Does Acts 3:26 Teach Lordship Salvation? No!

Acts 3:25-26, “Ye are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying unto Abraham, And in thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed. Unto you first God, having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities.”

Pastor Curtis Hutson (1934-1995) said: “A good rule to follow when interpreting the Bible is to never use an obscure passage to contradict a clear one.” At a glance this passage may shake the faith of some free grace Gospel believers. Did we get the Gospel wrong? Is the Lordship Salvation crowd right after all? This passage from Acts 3:26 is one of their go-to Scripture passages, in the lame attempt to justify a false gospel. They do “wrest” (Greek: strebloo—to torture by the rack) the Scriptures to their own destruction. 2nd Peter 3:16, “As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.” It is not a light matter to God that John MacArthur, Steve Pettit, Sam Horn, Marty Herron, John Piper, R.C. Sproul, Adrian Rogers, Paul Washer and countless other Calvinists, pervert the Holy Scriptures to complicate God's grace into something He never intended for it to be—hard and difficult!

So what does Acts 3:26 mean? Again, a good rule to follow when interpreting the Bible is to never use an obscure passage to contradict a clear one. It shows poor Bible study skills when someone bases a doctrine on one particular passage of Scripture, while ignoring the rest of the Bible. Please consider the following Scripture passages:

Matthew 1:21, “And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.”

Luke 1:76-77, “And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways; To give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission of their sins,”

Ephesians 2:5-10, “Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. 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.”

In hundreds of Bible references throughout the inspired Word of God, we are taught that salvation is simply by faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God (John 20:31). We trust Jesus because He died on the cross to pay for our sins, was buried, and three days later He resurrected bodily from the dead (1st Corinthians 15:1-4). The only requirement to be saved is to recognize your need as a guilty sinner for redemption (Romans 3:19-20), and that redemption is found only by faith in Jesus Christ our Savior (Galatians 3:24-26; 1st Timothy 4:10).

Acts 3:26 simply means that God sent His only begotten Son to SAVE US FROM OUR SINS. Matthew 1:21, “And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.” The Bible is not teaching in Acts 3:26 that turning away from the act of sinning is required to be saved. That would be WORKS! That would be KEEPING THE DEEDS OF THE LAW for salvation. Romans 3:20, “Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.” The LAW and the GOSPEL are two keys—the law is the key that shuteth up all men under condemnation, and the Gospel is the key which opens the door and lets them out. Acts 3:26 simply means that Jesus has the key to open the door, to free men from the condemnation that their sins bring upon them! Let's read our intriguing text passage again, shall we:

Acts 3:25-26, “Ye are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying unto Abraham, And in thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed. Unto you first God, having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities.”

Carefully notice WHO does the turning... JESUS! Contrary to the Lordship Salvation heresy which demands that YOU turn from your sins to be saved, the Bible teaches that JESUS came to save us from our sins. The man who repents “TOWARD GOD” (Acts 20:21), has turned his back against his sins. That doesn't mean he is going to forsake them, it simply means that he has recognized his sinnership, as a guilty sinner under the condemnation of God's law, and as a needy sinner he turns to Christ to be saved by faith alone. 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.” It is very important to learn in the preceding Bible passage, that the purpose of the law is not to convince men to forsake living in sin; but rather, to BELIEVE the 'Good News' (Gospel) of the Lord Jesus Christ crucified, buried and risen, to be forgiven of your sins.

In Acts 3:25, “thy seed” does not refer to the Jews (Israel), but to Jesus Christ (Galatians 3:16). Zionism is a doctrine of devils which has infected many churches today, removing the emphasis from THE GOSPEL, and instead placing it upon ISRAEL. God promised to bless all the nations of the earth in Jesus Christ, through the saving power of the Gospel. God sent Jesus to the Jews first with the Gospel (Romans 1:16). Jesus didn't come to tell us to forsake our sins to be saved; but rather, He came to die on the cross to pay our debt of sin, to save us from our sins, so that we wouldn't be enslaved to our sins anymore. ...

John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.”

Over and over in the Word of God, we are taught that Jesus came to SAVE US, not to reform us! Turning from one's sins is reformation, not regeneration! Let's define a few terms:

• Penitence - sorrow for one's sins
• Penance - making a mend for one's sins
• Reformation - turning from one's sins
• Repentance - a change of mind
• Regeneration - the new birth

Penitence, penance and reformation are NOT required for salvation, but may indeed accompany or follow one's faith. Carefully notice in the next passage of Scripture that as believers “WE SHOULD” live for Christ, not MUST, not WILL, but “SHOULD”...

Titus 2:11-13, “For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;”

Acts 3:26 seems like a doctrinally tricky passage, but if we compare Scripture with Scripture, and refuse to base a doctrine upon one single passage, then we can only logically conclude that this passage refers to the saving work of Jesus Christ. Acts 3:26b, “having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities.” It was God the Father who SENT JESUS TO BLESS YOU, in turning us from our sins!!! This is no way mandates forsaking sins to receive God's free gift of eternal life, it simply means that when God saves a sinner, He begins to sanctify that individual. No born-again believer can live in willful sin without God's hand of chastisement upon their life (Hebrews 12:6-8). God is not an absent parent, He will chastise His saints. Proverbs 3:12, “For whom the LORD loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.” 

God did not save us just to rescue us from the fires of Hell. God has a plan and a purpose for our life (Philippians 2:13). The Lord said “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly” (John 10:10b). God wants every believer to forsake iniquity in their life. 2nd Timothy 2:19, “Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.” No saint can live above sin, but we can try to live above reproach, and SHOULD live for Christ. But we must never alter God's simple plan of salvation in a sinful attempt to coerce people to forsake their sinful ways. To do so guarantees a ticket to Hell! You're either 100% trusting what Jesus did on the cross to pay for your sins, or else you're not saved at all. 

Fake preachers who teach that you must trust Jesus, but you must also pay the “cost” of surrendering everything to Christ as “LORD,” are of the Devil. They say, “LORD, LORD,” but they do not the will of the Father, which is to believe on the Son of God and nothing else (John 6:40). Evangelist Steve Pettit says it will cost you. Dr. Pettit is a false prophet!!! Pastor Paul Washer says God's free gift will cost you! He is a theological liar! Pastor John MacArthur says God's free gift will cost you! Dr. MacArthur has been inspired by demons! Did you know that these heretical men are all in agreement with the cult of the Jehovah's Witnesses? It is true! The JW's falsely teach:

“Salvation is a free gift from God. It cannot be earned. Yet it does require effort on our part.” —What Must We Do To Be Saved? - Watchtower

That is exactly what Steve Pettit, Sam Horn, Marty Herron, R.C. Sproul, Ray Comfort, Adrian Rogers, Kirk Cameron, Harvest Baptist Church on Guam, Moody Bible Institute, Bob Jones University, and other hellbound Calvinists and heretics are teaching nowadays!!! YOU DON'T HAVE TO TURN FROM YOUR SINS TO BE SAVED, JESUS CAME TO TURN YOU FROM YOUR SINS, BY HIS SACRIFICE ON THE CROSS!!!

The ungodly proponents of the Lordship Salvation heresy, need to stop perverting the Gospel of free grace in order to force people to try to forsake their sins, and allow God to raise His children! Eternal life is the free gift of God, which you simply receive by faith. Getting saved is free, easy, simple and instantaneous if you want it oh sinner! John 11:25-26, “Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?” This verse simply means that we have eternal life abiding in us, because we are alive in Christ by believing in Him. Do you believe dear friend?