When a person gets saved, the Holy Spirit comes
inside their body to live. Theologically, this is known as the indwelling of
the Holy Spirit. 1st Corinthians 3:16-17, “Know ye not
that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple
of God is holy, which temple ye are.” The
apostle Paul received word that false doctrine had crept into the church at
Galatia. So Paul writes to the professed believers at Galatia and asks them
a direct question: HOW DID YOU GET SAVED—BY THE WORKS OF THE LAW, OR BY
BELIEVING THE GOSPEL THAT YOU HEARD? I was saved solely by believing the
Gospel. I gladly received the Gospel message. How about you? The Gospel is
Good News to be BELIEVED, not good advice to be followed.
Galatians 3:2,
“This only would I learn of you, Received ye
the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?”
Many preachers have been deceived by the Devil.
They claim to believe that eternal life is a free gift, and that men are
saved by faith alone, through God's grace alone, in Jesus Christ alone; yet
at the same time those preachers teach that if there are no lasting changes
in that person's life, and if they don't declare “Jesus as Lord,” and turn
away from a sinful lifestyle, THEN THEY ARE NOT REALLY SAVED. In effect,
such wayward preachers are requiring people TO KEEP THE LAW to be saved. It
doesn't matter if WORKS are added before, during, or after
a person professes faith in the Gospel, it is ANOTHER GOSPEL if at any point
in their life they are REQUIRED TO KEEP THE LAW TO BE SAVED!!! The Devil is
subtle; he tricks preachers, due to ecclesiastic peer pressure, to combine
works with grace, by teaching that works are necessary by virtue to validate
one's faith. This is ANOTHER GOSPEL. The evidence of salvation is the
indwelling Holy Spirit (1st John 3:24), as evidenced by Lot's conviction in
his heart in 2nd Peter 2:7-8.
Evangelist Paul Washer Errantly Says
Worldliness is Cause of False Conversions
For example: Southern Baptist Convention
evangelist, Paul Washer, states:
“The great majority of
people in America, and in the church, believe themselves saved when in fact
they are not; and they prove they are not, because although they claim to
have walked through that one small gate, they live in the broad way—They
look like the world, they act like the world, they talk like the world, and
their lifestyle will be the very thing that condemns them on the Day of
Judgment!” [emphasis added]
SOURCE: Evangelist Paul
Washer; How To Know For Sure
You're Not Going To Hell.
Paul Washer is correct that most churchgoers
who think they are saved are not really saved; but he is terribly wrong to
say that it is because they are still worldly. The reason why they
are not saved is because they're living the Christian life, but have never
been born-again. Many of them have made shallow decisions for Christ, but
they have never believed the Gospel. Others are following the false Gospel
of Billy Graham and
Paul Washer, who require people to
live moral lives to prove they are saved (which becomes a part of their hope
for salvation). It is ANOTHER GOSPEL to require people TO KEEP THE LAW to
prove that their faith is legitimate. It's a backdoor approach to Lordship
Salvation.
In sharp contrast to Paul Washer's religious
nightmare theology, the Word of God teaches we are saved simply BY FAITH:
Galatians 3:2,
“This only would I learn of you, Received ye
the Spirit by the works of the law,
or by the hearing of faith?”
Evangelist David Cloud Teaches Same
Heresy as Roman Catholics On Repentance!
Evangelist David W. Cloud also adds works to faith. He teaches
Another Gospel:
“A sinner who can
flippantly pray a sinner's prayer without being ready conjointly to follow
Christ has not repented in a biblical fashion and is not saved. Those who
accept such a thing and proclaim such people 'saved' and include such
people in their 'salvation statistics' are not following the Bible and are
creating endless confusion. Sinner's prayers divorced from a repentant
faith are empty.”
SOURCE:
Repentance and Lordship Salvation
Mr. Cloud wrongly understands “repentance” for
salvation to mean forsaking sinful ways. This is religion, not the new
birth. God never requires a person to turn away from a sinful life in order
to qualify for divine forgiveness and eternal life!!! God does require
turning away from sin to be right with Him as a Christian; but not to
receive the free gift of eternal life. If the Lord did require such changes,
it would be a reward and not a gift.
Did you know that Roman Catholics define
repentance the same as Paul Washer, John MacArthur, David Cloud and Lordship
Salvationists:
But what does it mean
to truly repent? The Greek word for repentance that is used in the Gospel is
metanoia, which literally means "to change one's mind." This "change" of
"mind" necessarily entails a profound interior conversion in which we
firmly
turn from worldly darkness, and embrace a new way of life as Christ's
disciples. Thus repentance is not merely to know of Christ, nor is it a
matter of picking and choosing—with an intellectual arrogance—some aspects
of our Lord's teaching while coldly rejecting others; rather, it is a union
of mind, heart and soul to the Person of Christ.
To repent is to die to
Christ, discarding our former way of life in favor of the Way, Truth, and
Life that is Christ himself.
[emphasis added]
SOURCE:
A Lenten
Reflection On Repentance — Catholic Online
The preceding quote is from the Catholic.org
website. As with many false teachers on repentance, they begin by correctly
defining “repent” (METANOIA) as “a change of mind,” but then they completely
wrest (twist) it to mean something different. By the time Catholic.org gets
done corrupting the word “repent,” they teach it to mean: to “firmly turn
from worldly darkness, and embrace a new way of life as Christ's disciples”
and to “die to Christ, discarding our former way of life in favor of the
way, truth, and life that is Christ himself.” Whoa horsy!!! So you see,
Roman Catholicism has highly and adversely influenced our evangelical
churches today. John Calvin's teachings are virtually synonymous with Roman
Catholicism's concerning repentance.
In sharp contrast, the holy Scriptures teach
something VERY, VERY, DIFFERENT:
Galatians 3:2,
“This only would I learn of you, Received ye
the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?”
The Bible gives us a much simpler meaning of
salvation than the Roman Catholic church. In view of Galatians 3:2,
repentance simply means to REPENT TO BELIEVE, that is, you change your mind
to believe! Repentance is the acknowledgement that I am a guilty sinner in
God's holy eyes for breaking His commandments. The Bible says that the
PURPOSE of God's law is to show all men their sinful condition, so that “ALL
THE WORLD MAY BECOME GUILTY BEFORE GOD” (Romans 3:19). Hence, to “repent”
means to admit that I am a guilty sinner, which compels a man to BELIEVE the
Gospel to be saved. Thus, we are saved by BELIEVING, not REPENTING AND
BELIEVING!!!
The very idea to “firmly turn from worldly
darkness, and embrace a new way of life as Christ's disciples”
and to “die to Christ, discarding our former way of life in favor of the
way, truth, and life that is Christ himself” [emphasis added] is
entirely a matter of DISCIPLESHIP, not SALVATION!!! Notice that Catholic.org
even mandates embracing “a new way of life” as one of “Christ's disciples”
as a requirement to be saved. Yes, Roman Catholics teach Lordship Salvation.
Few Christians realize just how much the satanic cult of Roman Catholicism
has crept into our churches today!!! All sorts of heresy has crept into our
churches these days, even into our Independent Baptist Churches!!!
Repentance is Absolutely Necessary for
Salvation
Yes, repentance is 100% necessary for
salvation, because a man would never come to Christ if he didn't repent
(John 3:20); but repentance does NOT mean turning away from sinful behavior
and surrendering one's life to serve Christ. These are religious works
(human effort) which cannot produce the miraculous new birth. Being
“born-again” is a supernatural miracle of God in response to a person's
faith in the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ (John 1:12-14). Whether doing
good works, or ceasing from bad works, these are all
DEAD WORKS!!!
The Gospel of John mentions the words “believe”
and “believed” 85 times, but the words “repent” is never mentioned. This
evidences that the man who believes has repented. If repentance from sinful
behavior, and forsaking worldliness, were a requirement for salvation, then
the Bible wouldn't continually just tell us to “BELIEVE.” 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.” Here again we are taught that the way to
be saved is simply TO BELIEVE.
Once again, the Bible wonderfully teaches:
Galatians 3:2,
“This only would I learn of you, Received ye
the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?”
Carnal Believers Are Still Forever Saved
and 100% Eternally Secure
Paul Washer, in the same sermon, claims that
the doctrine of a “CARNAL CHRISTIAN” is purely an American invention, which
is not true. Even the apostle Paul said, “For we know that the law is
spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin”
(Romans 7:14). The believers at the church at Corinth were “carnal”
(1st Corinthians 3:1). Mr. Washer errantly teaches that professed
Christians who are still continuing in sin are not really saved. This is
false doctrine.
Galatians 3:2,
“This only would I learn of you, Received ye
the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?”
The Holy Bible is filled with believers who
horribly sinned, and habitually, including Samson who liked his prostitutes
(Judges 16:1). Noah went from being the captain of his ship, to a drunken
sailor (Genesis 9:21). King David commit adultery with Bath-Sheba, conspired
to do evil, deliberately got Uriah drunk, and commit murder, to name a few
of his sins. Solomon was a sex-pervert who forsook God's holy commandments.
On and on, the Holy Bible is filled with unholy believers—God's children—the
righteous (by God's imputed righteousness alone). Romans 4:5-6 teaches that
the vilest and most wicked man is deemed righteous in God's eyes BY FAITH!!!
Romans 4:6, “David also describeth the blessedness of the man,
unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works.”
Did you read that friend... WITHOUT WORKS!!! Why then do so many pastors
doubt the salvation of professed believers who GLADLY RECEIVE THE GOSPEL,
waiting to see whether they go onto serve God, forsake sinful ways, confess
Christ before men, surrender their life to God, and acknowledge Jesus as
their “Lord”? These all pertain to the WORKS OF THE LAW!!!
Evangelist Ray Comfort DOESN'T believe in the
doctrine of eternal security. He bases
his false assumption on Luke 8:13, where the seeds (the Word of God -
Luke 8:11) fell upon shallow ground and were uprooted and blown away when
persecution came. Mr. Comfort says these were people who believed, but were
not saved, because they didn't repent (turn from their worldliness and
sins). In sharp contrast, the Lord said that these people were born-again
believers (saved), but weren't willing to suffer persecution for the Lord
(just as the chief rulers in John 10:42-43 who believed, but refused to
confess Christ, because they loved the praise of man more than the praise of
God). These believers in Luke 8:13 were truly saved, but never matured to
bear much fruit. Bearing much fruit is God's will for every believer (Luke 8:15). Hence,
Ray Comfort has no Biblical basis for his denial of the eternal security of
the believer. Have you ever seen Ray Comfort win multitudes to Christ while
street preaching? Of course not, because he requires them to forsake sinful
behavior, which no one is willing to do on a dime. Whereas, eternal life
Biblically is a free gift that you can have without obligation or sacrifice
(Ephesians 2:8-10). It is easy, simple and free to be saved!!!
Romans 11:6 teaches, “And if by
grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace.
But if it be of works, then is it no more grace:
otherwise work is no more work.” Most pastors are
Caught Between Works And Grace (an excellent MP3 sermon by Pastor Ralph
Yankee Arnold). The great lie of the Devil is that a person must “turn away
from their sins” to receive the free gift of God. How can the gift of
eternal life require giving up anything except unbelief? You won't read much
about the Biblical doctrine of
imputation in most books these days, because it does not support the
satanic agenda of Lordship Salvation.
All you need to know if that the Gospel is very
simple and easy. If you admit that you are a guilty sinner in the eyes of a
holy God, and believe His only begotten Son died on the cross for your sins,
was buried, but then He bodily resurrected three days later, you are forever
and securely saved!!! Salvation is not doing your best, it is having
Christ's best put to your account through receiving Him by faith. How did
you get saved friend? Did you simply BELIEVE the hearing of the Gospel?
Galatians 3:2,
“This only would I learn of you, Received ye
the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?”
I found the above Bible verse today while
“SEARCHING THE SCRIPTURES” as Jesus commanded in John 5:39,
and it jumped out at me. What a powerful truth! This Scripture speaks
volumes! I had never really noticed this Bible verse before, but it says it
all. Please notice that capital “S” in “Spirit,” for the “Holy Spirit.” The
apostle Paul is writing to the church at Galatia, which is centrally located
in modern Turkey. Paul says he only wants to know ONE THING... HOW DID YOU
GET
SAVED? 
