Pastor Rick Warren's Counterfeit Gospel

Galatians 1:6-9, “I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.”

I love pastors and preachers. I don't enjoy exposing corrupt clergy, but I do enjoy contending for the Christian faith. Today's spotlight is on Rick Warren, longtime 42-year senior pastor of the Saddleback Valley Community Church in California, which he founded. Sadly, Warren is a member of the apostate Southern Baptist Convention (SBC). The SBC presently is comprised of about 45,000 member churches. There is much doctrinal as well as moral corruption in the SBC. The following helpful excerpt is from Christian author Michael P. Bowen's helpful book titled: 'I NEVER KNEW YOU,' beginning on page 57...

As children, most of us were told the tale of the Pied Piper, a story about a man who played a type of flute who led little children away from the care of their families and ended up drowning in the river. Like the Pied Piper, Warren plays an irresistible tune that no one can ignore. Once people hear what he has to say, they are hooked. Warren digs down into the cores of our individual beings, down into our deepest desires of wanting to forget our pasts, our mistakes and failures, of wanting to make our present lives the best that they can be, and by telling us that if we invite Christ into our hearts and give ourselves to Him that we will go to heaven; however, like the fictional Pied Piper, Warren leads every mesmerized believer of this false gospel to a place of drowning, but not in a river of water; instead, it is the eternal lake of fire, according to the bible. 

Jesus Christ offers a very different plan of salvation. Jesus said that the will of the Father was for everyone to recognize Christ as the Messiah and to believe on Him alone for the gift of everlasting life. “And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day” (John 6:40). To make it ever more succinct, Jesus then said, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life” (John 6:47).

The gospel message is the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. When we believe that Jesus died for us and came back to life three days later, He knows it — He knows all of your thoughts — and He knows the very instant that you believe His gospel message. The instant you believe His message, Jesus saves you. Time and time again we see in the bible that when people heard this message, they “believed.” When they believed, they were saved that very same instant. They did not pray prayers of salvation asking Jesus into their hearts. They did not commit their lives to the Lordship of Christ. They did not determine to follow Him all the days of their lives in obedience to His Lordship or to the practice of discipleship. They simply believed on Christ alone as their savior. 

It doesn’t matter how successful a ministry is, or how beautiful and satisfying their particular plan of salvation may be. If what they say about salvation does not match with what Christ said about salvation, their plan is counterfeit and falls under the label of an “accursed message.” Galatians 1:8-9 says, “But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, if any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.” 

If you were to have asked Paul how to be saved, he would have told you the same thing he told the Philippian jailer in Acts 16:31: “...Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved...” And if you were to ask Jesus Christ how to be saved, He would tell you the same thing that He told Nicodemus in John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

SOURCE: Michael P. Bowen, 'I NEVER KNEW YOU,' pp. 57-59

The counterfeit plan of salvation peached by Rick Warren is the same junk taught by Joel Osteen, Joyce Meyer, John Hagee, Pat Robertson, Jimmy Swaggart, Mike Murdock, Peter Popoff, Benny Hinn and countless other infidels. These false prophets all preach a perverse gospel of partial faith in Christ plus something else. My father was right, who taught me that religion is the worst thing that ever happened to this world. Dad was so right! ...

Matthew 7:13-15, “Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.”

There is nothing in this universe as important as God's simple plan of salvation for mankind. Sadly, hellbound neo-evangelicals like Pastor Rick Warren pervert God's free grace, because they are caught between grace and works. Remember, faith is the only righteous thing that I can do. Jesus is precious!!!