Romans 4:1-5, “What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found? For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God. For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.”
I visited the website for 'The Church At Rockypeak' in Chatsworth, California today. When I look at a church, the first thing I always do is head for their Statement of Faith, particularly their view of salvation. Here is what I sadly found...
Salvation
Believers are eternally safe and secure in Jesus and give evidence of genuine faith by a life of good works. (John 3:16, John 10:27-29, Romans 8:38-39, James 2:14-17) [emphasis added]
I have a big problem with the preceding statement. I think the preacher John Bunyan (1628-1688) said it best...
“If you do not put a difference between justification wrought by the man Christ without and sanctification wrought by the Spirit of Christ within, you are not able to divide the Word aright; but contrariwise, you corrupt the Word of God, and cast stumbling blocks before the people.” [emphasis added] —Evangelist John Bunyan
Kindly said, the pastors and people of 'The Church At Rockypeak' in Chatsworth, California are corrupting the Word of God, and casting stumbling blocks before the people. They are preaching another Gospel which is rooted in the errors of Calvinism. As I just quoted to you, 'The Church At Rockypeak' heretically says: “Believers are eternally safe and secure in Jesus and give evidence of genuine faith by a life of good works” [emphasis added]. The first part of the statement is okay, but the last part corrupts the Gospel. To help you better understand where I am going, please read what Dr. Steve Pettit (president of Bob Jones University since 2014) also heretical says, which is the same junk theology:
No, the reality of the genuineness of my faith is MY FAITH ITSELF! Dr. Steve Pettit teaches the same Lordship Salvation trash that 'The Church At Rockypeak' teaches, which is NOT the Gospel of free grace! They are teaching the deadly falsehood of Lordship Salvation. The idea that you must prove the genuineness of your faith by living the Christian life is a false gospel.“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)
The proponents of Lordship Salvation are hypocritical to say you are not saved by works, but then say that if you don't have works you're not saved! That is a manipulative backdoor approach to Lordship Salvation!!! Front-loading the Gospel is when you require meritorious works of a person BEFORE they are saved. Rear-loading the Gospel is when you require meritorious works of a person AFTER they are saved. Either way, preachers are perverting the Gospel when they ADD to it! Galatians 1:6-7, “I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.”
It is not necessary for believers to “give evidence of genuine faith by a life of good works” to know that they are saved. But didn't the Apostle James say works without faith is dead? James chapter 2 is one of the most misunderstood passages in the Bible. ...
James 2:14-20, “What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him? If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit? Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works. Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?”
Where so many people go horribly wrong is that they assume “works” here means doing good deeds and turning away from sin, but please notice what “WORKS” Jesus said you have to do to go to Heaven...
John 6:28-29, “Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.”
Dear friend, the only “works” that you must do to get to Heaven is to BELIEVE ON THE LORD JESUS CHRIST!!! Listen, if you have to look at your life to prove that you're saved, it proves that you're not! That is the fatal mistake that the people made in Matthew 7:21-23, “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”
They looked at their life in an attempt to prove that they were saved. They boasted of doing “many wonderful works” in Jesus' name. They also boasted of having “prophesied” (peached) in Jesus' name. They even bragged that they had “cast our devils” in Jesus' name. And here is the granddaddy fatal error of all, they followed Jesus as their “Lord” instead of trusting Him as their personal Savior. Satan's greatest weapon is to con people into living the Christian life without ever being born-again. They said, “Lord, Lord,” but Jesus replied with these horrifying words: “I NEVER KNEW YOU: DEPART FROM ME, YE THAT WORK INIQUITY.”
Dear reader, you don't get to Heaven by surrendering to Jesus as “Lord” of your life. Nor do you get saved by faithfully “running the race,” enduring unto the end. Nor do you get to Heaven by “living a lifestyle that proves the reality of your repentance” (as Ray Comfort's falsely teaches). You don't receive the new birth by giving “evidence of genuine faith by a life of good works” (as the 'The Church At Rockypeak' foolishly teaches). Nor do you have to “turn away from your sin” (as Bob Jones University errantly teaches). You get saved by ceasing from your own self-righteous works, and simply resting in the finished redemptive work of Jesus Christ. Hebrews 4:10-11, “For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his. Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.”
These damnable heretics that I've mentioned by name, all pervert God's grace. When you attack the grace of God, you attack the God of grace! These wicked false prophets tell you that you cannot merely say you accepted Christ as your personal Savior, and that's it, you're on your way to Heaven! They add to the Gospel, teaching that you must persevere in living the Christian life, to prove the genuineness of your faith. The big problem with their warped teachings is that you can never have the sweet assurance that you are 100% saved.
Read again what they teach at 'The Church At Rockypeak' in Chatsworth, California...
Salvation
Believers are eternally safe and secure in Jesus and give evidence of genuine faith by a life of good works. (John 3:16, John 10:27-29, Romans 8:38-39, James 2:14-17) [emphasis added]
How can you be safe and secure in Jesus if you don't live a life of good works, since they say it is the EVIDENCE that your faith is genuine? Clearly you cannot! They are heretically teaching that if you're still living a lifestyle of willful sinning, your faith is not genuine, and you were never saved to begin with. That is the Devil's lie of Lordship Salvation. They teach that if you are not fully surrendered to Jesus as the absolute Lord of your life, your faith is not real. So effectively, you have to do GOOD WORKS for your faith to be valid. Folks, that is blatant works-based plan of salvation. This is the garbage that the Harvest Baptist Church of Guam teaches. This is the junk theology taught by Dr. Marty Herron at the Faith Baptist Bible College And Theological Seminary in Ankeny, Iowa. Read what Dr. Steve Pettit false teaches:
“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)
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