In Defense Of Onorato Diamante's Bible Preaching

John 3:15-16, “That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. 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.”

Galatians 3:26, “For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.”

This blog is my rebuttal to the following horrible YouTube video by Pastor Roger Jimenez who ruthlessly attacks Onorato Diamante for preaching that you can be saved by simple childlike faith, without adding an unnecessary requirement to pray a prayer to get to Heaven...

The New IFB Cult Redefines Faith

Kindly, Brother Diamante is 100% correct on the Bible. I have heard Pastor Steven Anderson (whom I love and promote his awesome ministry) teach that he believes a person CAN be saved by simply believing without faith, but he thinks that calling (praying) is the Bible method to get saved. I heard pastor Anderson also say that he doesn't want any of his church members counting anybody as being saved who does not pray a sinner's prayer. I humbly think he is right in the first thing he said, but wrong on the latter.

I have no problem with soulwinner's and preachers leading lost sinners to Christ by leading them in a sinner's prayer, just so long as it is clearly explained to a person that they DON'T have to pray to be saved. Faith is the only righteous thing that I can do. Kindly, I strongly disagree with Pastor Jimenez (whom I also love and support his ministry) that it is impossible to believe on Jesus without also calling. That is not true, proven by Romans 10:14, "How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?"

When I got saved at age 13 in 1980, I didn't walk down the aisle to find out what I just did. Consequently, for the next several years I lived in tearful fear. I literally cried often, afraid that I wasn't saved and might miss Heaven. I was shy and reluctant to seek advice from my pastor. I read every religious tract I could get my hands on. When a preacher spoke anything about salvation, I sat on the edge of my pew. I did learn many great truths that helped me, so that after 20 years I finally found the absolute 100% assurance of my salvation. The one truth that solidified my salvation beliefs is that I DIDN'T have to pray any prayer at all to be saved, I simply could have just believed.

In hindsight, the reason why I couldn't settle the assurance of salvation is because of the unbiblical addition of being required to pray a prayer to be saved. I couldn't remember over time what I had prayed at the time I thought I got saved, so it was a nightmare for me trying to remember what I couldn't remember. No one had ever told me that I could simply BELIEVE to be saved, without praying, until I read Pastor Max D. Younce's helpful book titled: "Salvation And The Public Invitation" (backup link). That book changed my life, solidifying my salvation beliefs.

To clarify, it is okay to call upon the Lord through prayer to be saved. It is a natural thing to desire to call and ask Jesus to save you. But faith is enough, without prayer. The choice is yours alone to make. If you want to pray, invite Christ into your life, commit to reform your life, confess Jesus publicly, get water baptized, and do a bunch of other possible WORKS, it is okay just so long as they accompany your faith and are not attached to your faith. If you put your trust in any of those things that I just mentioned, you cannot be saved. Faith is the only righteous thing that I can do.

The inherent danger of requiring lost sinners to pray is that they might become confused for years to come, as I was for decades. Even worse, they might rely upon their prayer instead of Christ. I heard a Contemporary Christian Music singer say in an interview that she "got saved at age 3 by praying the Jesus' prayer." She is as lost as Judas Iscariot! You can pray and still not be saved, but you cannot believe the GOOD NEWS of Jesus Christ crucified, buried and risen the third day and not be saved. John 3:15-16, "That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. 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."

Respectfully, Pastor Jimenez keeps citing John 4:10 as his go to Bible verse, while ignoring the 85 references in the Gospel of John to the word "believe" without any mention of "calling." Pastor Curtis Hutson (1934-1995) correctly said: "A good rule to follow when interpreting the Bible is to never use an obscure passage to contradict a clear one."

One of my favorite Bible passages is the true story of Cornelius in Acts chapter 10. Cornelius was a centurion, a commander over 100 soldiers. They were Italians. We read in Acts 10:1-2 that Cornelius was a good man who prayer to God, gave alms to the poor, faster and feared God. Albeit, he was not saved yet. Cornelius was religious but lost. Billions of people in the world today are religious to varying degrees, but they have never been born-again by faith alone in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. God arranged a meeting for Cornelius and his friends to hear the Apostle Peter preach the Gospel.

If you read the rest of Acts chapter 10, you will see that Peter simply preached the wonderful GOOD NEWS of Jesus Christ, and when Cornelius BELIEVED IT he was saved. Acts 10:43-44, “To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins. While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word.” Galatians 3:1-2, “O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you? This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?” I love that simple small phrase, “by the hearing of faith.” Hey, that's how Cornelius got saved in Acts 10:44. Acts 10:43-44, “To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins. While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word.” That is, they BELIEVED the Gospel that they heard preached unto them and were instantly saved. They became born-again into God's heavenly family, born anew of the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:9).

Kindly, in the preceding terrible video, Pastor Jimenez uses a lousy illustration of salvation. He uses the illustration of a World War II soldier abandoned in the ocean who is rescued by a passing military ship. When someone asks him how he was rescued, he says that he saved himself. Let me give you a much better and accurate illustration of salvation. Let's use the same soldier abandoned at sea again. A passing ship comes to his rescue, throwing a life preserver into the water. They tell him to just take hold of the life preserver and they'll pull him in (this can be likened to God's free offer of eternal life). But the man asks them, “Will you please save me!” Would that make any sense? No, it would be confusion. Why would you ask someone to save you, who has already offered to save you? Dear reader, God is freely offering you His free gift of forgiveness of sins which includes eternal life. All you need to do is TAKE IT! Salvation is a take proposition, not a give proposition.

I need to say this, knowing that it will offend some people. I love the New IFB movement, but the New IFB is in essence Pastor Steven Anderson! Whatever that man preaches becomes the dogma of the entire IFB movement. Pastor Anderson denies a biblical pretribulation Rapture, and so do ALL new IFB pastors who follow him. I am not against men following men, if the man they are following walks with God and is doctrinally sound. I humbly think that Pastors' Anderson and Jimenez are correct on the two deal breakers—the inspiration of the King James Bible, and a free grace Gospel. No doubt some people will argue with the claim I just made, that these pastors are all in collusion together, but if you simply look at the commonality of their beliefs you will see that I am right.

Norm Diamante is not attacking the new IFB movement, they are attacking him. All norm is teaching is that faith is the only righteous thing that I can do. Faith is enough! In Acts 8;27-38, we read about the Ethiopian eunuch. Phillip "preached unto him Jesus" (verse 35). In verse 36 the eunuch asked to be water baptized. We know that baptism cannot save a sinner. So Phillip told the eunuch that he could be baptized, but only if he BELIEVED. Acts 8;37, "And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God." There is no mention of calling or praying in this verse, but only to "BELIEVE" that Jesus is the Son of God.

In my humble opinion, Pastor Anderson's error on "prayer" as the Bible method of soulwinning does not affect the Gospel, because he does explain to people that it is faith and not prayer that saves a person. However, leading people in prayer to be saved runs the risk of confusing people doctrinally (as it did me for decades), causing me much unnecessary pain of soul, fear, worry and grief. I knew that prayer didn't save me, but I thought that praying (calling) is how you believe. I was misled by ignorant preachers.

I know this matter is splitting hairs doctrinally, but God's simple plan of salvation is important and worthy of defense. Philippians 1;17, “
But the other of love, knowing that I am set for the defence of the gospel. Kindly, I am not saying that the New IFB are wrong on the Gospel. I have had some angry people try to convince me that the New IFB are wrong on the Gospel. As I mentioned earlier, I know Pastor Anderson does believe that a lost sinner CAN be saved by faith alone without prayer. He just thinks that leading people in a sinner's prayer is the Bible method of soulwinning. I respect his right to disagree. I love Pastor Anderson.

When I attended Hyles-Anderson College (1985-1993), I led people to pray a sinner's prayer to be saved. By God's grace, I led hundreds of people to Christ during my time at Bible college. I plainly explained to all of those converts that prayer cannot saved anybody; but rather, we are saved BY FAITH alone. I wasn't using a different Gospel, I was just leading people to Christ in a manner that can and has confused some people.

Now that I have honed my beliefs decades later and I know better—after having learned from my own painful experience with doubting my assurance of salvation for so long; and also having learned that I was saved by simply believing, and I didn't have to pray at all to be saved—I have perfect peace in the matter. I haven't had the slightest doubt or worry about going to Heaven for decades. It is the great Bible truth that faith saves, and prayer is not required, that gave me this blessed confidence. The only way that the New IFB can support their heresy is by selectively cherry-picking the Scriptures. If you read the Apostle Paul's definition of 'THE GOSPEL' in 1st Corinthians 15:1-4, there is no mention of praying to be saved.

When the Philippian jailer in Rome asked Paul and Silas in Acts 16:30b, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved,” their simple answer in verse 31b was: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.” Again, there is no requirement to pray, but simply to believe.

Something That Even $10,200,000,000 Cannot Buy

Luke 16:22-26, “And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.

I recently moved into a new residence in Pensacola. I am a simple man. I am content with basic essential provisions and needs. I like plain things. Less is often more with me. My entire life I had only used a regular refrigerator, nothing fancy. I never would have bought a fancy refrigerator for myself. But the new place I am living in now came furnished with a fancy refrigerator. It has a crushed ice feature, ice cubes or filtered water. All I do is press a button to select what I want. I LOVE my new crushed ice and filtered water dispenser! I had purchased bottled water to drink for the past 30 years, but no longer. I now have my own filtered water. God is so good to me!!! Praise the Lord for His goodness. Thank you Jesus! I am not worthy.

I LOVE drinking ice-cold water bathed in crushed ice! I was enjoying some ice-cold water just a few minutes ago, enjoying the wonderful crushed ice that keeps the water very cold. As I do nearly every time I drink icy water, as the cold water quenches my thirst, I feel sorry for the rich man who died in his sins and went to Hell. I am reminded that in Hell he begged for just ONE DROP of water, but was denied by Abraham. Abraham tells him why, explaining that there is a Great Gulf fixed between them, so that they cannot transfer sides. One one side you have the place of PARADISE, and on the other side the place of TORMENT. These two extreme places exist in the realm of Hell (which is the Greek word: Hades). That is, the place of Hell is COMPARTMENTALIZED.

We know that Hell (Hades) is compartmentalized, because that is what Luke 16:19-32 teaches. When I attended the apostate Harvest Baptist Church on Guam for one year between 2013-2014, I heard one of their ignorant pastors teach that the story in Luke 16:19-31 is NOT a real account. He foolishly said that this is just an untrue parable. I was shocked by what he said. Dear reader, I can tell you with full confidence that this story is factually TRUE.

Reasons why the story of The Rich Man And Lazarus is a factual true account:
  1. Jesus didn't say it was a parable. Whenever Jesus spoke a parable, He said so. We ought to accept any story as real and factual unless the Bible indicates otherwise.
  2. Jesus didn't explain the meaning of the story, which He always did for parables. When Jesus told a parable, he afterwards explained the meaning of the parable. So we should conclude that this is a real true account.
  3. Jesus used proper nouns for their names. The dear Savior mentions proper names of real characters; such as, Abraham and Lazarus. When the Lord told parables, He always used obscure references (e.g., a certain man went into a far country).
These three observations clearly evidence that the story Jesus tells in Luke 16:19-31 is a REAL account, involving REAL people, because it REALLY happened.

Having said that as introduction, I was thinking today of Apple founder Steve Jobs (1955-2011). Mr. Jobs was a college drop out, who started his computer business in his garage in 1976. Jobs was an amazing man, a pioneer among fellow-minded genius inventors. Sadly, Steve Jobs died at only age 56 of cancer. Saddest of all, he was a devout Buddhist who rejected Jesus Christ as his Savior. According to the inspired Holy Bible, Steve Jobs is burning in the fires of Hell forever (Revelation 20:11-15). The heathen world forgets God their entire life, but then at their funerals they always say that the deceased person is in a better place. That is simply NOT true. Hell is not a better place!!!

At the time of his death in 2011, Steve Jobs had an astounding net worth of $10,200,000,000. The Bible warns that we cannot take even one penny of our accumulated wealth into eternity...
1st Timothy 6:7-11, “For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment let us be therewith content. But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.”
I was watching a fascinating history documentary on YouTube this week about the pyramids of Egypt. The Egyptians foolishly believed that when someone died, you could provide gifts and items which they could use in the afterlife. So they built massive pyramids with underground chambers to entomb their dead pharaohs. There were multiple secret chambers inside and beneath the pyramid. In one chamber the pharaoh was placed. In another chamber all of his gifts and personal belongings were placed, which he could use in the afterlife. Helpful items such as toiletries, combs, shaving accessories, games, food, tools, et cetera, were stored for his comfort and usage to better his lifestyle in eternity.

What saith the Scripture? 1st Timothy 6:7, “For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.” Steve Jobs died on October 5, 2011 and went into eternity with NOTHING!!! I read today in Forbes that if Steve Jobs were still alive today on earth, his net worth would be $200,000,000,000. So what? Money is nothing more than a worthless piece of paper or some metal coins. Money means nothing to me. I have never taken, nor will I ever accept, a single penny for my website ministry. If I wanted, I could make tons of money. I have loyal followers around the world, many of whom I've had the privilege of leading to Jesus Christ. In that dear respect, I am their parent and they are my children in the Lord. If I asked for money, I know people would support my labors in the Lord. But I just ask for everyone's earnest prayers for me and my humble website ministry for Jesus Christ.

Dear reader, all of Steve Jobs' amassed $10,200,000,000 in earthly wealth cannot even buy him ONE DROP OF WATER in Hell. Think about that! On earth, ten billion dollars can buy an island! Literally, I'm not kidding. With a staggering net worth of ten billion, two hundred million, dollars, Steve Jobs today cannot even purchase ONE DROP OF ICY COLD WATER...

Wonderful Refreshing Icy Cold Water

Oh, how blessed of God we are to just have water to drink! That is the precious truth that I think about every time I drink some icy cold refreshing delicious water. I hear people say that water has no taste, but it sure does! Water has a very unique taste that the tongue and body loves! I crave the taste of cold water. Water doesn't have flavor, but it does have a certain taste. I LOVE WATER!!! I thank God for water!

Even $10,200,000,000 cannot buy Steve Jobs a drop of water in Hell today. Unless he repented on his death bed and accepted Jesus as his personal Savior (which is highly unlikely), Mr. Jobs sadly went to Hell without hope for eternity. John 3:3, “Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” To get to Heaven, you MUST be born-again. I once shared the Gospel with an unsaved co-worker decades ago. I did my best to tell him how to go to Heaven. Sadly, he replied by uttering in contempt to me the words: “That born-again stuff doesn't make any sense to me.” That didn't surprise me one bit. What saith the Scripture? 1st Corinthians 1:18, “For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.”

Do Feelings Come From The New Birth?

Genesis 27:22, “And Jacob went near unto Isaac his father; and he felt him, and said, The voice is Jacob's voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau.”

I have a helpful book from my bookshelf, authored in 1962 by Dr. John R. Rice (1895-1980). The book is titled, “Dr. Rice, Here Is My Question...” On page 244 we read the following:
Don't you think that a feeling (as well as a fact) comes with the new birth?

I constantly come up against the problem of “feeling” in dealing with people who want to know they are saved. It seems that it is one of the Devil's greatest weapons in keeping people from coming to a place of confidence and assurance in their Christian experience. The Devil causes people to seek for feeling, and thus throws them off the track.

Salvation is not by feeling; it is by faith. It is not by seeking an experience, but by accepting a Person.

As long as the Devil can keep the inquiring mind and the seeking heart struggling to arrive at a certain emotional experience rather than trusting and receiving the person of Christ as the Saviour, he can keep that soul in darkness.

Let me say quickly that I do believe in what we sometimes refer to as “heart-felt religion,” “experimental salvation.” We believe in emotions and we know that every human being is an emotional being. God has given us the capacity to weep, to laugh, to rejoice; but everyone is somewhat different emotionally. Some rave at a ball game, while others sit quietly. No two people are exactly alike emotionally.

But the “feeling” or the “joy” which one may have, in different degrees, after salvation comes from knowing that you have the person of Christ in your heart, and that you have been born again by His Spirit and by His Word. It is the result of being saved.

Every time the word “feeling” is used in the New Testament, it has nothing whatsoever to do with a religious experience, and is always used (as far as human beings are concerned) in a bad sense rather than in a good sense.

For instance, in Ephesians 4:19, Paul speaks of people being “past feeling.” We need to believe what God has said in His Word and take God's Word at face value.

It would be well for us to read the experience that blind Isaac had with his twin sons; Jacob and Esau. Isaac went by feeling rather than by the Word and was deceived. When Jacob came to blind Isaac, trying to make him think that he was Esau, he came with the skins of goats upon his arms to make himself a hairy man like his brother.

Genesis 27:22 shows us that Isaac 'felt of Jacob' and said, “The voice is Jacob's voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau.” He disregarded the voice and went by the feeling. He was deceived and wronged. We must not go by feeling alone, but by the voice of God in His Word.

In one wonderful verse (John 5:24) Jesus makes it plain and clear that he who hears the Word and believes God hath (a present possession) everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment.

This is the deed or title to my salvation. I have the word of the Son of God that I am now saved eternally and will not come into judgment. I am going by the voice—not by the feeling.

SOURCE: “Dr. Rice, Here is my Question...”, by Evangelist John R. Rice, pgs.244-245, ©1962, by Viola M. Walden.
I would also like to quote the following question and answer, which relates to the preceding quote...
Is there any more proof that we are saved than by the Word of God?

Yes, there are several ways that one can know he is saved.

First, one knows by the Word of God. By the Bible we know that when one comes to Christ, Christ will not cast him out, and that one who believes on Christ has everlasting life (John 6:37); John 3:36, etc.). First John 5:13 says, “These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.”

Second, “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God” (Rom. 8:16). A Christian who lives near the Lord will have peace and joy in his heart which a lost person does not have. He will have assurance, if he lives near enough to God that the Holy Spirit can talk to him. If he loses this assurance, it does not prove he is not saved, but may mean that he has simply grieved the Holy Spirit in some way so that he does not have the joy of salvation.

Third, the Scripture says, “We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren” (I John 3:14). There is a kinship between saved people.

The first and most important evidence that one is saved in the evidence of the Word of God. That never changes, though one's feelings may change and even one's life may be unworthy so that he does not have the assurance in his heart.

SOURCE: “Dr. Rice, Here is my Question...”, by Evangelist John R. Rice, pp. 245-246, ©1962, by Viola M. Walden
This is great stuff from Brother Rice! Miss Viola Walden was an amazing woman, who forfeited marriage and motherhood to dedicate her life to serving God as Dr. John R. Rice's lifetime secretary. It always warms my heart to share her work, now that she is in Heaven, to help earn her more eternal rewards (although she already has plenty of them). Few people realize the great sacrifice that this dear lady made to further the Kingdom of God.

I thought these questions and answers were so important to share with others, because in dealing with multitudes of people over the years myself, I have also found that many people worry that they are not saved. They are going by “feelings” instead of the unchanging promises of the Word of God. I think a main cause of this dilemma today are the continually changing corrupt modern Bible versions. Satan knows that by publishing hundreds of English Bible versions (literally), that it woefully confuses people. A man with a dozen Bible versions on his bookshelf is not going to have the same mindset (confidence, passion, love and respect) toward God's Word, as the man who has only one inspired Holy Bible, which is, the King James Bible.

I am often reminded of the children's song, “Jesus Loves Me.” The words in the song are so true... “Jesus loves me, yes I know, FOR THE BIBLE TELLS ME SO!” As Dr. Rice mentioned, when a believer abides in sin, it can lead to a “feeling” of lack of assurance in that person's heart. This is not because they have jeopardized their assurance; but rather, they don't fully understand the Gospel. A man who understands the Gospel KNOWS that nothing could ever jeopardize his position in Jesus Christ.

Certainly, even in the worst cases of backsliding, a believer can never lose the assurance of salvation. The doctrines of eternal security and assurance of salvation are one and the same. They are not separate doctrines. The only type of life that God gives is “everlasting life.” John 6:47, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.” However, a believer can go so far away from the Lord (“filled with his own ways,” Proverbs 14:14b), that he or she becomes disillusioned, even doubting their own salvation. Again, this is not because they are at risk of losing their salvation; but rather, their sin has confused them. To the same degree that a believer allows open sin to exist in their life, they are living a contrary lifestyle to the Word of God, which will cause instability in their soul (known as “religious scrupulosity”).

I hope after reading this article, that you will go away with the full Bible knowledge that NOTHING you could ever do, nor anything that anybody else could ever do, could ever jeopardize your eternal security in Christ Jesus. This is what Paul meant in Romans 8:37-39, “Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” My friend, if you are God's child, which is “by faith in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:26), you are eternally secure in God's family!!!

I have received numerous e-mails from people, thanking me for my website ministry. Many of them testify that at one time they were worried, even suicidal, because they heard some errant Calvinist preacher teach that allowing sin in one's life is evidence that you are not saved. So because of intentional sin in their life, they were very afraid of going to Hell. Oh friend, that is not how God's plan of salvation works. Eternal life is a free gift (Romans 5:15; 6:23).

That means nothing is required of you to receive it, except to freely take it without obligation. We are saved solely by faith, without works (Romans 4:5-6). Romans 5:20b, “But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound.” That is, when a believer sins, we fall IN GRACE, never FROM GRACE. When a believer sins, God's grace doth MUCH MORE ABOUND! The precious redeeming blood of Jesus Christ goes deeper than the stain of our sins!!!

Legalistic Judaism is Today's Calvinism
(by Pastor Ralph Yankee Arnold)

How To Go To Heaven

It is very simple to be saved and takes only a minute to explain. Please let me show you how to get to Heaven from the Bible, God's Word.

Yours Truly
(No, I wasn't trying to make an occult symbol with my hands...lol)

1). Man is a Guilty Sinner in the Eyes of a Holy God.
  • Isaiah 53:6, “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.”
  • Romans 3:19, “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.”
  • John 3:3, “Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
  • Romans 3:10, “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one.”
  • Romans 3:23, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.”
2). There is a Price For Our Sin―Burning in Hell Forever.
  • Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
  • Romans 5:12, “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.”
  • 2nd Thessalonians 1:8, “In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
  • Revelation 20:15, "And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.”
  • Revelation 21:8, “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.”
3). Jesus paid that price by dying on the cross and shedding His blood; Christ was buried and bodily rose again the third day!

  • Romans 5:8, “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
  • John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
  • 1st Timothy 1:15, “This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.”
  • 1st Peter 1:18-19, “Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ...”
  • 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.” This is the Gospel. 
4). By faith in Jesus Christ ALONE we are immediately saved.
  • Galatians 3:26, “For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.”
  • John 11:25, “Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live.”
  • 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.”
  • Ephesians 2:8-9, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”
  • John 14:6, “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”
  • John 6:40, “And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.”
  • Mark 1:15, “And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.”
  • Acts 26:18, “To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.”
  • Romans 10:13, “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
  • 1st Corinthians 3:11, "For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.”
  • Galatians 3:26, “For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.”
Salvation is NOT found in a religion or good works, but in a Person... The LORD JESUS CHRIST!

Simply BELIEVE the Gospel and You Are Saved!

Fundamentalist Heresy! (In this awesome sermon by Pastor Jack Hyles, he explains that prayer, turning from sins, inviting Jesus into your heart, and other popular clichés are not necessary to be saved. They are not wrong to do, just so long as you don't do them to get or stay saved!)
My friend, for most of my Christian life I have led people to pray a sinner's prayer to be saved. Although this is not wrong to do, it is an extra step that the Bible does NOT require, which may confuse some people. You don't have to “ask” Jesus to save you, because God has already promised “TO SAVE THEM THAT BELIEVE” (1st Corinthians 1:21). We read in John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, THAT WHOSOEVER BELIEVETH IN HIM should not perish, but have everlasting life” [emphasis added]. The way to be saved is to BELIEVE THE GOSPEL!!!

Do you admit that you are a GUILTY sinner, under the condemnation of God's LAW, deserving of Hellfire?

Do you believe that Jesus is the Son of God (God in the flesh) who died upon the cross, sacrificing His precious blood to pay for your sins? Do you believe that Jesus was buried and bodily resurrected three days later? This is the Good News of the Gospel: Jesus DIED ON THE CROSS, He was BURIED and He is RISEN! Believe it friend, make it your only hope for eternal life, and you are saved!!! Amen!

To be saved you simply come to God by faith, as a guilty sinner, and BELIEVE the Gospel.

You must know that you are a sinner. No man ever got saved who didn't know that he is a sinner. Repentance is that thing when you come before God and see yourself as you are, and see Him as he is, and say with Isaiah “Woe is me, for I am unclean!” Repentance is simply a change of mind, where you admit that you are a woeful sinner totally incapable of saving yourself. Thus, you believe the Gospel (Good News) of the Lord Jesus Christ to be saved.

Perhaps you'd feel comfortable praying a sinner's prayer as did the publican in Luke 18:13, “And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto Heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.” It doesn't matter exactly what you pray, because you're saved by BELIEVING, not by praying. But if you'd like to pray as an expression of your faith, you could pray something like this. ...
Dear Jesus,
I admit that I am a sinner deserving of Hell. I am guilty for breaking your Holy Commandments. I now receive you as my personal Savior. I believe that You died on the cross to pay for my sins, was buried and bodily resurrected from the dead three days later. By faith I accept your free gift of forgiveness of sins, so I can have eternal life and go to Heaven when I die. I now trust You alone Jesus, apart from all self-righteous works and religion, as my Savior. Thank you. Amen.
Just as you were born physically to your parents, so you were born spiritually into the family of God when you received Jesus! John 1:12-13, “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: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”

Again, please understand that we are not saved because we pray a prayer, but because we BELIEVE upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is certainly appropriate to ask the Lord in prayer to forgive and save us, but it is our faith which prompts us to pray. You could just as easily believe in your heart upon the Lord to be saved, and not pray at all. Salvation is of the heart, as we read in Romans 10:10, “For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness...”

Likewise, it is an extra unnecessary step in God's plan of salvation, to require a person to walk down a church isle to be saved. Why cannot people be saved right there in their pew seat? They certainly can! Only God knows how many millions of people have gone to Hell, because they didn't want to walk down a church isle to find out how to be saved. Preachers should always give people a chance to be saved right there in the privacy of the pew. If someone hears the Gospel preached, and they gladly receive (believe) it, they are saved (Acts 2:41).

It's not what you're doing that gets you to Heaven, it's where you're looking. Look to Jesus!

You do NOT have to be water baptized, nor doing anything else to get to Heaven, except to trust upon the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior. Romans 4:5-6 proclaims, “But to him that worketh not, but believeth on Him (Jesus) that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God Imputeth Righteousness without works.” What a wonderful truth! Our faith is COUNTED for righteousness! God's righteousness is IMPUTED (credited) to us, and our sins are IMPUTED (credited) to Christ. Someone rightly called this, The Great Transfer.


There is NO self-righteousness (human effort) involved in salvation. It is the free gift of God. You see, we have no righteousness of our own to offer God (Isaiah 64:6). No amount of good can undo the bad we've done. Jesus paid a debt that He did not owe, because we owed a debt that we could not pay. Salvation is receiving, not giving. We are sinners and Jesus is the Savior. Jesus is precious! We are saved by trusting, not by trying.

And please BEWARE my friend of the horrible heresy of WRONG REPENTANCE that says you must turn away from your sinful ways to be saved, because THAT IS NOT A GIFT! Of course God wants everyone to turn away from sinful behavior, but only because YOU ARE A CHRISTIAN, and not to BECOME A CHRISTIAN. The purpose of God's LAW is to give men the KNOWLEDGE OF SIN, to bring us to Christ (the Gospel of GRACE).

Unbelief is the only sin which can keep a sinner out of Heaven. But remember, faith is not the absence of doubt, but the presence of trust. Even if you have 99% doubt, it is nothing less than 100% faith if you call upon the name of the Lord (Romans 10:13). To “call” means to place your complete confidence in the Lord's death on the cross, burial and resurrection to be saved. We are saved by completely resting in the Good News (i.e., Gospel) of Jesus Christ.

Just take God at His word and claim His salvation by faith. Believe, and you will be saved. No church, no lodge, no good works can save you. Remember, God does the saving. All of it! Faith is the only righteous thing that I can do.

Trusting Jesus is meaningless without the cross. You must believe that Jesus died on a cross for your sins. 1st Corinthians 15:1-4 teaches that the Gospel is the death, burial and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus died on the cross as our sacrificial Lamb (John 1:29); He raised up as our heavenly High Priest (Hebrews 4:14).

God's simple plan of salvation is this: You are a sinner. Therefore, unless you believe on Jesus who died in your place, you will spend eternity in Hell. If you believe on Him as your crucified, buried, and risen Savior, you receive forgiveness for all of your sins and His gift of eternal salvation by faith. You simply need to BELIEVE that He did it all for you. We are saved by faith, and not by works; nor by partial faith in Christ plus works.

You say, “Surely, it cannot be that simple!” Yes, it is that simple. It is Scriptural, it is God's plan. My friend, believe on Jesus and receive Him now as your Savior.

If you've never been saved, then now is the time to believe upon the name of Jesus—the only begotten Son of God, the Christ—
that your sins will be blotted out forever and you can know that your name is written in Heaven. Salvation is not doing your best, it is having Christ's best put to your account through receiving Him by faith. God will not save anyone who is trying to be saved, He will only save those who are trusting to be saved.

Salvation is not achieved, it is receivedGood works are not the payment for sin, the payment for sin is death. Christ did not do good works to save us, He DIED on a cross for us, shedding His precious blood to pay our massive debt of sin. Salvation is not a reward for the righteous, it is a gift for the guilty!

Christ died for your sins. You are a sinner by nature and by choice. Jesus took your sins and charged them to His own record. He went to the cross and paid the penalty for your sins. He says if you're willing to receive Him in faith; He will transfer His payment to your debt, and His righteousness to your sins. He will impute to you His goodness, and impute to His own record your sin; if you in faith will trust Him as your Savior.

Romans 8:34, “Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.”

If you would like to search for a good church where you live, CLICK HERE.

Kindest regards, your humble servant in Jesus Christ, David J. Stewart
If you'd like to learn all about salvation, then please read the book Salvation is More than Being Saved.
Also, you may want to read Ye Must Be Born Again and God's Simple Plan.

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.”

Excellent Sermons On Salvation by Dr. Hank Lindstrom: 
“Feed your faith and your doubts will starve to death; but if you don't, you'll feed your doubts and your faith will starve to death!” —Pastor Ralph “Yankee” Arnold, a quote from the Spirit-filled sermon titled, “1st John Made Simple

The Gift Of Eternal Life Is Wrapped In The Wonderful Package Of Jesus

“Faith is the only righteous thing that I can do!” —Pastor Jack Hyles, a quote from the MP3 sermon titled: “God's Reversal Of Psalm 51

1st Corinthians 16:24, “My love be with you all in Christ Jesus. Amen.”

Good Works Or Bad Works, They Are All DEAD WORKS

Hebrews 6:1, “Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from DEAD WORKS, and of faith toward God.”

There are three types of works: evil (or bad) works, good works and dead works, but they are all works! Works all involve human effort! You can corrupt the Gospel easily by requiring any type of works to be saved. It is a false plan of salvation to require doing good works to be saved. It is also a false plan of salvation to require ceasing from sinful bad habits (works) to be saved. The Bible calls these all DEAD WORKS!

Here are several ways that the Gospel is being corrupted in churches today:
  1. Require good works to be saved (Roman Catholics, Mormons and Seventh-Day Adventists teach this)
  2. Teach that salvation is by grace through faith, but good works are also necessary (Jehovah's Witness teach this)
  3. Require a commitment to cease from bad works prior to faith to be saved (Jack Chick teaches this)
  4. Require a commitment prior to faith, to cease from bad works after saved (David Cloud teaches this)
  5. Teach that a person's faith in Christ is not valid until good works are performed (Chip Ingram and William Lane Craig teach this)
  6. Require a person to stop bad works to be saved (Billy Graham, Ray Comfort, Aiden Tozer and John MacArthur teach this)
There is some overlap in my preceding list. For example: Seventh-day Adventists also teach Lordship Salvation, so they would fall under both categories 1 and 6 above. The point is that they all reject “the simplicity that is in Christ” taught in 2nd Corinthians 11:3-4. The “simplicity that is in Christ” is that you simply BELIEVE the Gospel to be saved. The “Gospel” is three things: Christ DIED on the cross for our sins, He was BURIED, and He physically RESURRECTED three days later (1st Corinthians 15:1-6). That's “The Good News,” which is what “The Gospel” means.

You must realize that you are a guilty sinner in God's holy eyes (Romans 3:19). We all deserve to burn in Hell for our own sins (Romans 6:23a, “For the wages of our sin is death...”; that includes the “second death” in the everlasting Lake of Fire mentioned in Revelation 20:6b). A man must see himself as a guilty sinner in the sight of a holy God to be saved, otherwise why would you need a Savior? You must see your need for God's grace, that is, your need for the dear Savior. If you admit your sinnership in God's eyes and believe the Gospel, you are immediately and forever saved!!! God wants to save you, if you'll simply come to Him by faith to be saved. John 6:37, “All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.” John 20:31, “But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.” We are saved by FAITH alone!!!

There are NO works required nor permissible for salvation. When asked by the curious Jews what “works” were necessary to merit Heaven, Jesus put the matter to rest in 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.” There you have it friend—the WORK OF GOD to be saved is to BELIEVE that Jesus is the Christ Whom the Father hath sent. Jesus died on the cross for our sins, He was buried, and then He bodily raised-up three days later. This is not a work of self-righteousness; but rather, of the imputed righteousness of God (Romans 4:5-6; Philippian 3:9; Hebrews 4:10-11).

These three elements comprise 'THE GOSPEL':
  1. Jesus DIED on the cross for our sins according to the Scriptures,
  2.  He was BURIED,
  3. Jesus bodily RESURRECTED three days later from the dead (1st Corinthians 15:1-6).
Believe and the work is done!

Do you see my friend how all of these “formulas” (as heretic author C.S. Lewis called them) hinge upon or involve human effort? These are all the “dead works” spoken of in Hebrews 6:1, “Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God,” You don't repent from your sins to be saved; but rather, from DEAD WORKS. Repentance is changing your mind about what you want to do to get to Heaven, to what God says you must do to get to Heaven. You must cease trusting in your church to be saved. You must cease trusting in your sacraments, good works, confessional booth, clean living, and manmade methods of trying to merit Heaven. None of these can save a person from Hell. These are all DEAD WORKS!

Religion wants to fit us with glasses, so we'll perceive things through their perspective; but the Lord Jesus Christ wants to open our eyes, so well see the truth. Eternal life is a TAKE proposition, not a GIVE proposition. Salvation will cost you NOTHING; but Discipleship will cost you EVERYTHING (excellent comparison quotes differentiating between the gift of God verses Christian consecration). God will save the vilest sinner who desires to be saved, who comes to Jesus Christ by faith believing the Gospel.

God will save a man who is struggling with sexual immorality, drunkenness, a hot temper or whatever sins. God doesn't require that a man make a commitment, to stop doing those evil works as a prerequisite to being saved. If God did that, then eternal life wouldn't be a free gift. This does not mean that Christians have God's permission to sin, God forbid (Romans 3:31). The first thing that God requires of every new believer is to desire the sincere milk of the Word thereby we may grow (1st Peter 2:2). Job 36:11, “If they obey and serve him, they shall spend their days in prosperity, and their years in pleasures.”

Pastor Robert Morris Of Gateway Church, Southlake, Texas—A Lordship Salvation Deceiver!

God WON'T save the man who comes believing the Gospel, but thinks he is getting saved because he has decided not to live in open sin anymore. Partial faith in Christ, plus something else, is no faith at all! The unsaved religious man has made a commitment in his heart to follow Christ and live a new. He is sorry for his sins and is passionate about cleaning-up his life of wickedness. He desires to turn over a new leaf and confess Christ publicly everywhere that he goes. He errantly believes all these WORKS are necessary to salvation. Sadly, that religious man is a deceived fool, and is not saved. Do you see how subtle the Devil is? Eternal life is not obtained by doing good works, nor is it obtained by ceasing from bad works. These are BOTH dead works! Salvation is a change of mind from trusting in DEAD WORKS, to FAITH alone in Jesus Christ!

To trust in Lordship Salvation is DEAD WORKS!!! To follow Christ, forsake the world, cease from intentional bad behavior, and make public confession of Christ are all rooted in human effort... DEAD WORKS!!!!!!! Ye must be born again!

Dead Works Are Man's Works

Cain tried to impress God with the work of his hands. Cain worked hard tilling his fields day and night, irrigating and weeding daily. Cain grew some nice crops, a bumper harvest no doubt, and brought the best of the best to offer to God. The Lord instantly rejected Cain's DEAD WORKS!!! They were “dead” because they were based on human effort, and not upon God's redemptive plan for mankind. Isaiah 64:6 warns that all of man's self-righteousness is as “filthy rags” in God's sight. Man's very best is offensive to our holy God.

This is a difficult truth for many people to grasp. You could spend your entire adult life helping, building and sacrificially giving to operate orphanages for poor, helping to feed starving and cloth naked little children, and yet, go straight to Hell to burn in the torments of God's wrath forever in your sins. No amount of good deeds can counter the evil deeds (Ecclesiastes 12:14), manipulative ungodly thoughts (Proverbs 24:12) and idle words (Matthew 12:36), for which all men must give account at the Judgment Seat of God (Hebrews 4:13; 9:27).

Ungodly playboy singer and actor, Frank Sinatra (one of the shady “Rat Pack”), donated $100,000,000 of his amassed earthly fortune upon his death to help suffering children in orphanages. That was a nice gesture, but not one penny of Sinatra's philanthropy can buy him out of the Lake of Fire. Sinatra was a lifelong shallow Catholic, trusting in the sacraments of a Mary-worshipping cult to save him. Sinatra was an outspoken critic against organized religion, but he never professed any faith in Jesus Christ either. By all indications Sinatra died in his sins without having ever personally received Jesus Christ as His Savior. So sad! So tragic! Jesus boldly warned in John 3:7—YE MUST BE BORN AGAIN!!!

The following website is one of my favorite doctrinally sound websites (by the late Dr. Hank Lindstrom, 1940-2008), teaching God's awesome simplicity that is in Christ for salvation:
Get God's Gift
On page 114 of the excellent book by Michael Patrick Bowen titled, “I NEVER KNEW YOU,” the author provides an excellent explanation of true Biblical repentance...
“Repent, as Christ meant it to be in terms of salvation, means to change your mind from trusting in what you can do for God to trusting only in what He can do for you.”

SOURCE: Michael Patrick Bowen, a quote from the awesome book, “I NEVER NEW YOU” (p. 114)
Now let's take a look at what the Lord Jesus Christ said concerning WORKS for salvation in 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.” The only “WORK” that is required for salvation is that you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen! How you choose to live, after you are saved, has absolutely nothing to do with the gift of eternal life; but rather, it determines our rewards in Heaven (1st Corinthians 3:8, 11-15).

Ray Comfort is the most dangerous kind of false prophet, because he hides a LIE between two TRUTHS. The half-truth is the most effective lie, because in part it can be defended with incontestable logic. In fact, it is challenging to expose such false prophets, because most people have difficulty seeing the problem. The issue here is adding human effort to faith, or using human effort as a validation of faith. Human effort has no place in the salvation God offers to man! IT IS A GIFT!!!

Kindly, according to Ray Comfort in the preceding article, a professed Christian who continues in sin may not be saved. The truth is that any professed Christian may not be saved, whether living a righteous life or living in gross immorality. I cannot look at you or anyone else and determine whether or not you are saved, apart from the direct testimony from your own mouth.

Author Mark Twain said: “It's easier to fool people than to convince them that they have been fooled.” So true! The Devil is sneaking heresies into our Independent Fundamental Baptist churches by the hour. Don't take my word for it, listen to Pastor Jack Hyles say it himself in these awesome sermons titled: “Fundamentalist Heresy” and “Our Mixed-Up Fundamental Christianity.” Satan's greatest weapon is to con people into living the Christian life without ever being born-again. Salvation is not doing your best, it is having Christ's best put to your account through receiving Him by faith. God only saves those who are trusting to be saved; God does not save those who are trying to be saved. Either God does the saving, all of it; or else you are not saved at all.

Hebrews 6:1b teaches that salvation involved repentance from 'DEAD WORKS.' So whatever you may have been falsely trusting upon up until now—cleaning up your life of sin, or doing good works, or desiring to depart from sinful activities, or following Christ in obedience, or committing your life to live for God, or water baptism, or speaking-in-tongues, or forsaking the world, or joining church membership, or Sabbath Keeping, or tithing, or confessing Christ publicly, et cetera—If you have been trusting in any of these false securities for salvation—REPENT!!!—that is, change your mind, and STOP TRUSTING THEM FOR SALVATION!!!

Remember, we are saved by BELIEVING, not by REPENTING; but no man has ever BELIEVED who didn't also REPENT! Repentance is an automatic thing. When I witness to people, I intentionally don't even mention repentance, lest I confuse them. If that harelips you like a dog, then please consider that God Himself DIDN'T mention the word “repent” even once in the Gospel of John (the Lord's Gospel tract). John 20:31, “But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.” In the wonderful Gospel of John we find the word “BELIEVE” mentioned 87 times! We are saved by BELIEVING!!!

Pastor Bob Gray Sr. at the Longview Baptist Temple church in Texas correctly preaches:
“Repentance means to change your mind—change your mind—change your mind about how you want to get to Heaven to what God says you've got to do to get to Heaven. If you've got to repent of all your sins, you're still headed for Hell tonight.” —Pastor Bob Gray Sr., a quote from the awesome MP3 sermon, Why You Should Be A Part Of A Growing Church
So we have learned that it is not one's sins that must be repented of to be saved; but rather, DEAD WORKS!!! Who can repent of all their sins? No one! It is gross doctrinal error to add the unbiblical requirement for a person to forsake sinful behavior to be saved. This is a manmade requirement that God does not require. Certainly, God wants and commands each of His children to depart from wickedness, but this is a call to Christians who ARE SAVED, and not to the lost who ARE NOT saved. 2nd Timothy 2:19, “Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.”

Ephesians 2:10 says that God saves us unto good works. Hebrews 12:6-8 warns that God chastises and scourges his disobedient children, or else they are not legitimately saved (i.e., were never saved to begin with). So, God doesn't take sin lightly—not for the unsaved nor the redeemed. But you don't change and force the hand of God upon sinners by corrupting the plan of salvation to put pressure on new converts to live holy lives.

Consequently, there are many false conversions in the churches today, where people errantly think they have been saved, but they haven't; because they were lied to, partially trusting in their own human effort to clean-up their life of sin, forsake the world, commit their will to God, follow Christ, and confess Him publicly. None of these are God's plan of salvation, which the Bible calls: “THE SIMPLICITY THAT IS IN CHRIST” (2nd Corinthians 11:3-4). Jesus is precious!!!
“But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies...” —2nd Peter 2:1
Dear reader, please always keep in mind that the Bible does NOT teach repentance from your sins to get to Heaven, nor does the Bible teach that you must repent so your behavior changes. You don't have to give up your BAD WORKS, nor do you need to start doing GOOD WORKS to prove that you are saved. The inspired King James Bible only teaches repentance from DEAD WORKS, which includes good works and bad works. WORKS have no place in God's simple plan of salvation!!!

Read again the blessed words of our dear Savior from John 6:28-29, 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.” Faith is the only righteous thing that I can do. Thank you for reading. Jesus is precious!!!



“This Kind” Of Answers To Prayer

Mark 9:29, “And he said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting.”
Pastor Jack Hyles (1926-2001)

The following excellent teaching is from Dr. Jack Hyles' book titled: “Exploring Prayer With Jack Hyles”...
This chapter deals with God's provisions for the big needs of our lives. There are times when our needs rise far above the normal ones of daily provisions such as food, clothing, shelter, etc. There is a need for healing from a serious illness. There is a need for a wayward son or daughter to be brought back to God. In such cases and in other cases where the need is a great one, the conditions for God answering our prayer may be somewhat different as follows:

1. God is a God Who answers big requests. Jeremiah 33:3, "Call unto Me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not." Notice especially the words, "great and mighty things." Matthew 13:58, "And He did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief." Notice in this passage that there is a reason why God does not do great and mighty things. Notice especially the words, "He did NOT many mighty works there because of their unbelief."

Psalm 81:10, "I am the LORD thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt: open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it." There are times when God wants us to open our mouths wide! There is something big He wants to give us.

Jeremiah 32:17,26,27, "Ah Lord GOD! behold, Thou hast made the heaven and the earth by Thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for Thee: Then came the word of the LORD unto Jeremiah, saying, Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh: is there any thing too hard for Me?" Our God is a God of limitless power and there is nothing that He cannot do.

Matthew 17:20,21, "And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you. Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting." Especially take note of the words, "this kind." This teaches us that there is a certain kind of need that requires a certain kind of action. This is talking about the big prayers which require big answers for big needs. Such was the case of the boy who was possessed by the demon. While Jesus was on the mount of transfiguration with Peter, James and John, talking to Moses and Elijah, a man brought his demon-possessed son to the disciples. The disciples tried to heal him, but they could not. When Jesus returned from the transfiguration, the man brought his son to our Lord. Our Lord healed his son. Then the disciples asked Jesus why they were unable to do so while He was gone, whereupon Jesus reminded them that "THIS KIND goeth not out but by prayer and fasting."

Ephesians 3:20,21, "Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen." Notice especially the words, "exceedingly abundantly." Again God is talking about big answers to big prayers.

James 4:2, "Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not." If we have not because we ask not, then it could be said we have little because we ask little or we have much because we ask much.

Isaiah 59:1, "Behold, the LORD's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear." Luke 1:37, "For with God nothing shall be impossible." Notice again the limitless power of God which reminds us that God can and wants to answer our big requests.

2. For big answers to big requests, God usually requires prayer and fasting. Mark 9:28,29, "And when he was come into the house, his disciples asked him privately, Why could not we cast him out? And he said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting." Moses needed something big from God when he fasted forty days on Mount Sinai. Jesus needed something big from the Father when He fasted forty days in the wilderness of temptation. Daniel, Ezra, Jeremiah, Paul, Joshua, David, Anna, Barnabas and other great Bible Christians were asking big things from God because we find them fasting.

A big thing was being asked in Jonah 3:5-7, "So the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them. For word came unto the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, and he laid his robe from him, and covered him with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. And he caused it to be proclaimed and published through Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste any thing: let them not feed, nor drink water."

A big thing was being asked by the Jews in Esther 4:16, "Go, gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast ye for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day: I also and my maidens will fast likewise; and so will I go in unto the king, which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish."

A big thing was asked by Joshua after the battle of Ai when he called a fast. It was also a big thing that was being asked by Ezra when he called a fast in Ezra 8:21-23, "Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river of Ahava, that we might afflict ourselves before our God, to seek of him a right way for us, and for our little ones, and for all our substance. For I was ashamed to require of the king a band of soldiers and horsemen to help us against the enemy in the way: because we had spoken unto the king, saying, The hand of our God is upon all them for good that seek him; but his power and his wrath is against all them that forsake him. So we fasted and besought our God for this: and he was intreated of us."

A big thing was being asked in Cornelius in Acts 10:30, "And Cornelius said, Four days ago I was fasting until this hour; and at the ninth hour I prayed in my house, and, behold, a man stood before me in bright clothing."

Hence, if a child of God learns to get his big needs from his Father, he must learn how to fast. Sometimes this means hours of fasting. Sometimes it means days of fasting. Sometimes it may even mean weeks of fasting. One can have conversions without fasting, but if he has THIS KIND of conversions, he will have to pray and fast. There are some kinds of revival that we can have without fasting, but if we want THIS KIND of revival, we will have to learn to fast. There are some miracles that may be obtained without fasting, but if we want THIS KIND of miracles, we will have to learn to pray and fast.

3. There are several types of fasting. We normally associate fasting with being deprived of food, but actually it includes more than just the appetite for food. It includes at least the following:
(1) Food. God wants us to enjoy food. That is why He made it so tasty. It is so wonderful that God provided for us the means of enjoying that which if our fuel. Psalm 103:2,5, "Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's." No doubt when God made the apple He said, "I'm going to make it tasty so My people can enjoy their refueling." When He made the strawberry, He thought likewise. Yet, sometimes for a big request to be answered, God requires us to go without food for a season. In most cases it could be one day a week. Often I have prayed and fasted for one day a week when seeking God's help concerning a big need. There have been times when I have seen fit to fast three days per week or maybe just for three days in begging God for a certain thing that would require a miracle. Then there have been times when the fasting should last for longer seasons. If a person is to fast for the first time, it would be wise for him to counsel with someone who has had experience at fasting before he enters into a fast.

(2) Sleep. The Lord was good to us when He gave us that "R and R" time of the day when our bodies are refreshed through sleep. Psalm 127:2, "It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so he giveth his beloved sleep." Yet there are times when our needs are great and when to have them met would require a miracle when a person should pray and fast without sleep. Our Lord often spent the night in prayer, and we are admonished that if we would have the mighty power of God upon our lives we will have to forfeit our sleep on some occasions in order to have our big requests answered.

(3) Beauty. Be that, I am referring to the beauty of nature. This chapter is being written while driving through the beautiful mountains of northern California. God certainly must have been loving us when He made this part of the world. I think He said, "My people will enjoy these beautiful evergreens. They will feel secure when they see these mountains. They will love the shade of these beautiful valleys. God must have loved us a lot when He carved the Puget Sound. He must have loved us a lot what He made those pyramidic mountains that we call the Rockies. He must have had us in mind when He raised the redwoods as the Samson of all the trees, when He dropped lakes in Minnesota like teardrops of piety, when He raised the pines of the Carolinas like steeples on the horizon, when He painted the deserts of Arizona and when He mingled all of those colors to form the rainbow. Yet, there are times when we are to deprive ourselves of such satisfaction to our senses. These are times when we need great answers to great prayers from a great God. This is why we are admonished, "Enter into thy closet." There are times when all of our beauty should be found in Him and He should become our bread, our food and our rest. We enter into a closet without sleep and without food, and we plead with God for the miracles!

(4) Sex. God was merciful and kind when He made the reproductive process a pleasure, and certainly He reminds us that marriage is honorable in all, and the bed undefiled. Hebrews 13:4, "Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge." Yet, just as is the case of eating, in sleeping and in seeing the beauty of nature, there are times when couples should forego the pleasures of love-making in order to seek the mighty power of God or to receive a miracle from our Heavenly Father. Notice Exodus 19:14,15, "And Moses went down from the mount unto the people, and sanctified the people; and they washed their clothes. And he said unto the people, Be ready against the third day: come not at your wives." Here is an example when husbands and wives were told to withdraw themselves from each other in an effort to seek a miracle.

Fasting could be applied to other things such as sports, music, pleasure, hobbies, etc. There are times when an answer to prayer is going to one of miraculous proportions and we are going to have to have THIS KIND of answer. "THIS KIND cometh forth by nothing but by prayer and fasting." Oh, may God teach us to open our mouths wide to seek THIS KIND of answers by THIS KIND of praying and fasting!

God's Simple Plan Of Salvation: Law And Christ

Galatians 3:24-26, “Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.”

God's plan of salvation is so simple: LAW and CHRIST. God has made two great divisions to His Word of Old and New Testaments; or respectively, LAW and CHRIST (or, GRACE), God did this for a specific reason, which is to convey His great plan of redemption for mankind. What saith the Scripture? ...
Romans 3:19-27, "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 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. But now THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD WITHOUT THE LAW is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; Even THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD WHICH IS BY FAITH OF JESUS CHRIST unto all and UPON ALL THEM THAT BELIEVE: for there is no difference: For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; To declare, I say, at this time HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which BELIEVETH IN JESUS. Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but BY THE LAW OF FAITH." [EMPHASIS ADDED]
Dear reader, the preceding beautiful Scripture passage plainly teaches that salvation is solely by FAITH, and never by WORKS, not in the least way. These ungodly confused preachers today who go around telling lost sinners that they must "turn away from their sinful ways" to get to Heaven are pulling on the same rope as the Devil. They are WRONG!

In Jonah 3:10 we read, "And GOD SAW THEIR WORKS, that THEY TURNED FROM THEIR EVIL WAY; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not." [EMPHASIS ADDED]

By all indication, the Assyrian Ninevites didn't get saved, they merely were spared national judgment at the time because they turned from their evil ways for a time. Romans 4:4 clearly teaches that salvation has NEVER been by works, because it if was by WORKS it would have been by DEBT, and not by GRACE. That is how we know that the Assyrians didn't get saved by their WORKS. Romans 4:4, "Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt." God doesn't owe anybody anything based on debt. "For by grace are ye saved through faith..." (Ephesians 2:8a).

The Old Testament LAW shows us our sinnership and then brings us to CHRIST in the New Testament, who saves us by grace (Galatians 3:24-26). The 'GOOD NEWS' (or, GOSPEL) according to the Scripture in 1st Corinthians 14:1-6 is that Jesus DIED on a cross for our sins, He was BURIED, and after three days Christ physically RESURRECTED from the dead. Those THREE things comprise the Gospel.

Anybody who comes to God as an admitted guilty sinner, receiving Christ's sacrifice on the cross as payment for their sins, believing that He was buried but then raised up from the dead the third day (and that is your only hope for forgiveness of sins and eternal life), is saved. That is God's simple plan of salvation.

Certainly God desires and commands for every believer to depart from iniquity, but that is a matter of growth in grace as a child of God, which is our sanctification and not salvation. 2nd Timothy 2:19, "Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity."

Pastor M.R. DeHaan (1891-1965) said it very well:
"There is a vast difference between coming to Jesus for salvation and coming after Jesus for service. Coming to Christ makes one a believer, while coming after Christ makes one a disciple. All believers are not disciples. To become a believer one accepts the invitation of the Gospel, to be a disciple one obeys the challenge to a life of dedicated service and separation. Salvation comes through the sacrifice of Christ; discipleship comes only by sacrifice of self and surrender to His call for devoted service. Salvation is free, but discipleship involves paying the price of a separated walk. Salvation can't be lost because it depends upon God's faithfulness, but discipleship can be lost because it depends upon our faithfulness." —Pastor M.R. DeHaan, “Hebrews”; Zondervan Publishing House; 1959 (p. 117)

LAW and CHRIST. God's LAW shows humanity how sinful we all are, revealing our desperate need for a Savior; and then the Word of God points us to CHRIST to be saved by grace through faith without works. ...

Romans 4:4-7, “Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered.”

Biblically, you DON'T need to “repent of your sins” to turn away from your sinful ways. Repentance is a change of mind. The Greek word which God chose to use for “repent” in the New Testament is either the noun form, metanoia, which means: “a change of mind”; or else the verb form, metanoeo, which means: “to think differently.” Since this specific word does not tell us what to think differently about, we need supplemental information from the Bible.

Since we know that salvation is always without works (as I have already shown you from the Scriptures), we know first of all that repentance to be saved cannot mean to forsake a lifestyle of sinning, nor to reform, nor to be willing to change, nor anything that would require a sacrifice on the part of the recipient. Eternal life is a gift from God. Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” For something to truly be “a gift,” it cannot have any stipulations or obligations to receive it.  Salvation is received, not achieved. Salvation is a take proposition, not a give proposition. You simply take it by putting your faith in Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, BELIEVING that He did it all for you through Calvary's cross.

So what must a person change their mind about to get to Heaven. The answer is obvious. The answer is that you must change your mind about whatever has been hindering you from coming to Christ to be saved. There is only one sin that can keep a man out of Heaven, and that is the sin of UNBELIEF (Hebrews 4:1-2). So the only sin you must change your mind about to be saved is your unbelief. If you have JUST ENOUGH faith to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, that is all the childlike faith required to get to Heaven. All God asks is that you trust in His only begotten Son, Jesus, because of what Christ did to pay for your sins on the cross. The LAW shows humanity our need, and then CHRIST provides that need.

The only function of the LAW (about 720 Old Testament laws which are summarized in the Ten Commandments) in getting saved, is to show that you are a guilty sinner justly condemned under God's LAW and deserving of death, and that is why you need a Redeemer. The LAW is as a measuring stick that shows us our need for CHRIST.

That is why when Jesus met the self-righteous rich young ruler who boasted that he had kept God's law since his youth (Mark 10:17-22), Jesus used the law as a measuring stick to show him that he had actually failed to keep it perfectly. Mark 10:21-22, “Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me. And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions.” Jesus used the LAW as it was intended to be used, to show men their wickedness and need for redemption. The rich young ruler was covetous, and in fact HADN'T perfectly kept the LAW as He boasted to Christ.

Ray Comfort Gets Repentance Very Wrong!

Evangelist Ray Comfort is half right. Ray uses the LAW to show people how sinful they are, but then he goes horribly astray by requiring them to keep the LAW for the rest of their life to get to Heaven. That is a counterfeit plan of salvation. Literally, as you can see for yourself in the preceding link, Ray Comfort requires lost sinners (as he is himself), to “live a lifestyle” of turning away from your sinning for the rest of your life to get to Heaven.

Based on everything that I have taught you in this important blog, do you see dear reader what mistake Ray is making? He is combining LAW and CHRIST, or LAW and GRACE. Mr. Comfort is confused, caught between grace and works, which cannot produce the new birth by the Holy Spirit. Kindly said, Ray is not a born-again Christian, and neither is anyone who foolishly follows his damnable heresy!

Ray Comfort, Kirk Cameron, Ken Ham, John MacArthur, Steve Pettit, Marty Herron, Pacific Garden Mission (UNSHACKLED radio) Jon Piper, and thousands more false prophets today—all confused LAW with GRACE. They are preaching another (false) gospel of partial faith in Christ plus works. They all require you to “turn away from your sinful ways” to be saved, which they errantly and foolishly think is what it means to “repent” in the Holy Bible.

If Ray Comfort is correct, then salvation requires WORKS. Of course, we know from God's inspired Word that salvation is solely by God's wondrous grace, without works. I like the acronym for G.R.A.C.E. (God's Riches At Christ's Expense). Grace is God giving us what we don't deserve. Mercy is God NOT giving us what we do deserve. Thank God for His precious grace and mercy!

Repentance Toward God To Acknowledge THE TRUTH

In Acts 20:21b we read about “repentance toward God.” In 2nd Timothy 2:25b we read about “repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;” These are precious passages which plainly show that repentance is a change of mind toward God regarding THE TRUTH, and not turning away from your lifelong sinful bad habits. So where do incompetent pastors get the erroneous idea that repentance means to forsake your sinning? Well, I humbly believe it comes from our sinful nature as humans. It makes sense and appeals to the flesh (carnality) that a person must  turn away from their sins to get to Heaven, since it is our sins that got us into trouble in the first place. But that is not God's plan of salvation for mankind.

God knows that even our best efforts as humans (our righteousness), is filth to God (Isaiah 64:6). Even on my best days as a human being, there is nothing in my flesh that pleases God. No matter how much good that I may do—the people I pray for, the homeless people that I help, and the admirable good deeds that I do in secret—none of those things can make up for the horrible sins in my past (and in your past too dear friend). We are all dirty, filthy, rotten, guilty sinners in the sight of our holy God. The LAW shows us that. We've all broken the Ten Commandments, again and again, whether in body, mind or spirit. We're all hell-deserving sinners!

Ray Comfort is WRONG to require lost sinners to live a lifestyle of keeping the LAW to be saved. That is not why God gave the LAW to humanity. Romans 3:20b plainly teaches that the LAW was given by God for, “THE KNOWLEDGE OF SIN.” God gave the world a conscience through Old Testament Israel, who are God's people. Only saved Jews are God's children, but all Jews are God's people, saved and unsaved alike.

Christ came into the world through the Jews, born of a lowly saintly woman named Mary. God Himself was Jesus' biological Father. Jesus had no earthly father! Jesus was born of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:23). God never had sexual relations with Mary, as perverted Mormons claim He did. SHAME on the Mormons! The blessed Holy Spirit overshadowed Mary by a miracle, and Jesus was conceived. The Holy Bible came to mankind through the Jews. That is one reason why so many Gentiles hate the Jews, because God gave the LAW through Israel, and the LAW makes men feel guilty as sinners, which is what God intended.

Sadly, most men hate Jesus because through the LAW He testifies against the world, that their works are evil. John 7:7, “The world cannot hate you; but me it hateth, because I testify of it, that the works thereof are evil.” Jesus testifies against the world through the LAW.

I hope some of this information has been interesting and edifying to your dear reader. If you don't remember anything else, please remember LAW and CHRIST. That is one reason why I reject dispensational teaching, because it divides God's Word into 7 or 8 divisions. God has already made TWO great divisions to His inspired Word of LAW and CHRIST (or, GRACE). By having two major divisions, the Bible emphasizes the Gospel of the Kingdom (soulwinning); but by having seven or eight divisions to the Scripture (as invented by religious Zionists, primarily Cyrus I. Scofield in the latter 19th century), it emphasis the Kingdom of Israel instead (political Zionism). Dispensational teaching is dangerous in my humble opinion. It is more than a mere overlay to the Scriptures, it changes the mindset of the impressionable Bible student.

John 3:20-21, “For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.” I love how God so accurately authored the Bible. Notice carefully the first phrase of John 3:21a, “But he that doeth truth cometh to the light...” I love that! The Bible doesn't say, “But he that turns away from his sinful ways cometh to the light.” No, it says: HE THAT DOETH TRUTH!!!

Thus, Bible repentance for salvation is strictly a matter of changing your mind to acknowledge THE TRUTH that you are a guilty sinner in the sight of a holy God. That is the purpose of the LAW according to 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.” In other words, you simply need to realize that you are a guilty sinner to BELIEVE THE GOSPEL to be saved.

The Gift Of Eternal Life Is Wrapped In The Wonderful Package Of Jesus

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...