Category Archives: Eternal Security

Debate Over Lordship Salvation? John 5:24 Ends It!

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By johninnc

Tonight (September 10, 2024) marks the scheduled debate between the two leading candidates for the US presidency.

According to a recent Marist survey, respondents said the most important qualities in a presidential candidate are:

  • 27% – honesty and trustworthiness
  • 22% – strong leader
  • 18% – reflects their stance on the issues
  • 16% – shared values
  • 12% – can bring about change
  • 4% – experience

So, both candidates enter tonight’s debate with the putative goal of influencing prospective voters as to their possession of these (and other) qualities.

In the world of professing Christendom, there is an ongoing debate regarding eternal life. The debate can take all sorts of forms, twists and turns, but the common themes are:

  • How is eternal life received?
  • Is eternal life eternal?
  • Can a person be assured of eternal life, and if so, on what basis?

Jesus has this to say:

John 5:24: Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.

This statement from Jesus makes it explicitly clear that eternal life is received by grace through faith in Christ, that a person receives eternal life that can never be lost or forfeited from the first moment of belief, and that assurance of eternal life rests solely on God’s promise to the believer.

In opposition to Jesus are the purveyors of the false gospel of Lordship Salvation.

Lordship Salvation (LS) is the unsupportable and unbiblical belief that the PERFORMANCE of good works, the PROMISE of good works, or the EVIDENCE of good works MUST accompany faith in Christ in order to establish, or provide evidence, that such faith has resulted in eternal life.

Many professing “Christian leaders” contradict Jesus’ clear teaching with false LS gospel substitutes – or even failing to take a firm position against LS – that lead people away from Jesus. Following are a few examples:

From: Got Questions: What is Lordship Salvation?

Lordship salvation is not a salvation-by-works doctrine. Advocates of lordship salvation are careful to say that salvation is by grace alone, that believers are saved before their faith ever produces any good works, and that Christians can and do sin. However, true salvation will inevitably lead to a changed life. The saved will be dedicated to their Savior…

Faith itself is a gift of God (Ephesians 2:1-5,8), and real faith endures forever (Philippians 1:6)…

Faith must involve a personal commitment to Christ (2 Corinthians 5:15). It is more than being convinced of the truth of the gospel; it is a forsaking of this world and a following of the Master…

(My comment: Faith itself is NOT a gift of God, faith need not involve a commitment to Christ in order to result in eternal life, and faith is NOT more than being convinced of the truth of the gospel. None of the biblical references that they have provided, nor any other passages from the Bible, support their erroneous claims. Their false claims are trumped by John 5:24).

From: The Controversial Debate: Understanding Lordship Salvation and its Implications by Adam Phillips

Implications for Christian Life and Evangelism are significant. Accepting the Lordship Salvation doctrine can lead to a more intentional and devoted Christian life. Christians who are committed to the Lordship Salvation view prioritize obedience, discipleship, and evangelism. They believe that evangelism requires presenting Christ not just as Savior but also as Lord.

Overall, understanding the concept of Lordship Salvation is crucial in comprehending the theological debates within Christianity. While many may disagree, it’s essential to have a respectful dialogue on this contentious issue as we strive to live out our faith in Christ.

(My comment: LS doctrine contradicts the gospel of Jesus Christ, and therefore has no power to save anyone, much less to lead anyone to a more devoted Christian life. Any dialogue with someone teaching LS should be to show them from the Bible why it is false. John 5:24 would be a great starting point).

From: J.D. Greear (assorted excerpts)

Salvation comes by surrendering to Christ’s lordship and believing in his finished work, whether or not you pray a prayer asking Jesus into your heart.

Neither the great Baptists of the past nor the Bible describes eternal security as a one-time ritual that produces a guarantee of salvation no matter how you live your life. They described it as the knowledge that if God had started a true work in you, he would complete it. And the way that you show your salvation is genuine is by persevering for the rest of your life.

Persevering in the faith is proof that you have the salvation you could never lose; failing to persevere shows that you never had it to begin with.

(My comment: Greear hews to the Southern Baptist Convention’s false gospel pretty closely, although he seems to be a situational Calvinist. Eternal security is a fact for someone who has eternal life. It is not based on a ritual, but on having believed in Jesus as Savior. One does not show eternal life by persevering for the rest of his life, nor anything else. Having to wait to see if you persevere would preclude the assurance of eternal life available to the believer set forth in John 5:24).

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Grab your popcorn and enjoy tonight’s presidential debate, if you are so inclined.

But, when it comes to the truth of John 5:24, there is no debate!

Lordship Salvation: Limited Hangout

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By johninnc

John 5:24: Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.

In recent months, we have seen first a trickle and now a parade of the architects of the covid response admitting to some of their errors. It’s kind of a dismissive “mistakes were made” kind of thing, that some make willingly, and others under compulsion. In any event, I have seen none of the perpetrators come straight out and admit that what they did was a complete fiasco that did not improve the outcome, but did eviscerate human rights and diminish trust in their institutions. Instead, what they are engaging in is known as a “limited hangout.”

From “wikipedia”:

A limited hangout or partial hangout is a tactic used in media relation, perception management, politics, and information management. The tactic originated as a technique in the espionage trade.

Concept

According to Victor Marchetti, a former special assistant to the Deputy Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), a limited hangout is “spy jargon for a favorite and frequently used gimmick of the clandestine professionals. When their veil of secrecy is shredded and they can no longer rely on a phony cover story to misinform the public, they resort to admitting—sometimes even volunteering—some of the truth while still managing to withhold the key and damaging facts in the case. The public, however, is usually so intrigued by the new information that it never thinks to pursue the matter further.” While used by the CIA and other intelligence organizations, the tactic has become popularized in the corporate and political spheres.

Note: I have removed links and footnote references.

While many of the people at the epicenter of either the disease or the official response to it are participating in a limited hangout, some of their adherents (“covidians”) are doubling down and insisting that the only failure in the response was not doing it earlier and with more forcefulness.

In the world of professing christendom, the false religion of Lordship “salvation” (LS) is a sort of limited hangout. That is, LS adherents will often rightfully concede that certain practices are not required to receive, retain, or provide evidence that one has received eternal life, while still hanging on to other unbiblical conditions.

So, what do I mean by LS?

LS is the unsupportable and unbiblical belief that the PERFORMANCE of good works, the PROMISE of good works, or the EVIDENCE of good works MUST accompany faith in Christ in order to establish, or provide evidence, that such faith has resulted in eternal life.

In diametrical opposition to LS, Jesus said that anyone who believes in Him has everlasting life as a present possession that can never be lost or forfeited, and that there is no need to look for performance-based assurance of eternal life.

Most religions claiming the name of Christ errantly imbed works either explicitly (Roman Catholicism, Church of Christ, etc.) or implicitly through LS (Southern Baptist, Billy Graham Evangelical Association, Presbyterian Church USA, etc.) into the gospel, thereby creating myriad false gospels. The ones that are most explicit are purists in their beliefs, while the others, either wittingly or unwittingly, are engaging in limited hangouts. There really is no difference in the various stripes – all roads lead to Rome, as they say.

I was reminded of this on a recent trip to Italy. While we were waiting in the airport for our return flight from Rome, there was a large, affable, gregarious young man chirping away to anyone with whom he could engage about his conversion to Roman Catholicism. I was unable to hear everything he said, but I did hear that he had grown up Southern Baptist (LS), had wanted to become a Southern Baptist pastor, but had converted to Roman Catholicism. He had jumped out of the frying pan into the friar, as it were (sorry for the pun). I also gleaned that he was particularly enamored with catholic artifacts and sacraments. I conjectured that this young man knew that Southern Baptist theology was errant, but like the covidians, he thought that doubling down on error might correct it. I hope that he will continue to search until he finds the right answer.

John 5:24 vs. Heaven’s Gate(keepers)

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 By johninnc

Luke 8:5 A sower went out to sow his seed: and as he sowed, some fell by the way side; and it was trodden down, and the fowls of the air devoured it.

In 1997, a fringe religious cult named Heaven’s Gate made news headlines by committing mass suicide. I won’t go into the details behind this group’s delusional UFO-based religion. The only silver lining to this story was that it was a very small movement.

By way of contrast, there is a very large delusional religious group of loosely-affiliated false teachers and their followers that I will euphemistically nickname as “Heaven’s Gatekeepers.” Heaven’s gatekeepers are self-appointed guardians of grace, who have super-imposed their false religious beliefs onto the gospel. In so doing, they attempt to trod into the ground the seeds of the Sower by spreading counterfeit seeds.

So, what is the seed of the Sower, and who do Heaven’s Gatekeepers represent?

Luke 8:11-12: Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.

According to the above verse, the seed of the Sower is the word of God. The devil is the one who would take the words out of the hearts of the hearers. It follows that those who counterfeit the gospel of Jesus Christ with their false gospels are doing the work of the devil.

John 5:24: Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.

The Bible is explicitly clear that eternal life is received by grace through faith in Christ, that a person receives eternal life that can never be lost or forfeited from the first moment of belief, and that assurance of eternal life rests solely on God’s promise to the believer.

Alternatively, Lordship “salvation” (LS) encompasses myriad false teachings that emphasize the PERFORMANCE of good works, the PROMISE of good works, or the EVIDENCE of good works as essential accompaniments of (or even components of) faith in Christ. LS points to works as necessary to receiving, or at least providing evidence, that faith in Christ has indeed resulted in eternal life.

LS is one of the choice weapons of Heaven’s Gatekeepers. Let’s look at a few examples:

Repentance to be true, to be evangelical, must be a repentance which really affects our outward conduct… All sin must be given up, or else you shall never have Christ: all transgression must be renounced, or else the gates of heaven must be barred against you.

The above quote comes from famed 19th century preacher Charles Haddon Spurgeon, who is often praised as “The Prince of Preachers,” and who is still quoted far and wide. Spurgeon contradicts God’s word by his cynical insistence that repentance, which he defines as turning from sin, is a requirement for receiving eternal life. This concept is completely alien to biblical scripture.

God does undoubtedly command us both to repent, and to bring forth fruits meet for repentance; which if we willingly neglect, we cannot reasonably expect to be justified at all: therefore both repentance, and fruits meet for repentance, are, in some sense, necessary to justification.

This statement has been attributed to John Wesley, an 18th century theologian who started the Methodist movement within the Church of England. No matter his credentials, Wesley conditions the possession of eternal life on not willfully neglecting good works. Note that any assurance of eternal life would be impossible under this false condition, and any attempt at assurance would be mis-focused.

 Just to say “believe in Christ” can produce a false assurance of the hope of Heaven. Jesus spoke often about the gift of eternal life. To make it clear, He said, “Count the cost.”

The late Billy Graham, often referred to as “the Protestant Pope,” made this ridiculous claim. Jesus never said that one must “count the cost” to receive eternal life. Eternal life is a free gift, with no cost or obligation to the recipient. Otherwise, it would be a trade.

You see, the outward change is often without the inward. However, the inward change is never without the outward…

Good intentions are not enough. Agreeing with what I have said here is not enough. You must admit you are a sinner, repent of that sin, and put your faith in Christ. 

Greg Laurie, founder of the Harvest Crusades and the subject of the 2023 film “Jesus Revolution” made these false claims. He incorporates all three facets of LS  – the promise of good works, the performance of good works, and the evidence of good works – in this phony gospel appeal.

(Following are some prominent members of the “faith community” who are on record as having endorsed Greg Laurie’s “Harvest Crusade”: Billy Graham, Rick Warren, Jack Graham, Ronnie Floyd, Robert Morris, George Wood, Tony Evans, Matt Chandler, Judd Wilhite, James MacDonald, Wayne Cordero, Craig Groeschel, Donald Akin, Kevin Ezell, James Merritt, Steve Gains, Sandy Adams, JD Greear, Frank Cox, Chuck Swindoll, Wilfredo “Choco” De Jesús, Levi Lusko, Bayless Conely, Max Lucado, Bart Millard, Jentezen Franklin, Phil Wickham).

Jesus is the straight gate and the narrow way that leads to life. Don’t listen to the foul flock of fowls who have appointed themselves as gatekeepers.

For more information about the free gift of eternal life, click here: The Gospel

A Walkabout with the Whatabout

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By johninnc

John 3:16: 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.

The beauty of John 3:16 is that it is clear, concise, spoken with authority, and by the ultimate Authority. If there were any exceptions to the truth of this statement, then it wouldn’t be true. Accordingly, any time we find ourselves looking for, or considering exceptions to this statement, we are on the wrong track.

John 5:24: Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.

John 5:24 highlights that the eternal life spoken of in John 3:16 begins the moment a person believes in Jesus as Savior, and can never be lost or forfeited. In other words, that eternal life is…eternal. And, there are NO additional conditions given for assurance of eternal life.

Please note that the “great debates” about grace vs. Calvinism/Lordship “salvation,” unconditional eternal security  vs. conditional security of the believer, and the only legitimate basis for assurance of eternal life have ALL been settled by the words of Jesus Himself.

Much of my ministry, both here, and at the Expreacherman site, has been to help dispel the endless searches for exceptions to the gospel truth. The permutations are almost endless, but here are some of the types of objections raised:

  • What about head faith vs. heart faith?
  • What about Matthew 7:23?
  • What about demon belief?
  • What about fruit?
  • What about life change?
  • What about repentance from sin?
  • What about verses that seem to say people can lose eternal life?
  • What about people who don’t want to change their lives?

The “what about” questions have lots of sources, including: a pre-existing mindset; a natural understanding of man’s ways (“there’s no such thing as a free lunch”) as opposed to God’s ways (“…the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord”); biblical scripture misused or not used in the proper context; “church history;” denominational creeds; and authority figures.

Anyone who has believed in Jesus as Savior needs to be aware that he will likely face a barrage of “what about” questions regarding the truth of the gospel, and he should be able to confidently answer them.

Our adversary is very cunning, and will try to use any and every device to create doubt as to how to have eternal life, whether or not eternal life is unequivocally eternal, and the proper source of assurance.

Our statement of faith includes the following:

We reject any purported scriptural interpretation or other teaching that violates any of the following clear tenets of scripture:

  • Eternal life is received by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone
  • Eternal life can never be lost or forfeited
  • Assurance of eternal life can only be based on God’s promise

I have learned to be particularly alert to false scriptural interpretations that violate our source for assurance of eternal life. Any teaching that even hints that one must look to positive life changes as either the basis for assurance of eternal life, or even as “supplemental” assurance of eternal life should be rejected outright,

If you have heard the “what about” questions, and would like to know what the Bible says about how to have eternal life, click here: THE GOSPEL

Lordship Salvation: Faith, Trust, and Pixie Dust

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By johninnc

Now, everybody try one, two, three!
We can fly! we can fly! we can fly!
This won't do what's the matter with you?
All it takes is faith and trust oh!
And something I forgot Dust!
Dust? Dust?
Yep! Just a little bit of pixie dust

From the song You Can Fly! You Can Fly! You Can Fly! (Disney's "Peter Pan")

Faith, trust, and pixie dust. If you “truly believe,” plus have some pixie dust, then you’ll be able to fly.  If you can’t fly, you either lack faith and trust, or you lack pixie dust.

This seems pretty innocuous for a fairy tale. But, when it becomes a metaphor for how to have eternal life, the results can be catastrophic. Such is the false gospel of Lordship “salvation” (LS).

LS is the unsupportable and unbiblical belief that the PERFORMANCE of good works, the PROMISE of good works, or the EVIDENCE of good works MUST accompany faith in Christ in order to establish, or provide evidence, that such faith has resulted in eternal life.

The Bible, on the other hand, teaches that one receives eternal life, that can never be lost or forfeited, upon believing in Jesus as Savior. And, the Bible also teaches that the proper basis for assurance of eternal life is God’s promise alone, without reference to any evidence of works, life change, etc.

John 5:24: Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.

A recent article entitled “Christians Take Action Against a ‘Woke’ Disney,” by James Hirson, lists favorably people both associated with the false gospel of LS and the charismatic movement. Following are short excerpts from the article (bold), followed by my comments:

The Burbank protest also featured Pastor Rob McCoy from Godspeak Calvary Chapel in Newbury Park, California, and Pastor Samuel Deuth from the Awakened Church in San Diego.

My comment: Godspeak Calvary Chapel teaches a false LS gospel. Following is an excerpt from “what we believe”:

When a person repents of sin and accepts Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and Lord, trusting Him to save, that person is immediately born again and sealed by the Holy Spirit, all his/her sins are forgiven, and that person becomes a child of God, destined to spend eternity with the Lord.

Notice the word “and” that is added to belief in Jesus. That “and” conditions receipt of the free gift of eternal life on repenting of sin. This is not biblical.

Awaken Church has the following under “Articles of Faith”:

We believe in the baptism of the Holy Spirit as a gift available to believers subsequent to the new birth, with the normal initial evidence of speaking in other tongues (Luke 11:13; Acts 2:4)...

The redemptive work of Christ on the cross provides healing of the human body in answer to believing prayer (Isa 53:4-5; Matt 8:17).

My comment: the baptism of the Holy Spirit occurs with EVERY believer immediately upon belief in Jesus as Savior. There is no necessary outward evidence of baptism of the Holy Spirit, and certainly NOT speaking in tongues. Further, the atonement guarantees eternal life to all believers, but does not guarantee physical healing.

Spiritual gifts such as prophecy, tongues (languages), and faith healings were manifestations of the Holy Spirit’s power solely for the demonstration of God’s wisdom, purpose and power in the establishment of the early church. We believe these gifts have ceased to exist, now that scripture is complete. 1 Corinthians 13:8.

Perhaps one of the most worrisome for The Mouse House is the recent statement by highly influential Samaritan’s Purse president Franklin Graham.

“When I was young, my father @BillyGraham took me to visit Mr. Walt Disney,” Franklin recently stated in a tweet.

“We weren’t allowed to watch many TV programs growing up, but because of Mr. Disney’s commitment to wholesome entertainment, parents had confidence in their content. That has sure changed!” he said…

My comment: Franklin Graham has taken the reigns of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA), the organization founded by his late father. The BGEA teaches a false LS gospel of works, as found on its website under “Steps to Peace with God.” Following is an excerpt:

To receive Christ you need to do four things:

1. ADMIT your spiritual need. “I am a sinner.”

2. REPENT and be willing to turn from your sin.

3. BELIEVE that Jesus Christ died for you on the cross.

4. RECEIVE, through prayer, Jesus Christ into your heart and life

My comment: The Bible says anyone who believes the gospel has eternal life that can never be lost or forfeited. Nowhere does scripture say that a person must be willing to turn from sin in order to receive the free gift of eternal life. If one had to be willing to turn from sin in order to receive eternal life, then eternal life would not be a gift – it would be a trade. And, nowhere does the Bible say that one must receive through prayer, Jesus Christ into his heart and life.

False gospels mix faith and works in a fatal recipe. Faith in Christ plus works for eternal life is simply faith in works for eternal life, just like “faith, trust, and pixie dust” as a recipe for being able to fly is simply faith in pixie dust.

So, in a sense, LS is just “faith, trust, and pixie dust” with the label of “Christianity” appended to it.

Disney is a “woke” corporation that seems intent on destroying its legacy. But, Disney has never purported to tell people how to have eternal life. Ministries that purport to be Christian, but which teach false gospels, are much more dangerous.

If you would like to know how to have eternal life click here: The Gospel

Where COVID (And Everything Else) Meets John 5:24

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By johninnc

I recently suffered a tough bout with COVID that had me wondering whether I would ever recover. I have to admit it was frightening, at times, to languish for a couple of weeks, being very sick and showing no signs of improvement.

But, it was very reassuring to know, throughout this and all the other trials in my life, that I have eternal life that can never be lost or forfeited.

I shared this sentiment on a public news website, and I got some very sad responses.

The first commenter had this to say: It is impossible for you to know that, since you haven’t died. It’s just this kind of pretending to know things you can’t know that poisons everything.

My response: Nope. Unless you think Jesus is a liar, it is possible to know that you have eternal life right now.

A second commenter weighed in with: Nobody thinks Jesus was a liar. There are other possibilities other than the ones fundamentalist apologists present (either you live forever if you’re saved, or Jesus was a liar). For instance, he could have been wrong. Or he could have been speaking figuratively, as he was wont to do. Or he could have not actually said those things. There are many possibilities here. We don’t have to accept any of them. We can humbly hope the one we like the best is true. There is no harm in that.

My response: Humbly hoping is not believing.

The first commenter came back with: Considering there likely was no Jesus, and that if there was, he most certainly was not divine, then yeah, Jesus was a con artist.

_____________________________________________________________________________

The above exchanges were very sad, with people stating their disbelief in Jesus as Savior. Neither commenter professed to believing in the Deity of Christ. The second commenter professed belief that Jesus was not a liar, but then contradicted Jesus’ claim of Deity by saying that “Jesus could have been wrong,” among other false statements. The first commenter turned out to be a mocker.

These comments are just a small sample of error regarding the following clear tenets of Biblical scripture:

1.  Eternal life is received by Grace alone through Faith alone in Christ alone. Eternal life is received the moment one believes in Christ as Savior, not after one dies.

2.  Eternal life, once received, can never be lost or forfeited.

3.  One may be assured of eternal life, based on God’s promises alone (i.e., assurance cannot be obtained, nor reinforced, from internally-focused changes in attitudes, behavior, etc.).

The Bible consistently affirms these truths. Following is a Bible verse that states them very succinctly:

John 5:24: Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.

Can you understand what this verse means? “Believeth” means that one receives eternal life by believing the gospel message. Nothing else enters into it. “Hath everlasting life” means that eternal life is a present possession. A person who has received eternal life has it now. Eternal means eternal! “Shall not come into condemnation” means that a person who has believed in Jesus as Savior never needs to be concerned about “maintaining” eternal life. It is a done deal. It is in God’s unfailing hands. “Is passed from death unto life” means that a person who has believed in Jesus as Savior has eternal life!

What wonderful promises, from Jesus Himself!

I’ve done a lot of living since COVID arrived on the scene. I would have rather not gotten sick, but I did, and God is healing me. Eventually, all of us who are physically alive now and who also have eternal life will die physically from something, or be evacuated from this world via the rapture of the church. Then, we will be forever with Jesus.

Those who die without believing in Jesus as Savior will never have eternal life. They may avoid COVID, and may live to be centenarians, but they still will never have eternal life.

These are the only two possible outcomes for everyone.

If you would like to know more about how to have eternal life, click here: THE GOSPEL