“For John came unto you in the way of righteousness, and ye believed him not: but the publicans and the harlots believed him: and ye, when ye had seen it, repented not afterward, that ye might believe him.” —Matthew 21:32
In Matthew 21:32, Jesus plainly taught that repentance is
synonymous with
believing the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Who was it that believed?
The publicans and harlots! It
was the self-righteous crowd who refused to repent and get saved. The Bible
doesn’t tell us that the publicans and harlots gave up their sinful
lifestyle. No, rather, the Bible simply states that they repented and
believed on Jesus, i.e., they acknowledged their guilt of sin and wanted
Jesus to save them. Eternal life is a free gift—freely paid for by Christ's
blood (1st Peter 1:18-19), freely offered to whosoever shall call upon the
name of the Lord (Romans 10:13), and freely
received as the water of life (Revelation 22:17). Jesus paid it all!!!
There is a large group of heretics in America today (most of them
originating from
California), who require lost sinners to try hard to stop sinning to be
saved. Do you know why California has been nicknamed the “Granola state”? It’s
because it’s a place filled with fruits and nuts. For some reason California
leads the way in false prophets. The heresy of
Lordship Salvation is epidemic in California. Lordship Salvation is the
false doctrine that says faith in the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ is
insufficient to save. Instead, Lordship Salvationists teach that a person
MUST surrender to serve Christ, make a commitment to Jesus, stop sinful bad
habits, forsake the world and have intentions to clean up their life of sin.
Ladies and gentleman, that's reformation! Famous Chicago preacher Aiden Tozer (1897-1963) used to teach that there can be no regeneration until there has first been reformation. Mr. Tozer is a liar and false prophet! Tozer has it backwards. The Bible teaches that there can be no reformation (change) without regeneration (born again). The answer is NOT reformation, nor rehabilitation, nor education; but rather, REGENERATION!!! Ye must be born again (John 3:5). You must be born for the second time, that is, you must have He [Jesus] who is the beginning (Revelation 1:8) born in you. The Bible teaches in Romans 5:15 and 6:23 that eternal life is a GIFT. Also, see Ephesians 2:8-9, “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.”
The first birth is a physical birth (of water); but the second birth is a spiritual birth (of God). John 1:12-13, “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: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” Eternal life is the free gift of God. Of course, nothing in life is free. Jesus paid the ultimate price, Who looking for the joy that was set before Him, endured the cross and was crucified to death for OUR SINS. Hebrews 12:2, “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Whew, glory to God!!!
Everybody, even the best of Christians, sin every
day. The Apostle Paul describes his struggle with sinful lusts, which all
Christians endure (Romans 7:14-25).
I don’t enjoy exposing anyone as a false prophet, but it is my duty as a
Christian (Ephesians 5:11). I have received much criticism for
exposing Ray Comfort's and Paul
Washer's false gospel. I do so without apology. Mr. Comfort is
far more subtle than John MacArthur in his false teachings; but by careful
scrutiny of Ray Comfort’s doctrinal position as compared to the inerrant
Word of God, he comes up lacking. Mr. Comfort plainly states in
THE
EVIDENCE BIBLE (in his commentary concerning John 3:16) that a person
cannot be made alive in Christ until they forsake their sins through
repentance…
“We are dead in our trespasses and sins (Ephesians 2:1) and until we forsake them through repentance, we cannot be made alive in Christ.” —Evangelist Ray Comfort
SOURCE: THE EVIDENCE BIBLE, by Ray Comfort, pg. 1345; 2003, Bridge-Logos Publishers, Orlando, Florida
Ray Comfort has a WRONG understanding of what it means to repent unto salvation. Lordship Salvation is based 100% upon a misdefining the word repent. Biblical, repentance is a change of mind, not a change of life. The very fact that the Bible repeatedly teaches eternal life is a gift proves that Lordship Salvation is unbiblical. A gift means a gift, with no strings attached. If I offer you a gift, but condition it on you shoveling the snow in front of my home, then it's not a gift. You're earning it, so it's a reward.
It's like the bank that offers you a gift (a toaster) if you open a new account. If I want the toaster, then you have to open a new account. The bank is falsely advertising. The toaster is NOT a gift. It's a reward. My friend, salvation is not a reward. We all deserve to drop into Hell's fire immediately, without delay, to be tormented forever. Forgiveness is God's gift. That's really what salvation is all about, that is, God's gift of forgiveness to us sinners. It's an insult to God to teach that faith in the death, burial and resurrection of Christ is not enough to save a sinner. If you know you're a guilty sinner for breaking God's laws and receive the Gospel as payment for your sins, then you are saved forever!!! Salvation is NOT a process; but rather, a new birth. Beware of any false prophet that teaches salvation as a lifetime process. That's the garbage that Seventh-day Adventists teach.
