Luke 13:1-5, “There were present at that season some that told him of the Galilaeans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And Jesus answering said unto them, Suppose ye that these Galilaeans were sinners above all the Galilaeans, because they suffered such things? I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.”
Kindly said, Pastor Charles Lawson (born 1950) has been the long time pastor of the Temple Baptist Church in Knoxville, Tennessee, for 48 years. Sadly, he is a hellbound Calvinist false prophet who preaches damnable heresy. Here is what Lawson teaches...
“Easy-Believism folks, in my estimation, is an abomination to God. Really, because you're giving people a false hope that everything's okay between them and God.” —Pastor Charles Lawson, “Repentance” (Sunday morning service at Temple Baptist Church in Knoxville; preached on April 8, 2018)
Blasphemy! Dear reader, what is so hard about getting saved? The inspired Holy Bible says eternal life is a “free gift” (Romans 5:15-18). Jesus said in John 6:47, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.” What is so hard about that?
Charles Lawson preaches with zeal and authority. I have listened to his sermons for years. Yet, he is wrong on repentance and God's simple plan of salvation.
A Changed Life Is The “Fruit” Of The Indwelling Holy Spirit, Not Repentance Or Salvation
According to Lawson, repentance is not the root of salvation, but the fruit of salvation. That is WRONG! A changed life is the “fruit” of the indwelling Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22-25), which has nothing to do with the new birth. To say that repentance is the fruit of salvation is to mandate that if your life doesn't change, you're not really saved, and that is exactly what Pastor Lawson foolishly teaches.
The inspired King James Bible plainly says in Galatians 5:25, “If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.” Now, if repentance is a fruit of salvation as Lawson errantly teaches, then why would the Bible command us to WALK IN THE SPIRIT? When you get born again you are alive in the Holy Spirit, but if you don't choose to walk in that Spirit day by day as God's redeemed child, by default you will WALK IN THE FLESH. Galatians 5:25 is proof that just because you are saved doesn't guarantee that you will walk in the Spirit to live a changed life. Repentance in the life of a Christian is produced by the “fruit” of the Holy Spirit, and is NOT an automatic result of salvation. Those preachers who fail to understand this biblical truth fall into the traps of Lordship Salvation and Misunderstood Repentance.
Pastor Lawson Is A Dangerous False Prophet
At best Lawson is very confusing. In his sermon “Repentance” he mentions two infamous serial killers (David Berkowitz “Son of Sam” and Karla Faye Tucker) and how they allegedly found Christ in prison. He uses them as showcase examples of how all sinners should react when they get saved, which is ridiculous and unscriptural. It is clear that Pastor Lawson is implying that every convert should react to the Gospel in the same radical way that these two serial killers did. Dear reader, the only thing you need to know to be saved is that you are a needy hell-deserving guilty sinner and that Jesus is the only Savior who was crucified to pay for your sins, was buried and resurrected from the dead three days later (i.e., the Gospel).
Now, Pastor Lawson is a very confused and confusing man. At no place in his sermon does he bother to tell you what is so wrong with Easy-Believism, except that he thinks it means to pray a sinner's prayer. I am sick and tired of corrupt preachers attacking the sinner's prayer. There is absolutely nothing wrong with praying a sinner's prayer. But you don't get saved by praying, asking or calling, you get saved by BELIEVING THE GOOD NEWS of Jesus Christ crucified, buried and risen from the dead. It's difficult to know what Charles Lawson is talking about because he just foolishly attacks Easy-Believism without explaining hardly anything. What an incompetent preacher!!! I said Pastor Charles Lawson is INCOMPETENT!!!
Easy-Believism is 100% biblical and right! It is free, simple and easy to be saved through just BELIEVING that Jesus did it all for you. Now here is a heretical statement that he makes...
“Repentance in your life is God's way of letting you know that you have saving faith, and not just a bunch of stuff you believe up here. Somebody says some mumbo-jumbo over you, or gets you wet in some pool somewhere, or confirms you, or you prayed the sinner's prayer, and everybody assured you that you're a Christian, but deep down inside your soul you know you're just as dead as you've always been; nothing has changed. But if repentance begins to blossom (and this is important), you're going to do far more repenting after you get saved than that day when you're praying for God to save you. For once the Holy Ghost moves into your soul, you're really going to see what you're made out of.” —Pastor Charles Lawson, “Repentance” (Sunday morning service at Temple Baptist Church in Knoxville; preached on April 8, 2018)
Now, that sounds great to the unlearned Bible student, but it is totally unbiblical. Lawson is confusing repentance with the Holy Spirit. He pounds home the idea that you must repent of your sins and turn away from them as part of getting saved, but then he mentions the Holy Spirit. Dear reader, which is it? The work of the indwelling Holy Spirit is something VERY DIFFERENT than our human efforts to turn away from our sinful ways. Lawson fails to make a distinction.
There is no guarantee just because you get saved that your life is going to radically change for righteousness. The idea that you must feel a profound hatred for your sins, experience guilt and have an earnest desire to turn from your sins is NOT what it means to repent to be saved. In fact, what Pastor Lawson is preaching is by every definition, LORDSHIP SALVATION!!!
The Greek noun for “repent” in the New Testament is metanoia, which simply means “to change your mind,” period. Since we don't know what to change our mind about, we need supplemental information, which can only be determined by the text of a particular passage. For example: The Bible says in Jonah 3:10 that God Himself “repented.” It is clear from the text that the LORD changed His mind not to destroy Nineveh. If repent means to turn away from your sins as Charles Lawson, Pensacola Christian College and other infidels today errantly teach, then how could God repent of sin? God is holy and cannot sin! God just changed His mind, which is all that the word “repent” means, nothing more.
Here are some godly Bible teachers who get Bible repentance 100% right, and I encourage you to read their writings, and then go back and look at the garbage Charles Lawson teaches:
Easy-Believism Is Not Wrong!
In his corrupt sermon “Repentance,” Pastor Lawson refutes two heresies:
- Easy-Believism
- Lordship Salvation
Pastor Lawson describes a very radical definition of Lordship Salvation which requires obeying all of God's commandment in order to validate one's faith. That is what the Seven-Day Adventist cult believe, a radical form of Lordship Salvation. But most forms of Lordship Salvation today are much more subtle. I like how Pastor Ralph Yankee Arnold describes Lordship Salvation...
“Lordship Salvation is the unsupportable and unbiblical belief that the performance of good works, the promise of good works, or the evidence of good works, must accompany faith in Christ to establish or provide evidence that such faith has resulted in eternal life.” —Pastor Ralph Yankee Arnold, “Jesus Versus John MacArthur”
Charles Lawson's corrupt plan of salvation is absolutely Lordship Salvation, even though he refuses to admit it. I shared with you his earlier horrible statement in which he calls Easy-Believism “an abomination to God.” An abomination to God? Whoa! What a darn fool! Lawson is a confused man, caught between grace and works. Dear friend, I challenge you to show me anything in the inspired King James Bible that says getting saved is difficult or hard. You cannot. Jesus likened getting saved in John 4:10 to drinking a cup of water. Jesus likened getting saved in John 10:9 with walking through a door. Jesus likened getting saved in John 6:53 with eating some bread. Jesus likened getting saved in John 3:14-16 with looking at a serpent on a pole. Getting saved is free, simple and easy, which is why we call it 'EASY-BELIEVISM!' So, what in tarnation is Pastor Charles Lawson talking about?
In the Gospel of John we find the word “believe” mentioned 85 times with no mention of the word “repent.” That speaks volumes! Pastor Lawson in his sermon says that Jesus continually preached about repentance, but that simply is not true. Sure, Jesus did preach about repentance at times, but there are ten times more passages in the inspired Word of God where Jesus simply said to simply “BELIEVE ON HIM” without any mention whatsoever about repenting. The reason why is obvious, because repentance is an automatic thing. The man who believes has repented; the man who repents has believed. THAT IS EASY-BELIEVISM!!!
Pastor Curtis Hutson Well Explains Luke 13:1-5
Dr. Curtis Hutson explains Luke 13:5 and gets it 100% correct:
In Luke 13:5 Jesus said, “I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.” The context of this verse shows that they needed to repent or change their mind regarding punishment and sin. In this passage, Christ was talking to good people who believed that people suffered only because of their sins, and they concluded that those in Galilee whose blood Pilate mingled with sacrifices and those on whom the tower of Siloam fell were greater sinners because they died such horrible deaths. Jesus contradicts the thinking of these self-righteous people and tells them that they need to repent or change their mind and see themselves as sinners, too, or they will perish in their own self-righteousness.
One does not have to know the Greek language to see that “repent” in this passage does not mean feeling sorry for or turning from sin.
SOURCE: Dr. Curtis Hutson, 'Repentance: What Does The Bible Teach?'
So, we see that it is very easy to take a passage of Scripture out of context. All things are possible through a Bible verse taken out of context!
I am not trying to be unkind, God knows my heart, but Pastor Lawson just doesn't know what he is doing theologically. He should have stayed an automobile mechanic, because he is a lousy preacher. I'm sure he loves his church members and they love him after 48 years, but he is a dangerous false teacher and in that regard he is a bad pastor.
I have heard Pastor Lawson wickedly attack Pastor Jack Hyles, quoting from Brother Hyles' chapter titled: 'Lordship Salvation: An Enemy Of Soul Winning,' falsely accusing Dr. Hyles of leaving off repentance. Nothing could be further from the truth! Dr. Hyles just didn't go along with the damnable heresy that says you must forsake a lifestyle of sinning to be saved, or prove that you are saved. To do so would be the heresy of Lordship Salvation!
Pastor Lawson plainly teaches that repentance (which he errantly thinks means a radically changed life) is how you know you are saved. ...
“Repentance in your life is God's way of letting you know that you have saving faith, and not just a bunch of stuff you believe up here.” —Pastor Charles Lawson, “Repentance” (Sunday morning service at Temple Baptist Church in Knoxville; preached on April 8, 2018)
But if we were to examine the exterior lives of the false teachers in Matthew 7:21-23, they did “many wonderful works” in Jesus' name, preached (prophesied) in Jesus' name, and called Jesus “Lord, Lord,” but Jesus denied knowing them as His sheep, and they went to Hell forever. They failed to do the WILL OF THE FATHER, which according to John 6:40 is simply to BELIEVE ON JESUS. Nowhere does the Bible require repenting of your sins to be saved!
Easy-Believism Is The Gospel
Kindly said, Charles Lawson is extremely wrong and foolish to deny Easy-Believism and denounce it as “an abomination to God.” What a terrible pastor for teaching that it is not easy to get to Heaven. He is so confused that he cannot even adequately explain what he is trying to convey. Are there some insincere people who merely pray some “Jesus prayer” and never really get saved? Why of course! But such cases are rare in my humble opinion.
But Jesus did invite the Samaritan woman to pray a sinner's prayer in John 4:10, to “ask” Him for the Living Water of eternal life. There is absolutely nothing wrong with the sinner's prayer, and I disrespect Pastor Lawson for criticizing it. Pastor Lawson can pretend that he is not in the same boat as Pastor John MacArthur (1939-2025) and Dr. R.C. Sproul (1939-2017), the godfathers of Lordship Salvation today, but he is just as guilty as those wicked men.
It is very inappropriate to label people who make light of getting saved, or insincerely go through the outward motions of Christianity without ever being born again, as “Easy-Believism,” which is what Charles Lawson is sinfully doing. You can definitely call such people “False Converts” or better yet, “Tares” (as the Bible calls them).
But there is nothing difficult or hard about getting born again. It is a free gift, which even Pastor Lawson acknowledges in his sermon “Repentance.” And he is dead wrong that believing the Gospel in your mind is insufficient to be saved unless a changed life goes along with it. ...
“Repentance in your life is God's way of letting you know that you have saving faith, and not just a bunch of stuff you believe up here.” —Pastor Charles Lawson, “Repentance” (Sunday morning service at Temple Baptist Church in Knoxville; preached on April 8, 2018)
I hope you clearly see the fallacy and danger of his false teachings. According to Pastor Lawson your faith is invalid unless you've experienced a radical change of behavior and attitude in your life (which he errantly mistakes to mean repentance). That is 100% Lordship Salvation, which he fails to realize or else won't admit. He is combining service with salvation. He is mixing discipleship with sonship. The two must never meet, just like positive and negative battery cables! It is tragic that we've got a bunch of loud-mouthed arrogant fools behind church pulpits today, who are unlearned and wrest the Word of God to their own destruction, and the doom of their victims who follow them into perdition.
I love this excellent quote by Pilgrim's Progress author John Bunyan (1628-1688)...
“If you do not put a difference between justification wrought by the man Christ without and sanctification wrought by the Spirit of Christ within, you are not able to divide the Word aright; but contrariwise, you corrupt the Word of God, and cast stumbling blocks before the people.” —Evangelist John Bunyan
And this great helpful quote by Pastor M.R. DeHaan (1891-1965)...
“There is a vast difference between coming to Jesus for salvation and coming after Jesus for service. Coming to Christ makes one a believer, while coming after Christ makes one a disciple. All believers are not disciples. To become a believer one accepts the invitation of the Gospel, to be a disciple one obeys the challenge to a life of dedicated service and separation. Salvation comes through the sacrifice of Christ; discipleship comes only by sacrifice of self and surrender to His call for devoted service. Salvation is free, but discipleship involves paying the price of a separated walk. Salvation can't be lost because it depends upon God's faithfulness, but discipleship can be lost because it depends upon our faithfulness.” —Pastor M.R. DeHaan, “Hebrews”; Zondervan Publishing House; 1959 (p. 117)
You'll never hear any such biblical truth from Pastor Charles Lawson, he just spews his ignorance of God's Word and confuses people with his Satanic Calvinist ramblings, slandering godly preachers like Pastor Jack Hyles who preached THE TRUTH about Bible repentance.
John Bunyan would have ate Charles Lawson for lunch, and then run him out of the church pulpit by sundown for preaching damnable heresy, for perverting the Gospel! ...
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