Jesus taught that salvation only requires the faith of a child to be saved.
Adults have to figure everything out, they demand proof and complicate all
things. Satan blinds people with secular wisdom, the rudiments
(accepted principles) of the world (like evolution) and manmade traditions. Colossians 2:8-9, “Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy
and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the
world, and not after Christ. For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the
Godhead bodily.”
The word “spoil” in Colossians 2:8 is the Greek word sulagogeo which
means “to lead away as booty, that is, (figuratively) seduce.” Booty is
goods or money obtained illegally. Hence, Satan wants to seduce us away from
Jesus Christ through philosophy and vain deceit, through worldly established
principles (such as humanism, psychology and evolution) and the traditions
of men. Notice that the Bible directs us to Jesus Christ. Amen! We learn
about Jesus in the Scriptures, which is exactly what Jesus said in
John 5:39, “Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal
life: and they are they which testify of me.”
God is only looking for the least amount of genuine faith in the Gospel of
Jesus Christ. The vilest sinner who receives Christ's death upon the cross,
His burial and bodily resurrection is saved. We are saved by acknowledging
our sinnership in the eyes of a holy God for breaking His commandments, and
accepting Christ's payment for our sins by faith. Here is a lengthy quote by
Pastor Charles H. Spurgeon
(1834-1892) concerning Biblical repentance...
You know there are
degrees of faith, and yet the least faith saves; so there are degrees of
repentance, and the least repentance will save the soul if it is
sincere. The Bible says, "He that believeth shall be saved," and when it
says that, it includes the very smallest degree of faith. So when it
says, "Repent and be saved," it includes the man who has the lowest
degree of real repentance. Repentance, moreover, is never perfect in
any man in this mortal state. We never get perfect faith so as to be
entirely free from doubting; and we never get repentance which is free
from some hardness of heart. The most sincere penitent that you know
will feel himself to be partially impenitent.
Repentance is also a
continual life-long act. It will grow continually. I believe a Christian
on his death-bed will more bitterly repent than ever he did before. It
is a thing to be done all your life long. Sinning and repenting—sinning
and repenting, make up a Christian's life. Repenting and believing in
Jesus—repenting and believing in Jesus, make up the consummation of his
happiness. You must not expect that you will be perfect in "repentance"
before you are saved. No Christian can be perfect. "Repentance" is a
grace. Some people preach it as a condition of salvation. Condition of
nonsense! There are no conditions of salvation. [emphasis added]
SOURCE:
http://www.spurgeon.org/sermons/0044.htm
(from a sermon preached at
the New Park Street Chapel, Southwark, on September 23, 1855).
Amen! Charles Spurgeon is correct!
Please don't misunderstand what Pastor Spurgeon is teaching about repentance
and faith being continual life-long acts. He is simply teaching what the
Bible teaches in Philippians 1:6, “Being confident of this very thing,
that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of
Jesus Christ.” We are saved by repentance and faith, which happen
simultaneously at the time of salvation. Jesus exclaimed in Mark 1:15, “...repent
ye, and believe the gospel.” The Greek word for “repent” here is
METANOEO, which means, “to change one's mind.” Biblical
repentance is a change of one's mind. Notice that believing the
Gospel is the object of repentance, and not ceasing from sinful bad habits,
forsaking the world, intent to reform or anything else. Eternal life is the
free gift of God (Romans 6:23), paid for in full by Jesus' precious blood
(1st Peter 1:18-19).
Trusting the Gospel is the object of true
repentance, not ridding one's life of sin, which is what heretics like Ray
Comfort, Aiden Tozer, Paul Washer and John MacArthur errantly teach. Mark
1:15 plainly teaches that believing the Gospel is the object of repentance.
Men repent and believe the Gospel. That is salvation. Repentance and
believing are not two separate steps to salvation; but rather, repentance is
a change of mind that compels a man to believe the Gospel. They are two
parts of one step. The man who has repented has believed, and the man who
believes has repented. This is why the Gospel of John mentions the word
“believe” and “believed” 85-times, but the word “repent” is never mentioned,
not even once. You don't repent and then believe; but rather, they occur at
the same time. The Gospel of John is God's Gospel tract. John 20:31, “But
these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son
of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.”
If you're taking a flight from Michigan to
Texas, you don't board one plane to leave Michigan, and then afterwards get
on a separate plane to go to Texas. No, rather, you are heading for Texas
simultaneously (at the same time) as you are departing from Michigan. You're
moving toward your destination at the same time you are leaving your origin.
They happen together. Likewise, repentance and faith happen at the same
time. You look up to a holy God in Heaven, realizing that you are a woefully
guilty sinner, and at the same time turn by faith toward the precious Savior
in your soul to be forgiven and washed of your sins. You don't get saved by
repenting, you get saved by placing your trust in Jesus; but you couldn't
trust the Lord without changing your mind (repenting).
Since repentance is simply thinking differently
to facilitate believing the Gospel, it is not necessary to even mention
repentance to a person when witnessing to them. And as I have just shown
you, the Gospel of John is God's Gospel tract. It is a false Gospel message
to tell someone that they must turn away from sinful behavior (or “be
willing to turn from sin” as Jack Chick errantly teaches) to be saved.
Forgiveness of sins is a free gift, paid for by Jesus' blood. Romans
6:23, “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life
through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Since eternal life is a gift, nothing
can be required to obtain it. You get saved simply by receiving God's free
gift by faith. If you by faith accept Christ's sacrifice on the cross as
full-payment for your sins, believing that He was buried, and bodily
resurrected from the dead three days later, you are immediately and forever
saved. That is the Good News! Beware of anyone who embellishes (adds to) the
Gospel.
Just As The Least Faith Saves; So Also
Does Adding The Least Works Not Save
It is a false idea that a person must purpose
in their soul to stop committing intentional sin (as a prerequisite to
placing their faith in Christ Jesus), and only then will God receive their
faith. Such unbiblical teaching negates “the simplicity
that is in Christ” (2nd Corinthians 11:3-4). That is a false
plan of salvation rooted in human effort (works). Such garbage theology is
often called, “Lordship Salvation.” So we see that just as the LEAST FAITH
SAVES, so we also see that ADDING EVEN THE LEAST WORKS DOESN'T SAVE. Works
have no place in God's plan of salvation. God does all the saving, all of
it!!!
Man has no part in his own salvation. Notice
carefully Philippians 2:12, “work out your own
salvation with fear and trembling.” Notice that the Bible
doesn't say to work out God's salvation. Rather, it says to “work
out YOUR OWN salvation.” In other words, God has saved us from
Hell. He has given to us the awesome indwelling Holy Spirit to live in our
body 24/7 everywhere we go. I love that about God, He wanted to be with me
continually, and I want to be with Him likewise. I have God the Father and
God the Son both living inside of my body in the form of God the Holy Spirit
(1st Corinthians 3:16-17; Romans 8:9). I love the Godhead so dear!!! I love
the Holy Spirit. To me, the greatest part of being a Christian, the greatest
joy, is having God's Holy Spirit continually living in me, never to depart
for even two seconds for any reason. The Holy Spirit is my friend, and I am
His. God never leaves us alone, not for a second (Hebrews 13:5). When I read
the Holy Bible, the Holy Spirit speaks to my heart and teaches me wondrous
truths.
Working out our own salvation simply means that
we each have a customized walk with God. Everybody's life is different. Our
talents, gifts and abilities are different. Our personalities are different.
I have no part in the salvation of my eternal soul, but I do have a part in
the salvation of my earthly life. We must work out our own salvation with FEAR and TREMBLING, knowing that we
must one day give account at the Judgment Seat Of Christ. Please read, “WORK
OUT YOUR OWN SALVATION,” by Pastor Jack Hyles. We must live the life
which God has graciously given us to life. We have no part in
God's salvation, that's His department. Our part was to BELIEVE the Gospel,
and we did (if you are saved); God's part is to take care of everything
else. Our part is to obey the Lord day-by-day, being renewed in the spirit
of our mind, walking in the Holy Spirit Who indwells us.
Here below is a wonderful rebuttal (video)
exposing the heresy of Lordship Salvation by Pastor Marc Monte (please
watch)...
Repentance is a change of mind, and not a
change of lifestyle. Whatever changes God wants to make in a new convert's
life is His department, and you can be assured that He will tend to that
matter in His own way and time by His Spirit. Our part is to simply believe
the Gospel to be saved. Then as a new believer we are taught in 1st
Peter 2:2-3, “As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that
ye may grow thereby: If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious.” This is why Spurgeon said that no one can be perfect in faith and
repentance at the time of salvation. Although there are degrees of faith and
repentance (which require time to grow into as born-again believers), God
only requires THE LEAST FAITH and THE LEAST REPENTANCE to be saved. Simple
childlike repentance and faith saves!
There is NO controversy if you believe the
Bible. The FACT is that the Bible never uses the phrases “repent of
your sins” or “turn from your sins” in regards to salvation. Salvation is a
free gift of God—not of works—and relies totally upon God's mercy through
the LITERAL blood sacrifice of Jesus Christ (Hebrews 9:12); not forsaking
one's sinful lifestyle (Titus 3:5, Ephesians 2:8,9). “Repent” in regards to
salvation does not mean "stop living in sin.” It means to “change
one's mind.” Carefully notice in Mark 1:15 what Jesus said... “The time
is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe
the gospel.” Notice that Jesus DIDN'T say “repent ye, and forsake
your sins.” No, rather, Jesus said, “repent ye, and believe the
gospel.”
Unsaved people love their sins and; therefore,
will not come to the light to be saved, lest their deeds be reproved. John 3:19-20, “And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the
world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were
evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the
light, lest his deeds should be reproved.” When a sinner has even
the least amount of repentance (change of mind) that compels them to turn to
Christ by faith to be saved by the Gospel, they receive forgiveness and
eternal life immediately and irrevocably.
Dr. Jack Hyles 100% correctly and Biblically
states concerning repentance...
“Repentance
is not some little silly, 'I'm sorry.' Repentance is not simply a fear of God.
Repentance is not a monk fasting and afflicting his body in a monastery.
Repentance is not remorse because of sin's consequences. Repentance is not
penance performed before the pope as you kiss his toe... Repentance is not being
sorry for what I've done wrong. It is not confessing one's sins to a priest. It
is not just conviction of sin. It is not the signing of a pledge of abstinence.
Repentance is that thing when you come before God and see yourself as you are,
and see Him as he is, and say with Isaiah 'Woe is me, for I am unclean!'” —Pastor Jack Hyles (1926-2001),
a quote from the timeless MP3 sermon,
THE GOODNESS OF GOD LEADETH TO REPENTANCE!
No man could ever point a finger at
anything and call it “evil” unless there was first a divine standard of
righteousness by which to compare it. Our holy God and His holy Word are that
standard. This is the exact purpose of God's law in the Old Testament. It is
through God's law that we are silenced from all self-righteous boasting. It is
through God's law that we become guilty sinners before God...
Romans 3:19, “Now we know
that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law:
that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before
God.”
It is through the law that we are taught we are
dirty sinners, being shown in the Scriptures that we absolutely cannot save
ourselves with human effort, and then we are brought to Christ Who CAN save
us! ...
Galatians 3:24-26, “Wherefore the
law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified
by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a
schoolmaster. For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.”
The Bible is very clear that salvation is a new
birth (a spiritual, second, birth). A birth cannot be unborn, or undone.
Jesus said, “YE MUST BE BORN AGAIN” (John 3:7). If saved, always saved! I
hear some skeptics claiming that “they used to be” a Christian. What they
really mean is that they once ascribed to the belief system of Christianity,
but they were never born-again by the Holy Spirit of God. They had
churchianity without Christianity. Reformation is not salvation. Education
through philosophy is not salvation. Adopting a set of religious dogmas is
not salvation. Keeping sacraments is not salvation. Salvation is neither
legislation, nor rehabilitation, nor reformation, nor education; but only
REGENERATION! “YE MUST BE BORN AGAIN” (John 3:7). You must have He (Jesus)
Who is from above, born in you. Salvation is being born again by receiving
the Gospel (Good News) as full payment for your sins!
Mark 10:15, “Verily I
say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little
child, he shall not enter therein.”
The Bible likens faith to the
mustard seed. The tiny black mustard seed is one of the smallest seeds in
the world, but it grows into giant stalks 8 feet tall. Here we see the Lord
teaching that even the least amount of faith can move heaven and earth...
Luke 17:6, “And the
Lord said, If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto
this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in
the sea; and it should obey you.”
Jesus said that by faith ALL
THINGS ARE POSSIBLE...
Mark 9:23-24, “Jesus
said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that
believeth. And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with
tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.”
Jesus told the afflicted boy's
father that all things were possible if he only believed. The father had
much unbelief, but he cried out...
“Lord, I believe; help thou mine
unbelief.” What did you say? I
said, “help thou mind unbelief.” No, before that? I said, “I believe.” I
believe Jesus exclaimed in His heart... FAITH!!! Hebrews 11:6 teaches that
without faith it is IMPOSSIBLE to please God. Despite the man's unbelief,
all that God was interested in was his belief. In other words, it's ok to
have a bunch of doubt, just so long as you believe enough to obey God.
Romans 10:13,
“For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord
shall be saved.”
If you have JUST ENOUGH faith to call upon the name of Jesus (that is,
appeal, rely, trust) upon the name of Jesus, then you will be saved
immediately! Religious people all over the world are trying to impress God
without faith, through self-righteous works; but God is not impressed. In
fact, He's angry with the wicked every day (Psalms 7:11; John 3:36). They
are the enemies of the cross of Christ.
The Chair Illustration Of
Faith
I love the illustration of
standing on a chair to change a lightbulb. Even if I am 99% sure that the
chair is too shaky and won't be able to support my entire weight, it is
still nothing less than 100% faith if I stand upon the chair. Of course, in
reality no one in their right mind would stand upon a shaky looking chair
that they were convinced wouldn't support them. Albeit, it would still be
100% faith if I did choose to stand upon the chair unaided by a helper, rope
or something to cling to in case I fall.
Please understand that optimism (a
positive outlook) is NOT faith. I could stand there all day proclaiming how
much I believe the chair will hold me up if I were to stand upon it. I can
say loud and confidently, “I believe! Boy, brother, you've just got to
believe! I believe that this chair can hold me up!” But that is NOT faith at
all, not even in the least, because I am not standing upon the chair. So
even in the presence of great optimism, I can have no faith at all. That's
what Modernists and Roman Catholics have, that is, they really think they're
going to Heaven, but they've never trusted Christ. Catholics instead trust
their church and the seven sacraments to save them. Modernists trust their
humanism, self-righteous works and new age spiritism.
In sharp contrast, the Biblical
Christian rests completely in the finished redemptive work of Jesus Christ,
standing upon the chair (which pictures Christ in our example). Saying you
believe that Christ can save you is not faith, anymore than saying you think
the chair can support your weight is trust in the chair. Even if you have
99% doubt in the Bible, God will save you if you'll believe the Gospel. That
is, if you'll personally receive Christ's death upon the cross, His burial and
bodily resurrection
from the dead as payment for your sins, you will be saved.
All mankind are sinners. As such
we are all under the condemnation of God's law. There is a price for sin
that we all owe to God. That price is spending eternity burning in the Lake
of Fire! Consequently, we need to find someone who doesn't owe that price,
someone who is not condemned, someone who can pay that price for us. Blessed
be the name of the Lord, Jesus is the Christ Who paid the price for our sins
with His own blood! Jesus was miraculously born of a virgin, lived a totally
sinless life, and was accepted by God the Father as a well-pleasing
sacrifice for the sins of the world. JESUS PAID THE PRICE!
Romans
4:5-6, “But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth
the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. Even as David
also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth
righteousness without works.” Notice that we just read a man's
“faith is counted for righteousness.” That is so important to understand. It
means that all the heretics requiring intent to reform as part of salvation
are liars, wrong and false prophets! This includes Aiden Tozer, John
MacArthur, Jack Chick, David Cloud, William Lane Craig, Ray Comfort, Kirk
Cameron, Benny Hinn, Eric Hovind, Paul Taylor and thousands more. Jesus is
Lord, you don't make Him Lord! You simply trust Jesus to be saved. END
