Very Few Preachers Are Correct On The Gospel Today

Romans 4:4-7, “Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered.”

The inspired King James Bible could not be any clearer that salvation is a free gift from God without works. You cannot earn it. You cannot merit it. You don't deserve it. We all deserve to go directly to Hell and burn in fire and brimstone for all eternity for our sins. That is what we justly deserve from God. But in His unspeakable love our Creator has made a way of escape through faith in His only begotten Son, whom He sacrificed on Calvary's cruel cross 2,000 years ago in Jerusalem. 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.”

One of my favorite free grace preachers is Dr. Harry A. Ironside (1876-1951) who taught a free grace view of the Gospel. Consider further the following beautiful quote by Pastor Ironside:

“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.”

SOURCE: Harry A. Ironside, from the sermon: 'What Is The Gospel?'

Bravo! That is just wonderful.

Tragically, the doctrinally sound teaching that you've just read is the exact opposite of the garbage being taught and preached in most churches today, including in Independent Fundamental Baptist Churches (my own camp for the past 46 years, since I got saved at age 13 in 1980). I am absolutely disgusted with what I have found in most Baptist churches. I am at the place where I consider myself more non-denominational today than in the past. I am just about done with the Baptists. I mean, how can I continue to call myself a fundamentalist Baptist when over 95% of Baptist churches today are wrong on God's simple plan of salvation?

Today's Doctrinally Corrupt Baptist Churches

Case in point, take a look at the Statement of Faith of the Phaniels Baptist Church in Rockwell, North Carolina. I just randomly found this church, for no particular reason, just to make a valid point how corrupt the churches are today...

We Believe that all people are lost and have no hope outside of God's free gift of eternal and abundant life by repentance of sin and relying on Jesus Christ and His finished work on the Cross. [emphasis added] SOURCE

Where does the inspired King James Bible teach that you must repent “of your sin” to get to Heaven? It doesn't. We know that repentance is necessary for conversion, which is simply a change of mind unto the Gospel itself; but the phrase “of your sin” doesn't appear in Scripture. The false idea that you must first be willing to reform your life of sinful behavior as a prerequisite to saving faith is Satanic. No such teaching is found in the King James Bible.

I intentionally mentioned the King James Bible, because the Devil's modern English revisions have changed and corrupted God's inspired Words, perverting the true meaning of repentance. See for yourself...

KING JAMES BIBLE (KJB) — Mark 1:15, “And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.” [emphasis added]

EASY-TO-READ VERSION (ERV) — Mark 1:15, “He said, “The right time is now here. God’s kingdom is very near. Change your hearts and lives, and believe the Good News!” [emphasis added]

That is so horribly wrong! You don't have to change your own life as a requirement to be saved. Rather, it is the Holy Spirit who comes in to indwell a sinner at the time of salvation, who changes one's heart and life over time as we grow in the milk of the Word (1st Peter 2:2). Remember, Christians grow in grace not in strength (2nd Peter 3:18).

The Greek word for “repent” in Mark 1:15 in the King James Bible is metanoeo, which means, “to think differently.” It is a change of mind. It DOESN'T mean to “change your hearts and lives,” which is what the corrupt ERV says!

Beware Of The Southern Baptist Convention

Here's another example of a corrupt Baptist church. In their horrible statement of faith, the First Freewill Baptist Church in Stanley, North Carolina, writes:

FBC Stanley is associated with the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), and we hold to the statements made in the Baptist Faith & Message 2000. Below is a short summary of our core beliefs. SOURCE

Oh my! The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) has become as corrupt as can be, both doctrinally and morally. Here is the damnable doctrine of the SBC:

Repentance is a genuine turning from sin toward God. Faith is the acceptance of Jesus Christ and commitment of the entire personality to Him as Lord and Saviour. — “Baptist Faith & Message 2000,” Southern Baptist Convention (SBC)

Whoa Horsie! Where does the Bible teach that to be saved you must:

1. Turn from sin?
2. Commit your entire personality to Jesus Christ?
3. Commit yourself to Jesus as “Lord”?

I hope you can clearly see how evil and unbiblical this junk truly is dear reader.

The Bible Way To Heaven

In the inspired Scripture there are at least two different instances of someone asking how to be saved:

1. The first was when some people asked Jesus in John 6:28b, “What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?” Here was Jesus simple reply in John 6:29b, “This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.”
2. The second instance is found in Acts 16:30b, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” The Philippian jailor at Rome asked Paul and Silas what he needed to do to be saved. Here was their simple reply in Acts 16:31b, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.”

Nowhere in these two helpful passages of Scripture do we read anything about being required to turn from your sin, commit your entire personality to Christ, or commit yourself to Jesus as “Lord” to get to Heaven. The true Gospel always points you to CHRIST; a false gospel always points to YOU. If salvation is truly by grace, then you don't need to start or stop anything to be saved. Eternal life is a free gift from God (Romans 6:23). One is saved by God's grace through faith in the finished Work of His Son on the Cross as payment in full as our pardon for sin.

Salvation is not a reward for the righteous, it is a gift for the guilty. What the SBC is teaching is of the Devil. It is certainly not sound Bible doctrine! Salvation is not doing your best, it is having Christ's best put to your account through receiving Him by faith. Whatever happened to that beautiful 1836 hymn of the Christian faith written by Miss Charlotte Elliott (1789-1871)...

JUST AS I AM

Just as I am, without one plea,

But that Thy blood was shed for me,

And that Thou bid’st me come to Thee,

O Lamb of God, I come! I come!

Anyone who tells you that you must first be willing to change your ways, habits or sinful lifestyle to be saved is a BIG LIAR! Eternal life is a free gift (Romans 5:15-18, 6:23; Ephesians 2:8-9). A gift can simply be received without any obligations whatsoever to the recipient. We've got a bunch of sincere but very corrupt preachers and theologians today, who would be wise to resign their positions to instead become plumbers, dog catchers or barbers.

I cherish Pastor Harry Ironside. I really do. I cherish him because, unlike most preachers, he saw the plain truth of a free grace Gospel and defended it. Here is another great statement that he made in his Gospel tract titled, “Another Gospel”:

"When anyone comes promising salvation to those ‘who make full surrender' of all that they have to God, and who 'pay the price of full salvation' he is preaching another gospel, for the price was paid on Calvary's cross and the work that saves is finished. It was Christ Jesus who made the full surrender when He yielded His life on Calvary that saves us, not our surrender in any way to Him."

SOURCE: Harry A. Ironside, from the Gospel tract, 'Another Gospel'

Amen and amen. I love it! 

The inspired Holy Bible already plainly defines “the gospel” for us:

1st Corinthians 15:1-4, “Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures.”

This is the gospel which saves those who believe it (Romans 1:16). The Apostle Paul didn't mention anything about turning from your sin, committing your entire personality to Christ, or committing yourself to Jesus as “Lord” to get to Heaven, did he.

Tragically, we've got a bunch of lying false prophets behind America's pulpits today, who have succumbed to the deadly influence of other corrupt preachers, merely following what they are preaching instead of SEARCHING THE SCRIPTURES as Jesus commanded in John 5:39, “Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.”

Here is the gospel: God says that we are guilty sinners and that no amount of good works or behavioral changes on our part could ever make us holy enough to enter Heaven. God sent His only begotten Son to pay for all of our sins. Jesus paid for our crimes by dying on a cross for us all 2,000 years ago. His dead body was buried in a grave. On the third day, Jesus miraculously physically arose from the dead.

The instant you believe this dear reader, Jesus knows it and He saves you. “Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that believeth on Me hath everlasting life” (John 6:47). The free gift is based solely upon your trust in what Jesus did for you, and has nothing at all to do with what you do for Him. “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9).