The Simple Plan Of Salvation That Jesus Offers To All

John 6:47, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.” 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.” Galatians 3:26, “For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.” 1st Thessalonians 4:14, “For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.”

Again and again in the precious Holy Scriptures we are simply taught to believe on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, believing that He died on Calvary's cross to pay for our sins, was buried, and then bodily resurrected three days later for the justification of our faith. Nothing more is required. I just showed you numerous passages from the inspired Word of God. Yet, mankind is incurably religious! There are many false prophets today, who insist that faith alone is insufficient to save.

Men Complicate God's Simple Plan Of Salvation

The eleventh Mormon president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Harold B. Lee (1899-1973), offered this heretical admonition to Latter-day Saints:

“In one sentence, repentance means turning from that which we have done wrong in the sight of the Lord and never repeating that mistake again. Then we can have the miracle of forgiveness.” ('Ye Are the Light of the World: Selected Sermons and Writings of Harold B. Lee,' 1974, p.321).

Oh my! What a big lie! Dear reader, what you have just read is another gospel, not the truth as taught in the inspired Holy Bible. Repentance does not mean never repeating the same wrongs and mistakes again! Sadly, Pacific Garden Mission in Chicago teaches this same perverse Mormon theology on their Unshackled radio program. For example: In UNSHACKLED program #3589 (aired in 2020), a woman named Debbie Brooks meets with a religious friend named Sharon:

SHARON: Trusting Jesus is the only thing that can make a difference in my messed-up life.  

DEBBIE: I keep hearing that in church, but I don't get it—how something that EASY can be a life-changer.  

SHARON: Oh Debbie, it's not easy—believing in Jesus means repenting and asking forgiveness for all the old ways, and then GIVING THEM UP FOR GOOD. When you find the COURAGE TO DO THAT, He'll help you CHANGE YOUR LIFE.  

DEBBIE: Huh, well, I'll have to think about it. 

That is backwards heresy folks! God does not require you to give up the old sinful ways to receive His free gift of eternal life. Salvation is a take proposition, not a give proposition. It is tragic that in an effort to market and create further interest in their Unshackled series, that Pacific Garden Mission has stooped to the theological level of MORMONS! Again, here is what Harold B. Lee falsely said: 

“In one sentence, repentance means turning from that which we have done wrong in the sight of the Lord and never repeating that mistake again. Then we can have the miracle of forgiveness.” ('Ye Are the Light of the World: Selected Sermons and Writings of Harold B. Lee,' 1974, p.321)

That is exactly what PGM heretically preaches:

“ SHARON: Oh Debbie, it's not easy—believing in Jesus means repenting and asking forgiveness for all the old ways, and then GIVING THEM UP FOR GOOD. When you find the COURAGE TO DO THAT, He'll help you CHANGE YOUR LIFE.” —SOURCE: program #3589 (aired in 2020), a woman named Debbie Brooks

I am not trying to be unkind or rain on anyone's parade, but the Bible clearly defines THE GOSPEL in 1st Corinthians 15:1-4 as three things: Christ DIED on the cross for our sins, He was BURIED, and then after three days Jesus bodily RESURRECTED from the dead for our justification. There is no requirement to repent from the old sinful lifestyle, and commit to never commit those sins again. Such a requirement would cancel eternal life being a gift, and instead make it a trade, or an exchange of sorts. We are warned repeatedly in the Word of God about false prophets creeping into the church (Jude 1:4), bringing in a damnable heresies to deceive the simple:

Romans 16:17-18, “Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.”

Nearly every heretic that I know, who preaches Lordship Salvation, is getting paid a 6-digit salary. Evangelists' Sam Horn, Steve Pettit and Marty Herron all get paid lucrative 6-digit salaries as the executives of Bible colleges. Dr. John MacArthur has a net worth of $14 million. Ray Comfort takes in 4$ million each year. Ken Ham's Answers In Genesis takes in $37 million a year. This is disgusting! As we just read, they serve their bellies, not the Lord Jesus Christ. They do not speak THE TRUTH, because they are not righteous men. Proverbs 12:17, “He that speaketh truth sheweth forth righteousness: but a false witness deceit.”

The Simple Gospel

The following is a beautiful quote from Michael P. Bowen, shewing forth THE TRUTH of righteousness, by preaching the Gospel of free grace:

Jesus Christ offers a very different plan of salvation. Jesus said that the will of the Father was for everyone to recognize Christ as the Messiah and to believe on Him alone for the gift of everlasting life. “And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day” (John 6:40). To make it ever more succinct, Jesus then said, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life” (John 6:47). The gospel message is the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. When we believe that Jesus died for us and came back to life three days later, He knows it — He knows all of your thoughts — and He knows the very instant that you believe His gospel message.  

The instant you believe His message, Jesus saves you. Time and time again we see in the bible that when people heard this message, they “believed.” When they believed, they were saved that very same instant. They did not pray prayers of salvation asking Jesus into their hearts. They did not commit their lives to the Lordship of Christ. They did not determine to follow Him all the days of their lives in obedience to His Lordship or to the practice of discipleship. They simply believed on Christ alone as their savior. 

It doesn’t matter how successful a ministry is, or how beautiful and satisfying their particular plan of salvation may be. If what they say about salvation does not match with what Christ said about salvation, their plan is counterfeit and falls under the label of an “accursed message.” Galatians 1:8-9 says, “But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I I Never Knew You 59 now again, if any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.” 

If you were to have asked Paul how to be saved, he would have told you the same thing he told the Philippian jailer in Acts 16:31, “...Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved...” And if you were to ask Jesus Christ how to be saved, He would tell you the same thing that He told Nicodemus in 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.” 

Jesus said “believe.” Believe means to “trust.” The object of this trust is His gospel message. Reader, please understand that you must be “as righteous as” Christ is righteous, that you must be cleansed of your sins in order to enter heaven, that you must “change your mind” about Christ and trust in Him alone to save you. It’s not about committing your life to Him. It’s not about doing anything for Him. It’s about what He did for you by His death and subsequent resurrection from the dead. Christ alone paid for your sins, and the instant you believe His plan of salvation, He saves you, forever and forever. It is your choice. If you believe Jesus Christ ALONE as your savior, you will be saved. If you choose to believe a counterfeit version of the gospel message that includes any works or behavioral changes on your part, you will stand before Christ at the Great White Throne Judgement and this will be your fate:

Revelation 20:11-15, “And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.”

SOURCE: Michael P. Bowen, 'I NEVER KNEW YOU,' chapter 5, pp. 58-59 

Amen! Michael is right, you have to be as holy and perfect as Jesus to enter into Heaven. Obviously that is impossible. I want to repeat that last portion, in larger font, because I really want you to understand these truths of the Gospel:

Jesus said “believe.” Believe means to “trust.” The object of this trust is His gospel message. Reader, please understand that you must be “as righteous as” Christ is righteous, that you must be cleansed of your sins in order to enter heaven, that you must “change your mind” about Christ and trust in Him alone to save you. It’s not about committing your life to Him. It’s not about doing anything for Him. It’s about what He did for you by His death and subsequent resurrection from the dead. Christ alone paid for your sins, and the instant you believe His plan of salvation, He saves you, forever and forever. It is your choice. If you believe Jesus Christ ALONE as your savior, you will be saved.

Satan's greatest weapon is to con people into living the Christian life, without ever being born-again. God will not save anyone who is trying to be saved, He will only save those who are trusting His only begotten Son to be saved. Salvation is not achieved, it is received by faith! Salvation is not doing your best, it is having Christ's best put to your account through receiving Him by faith. To God alone be the praise and glory. Jesus is precious!!!