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).