"But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him." —2nd Corinthians 11:3,4
The Word of God refers to the Biblical Gospel as "the simplicity that is in
Christ" (2nd Corinthians 11:3). Thankfully, the Gospel is simple... we
are guilty sinners and Jesus is the Precious Savior. Anyone who
acknowledges their guilty condition (being condemned under God's Holy
Law—Romans 3:19) and believes on Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins is
saved.
Acts 10:43 plainly states: "To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins." That is the simplicity of the salvation that is in Christ.
Now the false doctrine of "Lordship Salvation" makes salvation very complicated and difficult, for if a person must forsake their sins (or be willing to forsake their sins) as a requirement to be saved—then who can be saved? There is nothing "simple" about asking a person to give up their booze, their fornication, their gambling, their cigarettes, their lying, their lusting, their hating, their gossiping, their adultery, their slandering, their ingratitude, their cursing in God's name, their dirty jokes, and all their other sinful HABITS.
A sinful habit, which is oftentimes formed over many years, is not something that a person can simply walk away from and quit. It is next to IMPOSSIBLE for some people to stop sinful habits. It is extremely rare that someone just stops smoking. In fact, if you talk to most smokers you'll find that they've tried to quit DOZENS of times without success.
Only a religious hypocrite would tout about the power of God that every new convert should have to forsake all sins, because there's not a Christian alive that has forsaken ALL SINS!!! Yes, each believer has the God-given opportunity to escape sin (1st Corinthians 10:13), but the truth is that no believer chooses to do so all the time. Even our ignorance is part of our sin, because we are responsible to seek the truth. No believer can live above sin... above reproach, yes; but above sin, no way. All believers sin! Even the greatest missionary who ever lived, the Apostle Paul, whom God used to write 14-books of the New Testament, struggled horribly with sin in his personal life (Romans 7:15-25).
This does NOT give anyone God's permission to sin, it simply means that the reality of the Christian life is that believers do still sin at times. Thus, the heresy of Lordship Salvation is unrealistic in it's hypocritical claims. Who are men to judge how much sin a person must forsake to be saved? The Biblical answer is NONE... "But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness" (Romans 4:5).
The Scriptures are filled with examples of believers who still had sin in their life. Noah got drunk (Genesis 9:21). Samson has sex with a prostitute (Judges 16:1). David killed Uriah to hide an adulterous affair with the man's wife, Bathsheba, which impregnated her (2nd Samuel 11; 12:9). Jeremiah quit preaching God's Word (Jeremiah 20:9). Isaiah had unclean lips (Isaiah 6:5). Jonah fled from God's will (Jonah 1:10). These are just a handful of many more examples of believer's who struggled with sin in their lives. If Lordship Salvation is true, then all these wayward saints went to Hell. The truth is that Lordship Salvation is no salvation at all; but a road to Hellfire.
Lordship Salvation makes salvation hard, difficult and next to impossible. There's NOTHING simple about Lordship Salvation. To expect a person, who's been living in sin for decades, to instantly stop drinking booze or smoking cigarettes is preposterous. To tell that person, as Jack Chick does, that they must "be willing to turn from sin" to be saved, it makes salvation extremely complicated, because there's nothing simple about giving up lifelong sinful habits. Cigarette smoking is a sin (1st Corinthians 3:16,17).
Jack Chick means more than just turning from sin in one's heart, because all of his tracks teach a 2-step process dealing with sin. Chick teaches that first a person must admit their sinnership, and then second, be willing to turn away from those sins. Clearly, Chick teaches that it's not enough to merely come to the Lord Jesus Christ by faith to be forgiven of one's sins; he also teaches that a person must have a sincere desire, and intend, to stop living in sin to be saved (which in effect means trying to stop committing sins). If a person is willing to do something, then they will do it. So Chick is clearly teaching Lordship Salvation, which is also taught widely throughout California by John MacArthur, Ray Comfort and Kirk Cameron. If I say that you can borrow my car if you're willing to gas the tank, I have clearly implied that I expect you to gas the tank. Likewise, Chick's false Gospel tells people that God expects them to stop sinning to be saved. That is a backwards Gospel that leads to Hell fire. Works salvation never saved anybody. You need HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS!
Birds-of-a-feather flock together. Kirk Cameron promotes John MacArthur on his website. The desire to forsake sin is the FRUIT (result) of genuine repentance toward God, and not a part of the ROOT of saving-faith. Eternal life is a free gift that you simply receive by faith in the Lord. God requires nothing in return. Whatever reasonable expectations God has for a believer is after the fact, and not a part of salvation. Man has no part whatsoever in salvation, except to BELIEVE ON THE LORD JESUS CHRIST, who is the Son of God.
Drunkenness is a sin that a person cannot easily forsake, it is a chemical dependency. I've known Skidrow men to drink paint-thinner because they were so badly addicted to alcohol. For every hypocrite who claims to have given up booze at a moment's decision, there are thousands of alcoholics who have failed, and needed help to overcome the demonic addiction of booze. Sin by it's very nature oftentimes becomes an addiction.
Certainly, the Holy Spirit is able to deliver the wicked from all addictions and sins; but it requires time, which is why 1st Peter 2:2 states... "As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby." A new believer needs to be mentored and trained in the Scriptures. It will take time before that person GROWS in the Lord to the place where they're willing to live a consecrated life, surrendering their will to Jesus Christ.
This is why we see Paul begging the believers at Rome to give their lives to God... "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God" (Romans 12:1-2).
Paul was a Jew and the Romans were Gentiles. Some Bible scholars claim that Paul was not referring to his Christian “brethren” in Romans 12:1; but rather, to his Jewish brethren in Rome. However, I think the Bible indicates that Paul clearly meant believers in Christ when he speaks of his “brethren.” Paul wasn't writing to fellow Jewish brethren. The believers at Rome were still worldly, not surrender to Christ yet. The entire Church at Corinth was carnal and Paul calls them “carnal” in 1st Corinthians 3:1. Yet, false prophets like Paul Washer teach that “there's no such thing as a carnal Christian.”
Yet, as we see in 1st Corinthians 3:1, the
Apostle Paul called the Christians at Corinth “carnal” and “babes in
Christ.” The Bible is filled with examples of God's children who messed up
horribly and sinned in the worst manner; such as king David who killed Uriah
to conceal an adulterous affair with the man's wife, Bathsheba, which caused
an unintended pregnancy.
Conclusion
2nd Corinthians 11:3-4 speak of "the simplicity that is in Christ." Any gospel that makes salvation difficult, hard or complicated is a FALSE gospel. We read in Revelation 22:17, "And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely." Eternal life is a FREE GIFT (Romans 5:15; 6:23; Ephesians 2:8,9). Jesus paid for our sins with His own literal, physical, precious blood (1st Peter 1:18,19; Hebrews 9:12; Revelation 1:5). What a Savior!
Lordship Salvation is of the Devil, a false doctrine invented by the heretic, John Calvin. Lordship Salvationists today, such as John MacArthur, are also Calvinists. MacArthur clearly believes in Calvin's heresy of Predestination. Here is what the Bible does teach about Predestination. Oh, that men would stop tampering with the simple Gospel of Jesus Christ... we are guilty sinners and Jesus is the Redeeming Savior. We are saved by faith alone in Jesus Christ as our Savior; and not by our willingness to depart from all the sinful habits in our life.
The truth is that not one proponent of Lordship Salvation can honestly say that they're forsaken all their sins. The entire notion of forsaking one's sins to be saved is damnable heresy. We turn to Christ to be saved from our sins; we don't turn from our sins in order to turn to Christ. Those who think they're going to Heaven, because they've forsaken their sins, are still hellbound in their sins because they are guilty of works salvation, which is 100% pure self-righteousness!!!
The problem with the Lordship Salvation crowd is that they fail to realize just how rotten and sinful they truly are, for if they saw their own wickedness, they would stop judging everyone who doesn't live up to THEIR expectations. James 2:10 condemns us all... "For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all." Salvation is so simple; but tragically, there are many false prophets today, like Ray Comfort, who complicate the matter, and make it almost impossible for anyone to get saved, because giving up one's sins is very, very difficult to do.
