By David J. Stewart
Aiden W. Tozer (April 21, 1897 to May 12, 1963) was a false prophet! Mr. Tozer unquestionably taught Lordship Salvation. At one time I viewed him as a great man of God, but then one day realized that he taught a false gospel.
Now at first glance the following statement from Mr. Tozer seems true, but if we think carefully about the implications of what Tozer is teaching, it become highly subjective and open to hot debate. If a person must be willing to reform (change) to be saved, then what about the young couple who are shacking up in fornication and have no intentions of getting married? Does Tozer mean that God will not save them unless they are willing to marry? That is what Tozer is teaching.
Or how about a woman who is a drunkard, chemically addicted. Does she have to commit to attend alcohol rehab to be saved, because there's no way that a person can be delivered from chemical alcohol or drug dependency without medical treatment. Maybe some people can, but most cannot. I've suffered inexplicable afflictions (withdrawal symptoms) just trying to give up prescription Percocet, Dilaudid, Morphine Sulfate, and Oxycontin. You don't just walk away from alcohol, crystal meth and heroine addiction and all the sins associated: theft, prostitution, gangs, et cetera.
In the real world it's not that easy to just “stop sinning.” That's why a person needs Jesus Christ, that is, to get saved and then the Holy Spirit of God can begin to work in that person's life, but it TAKES TIME, depending how far gone a person has sunk into the depths of Satan (Revelation 2:24). The matter of salvation has nothing to do with a willingness to reform or change. Pastor Harry Ironside makes this abundantly clear in his excellent sermon, WHAT IS THE GOSPEL? God saves any sinner that trusts upon Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God, without any demand that the sinner be willing to change.
I think Tozer's teachings are arrogant, highbrow, snobbish, pompous, self-righteousness. Mr. Tozer errantly states:
"In the Bible the offer of pardon on the part of God is conditioned upon intention to reform on the part of man. There can be no spiritual regeneration till there has been a moral reformation" (The Best of A.W. Tozer, Book 2, pg. 115-117; Compiled by Warren W. Wiersbe).
Wrong! Salvation is receiving, NOT giving. Mr. Tozer requires sinners to "reform" themselves before they can be saved. This goes totally contrary to the plainest teaching in the Bible. Romans 4:5 states: "But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness." Mr. Tozer is teaching works salvation!!! Salvation is a free gift, freely given and freely received.
May I remind you of the precious Words our Lord
spoke in 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.” Believe and
the work is done!
Pastor Harry Ironside (1876-1951) Has it Correct
Please read the following excellent explanation of the Gospel by former Moody Memorial Church pastor, Harry A. Ironside (1876-1951)...
“The Gospel is not a call to repentance, or to amendment of our ways, to make restitution for past sins, or to promise to do better in the future. These things are proper in their place, but they do not constitute the Gospel; for the Gospel is not good advice to be obeyed, it is good news to be believed. Do not make the mistake then of thinking that the Gospel is a call to duty or a call to reformation, a call to better your condition, to behave yourself in a more perfect way than you have been doing in the past …
Nor is the Gospel a demand that you give up the world, that you give up your sins, that you break off bad habits, and try to cultivate good ones. You may do all these things, and yet never believe the Gospel and consequently never be saved at all.”
SOURCE: Dr. Harry A. Ironside, from the sermon: What Is The Gospel?
Clearly, Ironside correctly taught a Free Grace view of the Gospel. Amen! Don't mess with the Gospel. Just believe it!
Aiden Tozer's False Gospel
According to Mr. Tozer's errant theology, a lost sinner who wants to get saved, but is unwilling to marry his live-in girlfriend, cannot. Tozer clearly states that a person's salvation is CONDITIONED upon one's intention to reform. This is the same heresy that Jack T. Chick teaches in his Chick tracts. This is the same heresy that John MacArthur and Ray Comfort teach. Salvation is not conditional upon anything other than a person coming as a sinner in need of the Savior. John 6:29 reads, "Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent." The only prerequisite to being saved is that you become guilty before God (Romans 3:19), and then believe on the Lord Jesus Christ to remedy those sins (Acts 16:31).
I realize that Aiden W. Tozer is a highly respected man by many people, BUT we must follow the teachings of the Word of God and not men. Psalm 118:8 says, "It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man." Mr. Tozer is dead wrong when he states: "There can be no spiritual regeneration till there has been a moral reformation." If we have to reform as a prerequisite to being saved, then where does the gift of God fit in? According to Romans 5:5 and 6:23, eternal life is a FREE GIFT, paid for by Jesus' precious blood (1st Peter 1:18,19). Mr. Tozer taught heresy, a false gospel called "Lordship Salvation."
The proponents of Lordship Salvation (or the notion that a person must be willing to change to be saved) allege that preachers such as myself believe that a person can get saved and then go out and live like they never found Christ at all. That is not what I believe, nor do I know anyone else who believes that. Although I do believe that a person can be saved and continue in sin without fear of losing their salvation (for the gospel is free to whosoever believes), the Bible plainly teaches in Hebrews 12:6-8 that God will chastise His children. If you do get saved and choose to continue in sin, God will chastise you and deal with you in His own manner and time. God doesn't give anyone permission to continue in sin (Romans 3:31). God gives all men the freedom to make their own choices, but no one has God's permission to sin, no one.
Please keep in mind that reforming, living a consecrated life and surrendering one's life to Jesus Christ have absolutely NOTHING to do with the gift of eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 6:23; Ephesians 2:8-9). Eternal life is a free gift, paid for by Jesus' precious literal blood (1st Peter 1:18-19; 1st John 1:7; Revelation 1:5). Salvation is freely available to all humanity though the finished redemptive work of Christ. There are no requirements, nor strings attached, nor obligations... it is a gift, paid in full.
All you need to do is believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God Who came into the world and died, was buried, and rose again for your sins. Believe and the work is done (John 20:31). When I say “believe” I don't mean head knowledge, I mean that you make a decision that you're going to rely upon Jesus, because of what He did to pay for your sins, to get you into Heaven. You trust upon the name of Jesus and you're saved!!!
END
Notable Quotes by Dr. Aiden Tozer
Here are some powerful quotes by Pastor Tozer. I would like to think that Mr. Tozer was confused on repentance and simply chose his words poorly, but he said what he said, and he's wrong. To teach that a person must reform their life in order to trust Christ is works salvation. My loyalty is to God and the Bible, and not to any man or religious institution.
"In many churches Christianity has been watered down until the solution is so weak that if it were poison it would not hurt anyone, and if it were medicine it would not cure anyone!" — I Talk Back to the Devil — A.W. Tozer.
"What comes to mind when we think about God is the most important thing about us." — The Knowledge of the Holy — A.W. Tozer
"It is doubtful whether God can bless a man greatly until He has hurt him deeply." — Glorify his name! Root of the Righteous" — A. W. Tozer; Chapter 39.
"A real Christian is an odd number, anyway. He feels supreme love for the One whom he has never seen; talks familiarly every day to Someone he cannot see; expects to go to heaven on the virtue of Another; empties himself in order to be full; admits he is wrong so he can be declared right; goes down in order to get up; is strongest when he is weakest; richest when he is poorest and happiest when he feels the worst.
He dies so he can live; forsakes in order to have; gives away so he can keep; sees the invisible; hears the inaudible’ and knows that which passeth understanding." — A. W. Tozer.
"Faith is seeing the invisible, but not the non-existent." — A. W. Tozer.
"Our religious activities should be ordered in such a way as to leave plenty of time for the cultivation of the fruits of solitude and silence." — A. W. Tozer, on the fast-paced modern church
"God wants us to worship Him. He doesn't need us, for He couldn't be a self-sufficient God and need anything or anybody, but He wants us. When Adam sinned it was not he who cried, 'God, where art Thou?' It was God who cried, 'Adam, where art thou?'" — Worship: The Missing Jewel, A. W. Tozer
"I have found God to be cordial and generous and in every way easy to live with." — A. W. Tozer, reflecting on his relationship with God
"Here's a test to see if your mission in life is finished, if you're still alive it's not" — A.W. Tozer
"...if my fire is not large, it is yet real, and there may be those who can light their candle at its flame." — A. W. Tozer, foreword to The Pursuit of God
"Some of my friends good-humoredly – and some a little bit severely – have called me a 'mystic.' Well I'd like to say this about any mysticism I may suppose to have. If an
arch-angel from heaven were to come, and were to start giving me, telling me, teaching me, and giving me instruction, I'd ask him for the text. I'd say, 'Where's it say that in the Bible? I want to know.' And I would insist that it was according to the scriptures, because I do not believe in any extra-scriptural teachings, nor any anti-scriptural teachings, or any sub-scriptural teachings. I think we ought to put the emphasis where God puts it, and continue to put it there, and to expound the scriptures, and stay by the scriptures. I wouldn't – no matter if I saw a light above the light of the sun, I'd keep my mouth shut about it 'til I'd checked with Daniel and Revelation and the rest of the scriptures to see if it had any basis in truth. And if it didn't, I'd think I'd just eaten something I shouldn't, and I wouldn't say anything about it. Because I don't believe in anything that is unscriptural or that is anti-scripture." — What Difference Does the Holy Spirit Make? — A. W. Tozer
"Historians will conclude that we of the 20th century had the genius to create a great civilization, But we lacked the moral wisdom to preserve it"" — A.W. Tozer
