Turning From Your Sin Is Never The Gospel

Acts 15:1 and 24, “And certain men which came down from Judaea taught the brethren, and said, Except ye be circumcised after the manner of Moses, ye cannot be saved. ...But there rose up certain of the sect of the Pharisees which believed, saying, That it was needful to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses. ...Forasmuch as we have heard, that certain which went out from us have troubled you with words, subverting your souls, saying, Ye must be circumcised, and keep the law: to whom we gave no such commandment:”

The Bible says in our text passage that certain men, false prophets, came down from Judaea teaching works for salvation. These same type heretics crept into the church at Galatia, teaching works for salvation (Galatians 3:1-3). This heresy is still being taught in churches all across the world, especially in America. It is called 'Lordship Salvation.' There are many variations of this theological error. I have even heard some preachers refute Lordship Salvation, but then teach the lie that you must turn from sin to be saved. What a mess! Dear reader, please do not be deceived by these LIARS!

I'm warning you about Dr. Steve Pettit (president of Bob Jones University), Pastor John MacArthur, Dr. Sam Horn, Dr. Marty Herron, and the bewitched Harvest Baptist Church on Guam who sinfully bid Godspeed to evil by promoting all these heretics! It sounds reasonable to “turn from sin” to be saved, doesn't it? It seems right. Proverbs 16:25, “There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.” These are arrogant men, all getting paid 6-digit salaries for parasiting off of Christianity. It is sickening! When did Christianity become a stinking business in America? John MacArthur was investigated in 2018, for giving $7,610,399 to his son-in-law, from the Master's University Bible college that Mr. MacArthur founded. These are not men of God!

The Bible warns every believer in 1st Timothy 6:8-10 about the LOVE OF MONEY, and the associated spiritual dangers and traps that it brings. These men will publicly say that very thing, downplaying the love of money, while they pay themselves over $100,000 a year, and in many cases MUCH more. Pastor MacArthur makes over $250,000 a year from 'Grace To You.' These are covetous men in my humble Christian opinion. Since 2002 when I began my online website ministry, I have never taken a single penny (and I never will). I am serving God, and in this money-hungry generation of religious con-men and parasites in the pulpit, I want everyone to know that there is at least one man of God who preaches from the heart for God. 

Kindly said, I wouldn't give you a dime for Marty Herron's pompous, arrogant and misguided so-called “ministry” in Iowa. The college that he now administers at Faith Baptist Bible College And Theological Seminary (cemetery) charge students about $30,000 a year for tuition, room and board. Spiritual crime pays well! I realize that in the disgusting great American college ripoff that $30,000 a year is typical. But I cannot help but wonder if anyone who professes the name of Christ, actually cares anymore about truly reaching this world for Christ. Why the expensive tuition? Pastor Jack Hyles was so right, that businessmen all across America are destroying churches! Businessmen think in terms of dollars and cents. I am sick of preachers emphasizing money in the Bible. All I see are these shysters making a lot of money!!!

I have a right to my opinion, and I am expressing it! I am absolutely disgusted what professed Christians have done to turn Christianity into a lucrative business! The one time in the Holy Bible when Jesus became enraged with justifiable, planned, anger, was when a group of men were making money off of the things of God. Jesus called them “a den of thieves” (Matthew 21:13). Are you a thief in God's eyes, like these horrible men I have mentioned?

One of my favorite preachers, with the guts to say it like it is, is Pastor Steven Anderson in Arizona. Pastor Anderson preached a great sermon called: “The Bible College Scam,” which is highly thought provoking. Personally I am not against Bible college, but I have to agree with most of what Pastor Anderson says. I certainly lean toward not having Bible colleges. If churches were doing their job for God, we wouldn't need Bible colleges! The purpose of this article is not to expose Bible colleges, but I wanted to mention them briefly, because Bible colleges today are destroying churches by the thousands!!! I am only for Bible colleges operated by churches, like Hyles-Anderson College. Unfortunately, since 2008 they've stopped teaching at HAC that the King James Bible is inspired, so I can no longer recommend them to anyone! Kindly said, the First Baptist Church of Hammond has changed for the worst! The King James Bible is 100% verbally inspired by God!!!

But it gets much worse folks. Jesus called them “thieves” for turning the house of God (churches) into a business, but the worst thief is a man who corrupts the Gospel. John 10:1-2, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.” Dr. Marty Herron does not enter in by THE DOOR (which is faith in Jesus Christ alone); but instead, he tries to climb up “SOME OTHER WAY,” by teaching lost sinners that they must “TURN FROM YOUR SIN” to be saved. That is NOT the Gospel of free grace!!! It sounds religious. It sounds good. It sounds reasonable, that you should have to be willing to “turn away from a lifestyle of sin” to be pardoned by God. 

Bob Jones University (BJU) is a root of bitterness to the world. Hebrews 12:15, “Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;” BJU is a root of bitterness, which has defiled thousands of Baptist churches that their alumni work in. Case in point is the shameful Harvest Baptist Church on Guam. Harvest has their own radio station (KHMG 88.1 FM in the Micronesia islands). On their radio channel they promote “The Daily Platform” (chapel sermons at BJU). On January 26, 2020 Dr. Steve Pettit errantly taught 2,700 BJU students that they cannot just get saved, and then that's it. Instead, he horribly taught them that to be saved, they must “persevere” to faithfully “run the race” until they arrive at their destination in Heaven. 

Dr. Steve Pettit heretically says:

“For the real reality of the genuineness of your faith is that you are faithful to run the race!” —Dr. Steve Pettit (“What Does It Mean To Run 'The Race'?” - 22:44) 

“You can't just speak about getting saved, and you accepted Christ, and then that's it! There is a justification; There is a sanctification; There's ultimately a glorification, and though there are three parts, they are all part of the whole, and you cannot separate them. In order for you to qualify for the award, you have to get into the race, you have to stay in the race, and you have to finish the race. If you want to win, you have to run to the end; and winning in the Christian life is everything, because if you lose—if you don't finish—you lose everything—you lose your SOUL. And so, the Christian race is the life of faith that begins, is run, and is finished when we cross over into Heaven!” [emphasis added] —Dr. Steve Pettit (“What Does It Mean To Run 'The Race'?” - 11:34)

That is the Devil's lie and curse of Lordship Salvation. It is a false gospel of worry, fear and uncertainty, always wondering if you have been faithful enough to make it to Heaven. How is this the free gift of God? Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” In hundreds of Scripture passages we are simply taught to “BELIEVE” on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ to be saved. Dr. Bob Jones Sr. (1883-1968) got it 100% right, but since he went to Heaven in 1968, the Bible college that he started in 1927 has totally gone to Hell doctrinally! It is wickedness!!!

Never, never at any time, is turning away from your sins a requirement to be saved. Eternal life is the free gift of God, because Jesus paid for it with His precious blood. 1st Peter 1:18-19, Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:” Telling someone to “repent of your sin” to be saved is effectively the same as requiring them to “KEEP THE LAW” (Acts 15:5; Romans 3:19-20). To tell someone that they have to turn away from living in adultery, covetousness, stealing, murder, and other sins to be saved, is to require them to KEEP THE LAW!!!

Before you roast me over any Pharisaical theological fires, please understand that God does not approve, give permission nor have a lackadaisical attitude toward His children that commit any sin! Romans 3:30-31, “Seeing it is one God, which shall justify the circumcision by faith, and uncircumcision through faith. Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law.” So whether whether we keep the law, or don't keep the law, we are justified only BY FAITH; yet, the apostle Paul says we should still keep the law, even though we are not saved by keeping the law. Dr. Steve Pettit is correct that salvation is more than being saved, in that it also includes sanctification (becoming Christlike), and glorification in Heaven one day with Christ. However, getting born-again is instant, irrevocable, eternal, and nothing more is necessary or allowed. 

Dr. Pettit goes horribly astray and makes a grave theological error, when he mixes and combines discipleship with sonship. Salvation is instant, but sanctification takes a lifetime. One has nothing to do with the other! In Romans 12:1 the apostle Paul pleads with the Gentile believers at Rome to present their bodies a “LIVING SACRIFICE.” Romans 12:1, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.” Carefully notice that the Bible called it “YOUR REASONABLE SERVICE,” not YOUR MANDATORY SERVICE. 

Evangelist Steve Pettit is a false teacher, who perverts the Gospel of free grace, and needs to be refuted and exposed as a wolf in sheep's clothing!!! The same is true of Bob Jones University, Sam Horn, John MacArthur, Marty Herron and the Harvest Baptist Church on Guam. Their gospel does not match the Gospel taught in the King James Bible. You cannot show me the phrases “turn from your sin“ or ”repent of your sin” or “be willing to turn from your sins” anywhere in the Holy Bible. It may sounds religious, reasonable and right, but it is NOT what the Bible teaches. 

The Gospel truth taught in the Bible is that you are a guilty sinner (Romans 6:23). You are also a needy sinner (Galatians 3:24-26). You need a Savior! You cannot save yourself, and neither can I (Titus 3:5). That is the bad news! The 'GOOD NEWS' (i.e., Gospel) is that God loved you so much, that he sent His only begotten Son into the world to die on the cross for your sins. Jesus paid a debt that He did not owe, because you and I owed a debt of sin we could not pay. JESUS PAID IT ALL!!! Jesus died on the cross, was buried, and physically resurrected three days later (1st Corinthians 15:1-6). Romans 5:6-8 says Christ died for the ungodly (for you and me). All you need to do to be saved, is cease from your own self-righteous efforts (e.g., trying to turn from your sin), and completely REST in what Christ has already done for you on the cross! You get saved by not trying to be saved, but instead, trusting to be saved! If you think that you had to turn from your sin to be saved, YOU ARE NOT SAVED!

Oh dear reader, I so much want you to grasp what I am teaching. I have nothing personal against the men I have mentioned. I have paid a price for my faithfulness to tell THE TRUTH. In 2015 I was driven out of Harvest Baptist Church on Guam by Pastor Marty Herron. I pray for God to avenge me of his cruelty, indifference and lack of Christian compassion. Pastor Herron deeply hurt me and my family. Afterwards, his associate Jared Baldwin sinfully drove my daughter, grandson and son-in-law out of Harvest, to burn any bridge for me to return. Mr. Baldwin is working in Iowa with Dr Herron today. These are ungodly men who parasite off of churches to make money. Their shallow, arrogant, indifferent and ecumenical style of apostate Christianity is why America is going to Hell.

Jesus warned in John 10:1-2 that whosoever tries to enter into Heaven, by some other way than faith in Him alone, is a thief and a robber. We see a group of religious people in Matthew 7:21-23, who served Jesus faithful their entire lives. They did “many wonderful works” in Jesus' name. They “prophesied” (preached) in Jesus' name. They “cast out devils” in Jesus' name. But they had never submitted to God's righteousness, through faith alone in Christ. Romans 10:3-4, “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.” 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:” 

Bob Jones University is pulling on the same rope as the Devil today. Thousands of churches are being infected with the Devil's lie of Lordship Salvation. Does anybody care? Is anybody listening? Does the Gospel matter to you friend. Right doctrine matters!!! When someone tells you to “repent of your sin” to receive the free gift of eternal life, they are preaching another gospel of partial faith in Christ plus works. The Bob Jones' crowd don't care! I have lived on Guam since 2004. The biggest Baptist church on Guam is a religious cult! Harvest Baptist Churches preaches another gospel of Lordship Salvation. They bid Godspeed to Evangelist Steve Pettit, Dr. Marty Herron and Pastor John MacArthur, all reprobates concerning the Christian faith. I plead with you dear friend to heed THE TRUTH, by searching the Scriptures for yourself (John 5:39), to verify if what I say is true or false. 

The Gift Of Eternal Life Is Wrapped In Jesus!