Paul Washer is a Delusional, Convoluted Calvinist: Beware!
Paul Washer Preaching Repentance, Hell, and Sin? WHY Bother?!
How Very Absurd for Calvinists like Paul Washer, Tim Conway, John MacArthur, John Piper, Vodie Baucham, Etc. to preach these things! How Very Absurd!
Trio of Calvinist Frauds
Wolves in sheep’s clothing like John MacArthur, Vodie Baucham, and Paul Washer, etc. preach repentance and yet these frauds are all calvinists and so they believe that no one can make the free will choice to obey Jesus’ command to repent. To call this convoluted delusionment would be an understatement. Run from these calvinist warlocks! | Calvinism is Heresy
Calvinists are snakes. They hide this evil, demonic system of beliefs just like Satan attempted to hide his identity when he entered the pristine, sinless Garden, infiltrating, to deceive the man and woman. His first lie was the OSAS/ES/perseverance of the saints lie which led to the fall of mankind and is still leading to the damnation of millions (Gen 2:17; 3:4).
Beware. Personally, I do not collude with and find common ground with calvinists. Calvisnism is “another gospel” and those preaching it are “accursed.” (Galatians 1:6-9) Vodie Baucham and Paul Washer are calvinist snakes. These wolves can scream all they want as they seek to be profound in their staged speech. I don’t buy it. They are both convoluted heretics. Finding reasons to fellowship with a calvinist is no different than seeking to have communion with catholics. In fact. John Calvin admittedly got his heretical doctrines from a catholic named Augustine. | The Historical Roots of Calvinism
Paul Washer is a calvinist which makes him a false teacher. Calvinists believe the heresy of “perseverance of the saints” and you wonder why they don’t fear the LORD? Why he doesn’t preach in the fear of the LORD? Calvinisms “perseverance of the saints” heresy is paramount to the eternal security/once saved always saved lie from hell.
Is it warranted to call out Paul Washer? This is a warranted warning (Romans 16:17-18; Jude 3-4, etc.). Paul Washer is a typical calvinist snake who hides behind a few truths and then poisons the baited victims later. Speaking of doctrine, Paul warns: “A LITTLE leaven leaveneth (ruins) the whole lump.” (Galatians 5:9)
Paul told us that any man or even an angel from Heaven (not hell) “preach ANY other gospel”, such a person is “accursed.” (Galatians 1:6-9) Calvinism is clearly another gospel, a false gospel.
WHEN you hear someone use the terminology “sovereign grace” you know you are dealing with a deceived calvinist who has bought into a false gospel that intentionally over-emphasizes grace while ignoring divine holiness and justice and the God-given conditions for abiding in Christ. Cross-less. Rebuke and run if they don’t repent – which they most likely won’t because they are intoxicated with this delusion. Calvinism is a system, a set of doctrines of devils that grossly misrepresents Christ and His original Gospel!
Calvinism and the Devils who Peddle it Busted!
Calvinism is an extra-biblical system of theology which blatantly contradicts clear, known Scripture. 1 John 2:2 alone exposes calvinism as a doctrinal system of devils.
1 John 2:2 alone disproves the whole grace-perverting extra-biblical system of calvinism. “THE SINS OF THE WHOLE WORLD.”
Much of that which is called “the deeper life” is laced with calvinistic poison and not truly centered on Christ at all. It refuses His call, His mandate for the crucified life Jesus and replaces it with sin-justifying heresy – the 5 points of calvinism. Beware!
Beware that people like John MacArthur, Arthur Pink, and Charles Spurgeon are calvinists. Though they may have some good quotes, their doctrinal pond is poisonous.
Personally, I stay away from the “revivalist” and church history and stick with the Scriptures which are pure (Proverbs 30:5-6). | Church History or the Scriptures?
When a preacher has to always be yelling, does that raise a red flag? What’s hiding?
We should be careful who we quote. If we bid Godspeed to a heretic, using one of his GOOD quotes, we’re still pointing people to that man (2 John 9-10). Example: Personally, you will never see a Paul Washer or Charles Spurgeon quote on my page, even though they both have/had made true statements. WHY you ask? Simple, Washer and Spurgeon are calvinists and calvinism is an extra-biblical system of heresy that grossly perverts the character and original Gospel of the LORD.
MESSAGE RECEIVED:
“I listened to Paul Washer a couple times. He sounded very mean spirited and started to doubt my salvation several years ago as a baby Christian. Glad I got away from him!” Sarah
REPLY:
Yes well as we peer into the demonic doctrines of calvinism it becomes obvious as to the arrogance.
This email message (below) makes me think of how people like Paul Washer (a vile calvinist) sensationalize being a “radical” follower of Jesus. Makes me wonder if Satan’s plan in this type preaching isn’t to separate people from God through these type ministries that seem to complicate and sensationalize the simplicity of the Gospel of Jesus, living humbly while denying self daily and following Jesus (Luke 9:23-24). I wonder if the effect of this type glorification of becoming a “radical” doesn’t have the opposite effect of what it seems on the surface to be aimed at. This below came in my email today. Please pray for this dear lady named Ana.
“To begin with, I was born again about 10 years ago but most of that time I’ve been severely depressed to the point of losing all hope in this life. Basically many of my spiritual struggles stemmed from an inaccurate view of God that I developed by reading all kinds of very radical books and sermons which made me afraid of God and biblical Christianity. I have some better days but I still struggle with a lot of things and I wish I could be like others, just fully trusting and following the Lord with an open heart.”
— WHY would any calvinist (like Washer) bother street preaching or doing any ministry since in their demented view, God sovereignly elects some to eternal life and some to damnation without the personal will of the individual, forcing them to be His whether they like it or not? The Idiocy of Calvinism
Paul Washer seeks to hide his calvinistic heresies. He refuses to come out and admit that he espouses this diabolical system of theology. He will not come out and admit it when asked which adds to the concern. Washer is deceitfully hiding the fact that he embraces these diabolical beliefs.
Calvinism is doctrine and the image of Satan, not God. God is love and so loved the whole world that He gave Himself on that cross …. Jesus told us before He went to that cross that when He did He would “draw all men” to Himself (John 12:32). WHY O WHY would Jesus tell us He was going to “draw all men” if His intention wasn’t to save all men? (John 12:32; 1 Timothy 2:4; 2 Peter 3:9) God’s Word informs us that Jesus Christ is “the propitiation (atoning sacrifice) for the sins of WHOLE world.” (1 John 2:2) It’s time to repent of this damning system of heresies before it’s too late. All who teach calvinism are hell bound false teachers without exception.
Calvinists are Snakes
Works-Based Salvation, Dramatizing Story Teller Paul Washer Exposed Also as a Vile Calvinist
“For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. 14 And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. 15 Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.” 2 Corinthians 11:13-15
Every false leader has his own unique niche gig to build his constituency – his following. Beguilers use the phenomenon of the cult of personality to gain and build their following. There seems to be contrived emotional fakery and theatrics added to Paul Washer’s preaching, preying upon those who long for the truth. Yet, such a lack of truth speakers in this late hour does nothing to justify using this vacuum to exploit others with human drama, antics, and effects to capture the affections of their hearts while robbing Christ of this glory (Colossians 2:6-10, 18-19). Anti means in place of and any human leader who puts himself in place of Christ by not elevating Christ alone, is an “antichrist.” (2 Thessalonians 2:1-4; Colossians 2:4-10, 18-19; 1 John 2:18; 4:1-6) Some are claiming that Paul Washer has been elevated as a type of pope among reformed theology adherents and evangelical circles.
Mike Manners writes:
“These Paul Washer fans are seeking to establish their own Righteousness through their human works. Lordship Salvationists require people to forsake their sinful lifestyle to be saved. Jesus never asked us to give up anything to be saved—He simply told us to BELIEVE. Jesus proclaimed in John 11:25, ‘I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live.’ Salvation is a FREE GIFT as Romans 5:15 states, paid for by the precious blood of Jesus Christ. ‘Repentance’ in the Bible simply means ‘a change of mind.’ The changed life comes later, as we grow in the Lord (1st Peter 2:2). A changed life is the result, or fruit, of genuine repentance, and not repentance itself. We don’t go to Heaven because of what we are doing, but because of where we are looking to…JESUS!”
Perhaps something in us wants to feel like we ourselves are meriting or helping in the LORD saving us. This is part of the fallen nature which must be denied, crucified. Scripture states:
“Now to him that worketh (tries to earn salvation) is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. 5 But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.” Romans 4:4-5
What does any mere man or men have that isn’t in Scripture or is above Holy Scripture? Zilch.
Paul Washer has an agenda of his own and this is clear for at least two reasons:
- He is a calvinist which means he operates by an un-biblical, anti-biblical system of theology, and,
- Washer goes on and on and on without Scripture.
When a man preaches what seems to be very good doctrine and yet seldom reads a lot of Scripture compared to his own words, that man believes his own words are more powerful and more important than the LORD’s.
“Speak with my words unto them.” Ezekiel 3:4
“If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles (written Word) of God.” 1 Peter 4:11
IT’S pure idolatry that people will listen to Paul Washer for an hour or more and yet won’t read God’s Word for themselves for an hour. Wow! Then they will attack the messengers who are bringing this to the light. Jesus warns us to “repent” before it’s too late. He’s calling His true Bride to relinquish all human idols of the heart and to set their affections upon Him alone:
“Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. 5 Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.” Revelation 2:4-5
Those who are impressed with mere men either 1) do not know the Almighty LORD and Savior, OR 2) are very immature spiritually.
To the astute Bible student who puts no one before Christ and the final authority of His Word, Washer should be easily detected by his imposter spirit and false doctrine (Acts 17:11; 2 Timothy 2:15; 1 John 4:1-6). Something in us should have been alarmed from the onset of watching Washer.
If you are upset because your favorite calvinist preacher is being examined, you do not understand the Word of God nor do you comprehend the Christ-denying, diabolical perversion of calvinism and perhaps have no clue as to how important pure doctrine is to the LORD. Any leader who believes and peddles the demonic doctrines of calvinism is a dangerous man at best and should be avoided and marked, no matter how much truth he does preach. There’s deadly poison in the pond. In the depths of his heart, the calvinist is the very enemy of the cross of Christ, willingly deceived, and a mocking betrayer of the Almighty. Most who buy into the OSAS and calvinistic cancer are simply those who refuse to die to self and so migrate to this sin-justifying system of theology, concocted by men and devils, that dismisses them from all personal responsibility to die to self (Matthew 16:24-25; Luke 9:23-24; Galatians 2:20; 5:24, etc.). Such a system of lies makes God out to be the very author of sin (James 1:13-15). Sound Doctrine for a Glorious Church
As you will see below, to escape the scourge of being named a calvinist, Paul Washer cleverly calls himself a “5-Point Spurgeonist” which means calvinist without attaching the label of “calvinist” to himself. Charles Spurgeon, called by some “the prince of preachers,” was a calvinist. This alone tells us that God has nothing to do with Spurgeon being called “the prince of preachers.” To true Bible believers, the apostle Paul is perhaps the princely preacher. In other words, if any mere man were to merit such a title, it would be one of Christ’s divinely authenticated apostles.
Earnestly contending for the faith once delivered to the saints is a divine mandate – especially against those who are turning the saving grace of God into a license for sin and that’s exactly what the heresies of calvinism do (Jude 3-4). Paul says that “a little leaveneth the whole lump” and so while Spurgeon taught some biblical truth, he poisoned the pond with calvinism’s cancerous doctrine of devils. Here’s the roots of calvinism, rooted in catholicism. Calvinism by Ken Rieske
Paul Washer and the Pope Connection Exposed! | Paul Washer is in League with Known Heretic John MacArthur – 2 Pawns in a Pod!
Remember, those who believe and teach “another gospel,” which is anything other than the original Gospel, are “accursed.” (Galatians 1:6-9) So, on this divine authority – that of the very Word of God – we can soundly know that those who teach Satan’s system of theology (such as calvinism and eternal security) are not Christians but rather evil and stealthy imposters (Genesis 2:17; 3:4). Beware because some of those who are exposing Paul Washer are still deceived into thinking that salvation cannot be forfeited. OSAS/Eternal Security Busted
Any and all men who teach calvinism and/or OSAS (once saved always saved) are teaching “another gospel” and are false teachers and “accursed.” (Galatians 1:6-9) And, we are commanded to “earnestly contend” against these “ungodly men” who are through their teachings “turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness” which is a license to sin (Jude 3-4)
It does not matter one single iota that calvinists will swear up and down that they are not justifying sin or sinful living. Remember, these, like their father, are silver tongued deceiving devils and their false teachings are leading people into sinful “lasciviousness” (license to sin) just as Jude warns us of and just as Satan tricked the man and woman into in the Garden (Genesis 2:17; 3:4).
Be not deceived: Paul Washer sounds convinced of what he is preaching and yet that is completely separate from whether or not what he is preaching is true or false. It’s sad that so many who hear preachers who sound like they know what they’re talking about, buy into their teachings instead of studying the Bible God gave them for themselves!
“There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.” Proverbs 14:12
Those who do not love the truth are given by God Himself a “strong delusion, that they should believe a lie.” (2 Thessalonians 2:9-12) That is, they will believe a lie as strongly as truth-loving authentic saints of Christ believe and embrace the truth. There are imposters among us saints – those posing as Christ’s ministers who are actually agents of Satan himself.
“But what I do, that I will do, that I may cut off occasion from them which desire occasion; that wherein they glory, they may be found even as we. 13 For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. 14 And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. 15 Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.” 2 Corinthians 11:12-15
Who else could be a more sinister beguiler and tool of Satan himself other than a person who preaches mostly truth? Yet, a gallon of pure fresh water with just one tiny, invisible drop of arsenic will still kill you door nail dead, right?
“A little leaven (false teaching) leaveneth (ruins) the whole lump.” Galatians 5:9
God forbid that we be so gullible as to make a heart idol out of any mere sinful man, in this case such as Paul Washer (Ezekiel 14:3). Isn’t this exactly what a third of the angels in Heaven did to Lucifer before they were all vanquished irrevocably from the presence of the Almighty? (Luke 10:19) Obviously those third of the angels Satan deceived were convinced he was telling them the truth, right? They were dead wrong and so are we if we trust any mere man and do not diligently and daily study God’s Word and compare what mere men are preaching to the whole counsel of God’s written Word (Acts 17:11; 2 Timothy 2;15; 3:16-17, etc.).
Paul Washer preaching repentance, sin, and hell? Why?
For the record and with concern for Christ’s body … Paul Washer is a rank calvinist and just a little doctrinal leaven leavens the WHOLE lump. The doctrines of calvinisms are much more than just “a little leaven.” (Galatians 5:9) In the demented theology of calvinism, only those God had respect to – the special elect – should even bother repenting, trusting Christ, and dying to self and walking with Jesus because all others were created by God to just be hurt, damned, and forsaken. That’s the false god of calvinism and Washer.
“There is NO respect of persons with God.” Romans 2:11
And yet, if people get to listening to him and then get sucked in to his false and poisonous calvinism, they could be forever lost …. also, if we think about it, why repent unless you are one of the chosen elect? why bother? after all, according to the diabolical calvinism that washer has deliberately chosen to buy into and preach, man has no choice in the matter….. do you see how ludicrous and hypocritcal it is for a calvinist to preach repentance from sin?
Factor in the diabolical, ludicrous teachings of Calvinism and think about how ridiculous it is for clowns like Washer and John MacArthur, John Piper, Tony Evans, R.C. Sproul, Chuck Swindoll, Charles Stanley, David Jeremiah, Billy Graham to teach on sin, repentance, hell, etc. Were we not solemnly warned about and commanded to “earnestly contend” against these “ungodly” men who have “crept in unawares?”
THE VERY false “doctrines of grace” Paul Washer espouses as a calvinist are the very reason for the collapse of the American church. Quite ridiculous.
“Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. 4 For there are certain men crept in unawares (undetected), who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.” Jude 1:3-4 (KJV)
Here’s a video link … this says it all for me …. Washer goes on and on and on with very little Scripture, philosophying about things like the typical calvinist who is living a fairytale lie that will ultimately end in destruction … watch this foolishness. This video really shows what underlies Washer’s worldview and false theology as it does so many who hold influence in this late hour. It is more than obvious that Paul Washer’s theology is based on Calvinisms diabolical lies.
In this brief video below, Paul Washer admits he’s a calvinist by saying he is a “5-point Spurgeonist.” In other words, he knows Charles Spurgeon is popular among evangelicals and so attempts to piggyback on Spurgeon’s reputation. Apparently, true disciples of Christ are not a bit impressed with Spurgeon or any mere sinful man. They get their beliefs/doctrine straight from God’s written Word and say with Paul, “Let God be true and EVERY man a liar.” (Romans 3:4) In this piece we see Washer whitewashing calvinism as a legitimate system of theology. Lie. That’s a diabolical lie. As you will hear, Washer tells his audience that the lies of “calvinism is not the issue.” It sure is the issue with the Almighty who is “the truth” and whose “word is truth.” (John 14:6; 17:17) Calvinism makes God out to be a grand liar and an initiator and enabler of sin. In this video below, we also see Paul Washer speaking of the issue being regeneration and not calvinism and yet he conveniently leaves out the fact that calvinists believe that regeneration happens without the individuals free will or permission and BEFORE that individual even chooses to believe. Supposedly, in their mythical, wishful thinking fairy tale theology, calvinists believe that God chooses to come upon a special few elite persons and regenerates them without their will that He gave them to choose (Joshua 24:15; Deuteronomy 30:19). Washer perhaps deceitfully raises his voice to further be convincing – to seduce his audience into the bizarre teachings of reformed theology/calvinism.
No matter what else good Washer states, it doesn’t undo his false beliefs – He’s a calvinist which contaminates his whole body of truth (Galatians 5:9).
PAUL WASHER the POPE OF CALVINISM!!!
Jonathan Hoegle writes:
“I watched the video. Paul Washer describes how mankind is radically depraved and hates God, therefore it is only because of God that anyone is saved. According to him it is like we are all programmed to hate God and there is nothing we can …do about it, excepts hope that God calls our lottery number to salvation. If we do not have free will then our love or hate for God is an illusion because we didn’t make any decisions. Only moral free agents can love or hate, in Paul Washer worldview God is the Devil. It seems counter intuitive to preach at all if there is nothing we can do to help humanity get saved.”
“Thank you for exposing the likes of Paul Washer. He needs to repent and turn to the Christ of the Bible. Right now he is a poster child for the false doctrine of total depravity. He is leading many to the gates of hell.” Jeff Flaig
Paul Washer is an example of a very confused individual and convoluted theology. He preaches on giving up all, repenting, and suffering, etc., and yet, Washer is a rank calvinist which by definition means that there is no need to obey Jesus’ commands to give up all, repent, or suffer since it’s all be predetermined and man has not choice anyway – he is forced to love, worship, and serve the LORD due to a supposed divine predetermination.
If you wish to hear some hard, Bible truth, perhaps you may wish to tune in to people who honestly endeavor to speak the full-counsel of God’s Word. Find those who aren’t preach Calvinistic poison that robs the fear of God from your heart, makes you lukewarm and at ease in Zion, and ready for hell. Here are some recommended sources:
- Leonard Ravenhill (various places on the net have his sermons)
All of these men use the Authorized Version / King James Bible. All men should. Please pray for those who don’t yet see the purity of God’s preserved Word and the poison of the new versions.
Paul Washer is a rank calvinist which means all else he says would be vain to listen to because just “a little leaven leavens the WHOLE lump.”
A man (beginning with this fool – me) who does not know God’s Word thoroughly, has no business leading others because as we see in this case, they are leading many astray (2 Peter 3:17). They may be sincere to some degree, yet they are sincerely wrong. These men are intentionally ignoring large parts of God’s Holy Word due to holding to a tradition which is a heresy (Mark. 7:6-10, 13).
Some recently have put together video preaching mixes with Leonard Ravenhill, David Wilkenson, and also Paul Washer and Tim Conway. Those are misguided souls and that’s a deadly mixture. Beware.
Conway and Washer are false teachers. So many who are searching for divine truth have bought the package.
When we truly repent of our idolatry of mere men, we will see all men for who they (we) are even in our “best state … altogether vanity.” (Ps 39:4-5)
Washer’s calvinism is the little leaven that leavens the whole lump of his teachings. To teach hard like he does and then be a calvinist is an utter contradiction. With the calvinistic fatalism, why does ANYthing matter ……. When a person understands first what Holy Scripture clearly states and also the blatant contradictions of calvinism, he will then see why Paul Washer’s teachings are completely contradictory. he tries to cover things up by teaching that “calvinism is not the issue” when it really is – it is the poison.
Feedback:
While I was doing my research I found this youtube video by Paul Washer from Heart Cry Missionary Society who is also an ardent Amillennialist (A Roman Catholic doctrine) and dabbler in Contemplative Spirituality. Paul Washer asserts that an 18th month old baby is totally and utterly evil. How Paul Washer can make such a statement is beyond reason. I suppose when you are Divinely Chosen you can say the most ludicrous things. This is a very shocking video. John Calvin’s reign of terror:
- He had Servetus burned at the stake on October 27, 1553,
- Gentile beheaded in 1566,
- 34 women burned at the stake after accusing them of being witches who caused a plague that had swept through Geneva in 1545,
- “Freckles” Dunant dies under torture in February 1545 without admitting to the crime of spreading the plague,
- Several men and women are apprehended including a barber and a hospital supervisor who had “made a pact with the devil.” in 1545,
- 2 women executed by burning at the stake for sorcery by spreading the plague in March 7, 1545,
- Belot (an Anabaptist) chained and tortured – against infant baptism in 1545,
- 7 men executed concerning the plague outbreak in May 16, 1545,
- a child was whipped publicly for calling his mother a thief,
- a girl who struck her parents was beheaded,
- Jacques Gruet accused of writing a poster against Calvin, was arrested, tortured then executed in July 1546,
- and the list goes on, his victims ranging in age from 16-80.
If John Calvin was Elect, then so was Hitler! 58 murders is as good as 6 million.
Calvinism is a doctrine of devils, “another gospel” and those who peddle it are “accursed” and it doesn’t matter how Christian are sincere or well meaning they may appear (Galatians 1:6-9).
Satan will give people a million pounds of truth to kill them with that one ounce of poison. But calvinism has ample amounts of poison and no one who holds Scripture as final authority could possibly buy into it. “A little leaven leaveneth (ruins) the whole lump.” (Galatians 5:9) Here is a library of posts exposing the roots and false doctrines of calvinism. Calvinism
Please share as many are taken in by this man and have elevated him above Christ / the very Word of God which is final authority
The words “sovereign grace” never appear in Scripture, neither does the fabricated concept invented by satanically-inspired calvinists. Yes God is sovereign and He sovereignly gave man free will. He forces no one to serve Him (Deuteronomy 30:19; Joshua 24:15).
MESSAGE RECEIVED:
“I can testify without blinking that Paul Washer is a bomb to many preachers, he is a blessed man.”
REPLY:
I can testify that the LORD Jesus Christ and His holy apostles are the only ones the Father gave His divine authority to to give us the Holy Scriptures which clearly contradict the calvinism espoused by Washer. 2 Peter 1:20-21 ….. It’s time to get your eyes off of mere men, repent. Perhaps you’ve formed a soul tie with Washer in lie of truly forming one with Christ. Just “A little leaven leaveneth (ruins, affects) the whole lump” Gal 5:9
A.W. Tozer wrote:
“I am convinced that many evangelicals are not truly and soundly converted. Among the evangelicals it is entirely possible to come into membership, to ooze in by osmosis, to leak through the cells of the church and never know what it means to be born of the Spirit and washed in the blood. A great deal that passes for the deeper life is nothing more or less than basic Christianity. There is nothing deeper about it, and it is where we should have been from the start. We should have been happy, joyous, victorious Christians walking in the Holy Spirit and not fulfilling the lusts of the flesh. Instead we have been chasing each other around the perpetual mountain.
What we need is what the old Methodists called a sound conversion. There is a difference between conversion and a sound conversion. People who have never been soundly converted do not have the Spirit to enlighten them. When they read the Sermon on the Mount or the teaching passages of the epistles that tell them how to live or the doctrinal passages that tell how they can live, they are unaffected. The Spirit who wrote them is not witnessing in their hearts because they have not been born of the Spirit. That often happens.”
Abiding
The LORD Desires to Completely CLEAR You!
The LORD Desires to Completely CLEAR You!
The reason God gave His only begotten Son was to clear you of all your sin in His regeneration, to bring you into His eternal family for fellowship with Him.
“That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.” John 17:21
“That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.” 1 John 1:3
When God clears a man at the moment of salvation or thereafter, so should we! When any man truly repents there will be definite fruit to prove it. When one obeys sound biblical doctrine the result will always be that he will bring forth fruit to demonstrate he truly repented, and is cleared by the LORD and must be cleared by us. After the fornicator in the church of Corinth repented, he was cleared and the LORD, through Paul, instructed the believers in that assembly to forgive, clear, and love him.
“So that contrariwise ye ought rather to forgive him, and comfort him, lest perhaps such a one should be swallowed up with overmuch sorrow. 8 Wherefore I beseech you that ye would confirm your love toward him.” 2 Corinthians 2:7-8
Remember this from the prodigal son parable our LORD taught us?
“I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance … 10 Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.” Luke 15:7, 10
When someone returns to the LORD from sin, regardless of their past, with or without Christ, there is great celebration in Heaven and should be also among the saints of Christ on the earth.
A fresh reading of Luke 15 is highly recommended where Jesus gives us 3 parables to teach the restorative love of God!
WATCH THIS: When we repent we openly renounce and are clear…. God is good.
Godly Sorrow brings the blessings of God and a clearing of past sin.
“Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing. 10 For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death. 11 For behold this selfsame thing, that ye sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, what CLEARING OF YOURSELVES, yea, what indignation, yea, what fear, yea, what vehement desire, yea, what zeal, yea, what revenge! In all things ye have approved yourselves to be CLEAR in this matter.” 2 Corinthians 7:11
Example: Remember how the fornicator in 1 Corinthians 5 was turned over to Satan and then repented and God cleared Him? Read 2 Corinthians 2 for the “CLEARING.” In this verse above, Paul is addressing this very issue and the sorrow, diligent obedience, and consequent “CLEARING” the Corinthian saints experienced. First they allowed the fornicator to function in their midst whereas Paul had to come in and instruct them to turn the transgressor over to Satan (1 Corinthians 5). Then, as a result, the backslider repented.
“He says, what clearing of yourselves. This does not mean that they tried to justify or excuse themselves, but rather that by taking resolute action, they tried to clear themselves of any further guilt or blame in the matter. Their change in attitude led to this change in action. What indignation may refer to their attitude toward the sinner because of the reproach he brought on the name of Christ. But more probably it refers to their attitude toward themselves for ever having allowed such a thing to go on for so long without taking action on it. Paul then adds: In all things you ‘ye have approved yourselves to be clear in this matter.’ Of course, we are not to understand by this that they were never to blame, but simply that they had done everything they could to take the proper action and to act as they should have acted in the first place.” William MacDonald, Believer’s Bible Commentary
“Clearing of yourselves – From either sharing in, or approving of, his sin. Indignation – That ye had not immediately corrected the offender. Fear – Of God’s displeasure, or lest I should come with a rod. Vehement desire – To see me again. Zeal – For the glory of God, and the soul of that sinner. Yea, revenge – Ye took a kind of holy revenge upon yourselves, being scarce able to forgive yourselves. In all things ye – As a church. Have approved yourselves to be pure – That is, free from blame, since ye received my letter.” John Wesley
“In all things, etc. – In the whole of your conduct in this affair since ye have received my letter, ye have approved yourselves to be clear, ἁγνους; not only to be clear of contumacy and obstinate persistence in your former conduct, but to have done all in the compass of your power to rectify the abuses which had crept in among you. The Corinthians were not clear, i.e. innocent or void of blame in the fact, but they were clear of all blame in their endeavors to remove the evil.” Adam Clarke
The Corinthian saints repented, obeyed God by turning the unrepentant sinner in their midst over to Satan, and were then forgiven and cleared of their sin of allowing the un-repentant fornicator to remain in their company (1 Corinthians 5; 2 Corinthians 2 and 7).
Today, is the LORD showing you something in your life that you must turn back over to Satan where it came from – to rid your heart, your life of a sin?
Interestingly, this 2 Corinthians 7 chapter begins with this:
“Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.” 2 Corinthians 7:1
When we simply agree with the LORD, His Word, and turn to Him afresh and away from what He calls sin, confessing it to Him for what it is, He will immediately forgive us and promises to grant us a clearing, a clear conscience.
“Now the end (chief purpose) of the commandment (written Word) is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned:” 1 Timothy 1:5
The LORD made it clear that He intends for His children to be possessed with a clear conscience which is a gift He alone provided through the perfect sacrifice of His only begotten Son.
“How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?” Hebrews 9:14
“A disciplined conscience is a man’s best friend. It may not be his most amiable, but it is his most faithful monitor.” Austin Phelps
Have you ever had a past sin nag you for many years after you committed and even confessed and were forgiven for it?
WHEN we DO what is right, then and only then do we have the bless-ed confirmation of a clear conscience. AND, doing what’s right begins with re-turning, turning afresh to our LORD and confessing all sin.
“God is greater than our heart”
“My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth. 19 And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him. 20 For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things. 21 Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God.” 1 John 3:18-21
In fellowshipping with other men who serve our LORD, I’ve often heard them say how that sins they committed in the past still bother them in a hindering way. Yet, we know that God knows all these things and “is greater than our heart” and provided a complete salvation through the blood of His only begotten Son!
“WHEN HE HAD BY HIMSELF purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high.” Hebrews 1:3
Even though 90% of today’s pastors prove themselves to be false by never mentioning this, we must never ever lose sight of the truth that God is “Holy, holy, holy” and He commands us to “Be ye holy; for I am holy” (Isaiah 6:3; 1 Peter 1:15-16; Revelation 4:8).
“But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; 16 Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.” 1 Peter 1:15-16
Are we presently allowing sin in our own lives, including keeping company with someone who claims to be Christ’s and yet is living in sin? Are you in need of doing an inventory check on your current friends – namely those who name Jesus as their Savior? Read this unchanging divine truth and note the many specific sins listed here:
“I wrote unto you in an epistle not to company with fornicators: 10 Yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or with idolaters; for then must ye needs go out of the world. 11 But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat. 12 For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? do not ye judge them that are within? 13 But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person.” 1 Corinthians 5:9-13
When we truly repent and obey the counsel, the Word of God, only then will we be cleared in conscience and before God and His people. True repentance always, without exception, brings forth a changed life – a life set apart to the LORD (Matthew 3:7-10; Luke 19:1-10).
The fact that our LORD is correcting us today clearly proves how much He loves us. When the LORD points out our sin, it’s because He loves us, He wants us to repent, to return to Him, agree with Him, and depart from that sin. This is all so He can clear us!
“As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.” Revelation 3:19
Refreshing Always Follows Fresh Repentance
“Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;” Acts 3:19
“For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.” Hebrews 8:12
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9
Read 1 Corinthians 5, 2 Corinthians 2 and 7.
Yes, we’ve all been hurt by others and we have also hurt others, right? Let’s take accountability for our own evil and watch what God does. Blaming others without taking the blame due to us is a deep, endless ditch.
This morning I prayed “LORD, if I have angered or hurt someone, anyone, please let it be revealed so that amends can be made, in Jesus’ name, amen Father.”
In this passage below, our LORD is addressing being easily angered as well as making amends when we intentionally or unintentionally have harmed another.
“But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire. 23 Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; 24 Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift. 25 Agree with thine adversary quickly…” Matthew 5:22-25
PRAYER: My Father in Heaven, I come to You now on the sole basis of the holy name and blood of Your only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. Here and now I ask You LORD to convict, grant repentance, and complete clearing of any and all sin in my life. Please sanctify my life dear LORD. LORD Jesus thank You for dying on that cross, shedding Your precious blood for all my sins. Please bless me with a oneness with You and the Father and a clear conscience. Be glorified in my life dear LORD. I love You LORD Jesus. Amen.
Support | STORE | Podcasts | Jail/Prison Ministry | Mexico Mission here | All Ministry Updates | Because You Care Page | Bible/Word of God | Gifts | Prophetic or Pathetic? | Christology | Final Divine Authority | The Cross Life | Knowing God
Abiding
Risen with Christ [podcast]
Resurrection Grace (below)
“If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.
2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.
3 For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.
4 When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.
5 Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:
6 For which things’ sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience:
7 In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them.” Colossians 3:1-7
Those who teach that unholy people will be in glory are false teachers:
“And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life.” Revelation 21:27
Charles Pray writes: “Father, please help us Lord to turn from our wicked ways and let You come into our hearts so we may have eternal life with You in Your kingdom. Time is running out for the hour is late when soon no one will be able to be saved or able to call upon the name of the Lord. Burden our hearts Lord for all those who still do not know you as Lord and Savior in their lives. Let us become the light we are called to be in this darkened world so others will come to know and receive your Son Jesus as Savior in their life. Amen!”
Support | STORE | Podcasts | Fresh Start with God | Single/Unmarried Christians | Marriage for the Glory of God | Godly Manhood | Proverbs 31 Woman Audio Series [podcast] | Encouragement for Unmarried Christians
Apostasy
Richard Foster Exposed
Wait, WHAT, WHO are Christ’s disciples to celebrate?
“But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.” Galatians 6:14
A Biblically based commentary on current issues that impact you
Richard Foster—Celebration of Deception
by Bob DeWaay
Christianity Today ran a glowing cover story about Evangelicalism’s recent embrace of medieval Roman Catholic mysticism entitled The Future lies in the Past.1 The article traced the beginning of the movement as follows: “The movement seems to have exploded in a 24-month period in 1977-1978, which saw the publication of Richard Foster’s bestselling Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth and Robert Webber’s Common Roots: A Call to Evangelical Maturity.”2
The article views Foster as one who continues to guide the movement: “From Dallas Willard, Richard Foster, and living practicing monks and nuns, they [those going back to Roman Catholic mysticism] must learn both the strengths and the limits of the historical ascetic disciplines.”3 So Foster was instrumental in starting a movement that is still growing 30-plus years later.
The irony about this particular CIC regarding Foster’s 1978 book is that in 1978 I myself was living in a Christian community committed to practicing much of what he promotes in Celebration of Discipline (even though we had not learned it from him directly). So I am not criticizing a practice about which I know nothing (or one in which I have no experience). I am criticizing a practice I foolishly allowed to deceive me for a significant portion of my early Christian life. When it comes to being deceived by mysticism, I have had abundant involvement. The only way I escaped it was through discovering and adopting the Reformation principle of sola scriptura.
In this article I will show that Foster’s “journey inward” is unbiblical and dangerous. I will show that most of the spiritual disciplines that he calls “means of grace” are no means of grace at all—but a means of putting oneself under spiritual deception.
The Journey Inward
The Bible nowhere describes an inward journey to explore the realm of the spirit. God chose to reveal the truth about spiritual reality through His ordained, Spirit-inspired, biblical writers. What is spiritual and not revealed by God is of the occult and, therefore, forbidden. We have discussed this in many articles and have produced DVD seminars on the topic. But the concept of sola scriptura is totally lost on mystics such as Richard Foster. They, like the enthusiasts that Calvin and Luther warned against, believe they can gain valid and useful knowledge of spiritual things through direct, personal inspiration.
Foster describes the idea of the disciplines that are the topic of his book: “The classical Disciplines of the spiritual life call us to move beyond surface living into the depths. They invite us to explore the inner caverns of the spiritual realm.”4 So Foster has conceptually repudiated sola scriptura on page one to replace it with a journey inward to explore the realm of spirits. Something must have been seriously amiss in evangelicalism already in 1978 to render this book a bestseller! It ought to have been repudiated on the spot. In a footnote to that statement Foster writes, “In one form or another all of the devotional masters have affirmed the necessity of the Disciplines” (Foster: 1). The devotional “masters,” by the way, are mostly Roman Catholics who never were committed to the principle of sola scriptura. It is not surprising that they looked for spirituality through experimentation. But as an “inner light” Quaker, Foster never was committed to sola scriptura either.
Forgetting that the Bible forbids divination, Foster explains what he is after:
[W]e must be willing to go down into the recreating silences, into the inner world of contemplation. In their writings, all of the masters of meditation strive to awaken us to the fact that the universe is much larger than we know, that there are vast unexplored inner regions that are just as real as the physical world we know so well. . . . They call us to the adventure, to be pioneers in this frontier of the Spirit. (Foster: 13)
Realizing that his readers would likely take this as an endorsement of Eastern religions, he makes a disclaimer that it is not Transcendental Meditation (TM) or something of that ilk: “Eastern meditation is an attempt to empty the mind; Christian meditation is an attempt to empty the mind in order to fill it” (Foster: 15). But what Foster wishes us to fill our minds with are personal revelations from the spirit realm that we naively are to think are the voice of God. This sort of meditation is not meditating on what God has said, but uses a technique to explore the spirit world. In other words, it is divination.
What we learn about the spirit realm either is revealed by God (once for all in Scripture) or gleaned by man-made techniques. That distinction is the difference between Christianity and paganism. Only Bible believers know what God has said about Himself and what He wishes to reveal about the unseen spirit world. Foster’s material continues to be popular because we live in an age where being spiritual pioneers on a journey into the unseen realm of the spirits is the essence of popular piety. It is the spirituality of secular talk shows.
To fully understand the degree of Foster’s deception, he even calls these techniques to the inner journey “means of grace”: “They [the Disciplines] are God’s means of grace” (Foster: 6). As with all who teach spiritual disciplines, there are no boundaries to these false “means.” For example, consider this recommended practice: “After you have gained some proficiency in centering down, add a five- to ten-minute meditation on some aspect of the creation. Choose something in the created order: tree, plant, bird, leaf, cloud, and each day ponder it carefully and prayerfully” (Foster 25). This after he had just taught breathing exercises (a means of “centering down”). Then he makes a startling claim: “We should not bypass this means of God’s grace” (Foster: 25). And there we have it: meditating of a leaf can be a means of grace!
Foster’s journey inward is to discover a spirit world that is available for any who search for it: “How then do we come to believe in a world of the spirit? Is it by blind faith? Not at all. The inner reality of the spiritual world is available to all who are willing to search for it” (Foster: 18). He claims that this spiritual search is analogous to scientific experimentation. Never mind that every pagan culture that has existed has believed in the “spiritual world.”
Spirituality of the Imagination
The Bible does not have anything good so say about the imagination. For example: “Thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘Do not listen to the words of the prophets who are prophesying to you. They are leading you into futility; They speak a vision of their own imagination, Not from the mouth of the Lord'” (Jeremiah 23:16). A search of the KJV for “imagination” yields 14 verses, and in each case it is a bad thing. According to the Bible, the imagination is where people go when they do not want to listen to God.
However, for Foster the imagination is central: “The inner world of meditation is most easily entered through the door of the imagination. We fail today to appreciate its tremendous power. The imagination is stronger than conceptual thought and stronger than the will” (Foster: 22). Some of the authorities he cites on this point are C. G. Jung, Ignatius of Loyola, and Morton Kelsey. Jung is famous for his concept of the collective unconscious, and Kelsey was an Episcopal priest committed to Jungian principles. Kelsey wrote many books promoting mysticism. The advice Foster gleans from these teachers is that we must learn to think in images and take our dreams to be a possible doorway into the spirit world. Foster claims that dreams are something we already have and can help us develop the use of the imagination. He says, “Keeping a journal of our dreams is a way of taking them seriously” (Foster: 23).
There is, Foster warns, a danger to this process: “At the same time [that we ask for dreams to be God speaking to us], it is wise to pray a prayer of protection, since to open ourselves to spiritual influence can be dangerous as well as profitable” (Foster: 23). I would say that is asking God to protect us as we use various techniques to go where He does not want us to go (into the world of the spirits to gain information). The danger he warns of is far greater than Foster imagines. Those who take the journey inward will be deceived—every time! We are not equipped to gain spiritual information from that realm. That is why God speaks to us through His ordained mediators (the inspired Biblical writers); otherwise we would be fishing in the dark in a medium we are not suited for.
Foster teaches his readers to use their imaginations to experience Biblical stories with the five physical senses. Here is what he claims will happen:
As you enter the story, not as a passive observer but as an active participant, remember that since Jesus lives in the Eternal Now and is not bound by time, this event in the past is a living present-tense experience for Him. Hence, you can actually encounter the living Christ in the event, be addressed by His voice and be touched by His healing power. It can be more than an exercise of the imagination; it can be a genuine confrontation. Jesus Christ will actually come to you. (Foster: 26)
Showing that Foster’s ideas are still influential in our day, Greg Boyd cites some of Foster’s words here to support what he calls “cataphatic prayer” which uses the imagination and images as a means to contact God and gain spiritual information.5 Those who endorse this practice assume they are not being deceived by spirits, but I cannot see on what grounds.
Foster prescribes a practice using one’s imagination that mimics astral projection to the degree that he actually includes a footnote disclaimer stating that it is not astral projection (Foster 28). It begins by telling his readers to imagine themselves going out into nature into a beautiful place (Boyd describes how he practices this, as well as its results6). After enjoying the sights and smells (in your imagination) these are the next steps:
In your imagination allow your spiritual body, shining with light, to rise out of your physical body. Look back so that you can see yourself lying in the grass and reassure your body that you will return momentarily. Imagine your spiritual self, alive and vibrant, rising up through the clouds and into the stratosphere. . . Go deeper and deeper into outer space until there is nothing except the warm presence of the eternal Creator. Rest in His presence. Listen quietly, anticipating the unanticipated. Note carefully any instruction given. With time and experience you will be able to distinguish readily between mere human thought that may bubble up to the conscious mind and the True Spirit which inwardly moves upon the heart. (Foster: 27, 28)
I must ask how one knows whether “True Spirit” is not a deceiving one? Mysticism’s fatal flaw is that it naively assumes that Christians having subjective religious experiences must therefore be having Christian experiences that are truly from God—even if the experiences were provoked through unbiblical practices similar to those used by pagans.
Mental Alchemy
Foster’s approach to prayer is laced with mysticism as well. He claims that prayer needs to be learned from people who have the right experiences and are “masters” who know what they are doing. Foster does not teach ordinary prayer, whereby we bring our needs and requests to the Lord and know that He hears us (because He promised that He does). Here is why he thinks such prayer fails:
Often people will pray and pray with all the faith in the world, but nothing happens. Naturally, they were not contacting the channel. We begin praying for others by first centering down and listening to the quiet thunder of the Lord of hosts. Attuning ourselves to divine breathings is spiritual work, but without it our praying is vain repetition (Mt. 6:7). Listening to the Lord is the first thing, the second thing, and the third thing necessary for successful intercession. (Foster: 34)
Of course this means we have to become mystics if we want to pray.
He teaches that we first must hear personal revelations from God, using meditation techniques such as he teaches, before we pray. He says: “The beginning point, then, in learning to pray for others is to listen for guidance . . . This inner “yes” is the divine authorization for you to pray for the person or situation” (Foster: 35). No! Foster is wrong! The only authorization we need to pray is the Biblical command to pray—not personal revelations.
For Foster, meditation (mystical style) is necessary but not sufficient. He also brings the imagination into the process: “As with meditation, the imagination is a powerful tool in the work of prayer” (Foster: 36). He credits Agnes Sanford7 for helping him see the value of using the imagination in praying. Foster writes, “Imagination opens the door to faith. If we can ‘see’ in our mind’s eye a shattered marriage whole or a sick person well, it is only a short step to believing it will be so” (Foster: 36). Sanford got her ideas from Theosophy, New Thought, Jung, and Emmet Fox. These ideas, echoed by Foster, come from the unbiblical “mind over matter” thinking of that era. That kind of thinking uses creative visualization to change reality or channel spiritual power. Foster suggests, “Imagine the light of Christ flowing through your hands and healing every emotional trauma and hurt feeling your child experienced that day” (Foster: 39).
In his 1985 book, The Seduction of Christianity, Dave Hunt labeled creative visualization such as what Foster promotes, “mental alchemy.”8 Hunt warned the church that Foster promoted such mental alchemy in Celebration of Discipline, and as we have shown, he, in fact, does. So how is it that 24 years after Hunt’s warning Foster is more popular than ever with Evangelicals? The answer is end times deception. Now, a huge movement that claims to be a reformation promoting Foster, Willard and their versions of mysticism does exist (i.e., The Emergent Church). Things have gotten so very much worse.
Spiritual Directors
Once mysticism and the supposed need to gain personal revelations from God are embraced, there arises a need for new “masters” who are better at navigating the spirit world. Pagan societies have always had such persons. They are called “shamans.” Eastern religion calls them “gurus.” Deceived Christians call them “spiritual directors.” Foster explains, “In the Middle Ages not even the greatest saints attempted the depths of the inward journey without the help of a spiritual director” (Foster: 159). The problem, according to Foster, is that the churches (in 1978) lacked “living masters”:
No doubt part of the surge of interest in Eastern meditation is because the churches have abrogated the field. How depressing for a university student, seeking to know the Christian teaching on meditation, to discover that there are so few living masters of contemplative prayer and that nearly all of the serious writings on the subject are seven or more centuries old. No wonder he or she turns to Zen, Yoga, or TM. (Foster: 14)
Foster’s dream has come true. Today people can even practice Yoga in a Christian church. We have Christian TM; it is called contemplative prayer. Yes, Eastern religion has come right into the church, and Foster has helped usher it in.
But what about “living masters” or spiritual directors? In 1972 Morton Kelsey lamented their lack: “Indeed I would suggest that everyone who is serious about relating to the spiritual realm find himself a spiritual director, if there were more men trained and experienced in this way.”9 That “problem” has been solved in a huge way. Evangelical theology schools are now offering masters degrees in “spiritual formation” in order to equip people to be “spiritual directors.” Here is what Biola University says about its program: “This degree is designed to equip men and women for the ministry of spiritual direction, discipleship, formation and soul care in the local church and for further academic training in spiritual formation.”10 Spiritual Directors International will help you find a spiritual director regardless of your religion.11 Richard Foster’s own Renovare, which purports to “encourage renewal in the Christian church,” has a list of spiritual direction programs.12
Foster explains the purpose of the spiritual director: “He is the means of God to open the path to the inward teaching of the Holy Spirit” (Foster: 160). Apparently, in a full-blown rejection of sola scriptura where the Holy Spirit’s teaching is mediated to the church through the Biblical writers only, we need mediators for personal revelations beyond scripture.
Foster explains how spiritual directors lead: “He leads only by the force of his own personal holiness” (Foster: 160). In Roman Catholicism the Pope is called “his holiness” and in Tibetan Buddhism the Dalai Lama is called “his holiness” but now evangelicals are developing a class of people who evidently deserve the title. How exactly are we to judge when someone has gained “personal holiness” sufficient to be a spiritual director and mediate spirituality to others? Foster says, “Though the director has obviously advanced further into the inner depths, the two [master and disciple] are together learning and growing in the realm of the Spirit” (Foster: 160). Foster cites Roman Catholic mystic Thomas Merton about how this works: “The spiritual director was something of a ‘spiritual father who begot the perfect life in the soul of his disciple by his instructions first of all, but also by his prayer, his sanctity and his example. He was . . . a kind of ‘sacrament’ of the Lord’s presence in the ecclesiastical community” (Foster: 161).
End Times Delusion
When it comes to end times deception, Foster is on the cutting edge of embracing it. Consider what he wrote: “In our day heaven and earth are on tiptoe waiting for the emerging of a Spirit-led, Spirit-intoxicated, Spirit-empowered people. . . . Individuals can be found here and there whose hearts burn with divine fire” (Foster: 150). Such inclinations have led to massive deception. They smack of the Latter Rain deception, now embodied in such false teachers as Rick Joyner and Mike Bickle. They are elitist. They are in line with the beliefs of the Emergent Church as well. He also says: “Our century has yet to see the breaking forth of the apostolic church of the Spirit” (Foster: 150). Now we have the New Apostolic Reformation claiming to be just that. Foster’s ideas now embody the massive apostasy and end times deception that characterize our age.
Foster’s teachings have taken the church as far away from the Reformation principle of sola scriptura as the Roman Catholic Church ever was. The only thing left is for them to bring us all the way back to Rome. Christianity Today praises Foster for pointing us in that direction.
In early 2008 I wrote a CIC article about how abandoning the principle of sola scriptura would lead evangelicals back to Rome.13 It was partly a response to the CT article praising mysticism. The response I received was rather unexpected. I was contacted by former evangelicals who had rejected sola scriptura and had gone back to Rome! They wanted to debate me about sola scriptura. Sadly, my point was proven. As a response to their misguided challenge our church hosted a seminar on sola scriptura, called Faith at Risk 4.14 In the seminar Gary Gilley and I defended the scriptures as the sole authority for the church.
The aforementioned CT article discusses a new monasticism, former evangelical leaders converting to Roman Catholicism, and mystical practices like lectio divina—and they call all of it a good and hopeful thing. Chris Armstrong, the author of the article, concluded, “That they [evangelicals] are receiving good guidance on this road from wise teachers [Foster and Willard] is reason to believe that Christ is guiding the process. And that they are meeting and learning from fellow Christians in the other two great confessions, Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodox, is reason to rejoice in the power of love.”15
Who is left to defend the principles of the Reformation? One would think Reformed theologians are, but they aren’t doing their job. In the last CIC article we mentioned Reformed theologian Donald Whitney who wrote: “Richard Foster’s Celebration of Discipline has been the most popular book on the subject of the Spiritual Disciplines in the last half of the twentieth century. The great contribution of this work is the reminder that the Spiritual Disciplines, which many see as restrictive and binding, are actually means to spiritual freedom.”16 That from a teacher in a Reformed seminary?
If a book that teaches Christian TM, Christian astral projection and mental alchemy by means of the imagination is a “great contribution,” then something is seriously wrong here. The delusion is so widespread that I see no other explanation for it than the end time deception predicted by Paul: “But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons,” (1Timothy 4:1). Another passage warns: “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths” (2Timothy 4:3, 4).
That time now is here. We are accountable to God for what we believe and practice. Those who wish to persevere in the faith in this age of delusion must base their beliefs and practices only on the truths found in Scripture. Foster’s journey into the world of the spirits will deceive all who enter it.
Issue 112 – May / June 2009
End Notes
-
- Chris Armstrong, “The Future lies in the Past” in Christianity Today, February 2008.
- Ibid. 24.
- Ibid. 29.
- Richard Foster, Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth (New York: Harper & Row, 1978) 1. All subsequent citations from this book will be bracketed within the text in this fashion: (Foster: 1).
- Greg Boyd, Seeing is Believing, (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2004). Boyd cites Foster to prove that the Lord will actually come to us through our use of “imaginative meditation.” I deal with this issue more fully in CIC issue 83 July/August, 2003: HTTP://CICMINISTRY.ORG/COMMENTARY/ISSUE83.HTM
- Ibid. 111-125.
- I write about Sanford’s inner healing theories in CIC Issue 96: HTTP://CICMINISTRY.ORG/COMMENTARY/ISSUE96.HTM
- Dave Hunt and T. A. McMahon, The Seduction of Christianity (Eugene: Harvest House, 1985) 138.
- Morton Kelsey, Encounter With God, (Bethany Fellowship: Minneapolis, 1972) 179.
- http://www.biola.edu/spiritualformation/programs/ SEE PDF
- HTTP://WWW.SDIWORLD.ORG
- HTTP://WWW.RENOVARE.ORG/JOURNEY_TRAINING_DIRECTION.HTM
- CIC Issue 105; March/April 2008: HTTP://CICMINISTRY.ORG/COMMENTARY/ISSUE105.HTM
- Watch this seminar HERE
- Armstrong, Future
- DONALD S. WHITNEY, SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINES FOR THE CHRISTIAN LIFE (COLORADO SPRINGS: NAVPRESS, 1991) 23.
Support | STORE | Podcasts | Jail/Prison Ministry | Mexico Mission here | All Ministry Updates | More on Assurance here | Because You Care Page | The Greatest of these is Charity | Be Ready in the Morning [podcast] | The Sure Mercies of David [podcast] | That Repentance and Remission of Sins should be Preached [podcast] | At His Feet | Knowing God | The Cross Life | 100’s of Christ-centered Scripture-rich Podcasts | Christology = the Study of Christ
The LORD Desires to Completely CLEAR You!
Risen with Christ [podcast]
Richard Foster Exposed
Sinlessly Perfect? I Doubt it [podcast]
Living the Edification Lifestyle [video]
The True Temple of God [podcast]
GOD’S GRACE “IN THIS PRESENT WORLD” TITUS 2:12 [podcast]
Message from an Antichrist Refuted! Is Jesus Christ Divine? [podcast]
FAKE THEOLOGIAN DESTROYED: Is Learning Hebrew and Greek Necessary to Understand God’s Word?
The Book of 2 Peter Narrated [podcast]
“Be thou in the Fear of the LORD all the Day Long” [podcast]
The Sensual Seduction and Solicitation of the Modern Church!
WHY were 24,000 of God’s People Killed at Peor? [podcast]
The Result of Real Repentance [podcast]
God’s Universal Way of Fighting with Todd Tomasella and Travis Bryan III [podcast]
7 Sayings of Jesus on the Cross [podcast]
Counting the Cost – Following Jesus to the End of Your Life [podcast]
The Sensual Seduction and Solicitation of the Modern Church!
GOD’S GRACE “IN THIS PRESENT WORLD” TITUS 2:12 [podcast]
Richard Foster Exposed
White and Clean: Garments of the KING’s Bride [podcast]
WHY were 24,000 of God’s People Killed at Peor? [podcast]
BEWARE of the Wolf Defenders [podcast]
Biblical Deliverance Prescription-Wholeness in Christ [podcast]
The Gospel: What is It? [podcast]
Living with an Eternal Perspective [podcast]
What Did Paul Mean by “I Keep Under My Body”? [podcast]
Risen with Christ [podcast]
The True Temple of God [podcast]
The LORD Desires to Completely CLEAR You!
The LORD Desires to Completely CLEAR You!
Risen with Christ [podcast]
Richard Foster Exposed
-
America11 months agoThe Drugging of America: The Pharmakeia Sorcery Deception [podcast]
-
Articles2 years ago
Children being Rescued in Tunnels: Happening Now – UPDATE!
-
Articles8 years ago
Self-Examination in Preparation for the Lord’s Return
-
Apostasy2 years ago
SHOCKING List of False Prophets Most Believe are True
Providing Christ-centered Scripture-rich resources to feed, edify, and equip the body of Christ (John 21:15-17; Ephesians 4:11-15).
Navigation
Quick links
Newsletter
Stay updated of the ministry operations. We saved a spot for you on the ministry email list.
© 2025 Safe Guard Your Soul. All Rights Reserved
Casen Swartz
May 7, 2023 at 3:16 am
I feel your stretching a bit, Calvinism definitely has biblical grounds.
Todd
May 7, 2023 at 3:23 am
The only grounds calvinism has is that it’s false doctrine.
https://safeguardyoursoul.com/calvinism/
Darlene
June 20, 2023 at 9:32 am
@ Casen – Agreed – actually stretching quite a bit. Calvinism without a doubt has sound Biblical grounds. Also, the anger and hostility displayed on this site is palpable and a red flag to me.
Todd
June 20, 2023 at 11:42 am
Hello. Anyone not alarmed at evil, such as calvinism, is suspect. This seems to be an evidence of desensitization, conditioning, a lack of holding to the truth of God. Satan knows how to pepper in lies, amidst lots of truth, and yet the end is still death (Galatians 5:9). Calvinism is absolutely a diabolical system of heresy. All 5 points of calvinism, as defined by calvinists, are false. The historical roots of calvinism https://safeguardyoursoul.com/calvinisms-origins-and-historical-roots/
Todd
June 20, 2023 at 11:44 am
Take a look and please explain how calvinism has biblical grounds, other than when tied with doctrines of devils (1 Timothy 4:1-2; Genesis 2:17; 3:4, etc.). The historical roots of calvinism https://safeguardyoursoul.com/calvinisms-origins-and-historical-roots/
Tim
November 25, 2023 at 3:13 pm
Paul Washer teaches scripture. He’s spread the true gospel to millions of people all over the world precisely because he is reformed and believes the doctrines of grace. You are promoting a man-made, works based religion. You know nothing of the regeneration of the heart or the power of the true Gospel. You must cry out to God for the forgiveness of your sins and cast yourself on him. You have believed the teaching of Satan and you believe that you must save yourself, and keep yourself saved in your own power. Repent and turn to Christ, the only one who can regenerate your heart. All who are truly born again will not go on willfully sinning or doing Satans bidding as you are. Eph 2:1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
Todd
November 25, 2023 at 3:50 pm
Those demons that control your life have been triggered at the truth. Washer is spreading calvinism which is anything but the true Gospel. He’s preaching “another gospel” and is “accursed.” (Galatians 1:6-9) Paul Washer is reformed which means he’s a calvinist heretic – following in the steps of the murderous fraud John Calvin who had over 60 people murdered for their beliefs, because they disagreed with him. That’s a historical fact. Compare: Did Jesus and His holy apostles ever inflict physical harm on anyone, for any reason? Not once. So you tell me I need to repent…yet you are a calvinist and so why do you believe I have free will to repent? Do you not see the convoluted hypocrisy here?
All 5 points of calvinism are heresy. Just one verse needed to flip the applecart of calvinism – “And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.” 1 John 2:2
Repent now sinner. When you do, you will lay down your life in this fleeting world, you will deny self, take up the cross daily, and follow Jesus for real – ceasing to hide like a coward behind the doctrines of calvinism.
The same demons behind John Calvin, who admitted he got his false doctrines from a catholic named Augustine, are behind Paul Washer. Take a look:
Paul Washer Exposed: Pope Connection Exposed! [video]
https://safeguardyoursoul.com/paul-washer-and-the-pope-connection-exposed/