The problem is that millions of people are NOT
going to visit his website and read his statement of faith, they are going
to go SOLELY on what is written and published in each Chick Tract. It's not
just a matter of semantics, because according to Chick Tracts you will not
and cannot be saved until you are WILLING to stop sinning. That is another
Gospel (2nd Corinthians 11:3-4). The Bible warns us that false prophets would attempt to sneak
(creep) into our churches undetected.
Both Pastor John MacArthur and Evangelist Ray
Comfort have misrepresented Pastor Charles H. Spurgeon, using him as a secondary authority to
support their damnable heresy of Lordship Salvation; but they never quote
the following quote spoken by Spurgeon...
“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. God gives the salvation
himself...”
—Pastor Charles Spurgeon
SOURCE:
http://www.spurgeon.org/sermons/0044.htm (Charles
Spurgeon, from
a sermon titled, “REPENTANCE UNTO LIFE,” preached at the New Park Street Chapel,
Southwark, on Sept. 23, 1855)
Clearly, Charles Haddon Spurgeon DIDN'T believe
that forsaking one's sins, or grieving, or feeling sorrow, or being willing
to turn from them, was necessary to be saved. Rather, Spurgeon
believed that they were evidences of genuine repentance. Spurgeon did in fact teach, as have other great men of God, that a sinner
ought to turn from his or her sins as evidence of genuine repentance; but
this is after-the-fact, and not a requirement for salvation itself. Spurgeon plainly taught "there are no conditions of salvation," which
is what the Bible teaches. We are sinners and Jesus is the Savior!
To be saved one must simply renounce
their sins before God, not necessarily stop committing them. Some people may
choose to stop doing certain sins upon being saved, while others may not be
ready to break off lifelong sinful bad habits of shacking up (fornication),
using illegal drugs or watching porno. Certainly, no one can stop all their
sins, for only Jesus Christ is sinless (Hebrews 4:15). Salvation is just the
beginning of a new life in Jesus Christ (2nd Corinthians 5:17; 1st Peter
2:2). The process of repentance
continues throughout one's life, although salvation itself is NOT a
process. You get saved the very second you acknowledge that you are a guilty
sinner and trust upon the name of Jesus, the Christ. The willingness to
change is a separate matter from salvation, which change God effects in the
life of each new believer.
Jesus plainly said in Revelation 21:6... “I
will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life
FREELY.” Jesus said in John 7:28, “He that believeth on me,
as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living
water.” Jack Chick distorts the gospel by requiring sinners to be
willing to amend their ways as part of saving-faith. He not only asks sinners
to admit that they've sinned, but he also goes a step further and requires them
to be willing to stop committing those sins. That is a backdoor approach to works salvation. It is
a big deal. It is not just a matter of semantics. I also know firsthand that
some people have been misled from the truth by Jack Chick's pamphlets,
thinking that they couldn't be saved unless they were willing to stop
committing sins. The Bible does not teach that.
You either have
to be willing to stop sinning to be saved or you do not; Chick
Tracts say "yes," the Bible says "no" (Romans 4:5).
One man wrote to me and said there was a time
years ago when he thought God wouldn't save him because he wasn't willing to
stop shacking up with his girlfriend. He said if he had died during those
years of confusion, he would have gone straight to Hell, and it said it
would have been Jack Chick's distorted gospel that led him to believe he
couldn't be saved. I then understood the danger behind Chick
Tracts and the false gospel message contained in them. JACK CHICK
IS WRONG!!!
It took me 8 months of prayer and thinking long
hours to expose Jack Chick for preaching heresy, because I had passed out
Chick Tracts for so many years. I tried to contact Jack Chick through his
ministry and explained the situation, but they didn't respond. In my heart I
wanted to go along to get along and just let it go, thinking that everyone
views the gospel message a little differently, so why fight with a professed
brother over something trifle. But then God convicted my heart about the
matter, showing me that the gospel is not a trifle matter. It is very
important. God only wrote ONE GOSPEL. There's not 2 Gospels. Using this
critical train of thought, I realized that either Jack Chick is right and
the Bible is wrong, or Vise Versa.
Here are the 2 Gospels:
- Lordship Salvation - Jack Chick's
false Gospel (as taught in EVERY
Chick Tract) teaches for a person to admit that they're a sinner to be
saved. But then Jack Chick ADDS a horrible second step, requiring a person to “be
willing to turn from sin” (which he errantly understands to mean repentance).
In Chick's gospel, a person cannot be saved unless they are first
WILLING to stop sinning. This unbiblical requirement has
deterred many lost sinners from coming to Christ, who felt that they
could not possibly turn away from their sins. Effectively, Jack Chick
teaches manmade reform plus partial faith in Christ to be saved! That
is, you have to be willing to reform your sinful ways, before God will
honor your faith in the Good News of Christ's sacrifice on the cross.
- Free Grace Gospel - The Biblical
Gospel teaches that a person
need only acknowledge their guilt of sin to God (Romans 3:19), and
believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross, was buried, and
bodily resurrected the third day. A person is saved by trusting this
Good News. Christ came into the world to save sinners! The
indwelling Holy Spirit makes whatever changes need to be made AFTER
a person is saved, as they grow in the Word (1st Peter 2:2). In the true
Gospel, we are saved solely by God's righteousness through faith alone
in Christ's sacrifice on the cross, Who paid for our sins with His
precious blood.
There is a night-and-day difference between the
two gospels, and respectfully, Jack Chick is wrong. The truth is that no person is required
to be willing to stop sinning to be saved. To
require a sinner to “be willing” to cease from sins is AN
OBSTACLE to salvation. Where does God require a person to be willing to do
anything to be saved? All God demands is that a person “believe” on
the Lord Jesus Christ. Kindly, Mr. Chick needs to read John 2:28-29...
John 6:28-29, “Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we
might work the works of God? Jesus answered and said unto them,
This is
the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.”
The Gospel is critically important and
so
easily corrupted. There are not multiple Gospels, there is only ONE!
Abraham was saved by faith alone (Genesis 15:6). We are saved by faith alone (Romans 10:13).
We are saved by faith in the Good News of Jesus Christ crucified,
buried and risen the third day! Jesus Christ is the way, the truth and the life
(John 14:6). There is no other name by which we may be saved, other than the
precious name of JESUS (Acts 4:10-12).
WHY DID JACK CHICK WRITE HIS TRACK
THIS WAY, WHICH MISLEADS MANY PEOPLE?
Chick Tracts are
misleading millions of people to
think they can't be saved unless they're willing to stop shacking up, stop
getting drunk, stop going to strip joints, et cetera. If that's the message,
i.e., that a person cannot be saved who is not willing to stop doing those
things, then Jack Chick is on his way straight to Hell, and this
is a damnable false Gospel of works salvation. If a person has to be willing
to give up even once sin to be saved, that is self-righteous! It was Christ
Who bore the full weight of our sins on Calvary's cross, so that we wouldn't
have to. The only difference in God's eyes between a Christian, and the
vilest sinner upon the earth, is the precious blood of Jesus!!! We are only
made righteous by the blood of the Lamb (Revelation 7:14).
Chick Tracts are dangerous, theologically
corrupt and poorly thought out. I understand why Jack Chick did what he
did—He didn't want professed Christians living in open sin. So Jack Chick decided to add a step to
his Gospel brochure requiring sinners to “BE WILLING to turn from sin”
[emphasis mine]. That extra unbiblical requirement to be willing to stop
indulging in sin might
make Jack Chick feel better, but it highly offends God because it is a false
Gospel. It is equivalent to the man who collected sticks on the Sabbath Day
in the Old Testament, whom God had killed for it! The Jews were forbidden to
work on the Sabbath, because it was a symbol of Christ in Whom we completely
rest for salvation. Hebrews 4:10-11, “For he that is entered into his
rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his. Let us
labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same
example of unbelief.” This Scripture passage speaks of the Hebrews who
wandered in the Wilderness for 40 years under Moses' leadership. Hebrews
4:1-2 says that Moses preached “THE GOSPEL” unto them, but most of them
didn't have any faith and perished.
What Jack Chick should have done in His tracks
is just have the first step, which is, “admit you are a sinner”; and then the third step, which is to
“believe that Jesus died, was buried,
and rose again.” That's it! The Bible does not mandate that we invite
Jesus into our life, and that's certainly not a part of salvation. So Jack
Chick is wrong about that too, you don't “invite” Jesus into your life to be
saved. Eternal life is a free gift! You simply receive a gift. Judas
had Jesus in his life, being one of His very apostles, but Jesus said Judas had
a devil (John 6:70), and Judas went out and hung himself after betraying
Christ. The devil's also believe in God (James 2:19), but that's not how you
get saved. You get saved by trusting Christ as your personal Savior,
believing God's record as recorded in His Holy Word, that Jesus was
crucified on the cross in your place and mine, to pay for our sins.
Jack Chick's agenda is a changed life, and he wants
it so bad for others that he'll corrupt the Gospel to force it upon you! The Bible teaches that
faith alone in Christ is sufficient for salvation. I am unalterably opposed to these Lordship Salvation
Gospels
that try to force sinners to change as part of saving-faith. That is
heathendom!!! That's what Jack Chick is doing. According to Jack Chick,
faith in Christ is NOT sufficient for salvation, unless you are also willing
to change, and that is bogus false religion. We don't change ourselves TO BE
saved; but rather, God changes us because WE ARE saved!!! I hope you see the
big difference.
JACK CHICK IS THEOLOGICALLY CONFUSED
A changed life is the FRUIT of the Holy Spirit, and not a part of the ROOT of saving-faith.
Kindly, Jack Chick, John MacArthur, Billy Graham, Paul Washer, Ray
Comfort and Kirk Cameron make the grave mistake of mandating a changed life,
either outwardly or inwardly, as being necessary for salvation; but
the Bible says God makes the changes. May I say. SALVATION IS A MIRACLE OF
GOD IN RESPONSE TO CHILDLIKE FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST (John 1:12-13). You
don't have to be willing to change anything to get saved!!!
Jack Chick is
wrong, wrong, wrong! I don't feel any personal gratification in being
right by the way, but I do obtain joy in contending for the Christian faith!
I actually admire Jack Chick, immensely. I believe he was saved, just a bit
confused. The reason why I believe he is saved is because on his website, in
his statement of faith, he never mentions anything about repentance from
sins to be saved. (At least that was the case the last time that I checked.)
At a minimum, Jack Chick's tracts have misled a lot of people concerning
salvation.
JACK CHICK HAS FALLEN INTO THE
LORDSHIP SALVATION TRAP
I don't know why, but I think it's because of
Dr. John MacArthur's widespread Calvinistic influence on religious teachers;
but California is a hotbed, headquarters of LORDSHIP
SALVATION heresy... Jack Chick, Ray Comfort, Kirk Cameron, John
MacArthur (all in California). I'm ready to call California, THE BEAST
STATE. It is so wicked. San FranSICKO is overrun with homosexuals. It's
so bad now that over 20% of all new city appointees for employment MUST be
homosexual. These are
Communist Affirmative Actions laws. Heaven's Gate cult was based in
California.
In decades past California was known for insane
pollution standards when the old cars put out so much lead in the 1970's.
The big concern today is parents homeschooling their own kids, which is why
it is now illegal in California. And now to add injury to insult, the state
is allowing homosexuals to change the curriculum to promote the vile
gay-rights agenda and seek sympathy for queers, and teaching lesbian
history.
It is no secret that
Hollywood is Jewish owned and controlled. So anything coming out of
California needs to be taken with a grain of salt carefully. All I can say
is that Jack Chick is teaching that faith in Jesus Christ is NOT enough to
be saved, you must also be willing to change, he says. That is a false
Gospel.
The desire to change is given by God in response to faith. That is God's
department. It is God who puts the desire in a new convert's heart to
change. Our part concerning salvation is simple TO BELIEVE ON THE LORD
JESUS CHRIST (Acts 16:30-31).
The Gospel of John mentions the word “believe”
87 times without mentioning “repent” even once. Clearly, the person who
believes on the Lord has repented. The Bible never says “repent from sin” to
be saved. Rather, the Bible says “repent ye, and believe the gospel”
(Mark 1:15). Repentance is toward God. We turn to the Lord to be saved
from our sins. That is Biblical repentance. In sharp contrast, Jack Chick
has fallen into the Lordship Salvation trap, teaching that sinners must turn
from their sins as a prerequisite to be saved.
By making “a willingness to turn from sin” a separate step from
admitting one's sinnership, Jack Chick is clearly teaching Lordship
Salvation. Jack Chick's teaching on repentance is that you
cannot come to Christ for salvation, unless you first intend not to walk in
sin after you receive Him. This is “qualification by works” as a
prerequisite for receiving Christ as Savior. If the shoe fits wear it. I'm
just going by what Jack Chick prints in all his tracts.
MOST PROFESSED CHRISTIANS DON'T CARE
I am so disgusted (and I know God is too) with
profess Christians who are more interested in getting along then they are
about contending for the faith. Most Christians hate conflict more than they
hate evil. Most Christians choose rather to go along to get along, which is
cowardliness and apostasy. The Bible tells us that having done all, we ought
to stand faithfully for God (Ephesians 6:13). I am standing for God.
I realize that Christians ought not devour each
other over every little matter, but this is the gospel message that were
talking about here. I think it's worth defending, especially in view of the
multitude of ecumenical churches today who have adopted a passive
Roman Catholic view on the gospel, that is, they teach to invite Jesus
into your life or make Jesus the Lord of your life. That is not the gospel.
Jesus died, was buried and rose again to pay our sin debt (1st Corinthians
15:1-4), because we are guilty sinners (Romans 3:19). That is the gospel
message; but for Jack Chick to MANDATE that sinners must be willing
to clean up their life of sin as a prerequisite to salvation is not only
ignorance and misapplication of the gospel, it is utter demonic heresy and a
hindrance to salvation for every sinner who is not willing to give up their
sinful habits to be saved.
Charles Spurgeon had it
right when he said that a sinner must RENOUNCE every sin
to be saved, that is, to acknowledge one's sinnership; but that is very
different from ceasing from one's sinful bad habits. Please read,
WHAT IS THE
GOSPEL (by Pastor Harry Ironside, who correctly presents the
gospel message). I am earnestly contending for the faith, and I suggest that
you do the same. I am not being unkind, but it's time for us to stop getting
our theology from Hollywood movie stars like Kirk Cameron and cartoon
artists like Jack Chick. The Bible speaks plainly in Romans 4:5, “But to
him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his
faith is counted for righteousness.” How much clearer could the Word of
God be... but to him that WORKETH NOT... HIS FAITH IS COUNTED FOR
RIGHTEOUSNESS!!! Jack Chick and others like him need to get out of the
driver's seat and stop trying to do the Holy Spirit's job of convicting
sinners concerning their sins and the changes that need to be made in their
life. That's God's department.
If Jack Chick means something different than he
needs to say something different, but so long as his tracks errantly require
sinners to be willing to perform self-righteous work to be saved, I
am going to expose his gospel as being false.
There is nothing more important than the gospel
message, and it's something that needs to be guarded against for heresy
creeping in unawares. False religion and false doctrine most often begin as
subtle changes to fundamental doctrines of the Christian faith. Satan knows
that Christians would recognize and expose him immediately if he changed the
truth into a lie too quickly (Romans 1:25). Thus, Satan operates under
stealth and works incrementally to corrupt the churches.
Satan always tampers with the Bible and with
the doctrine of salvation. Jack Chick has no formal theological training to
my understanding, as neither does Ray Comfort nor Kirk Cameron, and that's
not to say that you must have to understand the gospel; but too many people
these days are operating worldwide ministries who don't have a well-rounded
understanding of the Bible. Mr. Chick is an artist not a preacher. His
understanding of the gospel is flawed. Jack Chick plainly teaches in
every Chick Track that faith in Jesus Christ is insufficient to save unless
you are willing to cease from your sins. That is works salvation!!!
Mr. Chick puts the cart before the horse, demanding a willingness to
change is a qualifying prerequisite to faith in Christ. That is a back door
approach to Lordship Salvation.
They were saved through a televangelist, and so
that is their adopted theological position. I'll tell you candidly, pat
Robertson, Ray Comfort, Kirk Cameron, John MacArthur, Don Stewart, Mike
Murdoch, Jack Chick and the whole lot of them are teaching Lordship
Salvation. They never step on each other's toes, never dare offend a
Catholic peer in the money-making televangelist world. It's heathendom and
apostasy!
A CHANGED LIFE IS THE FRUIT OF THE
HOLY SPIRIT; NOT A PART OF THE ROOT OF SAVING-FAITH
A changed life is the result of genuine
repentance, not a requirement
to be saved. The Gospel can so
easily be corrupted, by merely adding something to it. It's not what
you're doing that gets you to Heaven my friend, it where you're looking.
Look to
Jesus!
Dr. Harry A. Ironside
(1876-1951) exposes the heresy of
“surrendering one's life to Christ” to be saved . . .
"When
anyone comes promising salvation to those ‘who make full surrender' of all that
they have to God, and who 'pay the price of full salvation' he is preaching
another gospel, for the price was paid on Calvary's cross and the work that
saves is finished. It was Christ Jesus who made the full surrender when He
yielded His life on
Calvary that saves us, not
our surrender in any way to Him."
SOURCE: Harry
A. Ironside, from the Gospel tract,
Another
Gospel.
Mr. Chick states on one hand that he
believes “salvation is the gift of God,” but then on the other hand he teaches that a
person MUST “be willing to turn from sin” to be saved (see item #2)...
It is important to notice that Jack Chick
recognizes turning from one's sins as something in addition to merely
admitting one's sinnership. According to Jack Chick's theology, taught in
every Chick tract, admitting being a sinner is not enough to be saved, there
must also be a sincere desire to stop living in sin for that faith to be
valid for salvation. That is not Biblical. It's backwards. The desire to
live for God is a FRUIT of the Holy Spirit, and not a part of the ROOT of
saving-faith. Jesus only asks that we BELIEVE on Him as the Christ, the Son
of God (John 3:16). Jack Chick clearly understands repentance to
mean a desire to cease from one's sinful lifestyle. Point #1 one in his tract is to
admit one's sinfulness. But that's not good enough for Jack Chick, he ADDS
Point #2, which requires a sinner to be willing to stop living in sin to be
saved. It is greatly misleading. Salvation is receiving, not giving. Eternal
life is received, not achieved!
We must analyze Chick tracts based upon their
individual content. The preceding back cover is present on ALL Chick Tracts!
Notice what Jack Chick requires the sinner to pray in order to be saved... “I am willing to turn from sin.” Since Mr. Chick
has made this a separate step from admitting one's sinfulness, he clearly
expects people to be willing to forsake their sins to be saved.
The implication is that a person must cease from the intentional activity of sin to be
saved. This is the heresy of Lordship Salvation,
which is nothing less than works salvation, and a sure road to hellfire.
Lordship Salvationists have a VERY different mindset concerning salvation
than Bible-believers who simply trust the Lord for salvation.
Biblical salvation is when a person turns
toward Jesus Christ to be saved from their sins, NOT turning from their sins
in order to be saved. 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.” Carefully notice that a person is only required to
BELIEVE on Jesus to be saved from the Law's condemnation of sin, and not from the act of
sin itself. The Law of God shows us our sinful condition, which causes
us to realize that we are GUILTY! Repentance is when we “turn” to
Jesus to receive His free gift of forgiveness and eternal life. To
turn to Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins is Biblical repentance. This
is plainly evidenced by the fact that the word “believe” is mentioned 85
times in the Gospel of John without mentioning the word “repent” even once.
Clearly, the person who believes on the Lord has repented.
This is drastically different than what Jack Chick is teaching, i.e., that a
person is required to be willing to turn from the act of sin itself to be
saved. Remember, Mr. Chick teaches that it's not enough to acknowledge
that you're a sinner, he also requires that you be willing to stop sinning
in order to be saved. You won't find the phrases “repent of sin” or “turn from sin”
anywhere in the Bible. Please read,
What is
Biblical Repentance?
Jack Chick is no better than Benny Hinn who
teaches the EXACT same perverted plan of salvation...
Dear Lord Jesus,
I believe You are the Son of God. I believe You came to earth 2,000
years ago. I believe you died for me on the cross and shed Your blood
for my salvation. I believe you rose from the dead and ascended on high.
I believe You are coming back again to earth. Dear Jesus, I am a sinner.
Forgive my sin. Cleanse me now with Your precious blood. Come into my
heart. Save my soul right now. I give you my life. I receive You now
as my Savior, my Lord, and my God. I am Yours forever, and I will serve
You and follow You the rest of my days. From this moment on, I
belong to You only. I no longer belong to this world, nor to the enemy
of my soul. I belong to You, and I am born again.
Amen! [emphasis added]
SOURCE:
http://www.bennyhinn.org/salvation/
Hinn teaches Lordship Salvation! Where
does the Bible say that we have to serve Jesus to be saved? Where does
the Scriptures require us to give Jesus our life to be saved? It
doesn't! Jack Chick and Benny Hinn teach the same garbage. Don't
you dare criticize Benny Hinn if you support Jack Chick!!! Salvation
is receiving, NOT giving. I supported Jack Chick's ministry for years,
but after much conviction by the Holy Spirit, I have been forced to face the
reality that Mr. Chick is teaching the damnable heresy of Lordship
Salvation! Every tract published by Jack Chick requires a person to “Be willing to turn from sin” to be saved. No Sir! That is works
salvation!!!
The problem is that a willingness
“to
turn from sin” is a FRUIT (i.e. a result) of the work of the indwelling Holy
Spirit, and not a
prerequisite to salvation. People are being misled by Chick tracts. I
think Pastor Roloff said it best, “Real repentance is putting your trust in Jesus Christ so you will not
live like that anymore.” Regeneration comes before reformation. 2nd Corinthians 5:17 tells us that
when a person gets saved (i.e., they are now in Christ), all things become
new. There is no mention of a change of behavior. Once a person is
saved, a whole new world of spiritual understanding is opened to them, but
they need to grow in the Lord. 1st Peter 2:2, “As newborn babes, desire
the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby.”
A new believer is a babe in Christ, and all things are new to them. This is
what 2nd Corinthians 5:17 means. We must never require a change, or
even a willingness to change, as part of saving faith. To do so
perverts the Gospel message. Salvation is WITHOUT WORKS (Romans 4:5-6).
The only sin we literally need to forsake to be
saved is UNBELIEF, which is the only sin that can keep us out of Heaven.
A WARNING About The Fellowship
Tract League!
Again,
just as with Chick Tracts, we see the damnable heresy of Lordship
Salvation. Carefully notice the back cover of the tract “My
Best Friend,” pictured to the right. The “bully” says he was saved
because “... I promised I wouldn't do those things anymore ... and he saved
me...” That is a lie! Salvation is NOT conditional upon a person
promising not to commit sin anymore. Salvation is receiving, NOT
giving! Eternal life is a free gift (Romans 5:15;6:23). If we
have to do anything in exchange for salvation, then it's NOT a gift!
MOST of the gospel tracts I have read lately
are garbage. I can't believe how corrupt and misleading so many tracts
are. What are we handing to people? Does a person have to
promise not to sin anymore to be saved? Does a person have to be sorry
for their sins to be saved? Does a person have to be willing to turn
from their sins to be saved? The answer is No, No, No!
Again, the word “repent” is NOT found mentioned even
once in the Gospel of John; yet John stated the purpose of his gospel was to
convince us that Jesus is the Son of God. John 20:31 states, “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.”
Obviously, to believe on Jesus is to repent.
To turn to Jesus to be
forgiven of one's sins is repentance. You have already turned from
your sins, i.e., from the guilt and condemnation of sin, to the precious
Savior to be cleansed by His blood (1st Peter 1:18,19). To turn to
Jesus for forgiveness is to turn one's back on sin.
In fairness to the Fellowship Tract League,
they have many good tracts which are doctrinally acceptable; however, this
one is horrible, and there are others teaching Lordship Salvation.
Conclusion—Run From Chick Tracts!
John 3:18 says, “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.” Please notice that the Bible doesn't say “He that
forsaketh not his sins is condemned.” No, rather, God's Word says... “He that believeth not is condemned...”
The Biblical
focus is upon whether or not a person believes. Making a commitment,
surrendering one's life to Christ, and being willing to turn from sin have
NOTHING to do with receiving God's GIFT of eternal life. Jesus paid a
debt He did not owe, because we owed a debt we could not pay. You
don't make Jesus Lord, He is Lord! Salvation is not doing your best, it is
having Christ's best put to your account through receiving Him by faith.
Evangelist John R. Rice (1895-1980) wrote...
“When you get
saved, you get saved not because you deserve it, but because you simply
let God save you and because you confess your own poor sinful state and
your inability to save yourself.”
SOURCE:
Dr. Rice... Here is My Question,
by Dr. John R. Rice, pg. 304; 1962, Sword of the Lord Publishers;
ISBN: 0-87398-158-8
I couldn't agree more. This is what the
Bible teaches. Dr. Rice also states in his Gospel tract, What Must
I Do To Be Saved...
“The change in your heart,
sinner, is God's part and you may be sure He will attend to that. Your
part is to simply believe in Him. Whatever else is necessary in your
eternal salvation, the Lord attends to when you trust in Him, or believe
in Him.”
SOURCE:
What Must I DO To Be Saved, by Dr. John R. Rice
Amen! Dr. Rice is correct. We need
to leave the changing part to God, our part is to simply believe.
At first, I pondered in my heart concerning
Chick Tracks. I thought to myself, “So many little children love Chick
tracts... they're like eye-candy to people. Surely, Jack Chick must be
doing a good thing.” I pondered back-n-forth for months on the issue,
because cartoon tracts are one of the best soul-winning tools in the world. In
fact, it is this fact that makes Chick Tracks so dangerous. Jack Chick is
propagating a false gospel that leads people to believe that ceasing from
their sins is part of getting saved; but it's not, it's the result of
getting saved. We live right because we are saved, not to get saved. If I
mandate departing from sins as part of the gospel, then I have created a
false gospel.
I am not being unkind, but it's time for us to
stop getting our theology from Hollywood movie stars like Kirk Cameron and
cartoon artists like Jack Chick. The Bible speaks plainly in Romans 4:5,
“But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the
ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.” How much clearer could
the Word of God be... but to him that WORKETH NOT... HIS FAITH IS COUNTED
FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS!!!
Chicago's renowned minister,
Aiden Tozer taught that there can be no REGENERATION until there has
first been REFORMATION. Mr. Tozer is a liar and a false prophet and he has
it totally backwards. You first get born-again, i.e., REGENERATED by the
Spirit of God through the Seed of God's Word; and then you are REFORMED.
Regeneration precedes reformation. The Gospel is not reformation, nor
education, nor rehabilitation, nor legislation; but REGENERATION (Titus
3:5).
However, God convicted my heart concerning THE TRUTH. I began to
consider that the Jehovah's Witnesses cult have some of the best artwork and
captivating literature in the world; but that doesn't make it Biblical. Jack Chick is a talented man; but he is perverting the
gospel. You
don't have to “surrender your life” to Jesus Christ to be saved; but you
do need to BELIEVE on Him to forgive your sins.
Jack Chick does a play-on-words. He flip
flops. There can be no mistaking what “be
willing to turn from sin” implies (i.e., if you want to be saved you're
going to have to give up your sins). To be REQUIRED to be willing
to do something in order to get something makes it obligatory. Salvation is of God, conditioned only
upon our BELIEF (trust) on the Lord Jesus Christ to forgive our sins
(John 1:12).
Again, Jack Chick's teaching on repentance is
that you cannot come to Christ for salvation, unless you first intend not to walk in
sin after you receive Him. This is “qualification by works” as a
prerequisite for receiving Christ as Savior. That is not what the
inspired Holy Bible says! Jack Chick and others like him need to get out
of the driver's seat, and stop trying to do the Holy Spirit's job of
convicting sinners concerning their sins, and the changes that need to be
made in their lives. That's God's department! Our part is simply to believe
and the work is done (John 3:16; 6:28-29; 20:31 * Note that all Scriptures
are quoted from the trustworthy and inspired, King James Bible).
If a person simply has childlike faith in Jesus
Christ to forgive their sins, they will be saved! We are sinners and
Jesus is the Savior. The matter of repentance is critically important, because if we're wrong on repentance, we're wrong on everything. It's
not what you're doing that gets you to Heaven, it's where you're looking.
Look to Jesus!
Mr. Chick puts the cart before the horse, demanding a
“willingness” to
change as a qualifying prerequisite to saving-faith in Christ. This is a
form of Lordship Salvation. “Lordship Salvation” is a false doctrine which
says faith in Christ is insufficient to save a person; but also, a person is
required to receive Jesus as their “Lord,” so that they will forsake the
world and sinful bad habits. The latter is entirely a matter of DISCIPLESHIP
and not SONSHIP (salvation). When you trust Christ as your personal Savior,
believing the “GOOD NEWS” (Gospel) of Christ's death on the cross, burial
and physical resurrection three days later (1st Corinthians 15:1-4), you are
saved.
