The Counterfeit Gospel Of “World Missionary Press”

Proverbs 17:4, “A wicked doer giveth heed to false lips; and a liar giveth ear to a naughty tongue.”

One of my ministry web visitors contacted me recently with excitement. He was elated to be a part of the World Missionary Press ministry, distributing their booklets to lost sinners. I didn't enjoy needing to inform my friend that he had been woefully deceived. The plan of salvation he was promoting is toxic, to the shame of World Missionary Press (WMP).

One of their toxic booklets is titled, “The Way To God,” which states on page 27...

Their booklet heretically says:

Repent of your sins
(To repent means to be "sorry enough to quit sinning.")

Sorry enough to QUIT SINNING? That's hard core Lordship Salvation. You don't have to feel “sorry” for your sins (which is an emotion) to be saved. You do need to admit that you are a guilty sinner (Romans 3:19-20; 1st John 1:8-10). But you DON'T need to “quit sinning” to get to Heaven. Who can quit sinning? Psalms 130:3, “If thou, LORD, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand?”

Let's examine their entire SEVEN STEP plan of damnation shall we:

God's simple plan of salvation does not have steps. You simply need to come to God as a needy sinner to receive Christ's sacrifice on the cross 2,000 years ago as full payment for your sins, believing that He was buried, but then three days later resurrected from the dead. This is “the gospel” according to 1st Corinthians 15:1-4. In the preceding corrupt plan of salvation from World Missionary Press, they don't even mentioned Jesus dying on the cross, but they require you to repent, confess and forsake your sins to get to Heaven. That is a false gospel!

The inspired Scripture warns against telling lies...

• Proverbs 6:19, “A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.”
• Proverbs 12:17, “He that speaketh truth sheweth forth righteousness: but a false witness deceit.”
• Proverbs 14:5, “A faithful witness will not lie: but a false witness will utter lies.”
• Proverbs 19:5, “A false witness shall not be unpunished, and he that speaketh lies shall not escape.”
• Proverbs 19:9, “A false witness shall not be unpunished, and he that speaketh lies shall perish.”
• Proverbs 21:28, “A false witness shall perish: but the man that heareth speaketh constantly.”

Kindly said, World Missionary Press are liars! They are preaching another gospel accursed by God. Galatians 1:6-8, “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.” Woe unto anyone who perverts the Gospel message!

Nor do you have to “receive Jesus Christ into your heart and life” as WMP foolishly requires in Step 7. That is not God's simple plan of salvation. Christ died for your sins and mine. He doesn't demand that we first commit to reform (behavior modification) as a prerequisite to receive God's free gift of eternal life. Jesus paid for our sins with His precious blood (1st Peter 1:18-19). JESUS PAID IT ALL!

If you are saved, then you don't owe Jesus anything. To say otherwise would require works for salvation. Romans 12:1 says it is our “reasonable service” to “present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God,” but this is a voluntary service, not compulsory. Salvation is not a reward for the righteous, it is a gift for the guilty. Salvation is not doing your best, it is having Christ's best put to your account through receiving Him by faith.

Turning away from sinful ways would be a work. Faith puts all of the merit where it belongs, on the object of our faith, Jesus and His work. 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. Satan's greatest weapon is to con people into living the Christian life without ever bein born again. When well-meaning people (such as the World Missionary Press) corrupt God's simple plan of salvation, a certain percentage of lost sinners will misunderstand and not get born again. The Devil is delighted.

Faith Can In Fact Be Immersed In Doubt

Mark 9:24, “And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.”

I love this true story in the Bible. A father's son was demon possessed. The boy threw himself into the fire and carried on terribly, afflicted by demons. Although they tried, the Apostle could not deliver the boy from his demons. They were frustrated. But then came Jesus who healed the boy and made this classic statement to the disciples in Mark 9:29, “And he said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting.” 

The dear Savior came to the grieving father and told him if he believed, all things were possible. The man makes a remarkable statement to Christ in Mark 9:24b, “Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.” The man clearly had some doubts about Jesus' ability to heal his boy, but in faith asked the Lord to help him overcome his doubts, which is faith. So you see friend, even if you have 99% doubt, that is okay, just so long as you act upon that 1% of faith to rely upon God. I'll give you one of my favorite illustrations of a chair.

Let's say for the sake of argument that a defective light bulb on the ceiling needs to be replaced, but you cannot reach it. The only furniture you have readily available to stand upon to reach the bulb is a chair. The chair looks old and shaky, unreliable. Yet, you need to change the bulb with a new one. So, despite your doubts and fear of falling if the chair breaks, you place all of your weight upon the chair anyway. Even though you had 99% doubt in the chair's ability to hold you up, you went ahead and trusted it anyway, and that it no less than 100% faith. By getting up to stand upon the chair, you placed 100% of your trust in it.

Salvation is the same way dear reader. It matters not how many doubts or fears you may have in Christ and His inspired Words in the Holy Bible. What matters is that you trust Christ! Romans 10:13, “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Tragically, this particular passage of Scripture has been greatly misused and abused in recent years by many people. Some claim that the entire chapter of Romans 10 refers to the future salvation of the nation of Israel, and has nothing to do with getting saved. That claim is preposterous! Romans 10:3-4 plainly indicate that this chapter is about the new birth.

Don't Misinterpret Romans Chapter 10

Also, there are many in the New IFB (independent fundamental Baptist) movement who heretically teach that you cannot be saved without praying a Sinner's Prayer. They errantly teach that you cannot go to Heaven unless you call, ask or pray to be saved. Scripturally nothing could be further from the truth. In Acts 16:30 when the Roman jailer asked what he needed to do to be saved, Paul and Silas simply replied in verse 31, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.” They didn't tell the man to ask, call or pray, did they. No, they certainly did not.

Jesus plainly said in John 6:47, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.” Dr. Curtis Hutson (1934-1995) was right that a good rule to follow when interpreting the Bible is to never use an obscure passage to contradict a clear one. Romans 10:13 is definitely an obscure passage of Scripture because it stands alone, as does Romans 10:9-10. These passages are often misinterpreted to preach a different gospel message.

Every modern English Bible revision corrupts Romans 10:9 by changing that to be saved we must believe on “the Lord Jesus” to instead declare “Jesus is Lord,” which is incorrect and a false plan of salvation. Please avoid the modern English perversions! Nowhere does the Scripture require you to surrender to the Lordship of Christ (Dr. Hyles exposes Lordship Salvation) to obey and serve Him instead of your own sins and self-serving will. Yet, this is the garbage sadly being taught in many doctrinally corrupt churches and Bible colleges today, like Pensacola Christian College. Anybody who tells you that you must “repent of your sins” or “surrender to Jesus as Lord” to get to Heaven is preaching another gospel.

Final Thoughts

I believe lest we be exalted about measure, there is a price to pay in prayer and fasting if you want God to work in a miraculous way through your life to help others. That is what the Apostle Paul said God sent him a thorn in the flesh in 2nd Corinthians 12:7b, “there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.” 1st Corinthians 1:29, “That no flesh should glory in his presence.” Prayer and fasting require a greater faith, and faith pleases God (Hebrews 11:6).

Optimism is not faith. You can actually have a pessimistic outlook and still have faith in God. In Acts 12:1-15, the Apostle James had just been murdered by Herod and Peter was next to go. The Christians prayed for Peter's release in doubt. We know they doubted because when God answered their prayers, they called the young girl Rhoda “mad” (crazy) when she announced that Peter was standing at their front door:

Acts 12:14-15, “And when she knew Peter's voice, she opened not the gate for gladness, but ran in, and told how Peter stood before the gate. And they said unto her, Thou art mad. But she constantly affirmed that it was even so. Then said they, It is his angel.”

Isn't that something? First they horribly accused Rhoda of being beside herself. Then when she insisted it was Peter, they concluded that it must be someone else. Talk about mega doubters! Yet, despite their doubts, God answered their prayers anyway. I learned that precious truth from Dr. Wendell Evans (1935-2026) while I attended Hyles-Anderson College (1985-1993). Dr. Evans was the long time faithful president of the college. This passage always encourages me to know that even when we doubt God, He may still answer our prayers if it is His will. Our necessary part is to pray! Thank you for reading my ministry blog.

There's Not A Dime's Difference Between Calvinism And Hyper-Calvinism

Matthew 7:15, “Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.”

Dear reader, I want to warn you in advance that if you go try to make heads or tails between Calvinism versus Hyper-Calvinism, prepare to get a headache. You'll get boggled down into theology, none of which is Biblical. You read right. Neither Calvinism or Hyper-Calvinism (as they call it) are found in the Scripture!

There are five basic tenets of all Calvinism. Any doctrine that contradicts the plain teachings of the Word of God is a doctrine (teaching) of devils. All of Calvinism's 5 points are demonic doctrines. An acronym that is commonly used to remember the 5 points of Calvinism is TULIP:

1. T = TOTAL DEPRAVITY OF MEN (Calvin taught that men are totally depraved, which is Biblical is the sense that all men are vile sinners, Romans 3:10,19-23. However, Calvin meant much more, teaching that men cannot come to God of their own free will for salvation. That is totally unscriptural. The Bible is abundantly clear that “WHOSOEVER” may come to Christ for salvation, Romans 10:13; Revelation 22:17. John MacArthur doesn't properly explain Calvin's teachings and whitewashes Calvin's evil doctrines).
2. U = UNCONDITIONAL ELECTION (Calvin taught that God chooses who gets saved, and that person has no choice in the matter. This is ridiculous. The Bible again teaches the free will of man. Acts 17:30 commands ALL men everywhere to repent. Why would the Bible command “ALL MEN” to repent if God only chooses some to be saved?
3. L = LIMITED ATONEMENT (Calvin taught that Jesus only died for those who would be saved. This is damnable heresy not taught in the Bible. repeatedly we are told that God loved “THE WORLD,” and that Christ died “FOR ALL MEN.” 2nd Peter 2:1 tells us that Jesus died for false prophets, “even denying the Lord that bought them”).
4. I = IRRESISTIBLE GRACE (Calvin taught that if God chooses a person to be saved, then God forces Himself upon that person, doing what it takes to make them comply with His will. Again, this violates the free will of humanity which God has given to each individual. Salvation is offered, not shoved down anyone's throat. If you want to reject God's gift of eternal life, as many do, then God will let you go to the Lake of Fire for ever. It is your choice alone to make! 2nd Thessalonians 1:8-9 pronounces judgment on them who disobey the gospel, i.e., reject the good news of Christ crucified, buried, and risen. If you trust upon Jesus Christ to forgive your sins—believing that He went to the cross for you to pay for your sins, was buried, and has risen, then you are saved). Eternal life is a free gift which is received, not achieved. It's not what were doing that gets us to heaven; it's where were looking... LOOK TO JESUS!
5. P = PERSEVERANCE OF THE SAINTS (Calvin unscripturally taught that those who are saved will persevere in holy living until the end. The Bible teaches the preservation of the saints; not the perseverance of the saints. Salvation is of the Lord, not man. Man has no part if God's salvation. We are saved by the imputed righteousness of Christ, 2nd Corinthians 5:21; Romans 4:5-6. Charismatics and Lordship Salvationists have adopted Calvin's heresy on perseverance, teaching that salvation can either be lost by committing sin; or else that a person cannot be saved unless they are willing to stop committing sin. Calvin's teachings, all of them, negate the free gift of God).

Much more could be said in defense of the Scriptures, I have just shared a handful of powerful Scriptures with you. God NEVER chooses anyone for salvation, Scriptures such as Acts 17:30 make this abundantly clear (“...but now commandeth all men every where to repent”). Why would God command ALL men to repent if only certain men have been chosen for salvation? There really is NO debate concerning Arminianism, Calvinism, and Hyper-Calvinism if you simply take the Word of God at face value... they're all messed up!

The Bible is so clear on all these matters. There are problems with all three views. Arminianism is wrong to teach that a person can lose salvation. Romans 5:15 declares that eternal life is a “FREE GIFT.” A gift CANNOT be taken back if it is freely given. Salvation is God's gift to man, paid for by the blood of Jesus (Romans 6:23; Colossians 1:14). Calvinism and Hyper-Calvinism teach “limited atonement” and “selective salvation,” which are both Satanic lies. 1st John 2:2 couldn't be any clearer, “And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.” Calvinism is unbiblical heresy!

“Can a man who's predestined to salvation really be lost before he is saved? If a man is predestined to salvation, why does he need to hear the Gospel? What would be the point?” —Pastor Yankee Arnold, pastor of Calvary Community Church in Tampa, Florida; "Why Lordship Salvation Is Wrong?"

Calvinism lie = They believe, because they were chosen.

The truth = We were chosen, because we believe!

Biblical Predestination

Calvinist False Prophet Rolfe Barnard

Election Has NOTHING To Do With Hell

The Counterfeit Gospel Of The Catholic Church

John 3:1-3, “There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him. Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

I was curious what Roman Catholics believe about being “born again.” So, I did a web search and the Catholic Answers website came up, and this is what it horribly said:

The anti-baptismal regeneration position has no biblical basis whatsoever. So the answer to the question, “Are Catholics born again?” is yes! Since all Catholics have been baptized, all Catholics have been born again. Catholics should ask Protestants, “Are you born again—the way the Bible understands that concept?” If the Evangelical has not been properly water baptized, he has not been born again “the Bible way,” regardless of what he may think. [emphasis added] SOURCE

That is damnable heresy! Catholics are very wrong that water baptism produces the required new birth to enter into God's Kingdom.

The thief on the cross was never baptized, yet we learn in Galatians 1:6-7 that there is only one Gospel. No one in the Old Testament was water baptized, yet Acts 10:43 says all of the prophets preached remission of sins through faith in Christ. Nowhere does the inspired King James Bible teach that there has ever been more than just one plan of salvation, which is by God's grace through faith alone in the Messiah.

I cannot warn everyone enough to avoid Catholicism in all of its forms, whether Russian Orthodox in Moscow, or of the Vatican in Rome. There is no salvation in water baptism or the Catholic religious cult. Catholicism is a prisonhouse of religion!

In the article titled, "Are Catholics Born Again?, the writer inaccurately states that the term “born again” is not found in the Bible. Well, he is ignorant of the Bible then, because we plainly read in 1st Peter 1:23, “Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.” And John 3:3 and 7 also plainly mentions the term. Catholics do not know their Bible!

You simply cannot show me one passage of Scripture that teaches water baptism is how you get to Heaven. All of the pseudo-Christian religious cults (Mormons, Lutherans, Jehovah's Witnesses, Episcopalian, Greek Orthodox, Church of Christ, et cetera) mandate water baptism to get to Heaven. Those are all Satan's unrighteous ministers (2nd Corinthians 11:13-15).

If You Don't Believe Jesus is God, Effectively You're An Atheist

Revelation 1:7-8, “Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.”

The inspired Holy Bible teaches that Jesus is God. He is not “a god” as the cult of Jehovah's Witnesses teach, Jesus is almighty God as the Bible teaches in our text Scripture passage.

Jesus claimed to be God. John 10:33, “The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God.” Anyone who says they believe in God, but not Jesus, is effectively an atheist. The Scripture is very clear about this matter...

1st John 2:22-23, “Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son. Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: (but) he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also.”

God came to earth incarnate, who took on the form of a man. 

John 1:1-2, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. ...And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.”

Jesus is the incarnate Word of God (cf., Revelation 19:13). He is God!

Beware of all modern English Bible revisions, because they've all been tampered with to attack Jesus' deity. The following meme is just one example, showing how the New King James Version (NKJV) has changed every mention of the universe being created “by” Jesus to “through” Jesus, which two meanings are very different. Please use only the inspired King James Bible and reject all other English versions. Thank you for reading my ministry blog.

Salvation Crystal Clear

Ephesians 2:8-9, "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."

The other day someone told me about a friend who very seldom, if ever, attended Wednesday night prayer meeting. He said we were after him all the time about it. One day he told us about this man who died and went to Heaven. According to the story, God was in an office, and people were standing outside, waiting to go in. One at a time God took each of them into the office, kept him awhile and then dismissed him and called for the next one. He said this one man came out smiling. When his friends asked what he was smiling about, he laughed and said, "He's not counting Wednesday nights!"

After I had finished laughing, I said, "You know something? He's right. God does not count Wednesday nights. As a matter of fact, He doesn't even count Sunday mornings or Sunday nights. He doesn't count tithing. He doesn't even count baptism. When it comes to going to Heaven, God only counts one thing, and that is Jesus and what He did on the cross two thousand years ago.

God Does Not Count Good Works

God does not count good works in any form or fashion. The Bible says in Titus 3:5, "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us...." And the Scripture declares in Ephesians 2:8-9, "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."

There is not one verse in all the Bible that says anything about working to go to Heaven. The truth of the matter is, a man could go to church Sunday morning, Sunday night and Wednesday night every week of his life and still die and go to Hell. One does not become a Christian by getting into the church any more than one becomes an automobile by getting into the garage. Joining the church has nothing to do with going to Heaven. Once a man is saved, he ought to join a good church, a place where he can at tend, enjoy the fellowship of other believers and learn from the Bible what God expects of him, a place where he can be involved in helping to get out the Gospel. But church membership comes after salvation, and no one should ever join a church until he is first sure that he is saved.

If salvation were by works of any kind, then somewhere the Scripture would have to tell us exactly how much one must work in order to be saved. Would Sunday morning and Sunday night church services be enough, or must one go to every service, including Wednesday nights? And must one also tithe his income and give to the poor? Exactly how much work is required before a man can go to Heaven?

There is no passage anywhere in the Bible that answers the question. If a man worked in order to be saved, then the motive for the work would render it ineffective. According to I Corinthians 13, any work not motivated by love for Christ is not acceptable. Paul said in I Corinthians 13:3, "And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity [love], it profiteth me nothing." If a man worked in order to be saved, the motive for his service would not be love but fear. He would be working because he was afraid he was going to Hell, not because he loved God. Thus the motive would render the work unacceptable.

Matthew 7:22-23 makes it very clear that no one goes to Heaven on his good works. Here the Scripture says,

"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? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity."

Here is a judgment scene where people tell the Lord all about their good works, thinking He will let them into Heaven. But in verse 23 the Lord says, "I never knew you: depart from me." And then He calls their good works 'works of iniquity.'

Once we receive Christ as Saviour, we should set out to serve Him and do all the good works we can. Ephesians 2:10 says, "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works ...." But we work because we love Him, not in order to be saved. When it comes to salvation, good works, no matter how good or how many, are absolutely futile.

Romans 11:6 says, "And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work." No, God doesn't count our good works. The truth in the man's story was absolutely right: God does not count Wednesday nights. Neither does He count Sunday mornings, Sunday nights or any other nights. Salvation is not a result of what we do for Christ but rather a result of what He does for us.

A man who died in a cheap hotel room in one of our great western states left a poem behind, part of which said,

I've tried in vain a thousand ways,
My fears to quell, my hopes to raise;
And all I need, the Bible says,
Is Jesus!

He went on to say,

Though some will mock, and some will blame;
In spite of fear, in spite of shame,
I'll go to Him because His name
Is Jesus!

The man who wrote the above lines had squandered a fortune in search of peace and happiness, but he never found either until he realized that Jesus Christ was all he needed and accepted Him as Saviour.

God Does Not Count Our Righteousness

If a man went to Heaven on his own righteousness, he would have to be as holy and as righteous as God Himself. And no man except Jesus Christ has ever been that righteous. God is so righteous that no man can look upon God and live. In Exodus 33:18 Moses said to God, "I beseech thee, shew me thy glory." And God replied in verses 20-23,

"Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live.... Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock: And it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a clift of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by: And I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see my back parts: but my face shall not be seen."

The average Christian lives and dies and never has the foggiest idea of how holy and righteous God really is. In Isaiah 6:1-3 the prophet said,

"In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory."

According to these verses, the seraphims in Heaven are flying around the throne of God singing, "Holy, holy, holy!" They could be singing, "Justice, justice, justice!" for God is just. They could be singing, "Love, love, love!" for God is love. They could be singing, "Mercy, mercy, mercy!" for God is merciful. They could be singing, "Longsuffering, longsuffering, longsuffering!" for God is longsuffering. But, no, they are singing, "Holy, holy, holy!" And the seraphims that sang, "Holy, holy, holy!" have their faces covered with two of their wings. They are not even looking upon the God they are singing about.

John 3:3 says, "Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." Verse 5 says that he cannot enter the kingdom of God, but this verse says that he cannot see the kingdom of God. If I go to Heaven, then I must be as holy and righteous as God Himself. And I cannot be that righteous.

Isaiah 64:6 reminds us, "But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags. . . ." In Romans 10:1-4 Paul says,

"Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved. For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteous ness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth."

Here Paul speaks of religious folks, zealous folks, but folks who do not know the way of salvation. They were trying to establish their own righteousness, not knowing that all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags in God's sight. How sad that multiplied millions of people throughout the world are trying to qualify for Heaven by living right, not knowing that their righteousnesses are as filthy rags in God's sight! They, like the people Paul wrote about, are going about to establish their own righteousness, not realizing that "Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth" (Romans 10:4).

Heaven is not a reward for those who behave; it is a gift for those who believe.

My son Tony and his friend Melvin, who recently trusted Christ as Saviour, have been trying to win an older man to Christ. The man keeps insisting that he has to get better first. Melvin, a brand new Christian, demonstrated great wisdom when he said, "Dr. Hutson, the man wants to get well before he goes to the hospital."

I said, "You're right, Melvin. A man doesn't get better to get saved; he gets saved to get better."

No, God doesn't count our righteousness.

God Does Not Count Baptism

Contrary to the teaching of many when it comes to salvation, God does not count baptism. Baptismal regeneration was first taught by the Catholic church and later picked up by several other denominations. Those who think that God requires water baptism as an entrance into Heaven teach that the water washes away sins. The only thing that remits sins is the blood of Christ. Hebrews 9:22 says, ". . . without shedding of blood is no remission."

If one had to be baptized to have his sins remitted, then what would he do with the sins he committed after he was saved? Suppose a man was baptized twenty years ago. Since then he has committed many sins. Remember, no one lives absolutely perfect and above sin. First John 1:10 says, "If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us." Now if baptism were necessary to remit sins, then this man would need to be baptized again in order to have remitted the sins he had committed since he had been saved. But if he is baptized the second time, then what will he do with the sins he commits after the second baptism?

Of course, if water were necessary to wash away sins, then he must be baptized again and again and again. Every time he commits a sin, he would have to be baptized again to have his sins washed away. If baptism is really necessary to remit sin, then a person not only should be baptized; he should get into the baptistry and refuse to ever get out lest he commit some sin after he gets out of the baptistry and die before he can get back into the water.

If baptism does remit sins, then Jesus Himself never remitted or forgave any man of his sins because the Bible plainly says in John 4:2, "Jesus himself baptized not, but his disciples." Those who teach that one must be baptized in order to be saved further teach that one can lose his salvation. Suppose a man believes in Christ, confesses Him, repents, is baptized and joins the church of the preacher who teaches baptismal regeneration. Then, accord ing to this preacher, he is saved. After a few years he goes back into sin and loses his salvation. Being disturbed about his condition, he goes back to the church and wants to be saved again. Does that same church insist that he be baptized again? No, they do not. If water baptism were necessary for salvation the first time, then how could he possibly be saved the second time without being baptized?

That is just one of the contradictions and inconsistencies of those who teach that water baptism is necessary for salvation.

If water baptism were necessary for salvation, then none of the Old Testament saints were saved because baptism was not mentioned one single time in the Old Testament, and there is no record of a single individual ever being baptized before John the Baptist began baptizing converts in the New Testament. Those who argue that baptism is essential to salvation teach one plan of salvation for those in the Old Testament and a different plan of salvation for those in the New Testament. But the Scripture teaches that all men are saved the same way in every dispensation or age.

Acts 10:43 says, "To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins." Now notice very carefully: this was the message of all the prophets. The Old Testament prophets preached remission of sins by faith in Christ. The New Testament prophets preached remission of sins by faith in Christ. And those who preach the truth today are still preaching remission of sins by faith in Christ. When it comes to salvation, God did not count baptism in the Old Testament. He did not count baptism in the New Testament, and He does not count baptism today. The message today is the same message all the prophets witnessed: ". . . that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins."

What Does God Really Count

It would be almost impossible to discuss in this article the multitude of things which people believe are necessary for salvation. The Roman Catholics believe you must receive all seven sacraments. The Seventh-day Adventists believe you must keep the old Jewish Sabbath, along with the other nine commandments. The Moslems think that, if one dies defending his religion, he goes straight to Heaven.

The Scripture warns in Proverbs 14:12, "There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death." And the Bible says in Isaiah 55:8, "... neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord." God's way of salvation is made clear in the Bible. Ephesians 2:8,9 settles the matter once and for all:

"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of your selves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast."

Here the Bible says it is 'not of ourselves,' "Not of works, lest any man should boast." It is by grace through faith. Grace is the unmerited favor of God. Someone gave this acrostic for GRACE: "God's Riches At Christ's Expense." Grace and works cannot be mixed. To add any works to grace destroys grace completely. It is all of grace, or it is not grace at all. Jesus Christ came to the earth and lived a perfect, sinless life. Hebrews 4:15 says, "For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feel ing of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin."

Second Corinthians 5:21 says, "For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin. . . . " While Jesus Christ was being crucified between two thieves, one thief said to the other in Luke 23:40,41, "Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss." The word amiss means "wrong." Even the thief on the cross recognized that Jesus was the sinless, spotless Son of God.

Before Pilate turned Christ over to the angry mob, he said in John 19:6, "I find no fault in him." Jesus Christ was the only person who ever lived as righteous as God Himself. And when we trust Christ, we are given His righteousness. That is the clear promise of the Bible in Romans 10:4 where the Scripture says, "For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth." God does not count my righteousness, but He does count the righteousness of His Son.

The Bible says in Romans 4:3, "...Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness." And then the Scripture further promises in Romans 4:5, "But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness."

The only way anyone can ever be righteous enough to go to Heaven is by receiving God's own righteousness by faith. Not only did Jesus Christ live a perfectly righteous life; He died a substitutionary death. Two thousand years ago God took every sin we ever have committed and all we ever will commit, and He placed those sins on Christ. Isaiah 53:6 says, ". . . the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all." And Titus 2:14 says, "Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity. . ."

What blessed truth! God took the iniquities of all men and laid those iniquities on Christ. But He not only took the iniquities of all men and laid them on Christ; He took all the iniquities of men and laid them on Christ. And the Bible says in I Peter 2:24, "Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree. . . . " While Christ was bearing our sins in His own body, God punished Him in our place to pay the debt we owe so that, when we die, we won't have to pay it. That's what the Bible means when it says in 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."

The other day I received a letter from a dear Jewish friend here in Murfreesboro, who reminded me that it wasn't the Jews who killed Christ. Rather, he said, "It was the Roman soldiers." Of course, this dear Jewish man was both right and wrong. He was right when he said it wasn't the Jews, but he was wrong when he said it was the Roman soldiers. It was neither the Jews nor the Roman soldiers. It was God Himself.

The Scripture says in Isaiah 53:10, "Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin. . .." It was God Himself who made His (Jesus') soul an offering for sin. Romans 8:32 says, "He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?" The Scriptures further explain in Romans 5:8, "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." The death of Jesus Christ on the cross was an expression of God's love for us. He loved us so much that He didn't want us to go to Hell, so He punished His Son in our place to pay the debt we owe so that we can go to Heaven on a free pass.

My beloved predecessor Dr. Rice used to say, "Every man who goes to Heaven goes on a free pass, but he who goes to Hell pays his own way." And then he would quote Romans 6:23, "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."

Before Adam and Eve ever sinned, God demanded the death penalty. He said in Genesis 2:17, ". . . in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die." God's payment for sin is death, the second death in the lake of fire. Revelation 20:14 says, "And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death."

If we are to satisfy the just demands of a holy God, we must go into Hell and stay there forever and ever. But Jesus Himself satisfied God's demand. The prophet said in Isaiah 53:11, "He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied. . . ." Here the Scripture plainly states that God was satisfied with the payment Jesus made on the cross for our sins. He further showed that satisfaction by raising Jesus Christ from the dead and taking Him back to Heaven. If Christ had not accomplished what He came to do - ;that is, die for our sins - He would have never gone back to Heaven. But praise the Lord, He did the job!

While He was hanging on the cross He uttered seven things. The sixth utterance was "It is finished" (John 19:30). And, dear friend, you can count on it: it was finished. There is nothing else to do but to accept Jesus Christ by faith, to trust Him, to depend on Him.

The man was right: God does not count Wednesday nights. He doesn't count Sunday mornings or Sunday nights or any other nights. God does not count our own righteousness. He does not count our good works. He does not count baptism or any other ceremony or ritual. He only counts one thing: the death of His Son Jesus Christ. And the Scripture plainly says in Isaiah 53:11 that He was satisfied with the sacrifice His Son made for our sins. If Jesus Christ said it was finished and God Himself said He was satisfied, then why can't we be satisfied with Christ's death and not add anything to it?

The only way to show that you are satisfied with Christ's death for your sins is to trust Him and Him alone for salvation. If you trust anything else, then it is evident that you are not satisfied with Christ and what He did at Calvary. If you trust Jesus Christ, plus your baptism, then you are not satisfied with Christ: you must add to Him baptism. If you trust Jesus Christ plus your good works, then you are not satisfied with Christ: you must add to Him good works. If you trust Jesus Christ plus your church membership, then you are not satisfied with Christ: you must add church membership. If you trust Jesus Christ plus your reformation, then you are not satisfied with Christ: you must add your reformation.

Now, I am a church member. I have been baptized. I was baptized when I was eleven years old. I try to live right. I have been preaching since I was twenty years old. I travel every week of my life going from church to church throughout this country to preach the Gospel. As I dictate this sermon, I am driving to Lowell, Indiana. Next week I will be in Wadsworth, Ohio.

But I do none of these things to be saved. My only hope of Heaven is the fact that Jesus Christ died for me. He paid my sin debt. And I am trusting Him alone for salvation. I am not trusting my good works, my church membership, my baptism or anything else. When we stand before God, the only thing that He will count is what His Son did at Calvary.

When the children of Israel were in Egyptian bondage, God sent plagues upon Pharaoh. Finally God said, 'The firstborn in every house is going to die.' But He gave the Israelites instructions to kill an innocent lamb and sprinkle the blood on the doorposts of the house. And God promised in Exodus 12:13, "When I see the blood, I will pass over you." He did not say, 'When I see your church membership, I will pass over you.' He did not say, 'When I see your good life, I will pass over you.' He did not say, 'When I see your good works, I will pass over you.' He did not say, 'When I see your baptism, I will pass over you.' No, no, no! He said, "When I see the blood, I will pass over you." The only thing that counted with God was the death of the lamb.

And when it comes to salvation the only thing that counts with God today is the death of Jesus Christ the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world. If you are counting on anything other than Jesus Christ to take you to Heaven, then you are counting on something that God doesn't count. Won't you trust Christ today? If you are not absolutely sure that there was a time in your life when you knew you were a sinner and made a definite decision to trust Jesus Christ completely for salvation, then we urge you to trust Him now.

by Dr. Curtis Hutson (1934-1995)

Please visit: www.swordofthelord.com

Study The Proverbs With Pastor Harry Ironside

Proverbs 4:7, “Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.”

I found a helpful and wonderful resource recently. Pastor Harry Allan "Harry" Ironside (1876-1951) published commentaries on the Book of Proverbs, including "Notes on the Book of Proverbs" in 1908. We all need God's wisdom.

Notes On The Book Of Proverbs

There are two ways of learning the emptiness of the world and the true character of sin. The most common way is to tread the thorny path oneself and thereby taste fully the bitterness of departure from God. The more desirous way is to accept His Word regarding the character of sin. This enables the obedient disciple to say, “Concerning the works of men, by the word of thy lips I have kept me from the paths of the destroyer” (Psalm 17:4).

The bitter disappointments, the skeptical darkness, and the weary heart of Solomon, a result of trusting his own wisdom, are strongly delineated in the record of the tempests of his soul. This confusion need never be the portion of the child of God who orders his steps in the truth.

I also encourage you at least weekly to listen to the Book of Proverbs. I like to hear Alexander Scourby (1913-1985) read the King James Bible. It just takes 1 hour and 46 minutes to hear the entire book. ...

Something that I love about how God authored the Book of Proverbs is that those nuggets of wisdom really stick in your brain in the days and weeks to follow. If you have listened to the entire book of Proverbs, then you know what I mean. It's an amazing phenomena. I cannot explain it, I just know that whenever I listen to the Proverbs (or any Scripture for that matter), the Holy Spirit brings them to remembrance in the days, weeks and months to follow.

John 14:26, “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.”

The Holy Bible is not just another book, it is a Living Book according to Hebrews 4:12, “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” The word “quick” means alive. John 6:63, “It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.” The Word of God is alive because they are words inspired (breathed out) by the Holy Spirit of God. No manmade book can make that claim!

Notes On The Book Of Proverbs