If You Must Stop Breaking God's Law To Be Saved, How's That Not Keeping The Law?

Romans 3:19-20, “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. 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.”

Our text passage above plainly teaches that the ONLY role of God's Law in God's simple plan of salvation for man is TO GIVE THE KNOWLEDGE OF SIN. That's is my friend, no more! God never intended that you repent “of your sin” to be saved! God never intended that you “turn away from your sin” to be saved. Those requirements means KEEPING THE LAW!

Think about it dear friend. What is “the law” anyway? You've heard of the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1-18). (by the way, if you want to see something unsettling, check out The Ten Commandments for Roman Catholics, which completely remove God's 2nd Commandment not to bow down to graven images. They split the 10th Commandment not to covet into two, making the 9th and 10th Commandments both not to covet. The Catholic religion is EVIL!) Anyway, the Ten Commandments tell us not to steal, not to murder, not to commit adultery, not to take God's name in vain, not to covet, et cetera. Essentially, God's Law commands us not to sin! So when some incompetence preacher tells you to “turn away from your sin” to be saved, he is effectively ordering you to KEEP THE LAW to get to Heaven, which the Bible says is impossible. 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 sole purpose of God's Law in getting saved is to give humanity THE KNOWLEDGE OF SIN! That is what Romans 3:19 plainly teaches! With that truth in mind, Pastor Harry Ironside (1876-1951) gets repentance 100% correct:

“Repentance is the very opposite of meritorious experience. It is the confession that one is utterly without merit, and if he is ever saved at all it can only be through the merits of our Lord Jesus Christ, 'who gave himself a ransom for all.' Here is firm footing for the soul who realizes that all self-effort is but sinking sand. Christ alone is the Rock of our salvation.” —Pastor Harry A. Ironside; “Except Ye Repent,” p. 36

Listen to what Dr. Ironside correctly states about repentance:

“In all that I have written I have failed completely to express what was surging up in my soul if I have given anyone the impression that I think of repentance as something meritorious which must be produced in man by self-effort ere he is fit to come to God for salvation.” —Dr. Harry Ironside, a quote from chapter 16, “The Preaching That Produces Repentance,” from his classic book, “Except Ye Repent”

Dr. Ironside rightly teaches:

“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.” —Dr. Harry Ironside, chapter 3, “Except Ye Repent”

What Pastor Ironside is teaching is vastly different than actually ceasing from one's sinful lifestyle to be saved, or even attempt or to be willing to turn away from sin to be saved. Pastor Ironside is correct—repentance is simply owning before God that I am a guilty sinner. Thus seeing my need for Christ, I am saved solely by BELIEVING the Gospel (the Good News of Jesus crucified, buried and bodily risen the third day). Thankfully, Jesus paid the price for out sins with His own precious blood (1st Peter 1:18,19; Hebrews 9:12, 22-24; 12:24).

As did the Apostle Paul, I marvel at how easily Satan has deceived so many preachers today with a counterfeit gospel...

Galatians 1:6-8, “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. 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.”

I was tremendously heartbroken in 2014 at the Harvest Baptist Church on Guam, which I attended for one year. On a particular Sunday, their senior pastor Marty Herron got up and preached to several hundred people. Tragically, at the end of his sermon he preached another gospel, and I went home and cried. Pastor Herron said to all those people, and I quote: “It is not enough to admit that you are a sinner to get to Heaven, you MUST turn away from a lifestyle of sinning.” Folks, that means KEEPING THE LAW!!!

From all the truths that I have just shared with you dear reader, it should be very clear from the inspired Word of God that, in fact, you DON'T have to stop even one sin to be saved!

You Don't Go To Hell Because You Won't Quit Your Sinning

(by Pastor Curtis Hutson, “Why Do Men Go To Hell?”)

Curtis Hutson (1934-1995) became a born-again Christian at age 11. He simply BELIEVED the Gospel as a sinner. That is how I got saved at age 13. I simply came to God as a needy sinner and put my faith in His only begotten Son, believing (placing my confidence in) what Jesus did to pay for my sins on the cross. Jesus died on the cross. He was buried. Three days later Jesus bodily resurrected from the dead. This is “THE GOSPEL”:

1st Corinthians 15:1-4, “Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:”

Dr. Hutson tells a beautiful illustration of salvation by using a chair. If I say I believe that a chair will hold my weight up if I sit in it, I still haven't put my trust in that chair. Only when I actually sit down on the chair have I trusted it! The same is true with Jesus Christ. Saying that you believe He exists and died on the cross isn't salvation. But when you make it personal and YOU put YOUR trust in His death, burial and resurrection, then you are immediately, irrevocably and forever saved!!! It's a simple little decision friend. Christ died, that's history; Christ died and rose for me, that's salvation! 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.”

Please don't ever let anyone feed you the Devil's lie that faith is not enough to get to Heaven. It sure is! What saith the Scripture? Galatians 3:26, “For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.” If someone tells you that you must also “repent and turn away from your sinning” to be saved, you tell them they are wrong according to the Gospel of John! In this beautiful book of the Holy Bible we find the word “BELIEVE” mentioned 88 times, but the word “REPENT” is not mentioned even once. That speaks volumes! Clearly, repentance is automatic and is included in faith. If this were not the case, then the Gospel of John would have required a two-step plan of salvation, but it doesn't.

Case in point is a wicked false teacher named Ray Comfort. See for yourself what Mr. Comfort horribly teaches this woman, in this transcript from the Living Waters video:

“So if the plane goes down, you'd end up in Hell! There are two things you have to do to be saved. Do you remember what they are? I told you what they are—You've got to repent and trust the Savior! ... God's offering you everlasting life upon your repentance and faith in Christ. Who in his right mind wouldn't say, 'Whoa! That's a good offer!' (The curious woman asks what it means to “repent”?)... Have you ever said you're sorry to someone you did something wrong to? That's all repentance is—You've sinned against God; it's a matter of saying, 'God, I'm sorry,' and then LIVING A LIFESTYLE that proves the reality of your repentance. That's what repentance is, it's a continual thing! God, 'I'm sorry, but I'm not going going to lie or steal or blaspheme Your name ever again. It has that attitude! And the second thing—trust in Jesus!” [emphasis added]

SOURCE: Evangelist Ray Comfort, “I've never killed anyone” (MP3 clip from video).

Carefully notice that Ray Comfort teaches that faith is the “SECOND THING” you must do to be saved. Folks, that is a another gospel, a false gospel of Satan. The Gospel of John plainly teaches that there is only ONE THING a person must do to be saved, which is to BELIEVE.

What did Paul and Silas tell the Roman Jailor who asked how to be saved? Acts 16:30-31, “And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.” Again, all that was required to be saved is simply to BELIEVE ON THE LORD JESUS CHRIST. If turning away from a sinful lifestyle where necessary to obtain eternal life, and LIVING A LIFESTYLE of repentance as Ray Comfort falsely teaches, then the Bible would have said so, but is doesn't. We are simply taught again and again throughout the Gospel of John, and the Word of God, to BELIEVE. 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.” No more, no less! Anyone sinner who believes the Good News of Jesus Christ is saved. That's it, that's all, no more!