True or False: A Person Who Believes In Jesus For Salvation WILL Have A Change Of Behavior

Here is a very worthwhile discussion and I felt the need to post it here and spread the word. This deception is spread through many churches. It is time to stand for the clear truth of the gospel and not let works gospels rule the day unchallenged.

Jim F

https://expreacherman.com/2013/12/14/title-true-or-false-a-person-who-believes-in-jesus-for-salvation-will-have-a-change-of-behavior/

expreacherman's avatarNotes From A Retired Preacher

By Jack Weaver and our fellow Administrator, John.

 In a recent Internet conversation with a gentleman, he insisted that a person who believes in Christ WILL have a change of behavior.

He insisted that a believer, being indwelt “with the Holy Spirit in their life, there WILLbe change.” [our Caps emphasis]

Too often folks look to changes they have experienced as a validation of their salvation.Let’s not get bogged down in “experiences” of change, but look to Bible doctrine. Experience will beg the question, “How much change would satisfy God”?

By saying “there WILL be change” in a believers life, this gentleman seems to be discounting the fact that any believer in Jesus Christ still has a human will which can be motivated by his personal choice to disobey (or obey) the prompting of the Holy Spirit.

Every Christian, upon the first moment of…

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The Gospel According to Spurgeon

Before I continue with my review of the book by MacArthur, The Gospel According to Jesus, I want to take time to look at another person from the past that advocated a similar position. Some believe that MacArthur’s Lordship Salvation is a relatively new thing. This is intended to show that this message is not new and can come as a logical progression from any Calvinist.

The following quotes are from Spurgeon’s book The Soul Winner.

Consider the errors that Spurgeon taught. He rejected the free grace view that repentance means change of mind. Now he said repentance means “change of mind” but described it this way on page 30 of his book “The Soul Winner”.

“”You will not find a better definition of it than the one given in the children’s hymn.

“Repentance is to leave
The sins we loved before
And show that we in earnest grieve,
By doing so no more.”

No way can this be the repentance spoken of in scripture concerning salvation itself.

He goes on to say: “True conversion is in all men attended by a sense of sin (which have spoken of under the heading of conviction); by a sorrow for sin or holy grief at having committed it; by a hatred of sin, which proves that its dominion is ended; and by a practical turning from sin, which shows that the life within the soul is operating upon the life without.”

“All the spokes of a wheel move at once when the wheel moves, and so all the graces commence action when regeneration is worked by the Holy Ghost. However there must be repentance. No sinner looks to the Savior with a dry eye or a hard heart.”

“Aim therefore at heart-breaking, at bringing home condemnation to the conscience and weaning the mind from sin. Be not content till the whole mind is deeply and vitally changed in reference to sin.”

“Another proof of the conquest of a soul for Christ will be found in a real change of life. If the man does not live differently from what he did before, both at home and abroad, his repentance needs to be repented of, and his conversion is a fiction.”

Spurgeon illustrates here an almost total misunderstanding of repentance and it is one that has permeated through most churches. It really amounts to works salvation and Lordship legalism. It is not scriptural. (See the book of Galatians.)

The fact alone that a saved man has two natures refutes Spurgeon’s claims and MacArthur’s for that matter. (For more reading see my doctrinal statement section on eternal security and the corresponding verses)  Spurgeon basically articulated Lordship salvation long before MacArthur and long before it was even called that.

“If the professed convert deliberately declares that he know his Lord’s will but does not intend to obey it, you are not to pamper his presumption. Rather it is your duty to assure him that he is not saved. Has not the Lord said, “Whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after Me, cannot be My disciple” (Luke 14:27)?” pg 33.

Look back at MacArthur’s quotes including this one. See any similarities?

“The gospel according to Jesus calls sinners to give up their independence, deny themselves, submit to an alien will, and abandon all rights in order to be owned and controlled by the Lord. By confessing Jesus as Lord (Kurios), we automatically confess that we are His slaves (douloi).” – John MacArthur

They both make this type of error (positional vs practical) as seen on page 31 of “The Soul Winner”.

“The scripture says, “He that committeth sin is of the devil” (I John 3:8). Abiding under the power of any known sin is a mark of our being the servants of sin, for “his servants ye are to whom ye obey” (Romans 6:16).”

For more reading on this error see Dr Cone’s article:

http://1024project.com/2013/12/03/the-hermeneutic-roots-of-our-soteriological-crisis/?fb_action_ids=10152129143298816&fb_action_types=og.likes&fb_source=aggregation&fb_aggregation_id=288381481237582

(Please note that I don’t personally vouch for everything on this site or everything that Dr Cone teaches necessarily but I feel that this article illustrates this particular point well.)

Faith and repentance, contrary to Spurgeon, are not graces given to us in a Calvinistic sense on an individual (for the elect only) basis. The one qualifier for genuine repentance is the resting point (the object of our salvation). Our change of mind has to land upon the Savior alone. He alone saves and leave all the rest of the works and qualifiers out of it. They only prevent sinners from getting saved and frustrate existing believers. Believers need the freedom to do good works based on a settled point of salvation. If their salvation is in doubt perpetually because of any and all sins that they commit in the flesh then their growth will be stunted and they will live fearful frustrated lives. It is kind of like being on a roller coaster with the ups and downs. Many people can testify to this experience but the blessed thing is that many have seen the truth and gotten off of the roller coaster and instead have built a foundation on the reality of their salvation. (I John 5:13, I Pet 2, John 3:16)

Jim F

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The Gospel According to MacArthur: Examining the book The Gospel According to Jesus Pt 1

I have heard people say that they are not convinced that John MacArthur teaches another gospel. My book review will attempt to prove that the free grace view and MacArthur’s Calvinistic view are two different things. Due to the length of the book I will attempt to do this in multiple parts over time with the passages and principles that justify my position to follow in the final post. I have placed MacArthur’s words in  quotes and mine in ( ). All quotes are from the book By John MacArthur

MacArthur, John F. (2009-05-26). The Gospel According to Jesus: What Is Authentic Faith? Zondervan. Kindle Edition.

“Unconverted sinners were not to be urged to repent. The cost of discipleship; the need to hate one’s own sin; Christ’s call to self-denial; His command to follow Him; and (especially) every mention of submission to Him as Lord were systematically expunged from the message Christians proclaimed to unbelievers.”

(How is it that MacArthur could come up with this? What should be proclaimed to the lost?)

“I expect, for example, that someone will accuse me of teaching salvation by works. Let me say as clearly as possible right now that salvation is by God’s sovereign grace and grace alone.”

(Sovereign grace – the Calvinist’s invention – is the way that MacArthur tries to get around his message being labeled as a works message.  The problem however comes when this “sovereign grace” method is shown to be false. )

MacArthur continues to go on to say what this is: “Nothing a lost, degenerate, spiritually dead sinner can do will in any way contribute to salvation. (True so far) Saving faith, repentance, commitment, and obedience are all divine works, wrought by the Holy Spirit in the heart of everyone who is saved. (False. God does not give us or make us do any of these things. We are not puppets.)

“I have never taught that some presalvation works of righteousness are necessary to or part of salvation. (No, but it ends up being that way because God does not make us believe.)

“But I do believe without apology that real salvation cannot, and will not, fail to produce works of righteousness in the life of a true believer. (Hmm, why because God will do it for us as he did supposedly everything else for us? How is that Biblical?)

“There are no human works in the saving act, (True – Tit 3:5) but God’s work of salvation includes a change of intent, will, desire, and attitude that inevitably produces the fruit of the Spirit. (No, not in reality – read Eph 4 – we are told to put off the old man and put on the new – it is not automatic.) The very essence of God’s saving work is the transformation of the will, (Where does the Bible say that God transforms our will?) resulting in a love for God. Salvation thus establishes the root that will surely produce the fruit.

(Only if some things are true – which they aren’t. Those being:

1)  Man being made to believe (name one verse that says this)
2) Man being made to do good works.
3) Man being given only the new nature (One nature). see Rom 7, Eph 4:20 – 32

However, the Bible refutes all three. Ask me about it if you don’t believe me.)

“Several who disagree with my views have said in print that the lordship controversy is a matter of eternal consequence. Whoever is wrong on this issue is seriously wrong about the most basic of Christian truths. On that we agree.”

(Yes, I agree with that.)

“ I went through a phase of thinking that the whole dispute might be a misunderstanding or semantic argument. But as I studied the issues, I came to realize that this is a fundamental difference in doctrine. After many conversations with those who disagree and hours of studying what they are saying, I am now convinced that the two sides in this argument have distinctly different views of salvation.”

(Thank you. People should take notice here of MacArthur’s own admission.  This is indeed not about semantics. It is about salvation itself. What has to happen for a person to be saved from the penalty of sin?  The answer to that is DIFFERENT if you listen to MacArthur versus free grace Biblicists.)

“Thus the good news of Christ has given way to the bad news of an insidious easy-believism that makes no moral demands on the lives of sinners. It is not the same message Jesus proclaimed.”

(Actually the good news is that Christ has purchased salvation for us and it is currently offered to ALL as a free gift. Jn 3:16, ITim 2:4 The insidious thing is that some have replaced that with a non-saving law message that confuses discipleship with salvation and frustrates the grace of God.  Gal 2:21 The message Jesus proclaimed? Which one? The call to discipleship?)

“They have been told that the only criterion for salvation is knowing and believing some basic facts about Christ.” (Some make this mistake) “They hear from the beginning that obedience is optional.” (No, actually obedience on the part of the sinner is irrelevant – filthy rags – until they are converted. Isa 64:6 The only obedience necessary is to believe the gospel.  Salvation is received through faith. Eph 2:8-9)

“It follows logically, then, that someone’s one-time profession of faith is more valid than the evidence of that person’s ongoing lifestyle in determining whether to embrace him or her as a true believer.” (Yes. MacArthur does not do it justice but this is a key point.  It is not so much the profession but the fact that a person now trusts in Christ as Savior.  This is infinitely more valid than any works.  Christ is an absolute truth against which there is no rebuke.  He is the Son of God as well as being the way, the truth, and the life.  Jn 14:6 Those who stand by faith in Him alone to save are secure indeed for all eternity! Jn 3:36 Nothing can tarnish or change that. Works have no bearing on salvation – before or after. Our works can be questioned as to their motive but Christ’s motive cannot be questioned.  We know also that we still have the sin nature so therefore believers can and will at times still sin. Col 3:5, Rom 6:11-14 This alone nullifies MacArthur’s assumption. )

“You cannot remove the lordship of Christ from the gospel message without undermining faith at its core.”

(That is funny because faith is undermined at its core by saying that God makes people believe. Act 16:31 Paul’s answer to the jailer was legit. He did not tell him that he had to wait for God to make him believe in His timing or any such thing. The jailer had to decide to place his faith in Christ to save. Besides, Christ is Lord meaning God. No one is trying to remove that. MacArthur is referring to his slave/master concept.)

“When Jesus called people to follow Him, He was not seeking companions to be His sidekicks or admirers whom He could entertain with miracles. He was calling people to yield completely and unreservedly to His lordship.”

(What does this have to do with salvation? See my review on the book Not a Fan by Kyle Idleman which delves more into this particular topic.)

“Jesus Himself introduced the slave metaphor in the New Testament. He frequently drew a direct connection between slavery and discipleship.”

(So? Please tell me what this has to do with salvation. Does discipleship = salvation?  Matt. 4:18-22 – following and learning vs Acts 16:30-31 believing on Christ.)

“He never muted His description of what it would cost to follow Him. And (contrary to what some church leaders advocate today) He didn’t reserve the hard words for people who were already believers.”

(Unbelievers can begin learning about Jesus to but they need to come to the point where they decide to trust him alone for salvation. The lost in our churches need to be presented the clear gospel free of works or things like discipleship which will just confuse the simplicity that is in Christ. 2 Cor 11:3-4)

“So understood correctly, the gospel is an invitation to slavery. When we call people to faith in Christ, we need to stress that fact in the same way Jesus did.”

(Wow, see the logical progression here – or lack thereof. Salvation = discipleship = slavery….  The gospel is a call to slavery. Hmm. I Cor15:1-4)

“If we want true liberty from sin and all its fruits, it is not autonomy that we need, but a different kind of bondage: complete surrender to the lordship of Christ.”

(Meaning that God supplies us with faith against our will therefore the necessity of fruit inspection? Gotcha… but no sir.  I’ll take my free gift of salvation earned by Christ and not me. Eph 2:8-9, Rom 5:15-21)

“The gospel according to Jesus calls sinners to give up their independence, deny themselves, submit to an alien will, and abandon all rights in order to be owned and controlled by the Lord. By confessing Jesus as Lord (Kurios), we automatically confess that we are His slaves (douloi).

(Discipleship does call for self denial but the gospel calls for a sinner to trust Christ alone for salvation. Acts 10:43)

“There is also no legitimate way to adjust that message to make it sound appealing to people who admire Jesus but are not prepared to serve Him. Jesus Himself never catered to that perspective. He was not seeking admirers; He was calling followers — not casual followers, but slaves. That explains why He demanded His disciples’ implicit obedience, and when He encountered people who were unwilling to obey unconditionally, He discouraged them from following Him at all.
(Yeah, more confusion of discipleship with salvation/conversion.)

“Listen to the typical gospel presentation nowadays. You will hear sinners entreated with words like, “accept Jesus Christ as personal Savior”; (this could be true as long as you mean trust Christ alone) “ask Jesus into your heart”; (no, the Bible does not tell us to do this) “invite Christ into your life”;(nor this) or “make a decision for Christ.” You may be so accustomed to hearing those phrases that it will surprise you to learn that none of them is based on biblical terminology. (No they aren’t but they are not the free grace view.) They are the products of a diluted gospel. (Yes, but JMac’s discipleship/works gospel isn’t any better. Rom 4:5) It is not the gospel according to Jesus. (None of it is.) The gospel Jesus proclaimed was a call to discipleship, (NO, discipleship is not the gospel I Cor 15.) a call to follow Him in submissive obedience, (NO) not just a plea to make a decision or pray a prayer. (Irrelevant because JMac is referring to discipleship anyway – not salvation – so obviously you don’t have to pray for discipleship or salvation.) Jesus’ message liberated people from the bondage of their sin (which message – the call to discipleship?) while it confronted and condemned hypocrisy. It was an offer of eternal life and forgiveness for repentant sinners, but at the same time it was a rebuke to outwardly religious people whose lives were devoid of true righteousness. It put sinners on notice that they must turn from sin and embrace God’s righteousness. It was in every sense good news, yet it was anything but easy-believism.”

(Wow, another huge batch of confusion there. )

“One segment of evangelicalism even propounds the doctrine that conversion to Christ involves “no spiritual commitment whatsoever.”1 (How does an unregenerate person make a Spiritual decision!? Regeneration before faith is false. Eph 1:12-13; Rom 10:17;1 Cor 1:21 -more on this in the final series post. A person must be converted before any spiritual decision can be made using the new man.) Those who hold this view of the gospel teach that Scripture promises salvation to anyone who simply believes the facts about Christ and claims eternal life. (The correct way of saying this is that a person CAN believe the gospel and be saved. John 3:15-18) There need be no turning from sin, no resulting change in lifestyle, no commitment — not even a willingness to yield to Christ’s lordship. (Don’t worry about any of this before conversion. An unregenerate person won’t want to do these things anyway. This is why the Calvinist invents the idea of regeneration before faith so that God will make them want to. ) Those things, they say, amount to human works, which corrupt grace and have nothing to do with faith. (They are human works if God doesn’t do them for us – are they not? ) The fallout of such thinking is a deficient doctrine of salvation.” (So God making people believe and adding in discipleship to the gospel is better?)

“It is justification without sanctification, and its impact on the church has been catastrophic.” (Quite the opposite is true. The church today is filled with works gospels including Calvinistic Lordship salvation – slave-ation – probation –whatever you want to call it. Btw, the Bible mentions that believers are the sons of God – how does that square with the slave thing? Gal 3:26; Gal 4:5-9, 31; Eph 1:5; Rom 8:15-17)

“The community of professing believers is populated with people who have bought into a system that encourages shallow and ineffectual faith.” (They are also populated with many who think that God makes the elect believe and that they must toil in law keeping hopefully proving that they are one of the chosen ones. Talk about frustrating grace for believer and keeping the lost lost. I’d gladly like to see a person with a weak faith that is solely placed on Christ for salvation versus any person with strong faith placed in Christ plus their own works. Gal 3:1-2)

“Many sincerely believe they are saved, but their lives are utterly barren of any verifying fruit.” (Maybe so, but why is that? Is this always because they are not saved? Or, is it because they have not yet matured in their growth? I Cor 3 Who is the judge of fruit anyway?  I Cor 3:13-15

God looks at the person and knows if they are identified with Christ or not. Col 3:3-4; 2Cor 5:21; Isa 61:10; Rom 3:25; I John 5:12; If they are, then He sees Christ’s righteousness anyway – not whatever sins they commit. All sins committed in the past, present, or future are forgiven for a believer. Ps 103:12; I John 2:2; Rom 5:1; 8:1; Eph 1:7)

“Contemporary Christians have been conditioned to believe that because they recited a prayer, signed on a dotted line, walked an aisle, or had some other experience, they are saved and should never question their salvation”

(Straw man – this is true however we should never question our salvation once we believe Christ for it. To do so would be to question the very Person we have believed in.

1Jn 5:9 If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for this is the witness of God which he hath testified of his Son.
1Jn 5:10 He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son.
1Jn 5:11 And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
1Jn 5:12 He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.
1Jn 5:13 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.)

“Scripture encourages us to examine ourselves to determine if we are in the faith (2 Cor. 13:5).”

(Wrong, in the sense that this is not to be done by fruit inspection but by checking who we believe in for salvation. Phil 3:8-9, Eph 1:13, Gal 3:5)

“Peter wrote, “Be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you” (2 Peter 1:10). It is right to examine our lives and evaluate the fruit we bear, for “each tree is known by its own fruit” (Luke 6:44). The Bible teaches clearly that the evidence of God’s work in a life is the inevitable fruit of transformed behavior (1 John 3:10). (No. Walking in the Spirit does have view-able results at times but fruit alone does not prove or disprove salvation.) Faith that does not result in righteous living is dead and cannot save (James 2:14 – 17).3 “(False, this is a common Calvinist misconception and view of these verses. The faith being called dead here is relating to its inability to be any good for those around you by way of good works. This is dealing with justification before men (James 2:16), not God. Rom 4:2-9)

“Professing Christians utterly lacking the fruit of true righteousness will find no biblical basis for assurance of salvation (1 John 2:4). (Yeah, good luck trying to quantify “utterly”. People living in sin surely have an occasion to struggle with doubts – Satan will be trying to use this to their detriment. Rev 12:9-10; I Pet 5:8 – but assurance is found in Christ and the erring believer can confess and get right – fellowship wise – with God (I John 1:9.))

“Real salvation is not only justification. It cannot be isolated from regeneration, sanctification, and ultimately glorification. “(No, it can’t in one sense but the gospel message leading to conversion results in justification once the message is received by faith.  This is why we have to make sure to keep discipleship in the realm of ongoing sanctification for the believer. To mix the two is to confuse the whole thing. )

“Salvation is the work of God through which we are “conformed to the image of His Son” (Rom. 8:29; cf. 13:11). Genuine assurance comes from seeing the Holy Spirit’s transforming work in one’s life, not from clinging to the memory of some experience.”

(No, as I said, genuine assurance comes from the genuine object of our faith – Christ- not by our works. Rom 8:33-34)

“Faith, like grace, is not static. Saving faith is more than just understanding the facts and mentally acquiescing. (It is trusting/believing) It is inseparable from repentance, surrender, and a supernatural longing to obey. (No, where is this in the Bible?) None of those responses can be classified exclusively as a human work, (false – like I said – they can be if a human does them) any more than believing itself is solely a human effort. Misunderstanding on that key point is at the heart of the error of those who reject lordship salvation. (Prove it from scripture) They assume that because Scripture contrasts faith and works, (YES!!! Gal 3:2  This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?) faith must be incompatible with works. (They indeed are incompatible as far as conversion goes. JMac is looking at this from and all encompassing angle with God doing everything for us. Believers are not saved by any works though they “should” walk in them. Eph 2:10)

“They set faith in opposition to submission, yieldedness, or turning from sin, and they categorize all the practical elements of salvation as human works. (Likewise MacArthur lumps meanings of everything else into the idea of faith making it end up to be an all inclusive term – which it isn’t.) They stumble over the twin truths that salvation is a gift, yet it costs everything. (No, MacArthur stumbles over the fact that salvation is a free gift and his type of discipleship for the believer comes after conversion if at all.)

“Salvation is a gift, (Yes) but it is appropriated through a faith that goes beyond merely understanding and assenting to the truth. (No, there is no such thing as a kind of faith concerning conversion.) Demons have that kind of “faith” (James 2:19). (Irrelevant. Demons believe there is one God James 2:19 and can’t believe on Christ for salvation anyway because it is not offered to them.) True believers are characterized by faith that is as repulsed by the life of sin as it is attracted to the mercy of the Savior. (False! See where the logic leads with this. Dangerous.)
On repentance MacArthur says, “The Greek word for repentance, metanoia, literally means “to think after.” It implies a change of mind, and some who oppose lordship salvation have tried to limit its meaning to that.29 (It means what it means. Is he trying to say that he is trying to expand it from that meaning? Why would he do that unless he wants it to mean something else based on his Calvinistic presuppositions?) But a definition of repentance cannot be drawn solely from the etymology of the Greek word. (Since when? Yes we must compare scripture with scripture but, even in that, the meaning of the word presents no problem.) Repentance as Jesus characterized it in this incident involves a recognition of one’s utter sinfulness and a turning from self and sin to God (cf. 1 Thess. 1:9). (No, they were saved by faith, not by turning from idols. That was something that happened after conversion.) Far from being a human work, it is the inevitable result of God’s work in a human heart. (No, regeneration is the result of faith in Christ to save but it is not inevitable that we will always walk in the new man.) And it always represents the end of any human attempt to earn God’s favor. It is much more than a mere change of mind — it involves a complete change of heart, attitude, interest, and direction. It is a conversion in every sense of the word. The Bible does not recognize “conversion” that lacks this radical change of direction (Luke 3:7 – 8). (False, these verses do not prove this point. We should do works meet for repentance but that is different than saying you must do them in order to prove that you are saved.) A true believer cannot remain rebellious — or even indifferent. (False. You would have to advocate a “one nature” position to argue this and that position would be false anyway.

Rom 8:10 And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
We still have the old sin nature – the body – but also the Spirit.
) Genuine faith will inevitably provoke some degree of obedience. (No, faith in the correct object results in the new birth but it does not make the flesh go away.) In fact, Scripture often equates faith with obedience (John 3:36; Rom. 1:5; 16:26; 2 Thess. 1:8).30 “By faith Abraham [the father of true faith] . . . obeyed” (Heb. 11:8). That’s the heart of the message of Hebrews 11, the great treatise on faith. Faith and works are not incompatible. Jesus even calls the act of believing a work (John 6:29) — not merely a human work, but a gracious work of God in us. (He is explaining this wrong. That is not what Jesus meant there.) He brings us to faith, enables and empowers us to believe unto obedience (cf. Rom. 16:26). (NO, this verse is talking about us being able to believe because of the gospel – look back at verse 25.) It is precisely here that the key distinction must be made. Salvation by faith does not eliminate works per se. (It eliminates it as far as conversion goes.) It does away with works that are the result of human effort alone (Eph. 2:8). (False, see the danger of the “faith is a gift” view yet?)

It abolishes any attempt to merit God’s favor by our works (v. 9). But it does not deter God’s foreordained purpose that our walk should be characterized by good works (v. 10). (Irrelevant, don’t confuse conversion with sanctification.) We must remember above all that salvation is a sovereign work of God. (No, this is the crux of the matter.  Salvation is earned by Christ who paid our sin debt by His sacrificially death on the cross, shed blood, and resurrection. Salvation is offered to all based on that work done for us – NOT – Christ/God believing or repenting for us etc)

Speaking of salvation by faith, MacArthur goes on to say, “Biblically it is defined by what it produces, not by what one does to get it.” (No, it is defined by Christ and all one does to get it is believe!!! Think about how many times JMac prompts me to say this.)

“Works are not necessary to earn salvation.  But true salvation wrought by God will not fail to produce the good works that are its fruit (cf. Matt. 7:17). (Irresistible grace and perseverance of the saints are both false. This means that God does not force us to believe and that we do not have to persevere to prove that we are saved.  Perseverance of the saints is not eternally security. God does not have to make us do good works in order for us to stay saved.  Our salvation is based on Christ and His rightousness as mentioned earlier. We are sealed with the Holy Spirit and covered by the blood of Christ.)

“No aspect of salvation is merited by human works, but it is all the work of God (Titus 3:5 – 7).” (If only JMac and others actually understood this.)

“Thus salvation cannot be defective in any dimension.” (Salvation cannot be defective because Christ purchased it and God the Father accepted His payment. Not because God makes us “sovereignly” go through the process as elected ones. )

“ As a part of His saving work, God will produce repentance, faith, sanctification, yieldedness, obedience, and ultimately glorification. Since He is not dependent on human effort in producing those elements, an experience that lacks any of them cannot be the saving work of God.”

(This whole thing is totally false! There is no scriptural support for this. Now can people see the difference between JMac’s Calvinistic view and discipleship gospel and the free grace view and free grace gospel?)

JMac teaches another gospel because Calvinism leads to another gospel.  Augustine and Calvin testify to this because they have articulated these same type of ideas years and years ago. The erroneous ideas behind Lordship salvation and Calvinism are not new at all. (See my post “Salvation in their Own Words Pt 3”)

Please as always feel free to comment and let me know what you think whether you agree or disagree.

God Bless and don’t forget to stand for the faith no matter what people like Jmac or his followers might say.

Jim Floyd

Posted in Calvinism, Heresy, Lordship Salvation | Tagged , , , , , | 63 Comments

Book Review: David Platt – Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream

David Platt has written a popular book titled Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream.  For me, I am always concerned with what popular preachers and authors are presenting to the masses. Today I will look at this book and draw attention to quotes that illustrate David Platt’s message. The goal being to evaluate with Scripture and determine whether this book is solid or if it should be avoided.

“Jesus apparently wasn’t interested in marketing himself to the masses. His invitations to potential followers were clearly more costly than the crowds were ready to accept, and he seemed to be okay with that. He focused instead on the few who believed him when he said radical things. And through their radical obedience to him, he turned the course of history in a new direction.”

Platt, David (2010-04-17). Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream (p. 2). The Doubleday Religious Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.

(Remember, for discipleship to be pleasing to God, one must be a believer first. Discipleship and salvation are not the same thing.)

“We were settling for a Christianity that revolves around catering to ourselves when the central message of Christianity is actually about abandoning ourselves.” (p. 7).

(The central message is Christ and ultimately God’s glory.)

“He was simply and boldly making it clear from the start that if you follow him, you abandon everything— your needs, your desires, even your family.” (p. 10).

(Let’s be clear. This is a call to current believers, not a call to salvation.)

“Give up everything you have, carry a cross, and hate your family. This sounds a lot different than “Admit, believe, confess, and pray a prayer after me.” (pp. 10-11).

(Wow, so that is Platt’s idea of a gospel call? Seems to me that he is presenting it that way.  I do agree that “pray a prayer after me” does not save but don’t jump out of that ditch into the discipleship commitment for salvation ditch.)

“Yet the kind of abandonment Jesus asked of the rich young man is at the core of Jesus’ invitation throughout the Gospels. Even his simple call in Matthew 4 to his disciples—“ Follow me”— contained radical implications for their lives. Jesus was calling them to abandon their comforts, all that was familiar to them and natural for them. (p. 11).

(Sure He was but not for salvation… for discipleship.)

“We do have to give up everything we have to follow Jesus.” (p. 12).

(There is much we may have to give up in discipleship.)

“Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a German theologian struggling to follow Christ in the midst of Nazi rule, penned one of the great Christian books of the twentieth century. In it he wrote that the first call every Christian experiences is “the call to abandon the attachments of this world.” The theme of the book is summarized in one potent sentence: “When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.” 11 Bonhoeffer aptly entitled his book The Cost of Discipleship. (p. 14).

(These are what I call red flag quotes. It is a good sign to me that I am dealing with a person with Reformed leanings at the very least. Bonhoeffer understood little. We come to Christ that we may have life, not just abundant life here but eternal life in heaven. There is no reason to equate coming to Christ (conversion) with the death to self required in discipleship.)

“The price of our nondiscipleship is high for those without Christ. It is high also for the poor of this world.” (p. 15).

(Sure it is. I agree with this statement at face value.)

“Yes, you are abandoning everything you have, but you are also gaining more than you could have in any other way. So with joy— with joy!— you sell it all, you abandon it all. Why? Because you have found something worth losing everything else for. This is the picture of Jesus in the gospel. He is something— someone— worth losing everything for.” (p. 18).

(In the gospel? Receiving the gift of eternal life by faith causes us to abandon everything?? Or discipleship once we are saved means we are willing to abandon all? I will go with the latter view as it is consistent with scripture.)

“We need to return with urgency to a biblical gospel, because the cost of not doing so is great for our lives, our families, our churches, and the world around us.” (p. 19).

(Amen, only I would say this same statement with a different meaning in mind.  It is time to get rid of this discipleship for salvation gospel and return to a more Biblical view. By grace through faith.)

“First, from the outset you need to commit to believe whatever Jesus says. As a Christian, it would be a grave mistake to come to Jesus and say, “Let me hear what you have to say, and then I’ll decide whether or not I like it.”(p. 20).

(For discipleship, yes you do, but not for salvation. For salvation we must believe the gospel.)

“The gospel does not prompt you to mere reflection; the gospel requires a response.”(pp. 20-22).

(The only response can be faith… otherwise there is no salvation. If the response is, I’ll try hard, I’ll follow and learn, I’ll do good works, I’ll turn from sins, I I I… then there is no reception of the gospel by faith and no salvation. We need to have the lost see that they can’t work their way to heaven. We have no merit to offer. (Tit 3:5) Platt says this in places but denies it in practice whenever he adds commitment to discipleship to the gospel.)

“Fundamentally, the gospel is the revelation of who God is, who we are, and how we can be reconciled to him.”(p. 28).

(Yes, but so far that is clear as mud if all I had to go on was your book. Try I Cor 15:1-4, Isa. 53:5, Jn 3:16, Acts 10:39-41, Rom 4:25, I Pet 2:24, 3:18)

“You might ask, “What happened to ‘God hates the sin and loves the sinner’?” Well, the Bible happened to it. One psalmist said to God, “The arrogant cannot stand in your presence; you hate all who do wrong.” 3 Fourteen times in the first fifty psalms we see similar descriptions of God’s hatred toward sinners, his wrath toward liars, and so on.”(p.29).

(How about some balance here. John 3:16. For God so LOVED the world means just that – all people including unbelievers – not just the elect. I think Platt is underselling God’s love here. What about Rom 5:8 or 1Jn 4:10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation concerning our sins. 1Jn 4:11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.)

“The professor would then look at his students and remind them of a core truth in the gospel: people are spiritually dead, just as those corpses in the cemetery were physically dead, and only words from God can bring them to spiritual life. This is the reality about humanity. We are each born with an evil, God-hating heart.”(p. 30).

(We are born again when we believe the gospel trusting Christ alone for salvation. We do not need to be regenerated before we can believe or be granted a special gift of faith to then believe.)

“No one who is morally evil can choose good, no man who is a slave can set himself free, no woman who is blind can give herself sight, no one who is an object of wrath can appease that wrath, and no person who is dead can cause himself to come to life.”(p. 31).

(No, but the problem here is that a Calvinist will say that God has to make us believe.  However, the gospel is the power unto salvation to all who believe.

Rom 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
Rom 1:17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith, as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.”

The gospel is to be presented first then we decide if we will believe it or reject. The Holy Spirit will reveal our need and bear witness to the truth but will not force us to decide one way or another.)

“Meanwhile, the biblical gospel says, “You are an enemy of God, dead in your sin, and in your present state of rebellion, you are not even able to see that you need life, much less to cause yourself to come to life. Therefore, you are radically dependent on God to do something in your life that you could never do.”(p. 32).

(What God did was provide a Savior in the person of Jesus Christ. We believe on Him to be saved. It is not so much about doing something in our lives.)

“He shows us that there is absolutely nothing we can do to come to him. We can’t manufacture salvation. We can’t program it. We can’t produce it. We can’t even initiate it. God has to open our eyes, set us free, overcome our evil, and appease his wrath. He has to come to us.”(p. 32).

(No. God initiates but we have to respond in faith. Rom 5:8, Eph 2:8-9, Acts 16:31)

“Do we really think that the false judgment of men heaped upon Christ would pay the debt for all of humankind’s sin? Do we really think that a crown of thorns and whips and nails and a wooden cross and all the other facets of the crucifixion that we glamorize are powerful enough to save us?” (p. 34).

(This is one of the worse parts of this book. Seems like some real error to me.  Christ’s death, including the important shedding of blood, paid the penalty. (Heb 9:22) Platt seems to gloss over this and say that the penalty was really only paid because of God’s wrath on Him…?)

“So how do we respond to this gospel? Suddenly contemporary Christianity sales pitches don’t seem adequate anymore. Ask Jesus to come into your heart. Invite Jesus to come into your life. Pray this prayer, sign this card, walk down this aisle, and accept Jesus as your personal Savior.(pp. 36-37).

(Ask Jesus into your heart – yes that is wrong. Same for inviting Jesus into your life, praying this prayer etc. However, accept Jesus as your personal Savior is believing the gospel. Is it not!? Or does Platt not like this because it leaves out commitments to discipleship? In other words, Platt wants to add something to the gospel.)

“That is why none of these man-made catch phrases are in the Bible. You will not find a verse in Scripture where people are told to “bow your heads, close your eyes, and repeat after me.” You will not find a place where a superstitious sinner’s prayer is even mentioned.”(p. 37)

(Platt rants on his idea of a sinner’s prayer but this is a misnomer. Salvation requires faith. Just simple faith. Not the bloated, all inclusive, MacArthur style faith that takes on the meaning of everything like turning from sins, discipleship, obedient works etc)

“I invite you to consider with me a proper response to this gospel. Surely more than praying a prayer is involved. Surely more than religious attendance is warranted. Surely this gospel evokes unconditional surrender of all that we are and all that we have to all that he is.”(p. 37).

(This is sad. Platt goes from false notions to a false notion of his own.  Salvation is not an unconditoinal surrender. It is faith in Jesus Christ alone to save. Discipleship is unconditional surrender. Does anyone see the problem with mixing the two!?)

“You and I desperately need to consider whether we have ever truly, authentically trusted in Christ for our salvation.”(p. 37).

(Let me guess. Platt is insinuating that for faith to be real there must be commitment to discipleship? The test of authentic faith is not the faith itself but the object. Faith is merely the conduit. We can believe with our whole heart that our faith in Christ plus works gets us to heaven but still be wrong because we’ve added to the object.)

“The danger of spiritual deception is real. As a pastor, I shudder at the thought and lie awake at night when I consider the possibility that scores of people who sit before me on a Sunday morning might think they are saved when they are not. Scores of people who have positioned their lives on a religious road that makes grandiose promises at minimal cost. We have been told all that is required is a one-time decision, maybe even mere intellectual assent to Jesus, but after that we need not worry about his commands, his standards, or his glory. We have a ticket to heaven, and we can live however we want on earth. Our sin will be tolerated along the way.”(p. 38).

(There are problems here mixed in with truth.  Spiritual deception is real – it even comes from Lordship salvationists. Imagine that.

Me too, I shudder and think how many have been deceived by Catholicism, Arminianism, Calvinism, whatever other ism you want to throw out there that adds works to the gospel.)

“Here the gospel demands and enables us to turn from our sin, to take up our cross, to die to ourselves, and to follow Jesus. These are the terms and phrases we see in the Bible. And salvation now consists of a deep wrestling in our souls with the sinfulness of our hearts, the depth of our depravity, and the desperation of our need for his grace. Jesus is no longer one to be accepted or invited in but one who is infinitely worthy of our immediate and total surrender.”(pp. 38-39).

(False. Turn from our sins – no, believe on Christ. Take up our cross – no, believe on Christ. Die to self – no, believe on Christ. Follow Jesus – no, believe on Christ. Believe on Christ alone to save you based upon His merit. Our working accomplishes nothing. Deep wrestling – no. Yes we do desperately need Jesus. I just mentioned that repeatedly. So I am not to accept His salvation by faith  but I need to totally surrender?? Hmm. No. I will do as the Bible says: Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved. Joh 1:12  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: -Act 4:12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.)

“Indeed, “it is by grace you [are] saved, through faith— and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.” 10 We are saved from our sins by a free gift of grace, something that only God can do in us and that we cannot manufacture ourselves. But that gift of grace involves the gift of a new heart. New desires. New longings. For the first time, we want God. We see our need for him, and we love him. We seek after him, and we find him, and we discover that he is indeed the great reward of our salvation.”(p. 39).

(No, the gift is salvation.  Grace is displayed to us through the provision of Christ. We receive it through faith. It is not a matter of manufacturing anything. Christ did the work. God creates all men with ability to believe and decide, to think, to reason. What He has also provided is the Savior upon whom we can believe.)

“The gospel beckons us to die to ourselves and to believe in God and to trust in his power.”(p. 46).

(No, dying to self is not part of it. We do need to believe trusting in Christ fully as our personal Savior.)

“The dangerous assumption we unknowingly accept in the American dream is that our greatest asset is our own ability.”(p. 46).

(Sure, but this works against the LS proponent who presumes that He can merit salvation by adding in his own commitment to discipleship or his turning from sins, or his dying to self.)

“A tragedy strikes you or someone close to you, and you are hurting. So you go to God in prayer, and you ask him to comfort you. Do you realize what God does? He doesn’t give you comfort. Instead he gives you the Holy Spirit, who is called the Comforter. 11 The Holy Spirit literally comes to dwell in you and puts the very comfort of Christ inside you as you walk through you.”(p. 57).

(What?? No, actually the Holy Spirit is already indwelling believers. And yes, He does comfort us. After all, He is the COMFORTER… John 14:26  But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

The Holy Spirit also helps us remember scripture to help us through times of need and we get comfort from the truth of God’s Word especially as it is applied.

1Co 3:16 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?)

(So far Platt has gotten the gospel wrong, given some weird statements about the atonement, and mangled the concept of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit… hmm. Who still thinks this is a great book?)

Platt speaking of life and death decisions: “God sends the Helper, who will live in you and not only tell you what decision to make but also enable you to make that decision.”(p. 58).

(Here Platt misunderstands the will of God and the Holy Spirit’s role. The Spirit reveals the correct decision through the Word and helps us apply God’s wisdom. He doesn’t tell us to do something specifically that is not in God’s Word and we already have the ability to decide but sometimes we need the Spirit’s help to carry through with our decision – through reassuring us through the Word.)

“Would you… would you just come down, live in me, and walk through this for me?” Isn’t it pushing the envelope to ask the God of the universe to come down and take residence in you and me?” (p. 58).

(Platt is just not understanding something here.)

“A majority of individuals supposedly saved from eternal damnation by the gospel are now sitting back and making excuses for not sharing that gospel with the rest of the world.”(p. 75).

(How much gospel spreading does one have to do to show they are saved?  Platt knows and admits that there is no legalistic way to define these things.  Also, using the LS logic, wouldn’t those who go about spreading a false gospel be under suspicion of being usaved??  Hmm – what is adding discipleship to the gospel … works? Sounds like works salvation.)

“The means of our salvation is faith in Christ alone, and the basis of our salvation is the work of Christ alone.”(p. 109).

(Yes, I am glad that he is agreeing with me. Oh wait… that is just surface level agreement because we have different definitions of faith in relation to salvation…)

“Yet, while caring for the poor is not the basis of our salvation, this does not mean that our use of wealth is totally disconnected from our salvation. Indeed, caring for the poor (among other things) is evidence of our salvation. The faith in Christ that saves us from our sins involves an internal transformation that has external implications. According to Jesus, you can tell someone is a follower of Christ by the fruit of his or her life, and the writers of the New Testament show us that the fruit of faith in Christ involves material concern for the poor. 3 Caring for the poor is one natural overflow and a necessary evidence of the presence of Christ in our hearts. If there is no sign of caring for the poor in our lives, then there is reason to at least question whether Christ is in our hearts. 4(p. 110).

(No. Caring for the poor is not necessarily evidence of salvation.  I prefer looking at it this way… believing a works oriented gospel is a reason to question if you really believed the true gospel in the first place. How is that for starters?  A person could be very charitable but be as lost as them come. The way to know is to see who they are trusting in. Is it Christ alone for salvation… or something else..)

“But when we look at 1 Corinthians 6: 9– 10 and it says, “Neither the sexually immoral… nor adulterers… will inherit the kingdom of God,” we would certainly question whether this man is really a child of God. It is not that he needs to stop his sexual immorality to be saved. That would mean he would need to earn his salvation. No, he needs to trust in Christ, which will result in a changed heart with a desire to obey Christ in this area of his life. (p. 111).

(Here Platt displays some misunderstanding of the concept of justification. See, even though believers can still do these sins, they are not sinners in God’s sight as they have been declared not guilty in Christ because Christ is not guilty and His righteousness is now applied to us.  Trusting in Christ gives us the new man but does not eradicate the old. This is key when dealing with LS proponents – especially the “one nature” advocates. Fruit inspection really only works if there is an either/or choice. (Old man only or new man only.) Believers however have both the old and new nature so when doing this supposed fruit inspection all you are going to see is a mix as people go back and forth from walking in the flesh and Spirit. Not even the most mature Christians always walk in the Spirit perpetually without sin. It is not possible in this life. Though the new man itself does not sin. Thankfully the old man will be gone once we reach heaven and receive our glorified bodies.)

“More pointedly, if our lives do not reflect radical compassion for the poor, there is reason to wonder if Christ is really in us at all.” (p. 111).

(No, this is LS fear and bondage.  It is a continually poisonous introspection that can kill joy and grace and bind us up in knots causing us to wonder if we are good enough to feel assured of our salvation. Many reading this will understand right away what I am talking about.)

Regardless of what we say or sing or study on Sunday morning, rich people who neglect the poor are not the people of God. 11(p. 115).

(Oh wait, Platt has found a way to quantify this.. or did he?)

“Jesus was clearly exposing this man’s allegiance to his possessions. Following Jesus would involve total trust in him, an abandonment of everything the man owned. Fundamentally, the rich man needed a new heart, one that was radically transformed by the gospel. 19″(p. 119).

(No, this is a sad LS statement really.  This is a clear indication that Platt is twisting something.)

(Platt quotes Calvin – another red flag.)

“But even more than that, the way we use our money is an indicator of our eternal destination. The mark of Christ followers is that their hearts are in heaven and their treasures are spent there.(p. 138).

(I wish this were true but believers don’t always spend their money wisely. They have to be told to do so and learn to do so. Failure doesn’t mean they are not saved but just that there is more maturing to be done. This goes for any area of obedience.)

“More than anything, I don’t want to be the rich young man. And I don’t want to ignore the fact that the lure toward becoming him is always stronger than I would like to admit.”(p. 137).

(So you are lured to become an unsaved person? Surely you meant this another way.)

“Jesus was uncovering a blind spot in his life, and he didn’t want to see it. He didn’t want to see the extent of his sin, the depth of his bondage to his possessions, or the gravity of the need among the poor.(p. 138).

(Confusing, didn’t Platt also say God was working on this same blind spot with him? Now, after salvation….)

“The way we use our money is a barometer of our present spiritual condition. Our neglect of the poor illustrates much about where our hearts lie. But even more than that, the way we use our money is an indicator of our eternal destination.” (p. 138)

(No, who we trust for salvation is the indicator.)

“But if they will not go to heaven because they have never heard of Christ, then there is indescribable urgency for all of us to go to them.”(p. 143).

(Yes, we should share the gospel with urgency but let us above all first make sure our gospel is the RIGHT one. Otherwise is DOES NO GOOD. Not only that but it is accursed. Gal 1:9  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. )

“Those of us who have heard about Jesus have had the opportunity to receive or reject the gospel, and we are responsible for our decision. But regardless of our relative knowledge of the gospel, based on the second truth we’ve already explored, all people stand condemned fundamentally for rejecting God. 11″(pp. 149-150).

(Yes, basically true.  So long as we are clear on the content of the gospel but Platt is not as he has added to it.)

“This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.” 12 Finally, the good news! Christ died on the cross and rose from the grave, and through him we can be righteous before God and assured of eternal life. God has made a way of salvation for the lost.”(p. 150).

(I agree. This book would have been better if this was all that was in it. At least then it would have been Biblical throughout.)

“The thrust of the New Testament is that Christ has indeed come and that people must believe in his person and work on the cross for their salvation (Romans 10: 9– 10).(p. 153).

(This is what I have been trying to say amid all of the LS statements.)

“We think, If it’s dangerous, God must not be in it. If it’s risky, if it’s unsafe, if it’s costly, it must not be God’s will. But what if these factors are actually the criteria by which we determine something is God’s will? What if we began to look at the design of God as the most dangerous option before us? What if the center of God’s will is in reality the most unsafe place for us to be?”(pp. 164-165).

(There is no such thing as the center of God’s will. I see what Platt is saying here but it also can quickly descend into foolishness. We as believers should be wise using the Biblical wisdom to help us make the best decisions regardless of danger or safety.)

“From the story of Job to Paul’s description of Satan’s attack in his life in 2 Corinthians 12, we see how Satan not only acts within the sovereign permission of God but also ends up accomplishing the sovereign purposes of God. Indeed, this is what the Cross is all about. Satan’s strategy to defeat the Son of God only served to provide salvation for sinners.”(p. 173).

(I am amazed by this. Was the cross Satan’s strategy or God’s plan?  It was God’s. Satan tried to tempt Christ to get Him to sin. Satan did not want Christ to be able to be the Savior. What verse says that Satan wanted Christ to go to the cross as an all sufficient Savior?)

“I dare you to test the claims contained in the gospel, maybe in a way you have never done before. I invite you to see if radical obedience to the commands of Christ is more meaningful, more fulfilling, and more gratifying than the American dream.”(p. 184).

(This doesn’t make any sense unless you have changed the gospel to include radical commands.)

(David Brainerd – Calvinist, Jim Elliot – Calvinist, William Carey – Calvinist…are all mentioned by Platt but did these guys have free grace gospels or reformed style gospels? There is a reason why Platt echos many of their previous sentiments.)

“You and I stand on the porch of eternity. Both of us will soon stand before God to give an account for our stewardship of the time, the resources, the gifts, and ultimately the gospel he has entrusted to us.”(p. 216).

(Yes, we all will. The thing is how many of our want to give account for spreading a false message when we had opportunity to know better?)

David Platt’s book contained some good motivation on the surface for certain aspects of reaching the lost. However the message that he is reaching them with is not the clear gospel. It is kind of like reaching out to a thirsty person with a glass of hot sand. It is like a mirage: looks and sounds like the gospel but is works.)

Let see if his church’s doctrinal statement clarifies his position. Maybe I am reading to much into his book…?

church at Brook Hills

From Brook Hills:

“Biblical truth:We are reconciled to God only through faith in Jesus. There is nothing we can do to become right with God.

Biblical response:Faith that leads to salvation involves turning from sin and self-sufficiency. We turn to Jesus and trust in Him as Lord, confess Him as Lord and Savior.”

(Ok, this is the error we say displayed in Platt’s book. It is the error of adding things to faith.)

“Repentance is a genuine turning from sin toward God. Faith is the confession of Jesus Christ and commitment of the entire personality to Him as Lord and Savior.”

(Also false.  Repentance is a change of mind. Faith is trusting Jesus Christ alone to save based on the gospel. There is no reason to add extra things to it.)

“The Kingdom of God includes both His general sovereignty over the universe and His particular kingship over men who willfully acknowledge Him as King. Particularly the Kingdom is the realm of salvation into which men enter by trustful, childlike commitment to Jesus Christ. Christians ought to pray and to labor that the Kingdom may come and God’s will be done on earth. The full consummation of the Kingdom awaits the return of Jesus Christ and the end of this age.”

(They enter this kingdom by childlike commitment?? Does Platt even understand the age of grace?  We are not laboring that the kingdom may come… we are laboring for the harvest looking for the rapture, not to go through the tribulation and for Christ to return to the earth. When He does we will already be with Him. It wouldn’t surprise me to find that Platt is post trib based on this statement. Many reformed types are.)

“All Christians are under obligation to seek to make the will of Christ supreme in our own lives and in human society. Means and methods used for the improvement of society and the establishment of righteousness among men can be truly and permanently helpful only when they are rooted in the regeneration of the individual by the saving grace of God in Jesus Christ.”

(No, this is more social gospel, attempts to usher in the kingdom, and talk about “saving grace”.)

“Biblical truth:We are each created by God, but we are all corrupted by sin. Biblical response:Admit areas of rebellion, be honest with God about sin, and turn from it.”

(No, not for salvation.)

To sum this all up, David Platt has shown errors concerning: the gospel, justification, sanctification, the atonement, God’s plan of redemption, the will of God, marks of “true” believers, social gospel, earthly  kingdom focus, and end times errors. I cannot recommend this book at all.  I would recommend that people mark and avoid Platt and others like him. Not just for the error but for the deception because he uses truth mixed in. This tends to dull the blow of the error but the error is still there and is still dangerous.  Platt isn’t really saying much more new here than what Calvin, Bonhoeffer, Brainerd, Elliot, Spurgeon, Sproul, and others have already said. He is just trying to package it in relation to American culture. Now, American culture does have it problems for Christians to deal with but let’s not use those problems as springboards into a different ditch.

Likewise I would advise people to steer clear of his ministry and really consider if this is truly a good book. Countless eternal destinies are at stake.

Jim F

Posted in Calvinism, Lordship Salvation | Tagged , , , , | 10 Comments

Salvation: A Present and Future Reality for Believers

Last time we took a look at eternal security, how it is clearly taught in scripture, and how it is foundational for Christian growth.  Today I draw your attention to salvation itself. We know that it is the gift of God freely offered to us based on Christ and what He has done.  It is being offered to us now as a gift to all who will believe.

Rom 6:22 But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.
Rom 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

There is no working one’s way to heaven. It must be by grace through faith.

Rom 3:20 Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
Rom 3:21 But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;
Rom 3:22 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:
Rom 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
Rom 3:24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
Rom 3:25 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;
Rom 3:26 To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.
Speaking of Abraham’s faith:

Rom 4:22 And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness.
Rom 4:23 Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him;
Rom 4:24 But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; 
Rom 4:25 Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.

Rom 5:1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:
Rom 5:2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

Rom 5:5 And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.
Rom 5:6 For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.
Rom 5:7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die.
Rom 5:8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
Rom 5:9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.
Rom 5:10 For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.
Rom 5:11 And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.

 

As you can see by these verses. Salvation is now a reality for those who have believed the gospel and trusted Christ as Savior. Just as Abraham’s faith was counted for righteousness, we that believe have now received the atonement! We don’t have to try to persevere to prove our salvation. We don’t have to try to work to keep our salvation. Our salvation cannot be undone. God will not impute sin to one who has Christ’s righteousness imputed to him!

Rom 4:5 But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.
Rom 4:6 Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works,
Rom 4:7 Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered.
Rom 4:8 Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.


Let us go forth boldly with the joy of Lord knowing that we stand by faith in Him with Christ’s righteousness applied to us.

God Bless

Jim F

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The Foundation of Eternal Security – A Breath of Fresh Air

So often I come across people either trying to be saved by Christ plus their own works or believers that are saved that are still drawn back to the law. Here are some verses on the security of the believer in Christ and the basis of our salvation.  It is impossible to stand for the faith if you are not sure that you are saved because salvation in Christ is your foundation. Please also feel free to mention other verses or passages that support eternal security or non-works salvation as this list is not exhaustive.  I feel it beneficial to consider these verses because they are key for us to grow in maturity in the Lord, in grace, and in our faith.  Living the Christian life can be full of joy and blessings if you are not living in fear that you may lose your salvation. Likewise it is liberating to know that you do not have to prove by your works that you have been saved in the first place. Our salvation is rooted in Christ by faith, not rooted in our “Christian” performance. We must know that eternal salvation is a gift received by grace through faith.

Romans 4:5 – But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.

1 Cor 6:11 -And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.

2 Corinthians 5:21 – For he [God the Father] hath made him [God the Son] to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

Acts 10:43 – To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.

Acts 16:30-34
And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway. And when he had brought them into his house, he set meat before them, and rejoiced, believing in God with all his house.

Eph 2:1-9
And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. 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.

I John 5:4 – 13
For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God? This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth. For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one. If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for this is the witness of God which he hath testified of his Son. He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son. And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. 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.

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.

Eph 1:7 – In whom we have redemption through his [Jesus Christ] blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;

Romans 3:19-28
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. 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. Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.

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.”

Titus 3:5 – Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost.

I Peter 1:18 – 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, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.

John 6:29 – Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.”

1st Corinthians 6:20 –  For ye are bought with a price [Christ’s shed blood]: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.

Gal 2:16-3:29
Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified. But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is therefore Christ the minister of sin? God forbid. For if I build again the things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor. For I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God. 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. I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain. 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? Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh? Have ye suffered so many things in vain? if it be yet in vain. He therefore that ministereth to you the Spirit, and worketh miracles among you, doeth he it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness. Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham. And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed. So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham. For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them. But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith. And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them. Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree: That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. Brethren, I speak after the manner of men; Though it be but a man’s covenant, yet if it be confirmed, no man disannulleth, or addeth thereto. Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ. And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect. For if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise: but God gave it to Abraham by promise. Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator. Now a mediator is not a mediator of one, but God is one. Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid: for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law. But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe. But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed. 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. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

John 3:14-18
And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: 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. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God

Gal 5:1-9
Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing. For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law. Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace. For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love. Ye did run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth?This persuasion cometh not of him that calleth you. A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.

1Co 15:1-11
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:
And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep. After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles. And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time. For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. Therefore whether it were I or they, so we preach, and so ye believed.

My prayer is that if you have read this that you have trusted Christ as Savior.  For anyone trying to be saved by law keeping or good works (turning from sins, obeying the law, discipleship, good works) I pray that you will consider these verses and repent (reconsider/change your mind). Believe in the only possible Savior – Jesus Christ, based on the gospel message, to save you eternally. The gospel is like fresh air to those in need of it and our eternal standing in Christ is fresh air to those who are not living by grace.

Jim F

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