“Once Saved Always Saved” (OSAS) is a Lie from Hell and Taught by “Ungodly Men” (Jude 3-4)
“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 (license to sin), and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.” Jude 4
MESSAGE RECEIVED:
“I guess you need to send me packing too. I absolutely believe in the doctrine of OSAS.”
REPLY:
“With no further ado, you have openly professed to be a child of the devil by embracing HIS first and enduring lie…. “ye shall NOT surely die“ is undeniably the first mention, the first time eternal security / OSAS was taught and it was by Satan himself (Gen. 2:17; 3:4). Like Satan, you have added to God’s Word. That one 3-letter word Satan added led to the fall of mankind.
QUESTION ASKED:
REPLY:
No, not at all. It merely reveals that God has to initiate the relationship and “IF any man” enters through the door – Christ – he is saved. That is initial salvation but one must continue to the end, to endure to the end to ultimately be in glory. Yes we are saved immediately and yet the possession of eternal salvation is not unforfeitable.
Question Received:
“What is your definition of abiding in Christ?”
Reply:
Great question. The whole of Jesus’ teachings define abiding in Christ. The cross! See Lk. 9:23-24. We must lay down our lives. There are no short cuts (Jn 12:23-24).
Message Received:
“But if you believe someone can lose their salvation, isn’t that works salvation?”
Reply:
Works salvation? No the work of Christ saves us and yet HE – JESUS – says that after being saved we must ABIDE / remain in Him or we will be thrown into the fires of hell – John 15:6. Anyone who dies in sin is going to hell – God is “Holy, holy, holy” and told you to “be ye holy” and that He is only coming back for a church without spot, blemish, or any such thing but one that is holy (Revelation 4:8; 1 Peter 1:15-16; Ephesians 5:25-27). Those who are truly saved by grace, and are abiding in Christ, are overcoming sin, not making excuse for it like you are doing. You are preaching a cross-less false gospel saying that sin is greater than the LORD. You are preaching sin – that man can’t live holy. You are a child of the devil Mario, and God is calling you to repent. You speak nothing of Christ and His power but only make excuse for man’s sins. Read your own words. Your words are the words of a cross-less, Christ-denying counterfeit.
“Faith without works is dead” – it’s not saving faith (James 2). The fruit of truly knowing and abiding in Christ will always be good works (Matthew 3:7-10; Ephesians 2:8-10; Titus 2:11-14, etc.). Those who presently in Christ are keeping His works – obediently doing what He sent us to do.(Revelation 2:26).
Email Received:
“Hi Bro. Todd, Hope you’re fine and well. You may know that I used to be a calvinist. …sad, but true. I’m just curious if you’ve ever had or known (of) anyone who abandoned that ‘unconditional OSAS’ teaching…where they believe that a Christian can completely disown the Lord Jesus, depart from/abandon the faith etc., and still be/remain saved… sounds crazy, eh., but that’s what they believe (even NON-calvies). They’re sooooooo stubborn these folks…seems impossible to debate/reason with…as if unchangeable.
They’re ‘glued’ to this ‘doctrine’, which was unknown to the earliest church, right?! I even know ‘former’ Christians…but they’ll just say that they were never saved to begin with bla bla bla. It’s very aggravating…like talkin’ to a wall hahaha!
I don’t know a single person who believes as we do; who used to hold to that OSAS. Please let me know if you might. At least I’ll feel a bit better. God Bless You, Bro., thanks so much; & Maranatha! In HIM, B.”
Reply:
Brother, I know that same feeling after trying (like yourself) to reach many OSAS and Calvinists for many years. It’s clearly a heart matter… they are “enemies of the cross of Christ” (Phil. 3:18-19)…. They do not want any personal responsibility and that’s why they cling to this lie…… meditate on this as I know you may have already. Brother, I have received correspondence from several people over the years who once believed the OSAS lie and now have seen it’s a lie. Yet as you said, there aren’t many of them who will repent of this heresy. Keep preaching His Word brother, you are being a light!
Common Deception:
“But God is “sovereign” so that means He is in total control and requires nothing of me! He sovereignly saved me and there’s nothing I can do to change/alter my relationship with Him!”
Reply:
Sovereignty is a largely misused word today – misused to the advantage of sinful men who do not want personal responsibility so they have fabricated a false sovereignty to their own destruction and to excuse themselves from personal accountability to the Judge of their eternal souls. Their false “sovereignty” is a mere ploy to remove the personal responsibility the God they claim is sovereign requires of them. That’s what underlies all of this – the un-repentant desire to live life on their own terms while deceiving themselves into believing that God will not hold them accountable by excluding them from His eternal kingdom (Isaiah 30:9-10; 2 Timothy4:3-4). The words “sovereign” or “sovereignty” never appear in Scripture. Divine sovereignty can only be defined by the whole of what the LORD has revealed to us about Himself in HIS Word (2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:20-21; Psalms 119). Those who misuse this word “sovereign” refuse to take the whole counsel of His Word into account. They want to divorce this term from the very One they are claiming is “sovereign.” Amazingly hypocritical.
Isn’t it interesting that these same people, in their self-serving fashion, constantly speak of God’s “sovereignty” (which they have conveniently redefined) and yet these same people are never heard speaking of God’s holiness which is stated throughout Scripture. In fact, it’s the only one of His divine attributes which is listed three times in succession and He did this twice – once in the New and once in the Old Testament (Isaiah 6:3; Revelation 4:8). In fact, the LORD told us to “Be ye holy” because He is holy.
“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
The sovereignty of God is not directly stated in His Word and yet holiness is all over the Bible, not only that God is holy but also that He requires such from any person who will spend eternity with Him (Hebrews 12:14).
Now, are you beginning to see just WHO the OSAS religion revolves around? It’s a religion with sinful man enthroned and the LORD dethroned!
Why do they adopt this OSAS (un-conditional security) theology?
“For the time will come when they will not endure (hold themselves accountable to) sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; 4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth (as God defines it in His whole Word), and shall be turned unto fables (stories, notions, false philosophies).” 2 Timothy 4:3-4
“After their own lusts” they have denied Christ by denying Him the reign of their personal lives. So, they have made up a god in their own sinful image who requires of them no personal responsibility for their thoughts and actions or accountability to be crucified with Christ in that daily cross Christ commanded to all who would truly follow Him (Luke 9:23-24). Paul calls them the very “enemies of the cross of Christ … whose god is their belly” (Philippians 3:18-19).
“(For MANY walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: 19 Whose end is destruction (eternal damnation), whose God is their belly (carnal appetites), and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things (preserving their own lives),” Philippians 3:18-19
“For our conversation (way of life) is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:” Philippians 3:20
Message Received:
“You are stretching the truth by trying to link the lie Satan told Eve to OSAS! OSAS didn’t exist back then!”
Response:
The doctrine of OSAS “didn’t exist”? Of course it did or it started right there. “There is NO new thing under the sun” and Satan tempts us with what is “common to man” (Eccl. 1:9; 1 Cor. 10:13). It’s “common” and began with Satan telling the man and woman that they were going to be okay if they sinned against God. Adam and Eve had to be restored and that’s why the LORD shed the blood of animals to restore them which depicted Christ’s blood (Gen. 3:21). If Satan has changed his methods then Paul the apostle of Jesus lied to us by telling us that what the devil tempts us with is not “common to man” (1 Cor. 10:13).
Also: If in fact Satan is the king of “ye shall NOT surely die,” then we know he possesses all who buy that lie (Gen. 2:17; 3:4). DID Satan say “ye shall NOT surely die”? Yes or no please! Yes! If Satan originated this lie then anyone espousing it has brought devils into their life. Paul spoke of “seducing SPIRITS (devils) and doctrines of devils.” (1 Tim. 4:1) One comes with the other. Devils attach to and control the lives of all who buy this lie of the ages – OSAS is clearly equivalent to “ye shall NOT surely die” (Gen. 2:17; 3:4).
Carol B. writes:
“What is “Relativism”?” – A philosophy or theory holding that truth or moral or aesthetic value, etc., is not universal or absolute but may differ between individuals or cultures.
What is it that makes OSAS (once saved always saved) like Relativism?
If there is truth that can be known, then any departure from the truth, for whatever reason, is nothing more than situational ethics. In other words, to deny or disregard truth because we do not agree with it, do not like it, do not believe it, or want to live our lives our own way based on what we perceive to be right or wrong, will always ultimately lead to relativism. “Do what thou wilt” is the mantra of the church of Satan and is the philosophy that the arch enemy of man wants us to believe in and practice. Choosing to live your life this way, I warn all readers, is in direct rebellion to the truth revealed in the written Word of God.
When God’s commandments and precepts can be known, and the consequences of disobedience are clearly stated in His written Word, no excuse can be made, or will be accepted for turning away from the truth. Relativism is nothing more than finding a way to sin, and believing that it is acceptable. For those who call themselves Christians, relativism manifests itself in the damnable doctrine of OSAS. This happens by disregarding the warnings clearly stated in the Holy Scriptures and denying reality itself. Adherents of OSAS willfully deny God’s warning of judgment for sin.
For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, Hebrews 10:26
Christ can only die once for your sins. If you reject, mock, or deny His free gift. He will not crawl back on the cross and do it all over again
Make no mistake about the truth that sin separates us from a holy God. I have found that most of those who complain about God being silent, are the same ones who will justify sin. Can you really believe that you can take part in sins willingly and still hear from God?
When God speaks to us, he confirms that He approves of what we are doing or trying to do.
So, to think God will speak to us when we willingly sin, is to believe that God approves of the sin you are committing. Light and dark cannot occupy the same place at the same time.” Carol B.
To a pastor who emailed me and was upset that I was teaching the biblical truth about a conditional eternal security, the following response was sent:
“Yes, we have eternal life and yet the possession of eternal life is not automatically eternal … that is, if we do not abide which means remain in Christ to the end, we shall be “cast into the fire.” (Jn. 15:1-6) This is a missing doctrine from the modern church, especially those who have pigeon holed themselves into this “once saved always saved’ mentality which is not taught in Holy Scripture.
God is calling you to repent of the antinomian (lawless) heresy of “turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness” (license for sin). Jude 3-4.
Greg, you have no Scriptural/divine authority to teach the unconditional eternal security you are teaching. Jesus and His holy apostles taught to the contrary. See Matt. 10:22; 24:13; Acts 13:43; 14:22; Heb. 3:6, 12-14; 10:26-39; Rev. 2-3, etc.).
The LORD’s first priority is not the lost but those He has saved and keeping them saved. See John 17:9; Gal. 6:10. WHERE has satan’s false prophets breathed their strange fire? (Ps 74:3-4, 7) WHAT was Paul’s concern that he cried day and night for three years about? Was it from those who would come from without or from within? Acts 20:27-32
I am attaching the book “Lie of the Ages” which has never been refuted. I encourage you to read it.
The same Greek word for “sealed” in Eph. is used for Christ’s tomb being sealed and WE KNOW that seal was broken (Matt. 27:66).
Tagging Christ’s teaching to abide to the end is not roman catholic. That’s a smokescreen. You need to repent and stop being so prideful. You have much to learn young man.
You have no Scripture to refute this truth. The Truth about Predestined and Sealed.
The Bible says you are an “ungodly man” if you teach this lascivious lie (Jude 3-4).
*Specifically concerning false teachers, the Bible instructs: “rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith;” (Titus 1:13)
When Jesus said “It is finished” He was referring to HIS perfect work of redemption and NOT your personal responsibility to die to self and follow Him! Yes “by faith” and if you have true, Heaven bound, saving faith, you will have the good fruit of good works. Why then would He have given you things to do? Why His many commands to be obeyed by those who truly love Him?
The possession of salvation is not automatically eternal. Why then would Jesus have told us – His own – that we must “endure to the end to be saved”? (Matt. 10:22; 24:13) What else could this possibly mean than if we do not continue with Him to the end of our lives on this earth, that we will not be saved?
Message Received:
“Thank you for speaking the truth on so many issues. I almost always agree with the points you prove from Scripture.
I grew up in a very non Calvinist church (Free Methodist). I’m not sure if I took their doctrine past the point where they were teaching or not, but as a child and teenager I believed that if I died and had any unconfessed sin, that I was doomed. In really looking at it now, I think that I still believe that to be the case!
When I was 19, my former husband told me the OSAS doctrine. This was the first time that I knew there was such a thing. After we married, we went to a Conservative Baptist church. Before we joined, I asked the pastor about the OSAS doctrine, and he gave me the standard answer about that if they left the faith, then they were never saved to begin with. (Interesting to note is that he grew up Free Methodist!)
Anyway, I don’t think that I’ve ever truly believed OSAS, even when a member of that church. I’ve been a member of two other churches since then, neither OSAS. At the present time, I’m not a member of any church and attend a home fellowship with like minded believers.
Knowing that some challenging times are ahead makes it hard for me to say with certainty that I could never deny Christ, even though that is the desire of my heart. Truly, I think that until I’m with Him, I’m not sure that I can be sure that I’ll be with Him for eternity.” Kathy
Reply:
Kathy, thank you for sharing your testimony. It’s refreshing to see people who were taught the truth from the beginning – that OSAS is a heresy. What you stated at the end is so very vital. Millions who were once saved (for sure) and then told they had no further personal responsibility to follow Christ in a real way, are going to deny Him openly in the end and go to hell for eternity and it will be worse for them than if they had never know the LORD (2 Pet. 2:20-21). They were betrayed for the false teachers who taught them this OSAS lie and also for their own disobedience of refusing to learn of the LORD from His written Word for themselves. Ready or not -Jesus is coming for a spotless bride (Eph. 5:25-27).
***QUESTION RECEIVED:
If I recall you pretty much said that Calvinist’s are not saved and that is just not true! Now was that a gracious thing to say??? I mean we could dialogue on this until doomsday, and I could pretty much say the same about you, but what would be the point???
REPLY:
No offense meant here but let me say it once again, standing on both feet and all boldness and no slight apology – No person who is trusting in some other system of theology other than that “doctrine of Christ” we must received AND continue in, will be saved in the end. – “WHOSOEVER (whether saved in the past or not) transgresseth (goes back), and abideth (remains) not in the doctrine of Christ, HATH NOT GOD. He that abideth (remains) in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son.” (2 John 9)
I have no problem at all with you are anyone disagreeing with me. It’s all about divine truth which is available to us all in God’s written Word friend.
And YES, that is a very gracious thing to say because – “Open rebuke is better than secret love. 6 Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.”(Proverbs 27:5-6) Now, let me ask you a question now: “Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth?” (Galatians 4:16) …. by the way, you are welcome to say I’m not saved. There is no doubt that can tamper with the divine “great peace” of those who only get what they believe from God’s pure Word and “hate EVERY false way” such as calvinism (Psalms 119:104, 128, 165). In other words, why read it and pollute your mind if it’s not the BIBLE? No true disciple of Jesus looks ANY where except to Christ, the Word and His written Word for the truth. ALL others are deceived and will be damned (2 Thessalonians 2:9-12).
“Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them.” Psalms 119:165
Doctrinal Purity (audio)
Comment Received:
“Hello bother, this is Pastor Frank. I see that you are working hard for the Lord and contending with many deceived souls regarding that wicked false teacher, John Calvin and his demonic belief system. You are doing a great job! My words seem to fall on deaf ears. In the ministry that I am involved with, we minister mostly to people who are in the occult/cult systems. We have helped many, thanks be to our God! I really did not know a whole lot about this wicked man until I ran into a Calvinist preacher. After hearing him and disagreeing with the lies he was teaching, he got crazy and it could have turned violent. It made me really dig into why this lying preacher was so crazy. When I studied hard I found out the real truth of John Calvin, the person, and his demonic system. I could see that these people have the same spirit as there god Calvin, the monster. Even when I point out the fact that he was a mass murder, it does not seem to bother them at all! That in itself is amazing to me and is evil, to say the least. I think that if they could, they would burn us at the stake in the name of Calvin. Hang in there! You are doing a great job exposing this devil. God bless.” Frank S.
Comment Received:
“Calvinism is so far removed from scripture and the heart of God. It is an absolute assault on God’s own character. However it will fulfill scripture. Unfortunately many will be losing their soul because of this. Matthew 7:21-23 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? 23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” Steve Anderson
Message Received:
Didn’t James say, we are tempted by our own lusts? James 1:14
So yes, God is not enticing us to sin. We are drawn away by our own lusts. Again, we are under the law. How can he be transgressing the law, when he wrote it?
To put all the Scriptures in focus, God did harden Pharaohs heart.
An evil spirit did come from the Lord to Saul.
God did create the devil.
God is working, manipulating, arranging everything. If He’s not, he’s not God.
Now, to blame God for your sin is unlawful. I repeat, we are under the law not Him.
Reply:
God only hardened Pharoah’s heart in the sense of allowing him to choose and then responding just like we see He does now in 2 Thessalonians 2:9-12. No, God did not create the devil, He created Lucifer who then rebelled (Isaiah 14:12-15; Ezek. 28:13-15). You are on dangerous ground attributing sin and evil to the Almighty who said He is “Holy, holy, holy” and that He “cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he ANY man.” (Isaiah 6:3; Rev. 4:8; James 1:13-15).
“Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:
14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.
15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.” James 1:13-15
Message Received:
“I believe in ‘once saved, always saved’. I have read the KJV Bible through several times and have listened to arguments against OSAS. To believe otherwise is to dilute the power of Jesus’ blood to save to the uttermost and that is blasphemy. Love in Christ! I’ve walked with the Lord faithfully for 50 years out of 61. When I went ‘worldly’ God didn’t dis own me, but gently called me to Himself and I repented of what I had done. If you are truly saved,’no man shall be able to pluck you out of His hand.’”
Reply:
Hi. The blood of Jesus is perfect. However, its’ application to the individual is yet another thing. Perfect righteousness is only arrived at/received and kept through the initial, continual, and presence of the perfect blood of Jesus Christ. This is accomplished as we choose to “walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.” (1 Jn. 1:7) Note the ongoing nature of the verse you just read as you re-read it slowly and prayerfully. Contrary to what Holy Writ plainly reveals, the eternal securest wants the convenience of a one-time “Profession of faith” or “Decision to accept Christ” as the way to be saved. This type of professing believer does not want to pick up the daily cross. He wants to believe he is secure in his daily life, while forsaking the Savior he claims to be saved by (Matt. 7:21; Lk. 6:46). In his mythical, fairy tale- like self-deception, he wants the heavenly crown, yet denies the daily cross (Matt. 16:24-25). He refuses to lose his own life for the life of the Savior and LORD because he is not truly trusting God. He wants his sin instead of the Savior. He makes excuse for living in sin and hides behind the thin veneer of his doctrines of false security. He is a hypocrite and a moral coward who refuses to literally obey the God He claims to be saved by (Tit. 1:16; Rev. 21:8). The LORD promised that our sin – if retained – WILL find us out in the end if we do not confess and forsake them (Num. 32:23; Prov. 28:13; Gal. 5:19-21; Eph. 5:5-7; Heb. 12:14; Rev. 21:8, 27). God did not cease to have His immutable eternal divine nature – “holy, holy, holy” just because He saved us! Think about how sinfully presumptuous, self-serving, and pride-filled this assumption is! This heresy underlies all of reformed/Calvinistic theology and thinking. The teachings of “Once Saved Always Saved” false doctrine, as well as reformed theology, are simply the insidious workings of Satan to attack Christ and subvert His holy truth.
According to 1 John 1:7, only those who get saved and then continue to “walk in the light” with Christ will continue to be washed from their sins. Sin MUST be confessed (1 John 1:9).
The wages of sin is still death and God is “Holy, holy, holy.” Nothing could be more clear in His Word than the fact that any person who dies in sin will be in the lake of fire eternally (Rev. 21:8, 27; 22:14-15; Gal. 5:19-21; Eph. 5:5-9).
Information on “plucked” below … keep reading ….
In the divine economy, as is expressed throughout the Holy Scriptures, salvation is not a one-time event, but the ongoing experience of knowing Him in an intimate, willing, obedient relationship (Exod. 25:8; 2 Chron. 15:2; Isa. 1:19-20; Jn. 17:3; Phil. 3:10; 2 Tim. 2:12, etc.). The fact that we all have stumbled and sinned after being saved does not justify that sin. God is still “holy, holy, holy” (Isa. 6:3; Rev. 4:8) His divine nature does not change just because He by His sheer mercy saved us (Tit. 3:5-7). This is where the Calvinist utterly and foolishly errs (Jonah 2:8). In fact, God told us that those who COVER (instead of CONFESS and FORSAKE sin) are not right with Him. Proverbs 28:13 and 1 John 1:6-2:2 are essential Scriptures which should be read in order to better understand this most critical doctrine.
In fact, He told us that those who COVER instead of CONFESS and FORSAKE their sin are not right with Him and will be found having their own righteousness instead of Christ’s perfect righteousness (Prov. 28:13; Phil. 3:9). 1 John 1:6-2:2 are essential in understanding a fuller scope of this whole topic. We must not err in the other direction from lasciviousness to legalism, thinking we can be made perfect in the flesh lest we fall from grace like the Galatians (Gal. 3:3; 5:4). Trusting in self instead of the one Savior will result in a fall from grace which is only accessed and abode/continued in “by FAITH.” (Rom. 5:1-2)
Righteousness can only come from Jesus Christ…imputed as we repent and place our full faith in Him alone for salvation that He alone earned for us (Rom. 3:21-4:5). God requires faith, not only to initially receive His imputed righteousness, but also ongoing to the end of one’s life or all is lost. This is a doctrine the reformist OSAS adherent completely denies and yet it is all over Scripture (Matt. 10:22; 24:13; Col. 1:23; Heb. 3:6, 12-14; 10:26-39; 2 Pet. 2:20-22; Rev. 2-3, etc.). The appropriation of His saving righteousness is only to those who truly believe on Jesus Christ and continue in that faith to the end. Many “fall away” (Lk. 8:13) or fail to realize that their “faith” is not authentic. Real, saving faith will always produce a life of good fruit, denying ungodliness and worldly lust and looking daily for the soon return of Jesus. Our Lord will be looking for those who are daily being washed by His Word, without spot and blemish (Titus 2:11-12; Eph. 5:25-27; 1 John 3:3).
We still have our sin nature. Paul says it is still a part of us and even he laments that he struggles with it. Paul also said that “if ye live after the flesh ye (believer) SHALL die” and of himself Paul the apostle said that he was personally responsible to “keep under” his body of sin – keep it crucified – or he also would be a “castaway” which simply means that he would ultimately be cast away from God into hell. Paul was not an eternal securest as the tradition of Calvinism and reformed theology erroneously teaches today. The real grace teacher, Paul, said this of divine grace, a passage purposely and completely dodged, avoided, shunned, and refused by the modern Calvinist…
Titus 2:11-14 brings in many rejected truths, including 1. What divine grace teaches when it is truly in a person’s life, 2. That Christ died to free us from ALL unrighteousness, and if we are not walking in this sin-killing grace, we will not be ready at His soon return, and 3. That when God’s grace is truly in us, we are “zealous of good works”:
“For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to ALL MEN, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.” Titus 2:11-14
Titus 2:11-14 brings in many rejected truths, including:
1. What divine grace teaches when it is truly in a person’s life
2. That Christ died to free us from ALL unrighteousness, and if we are not walking in this sin-killing grace, we will not be ready at His soon return and
3. That when God’s grace is truly in us, we are “zealous of good works”.
The phony grace message of the evangelicals who follow Calvin instead of Christ, robs the fear of the LORD from the hearts of their gullible audience and leads them into a life of sin. The catastrophic result is that they are not ready for the return of Jesus and will be rejected as lukewarm …. Check what Jesus said out here in Luke 21:33-36….
“Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away. And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.” Luke 21:33-36
Calvinists also call sin “doing wrong” or “having faults” and that these things will not be imputed to Christians, but will all burn at the judgment seat of Christ. Where does Holy Scripture say this? No where, especially when biblical passages are read in their own context and in context with the whole of Scripture. Paul warns CHRISTIANS of the 5 sins that kept God’s people out of their promised land (Heaven) ….. L.I.F.T.M. = lust, idolatry, fornication, tempting Christ, murmuring …. See 1 Cor. 9:27-10:12. Paul cited 17 specific sins that will keep a former believer out of the kingdom of God (Gal. 5:19-21). There’s much more on this in the NT Scriptures (Eph. 5:5-7; Rev. 21:8, 27; 1 Cor. 6:9-10, etc.
Only our works will be judged there. Yes, we are known and will be judged by our works due to the fact that our works clearly reveal what is truly in our heart.
“But that which ye have already hold fast till I come. (why such a warning if there were no possibility of losing it?) And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations:” Revelation 2:25-26
Enduring to the end is a requirement. Irrevocable eternal damnation awaits all who after being saved fall away, do not continue to walk with Christ on His stated biblically recorded terms. Abide or perish (John 15:6).
When speaking to His very own people, Jesus promised that only those among them that “overcome” would be with Him eternally (Rev. 2-3). The Holy Spirit told us through Peter that in the end “the righteous” would “scarcely be saved.” Many have fallen away or not endured to the end which is a requirement imposed upon us by the LORD. “And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?” (1 Pet. 4:18)
Whether previously saved or not, all those who die in sin are going to the lake of fire. The whole of God’s Word testifies to this fact. Jesus said to cut off the hand and pluck out the eye that causes us to offend the one true God who said He is “holy, holy, holy.” (Isa. 6:3; Rev. 4:8) Read Mark 9:42-49, a passage purposely dodged by the spineless, self-serving coward behind today’s pulpits who claim to be representing Christ while refusing to declare the full counsel of His Word. He promised us that He will be ashamed of them in the Judgment, which means they will be vanquished into the bowels of eternal damnation (Mk. 8:38; Jn. 8:47). There is no doubt that after we have been saved, we have all sinned against God and yet there are those who openly and honestly admit they have sinned and repent, turning back to the LORD (Lk. 8:15; 1 Jn. 1:7-10; Rev. 3:17-19). Tragically, there are many who use false doctrine like OSAS (once saved always saved) to cloak themselves in that sin, falsely claiming they are still secure. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Proverbs 28:13 says “He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.”
Speaking to Christians, Rom. 8:13 says “For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.”
If we are to have the Peace of God, how can we have that peace if we are always fearful of losing our salvation when we do wrong? God has not given us the spirit of fear. Brother, this is mere reasoning, with self at heart instead of the Savior. We must die to self and self’s desires, “needs”, and wants. “Ye are dead and your life is hid with Christ in God.” (Col. 3:3) You are approaching this in the flesh instead of by the pure counsel of His Word in the holy fear of God. Reread your statement above and perhaps you will see that self is first – the preservation and pampering of self. Peace is a by product or fruit of abiding in Christ which means abiding in/obeying His teachings to deny self, take up the cross to mortify self, and follow Him (Lk. 9:23-24). The false teachers will never teach this but rather a diabolical and utterly false security. They sell this as a ware, to tickle ears, entertain, and grow their nickels, noses, and numbers. These guys have their own bellies or carnal appetites at heart and “mind earthly things.” (Phil. 3:17-21). These are the ravenous wolves we are so often warned about in God’s Word (Matt. 7:15; Acts 20:20-32), etc.). Having peace is not the goal, but rather the goal is to “know him” and “the power of his resurrection, being made conformable to his DEATH.” (Phil. 3:10). He has called us to be conformed to the image of His Son – His Son came to die – and to be rightly serving the very “Prince of peace” we claim to know (Isa. 9:6-7; Rom. 8:29). When knowing Him is truly our goal (as was Paul’s and not some selfish end) we will refuse error and man’s tradition and search out and obey His holy Precepts and will be granted by Him “GREAT peace” – “GREAT PEACE have they that LOVE thy law (Word) and nothing shall offend them.” (Ps. 119:165) False teaching produces a pseudo peace that is a cheap counterfeit for the deep, clean, sound, peace of God that passes all understanding and keeps our hearts and minds through Jesus Christ our LORD (Phil. 4:4-8, etc.). Only those who love and therefore obey His pure, clean, and clear counsel will be granted His “great peace.” (Ps 119:165) All others claiming to have peace are deceived.
My prayer today is that both of us will be blessed to completely change any single thing we have espoused and that is not aligned with the clear message of the full-counsel of Holy Writ.
At least think on these things. If we are a part of the Body of Christ, He cannot cut off a part of Himself if we do wrong. See also John 17. “Cut off” is a term used by the LORD as a serious warning. It is an ultimatum for those of His who do not “continue in his goodness” (Rom. 11:22). Jesus said that those who do not remain/abide in Him after being in Him (saved) will be cut off and thrown into the fires of eternal damnation (Jn. 15:5).
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“Sealed unto the Day of Redemption” Ephesians 4:30 [podcast]
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.
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Articles
Sinlessly Perfect? I Doubt it [podcast]
Yes the LORD commands His people to “Be ye holy; for I am holy.” (1 Peter 1:15-16) Yet we should ask whether or not His desire is for His people to tout to others that they are “sinlessly perfect” or does His Word rather reveal that His people are to be dependent upon Him through the humility of Christ and crucified life He ordained us to walk in? Did the apostles walk around telling people they were sinlessly perfect? No. Didn’t Paul confess his own utter poverty of spirit outside of the saving, present grace of Christ? Yes. (Romans 7:18, 24, etc.) Are there biblical warnings about claiming that one is sinlessly perfect? Yes. (Job 9:20; Proverbs 20:9)
“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
Saints, would it be accurate to observe that we cannot possibly begin to appreciate this “so great salvation” that is Christ until we understand how lost, helpless, and alienated we were in our sin? (Ephesians 2:1-10; Hebrews 2:3) We must pray and study to understand the biblical doctrine of inherent sin, fallen mankind, and the holiness of God …. in order to begin to be able to appreciate the redemption that is in Jesus Christ.
“If I justify myself, mine own mouth shall condemn me: if I say, I am perfect, it shall also prove me perverse.” Job 9:20
Solomon said:
“Who can say, I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin?” Proverbs 20:9
Speaking of king David’s imperfections, even nearing the end of his life on earth, one commentator writes:
“Surely there can be little ground for the doctrine of perfectionism, otherwise David, whose religion was so earnest and so deep, would have been nearer it now than this chapter shows that he was.” Expositor’s Bible
“For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not.” Ecclesiastes 7:20
I am not a good person, neither are you – “There is none righteous, no, not one“ (Romans 3:10). Admit it. The sooner we become HONEST with that which is more than obvious, announcing freely and transparently – that there is “NOOOO good thing” in us except CHRIST, the sooner God will begin a new, deeper work in us! (Romans 7:18, 24) The Cross!
God is able to establish our hearts in His grace and to multiply His grace to us (Hebrews 13:9; 2 Peter 3:18)
ALL of our deeds are not perfect (1 John 1:8-10). “For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life” (Proverbs 6:23). The truly righteous remain humble, teachable, and repentant. Note verse 21 saints:
“And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. 21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.” John 3:19-21
Saved by Divine Grace and Yet Now Made Perfect by Your Flesh?
“Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?” Galatians 3:3
The Galatian believers had begun their walk with Christ by responding to the conviction of the Spirit, repenting, putting their faith in Christ, and being regenerated. Yet, now they were allowing false teachers to seduce them back under the law, law-keeping for righteousness – to attempt to please God by their own self-will and performance.
Jesus’ disciples must live a set apart life. Living sinless? Well, it can be done: Here’s the key – “In him (Jesus) is no sin. He that abideth in him sinneth not” (1 John 3:5-6). We whom Jesus has saved must “cleanse ourselves from ALL filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God” (2 Corinthians 7:1). Yet, the only way to be sinless is in presently abiding in Him and that begins with the essential of announcing our own poverty in self which is being poor/desperately dependent on Him in spirit (Matthew 5:3, 6). Yet some insist that they are perfect by their own will, ability, and doing. This is the exact error of the Galatians which caused them to fall from saving grace (Galatians 5:4). They left Christ for something else – law keeping. Leaving Christ, departing from faith, and casting off trusting fully in HIS saving grace, is deadly. Realizing there is “NO good thing” in us except Christ, is essential to abiding saved in Him (Romans 7:18, 24; John 15:1-6). Galatians 3:3 says it all – “Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?” (Galatians 3:3). The great apostle of Jesus was desperate for the LORD, ever seeking His holy face and dreadfully not wanting “to be found having mine own righteousness which is of the law” (Philippians 3:9-10).
“The great secret of abiding in Christ is the deep conviction that we are nothing, and He is everything.” Andrew Murray, Abide in Christ
Heart purity and a sinless life emanate only from intimate union and abiding with a holy God. This occurs as we consent to the cross and not by human effort alone. Jesus raises up those who are truly bowed down – crucified with Christ (Psalms 145:14; 2 Corinthians 4:10-12; Galatians 2:20; Colossians 3:3, etc.). One cannot possibly “stop sinning” until they come to Jesus and He saves them, making them new creatures in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17-18). Only then can the regenerated disciple “put off the old man” and “put on the new man” (Colossians 3:9-10). There MUST be something to “put off” …. that inherent sinful nature, otherwise no such language would be in Scripture (Colossians 3).
Beware of the sinless perfectionists who speak of overcoming sin outside of the daily cross and the saving, enabling grace of God. It’s only possible by God’s enabling grace in and through a true abiding relationship.
If we claim we are sufficient in and of ourselves and because of our own “natural ability” to do right, and can be perfect (which God requires) without Christ and our total trust IN HIM, we are apostate. Memorize Romans 4:4-5.
We cannot be “made perfect BY the flesh” or by means of our own self-will and effort alone. If that were possible WHY then did Jesus come? We are only perfect in the sense of Christ’s perfection AS we abide in Him (John 15:1-6). As we do, we will “walk in the light, as he is in the light … and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.” Here’s the whole verse:
“But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.” 1 John 1:7
Yes, we are “new creatures” in Christ and must humble ourselves before Him, put off the old man, put on the new man, and walk in the Spirit with Him. Yet, the victory Christ has wrought and ordained for us to walk in daily all begins with acknowledging instead of denying that there is something to deny and die to and “put off” (Colossians3:5; 2 Corinthians5:17-18). Denying that we have inclination toward sin is not the answer. Crucifying the deeds of the body by the power of the Holy Spirit is the answer (Romans 8:12-14). Many are getting hoodwinked by this self-righteous “I can do it with my own ‘natural ability’” spirit. This is a Christ-denying devil-exalting heresy, doctrine of devils (1 Timothy 4:1-3). Many who are not grounded in the grace and Word of Christ are adopting this error of Pelagianism which fosters self righteousness. They are aggressively teaching this sinless perfectionism (in the flesh) error to others. These people seem to have one common denominator – they have studied the teachings of Charles Finney or Mike Desario. Beware!
Many of those who preach sin without saving, rescuing, enabling, overcoming divine grace are perhaps still trapped in their own sins. They have no answer for others and therefore we should wonder if they have the LORD’s answer for and in their own lives. If they did, would they not be full of His great joy and sharing with others how to be delivered? Why are they content with condemning others in sin? Is God willing that ANY should perish? See 2 Peter 3:9.
Never forget to make a decision to be deepened in the essential truth that it’s “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us.”
“Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; 6 Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; 7 That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” Titus 3:5-7
WHEN we realize that God is “Holy, holy, holy,” we will no longer wrongly condemn others if they sin, just because the flavor of their sin differs from that sin which we’ve committed, knowing that the sin we committed was no less evil in the eyes of He alone who is “Holy, holy, holy” (Isaiah 6:3; Revelation 4:8).
G.R.A.C.E. = God’s Riches at Christ’s Expense
It’s only by God’s grace that we are found and saved by Him and kept and enabled to please Him which includes participating in holiness, separated unto the LORD, as He is holy (Hebrews 12:14-15; 1 Peter 1:15-16; Revelation 4:8, etc.).
Titus 2 tells us that we are only saved by divine grace and only kept to the end by His enabling grace.
“For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, 12 Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; 13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; 14 Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. 15 These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee.” Titus 2:11-15
Deliverance from sin/sinning is only possible through faith, loving, worshiping, and obeying our LORD, that is, moment-by-moment abiding in Christ, the crucified life, being raised up by His Spirit (Romans 6; 8:13-14, etc.).
“And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure. 4 Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law. 5 And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin. 6 Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him.” 1 John 3:3-6
Perfection is the perfect forgiveness and justification of the LORD which God brings about by His Spirit and our faith which always brings our adherence to the daily cross (Philippians 2:12-13). It’s divine perfection worked out in the abiding disciple as he walks in the Spirit abiding in Christ (Galatians 5:16, 25, etc.).
True OR Feigned Holiness? | Saving, Enabling Grace | Have We Ourselves Become Pharisees? | The Spirit of Holiness |
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