Luke 13:1-5, “There were present at that season some that told him of the Galilaeans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And Jesus answering said unto them, Suppose ye that these Galilaeans were sinners above all the Galilaeans, because they suffered such things? I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.”
On cartoonist Jack Chick's website, there is a section titled “God's Plan Of Salvation.” This same corrupt plan of salvation is printed on the last page of every Chick Tract published. At the top of the webpage is the slogan, “Chick Tracts GET READ!” They sure do (about 800,000,000 of them), which is the problem, and the reason why I am typing this article to warn fellow Christians (and unbelievers too), that Chick Tracts have a wrong view of the Gospel.
According to Mr. Chick, it is not enough to believe that Christ DIED on the cross for your sins, He was BURIED, and then bodily RESURRECTED three days later. This is “the Gospel” (1st Corinthians 15:1-4). In addition, Mr. Chick says that you must also be willing to turn away from your sinful behavior, as a prerequisite to believing the Gospel. Nowhere in the Scriptures are we taught to “turn from sins” to be saved. Am I wrong for telling THE TRUTH? Am I wrong for pointing out THE TRUTH that Jack Chick is perverting God's plan of salvation? I THINK NOT!!! Galatians 4:16,“Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth?”
Jack Chick (1924-2016) quotes Luke 13:5 on his website, in a failed attempt to justify his Strawman heresy that you must “be willing to turn from sin” (which he errantly considered to mean “repent”) to be saved. Kindly said, Jack Chick took Luke 13:5 out of context to create his own pretext, to support his heresy. Pastor Curtis Hutson explains Luke 13:5 and gets it 100% correct:
In Luke 13:5 Jesus said, “I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.” The context of this verse shows that they needed to repent or change their mind regarding punishment and sin. In this passage, Christ was talking to good people who believed that people suffered only because of their sins, and they concluded that those in Galilee whose blood Pilate mingled with sacrifices and those on whom the tower of Siloam fell were greater sinners because they died such horrible deaths. Jesus contradicts the thinking of these self-righteous people and tells them that they need to repent or change their mind and see themselves as sinners, too, or they will perish in their own self-righteousness.
One does not have to know the Greek language to see that “repent” in this passage does not mean feeling sorry for or turning from sin.
SOURCE: Dr. Curtis Hutson, 'Repentance: What Does The Bible Teach?'So we see that it is very easy to take a passage of Scripture out of context. Bible repentance is simply the owning of one's sinnership—a change of mind—which facilitates believing the Good News of Jesus Christ crucified on the cross for our sins, buried and bodily resurrected the third day, so that we are immediately justified by faith alone.
Consider the following helpful quote by the mighty man of God, Dr. Harry Ironside (1876-1951):
“Repentance is the recognition of my sinnership—the owning before God that I am as vile as He has declared me to be in His holy Word.”
SOURCE: 'Except Ye Repent,' by Dr. Harry Ironside, chapter 3This is vastly different than actually attempting to cease from one's sinful behavior to be saved, which is a false gospel. Pastor Ironside is correct—repentance is simply realizing that one is a needy sinner in God's sight. This is why we need the blessed Saviour! Thankfully, Jesus paid the full price of our sins with His own precious blood (Romans 5:9; 1st Peter 1:18-19; Hebrews 9:12; Revelation 1:5). We are saved by the blood of the crucified One! Glory I'm saved!!!
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