If You Trust Someone Mostly, You Do Not Trust Them At All

Galatians 3:26, “For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.”

Have you ever said that they trust someone, kind of. The truth is they don't trust that person, period. Either you trust someone 100% or you don't trust them at all.

Dear reader, do you really trust the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior? In fact, sadly, nearly everyone who claims to be religious on the planet does not completely trust Christ.

In 2003 in the Chicago Sun-Time during the Iraqi War, I read a sad article titled: “U.S. Troops Line Up For Baptism Just In Case.” Oh my, that is not the Gospel. That is not how you get to Heaven! In case the soldiers were killed on the battlefield, they were being invited by the heathen military chaplain to be dunked in a baptistry to prepare to meet God. Fools!

Salvation is not found in any religion, baptistry, sacrament or ritual; but rather, in Jesus Christ's crucifixtion on the cross, His burial and bodily resurrection from the dead three days later. This is the Gospel, the “Good News,” according to 1st Corinthians 15:1-6. There is no other way to Heaven (Acts 4:10-12). Any admitted guilty sinner who believes the Gospel is saved (Romans 1:16). Christ died for our sins! He is the only Savior and Mediator between God the Father and men. You can pray to Mary all you want, you are wasting your idolatrous breath!

If you trust someone 99%, you don't trust them. It's that simple. If you are relying upon church sacraments to get to Heaven, which includes the baptistry, you are not wholly trusting Christ. If you are relying upon the fallacy of having “repented of your sins,” you are not wholly trusting Jesus as your Savior. Not one verse in the inspired King James Bible teaches that you must repent “of your sins” to be saved. Yet, wicked Baptist pastors everywhere are preaching this damnable heresy today, misleading the masses. Please don't let some slick false prophet take you to Hell with him. Salvation is of the LORD, and you have no part in your own salvation except the sin that made it necessary. Faith is the only righteous thing that I can do.

Now, I am not saying that you cannot have doubts as a Christian. It matters not how much lack of confidence you may have that Christ can save you, it you trust wholly in Jesus alone for the forgiveness of your sins, accepting His sacrifice on the cross as full payment for your sins, burial and His physical resurrection the third day, you are going to Heaven. It's that simple. Billions of sincere people are going to miss Heaven and spend eternity in Hell someday because they trusted in TOO MUCH. Do not add anything to your faith in Christ and what He did for you on the cross. Salvation is simply believing that Jesus did it all for you through Calvary's cross. Do not be foolish by adding to that.

Beware of the lying false prophet like Pastor Joel Osteen, who says that to be saved you must turn from your sins and invite Jesus into your life. Jesus was a part of Judas Iscariot's life, yet Judas is in Hell forever. Judas turned from his sins, even returning the thirty pieces of silver. Matthew 27:3 tells us that Judas “repented” of his sins and still ended up burning in Hell. Judas felt sorry for betraying an innocent man, Jesus, but Judas never repented toward God by faith in His only begotten Son (John 3:16). I feel sad for Judas.

Dear reader, I cannot stress just how important this blog is. Are you relying upon Christ alone and what He did to pay your debt of sin on Calvary's cross? Cults like Seventh-Day Adventism (SDA) and Lutherans redefine what “faith” means, perverted it's biblical meaning. SDA's errantly teach that you must obey the Ten Commandments to prove that you love God, and if you don't they say your faith is false and you are not saved. Martin Luther (1483-1546) errantly taught that you put your faith in Christ by getting water baptized. This is what Lutherans (his cult followers) still teach today nearly 500 years later.

I ask you again with a concerned heart dear friend, are you trusting Christ alone? If you are relying upon the Gospel alone for salvation, then despite any doubts you may have in the veracity of the Holy Bible, you are trusting Jesus 100%. If you trust your wife 95%, you don't trust her. If you trust her 99.99%, you don't trust her! Trust means that you wholly place your full confidence in someone.

I ask you once more friend, are you wholly relying upon the Lamb of God to save you? John 1:29, “The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” Not church membership, not the baptistry, not sacraments, not loving thy neighbour, not religious devotion, not serving Christ, not repenting of your sins, not making Jesus “Lord” of your life, not living a lifestyle of repentance, not faithfully running the race 'til the end, not anything but “BELIEVE ON THE LORD JESUS CHRIST” (Acts 16:31b). Thank you for reading my ministry blog.

Every One Of You Can Be Saved

Acts 2:38, “Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.”

There is a beautiful Bible truth hidden in this Scripture text. The Apostle Peter preached the Gospel and extended a salvation invitation to “every one of you.” This truth disproves the Calvinist lie that God only chooses certain people to be saved, and others to go to Hell. According to the inspired Word of God, God desires for all men to repent (change your mind) from unbelief to belief to be saved. 2nd Peter 3:9, “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”

Dear reader, it matters not who you are or what you may have done, Jesus Christ died on Calvary's cross 2,000 years ago to pay your debt of sin. It matters not if you are Judas Iscariot, God would have saved Judas if he simply trusted Christ. It matters not if you paid Judas the 30 pieces of silver to betray Jesus, God still wanted to forgive them. No one is beyond the hope and saving-power of the Gospel. John 5:40, “And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life.” Notice that Christ did not say “ye cannot come”; but rather, “ye will not come” unto me to be saved. No one ever went to Hell who didn't consciously choose to go there by rejecting Jesus as their Savior.

But you say, “I'm like unto one of the Pharisees who plotted Jesus' death. Would God save me?” Yes, yes, ten thousands times yes! It matters not if you are a murderer, thief, child molester, adulterer, extortioner, crooked politician, homosexual, transvestite or some other evil monster, yes, absolutely yes, God will save you if you'll just BELIEVE the Gospel. You must understand that there is no “you” in God's simple plan of salvation, there is only Christ and what He did for you through Calvary's cross. Jesus paid our debt of sin. If you and I were to pay for our own sins, we would be cast into the everlasting fires of Hell. That is justice!

Thank God for His mercy and grace. Romans 5:9, “Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.” The ONLY means of obtaining peace with God is through faith in His only begotten Son. Romans 5:1-2, “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.” There is no peace in any religion! There is no peace in the sacraments of Roman Catholicism and the Lutheran and Presbyterian denominations. Galatians 3:26, “For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.”

WHOSOEVER will can be saved. John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Anybody can and should be saved. Your eternal happiness depends on it. When you die your location changes, but what you believe determines the neighborhood you move into. Acts 2:38, “Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.” The Apostle Peter told the crowd that every one of them could be saved by faith in Jesus Christ. The choice is yours along to make dear friend.

Pastor Harry Ironside Refutes Misunderstood Repentance

Mark 1:15, “And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.”

In chapter 16 of his insightful book, “The Preaching That Produces Repentance,” Pastor Harry Ironside (1876-1951) writes:

“In many quarters, men have attached to the words 'repent' and 'repentance' meanings that do not properly belong to them. So that there is the possibility that our hearers may altogether misunderstand us if we urge them, in so many words, to repent. They may imagine they must by some effort of their own, produce that which entitles them to consider that they have attained a state where they are acceptable to God. This is not the truth as set forth in His Word, as every Bible-taught preacher well knows.” —Pastor Harry A. Ironside, “The Preaching That Produces Repentance,” chapter 16

Mark 1:15, “And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.” The last portion of our text passage of Scripture literally could be read translated, “Change your mind and believe the GOOD NEWS that Jesus died on a cross to pay your debt of sin, was buried and three days later bodily resurrected from the dead.” Christ died, that's history; Christ died, was buried and resurrected FOR ME, that's salvation. Anybody can be saved! Whosoever will may come! Every one of you may be saved.

Confusion About Repentance

2nd Timothy 2:23-26, “But foolish and unlearned questions avoid, knowing that they do gender strifes. And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.”

In our text passage of Scripture, we are taught that repentance is “a change of mind” toward THE TRUTH. In the New testament, the word “repent” (Greek noun: metanoia) comes from two Greek root words: meta (after or beyond) + noia (mind - e.g., paranoid, i.e., alongside your mind). Hence, to “repent” simply means to think afterwards, that is, to change your mind from UNBELIEF to BELIEF in the “GOOD NEWS” (Gospel) of Jesus Christ crucified, buried and resurrected the third day (1st Corinthians 15:1-6). Repenting unto life (the new birth) has absolutely nothing to do with forsaking your sinful bad habits, which would be reformation.

Confusion About Repentance
(by Dylan McNutt)

Pastor Jack Hyles (1926-2001) said it well...

“Repentance is not some little silly, 'I'm sorry.' Repentance is not simply a fear of God. Repentance is not a monk fasting and afflicting his body in a monastery. Repentance is not remorse because of sin's consequences. Repentance is not penance performed before the pope as you kiss his toe... Repentance is not being sorry for what I've done wrong. It is not confessing one's sins to a priest. It is not just conviction of sin. It is not the signing of a pledge of abstinence. Repentance is that thing when you come before God and see yourself as you are, and see Him as he is, and say with Isaiah 'Woe is me, for I am unclean!'” —Pastor Jack Hyles, from the sermon: "THE GOODNESS OF GOD LEADETH TO REPENTANCE!"

Pastor Harry Ironside (1876-1951) also said it very well...

“The Gospel is not a call to repentance, or to amendment of our ways, to make restitution for past sins, or to promise to do better in the future. These things are proper in their place, but they do not constitute the Gospel; for the Gospel is not good advice to be obeyed, it is good news to be believed. Do not make the mistake then of thinking that the Gospel is a call to duty or a call to reformation, a call to better your condition, to behave yourself in a more perfect way than you have been doing in the past …Nor is the Gospel a demand that you give up the world, that you give up your sins, that you break off bad habits, and try to cultivate good ones. You may do all these things, and yet never believe the Gospel and consequently never be saved at all.” —Pastor Harry A. Ironside, from the ministry tract: "What Is The Gospel?"

Also, my ministry friend Michael P. Bowen wrote those doctrinally sound words...

"I am at eternal odds with the false, counterfeit messages of salvation-by-works that are taught from virtually every pulpit today, on every television channel, and on every Christian radio station; however, I am not at eternal odds with the individuals who preach these counterfeit messages. My heart literally goes out to all of them because they simply do not understand Christ’s plan of salvation. They have been lied to by a crafty enemy named Satan, whose sole aim is to take as many people with him to the lake of fire as he can possibly manage to steal away from God using a counterfeit plan of salvation that appears so real, so genuine, and so holy that few ever realize they have been deceived by it. Oh reader, so many of today’s professing Christians who think they are going to heaven when they die are not going to make it to heaven as they had assumed because they’ve been lied to by today’s error-filled gospel messages." —Michael Patrick Bowen, from his book: "I NEVER KNEW YOU," p. 17

These three godly Bible preachers have faithfully interpreted the correct biblical meaning of repentance to be saved. THANK YOU Brother Dylan for this helpful ministry video. To God alone be all the praise and glory. Jesus is precious!

God Is Not Sympathetic Toward Gospel Perverts

Galatians 1:6-12, “I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed. For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ. But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man. For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.”

I hear foolish professed Christians expressing sympathy toward damnable false prophets and false converts. Such bleeding-heart, neo-evangelical, churchgoers try to convince us that those who errantly teach you must “repent of your sins” to be saved are still going to Heaven, they're just confused. They would have us to succumb to the corrupt belief that “Lordship Salvation” falls within the realm of orthodox theology, when it clearly does not. Lordship Salvation is the heresy of mixing works with grace, of combining service with salvation.

Adding Anything To The Gospel Perverts It

But I contend that if we as saints are expected by God to show tolerance and extend a welcome arm of Christian fellowship toward Reformed (Calvinist) Baptists who preach Lordship Salvation, then why not extend the same sympathy and Olive Branch to Roman Catholics who add the Seven Sacraments (works) to salvation by grace through faith?

I mean, you cannot include as born again Christian Brethren those who add being willing to turn away from your sinful past ways to be saved, or to follow Christ as “Lord” of your life to be saved, while at the same time vehemently rejecting Catholics who trust in their accursed Seven Sacraments to merit Heaven. Lordship Salvation is a dubious plan of salvation that generates fear and uncertainty instead of providing sweet assurance of eternal security. And may I say, Eternal Life is Eternal Security, these are not two separate doctrines in God's Word.

In the inspired Holy Bible there is no verb for the word “faith.” The verb form of the noun faith is “believe.” These two words are synonymous and interchangeably used in the Scripture. John 5:38, “And ye have not his word abiding in you: for whom he hath sent, him ye believe not.” The reason why sinners refuse to come to Jesus Christ to be saved is simply because they refuse to believe the inspired Holy Bible. This is why Abraham told the rich man (now poorer than poor) in Hell concerning his five living brothers, “If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.” In other words, God is not going to provide you with any more truth than the King James Bible. If the Scripture will not convince you to believe on Christ to be saved, then nothing will convince you.

The Apostle Paul certifies in Galatians 1:12 (from our Scripture text) that Jesus directly gave the Gospel to Him; he didn't receive it from man. Throughout human history there has always been only one plan of salvation, not two or more. One is saved by God's grace through faith in the finished Work of His Son on the Cross, His burial and bodily resurrection as payment in full as our pardon for sin. JESUS PAID IT ALL!

Psalms 32:1, “Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile.”

Oh, how wretched we all are as sinners in God's sight. You miserable dog! We're peanut-brained, weasel-eyed, hog-jowled, beetle-browed, bull-necked lobsters! I stole those lines from Evangelist Billy Sunday (1862-1935). Psalms 106:6, “We have sinned with our fathers, we have committed iniquity, we have done wickedly.” We all deserve to go straight to Hell. Do not pass GO! Do not collect $200. Remember the board game Monopoly?

Dear reader, if it is unacceptable to add sacraments to God's simple plan of salvation, thus corrupting grace, then it is equally as wrong to add being willing to turn from your sins, forsaking the world, becoming a Christ follower, inviting Jesus into your life, walking in holiness, living a lifestyle of repentance, faithfully running the race, surrendering to Jesus as “Lord,” or adding anything else to God's simple plan of salvation; which is by grace through faith alone in the 'GOOD NEWS' (Gospel) of Jesus crucified, buried and risen the third day.

What Exactly Is 'The Gospel'?

So, it is not merely a trifle matter of semantics when someone adds junk to embellish and change God's simple plan of redemption. The inspired Word of God plainly defines “the gospel” in 1st Corinthians 15:1-6 as three things:

1. Jesus DIED on a cross to pay our debt of sin.
2. Jesus was BURIED.
3. Jesus RESURRECTED from the dead three days later.

Any admitted guilty sinner (Romans 3:19-20) who by faith (taking God at His Word) accepts Christ's sacrifice on the cross as full payment for their sins (believing that Jesus died, was buried, but then bodily raised up from the dead after three days) is saved immediately, irrevocably and permanently. Nothing more is required not permitted to get to Heaven.

As born again believers we won't receive eternal life in the future, we already have eternal life now! I believe that when we someday leave this earthly body at death, there will be no break in our conscience. We have eternal life because Jesus is eternal life. 1st John 5:20, “And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.” Amen and amen.

I do not glory in myself as a fundamentalist Baptist preacher, but only in Jesus Christ my God, Lord, Friend and Savior. 1st Corinthians 1:29-31, “That no flesh should glory in his presence. But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.” Jesus is all we need! Ephesians 2:13-14 teaches that Jesus is also our PEACE. Galatians 2:20 teaches that Jesus lives the Christian life through us, that is, the 'FRUIT' of the indwelling Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22-25). 

I just showed you from God's inspired Word exactly what 'THE GOSPEL' is and is not. Although it may seem harmless to add repenting of your sinful bad habits to be saved, it completely changes God's simple plan of salvation to something complicated, difficult and burdensome. There is nothing easy or simple about trying to forsake your sinning. I've been trying my whole life to live right and I still fail every day (Romans 7:10-25). Thankfully, I am not trusting in my own righteousness to merit Heaven. I am not trying to avoid sinning as a means of proving that I am really saved, which would be works. I try to live right because I love Jesus (John 14:15), but this has absolutely NOTHING to do with going to Heaven.

My Hope Is Built On Jesus' Righteousness Alone

The ONLY reason I am going to Heaven is because at age 12 in 1979, I put my childlike trust in the only begotten Son of God, Christ my Savior. I am trusting in God's imputed righteousness through faith alone in Jesus (Philippians 3:9). I have no righteousness apart from that which has been counted (imputed) to me by faith in the Lamb of God (John 1:29).

My hope is built on nothing less
than Jesus' blood and righteousness;
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
but wholly lean on Jesus' name.

Refrain:
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand:
all other ground is sinking sand;
all other ground is sinking sand.

SOURCE 

That is my Christian testimony. I am not going to Heaven someday because I have turned from my sins, because the truth is that NO ONE has ever turned away from their sins. We are all sinful piles of manure! That is why God the Father sent His only begotten (biological) Son into the world 2,000 years ago, to pay our debt of sin on Calvary's cross because we simply couldn't pay it without burning in the fires of Hell forever (Galatians 2:21). Jesus paid a debt He did not owe, because we owed a debt we could not pay (2nd Corinthians 5:21).

So, when you hear a lying neo-evangelical false prophet telling you that to get to Heaven you must follow Christ, be willing to turn from your sinful bad habits, pick up your cross, surrender all, receive Jesus as “Lord,” repent of your sins, live a lifestyle of repentance, faithfully run the race, forsake the world or invite Christ into your life—you know that he is preaching another gospel accursed by God (2nd Corinthians 11:3-4; Galatians 1:6-9).