In David
W. Cloud's audio sermon, Calvinism: Who's the Enemy?, he tells the
story of a man he met in Nepal, India, who inquired about being saved.
The man said he wanted to be saved, but was concerned about two things;
namely, his immoral affair with his girlfriend, and his crooked business
practices. The man was asking David Cloud if he would have to forsake
these particular sins to be saved. David Cloud then stops telling the
story, and mentions the rich young ruler in Luke 18:18-23 in an attempt to
justify the following heresy on repentance. David Cloud states...
"I believe we have to be clear with people that there is going to be a turning here. God's the one that is going to change your life. God is the one that is going to give you power. But there's going to be a change, and if you're not ready for that, you cannot be saved. I believe that's what repentance is. Many soulwinning programs just seem to try to wanna slip the Gospel by the sinner before he knows what's happening, get him saved, and then try to disciple him somehow later on, when there's never, ever, been a surrender to God." [emphasis added]
SOURCE: http://www.wayoflife.org/streaming/audio/calvinism-debate.html
Now, that's just unbiblical folks! The bottom line to Cloud's teaching on repentance is that you cannot come to
Christ for salvation unless you first intend not to walk in sin after you
receive Him. This is "qualification by works" as a prerequisite for
receiving Christ as Savior. David Cloud is teaching utter
heresy.
What About the Rich Young Ruler?
Here's are Dr. John R. Rice's thoughts concerning Luke 18:18-23...
"The parallel accounts are given in Matthew 19:16-22 and in Mark 17-22. Mark says of the young ruler that "there came one running, and kneeled to him," showing his deep concern and his reverence for Jesus. And here he says, "What shall I do to inherit eternal life?" He was seeking eternal life by way of the commandments--the law--by doing good things." [pg. 438]
"And I remind you that Jesus is not here giving a plan of salvation... He is answering the young man's question about a way to Heaven by keeping the law, and Christ here is using the law as it is intended--as a "schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ" (Galatians 3:24). [pg. 440]
SOURCE: Luke: The Son of Man, A Verse-By-Verse Commentary; pp. 438-440; by Dr. John R. Rice; Sword Of The Lord Publishers; ISBN: 0-87398-767-5
David Cloud misinterprets this passage of Scripture, to mean that a person cannot be saved unless he is willing to let God make some changes after he is saved. This is nothing less than a backdoor approach to Lordship Salvation. The simple FACT of the matter is that no one can forsake all their sins. Although David Cloud admits this, he contradicts himself when he teaches that a person "cannot be saved" unless their "ready" to allow God to make some changes once saved. If the man in Nepal had to give up his fornication and thievery to be saved, then he would also have to give up EVERY sin in his life, which would make him perfect.
David Cloud's reasoning is extremely dangerous, and contradictory to the Scriptures. Jesus never asked anyone to be willing to change in order to be saved. Jesus always saved the person and then afterwards said, go and sin no more. The change comes after a person is saved. 2nd Corinthians 5:17 says "if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature." Carefully notice that the man is already IN CHRIST, i.e., he is saved.
David Cloud is placing unnecessary
burdens upon lost sinners, by requiring people to surrender to God in order
to be saved. The fact that Paul was pleading with the believers in
Romans 12:1 to "present" their "bodies a living sacrifice" to God is proof
that a person does NOT have to surrender their life to God in order to be
saved. A genuine Christian should bare fruits of repentance in their
life; but, this is not always evident, as witnessed in the lives of Noah,
Lot, Samson, David, Solomon, Peter, etc. Even the best of Christians are
still dirty, rotten, sinners.
Confusing the ROOT of One's Faith, with the FRUIT of One's Faith
I think what David Cloud is trying to get across is that when a person claims to be a Christian, there SHOULD be some type of evidence of it. This is what James meant in James 2:21 when he said... "Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?" Abraham offered up Isaac in Genesis 22. However, Abraham was saved back in Genesis 15:6, which states... "And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness." The Apostle Paul quotes Genesis 15:6 in Romans 4:3. Paul speaks of the ROOT of Abraham's faith; BUT, James speaks of the FRUIT of Abraham's faith. We are justified in the eyes of God by faith alone (Romans 4:5); but we are justified in the eyes of men by our works (James 2:18). Many people confuse the ROOT of the believer's faith with the FRUIT of the believer's faith.
David Cloud, as do Ray Comfort and others, attempt to put the cart before the horse. Romans 4:5 clearly states... "But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness." If that man in Nepal had asked me the same question as he did to David Cloud, i.e., do I have to give up my sins to be saved?, I would have told him the exact same thing that Dr. Curtis Hutson, former editor of the Sword Of The Lord, told a man years ago...
Several years ago, after I finished preaching a Sunday morning service, several people trusted Christ as Saviour, including a lady and her five children. I noticed a man sitting on the same pew who did not respond. After the service, I spoke to him, while many of the members of the church were shaking hands with the lady, her children, and others who had trusted Christ that morning.
"Sir," I said, "is this your wife and children?"
"Yes," he replied.
I said, "Isn't it wonderful that they have trusted Christ as Saviour!"
"Yes," he replied.
Then I asked, "Have you trusted Christ as your Saviour?"
He dropped his head and said, "I'm afraid I haven't."
"May I ask why you haven't trusted Christ as Saviour?"
"Well," he said, "to be honest with you, I'm afraid I can't live it."
I suspected that this man had an idea that in order to be saved, he must promise God that he would never sin again, or he thought that repenting was turning from sin. So I pressed the issue. "What do you mean, you can't live it?"
"Well," he said, "I know that I will probably sin again."
I said, "Sir if getting saved is promising Jesus you will never sin again, then I would never get saved, because I know I cannot live a sinless life." I explained that to be saved one simply had to trust Jesus as Saviour. I opened the Bible to John 3:36 and read, "He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life." Then pointing to the verse, I asked, "Does the verse say 'He that believeth on the Son and lives it has everlasting life'?"
"Oh, no," he replied.
"Then what does the verse say?"
"He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life."
"Then must one believe on the Son and live it in order to be saved? Or must one simply believe on the Son, as the Bible says, to have everlasting life?"
"Well," he said, "I suppose that one must do what the Bible says - believe on the Son."
"Then will you trust Jesus Christ right now as your Saviour?"
With a smile on his face, he answered, "I certainly will." In a moment he joined his wife and children as the church members came by and shook hands, rejoicing with them in their decision to trust Christ as Saviour.
