Maranatha Baptist University's Perverse Gospel

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

Our text passage of Scripture plainly proclaims the Gospel of free grace. The Apostle Paul said he received this Gospel, not from man, but by direct revelation from the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. Galatians 1:11-12, “But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man. For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.” There is no other gospel. The Gospel taught in the inspired King James Bible is very simple, plain and unchanged by humans.

Having said that as introduction, now let's examine the heresy set forth by the Maranatha Baptist University in Wisconsin. In their official Statement of Faith, they state:

Soteriology
The Bible faculty are committed to teaching a biblically balanced soteriology. We believe in the divine source of salvation, that all of salvation flows from God’s free and unmerited grace. We also affirm the responsibility of all people to repent of their sins and believe the gospel. [emphasis added]

SOURCE: Statement Of Faith 

BLASPHEMY!!! You cannot show me even one Bible verse that teaches to “repent of your sins” or “turn away from your sins” to be saved. If you think this is splitting hairs, then you are oh so woefully ignorant of the Gospel of free grace! There is absolutely nothing in the Gospel which Paul received directly from the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, that requires repenting of one's sins to be saved. This is a counterfeit gospel of partial faith in Christ plus works! Romans 3:19-20 plainly teaches that the purpose of God's law is to give men “the knowledge of sin,” not to persuade men to turn away from sins as a requirement to receive God's free gift of eternal life. Maranatha Baptist University are wolves in sheep's clothing, caught up in the heresy of Lordship Salvation, just another Bob Jones University clone!!!

You don't have to repent of your sins to be saved. What saith the Scripture? ...

Acts 20:21, “Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.”  

2nd Timothy 2:25-26, “In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.”  

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.”

In the preceding passages of Scriptures, we learn that repentance is concerning THE TRUTH, not forsaking one's sins. Repentance is TOWARD GOD, not FROM SINS. Repentance is a change of mind—a change of mind from WRONG THINKING to believing the Gospel. What must a man repent of? You must change your mind about whatever it is that has been hindering you from coming to Christ to be saved. Men who love their sins won't come to Christ, “lest his deeds should be reproved” (John 3:20b). So repentance is a man acknowledging that he is a guilty sinner in need of redemption. God's law gives men the knowledge that they are needy sinners, and then the law brings them to Christ to be saved by God's grace through faith (Galatians 3:24-26). 

Now when these neo-evangelical theologians (aka, the Lordship Salvation crowd), speak of repenting of your sins, they mean something entirely different. Read what Evangelist Ray Comfort teaches, that you must live a lifestyle of repentance to be saved. That is not the Gospel. Look at the garbage theology taught on Pacific Garden Mission's 'Unshackled' radio program, requiring listeners to forsake the old life of sin to be saved. This is a perversion of grace! When someone attacks the grace of God, they attack the God of grace!!! Look at the junk theology taught by Dr. Steve Pettit (president of Bob Jones University since 2014). 

Pastor Marty Herron is another damnable heretic, corrupting the Gospel by adding turning from sins to faith alone. These are reprobates in the pulpit, damning men's souls with the same perverse Lordship Salvation heresy as we read about in Matthew 7:21-23. They cried out, “LORD, LORD,” and mentioned their “many wonderful works,” but they had failed to obey the will of the Father, which is to rest completely in His only begotten Son (John 6:40; Hebrews 4:10-11). If you add turning from sins to grace, you don't get grace!!!

There is an entirely different mindset that the proponents of Lordship Salvation have, than does a genuine born-again believer. The truth is that a child of God CAN disobey, choose to live in willful sin like the Devil, and still go to Heaven! As much as that may harelip Pastor Marty Herron, Maranatha Baptist University, Bob Jones University, Sam Horn, Ray Comfort, John Piper, Unshackled, Steve Pettit and John MacArthur—the proof that they are all liars in the pulpit is found in 1st Corinthians 3:15, “If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.” Clearly, a man can enter into Heaven with no goodness whatsoever, having lived a selfish life of carnality in sin and shame. 

“Can a child of God be disobedient? The answer has to be 'Yes' otherwise it is not faith alone in Christ alone.” —Pastor Ralph 'Yankee' Arnold, 'Lordship Salvation - Part Two'

Pastor Jack Hyles gets it right, in this excellent writing titled: 'Conversion And Salvation.' Pilgrim's Progress author, John Bunyan (1628-1688), makes this excellent statement:

“If you do not put a difference between justification wrought by the man Christ without and sanctification wrought by the Spirit of Christ within, you are not able to divide the Word aright; but contrariwise, you corrupt the Word of God, and cast stumbling blocks before the people.” [emphasis added] —Evangelist John Bunyan

Salvation is not doing your best, it is having Christ's best put to your account through receiving Him by faith. If you must repent of your sins to be saved, then you have a part in saving yourself. This is human reformation, not repentance. Many dishonest preachers will preach that you must “repent of sin,” but they don't explain what they mean, confusing people and bidding Godspeed to the Lordship Salvation crowd. They do this for the love of money, wanting to straddle the fence to avoid being labeled as controversial. The safe thing to do in these apostate times, is to say that you must “repent of sin” to be saved. The safe thing is to in these apostate times, is to promote multiple Bible versions, lest you're labeled as a King James Bible only nut. 

Pastor Jack Hyles (1926-2001) got it 100% correct:

Lordship salvation would make salvation a trade or a deal or maybe even a bribe. It would take away the simple reception of Christ for eternal life and would become God giving us something if we give Him something. God would say to us, “You give Me something; I'll give you something. We will trade, and you will be saved.” Salvation is not my giving God something and God giving me something; salvation is God giving me something and my receiving it. Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” —Pastor Jack Hyles, “Lordship Salvation” (chapter 11 from his book: “Salvation Is More Than Being Saved”)

God damns Maranatha Baptist University! God damns Marty Herron! God damns Steve Pettit! God damns Bob Jones University! God damns Pacific Garden Mission and their Unshackled nightmare theology! God damns Rick Warren! God damns Joel Osteen! God damns Sam Horn and Master's University in California! God damns all heretics who bid Godspeed to false prophets. 2nd John 1:11, “For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds.” Galatians 1:8-9, “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.” This is a very serious matter. God curses anyone who perverts His Word or His Gospel!!! 

Men by nature are cowards. I've noticed that everyone preaching the heresy of Lordship Salvation are making a living off it! Since they want as much money as possible, Bible colleges want to lure more students, so they go with what is popular. Luke 16:13, “No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.” It is not popular today to be King James Bible only. It is not popular today to believe a free grace Gospel, that does not require an additional step of repenting of your sins. The truth is that repentance is automatic, and is included in believing. A man wouldn't believe unless he had repented, that is, changed his mind.

Woe unto the apostate Bible colleges! Woe unto Maranatha Baptist University and their damnable doctrine! Nothing is destroying churches today like Bible colleges. Shame on Hyles-Anderson College and the First Baptist Church of Hammond for denying the inspiration of the King James Bible since 2008! Shame on Faith Baptist Bible College And Theological Seminary for preaching Lordship Salvation, and bidding Godspeed to Satan's corrupted Bible revisions!!! Damn these fake religious institutions to Hell!!! 

God knows that I don't hate anyone. I love everyone with God's love, but I hate every false way, as I am supposed to, and so should you if you are saved. Psalms 119:104, “Through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way.” These new corrupted Bible revisions water-down God's Word, so people don't hate sin anymore like they should. They don't believe the Gospel anymore, because the new Bibles pervert the Gospel, teaching that you must turn from living in sin to be saved. You cannot talk sense to neo-evangelicals, because they are more loyal to man, than to God. John 12:43, “For they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.” To Hell with the Devil's crowd! To Hell with Bob Jones University and their counterfeit Bibles, and their fake gospel of turning from sins to be saved. To Hell with Marty Herron and his false gospel of damnation! To Hell with Maranatha Baptist University and their “repent of your sins” heresy of Satan!

Tragically, neo-evangelicals are the rot of American society today! Their ecclesiastical tentacles are those of the Devil. Their stench reaches to Hell's gates where they are headed. Philippians 2:20, “For I have no man likeminded, who will naturally care for your state.” I thank God for the very small handful to truth-seeking believers today, who preach only the free grace Gospel, and use only the inspired King James Bible, and are zealous of THE TRUTH, earnestly contending for the faith once delivered unto the saints (Jude 1:3). We are a small army, dedicated to strengthen the things that remain. Revelation 3:2, “Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God.”

Have You Believed In Vain?

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:”

I immediately thought of the heretical Lordship Salvation crowd, who pervert the Gospel of grace. Paul is simply saying that some people think they believe right, but they have it wrong. Paul makes it easy for us, telling us exactly what we need to believe to be saved; namely, that Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins, He was buried, and He bodily resurrected three days later from the dead. Anyone who comes to God as a needy sinner, realizing their need for redemption, who places their confidence in Christ's death on the cross, burial and bodily resurrection is saved.

There are three things that one must know to be saved: the WHO, WHAT and WHY about Jesus...

• WHO He is - Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God (John 20:31)
• WHAT He did - Jesus died on the cross to pay for our sins. He was buried. Three days later He bodily resurrected for the justification of our faith.
• WHY He did it - We are all sinners and the penalty is death (Romans 6:23), including a second death (Revelation 21:8). Christ had to pay our sin debt.

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.” John 20:31 says that “these are written” were written to convince us that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing we will be saved. So we could eliminate the other 65 books of the Bible, and just use the Gospel of John, to find out everything we need to know to be saved. The word "repent" is not mentioned even once. We find the word "believe" mentioned 85 times in John. In chapters 19-20 we read about Jesus' death on the cross, burial and physical resurrection. In John 3:20-21 we read that those who love sin will not come to Christ to be saved, but "he that doeth truth" will come. That is repentance, not turning from sins, but the acknowledgement of the truth that we are a sinner, and believing the truth of the Gospel to be saved.

Repentance is acknowledging THE TRUTH that we are a needy sinner, and faith is believing THE TRUTH of the Gospel. Getting saved is strictly a matter of THE TRUTH, and has nothing to do with forsaking one's sins, which would be works. I can prove what I just said with 2nd Timothy 2:25, "In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;" Most people today are enjoying their life of sin, and refuse to acknowledge THE TRUTH that they are a sinner in need of a Savior. I like to capitalize those words "THE TRUTH" for emphasis, not to shout, but to bring out (no pun intended) THE TRUTH.

One of the deadliest things in the world today is “Lordship Salvation.” What is this? Lordship Salvation is a false doctrine which says that you must surrender to Jesus as the absolute “Lord” of your life to be saved. Proponents of this damnable doctrine teach that a person must “repent of your sins” (turn away from your past sinful life) to receive God's free gift of eternal life. In so doing, the proponents of this heresy have moved away from the Gospel of grace, and made iron shackles for themselves! THEY HAVE BELIEVED IN VAIN!!!

Matthew 7:21-23, “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”

In Matthew 7:21-23 you can bet that these people believed in something. They boasted in their own defense in Christ's presence as their Judge, that they had done “many wonderful works” in His name, and that they preached in Jesus' name everywhere they went, and had even cast out devils in Jesus' name. Yet, the Lord spoke these horrifying words to them: “I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” They had believed in vain, because what they believed did not agree with what the Bible teaches. The road to Hell is paved with good intentions! Proverbs 14:12, “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.” 

You don't turn from your sins to be saved, Jesus came to save you from your sins, and turn you from them. Turning from sin is a matter of Christian growth, and not a matter of receiving God's free gift of forgiveness of them. Salvation is a judicial matter. You are a guilty sinner. Sin must be punished. Christ took your place on the cross and paid your debt owed. Therefore, God the Father can declared you justified, on the basis of Jesus' blood which was sacrificed for you! Pastor Jack Hyles said it this way:

“Redemption is a work of God the Son. Regeneration is the work of God the Holy Spirit. Justification is the work of God the Father as He declares the sinner righteous in the Son. Conversion then becomes the work of the church as we change the use and purpose of a life.” ―Pastor Jack Hyles, “Conversion And Salvation” (chapter 3) from his book: “Salvation Is More Than Being Saved”

Amen, that is how salvation happens. God saves a man, and then the indwelling Holy Spirit changes him. But nobody can mandate those changes as a requirement to be saved, nor as a condition to prove that one is saved, which would be works. The Bible says we “SHOULD” live godly in Christ Jesus; not MUST (that is works); and not WILL (that would be Calvinism). Titus 2:11-12, “For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;” Living a faithful Christian life has nothing to do with receiving God's free gift. You are born-again the very second that you trust Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, and it is a done deal Lucile!

Please listen to me dear reader, tens of millions of false Christians in neo-evangelical churches today are just as guilty in God's sight, as are hellbound Roman Catholics and Mormons who have perverted the Gospel of grace. The damnable doctrine of Lordship Salvation has infected Bob Jones University, Moody Bible Institute, Pacific Garden Mission (Unshackled radio), Harvest Baptist Church on Guam, and thousands of other apostate pseudo-Christian organizations today! They are all pulling on the same rope as the Devil, preaching another gospel of partial faith in Christ plus works. Have you believed in vain?

Rebuke False Prophets Sharply The Bible Says

Titus 1:10-13, “For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, specially they of the circumcision: Whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole houses, teaching things which they ought not, for filthy lucre's sake. One of themselves, even a prophet of their own, said, The Cretians are alway liars, evil beasts, slow bellies. This witness is true. Wherefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith;”

I have a Zero Tolerance policy for heresy. I have 17 social media accounts (7 websites, 3 blogs, 4 YouTube channels, Twitter, Tumblr and Facebook). Of those, Facebook causes me the most grief as a preacher of the truth. I had one man on Facebook who persistently kept posting articles that denied the Trinity. It is an unfortunately popular heresy which has crept into some churches today, called Modalism. That is, instead of a triune Godhead, they believe that God goes into different modes, but say that Jesus does not exist as a separate person from the Father. Modalists falsely believe that there is only God the Father in Heaven, but there is not God the Son in a separate body. 

We know that is utter heresy from simply reading Colossians 3:1, “If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.” When Jesus resurrected from the dead, it was in a physical body. The Lord was seen by over 500 believers in one appearance he made (1st Corinthians 15:6). Jesus was seen by Mary Magdalene, the 12 apostles, the two disciples on the road to Emmaus, and the Apostle Paul. So that's at least 516 witnesses of His bodily resurrection. Then Jesus ascended in a physical body into the clouds (Acts 1:9-11). The Lord physically went to Heaven, and still exists in a physical body today, seated on the right hand of the Father. Heaven is a physical place. The angels are physical beings, who eat food, just as they ate a feast which Lot prepared for them, when they visited him in Sodom (Genesis 19:3).

The Apostle Paul said he tried to talk sense to people TWICE. If they still persisted to disagree with him, after sharing the inspired Word of God with them at least on two occasions, Paul moved on to greener pastures. Paul in his wisdom and experience of talking with people, concluded that a person is subverted (corrupted) of them self if they still refuse to heed sound doctrine after two attempts. Titus 3:9-11, “But avoid foolish questions, and genealogies, and contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and vain. A man that is an heretick after the first and second admonition reject; Knowing that he that is such is subverted, and sinneth, being condemned of himself.” I think that is a good rule for us as well. 

As the webservant of several website ministries, I receive a lot of emails, as you can imagine. Most people who write to me are a bit reluctant to say much at first, treading lightly lest I turn out to be The Great Oz that seems so intimidating by the ominousness of my website and bold preaching. They are always pleasantly surprised to find that I am the humble man behind the curtain, and moreover, like Toto the dog. My bark is much worse than my bite. I am just a broken, humble, caring, redeemed sinner. I do truly want and try to be a blessing to others. People are people, as they say, and I have had my problems communicating with some web visitors. I always give God ALL the praise, credit and glory. Jesus said “for without me ye can do nothing” (John 15:5b). The Lord even gives us our very “life, and breath, and all things” (Acts 17:25). What an awesome God and Savior!!!

Some people like to argue theology. When I receive such emails, I always begin by responding with the Bible, and usually some sermons and articles to help show them the truth. If they seem interested, I'll exchange hundreds of emails to teach and help them, gladly so. But if they start trying to convert me, berating me for my ignorance of the Bible, and I see that they are already set in their thinking, I kindly reply that I won'y debate with my web visitors. I am not here to debate with theologians or know-it-alls. I am here to help that 1 out of 100 lambs who've wandered astray, and need guidance to the truth and safety.

Jude 1:4, “For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.” False prophets never boldly announce their entrance into a church, a blog, a Bible college, a rescue mission—any group of people. They creep in, like snakes! The Bible says false prophets are “CREPT IN UNAWARES.” That means they are so subtle that you don't even detect them. Satan was subtle when tempting Eve. Satan was subtle when tempting Jesus. And false prophets are subtle. They are nice people. They use friendly words. They quote Bible verses. But they are corrupted of the Devil, always believing that they are sincere.

When someone teaches heresy, I am going to kindly teach them the Holy Bible. I am sincerely going to try to help them. But when they argue with me, and start telling me that I need to read the Bible, I am going to tell them to GET THE HELL AWAY FROM ME, SATAN! Calvinists are preaching doctrines of devils. 1st Timothy 4:1, “Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;” I know some spiritual liberals with bleeding hearts will disagree with me. If so, there's the damn door, leave! Go! Jesus said the same thing to His disciples when He taught the truth, and most people walked away. John 6:67, “Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away?” Calvinism is of the Devil, all five points! If you disagree, get the Hell away from me, Satan!

There are many professed Christian people today who have a very ecumenical mindset, tolerating sin and false doctrine, when they ought to be exposing and avoiding it! Ephesians 5:10-11, “Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.” Everyone has a right to their own opinion, but no one has a right to their own facts! There is no controversy if you believe the Bible!!! Calvinism is of the Devil. It is another gospel of partial faith in Christ plus works!

We've got a bunch of overgrown babies in our churches today, spoiled rotten Americans with a chip on their shoulder, who are intolerant of bold, sin-fighting, truth-telling, name-calling, window-rattlin, shingle-pullin', barn-stormin', hellfire and damnation, fiery preachers like Pastor Jack Hyles, Danny Castle, Bob Gray Sr., Steven Anderson, Max Younce, Roger Jimenez, and humbly, myself. 2nd Timothy 4:3-4, “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.” A free grace Gospel is sound doctrine! Calvinism is a shabby foundation, which is sure to fail, building one's house upon the sand. I am saddened how many churchgoers have fallen victim to Calvinism (aka, Lordship Salvation). The entire Gospel of John, and the Epistle of Galatians, plainly expose Calvinism as a fraud. We are saved by faith alone, and not by persevering until the end of the race.

The Devil comes along and says to be nice to false prophets, and coddle them, or they'll never get saved. The Bible says to REBUKE THEM SHARPLY!!! I've heard that lame excuse my whole life, that you'll never win lost sinners to Christ unless you lower yourself to their level. Paul said in 1st Corinthians 9:22, “To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.” Paul was not saying that he smoked marijuana to win hippies to Christ. Paul was not saying, as does Pastor J.D. Greear (president of the apostate Southern Baptist Convention), that we should become advocates of the dignity of the LGBTQ community. 

What an ungodly man to say such a wicked thing! Homosexuality is a vile, disgusting and perverse abominable sin in the sight of almighty God, and preachers everywhere must preach it so! The Apostle Paul made it very clear in 1st Corinthians 5:1-5 that open sin must not be allowed nor tolerated in any church! Sinners are welcomed at church, otherwise nobody could go! But church members found to be living in open adultery, fornication, homosexuality and other vile sins should be confronted by the church elders, asked to repent or leave. The Bible tells us why, because a little tolerated sin will corrupt the whole congregation. 1st Corinthians 5:6, “Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump?” Sin must never be permitted to flourish in a Bible-believing, New Testament, church. 1st Timothy 5:20, “Them that sin rebuke before all, that others also may fear.”

Proponents of Lordship Salvation have corrupted the gospel in a sincere attempt to force people to forsake their sins and live a holy life. In so doing they have alienated sinners from the Gospel, and the new birth cannot be produced. Satan's greatest weapon is to con people into living the Christian life, without ever being born-again. Jesus did not tell anyone in the Gospel of John to turn away from their sins to be saved. No, He simply said to BELIEVE on Him. John 6:47, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.” I am going to continue to boldly refute anyone who perverts grace! I am going to continue to preach against the Bible-corrupting crowd, who pervert the Words of the Living God! I am going to expose the corrupters of grace! When someone attacks the grace of God, they are attacking the God of grace!!!

Faulty Ideas About Repentance

Matthew 21:32, “For John came unto you in the way of righteousness, and ye believed him not: but the publicans and the harlots believed him: and ye, when ye had seen it, repented not afterward, that ye might believe him.”

Please notice in our text Bible verse that the Bible doesn't say they didn't repent from their sins; but rather, they didn't repent “THAT YE MIGHT BELIEVE HIM”! There is not one verse in the Bible that says to “repent of your sins” or to “turn from your sins” to be saved.

The following is brilliant Bible exegesis by Pastor Curtis Hutson (1934-1995). This is an excerpt from Dr. Hutson's booklet titled, 'Repentance: What Does The Bible Say?'

We suppose there are many faulty ideas about repentance, but we will deal here with the more popular ones. Perhaps the most popular false idea is that repentance is turning from sin. 

We have heard some well-known preachers say, “If you want to be saved, repent of your sins, turn from your sins.” If turning from your sins means to stop sinning, then people can only be saved if they stop sinning. And it is unlikely that anyone has ever been saved, since we don't know anyone who has ever stopped sinning. 

I recently asked a large congregation if there was anyone present who had not sinned in the last week to raise his hand, and not a single hand was lifted. I don't know of anyone who lives a single day without sinning. Now to be sure, you may not commit murder, adultery, or you may not rob a bank, but you sin nonetheless. Romans 14:23 says, “For whatsoever is not of faith is sin.” That simply means that if we do anything without a conviction of God's approval, then it is sinful. And I suppose everyone is guilty of this every day of his life. 

James 4:17 says, “Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.” 

When I was a small boy, I recall hearing an old preacher pray, “Lord, forgive us of the sins of omission as well as the sins of commission.” There is such a thing as a sin of omission. The Bible says to leave undone something we know is good is a sin. And who hasn't sinned in this respect? 

The book of I John is written to believers. And I John 1:10 says, “If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.” The pronoun “we” in this verse refers to Christians, believers. For any believer to claim that he has not sinned is to make God a liar. 

Several years ago I read a book by a professor at a fundamental university. Under the chapter on salvation, he said, “Quit your sinning, and God will give you a new heart.” He presented repentance as turning from sin. I wrote this dear brother and expressed my concern, knowing that such teaching frustrates the unbeliever and makes him think that salvation is unattainable since he cannot live a sinless life. This professor wrote back that he had repented, that he had turned from his sins. When I wrote to ask if he had sinned after he was saved, he had to honestly answer the question and admit that he had. I explained that if he had sinned after he was saved, then he had not turned from his sins; he had only turned from part of them, that is, the ones he had not committed since he had been saved. He then agreed to change the statement in his book. 

If repentance means turning from sin, and turning from sin means to stop sinning, then a person must live a sinless life in order to be saved. And if that is the case, then nobody could ever be saved, because there are no perfect people. 

You don't get better to get saved; you get saved to get better. You can't get better until you do get saved. In reality, one can begin living better only after he is saved. When the individual trusts Christ as Saviour, he receives a new nature. Second Peter 1:4 says, “Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature.” With this new nature come new desires and new power to make the desires a reality. 

We read in Philippians 2:13, “For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.” It is the presence of God in the believer that gives him both the desire and power to live a better life. And no man has the indwelling Christ in the person of the Holy Spirit until after he is saved. 

The Christian life is not an imitation of the Christ life; it is Christ living His life over again in us as we yield ourselves to Him. That is what Paul meant in Galatians 2:20: “I am crucified with Christ; nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” 

Several years ago, after I finished preaching a Sunday morning service, several people trusted Christ as Saviour, including a lady and her five children. I noticed a man sitting on the same pew who did not respond. After the service, I spoke to him, while many of the members of the church were shaking hands with the lady, her children, and others who had trusted Christ that morning. 

“Sir,” I said, “is this your wife and children?” 

“Yes,” he replied. 

I said, “Isn't it wonderful that they have trusted Christ as Saviour!” 

“Yes,” he replied. 

Then I asked, “Have you trusted Christ as your Saviour?” 

He dropped his head and said, “I'm afraid I haven't.” 

“May I ask why you haven't trusted Christ as Saviour?” 

“Well,” he said, “to be honest with you, I'm afraid I can't live it.” 

I suspected that this man had an idea that in order to be saved, he must promise God that he would never sin again, or he thought that repenting was turning from sin. So I pressed the issue. “What do you mean, you can't live it?” 

“Well,” he said, “I know that I will probably sin again.” 

I said, “Sir if getting saved is promising Jesus you will never sin again, then I would never get saved, because I know I cannot live a sinless life.” I explained that to be saved one simply had to trust Jesus as Saviour. I opened the Bible to John 3:36 and read, “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life.” Then pointing to the verse, I asked, “Does the verse say 'He that believeth on the Son and lives it has everlasting life'?” 

“Oh, no,” he replied. 

“Then what does the verse say?” 

“He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life.” 

“Then must one believe on the Son and live it in order to be saved? Or must one simply believe on the Son, as the Bible says, to have everlasting life?” 

“Well,” he said, “I suppose that one must do what the Bible says - believe on the Son.” 

“Then will you trust Jesus Christ right now as your Saviour?” 

With a smile on his face, he answered, “I certainly will.” In a moment he joined his wife and children as the church members came by and shook hands, rejoicing with them in their decision to trust Christ as Saviour. 

A few weeks later I received a call from a pastor a few miles out of Atlanta, Georgia. He said that a man, his wife, and five children had joined the church for baptism and told him that they were saved at Forrest Hills Baptist Church in Decatur Georgia. “Dr. Hutson,” he said, “I thought you would like to know about it.” 

Of course I was happy to hear they had united with the church near where they lived. That family went on to become faithful workers in the church. They even bought their own bus and began a bus ministry, bringing scores of children and adults in to hear the Gospel. 

I think there are many who would like to be saved but have been presented the faulty idea that repentance is turning from sin and therefore they are convinced that they cannot be saved. Oh, if we would only make salvation plain and explain to men that we are not saved by doing anything; rather we are saved by trusting in what Jesus has already done. He died two thousand years ago for our sins. He fully paid the sin debt, and the Bible says, “that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). 

Now don't misunderstand me. We do not want to treat sin lightly, but then, we must not demand of an unbeliever that which is impossible for him to perform, and we must not make unbelievers feel that salvation is a hopeless, unattainable thing. 

A second faulty idea is that repentance is sorrow for sin. The Bible says in II Corinthians 7:10, “For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of....” Though godly sorrow may bring about repentance, it is not the same as repentance. 

I'm afraid we have been guilty of building doctrines off our experience rather than the Bible. We must remember that the Bible is the principle, not man's experience. 

We have heard well-meaning preachers tell of their experience of salvation and describe their weeping and sorrow and how miserable and low-down they felt before they were saved. In doing so, they suggest to the unbeliever that he must feel a certain amount of sorrow before he can be saved. If that is the case, then how much sorrow must a man feel and exactly how much must he weep and moan before God will save him? This kind of teaching suggests to us the false idea that God is basically unwilling to save sinners, and unless one softens the heart of God by his tears, then God will never accept him and grant forgiveness for sin. 

The truth is, God is more willing and ready to save than we unbelievers are to simply trust Him to do it. As a matter of fact, God has done and is doing all He can to save men. Two thousand years ago He placed all our sins on His Son Jesus Christ and then punished Jesus in our place to pay the sin debt we owe so that when we die, we won't have to pay it. That is exactly what the Bible means 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.” In the matter of salvation, no amount of weeping or sorrow will coax God into doing something that He has not already done. 

Remember when Jesus was on the cross, He cried, “It is finished!” (John 19:30), which means that the price for our salvation was paid in full. Nothing can be added to it and nothing can be taken from it. We don't need to weep, beg, or plead for God to do something He has already done. What we do is accept Him, trust Him. 

The problem is not that God is adamant and unapproachable but that man will not respond. 

The great evangelist D. L. Moody insisted that the inquirer was not to seek sorrow but the Saviour. The death of Jesus Christ on the cross and His shed blood is sufficient for the forgiveness of sins. Ephesians 1:7 says, “In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace.” 

Notice that forgiveness of sins is through His blood. It is not the death of Christ-plus sorrow; the death of Christ-plus tears; the death of Christ-plus mourning; or even the death of Christ-plus pleading. No, no, no! It is the death of Christ-period. The Word of God makes it clear that salvation is based entirely upon the death of Christ and the believer's faith or trust in Him. Acts 16:31 plainly says, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.” Believe. Not believe and weep, not believe and pray, not believe and mourn, not believe and feel sorrow for your sins, but believe, only believe. 

I am glad when I see someone troubled over his sins, but we must be very careful in presenting the plan of salvation not to insist that a person have a certain degree of sorrow before he can be saved. That is not repentance, and such a requirement for salvation is not found in the Bible. 

A third faulty idea about repentance is that it is reformation. Nearly all the religions of the world teach the idea that man must do something or be something in order to be saved. Some say you must join a particular church. If you don't belong to their particular group, then you cannot be saved. Others teach you must be baptized in water that the water actually washes away sin. Others teach you must be baptized in a certain way and by a certain preacher. Still others teach you must behave in a certain manner. They will often say, “If you don't straighten up, you are going to Hell!” Others teach that you must make certain resolutions or promises in order to be saved, and if you don't live up to those resolutions, then you are lost. If we could only understand the clear plan of salvation, it would surely help to clear up a lot of confusion. 

Salvation is a gift and there is nothing we can do or be in order to earn it. All you can do with a gift is receive it. 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.” 

My beloved predecessor Dr. John R. Rice, used to say, “If you go to Hell, you pay your own way; but you go to Heaven on a free pass.” He was certainly right. Romans 6:23 says, “The wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Salvation is a gift. 

Reformation is good in its place, but when you make reformation repentance and a prerequisite for salvation, then it is wicked and evil. Salvation is of God, not of man. John 1:13 says, “Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” The expression, “not of blood,” simply means that salvation is not inherited through the bloodline. No one is saved because his mother or father is a Christian. “…nor of the will of the flesh” means that there is nothing the flesh can do to earn salvation, including reformation. “…nor of the will of man” means there is nothing man can do to save himself. “…but of God” means that nothing of man enters into salvation. 

If that be true, then man's behavior-good or bad-has nothing to do with obtaining salvation. Titus 3:5 says, “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us.…” Ephesians 2:8, 9 tells us, “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.” It is impossible to mix grace and works. Salvation is either by grace or works; it cannot be a combination of the two. 

Notice the words of Romans 11:6, “And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.” Reformation as an instrument of salvation is absolutely futile, and repentance is not reformation. 

Reformation is an effort on the part of the individual to establish his own righteousness, and the Bible clearly teaches that we are not saved by our own righteousness but by the imputed righteousness of God. Look at Romans 10:1-4:

“Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved. For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.”

If we could reform and establish our own righteousness, that would not be sufficient. Says Isaiah 64:6 regarding our righteousnesses, “All our righteousnesses are as filthy rags….” The best we can do is like filthy rags in the sight of a holy God. The only righteousness God accepts is His own, which is imputed to us the moment we trust Christ as Saviour. 

What a blessed promise is Romans 4:5, “But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.” 

My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus' blood and righteousness;
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly lean on Jesus' name. 

Repentance is not reformation. 

No one will ever go to Hell who has put his trust in Jesus Christ, but many will end up in torment who have trusted their own righteousness and reformation. Matthew 7:22, 23 says: 

“Many will say to me in that day Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” 

The people referred to in these verses are trusting their own works, their own righteousness, for salvation, when they ought to be trusting Jesus Christ completely. 

A fourth faulty idea about repentance is that it is penance. Dr. Harry Ironside said: 

“Penance is not repentance. Penance is the effort in some way to atone for wrong done. This man can never do, nor does God, in His Word, lay it down as a condition for salvation that one first seek to make up to either God or his fellows for evil committed.... On the contrary, the call was to repent, but between repentance and doing penance there is a vast difference.” 

Penance is a sacrament of the Roman Catholic Church involving the confession of sin and submission to penalties imposed, followed by absolution by the priest. 

There is a penalty for sin, but God has only one such penalty and that is death. Ezekiel 18:4 reads, “The soul that sinneth, it shall die.” Romans 6:23 says, “The wages of sin is death!” And James 1:15 tells us, “Sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.” 

God's penalty for sin is death, and this death is described in the Bible as the second death, the lake of fire - Revelation 20:14 says, “Death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.” No amount of penance will pay for our sins. 

The Bible teaches that Jesus Christ paid for our sins two thousand years ago. I Peter 3:18 says, “For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God.... “ The word “once” here does not mean once upon a time but once for all. The payment for sin was made once for all two thousand years ago when Jesus died on the cross for our sins. The Bible states in I Peter 2:24, “Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree....” God imposed the penalty for our sins before Adam and Eve committed the first sin in the garden. In Genesis 2:17 He said, “....in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.” And the penalty imposed by God before the fall was paid in full by Jesus Christ on the cross two thousand years ago. All that's left for us to do is accept what Jesus has done and trust Him completely for salvation. 

Oh, why must we complicate the matter and confuse unbelievers as to how to be saved! “What must I do to be saved?” asked the Philippian jailor in Acts 16:30, and Paul replied in verse 31, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.” 

Repentance is not penance.

SOURCE: Pastor Curtis Hutson, an excerpt from the booklet titled:  'Repentance: What Does The Bible Say?'

There you have it. To summarize, repentance is:

• NOT turning from sins
• NOT sorrow for sins
• NOT reformation from sins
• NOT penance for sins

I encourage you to read the rest of the booklet! People are confused everywhere in churches today, because the Devil has crept his false prophets into them unawares!

Take The NIV Bible Quiz

2nd Corinthians 2:17, “For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ.”

INSTRUCTIONS: Using the New International Version Bible (NIV), answer the following questions. Do not rely on your memory. As the Bible is the final authority, you must take the answer from the NIV Bible verse (Not from footnotes but from the text. Footnotes are not the Bible.).

1. Fill in the missing words in Matthew 5:44. "Love your enemies, ________ them that curse you, _____________ to them that hate you, and pray for them that __________ and persecute you."

2. According to Matthew 17:21, what two things are required to cast out this type of devil?

3. According to Matthew 18:11, why did Jesus come to earth?

4. According to Matthew 27:2, what was Pilate's first name?

5. In Matthew 27:35, when the wicked soldiers parted His garments, they were fulfilling the words of the prophet. Copy what the prophet said in Matthew 27:35 from the NIV.

6. In Mark 3:15, Jesus gave the apostles power to cast out devils and to:

7. According to Mark 7:16, what does a man need to be able to hear?

8. According to Luke 7:28, what was John? (teacher, prophet, carpenter, etc.). What is his title or last name?

9. In Luke 9:55, what did the disciples not know?

10. In Luke 9:56, what did the Son of man not come to do? According to this verse, what did He come to do?

11. In Luke 22:14, how many apostles were with Jesus?

12. According to Luke 23:38, in what three languages was the superscription written?

13. In Luke 24:42, what did they give Jesus to eat with His fish?

14. John 3:13 is a very important verse, proving the deity of Christ. According to this verse (as Jesus spoke), where is the Son of man?

15. What happened each year as told in John 5:4?

16. In John 7:50, what time of day did Nicodemus come to Jesus?

17. In Acts 8:37, what is the one requirement for baptism?

18. What did Saul ask Jesus in Acts 9:6?

19. Write the name of the man mentioned in Acts 15:34.

20. Study Acts 24:6-8. What would the Jew have done with Paul? What was the chief captain's name? What did the chief captain command?

21. Copy Romans 16:24 word for word from the NIV.

22. First Timothy 3:16 is perhaps the greatest verse in the New Testament concerning the deity of Christ. In this verse, who was manifested in the flesh?

23. In the second part of First Peter 4:14, how do [they] speak of Christ? And, what do we Christians do?

24. Who are the three Persons of the Trinity in First John 5:7?

25. Revelation 1:11 is another very important verse that proves the deity of Christ. In the first part of this verse Jesus said, "I am the A__________ and O___________ , the _________ and the _______:"

Conclusion: Little space is provided for your answers, but it's much more than needed. If you followed the instructions above, you not only failed the test, you receive a big goose egg. So now what do you think of your "accurate, easy-to-understand, up-to-date Bible"? If these 25 questions haven't served to show you that the NIV is a very inferior Bible, based on a very inferior Greek text, then you have been deceived by the Devil dear reader. If you would like to improve your score, and in fact score 100%, you can take this test using the Authorized (King James) Bible.

NIV Reader: Do you have enough confidence in the NIV to tell God, OUT LOUD, that the NIV is correct in deleting these words and phrases? If not, you need to get an inspired King James Bible so you can have some confidence. I love you friend, which is why I have been writing my heart out since 2002, never taking a single penny for my earnest labors. God is preparing my rewards in Heaven for me, but the greatest reward of all is seeing Jesus Christ formed in you! Please don't use anything except the precious KING JAMES BIBLE.

Ye Might Well Bear With Him

2nd Corinthians 11:1-6, “Would to God ye could bear with me a little in my folly: and indeed bear with me. For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him. For I suppose I was not a whit behind the very chiefest apostles. But though I be rude in speech, yet not in knowledge; but we have been throughly made manifest among you in all things.”

The Apostle Paul was learned in the Scriptures. Paul was no dummy! The apostle's credentials were impeccable and impressive to say the least. Paul said that he was jealous over the church at Corinth. The Epistle of 2nd Corinthians was written in 56 AD, eight years after the Epistle of Galatians in 48 AD. The Apostle Paul had seen corruption creep into the churches at Galatia and was understandably concerned about the church at Corinth. Paul said that if a false prophet came into their midst preaching ANOTHER JESUS, ANOTHER SPIRIT, ANOTHER GOSPEL, they might well bear with him. That is, there's a good chance that they would have accepted him and his false message, bidding him Godspeed.

The Devil is smarter than you and me. The Devil knows how to trick people! If I were the Devil, I would do everything in my power to undermine the believer's authority, which is the inspired Word of God. Satan has created a bunch of decoys to throw us off track. The Devil (in the form of a serpent) came to Eve and the first words out of his mouth were: “Hath God Said?” (Genesis 3:1a). Where God placed a period, the Devil placed a question mark! The wise Christian today understands that the Devil is behind the modern Bible publishing movement. A secular English professor sees the danger of the Devil's Bibles. Communist Cuba sees the danger of the Devil's Bibles. Tragically, America's shameful pastors and Bible professors fail to see the danger of the Devil's Bibles.

The Apostle Paul was concerned that the carnal church at Corinth (1st Corinthians 3:1), that they might actually go along with a damnable heretic if he came! Kindly said, that is what has happened at Bob Jones University. Somewhere along the way they changed from preaching a free grace Gospel, to the damnable heresy of John MacArthur's Lordship Salvation. I keep reading supporters of Mr. MacArthur, who insist that he teaches free grace theology, but they are in woeful denial. Heresy is creeping into our fundamental churches by the hour! I just heard a horrifying sermon by Pastor Phil Kidd, denying the eternal security of the Christian believer! That is of the Devil!!!

The way to protect yourself dear reader, from being drawn away by another gospel, is to “SEARCH THE SCRIPTURES” as the Lord Himself commanded in John 5:39, “Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life.” I'll tell you, I've just about declared war on corrupt preachers!!! Anyone who messes with grace is messing with God. Anyone who attacks the grace of God is attacking the God of grace, and the gift of grace, and the guardian of grace (which is the local New Testament church), and the goal of grace (which is to preach the Gospel to the world). God's grace is not cheap, it is free! JESUS PAID IT ALL!!!

But thank God for heretics! The Bible says we need them, so they who are approved as learned teachers can be manifest. 1st Corinthians 11:19, “For there must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you.” So by Pastor Kidd teaching heresy that a believer cannot have eternal security, it gives me the opportunity to refute his damnable heresy and PREACH THE TRUTH! Every believer has eternal security, which is the same as eternal life! If you have eternal life, then you absolutely do have eternal security. You have God's promise on it! John 6:47, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.”