence “LIVING
A LIFESTYLE that proves the reality of your repentance.” Ray says
repentance is “a continual thing” that you MUST do to prove that you are
saved. Ladies and gentleman, that is the Devil's lie of Calvinism (i.e., the
heresy of
The Perseverance Of The Saints). That is NOT the free gift of God,
which is “eternal life” (Romans 6:23; Ephesians 2:8-9). Calvinism (aka,
Lordship Salvation) is a counterfeit plan of salvation, which cannot produce
the new birth in Jesus Christ! YE MUST BE BORN AGAIN (John 3:3-7).
Ray Comfort Gets Hebrews 6:9 Wrong
As Ray continues in the preceding heretical video, he
quotes and misapplies Hebrews 6:9 to support his false claim that works must
accompany salvation. Hebrews 6:9, “But, beloved, we are persuaded better
things of you, and things that accompany salvation,
though we thus speak.” Ray says that love, righteousness and holiness
WILL accompany getting saved, otherwise he says you have NEVER REPENTED and
are still lost. This is the lie of Calvinism! But please notice
Hebrews 6:12, “That ye be not
slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience
inherit the promises.” One of my favorite Bible study websites is at
StudyLight.org, where I found this helpful quote from Presbyterian minister
Marvin R. Vincent
(1834-1922). Pastor Vincent accurately explains the phrase from Hebrews
6:9b, “things that accompany salvation”...
'That accompany salvation' ( εχόμενα σωτηρίας )
Έχεσθαι with a genitive is a common Greek idiom meaning to hold one's self to a person or thing; hence to be closely joined to it. So in a local sense, Mark 1:38; in a temporal sense, Luke 13:33, next. He is persuaded that they will give heed to all things which attend the work of salvation and will enjoy all that attaches to a saved condition.SOURCE: Hebrews 6:9 - Vincent's Word Studies - StudyLight.org
So the writer of Hebrews (who is unknown but I believe to be the apostle Paul) is saying that as Christians we SHOULD live for Christ; not MUST (that is works); not WILL (that is Calvinism). The writer says he is “persuaded” that believers will be obedient to the Lord in all matters. But this is not mandatory to be saved, nor to confirm or prove that one is really saved. That is why the writer says in Hebrews 6:12b, “That ye be not slothful” (lazy). Clearly, a believer can choose to be slothful and not follow through as an obedient child of God. We see this plainly evidenced in 1st Corinthians 3:15b, in the slothful Christian man who was “saved; yet so as by fire.”
Do you know how I KNOW that my interpretation of this passage is correct, and also Hebrews 6:9-12? It is simply because my interpretation agrees with the whole counsel of the Scripture! The Gospel of John is God's Gospel tract according to 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.” Therefore, I know that all I need to be born-again is THE GOSPEL OF JOHN! No other book of the Holy Bible is needed to be saved. That is what the apostle John said in John 20:31, as we just read. We find the word “believe” mentioned 85 times in John's Gospel, but the word “repent” is not mentioned even once, nor turning from sin to be saved.
Now, we do find the doctrine of repentance implied in John 3:20, “For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.” So the unrepentant man will “not come” to Jesus to be saved. That is exactly what the Lord Himself said in John 5:40, “And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life.” There are so many false sayings floating around in the churches. I heard a preacher say years ago that “Jesus never turned anyone away empty, except those who came full of themselves!” I thought at first that this was a great statement, but then I thought about the inspired Word of God—what saith the Scripture? The Bible says that Jesus never turned anyone away who came to Him—NO ONE, not even those who are full of themselves!!! I didn't say that, Jesus Himself did in John 6:37, “All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.”
We see in John 2:23-25 that a group of people
“believed” in Jesus' name to be saved, but Jesus “did not commit
himself unto them,” because He didn't trust them. They came to Jesus and
He saved them, as He promised in John 6:37. Misguided preachers today, like
Pastor Andy Bloom (at the Central Baptist Church in Ocala, Florida)
errantly claim that these people didn't really get saved, because they fell
short of “making a commitment to Christ as Lord.” That is ANOTHER GOSPEL!
The damnable heresy of Lordship Salvation has invaded our churches today! I
have adopted the apostle Paul's saying of: “I am set for the defence of
the Gospel” in Philippians 1:17b. Somebody's got to do it, so it
might as well be me, and hopefully you too dear reader. Every believer has a
VOICE for God that only you can utter! If you don't speak up, somebody won't
get saved, and will likely be misled by false prophets like Ray Comfort.
What saith the Scripture? 2nd Corinthians 4:3-4, “But
if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom
the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest
the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should
shine unto them.”
Refuting Pastor Charles Lawson on Calvinism
Sadly,
Pastor Charles Lawson is also a Calvinist, who teaches that if you
haven't turned away from the sins in your life, you are not saved. Kindly,
Mr. Lawson is not a very good theologian. Dr. Lawson is a dynamic preacher,
and says mostly great things from the pulpit at the Temple Baptist Church in
Knoxville, Tennessee; and he has tens of thousands of followers on YouTube.
Unfortunately, Pastor Lawson adds works to grace, perverting the Gospel.
Paul says in our text passage from Galatians 3:2-3 that we are saved BY THE
HEARING OF FAITH, and we are not perfected (to finalize our
redemption) by the works of the law. Paul said you started off right with
faith, but now you've gone astray by added works to your faith, but that
won't get you to Heaven!
Paul says in Galatians 3:1 that you've been
BEWITCHED! Ray Comfort has been bewitched! Charles Lawson has been
bewitched! John MacArthur has been bewitched! Have you also been
bewitched dear reader? I sincerely hope not. Salvation is a gift, that you
simply accept by faith alone. If living a holy life (which includes turning
from sin) is required as evidence that a person is saved, then they
are sinfully trying to PERFECT WITH WORKS that which God has solely GIVEN BY
FAITH. If you give me an Easy-Bake
Oven as a gift, I don't have to gain weight, or have food
crumbs around my mouth, to prove that I'm using it!!!
Ray Comfort Teaches the Same Heresy As the Jehovah's Witness Cult
I
triple dog dare you to examine everything that Ray Comfort teaches,
and compare it against the benchmark of the inspired King James Bible.
1st John 4:1, “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try [test] the spirits
whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the
world.” Mr. Comfort's plan of salvation does NOT match the Bible's plan
of salvation.
Here is what the Jehovah's Witnesses teach, which is virtually identical to the plan of salvation of Ray Comfort. Notice that they BOTH teach eternal life is absolutely a free gift, obtained by grace through faith alone; yet they say it REQUIRES WORKS TO VERIFY...
Belief Prompts Action
Many people have been told that “believing on Jesus” is a single act and that our faith does not have to be strong enough to prompt obedience. But the Bible disagrees. Jesus did not say that people who begin the Christian course are saved. Instead, he said: “He that has endured to the end is the one that will be saved.” (Matthew 10:22) The Bible likens our Christian course to a race, with salvation being the prize at its end. And it urges: “Run in such a way that you may attain it.”—1 Corinthians 9:24.
Thus, “accepting Christ” involves far more than just accepting the blessings that Jesus’ superlative sacrifice offers. Obedience is required. The apostle Peter says that judgment starts “with the house of God,” and adds: “Now if it starts first with us, what will the end be of those who are not obedient to the good news of God?” (1 Peter 4:17) So we must do more than simply hear and believe. The Bible says that we must “become doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving [ourselves] with false reasoning.”—James 1:22. ...Salvation is a free gift from God. It cannot be earned. Yet it does require effort on our part.
READ MORE: Jehovah's Witnesses - What Must We Do To Be Saved?
To make it a bit easier to see for yourself, here is a comparison of teachings between the JW's and Mr. Comfort. Effectively there's no difference between what these two heretics are teaching...
The
way that salvation works, is that you simply come as a guilty sinner and
BELIEVE on the Lord Jesus Christ, receiving His sacrifice on the cross as
payment for your sins, believing that He raised up from the dead three days
later. This is the 'GOOD NEWS' (THE GOSPEL), “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:
And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: After that, he was seen
of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto
this present, but some are fallen asleep. After that, he was seen of James;
then of all the apostles. And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one
born out of due time” (1st Corinthians 15:2-8). 
