Right Doctrine Matters: The Danger Of Leaning Upon Your Own Understanding

Proverbs 3:5-7, “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil.”

I am alarmed at all the false teachings today concerning how to get to Heaven. The churches have absolutely been flooded with damnable false doctrines. Everywhere we turn nowadays—whether it be the churches, Bible colleges, missionaries, ministry websites, YouTube videos, religious tracts, et cetera—we are finding utter heresy concerning God's plan of salvation.

One of the most popular false doctrines today is that you must “turn from your sins” to be saved. Not one verse in the inspired King James Bible teaches to forsake sinful behavior to be saved. Sincere but corrupt men invented that false doctrine. A common counter debate that I hear from the proponents of the wrong repentance heresy is: “So you think a person can just get saved, and then go out and live like the Devil.” Yes, that is exactly THE TRUTH! Romans 5:20 says that where sin did abound, GRACE DID MUCH MORE ABOUND!!! As believers, we fall IN GRACE, never FROM GRACE! Christ's blood is our safety net, so that we can NEVER lose God's gift of eternal life. Our behavior has no effect on our salvation; but rather, we are securely saved solely because of our faith in what Jesus did for us through Calvary's cross.

Our text passage from Proverbs 3:5-7 tells us to, LEAN NOT UNTO THINE OWN UNDERSTANDING. Sadly, all of these false teachers today on the plan of salvation, are sinfully leaning upon their OWN UNDERSTANDING. In their limited human thinking, false prophets cannot understand how someone can be saved, and yet continue living in gross immorality with impunity in God's sight. But dear friend, what those ignorant false teachers don't know, and don't care to know, is that God is not an absent parent. When a person becomes a child of God by faith alone, He indwells (comes to live inside) and seals that person with His blessed Holy Spirit (1st Corinthians 3:16-17; Romans 8:9; Ephesians 1:13-14). The Holy Spirit chastens every child of God (Hebrews 12:6-8).

So, the counter allegation that those who preach a free grace Gospel think people can get saved and live like the Devil is false. I believe that salvation is by God's grace through faith alone. You DON'T have to turn away from sinful ways, nor even be willing to turn away from your sins, to be saved. Yet, I do not think God gives anyone permission to continue living in open sin. To do so always brings consequences. Can a saved person live like the Devil and still be saved? Yes, of course, because Jesus died for our sins on the cross. That makes us SAFE in Christ. This is the danger of leaning upon one's own understanding. You will always end up corrupting God's simple plan of salvation.

“What? You means I can still go to Heaven and live a wild life of sin and wickedness?” Yes, of course you can, and the Bible is full of examples of saints who did just that (Esau, Ishmael, Samson, Lot, David, Solomon, Demas, et cetera). You see, the proponents of the Devil's lie of Lordship Salvation, Calvinism and Wrong Repentance are leaning unto their OWN UNDERSTANDING!!! They don't understand that when someone gets saved, God starts working on that person (Philippians 2:13), and begins to sanctify them with the Word of God (John 17:17). Proverbs 3:12, “For whom the LORD loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.”

Dear reader, false knowledge is more dangerous than ignorance. The churches today are filled with FALSEHOODS! The apostate Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) has 45,000 member churches, which all officially preach the Devil's lie of Lordship Salvation. They all falsely preach that you must “turn from your sins” to be saved. It is wickedness!!!

I am sick and tired of foolish preachers citing Dr. John R. Rice (1895-1980) as a secondary authority on the Scripture! Folks, Dr. Rice was WRONG to say that people must “turn from sin with all your heart” to get to Heaven. Dr. Rice preached false doctrine!!! However, I firmly believe that John R. Rice was saved, because he clearly explained that he DIDN'T think a person must stop living in sin to be saved. Dr. Rice simply believed that a person who trusts in Jesus Christ HAS turned from their sin by doing do. Dr. Rice only taught ONE STEP to be saved, which is to BELIEVE ON THE LORD JESUS CHRIST (which automatically includes repentance). So Dr. Rice was saved, but wrong to use the phrase turn from sin, since the inspired King James Bible NEVER uses those words in regard to salvation.

What is being preached today in tens of thousands of churches is VERY different. For example: Evangelist Ray Comfort preaches that you get to Heaven by “living a lifestyle of repentance,” and then “second” (his wording), trust Christ.

Bob Jones University president Dr. Steve Pettit false preaches that you cannot just accept Christ and that's it! Dr. Pettit says in addition you must “run the race” faithfully to get to Heaven. That is damnable Calvinism, not a free grace Gospel. These wicked false prophets are leaning upon their own understanding, instead of simply TRUSTING THE LORD as Proverbs 3:5-7 tell us to do! You get saved by trusting the Lord (i.e., receiving Jesus as your personal Savior). You don't need to turn from your sinning. You don't need to surrender your entire personality, will and life to follow and serve Christ. You don't need to give your life to Jesus, nor invite Him into your life, nor do anything other than simply TRUST HIM.

Pastor Marty Herron is a major offender, who preaches damnable heresy. Sadly, Pastor Herron ruined and corrupted the Harvest Baptist Church on Guam for nearly 20 years, the spiritual damage of which still perpetuates today throughout Micronesia. One sinner destroyeth much good the Bible says. Ecclesiastes 9:18, “Wisdom is better than weapons of war: but one sinner destroyeth much good.” There is no pervert like the Gospel pervert!

Lest you think this is a trivial matter, please read again the Satanic false gospel of Dr. Steve Pettit (cult leader at Bob Jones University since 2014). Dr. Pettit elaborates further on the BJU's camp's counterfeit gospel. Marty Herron is a BJU graduate, where Dr. John MacArthur also attended for a couple years. BJU officially preaches the Devil's lie of Lordship Salvation.

Tragically, Marty Herron is a hellbound infidel who is corrupt on the Gospel. I say that kindly but truthfully on the authority of the Holy Bible. I heard Pastor Herron with my own two ears preach at the Harvest Baptist Church in 2014. Pastor Herron errantly said to hundreds of people: “It is not enough to admit that you are a sinner to get to Heaven, you must also forsake a lifestyle of sinning.” No Sir, that is wrong! That is another gospel which cannot produce the new birth in Jesus Christ. Galatians 1:6-9 warns that anyone who preaches another gospel is accursed by God, even if it is an angel (demon). Mormon founder, Joseph Smith (1805-1844), claimed that an angel gave him the Mormon plan of salvation. According to the Word of God, in Galatians 1:8-9, Joseph Smith is a liar accursed by God, and the demon (fallen angel) who gave it to him is also accursed.

The Bible is so simple and clear. Proverbs 3:5-7, “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil.” The way to Heaven is to TRUST in the Lamb of God. John 6:47, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.”

So where in the world do thousands of lying preachers today (most of whom are bad pastors), get the following heretical ideas, that a person must do to be saved:

walk an aisle
pray a prayer
join a church, denomination or convention
turn from your sins
repent of your sins
be willing to turn away from sin
feel sorrow for your sins
forsake a lifestyle of sinning
be baptized in water
speak in “tongues”
turn over a new leaf
ask Christ into your heart
invite Jesus into your life
surrender your entire personality to Christ
surrender all
live a holy life
live a changed life
give control of your life over to Christ
faithfully run the race
count the cost and pay the price
live a lifestyle of repentance from sins
turn away from the old life
follow Jesus no matter what the cost
make Jesus the “Lord” (Master) of your life
be sorrow for your sin
confess Christ publicly
keep the Sabbath Day
keep God's Ten Commandments
get rid of bad habits and vices
ask Jesus into your heart
have a religious experience
feel hatred for sin

NONE of these things are required to get to Heaven. Yet, I can hardly listen to a sermon, or visit a church website, or watch a YouTube video, or hear a Bible college chapel service, or read a religious tract, without seeing these unbiblical additions to God's simple plan of salvation, which is by faith alone in the Gospel (Good News) of Jesus Christ crucified, buried and risen the third day (1st Corinthians 15:1-6).

It saddens my heart to hear preachers obscuring, confusing and corrupting the Gospel with all sorts of embellishments. The Bible says in 2nd Corinthians 4:3-4, “But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.” The Devil doesn't want lost sinners to get saved. Satan wants people to burn in the Lake of Fire with him. So the Devil blinds men's minds! How does he do this? Satan hinders people from getting saved by obscuring and hiding the Gospel of free grace.