'The Beatles' Are More Popular Than Jesus To Many People

Exodus 20:13, Thou shalt not kill.

Proverbs 29:27, “An unjust man is an abomination to the just: and he that is upright in the way is abomination to the wicked.

Jude 1:21-23, “Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. And of some have compassion, making a difference: And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.”

By God's wondrous grace, I have been a born-again Christian now for 42 years (I was saved at age 13, in 1980 in an old-fashioned Baptist church on Chicago's northside). One of the most important lessons that I have learned is to NEVER base any doctrine upon a single passage of Scripture. Most pastors who preach heresy are guilty of lifting text out of context to create a new pretext. I love something that Pastor Curtis Hutson (1934-1995) said: “
A good rule to follow when interpreting the Bible is to never use an obscure passage to contradict a clear one.

A good example of this is the accursed Lordship Salvation crowd today. If you pay attention, you'll notice that people like Billy Graham, Paul Washer, John Piper, Steve Pettit, John MacArthur, Ray Comfort and other false prophets, often cite passages from the books of Matthew, Luke and other obscure passages, lifting their text out of context to create a new false pretext, to bolster up their strawman of damnable heresy!!! All the meanwhile they totally ignore the plain Gospel of John, which was authored by God specifically to show the reader how to get to Heaven (John 20:31). The Gospel of John is indeed God's Gospel tract!

Having said that, I chose the three passages of Scripture as text, so we could put them all together for this article. Please bare with me, I'm going somewhere. The Bible is very clear that killing (murder) is a sin (Exodus 20:13). We also read in Proverbs 29:27, “An unjust man is an abomination to the just: and he that is upright in the way is abomination to the wicked. God's children (i.e., born again believers), who walk close with the Lord, are going to hate being around unsaved heathens!

A backslidden Christian can sink so far into sin and the world, that they don't care anymore; but there will ALWAYS be conviction from God's indwelling Holy Spirit (Hebrews 12:6-8). It is for this very reason, why unsaved people won't come to the light of the truth of the Gospel to be saved, lest their evil deeds (i.e., a lifestyle of sinning) should be reproved (John 3:20-21).

And then the last Scripture passage I chose is from Jude 1:21-23, “Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal lifeAnd of some have compassion, making a difference: And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.”

I mentioned these three passages to lay a foundation to talk about Mark David Chapman (born 1955), the scumbag that cold-heartedly murdered John Lennon (1940-1980); who openly admitted decades later in a parole hearing, that one of the reasons he ruthlessly murdered John Lennon was due to anger over John's statement in 1966 about The Beatles are more popular than Jesus.

Admittedly, one of my favorite musical groups are The Beatles (not their wicked lifestyles, but the music itself). The Beatles were musical geniuses. You'd have to be a musician to truly appreciate the brilliance of their melodies, skill as musicians and iconic lyrics. That is quite astounding for four teenage lads from England. I am a musician, so I naturally love all kinds of music. As a Christian I filter what I choose to listen to.

Having said that, I already know that some hypocritical religious person—you know, the holier-than-thou type—is already condemning me for saying that I like The Beatles. Well, at least I am honest to admit it! Yes, I love The Beatles music! But just like hurtful religious hypocrites today, they condemned John Lennon (1940-1980) for saying in 1966 that The Beatles are more popular than Jesus. Oh boy, did John live to regret saying those words. I'll get back to this topic in a moment, but first I want to discuss the music of The Beatles.

1st John 4:1b teaches to “try the spirits whether they are of God,” so we need to evaluate each song individually with the filter of the Holy Bible. I'm just saying that some secular music is okay to listen to, in my humble Christian opinion. If that offends you, then don't listen to it. Romans 14:22, “Hast thou faith? have it to thyself before God. Happy is he that condemneth not himself in that thing which he alloweth. I have no religious scrupulosity (religious guilt) about listen to some secular music.

Ladies and gentleman, John Lennon told THE TRUTH. At least from his own perspective. I am not sanctioning what he said, and John himself said that he regretted ever saying it. Those were just the words of a 26 year old young man, who had never been famous before. John later said that he sincerely meant no harm by his words, nor was he attempting to berate Jesus Christ, nor offend Christians. I believe him.

Unfortunately, John Lennon's enemies weren't going to stop criticizing him for the rest of his sadly premature life (when he was unjustly killed in 1980 by a crazed religious nutcase). It wasn't what John said that made millions of religious Americans angry at him; but rather, the fact that The Beatles were so popular, especially with the young girls. People were jealous of their success. I can show you the same type of hateful people attacking Pastor Jack Hyles, because he was a massive success in the religious world. So the issue wasn't about what John Lennon said, in my humble opinion, as much as it was the fact that The Beatles were super popular around the world.

It was difficult for me to read the details of John's killing. Chapman bought a .38 caliber gun, but didn't have any bullets. So he flew down to Georgia to meet a friend of his, who was a policeman (the cop had no idea what Chapman was planning on doing). The bullets were hollow-point tipped, which do maximum damage to the victim (blowing out the back of whatever is targeted). John was in a hurry that fateful night, headed from his penthouse apartment in New York to his waiting wife (Yoko Ono) in the limousine. He was headed for a recording session, to finish up a song that they hadn't put on their most recent album.

Mark Chapman approached John and asked for his autograph, which John kindly gave him. John even asked Mark if he needed anything else, which Mark admitted years later. Mark said that John was friendly and nice to him in every way. So why did Mark do the inexplicable evil thing that he did, to the man who had just befriended him with love? Mark shot John 5 times! One bullet missed him. Two entered into John's shoulder, but the two that entered into his lungs proved to be fatal, as he bled to death in the ambulance. Doctors spent 45 minutes trying to revive John's lifeless body, but he was gone from this earth. Proverbs 27:1, “Boast not thyself of to morrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.” John Lennon hadn't the slightest clue that December 8th, 1980 would be his last day alive on earth, but it was. Dear reader, have you been born-again? If not, right now is the time, please.

Mark Chapman later admitted at a parole hearing (he has been denied parole 12 times already as of 2022), that he murdered John Lennon because he was angry at him:
  • One thing that Mark was angry about was John Lennon's statement that The Beatles were more popular than Jesus. Mark says he became a born-again Presbyterian at age 16, and hated John for saying that The Beatles were more popular than Jesus.
  • Another thing that made Mark angry (according to his own admission) is John Lennon's alleged hypocrisy for living such an extravagant lifestyle, which Mark feels is totally contradictory to John's lyrics in his 1972 number one hit song, Imagine, in which John sings “imagine no possessions, I wonder if you can.”
  • Mark Chapman admits though, that the real reason he murdered John Lennon was because he himself wanted to become famous, for murdering a famous person. He admits to having also contemplated killing Johnny Carson, Elizabeth Taylor and George C. Scott. Unfortunately for John, Mark said it was easy to gain access to John, where he lived in New York City. That is so sad and disturbing.
I think the only logical conclusion for any normal person is that Mark Chapman is a very wicked person! Mark's lawyers suggested that he plead insanity, which he himself refused to do, admitting to the judge that he fully understood what he did to John Lennon. At least the guy is honest to admit what he did. The real victim in all of this is John Lennon's family. I feel sorry for Yoko Ono, who still today lives in the SAME apartment in New York where she and John lived when he was assassinated by a nutcase.

The real victim is Mark's wife, Gloria Chapman, who married Mark in 1979 in Hawaii. She said later that December 8th, 1980 was the worst day of her life! That was the day her husband committed the unthinkable, killing John Lennon. Unbelievably, Mark and Gloria are still married in 2022, 42 years later! Wow! Gloria is a born-again Christian living in Hawaii still today. I must say that I greatly admire Gloria for staying married to Mark all these many years. That is uncommon among married couples, to see that kind of dedication. All it took was one fight between Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, and she quit their marriage in 2016.

I chose the three Scripture passages for our text, because of the often contrarian nature of the Bible. I have learned that the word “balance” is important when studying the Bible. For example: We are commanded as believers to “hate evil” (Psalms 97:10). But we are also commanded to love our neighbour, which means every human being on the planet (Matthew 7:12). Anytime that you get your spiritual life out of BALANCE, you're headed for trouble!

That is what I think happened to Mark Chapman. I do believe that he is a born-again Christian, but I do not know for certain. We know from the Bible that saints can do some horribly unsaintly things; such as, Moses and David unjustly murdering another human being. I would need to talk with Mark Chapman directly, to hear a clear testimony of his faith in Jesus Christ without any works, to determine if he is truly saved or not. Sadly, most religious people who claim to be a “Christian” are not! That unsaved group includes: Roman Catholics, Mormons, Jehovah's Witness, Seventh-Day Adventists, Church of Church, Lutherans and the United Methodist Church. All of these groups corrupt the Gospel, adding works to faith (Hebrews 4:10-11).

The Beatles still today are indeed MORE POPULAR than Jesus to many people. This is called the sin of IDOLATRY!!! Anything or anyone that you hold, love, cherish, worship and idolize in your soul and life above the God who created you, is the horrible sin of IDOLATRY!!! ...
Exodus 20:1-6, “And God spake all these words, saying, I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.  Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:  Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;  And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.”
Most Americans are idolaters and don't even realize it! For many people (young and old alike), cars are their god. For others it is their motorcycle, pet dog, golfing, a boat, fishing, hunting, a guitar, a band, cooking or their girlfriend or wife. There is nothing wrong with any of these things, not at all; unless you allow these things to take precedence over God in your heart and life. Deuteronomy 6:11, And houses full of all good things, which thou filledst not, and wells digged, which thou diggedst not, vineyards and olive trees, which thou plantedst not; when thou shalt have eaten and be full; Then beware lest thou forget the LORD, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage. Moses warned the Jews—after God had delivered them from bondage in Egypt, and provided all their needs bountifully—that they not become ingrates by forgetting the Lord. Sadly, they did forget! BEWARE LEST THOU FORGET THE LORD AMERICA!!!

Mark Chapman hated sin so much that he became disillusioned with reality, hating the sinner instead. Dear reader, we should never accept the sin with the sinner; nor reject the sinner with the sin. I love that important truth. It is worth remembering! We should never accept the sin with the sinner; nor reject the sinner with the sin. I am a born-again Christian first and foremost. That is the ONLY reason why I am going to Heaven, because of what Jesus—the Christ, the only begotten (biological) Son of the living God—did through Calvary's cross to pay my sin debt (and yours too friend)! Jesus was buried and bodily resurrected miraculously (by the power of God) three days later from the dead. This is “the Gospel (or Good News) by which all who BELIEVE IT are immediately, irrevocably and forever saved (1st Corinthians 15:1-6; Romans 1:16; Galatians 3:26; Philippians 3:9; 1st Thessalonians 4:14).

I grew up in our American culture, born in 1967. I grew up listening to beautiful music, and was influenced by the same celebrities that the rest of us have. But now they are growing old, many having already died. I always wonder if famous people went to Heaven or Hell. If you listen to the ungodly world at their funerals, most of the time they automatically assume that everybody goes to Heaven. That reminds me of United Artist's 1989 movie: “All Dogs Go To Heaven.” I think it is so sad. In fact, it is evil blasphemy! Many children's resources are now advertising: “In Dog We Trust,” instead of In God We Trust.” If you think that is merely harmless and cute, you are not right with God friend! The things of God are sacred, and no one ought ever diminish, make fun of, belittle or take God name in vain. If you think God has a sense of humor akin to perverse Late Night Television, you are in for a horrific surprise in eternity (Hebrews 10:31).

Anyway, I wrote this blog after watching a YouTube documentary about the life of John Lennon. At one time in John's life, he sought out compassion from Pastor Oral Roberts. Unfortunately, Roberts didn't treat John very well, and I have no doubt that it discourage him. Like most other Americans, John has seen Oral on television. All of those TV preachers are of the Devil!!! But in his search for God, John did publicly announce to the world that he became a Christian. I don't know if John went to Heaven or Hell, and that is the honest truth. I hope that John did, but I don't know. Only John, God, the Devil and those already in eternity know for sure where John Lennon is right now! But I can tell you upon the authority of the Scriptures that John either went to Heaven or Hell (John 3:16-18; 8:24; Revelation 14:13; 20:11-15).

Recently Olivia Newton John (1948-2022) died. I love her song: “Hopelessly Devoted To You.” I often here that song in my mind and it is so beautiful. Olivia did profess to be a Christian, but I couldn't find anything concrete online to determine if she was really saved. It always bothers me when someone claims to be a Christian, but there is no public testimony of it. Of course, that doesn't mean she didn't go to Heaven. In John 12:42-43, the Bible says that many of the chief rulers believed on Jesus, but they DID NOT confess Him, for fear of the Pharisees. The wicked Pharisees had warned that if anyone confessed Christ, they would be excommunicated from the synagogue. John 12:43 says that those chief rulers who believed loved the praise of men more than the praise of God. I think that was Olivia's testimony too, but I have a good feeling that she went to Heaven. I think there are quite a few celebrities who are saved, but keep it quiet to avoid public scrutiny (Luke 8:13; Galatians 2:2).

Yes, The Beatles are still sadly more popular than Jesus in many people's lives. But from a historical viewpoint, John Lennon was so very WRONG! It is possible to like a music group, and listen to their music, without worshipping them. In this video gone viral about a decade ago, a young teenage boy (he sadly looks like a girl), says that he will kill himself if Britney Spears kills herself because of her critics on social media. Folks, that is America today!

On August 23, 2022 an emotionally distressed girl jumped from a school's third floor.
Our foolish culture thinks that more emotional support is needed to prevent students from trying to kill themselves. When will the heathen world realize that youth need God in their curriculum. I don't care how much a child may learn about God at home, that youth is going to be broken and messed up being indoctrinated for 40 to 50 hours each week from ungodly curriculum and homework devoid of their Creator. God made us humans! When all else fails, read the instructions, that is, the inspired HOLY BIBLE!!!

Please read what the Bible says these Last Days will be like:
2nd Timothy 3:1-7, “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.
All we keep hearing from the media, police, teachers, you name it, is that we need more of everything except to put the inspired Holy Bible back into America's classrooms!!! Children need Jesus. We've allowed a tiny group of God-hating atheists to destroy our entire society, but they accept no responsibility for it! Truly, Satan is the god of this evil world (2nd Corinthians 4:3-4; 11:13-15).

I'll stop here. This was a longer blog, but an important one. I could write about John Lennon's infamous statement that The Beatles are more popular than Jesus for days. There are many different aspects of John's claim that could be addressed. I think it is terrible that John made that statement, showing that he had no regard for God's feelings. God does have feelings. It is possible to grieve God (Ephesians 4:30). The Bible says that God is angry with the wicked every day (Psalms 7:11). I think it is clear that George Harrison went to Hell, according to the Holy Bible, since George worshipped Hara Krishna instead of Jesus Christ (John 14:6).

Paul McCartney has made subtle professions of being everything from an ashiest, to an agnostic (not sure what's out there), to a Roman Catholic, to following Harrison's eastern mysticism. Will the real Paul McCartney please stand up? I simply don't know what he believes, and I doubt if Paul does either. Worldly riches, pleasures and fame blind men to the seriousness of preparing for eternity (Luke 16:19-31). Ringo Starr professes to be a Christian, but I read that he is a member of the apostate Church of England, with their Sacramental Salvation from their accursed water baptistry. That is NOT the Bible way to Heaven!!! Jesus warned in John 3:3b, “YE MUST BE BORN AGAIN.

John 3:3b, “YE MUST BE BORN AGAIN.

Can A Christian Live In Willfully Sin And Still Go To Heaven?

Romans 5:20, "Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound:"

​​Romans 6:1, "What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?"

YES, YES, YES!!! A born-again child of God CAN choose to live a horrible life of sin and still have 100% confidence that they are going to Heaven.

The truth is that EVERY born-again child of God still continues living a life of sin. Oh, yes you do, you handsome devil!!! Some saints may sin more than others (what people commonly like to call "deep sin"), but we ALL sin in many ways every day. All sin is deep sin!!! There is no such thing as trifle sins, or white sins. Humans categorize which sins are worse than others, but God does not. James 2:10, “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.

It is a sin not to pray for others as we ought. 1st Samuel 12:23, "Moreover as for me, God forbid that I should sin against the LORD in ceasing to pray for you: but I will teach you the good and the right way:" No one prays enough! There are both sins of commission (doing wrong) and omission (not doing right). There are sins of thought (Proverbs 24:12), words (Matthew 12:36) and deeds (Ecclesiastes 12:14). There are no sinless saints who can be elevated as a shining example of what the rest of us should emulate. The only perfect person is JESUS CHRIST (Hebrews 4:15), and Jesus is the only one whom we should be trying to emulate in our life (Romans 8:29).

What saith the Scripture? Here are our text Scriptures again:
Romans 5:20, "Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound:"

​​Romans 6:1, "What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?"
Every believer falls IN GRACE, never FROM GRACE. Only the unsaved Christ-rejecter has fallen from grace (Galatians 5:4). That is, they have missed their only ticket to Heaven. Apart from faith in Jesus, the Christ, the only begotten Son of God, there is no salvation (Acts 4:10-12).

It matters not how much you sin as a child of God, you CANNOT forfeit, lose or jeopardize God's free gift of eternal life. That doesn't make it okay to live in willful rebellion against God. Hebrews 12:6-8 warns that God will scourge and chastise all of His children when we disobey. God has taken some believers home to Heaven prematurely because of sin. Some Christians are serving life sentences in prison for crimes they've committed. God has ordained human courts to punish evil. Judges and court magistrates are servants of God. That doesn't mean men are always fair, they certainly are not. Justice is very human! However, the court system itself was ordained by God, so that we could live safe and peaceable lives on earth (Romans 13:1-10).

In short, you cannot lose God's salvation. It is not our salvation, it is God's. The Bible says in Matthew 6:33 to "seek HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS," not our own self righteousness. 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:" I love the Epistle of Galatians, which our pastor is teaching on right now in church.

Many of the New Testament Jews were hung up on the Old Testament covenant. They were trying to keep the law to get to Heaven, which is works (Romans 3:19-20). Romans 3:20 teaches that the purpose of God's law is to give mankind THE KNOWLEDGE OF SIN. Thus, realizing our sinful condition and need for redemption, the law points us to CHRIST to be saved by grace (Galatians 3:24-26). LAW and CHRIST; or respectively, OLD TESTAMENT and NEW TESTAMENT. God made two great divisions in His Word, to teach humanity THE GOSPEL (the Good News of Christ's death on the cross, burial and bodily resurrection three days later from the dead). We are saved by believing the Gospel, adding nothing else to it. No one is saved who trusts in more than Jesus Christ and what he did through Calvary's cross.

No matter how you choose to live, it doesn't affect God's free gift of eternal life. My favorite preacher, Pastor Jack Hyles (1926-2001) preached a helpful sermon titled: "How To Be Right With God," in which he explains the believer's POSITION in Christ, versus our CONDITION in Christ. I think you'll find this sermon helpful.

The reason why we cannot lose God's gift of salvation is because our redemption depends upon God's faithfulness to keep His promise, and not our faithfulness to obediently obey Him. Our life on earth as a Christian determines our rewards in Heaven. I like to compare the two future judgments between criminal versus civil court:
  1. The first judgment will be The Judgment Seat Of Christ (1st Corinthians 3:11-15; 2nd Corinthians 5:9-11). ONLY believers will stand in appearance at this judgment, which I believe will happen immediately after the Pretribulation Rapture of the Church. All saints will be judged by Jesus Christ Himself, who will also be our attorney (1st John 2:2). That's a pretty sweet deal, having Jesus as both our Judge and Attorney at the Judgment Seat of Christ. This can happen only because Jesus paid our debt of sin upon the cross. The moment that we relied upon Him as our Savior, accepting His sacrifice on the cross as payment for our sins, God the Father declared us justified (JUST-IF-I'D never sinned at all). But God did more than that, He also took and imputed Christ's righteousness to me by faith (Romans 4:6).
  2. The second (or last) judgment will be The Great White Throne Of Judgment (Revelation 20;11-15; 21:8). This horrifying judgment will happen after the 1,000 year Millennial reign of Christ over the whole earth, from Jerusalem. ONLY the unsaved dead throughout human civilization will appear at this frightening judgment of the unsaved. The Bible says that the great and the small, rich and poor, famous and unknown, both the living dead and the buried dead from beneath the ocean and earth, will all appear before God the Father. Jesus will not be their Judge, God the Father will, since they reject Christ and died in their sins (John 8:24).
Those who are judged at the Great White Throne Of Judgment will be sentenced for their crimes against God, to burn in the Lake of Fire forever and ever, without hope or rest day and night (Revelation 14:11). This will be a criminal court!

But those who "die in the Lord" (Revelation 14:13), and are judged at The Judgement Seat Of Christ, will NOT be condemned to Hell with the lost. There is NO condemnation for the Christian (Romans 8:1; John 3:18). That is because Jesus paid for our sins with His precious blood (1st Peter 1:18-19). Believers will only risk losing monetary rewards (1st Corinthians 3:15). This will be a civil court, not a criminal court. Many believers will weep bitter tears or regret for their wasted lives, never having led anyone to the Lord. This is what "The Parable Of The Sower And The Seeds" is about, saints maturing to bear fruit(Luke 8:11-15).

John Lennon of The Beatles professed to be a Christian at one point in his life. I believe that John did get saved. But due to persecution from the world because of his fame and fortune (Luke 8:13), he had shallow roots and fell away (not from salvation, but from maturing in the Lord to become a soulwinner, which is God's goal for every believer). Some false prophets, like Ray Comfort, errantly teach that the people in Luke 8:13 lost their salvation. That is WRONG! The Bible clearly says that they germinated and the seeds began to grow, which signified that there was a new birth (born again). But they never matured, which is what the parable is about. Kindly said, Evangelist Ray Comfort is woefully ignorant and unlearned of the Scripture.

Again, the Bible teaches in ​Romans 6:1, "What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?" If you choose to continue living in gross immorality and rebellion against God, you will do so as a child of God. Many saints do live like the Devil. Another one of my favorite preachers is Pastor Ralph Yankee Arnold, who made this profound statement:
“'You can't tell me you can trust Christ as Savior, and then go out here and live like the Devil, and still go to Heaven!' Yes, I can tell you that! That's what the Bible says. If you don't come to the conclusion, that—Yes, you can trust Christ as your Savior and live like the Devil, and still go to Heaven when you die—you don't get grace, because that is the exact truth! That is the truth! I do not have to change my life! I don't have to stop one sin! You say, 'I've never heard a preacher say that.' You just heard one! And you listen to me—I want to live as holy and as godly as I possibly can. I am now 70 years old. I've been saved for 52 years. ... the only reason I'm going to Heaven is because, 52 years ago in a little living room, I accepted Christ as my Savior.” —Pastor Ralph Yankee Arnold, a great quote from the awesome sermon, “​​Calvinism And Grace Are NOT Compatible | MP3

Why I Disagree With All 5 Points of Calvinism

This is one of my favorite sermon booklets by Pastor Curtis Hutson (1934-1995). Dr. Hutson succeeded Dr. John R. Rice (1895-1980) as editor of the Sword Of The Lord ministry in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Today, Dr. Shelton Smith is the editor of the Sword, whom I admire, love and respect for faithfully contending for the faith (Jude 1:3). I thank God so much for Pastor Curtis Hutson, a genuine man of God. The Sword Of The Lord has been blessed to have godly leaders since it was founded in 1934 by Dr. Rice in Wheaton, Illinois. They moved decades later to Tennessee. The following sermon exposes all 5-points of Calvinism (the heretical teachings of an unsaved man named John Calvin, 1509-1564). To God be the glory!

 
by Pastor Curtis Hutson (1934-1995)

The term "Calvinism" is loosely used by some people who do not hold Calvin's teaching on predestination and do not understand exactly what Calvin taught.

Dr. Loraine Boettner in his book, "The Reformed Doctrine of Predestination" says,
"The Calvinistic system especially emphasizes five distinct doctrines. These are technically known as "The Five Points of Calvinism". And they are the main pillars upon which the superstructure rests."
Dr. Boettner further says,
"The five points may be more easily remembered if they are associated with the word T-U-L-I-P , T, Total Inability; U, Unconditional Election; L, Limited Atonement; I, Irresistible (efficacious) Grace; and P, Perseverance of the Saints."
These are the points of Calvinism.

I have heard preachers say, "I am a one-point Calvinist."

I have heard others say, "I am a two- or three-point Calvinist."

I want us to look at all five points of Calvinism as taught by John Calvin, then see what the Bible has to say on each point.


I. Total Inability

By total inability Calvin meant that a lost sinner cannot come to Jesus Christ and trust Him as Saviour, unless he is foreordained to come to Christ. By total inability he meant that no man has the ability to come to Christ. And unless God overpowers him and gives him that ability, he will never come to Christ

The Bible teaches total depravity, and I believe in total depravity. But that simply means that there is nothing good in man to earn or deserve salvation. The Bible says in Jeremiah 17:9, "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked."

A preacher brought a wonderful sermon on the depravity of the human heart. And when he finished his message, someone came to him and said," I want you to know I can't swallow that depraved heart that you preached about."

The preacher smiled and said, "You don't have to swallow it. It's already in you!"

While the Bible teaches the depravity of the human race, it nowhere teaches total inability. The Bible never hints that people are lost because they have no ability to come to Christ. The language of Jesus was, "Ye will not come to me, that ye might have life" (John 5:40).

Notice, it is not a matter of whether or not you can come to Christ; it is a matter of whether or not you will come to Christ.

Jesus looked over Jerusalem and wept and said, "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem . . .how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!" (Matthew 23:37). Here again notice, He did not say, "How often would I have gathered you together, but you could not." No. He said, "Ye would not!" It was not a matter of whether they could; it was a matter of whether they would.

Revelation 22:17, the last invitation in the Bible, says, "And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely ."

If it is true that no person has the ability to come to Christ, then why would Jesus say in John 5:40, "Ye will not come to me." why didn't He simply say, "You cannot come to me."?

The only thing that stands between the sinner and salvation is the sinner's will. God made every man a free moral agent. And God never burglarizes the human will.

D. L. Moody addressed a large group of sceptics. He said ,"I want to talk about the word believe, the word receive, and the word take." When Mr. Moody had finished his sermon, he asked, "Now who will come and take Christ as Saviour?"

One man stood and said, "I can't."

Mr. Moody wept and said, "Don't say, 'I can't.' Say, 'I won't!'"

And the man said, "Then, I won't!"

But another man said, "I will!" Then another said, "I will!" And another said , "I will!" Until scores came to trust Christ as Saviour.

Some Calvinists use John 6:44 in an effort to prove total inability. Here the Bible says, "No man can come to me except the Father which hath sent me draw him...."But the Bible makes it plain in John 12:32 that Christ will draw all men unto Himself. Here the Bible says, "And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me."

All men are drawn to Christ, but not all men will trust Christ as Saviour. Every man will make his own decision to trust Christ or to reject Him. The Bible makes it clear that all men have light. John 1:9 says, "That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world." Romans 1:19,20 indicates that every sinner has been called through the creation about him. And Romans 2:11-16 indicates that sinners are called through their conscience, even when they have not heard the Word of God.

So in the final analysis, men go to Hell, not because of their inability to come to Christ, but because they will not come to Christ-"Ye will not come to me, that ye might have life."

The teaching that men, women and children are totally unable to come to Christ and trust Him as Saviour is not a scriptural doctrine. The language itself is not scriptural.


II. Unconditional Election

By unconditional election Calvin meant that some are elected to Heaven, while others are elected to Hell, and that this election is unconditional. It is wholly on God's part and without condition. By unconditional election Calvin meant that God has already decided who will be saved and who will be lost, and the individual has absolutely nothing to do with it. He can only hope that God has elected him for Heaven and not for Hell.

This teaching so obviously disagrees with the oft-repeated invitations in the Bible to sinners to come to Christ and be saved that some readers will think that I have overstated the doctrine. So I will quote John Calvin in his "Institutes," Book III, chapter 23,
"....Not all men are created with similar destiny but eternal life is foreordained for some , and eternal damnation for others. Every man, therefore, being created for one or the other of these ends, we say, he is predestined either to life or to death."
So Calvinism teaches that it is God's own choice that some people are to be damned forever. He never intended to save them. He foreordained them to go to Hell. And when He offers salvation in the Bible, He does not offer it to those who were foreordained to be damned. It is offered only to those who were foreordained to be saved.

This teaching insists that we need not try to win men to Christ because men cannot be saved unless God has planned for them to be saved. And if God has planned for them to be eternally lost, they will not come to Christ.

There is the Bible doctrine of God's foreknowledge, predestination and election. Most knowledgeable Christians agree that God has His controlling hand on the affairs of men. They agree that according to the Bible, He selects individuals like Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and David as instruments to do certain things He has planned. Most Christians agree that God may choose a nation-particularly that He did choose Israel, through which He gave the law, the prophets, and eventually through whom the Saviour Himself would come- and that there is a Bible doctrine that God foreknows all things.

I have often said, "Did it ever occur to you that nothing ever occurred to God?". God in His foreknowledge knows who will trust Jesus Christ as Saviour, and He has predestined to see that they are justified and glorified. He will keep all those who trust Him and see that they are glorified. But the doctrine that God elected some men to Hell, that they were born to be damned by God's own choice, is a radical heresy not taught anywhere in the Bible.

I have in my hand a booklet entitled TULIP written by Vic Lockman. In the booklet Mr. Lockman attempts to prove the five points of Calvinism. Under the point, Unconditional Election, he quotes Ephesians 1:4, but he only quotes the first part of the verse: "He hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world. " However, that is not the end of the verse. Mr. Lockman, like most Calvinists, stopped in the middle of the verse. The entire verse reads: "According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love." The verse says nothing about being chosen for Heaven or Hell. It says we are chosen that we should be holy and without blame before him in love.

Under the same point, Unconditional Election, Mr. Lockman quotes John 15:16, "Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you." Again, Mr. Lockman, like most Calvinists, stops in the middle of the verse. The entire verse reads: "Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you."

The verse says nothing about being chosen for Heaven or Hell. It says we are chosen to go and bring forth fruit, which simply means that every Christian is chosen to be a soul winner. The fruit of a Christian is other Christians. Proverbs 11:30 says, "The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise."

Nowhere does the Bible teach that God wills for some to go to Heaven and wills others to go to Hell. No. The Bible teaches that God would have all men to be saved. Second Peter 3:9 says that He is "not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." First Timothy 2:4 says, "Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth."

Those who teach that God would only have some to be saved, while He would have others to be lost are misrepresenting God and the Bible.

Does God really predestinate some people to be saved and predestinate others to go to Hell, so that they have no free choice? Absolutely not! Nobody is predestined to be saved, except as he chooses of his own free will to come to Christ and trust Him for salvation. And no one is predestined to go to Hell, except as he chooses of his own free will to reject Christ and refuses to trust Him as Saviour. John 3:36 says, "He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him."

Nothing could be plainer. The man who goes to Heaven goes because he comes to Jesus Christ and trusts Him as Saviour. And the man who goes to Hell does so because he refuses to come to Jesus Christ and will not trust Him as Saviour.


III. Limited Atonement

By limited atonement, Calvin meant that Christ died only for the elect, for those He planned and ordained to go to Heaven: He did not die for those He planned and ordained to go to Hell. Again I say, such language is not in the Bible , and the doctrine wholly contradicts many, many plain Scriptures.

For instance, the Bible says in I John 2:2, "He is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world." The teaching of Calvinism on Limited Atonement contradicts the express statement of Scripture. First Timothy 2:5,6 says, " The man Christ Jesus; Who gave himself a ransom for all...."

The Bible teaches that Jesus is the Saviour of the world. John 4:42 says, "And said unto the woman, Now we believe , not because of thy saying: for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world." Again I John 4:14, "And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world." The Scriptures make it plain that Jesus came to save the world. John 3:17 says, " For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved."

No man will ever look at Jesus Christ and say, "You didn't want to be my Saviour ." No! No! Jesus wants to be the Saviour of all men. As a matter of fact, I Timothy 4:10 says, "For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe."

The Bible teaches that Christ bore the sins of all people. Isaiah 53:6 says, "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all." There are twos "alls" in this verse. The first "all" speaks of the universal fact of sin- "All we like sheep have gone astray." And the second "all" speaks of universal atonement-"and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all." The "all" in the first part of Isaiah 53:6 covers. If all went astray, then the iniquities of all were laid on Christ.

Not only did He bear the sins of us all, but the Bible plainly teaches that He died for the whole world. Look at John 2:2, "And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but for the sins of the whole world." If that isn't plain enough, the Bible says His death was for every man; "But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man" (Hebrews 2:9).

Nothing could be plainer than the fact that Jesus Christ died for every man. First Timothy 2:5,6 says, "For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Who gave himself a ransom for all. . . . " Romans 8:32 states, "He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?"

Look at the statements--statement after statement: "that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man"; "Who gave himself a ransom for all"; "delivered him up for us all."

John 3:16 has often been called "the heart of the Bible." It has been called "the Bible in miniature." "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 died for the whole world. He suffered Hell for every man who has ever lived or ever will live. And no man will look out of Hell and say, "I wanted to be saved, but Jesus did not die for me."

Some argue that if Jesus died for the whole world, the whole world would be saved. No. the death of Jesus Christ on the cross was sufficient for all, but it is efficient only to those who believe. The death of Jesus Christ on the cross made it possible for every man everywhere to be saved. But only those who believe that He died to pay their sin debt and who trust Him completely for salvation will be saved.

Again I quote John 3:36, "He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life. . . ." Everybody is potentially saved, but everybody is not actually saved until he recognises that he is a sinner, believes that Jesus Christ died on the cross to pay the sin debt, and trust Him completely for salvation.

The atonement is not limited. it is as universal as sin. Romans 5:20 says, "But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound." Isaiah 53:6 states, "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all."

A famous English preacher spoke in an English town, then rushed to catch his train for London. A sinner who heard him preach felt that he must immediately settle the matter of salvation. So he followed the preacher to the train. Just as the train pulled into the station, he took hold of the preacher's lapel and said, " I want to be saved! Tell me how!"

The minister said, "I must catch this last rain to London. Do you have a Bible?"

"Yes, I have one at home," said the anxious inquirer.

"Then go home and find Isaiah 53:6. Read it carefully. Go in at the first all, and come out at the last all, and you will be saved."

The preacher rushed away, and the anxious sinner was left alone. He went back to his home, and opening his Bible, he turned to Isaiah 53:6. What did the preacher mean, he wondered--"Go in at the first all and come out at the last all, and you will be saved"? He found the verse and read it carefully: "All we like sheep have gone astray."

Well, he thought to himself, I can certainly go in at the first all. I have gone astray. I am a poor, lost sinner. The he read the last part of the verse, "And the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all." He said to himself, "If I come out at the last all, I must believe that all my sins were laid on Christ, that He took my place and paid for my sins. And if I rely upon that, I will be saved. That's what the preacher meant."

He then trusted Christ and was saved. He believed that he was a sinner, and that all his sins had been laid on Christ.


IV. Irresistible Grace

The fourth point of Calvinism is irresistible grace. By irresistible grace, John Calvin meant that God simply forces people to be saved. God elected some to be saved, and he let Jesus Christ die for that elect group. And now by irresistible grace, He forces those He elected, and those Jesus Christ died for to be saved.

The truth of the matter is, there is no such thing as irresistible grace. Nowhere in the Bible does the word "irresistible" appear before the word "grace". That terminology is simply not in the Bible. It is the philosophy of John Calvin, not a Bible doctrine. The word "irresistible" doesn't even sound right in front of the word "grace."

Grace means "God's unmerited favour." Somebody said G-R-A-C-E- God's riches at Christ's expense. Grace is an attitude, not a power. If Calvin had talked about the irresistible drawing power of God, it would have made more sense. But instead, he represents grace as the irresistible act of God compelling a man to be saved who does not want to be saved, so that a man has no choice in the matter at all, except as God forcibly puts a choice in his mind. Calvinism teaches that man has no part in salvation, and cannot possibly co-operate with God in the matter. In no sense of the word and at no stage of the work does salvation depend upon the will or work of man or wait for the determination of his will.

Does the Bible say anything about irresistible grace? Absolutely not! The Scriptures show that men do resist and reject God. Proverbs 29:1 states, "He, that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy." Notice the word "often" in this verse. If God only gave one opportunity to be saved, then man could not complain. But here the Bible says, "He, that being often reproved.. . " This means the man was reproved over and over again. Not only was he reproved many times, but he was reproved often. But the Bible says he "hardeneth his neck" and "shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy." That certainly doesn't sound like irresistible grace. The Bible teaches that a man can be reproved over and over again, and that he can harden his neck against God, and as a result will be destroyed without remedy.

Again Proverbs 1:24-26 says,
"Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded; But ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof: I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh."
Here the Bible plainly says, "I have called, and ye have refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded; But ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof." That doesn't sound like irresistible grace. God calls, and men refuse. Is that irresistible? God stretches out his hand and no man regards it? Is that irresistible grace? No. The Bible makes it plain that some men do reject Christ, that they refuse His call. John 5:40 says, "Ye will not come to me, that ye may have life." That verse plainly teaches that men can and do resist God and refuse to come to Him.

In Acts chapter 7, we find Stephen preaching. He says in verse 51, "Ye stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye." To these Jewish leaders, Stephen said, "Ye do always resist the Holy Ghost."

So here were people; some of whom had seen Jesus and heard Him preach; others who had heard Peter at Pentecost; others who had heard Stephen and other Spirit-filled men preaching with great power. And what had they done? They were stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears. That is ,they were stubborn and rebellious against God. The Bible plainly says, "They resisted the Holy Ghost."

Notice the words of Stephen in verse 51, "Ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye." Here the Bible teaches that not only were these Jewish leaders resisting the Holy Ghost, but that their fathers before them had also resisted the Holy Spirit. Stephen says that all the way from Abraham, through the history of the Jewish nation, down to the time of Christ, unconverted Jews had resisted the Holy Spirit.

There is absolutely no such thing as a "can't-help-it-religion." God doesn't just force men to be saved with His so-called irresistible grace.

God offers salvation to all men. Titus 1:11 says, "For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men." But man must make his own choice. He must either receive or reject Christ . John 1:12 says. "But as many as received him , to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name."

When Jesus wept over Jerusalem, he said, "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, ho often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!" Here again the Bible clearly indicates that God would have gathered them together as a hen gathers her chickens, but they would not. That certainly shows that they could reject and resist Christ.

"I would, but ye would not" does not fit the teaching of irresistible grace. So people do resist the Holy Ghost. They do refuse to come to Christ. They do harden their necks. They do refuse when God calls.

That means that those who are not saved could have been saved. Those who have rejected Christ could have accepted Him. God offers salvation to those who will have it, but does not enforce it upon anyone who doesn't want it.


V. Perseverance of the Saints

The Bible teaches, and I believe in, the eternal security of the born-again believer. The man who has trusted Jesus Christ has everlasting life and will never perish. But the eternal security of the believer does not depend on his perseverance.

I do not know a single Bible verse that says anything about the saints' persevering, but there are several Bible verses that mention the fact that the saints have been preserved. Perseverance is one thing. Preservation is another. No. The saints do not persevere; they are preserved.

The Bible states in Jude 1. "Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to them that are sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ..." First Thessalonians 5:23 says, "And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly: and I pray God your whole spirit and soul, and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ."

The other morning I opened a jar of peach preserves. I don't know how long those peaches have been in that jar. But the jar had been sealed some time ago, and the peaches were preserved. When I took out the preserves and ate them with a good hot biscuit, they were as good as they were the day they were placed in the jar.

But wait a minute! The peaches had nothing to do with it. They were not fresh and good because they had persevered. They were good and fresh because they had been preserved.

The Bible makes it plain that the believer is kept. He does not keep himself. First Peter 1:4,5 states:
"To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time."
The Bible says in John 10:27-29:
"My sheep hear my voice, and I know them and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life: and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all, and no man is able to pluck them out of my Fathers hand."
Now that doesn't sound like perseverance of the sheep or the saints. Here the sheep are in the Fathers hand, and they are safe-not because they persevere, but because they are in the Fathers hand.

Charles Spurgeon once said, "I do not believe in the perseverance of the Saviour."

To be sure, the Bible teaches the eternal security of the believer. But the believer's security has nothing to do with his persevering. We are secure because we are kept by God. We are held in the Father's hand. And according to Ephesians 4:30, we have been sealed by the Holy Spirit until the day of redemption.

So I disagree with all five points of Calvinism as John Calvin taught it.

There is a belief that if one does not teach universal salvation, he must either be a Calvinist or an Arminian. In this book, The Reformed Doctrine of Predestination, Dr. Loraine Boettner says on page 47,
"There are really only three systems which claim to set forth the way of salvation through Christ [And he names them]:
"(1) Universalism, that all will be saved. (2) Arminianism, which holds that Christ died equally and indiscriminately for every individual......., that saying grace is not necessarily permanent, but that those who are loved of God, ransomed by God, and born of the Holy Spirit may (let God wish and strive ever so much to the contrary) throw away all and perish eternally; and (3) Calvinism."
He continues,
"Only two are held by Christians." That is Calvin's position and Arminius' position."
Calvinists would like to make people believe that if one does not teach universal salvation, he must either be a Calvinist or an Arminian. And since the Arminian position does such violence to the grace of God, many preferred to call themselves Calvinists. But a person doesn't have to take either position.

I am neither Arminian nor Calvinist. I believe in salvation by grace through faith in the finished work of Christ. I believe in the eternal security of the believer. I believe that Jesus Christ died for all men, and I believe what the Bible says, "That whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."

But I disagree with all five points of Calvinism as John Calvin taught it.

In conclusion, let me say that Calvin and those who followed him claimed to believe and follow the Bible. They claimed to find at least a germ of the Calvinist doctrine in the Scriptures. But a careful student will find that again and again they go beyond Scripture, and that Calvinism is a philosophy developed by man and depending on fallible logic and frail, human reasoning, with the perversion of some Scriptures, the misuse of others, and the total ignoring of many clear Scriptures. Calvin did teach many wonderful, true doctrines of the Scripture.

It is true that God foreknows everything that will happen in the world. It is true that God definitely ordained and determined some events ahead of time and selected some individuals for His purposes. It is certain that people are saved by grace, and are kept by the power of God. That far Calvinists may well their doctrines by the Scriptures. But beyond that, Calvinism goes into the realm of human philosophy.

It is not a Bible doctrine, but a system of human philosophy, especially appealing to the scholarly intellect, the self-sufficient and proud mind. Brilliant, philosophical, scholarly preachers are apt to be misled on this matter more than the humble-hearted, Bible-believing Christian.


OBJECTIONS ANSWERED

Dear Rev__________:

I have your letter which came recently, objecting to my article, "Why I Disagree With All Five Points of Calvinism." In the second paragraph of page 1, you say, "As to will. . . "Then you spend the next two or three pages talking about will and calling attention to Bible verses. You mention Titus 3:5 where the Bible says, " Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost."

I have just read this section of your letter over several times, and you seem to confuse works with will. For instance, you call attention to Isaiah 64:6 where the Bible says, " all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags. " Trusting Christ for salvation is the opposite of works. When a man believes that Jesus Christ died for him and fully trusts Jesus to save him, and nothing else, then he's not working for salvation. He's trusting Christ and what Christ did at Calvary.

But it is his own will that he trusts Christ. God doesn't make anyone trust Him. In John 5:40 Jesus said, "Ye will not come to me, that ye might have life." He did not say you cannot come; He said you will not come.

You go on to say in this particular part of your letter, "We are sinners from birth. . . as Adam, we hid ourselves from God."

It is true that Adam hid himself from God. But when God came and called for Adam, Adam answered God of his own will and he came out from his place of hiding of his own will. God did not take Adam by the hand and drag him out of the place of hiding. He simply called and Adam came out. Every man comes to God of his own will.

In Matthew 23:37 Jesus said, "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!"

Still discussing the matter of will, you make reference to Romans 5:12 and say that we are dead in sin. Then you continue, "Note a dead person cannot move, respond, walk, nor anything."

Now, you have a misunderstanding of death. Death is not annihilation. Death is not cessation of existence. Death is simply separation. Physical death is the separation of the soul and spirit from the body, and spiritual death is the separation of the man from God.

In the parable of the prodigal son, when the prodigal returned home the father said, "This my son was dead, and is alive again." The prodigal son was dead in the sense that he was separated from the father. He was certainly capable of making decisions while he was in the far country separated from the father. As a matter of fact, he made the decision and went back to the father. Luke 15:18-20 says, "I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee. And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants. And he arose, and came to his father."

Now, here is a dead person who could move, respond, walk, see his need, decide to do something about it, and go to the father. And verse 24 says, "For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found."

Your misunderstanding of death has led you to build a false doctrine based on an illustration, instead of Scripture. In Genesis 2:17 God said to Adam, "..for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die." If you'll read the next few chapters of Genesis, you will find that Adam did not die in the sense of ceasing to exist when he partook of the forbidden fruit. As a matter of fact, Genesis 5:4 says, "And the days of Adam after he had begotten Seth were eight hundred years: and he begat sons and daughters." According to this verse, Adam lived eight hundred years after he begat Seth, and Seth was not begotten until after Adam disobeyed God.

Now, was God wrong when He said to Adam, "Thou shalt surely die"? No. Well, did Adam die? Yes, He died in the sense that God drove him from His presence, and he was separated from God because of his sins.

When the Bible says that men are dead in trespasses and sins, that does not mean they cannot move, respond, walk, nor anything as you said in your letter. Adam did a lot of moving and a lot of responding and a lot of walking in the more than 800 years he lived after the fall.

So you see, when the Bible says that "death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned," that "death" is not to be compared with the body of a dead man lying in a casket. I might say that what you see in the casket in the funeral home is really not the man. The body that you're looking at is only the house in which the man lived. The man who lived in that house is still alive. He's either with Christ in Heaven, or he's in Hell, depending on whether or not he trusted Christ as his Saviour. If he's in Heaven, he can certainly move, respond , and walk. And if he's in Hell, he can certainly move, respond, and walk.

I won't take the space to quote the many Bible verses concerning the dead, but I suggest you read the story of the rich man in Luke 16 and you will see that though he had died he could still talk and make decisions. And if you'll read Revelation 6:9-11 and Luke 15: 7 and 10, you will see that people who are in Heaven are conscious. You will see that they rejoice. They talk. They know what's happening on earth, and they ask questions of the Lord. So you're wrong when you compare the spiritually dead state of a sinner with that of a body lying in a casket.

Further in your letter, you tell of a young girl who was supposedly led wrong by what you call Baptist doctrine. You say she accepted Christ, and now she is living immorally and impure.

Now, Mr.___________, I can only say what the Bible says in Hebrews 12:8, "But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons." If the young girl you mentioned has trusted Christ as Saviour, I can assure you that she has everlasting life and she will be chastened. John 3:36 says, " He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life." Now that's a fact. It's not a matter of what I think about it. It's a matter of what the Bible says. And Hebrews 12:8 makes it clear that those who trusted Christ as Saviour will be chastised.

On page 5 you say, "Now as to perseverance..." and you call attention to Revelation 3:5 and talk about overcoming. You imply that this overcoming is some kind of perseverance or effort.

First John 5:4,5 says, "For whosoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?" Here the Bible says plainly that the victory that overcometh the world is our faith. We overcome the world by trusting Christ, not by persevering.

I made it plain in my article that I believe in eternal security, but the saints are not secure because they persevere. They are secure because they have been preserved. The word "perseverance" is defined in Webster's Dictionary as "a persistent effort." "Preservation" is defined as "the act of keeping or state of being kept from injury or decay."

The victory that overcomes the world is not your perseverance. It is your faith, according to 1 John 5:4.

You close your letter with a P.S., "Note no human is born of his own will but of the will of the parents. Christ says we are to be born again."

Again, you make the mistake of using a human illustration in order to build a Bible doctrine. You seem to make the same mistake that Nicodemus made in John chapter 3. He tried to compare the spiritual birth to the physical birth. In John 3:4 he said to Christ, " How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born?"

You cannot compare the physical birth to the spiritual birth. Jesus said in verse 6, "That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit." They are two different things. You will be better off if you will build Bible doctrine on what the Bible says rather than on illustrations.

I hope this letter helps you to better understand my position. I want you to re-read the sermon, "Why I Disagree With All Five Points of Calvinism," carefully.

I'm glad you receive THE SWORD OF THE LORD, and I want you to feel free to express your opinions about anything you find written in the paper.

Sincerely in Christ,
Curtis Hutson

Copyright 1980 by Sword of the Lord Publishers
ISBN 0-87398-931-7

The Most Misused Word In America Is “FREE”

Romans 5:14-19, “Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come. But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many. And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification. For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.) Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.”

I love this passage of Scripture. Six times we find the important beautiful words: “the gift.” And three times we read the phrase: “free gift.” FREE is good!!! God's plan of salvation is truly “FREE”!!! Unfortunately, most preachers today (evangelists, missionaries, Bible professors, pastors, chaplains, et cetera) are preaching a false type of salvation, in which which you are required to pay something in return (e.g., turn from your sins, surrender your life to Christ, follow Jesus as supreme “Lord”
 of your life, give up control of your life to Christ, count the cost and pay the price, faithfully run the Christian race until the end, live a lifestyle of repentance, forsake the world, cease from your old ways, et cetera). Those corrupt plans of salvation are NOT FREE, because you are paying for them with your behavior, life and time!!!

Sadly, in our wicked culture in the United States today, many people have become liars, cheats and deceivers (and that includes bad preachers and today's apostate Bible colleges). We see the word “FREE” tossed in our face everywhere we go. 

A perfect example are those falsely advertised “FREE” software downloads, which after installing on your mobile device or desktop computer demand that you pay money or they won't work, or else you get bombard with advertisements while they hound you to upgrade to remove the annoying ads. That is not FREE dear reader, it is a trade, an exchange, in which you allow them to take up your time! They require you as the user to watch their stupid commercials and advertisements, in exchange for the product they let you use. Those videos are NOT FREE, you are paying for them with your valuable time!!!

Another good example are all those Roku channels, nearly all of which are anything but FREE.” I bought a Roku box 
at Walmart. It is a small device for about $35 which connects to any television, providing access to several hundred channels. Honestly, 90% of what Roku offers is garbage, in my humble opinion. But there are some great movies and educational channels on Roku. Unfortunately, ALL of Roku's movie channels falsely advertise that they are “FREE,” but every 3 to 10 minutes (depending on which channel you choose) they bombard you with annoying advertisements, one after another. On average you are required to watch 2 to 3 minutes of annoying commercials every few minutes, which ruins the whole experience. Some channels that I like are Filmrise, Roku (they have their own channel), Crackle and local news from different U.S. cities.

Unfortunately, they ALL falsely claim to be “FREE,” while requiring you to watch their stupid advertisements, which I loathe. In fact, at least 75% of the time I exit Roku and just go watch a DVD movie instead, to avoid seeing commercials. I HATE COMMERCIALS!!! Those films are NOT FREE, they are a trade off. To get to watch their movies, they demand that you watch their stupid ads. Every once in a while, usually late at night when I cannot sleep, or on a Sunday afternoon, I'll get lucky and Crackle won't show any commercials for a few hours. But those times of truly FREE” movie-watching are rare, rarer it seems lately. Those Roku channel owners are getting greedier and greedier. Those videos are NOT FREE, you are paying for them with your valuable time!!!

Also, YouTube forces you to watch videos, but at least they let you “Skip” most ads after 4 seconds. But I'd say 30% of the time you are forced to watch a 15 to 30 second commercial, which you are not allowed to “Skip.” Those videos are NOT FREE, you are paying for them with your valuable time!!! I could go on and on for hours, mentioning umpteen examples of false advertising in American society today, where the word FREE” doesn't mean free at all.

I have seen bank ads, luring people to open up a new bank account to get a FREE” toaster, coffee mug, or whatever. That item which they offer you is NOT FREE, because you are required to give them something in exchange to get it. You MUST open a new bank account at their bank. They are LIARS!!! If the bank doesn't understand the proper meaning of the word FREE,” then how can you trust them with your money?

What bothers me is that people have become so accustomed to lying, deceiving and misusing the English grammar, that it becomes the norm for society. It is sad, and even worse, it is undermining our culture with sinful greed and deception. Unfortunately, this shady type of false advertising has crept into our churches, rescue missions, Bible colleges and religious institutions. We've been flooded with a river of deadly heresy in America, but most people aren't learned enough in the Scripture to detect what Satan has done, perverting the Gospel into a lie. Romans 1:25, Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.”

Dear reader, right doctrine matters. I said: RIGHT DOCTRINE MATTERS!!! It really does! The Apostle Paul made very clear in Galatians 1:6-7 that there are NOT two different Gospels. There is ONLY ONE Gospel, which Paul defines in 1st Corinthians 15:1-4 as Jesus' death on the cross, burial and bodily resurrection from the dead three days later. Those THREE THINGS comprise the Gospel according to the inspired Word of God.

You won't find anything mentioned in the Bible about turning away from a lifestyle of sinning to be saved, or surrendering all to Christ to get to Heaven, or yielding control of your life over to Jesus to be saved, et cetera. These added embellishments (by sincere but woefully ignorant religious false prophets) are sending hundreds of millions of victims to eternal damnation in the fires of Hell (Matthew 7:13-15, 7:21-23).

When I attended the shameful Harvest Baptist Church on Guam in 2013-2014, their senior pastor Marty Herron was a very confused man theologically. I asked him for permission to pass out Gospel tracts by Pastor Curtis Hutson (1934-1995) and he approved. But Pastor Herron was also passing out poisonous Calvinist junk by Pastor John MacArthur, piling MacArthur's damnable teachings on the book table at the entrance of the church for everyone to grab. Talk about a rattlesnake! I was saddened at the woeful ignorance of Marty Herron. He clearly didn't see a difference or problem between the two drastically different plans of salvation being preached by these two pastors. I'll let you decide for yourself, showing you what Curtis Hutson teaches versus MacArthur's damnable heresy:
Those are two very different gospels. The Apostle Paul warned that there is only ONE Gospel, not two or three. God's free gift of salvation requires absolutely NOTHING from the recipient.

What Other People Think About Us Can Affect Our Prayers

Luke 7:1-5, “Now when he had ended all his sayings in the audience of the people, he entered into Capernaum. And a certain centurion's servant, who was dear unto him, was sick, and ready to die. And when he heard of Jesus, he sent unto him the elders of the Jews, beseeching him that he would come and heal his servant. And when they came to Jesus, they besought him instantly, saying, That he was worthy for whom he should do this: For he loveth our nation, and he hath built us a synagogue.”

This dear Roman Centurion (a military leader over 100 soldiers), had a sick servant whom he loved. This servant was sick and about to perish in death. The centurion had heard about a good man named Jesus, who went about healing the sick, restoring sight to the blind, giving the ability to hear sound to the deaf, and even raised the dead. So the centurion humbly requested and sent the elder of the Jews to Jesus, pleading that his servant would be healed so that he would live and not die.

But the centurion never told the Jews to tell Jesus that he was worthy. They Jewish elders spoke those words of praise, regarding the centurion, on their own accord. This is but one of numerous examples found in the Scripture, where the way a man treated other people had an impact on whether his prayers got answered or denied.

In another popular Bible passage we read:
Matthew 5:23-24, “Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.”
Dear friend, God DOES care about how you and I treat other people. Right doctrine matters, and so does the way that we treat people. When I attended Campus Church at Pensacola Christian College in 2021, Pastor Jeff Redlin mistreated me. In fact, he was downright abusive! When I told him that I was sleeping in Walmart's parking lot on July 4th, 2021, he was indifferent and just walked away. That wasn't cruel, it was just terrible. That is no way to treat a fellow Christian brother.

But when I emailed him a few days later to share my testimony and broken life with him, he was cruel. I told him as a friend that my former wife had divorced me 15 years earlier, and that I have lived alone since, suffering inexplicable pain of soul from loneliness and lack of companionship. I told him that I sincerely hoped to find a wife at Campus Church. His cruel response was to actually scold me for coming to church to find a wife. This was the first time I had ever written to him. As the pastor of a church (who receives a 6-digit salary), Jeff Redlin behaved very shamefully that day. You don't scold a 54 year old man as a little child for sharing his heart about desiring to fid a Christian wife. Pastor Redlin's cruel words cut to my heart. I never told him that I came to church to find a wife, which he foolishly assumed. I simply said that I hoped to find a wife at Campus Church. SHAME on Pastor Jeff Redlin!

Sadly, when all was said and done, the terrible shallow pastors at PCC's Campus Church banned me from attending their church anymore. I kindly asked all the pastors of Campus Church in June  and July of 2022, if I could please come back to church. They totally ignored my letter that I mailed to them in June. So I wrote them again in July (sending a courtesy copy to PCC too, so they knew of the situation), apologizing deeply from my heart for offending them. I kindly explained my health problems, broken life, catching COVID-19 in 2021 and loneliness of soul without a wife for the past 16 years. Those ungodly cult leaders couldn't have cared less. So in August of 2022 I lashed out on social media against them, which they were waiting for, so they could use it as an excuse to tell me I couldn't come back to church. Ladies and gentlemen, those wicked PCC pastors are not right with God. They mistreat, ignore, abuse and esteem themselves as being better than others (Philippians 2:3-5).

Dear reader, God watches everything!!! Hebrews 4:13, “Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.” God never misses anything, not even a little bird that falls from the sky, or the number of hairs upon our head (Matthew 10:20-30). I have lost most of mine...lol. Praise the Lord anyhow! God is always good!!! I love Pastor Redlin and pray for him often, that God will break his heart and teach him how to love people. Kindly said, there is a woeful lack of God's love at Pensacola Christian College. The Bible warns that the letter of God's law killeth, but the Spirit of God giveth life. 2nd Corinthians 3:6, “Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life. If we preach the truth to people, but without showing forth God's unconditional love to them, we will do more damage than good. 1st Corinthians 13:3, “And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.” There must be a balance between truth and love in every preacher's sermon.

My friend, you can pray all day and all night, but God likely won't regard your prayers if you are unkind, abusive and intolerant toward others. It matters how we treat our fellow human beings. Notice what the Bible says concerning the atrocities being committed by the wicked in the Old testament city of Sodom. Genesis 18:20-21, “And the LORD said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous; I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me; and if not, I will know.” God hears THE CRY!!! God hears the cry of the innocent, of the victims, of the hurting and weeping children of men.

Genesis 4:10, “And he said, What hast thou done?  the voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground. God heard the innocent blood of slain Abel cry out from the ground, which was shed by his angry brother Cain. Do you think that God hasn't heard THE CRY of the 63,000,000 murdered aborted babies since 1972 in the United States? You had better believe that God has heard THEIR CRY!!! And God will hear THE CRY of anyone that you and I hurt too! Who is it in this world who is cursing your name? Who is it that hopes you will someday get what you deserve coming to you? God knows. God cares. 1st Peter 5:7, “Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

What saith the Scripture? Matthew 18:6, “But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea. Jesus said “ones which believeth on me,” which clearly weans that anyone who defrauds, injures, insults, offends, hurts or in any way messes with a born-again child of God is in BIG TROUBLE.

In Matthew 25:40 Jesus warned, “And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. The Lord is essentially saying: “We are in this thing called Christianity together. We are on the same team. One for all, and all for one! If you are one of my beloved sheep trusting in Me, whatever anyone does (or doesn't do) to you, as far as I am concerned they have done it to Me too!” What an awesome Savior, God and Lord!!!

The inspired Word of God specifically addresses husbands and wives, warning them to treat each other properly, or else God WON'T answers their prayers. 1st Peter 3:7, “Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered. Dear beloved reader, I humbly think I have the great mind and heart of God, which is shed abroad in my soul by the indwelling Holy Spirit (Romans 8:9). 1st Corinthians 2:16, For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.”

Having made that profound statement, I sincerely believe that you can be mean, unkind and even abusive in your words toward God, because He loves you and me so very much; but God will not tolerate you and I mistreating, ignoring, hurting, cheating or in any way being malicious toward another human being. Psalms 103:14, “For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust. God knows that we are weak, and that we easily get frustrated and discouraged. I think I am right in saying that God will put up with a lot from His children, but I think He draws the line when we hurt other people. 

I kindly challenge you dear friend, whoever you may be, to purpose in your soul to treat everyone as you would like to be treated. After all this is The Golden Rule taught in Matthew 7:12, “Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets. I don't know about you, but I am going to do all that I can. by God's grace with His help, to love everybody. People just want to be loved. They really do! There isn't much love in most religious circles today; but rather, only sinful compromise, which is rooted in the love of money, and not God's concern for the souls of humanity. May our great Savior God wonderful God do a work in your heart dear reader, that you and I will LOVE PEOPLE the way that we want to be loved.

Of course, that means that we must first let God love us. You'll never be able to love anyone, until you first love yourself with God's love. He loves you dear friend. Oh, yes God does! If you were the only human being who had ever been created, Jesus would have died just for you!!! You are not just another insignificant number in the massive sea of humanity. The last I checked, the world's population is now up to about 7,900,000,000 people. I have read shocking estimates that by the year 2050, the world's population will have soared to an astounding 50,000,000,000 people! Wowza! Even so, come, Lord Jesus!!!

I care about you friend. I don't get paid to serve God. I have labored day and night since 2002, for the past 20 years, trying to be a VOICE in cyberspace for the Lord Jesus Christ. I hope my humble words in this blog have challenged you dear reader, to LOVE God and your neighbour. The two greatest commands in the Holy Bible are to love God with all our heart, soul and might; and the second is like unto the first, to love our neighbour (all mankind) as our self. I agree with Evangelist Lester Roloff (1914-1982) that these two great commands are really just one—TO LOVE. Amen and amen. May we all learn to yield, to let God love others through us, which is the fruit of the indwelling Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22-25).



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Romans 5:18, “Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gi...