Dr. Bob Wilkin founded the Grace Evangelical Society (GES) in 1986. He is an alumni of Dallas Theological Seminary. Moody
Bible Institute promotes him. Yet, this man is spiritually dangerous! In the July/August 2018 “GRACE
IN FOCUS” newsletter, Dr. Robert (Bob) Wilkin says something disturbing.
He claims that repentance is not necessary for salvation. Dr. Wilkin states:
“Repentance is not necessary to be born again. It is necessary to escape temporal wrath in this life. The only condition of the new birth is faith in Christ.”
SOURCE: Dr. Bob Wilkin; July/August 2018 “GRACE IN FOCUS” newsletter.
The Holy Bible does NOT agree with Mr. Wilkin. God says in Mark 1:15b, “repent ye, and believe the Gospel.” Clearly repentance IS necessary for salvation. What does it mean to “repent”? Repentance is simply a change of mind—a change of mind from wrong thinking to right thinking—a change of mind from what I think I must do to get to Heaven, to what God says I must do to get to Heaven!
Dr. Wilkin has a Ph.D. from Dallas Theological Seminary. Kindly, I am rather surprised that Pastor Wilkin has taken this unbiblical position, because he was a doctrinally sound Bible teacher (as far as I know) prior to his change. Again we read in Acts 20:21, “Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.” Clearly repentance toward God is necessary for salvation. Carefully notice that the Bible doesn't say “repentance from sin,” but “repentance toward God.” We are not saved by turning away from anything; but rather, by turning toward God through faith in His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ!
Repentance is admitting to almighty God that I am a guilty sinner, as guilty as He hath declared me to be in His Holy Word; and I am saved by placing my childlike faith in the Good News of the precious crucified, buried and risen only begotten Son of God, the Savior, Jesus Christ!
We see the opposite of repentance in John 3:19-20, “And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.” When a man repents, he changes his mind TOWARD GOD, which compels him to BELIEVE the Gospel for salvation. If a person didn't repent, they would NEVER come to Christ as Savior to be forgiven of their sins.
The way salvation works, Biblically, is you acknowledge you are a guilty sinner in God's sight (Romans 3:19), and you trust the Good News (Gospel) of Jesus Christ crucified on the cross, buried and risen the third day to pay for those sins; immediately upon which the blessed Holy Spirit comes to indwell (live inside) your body, which is now God's “temple” (1st Corinthians 3:16-17). It is the precious Holy Spirit, which Romans 8:9 calls “the Spirit of Christ,” that changes a believer over time, as we grow in the milk of the Word of God (1st Peter 2:2).
This is why it is critically
important that a new believer not be given a corrupt modern Bible version,
which will instill many erroneous ideas into their thinking. For example:
One sincere man wrote to me and thought Jesus wasn't God, because he had
read the corrupt translation in the English Standard version (ESV) from
Philippians 2:6 that Jesus “did not count equality with God a thing to be
grasped.” The inspired King James Bible says the exact opposite, that Jesus
“thought it not robbery to be equal with God.” Sadly, and tragically,
Bob Jones University (BJU) officially sanctions, sells and permits use of
the ESV by its thousands of students. What a hellhole of apostasy!
Get mad at me if you want to, all you shallow Christians with your yellow-bellied cowards for pastors who wear lace on their underwear, because I am telling THE TRUTH! I just proved my point by contrasting Philippians 2:6. An unlearned person might read the corrupt rendering of Philippians 2:6 in the ESV, and go join the Jehovah's Witnesses (who love the Westcott and Hort Alexandria, Egypt, texts upon which all the corrupt modern perversions are based, including their perverse New World Translation authored by Charles Taze Russell, their cult's founder in 1884).
We are born-again by turning to God through faith in His Son, not by turning from anything. Repentance is a change of mind about anything and everything that is hindering you from believing the Gospel to be saved. We are saved solely by BELIEVING the Gospel. Albeit, the doctrine of repentance is still important, because it is the difference between those who choose to come to Christ, and those who don't. God “now commandeth all men every where to repent” (Acts 17:30). I am not asking anyone to take my word for it. Romans 4:3a, “For what saith the Scripture?” We have some plain Scriptural statements, in Mark 1:15 and Acts 20:21, that repentance is required for salvation. Yes, we are saved only by believing; but without repentance, no one would ever believe!
So that is the first clear error of Dr. Wilkin, he denies the need for repentance (a change of mind) in salvation. Although turning away from sins is NOT what it means to repent, the Scripture is abundantly clear that unless a man repents toward God (Acts 20:21), he will not come to the Savior to be saved, lest his evil deeds should be reproved (John 3:20).
Dr. Wilkin admittedly used to believe that repentance was “a change of mind,” but then in 1997 changed his views, and now teaches that repentance means “turning from sins,” which he confirms in his July/August 2018 “GRACE IN FOCUS” newsletter...
I believed in the change of mind view until around 1997. I even wrote my doctoral dissertation defending the change of mind view. But then I repented of my view of repentance. I believe that Biblical repentance is turning from sins. All NT examples fit that understanding. You can read an article on our website on why I changed my mind about repentance. It was published in our journal in 1998.
SOURCE: Dr. Bob Wilkin; July/August 2018 “GRACE IN FOCUS” newsletter.
Turning from sins is human reformation, not repentance unto life. For Scriptural support of what I am teaching, please consider 2nd Timothy 2:25, “In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth.” Carefully notice once again that repentance is not “from sins,” but “to the acknowledgement of the truth.” Amen, I love that! God says that you are a guilty sinner my friend! There is a “death” penalty for our sins (Romans 6:23), which includes a “second death” (Revelation 21:8) in “the lake of fire” (Revelation 20:15). Repentance is a matter of acknowledging the truth unto the Gospel itself, so that you will BELIEVE IT and be saved!!! I sure hope you will.
Dr.
John R. Rice (1895-1980) explains repentance and faith well, I think. Dr.
Rice used to teach that there are not two steps to salvation; but rather,
just one step comprised of two parts (repentance and faith). In other
words, you don't repent first, and then believe. Repentance and faith are
inseparable, like voltage and current in electricity, and they happen at the
same time.
One of my favorite illustrations of repentance and faith is taking an airplane ride from Michigan to Hawaii. You don't first get on a plane to leave Michigan, and then while in the air say, “Now I am going to go to Hawaii.” The fact of the matter is that you are already on your way to Hawaii! You are headed for your destination at the same time you are leaving your origin. Likewise, the man who believes the Gospel has repented, and the man who repents has believed. That is what Evangelist John R. Rice believed and taught, and I think he got it absolutely correct! The person who believes has repented. It is an automatic thing, so that a soulwinner need not mention repentance when witnessing to someone. A person wouldn't say, “I'm going to leave Michigan, and then fly to Hawaii.” You could just as easily say, “I'm flying to Hawaii.”
The fact of the matter is that Mark 1:15b says to, “repent ye, and believe the Gospel.” So how can Pastor Wilkin totally disregard the Lord's plain words? Dr. Wilkin is teaching blatant heresy! I am not aware of any other theologian who teaches this strange doctrine, as taught by Dr. Wilkin. He still maintains the truth that eternal life is a free gift, which cannot be merited; but he makes the error of claiming that repentance is not necessary for salvation, which is not true at all.
Granted, we find the word “believe” in it's various forms mentioned 87 times in the Gospel of John. Yet the word “repent” is not mentioned even once. Clearly, this teaches us that believing includes repentance. We cannot ignore Acts 20:21 and Mark 1:15 and other applicable passages. Consider Hebrews 6:1, “Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God.” Again we see repentance and faith mentioned together. But carefully notice that the Holy Bible says, “repentance from dead works.” The Bible doesn't say “repentance from sins.” To be saved, a person must forsake their trust in the damnable sacraments of the Roman Catholic church. To be saved, a person must forsake their trust in the water baptism required by Mormonism, Seventh-day Adventism and the Jehovah's Witness' religious cults. Nothing else will satisfy the wrath of God against our sins, except the precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 5:9, “Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.”
As I have evidenced from the Scriptures, repentance is required for salvation, and it accompanies faith. It is a bad thing to say that repentance means “turning from sins,” as taught by Dr. Robert Wilkin, because it suggests that repentance is optional for salvation, which it is not. Acts 17:30-32, “And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent. Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead. And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked: and others said, We will hear thee again of this matter.” Clearly, from reading the context of this Scripture passage, it concerns salvation, speaking of Christ's resurrection from the dead. If repentance is not necessary for salvation, then why would God command all men everywhere to repent?
I could mention umpteen more Scripture passages, to support my position that repentance is necessary for salvation, but I will conclude this article with the Lord's compelling words from two passages:
First, in Mark 2:17, “When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” The Lord said He came into the world to call “SINNERS TO REPENTANCE”! The dear Lord didn't say He came to call sinners to “believe,” but to “repentance,” so that they would believe.
Second, in Matthew 21:32, “For John came unto you in the way of righteousness, and ye believed him not: but the publicans and the harlots believed him: and ye, when ye had seen it, repented not afterward, that ye might believe him.” This is a very important Scripture passage, because we clearly see here that repentance facilitated (made possible) believing! According to Dr. Wilkin, a person believes first to get saved, and then repentance follows at a later point. The Bible doesn't teach that! Jesus said they, “repented not afterward, that ye might believe him.” Clearly, repentance made it possible to believe.
Bob Wilkins's Strange and Corrupt
Theology
Dr. Bob Wilkin is
confused doctrinally. I was rather alarmed when someone showed me the
following writings by Dr. Bob Wilkin, where he denies that believing the
Gospel will save a person. Folks, Bob Wilkin is a theological LIAR and a
FALSE PROPHET!!! Read for yourself Mr. Wilkin's ridiculous assertions, which
I have never heard anyone teach except him, which the Bible calls “STRANGE
DOCTRINES.” Hebrews 13:9, “Be not carried about with divers and
strange doctrines. For it is a good thing that the
heart be established with grace; not with meats, which have not profited
them that have been occupied therein.”
The following is the Satanic teaching of Pastor Bob Wilkin, where he literally says believing the 'GOOD NEWS' of Christ crucified, buried and risen WON'T save a person...
Confusion #5: The Gospel Is the Object of Saving Faith
Nowhere in the entire Bible are we told that the person who believes the gospel has everlasting life, is saved, is justified, will never die spiritually, or anything of the kind.
Repeatedly the Bible says that the person who believes in Jesus has everlasting life, is saved, is justified, or will never die spiritually (John 1:12-13; 3:16-18, 36; 5:24; 6:35-40, 47; 11:25-27; Acts 16:31; Rom 4:4-5; Gal 2:16; Eph 2:8-9).
Jesus, not the gospel about Jesus, is the precise object of saving faith. That is why I prefer to call the message one must believe to be born again the saving message and not the gospel.
Many people believe the gospel is a technical expression that refers to the content of saving faith. Free Grace people with that understanding say that if someone believes the gospel he is born again, no matter what else he might or might not believe,2 and, of course, regardless of his works. If that is correct, there would be no problem. But if that is incorrect, then it creates tremendous confusion.
Do all who believe that Jesus died on the cross for our sins and rose bodily from the dead have everlasting life? Of course not. Even if we add in belief in Jesus’ deity, virgin birth in Bethlehem, and His sinless humanity, people believing all that still are not born again if they believe in works salvation. and, of course, regardless of his works. If that is correct, there would be no problem. But if that is incorrect, then it creates tremendous confusion.
The person who is born again is the one who has come to believe that by faith in Jesus Christ he has everlasting life.
But those Free Grace people who suggest that the gospel is the object of saving faith, rather than the proof that Jesus indeed is the Guarantor of everlasting life to all who simply believe in Him, inadvertently confuse people on what they must believe to be saved.
The gospel should lead people to faith in Christ. But believing the gospel is not the same as believing in Jesus Christ. Most in Christianity believe the gospel and yet they are lost since they do not believe in Jesus for the life He promises. ... [emphasis added]
LIAR, LIAR, PANTS ON FIRE!!! I've never heard such nonsense from a preacher!!! Folks, believing the Gospel (Good News) is to believe on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Word of God DOESN'T make any distinction, and where the Bible is silent, we should also be silent! What saith the Scripture?
There is no need to guess what the “Gospel” is because the Bible plainly tells 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.”
There you have it, “THE GOSPEL” is three things:
(1) Jesus DIED on the cross for our sins.
(2) Jesus was BURIED.
(3) Jesus bodily RESURRECTED from the dead three days later.
Don't miss that—BY WHICH YOU ARE SAVED! We are saved by THE GOSPEL!!! Kindly, Bob Wilkin makes about as much sense as fake Evangelist Ray Comfort, who errantly says we are saved THROUGH faith, but not BY faith! What an incompetent preacher!!! What gross perversion of THE TRUTH!!! I just plainly showed you from the Word of God, that we are SAVED BY THE GOSPEL. WE ARE SAVED BY FAITH! What saith the Scripture? Romans 1:16, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.” Here again we find Biblical confirmation that we are saved by the power of “THE GOSPEL.” For Bob Wilkin to teach that we cannot be saved by believing THE GOSPEL; but rather, he says that we can only be saved by believing on the name of Jesus, is ANOTHER GOSPEL!!!
The truth is that it is not enough to merely “trust Jesus” to be saved, because what if someone has ANOTHER JESUS? 2nd Corinthians 11:3-4, “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.” For example: Jehovah's Witnesses deny that Jesus is almighty God, which means they have ANOTHER JESUS! JW's can trust their fake Jesus all they want, but they will still go to Hell in their sins!
However, how would it be possible to believe (rely upon) the GOOD NEWS that Jesus died on the cross for your sins, was buried, and then miraculously resurrected from the dead three days later, and yet not believe on Jesus' name? Is that even possible? I think not! Bob Wilkin is thinking too much, teaching strange doctrines! Again, don't rely upon your human reasoning. I just quoted to you Bible passages from Romans 1:16 and 1st Corinthians 15:1-4, which teaches that we are saved BY BELIEVING THE GOSPEL. 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.” So to clarify, to be saved, a person must be familiar with the facts of THE GOSPEL. They must know that Jesus DIED on the cross to pay for their sins. They must know that Jesus was subsequently BURIED (which officiated His death). You must know that Jesus bodily RESURRECTED after three days from the dead. That is the GOOD NEWS!
And of course, to be saved, you must
realize that you are a guilty sinner (Romans 3:19-20), otherwise why would
you need a Savior (Galatians 3:24-26)? You need to know what you are being
saved from. You and I deserve to be punished in the fires of Hell forever
(Romans 6:23), to pay for our own sins (Revelation 20:15). But thanks be to
our good God, Who made a way of escape through the sacrifice of His only
begotten Son (Romans 5:8-9), Who shed His blood and died on THE CROSS of
Calvary's hill (1st Peter 1:18-19). The Gospel of John is God's Gospel tract
(John 20:31). Keep in mind that John chapter 19 is all about Jesus'
crucifixion on the cross and burial, and chapter 20 is all about the bodily
resurrection of Jesus Christ! So when we read single Bible passages about
BELIEVING on the name of Jesus, it is all predicated upon THE GOSPEL!
'REPENT YE' and Believe 'THE GOSPEL'!
So
you cannot be saved by merely trusting on the name of Jesus, you must accept
the facts of THE GOSPEL! But to accept the facts of the Gospel as your own,
placing your confidence in Christ's redemptive work on the cross, you have
BELIEVED on the name of Jesus, because HE IS THE ONE Who died, was buried,
and resurrected the third day! I think that makes perfect sense dear reader.
But what Mr. Wilkin is teaching is utter nonsense! Wilkin says you cannot be
saved by believing THE GOSPEL, but he says, you must also trust in the name
of Jesus. The Bible does not agree with him. In fact, the man who believes
'THE GOSPEL,' HAS BELIEVED ON THE NAME OF JESUS!!!
What saith the Scripture? Mark 1:15, “And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.” In this one Bible passage we see Bob Wilkin exposed as a theological fraud, because the Bible commands men to REPENT, and to BELIEVE THE GOSPEL. Dr. Wilkin errantly says you don't have to repent to be saved, and he also errantly says that THE GOSPEL is not the object of saving-faith; but as I just quoted to you from the inspired King James Bible—THE OBJECT OF REPENTANCE IS TO BELIEVE THE GOSPEL!!! I didn't say that, God did in His Word! Mark 1:15 tells the reader to “REPENT YE” (change your mind) and “BELIEVE THE GOSPEL” (the GOOD NEWS of Jesus' death on the cross, burial and resurrection). The Bible doesn't say in Mark 1:15 to trust the name of Jesus, does it? No, it says to: “REPENT YE” (change your mind) and “BELIEVE THE GOSPEL.”
Again, since Jesus is the One Who died on the cross, was buried, and physically resurrected from the dead the third day—to believe The Gospel IS TO BELIEVE ON JESUS CHRIST! It is silly to say that the purpose of the Gospel is to compel a person to believe on the name of Jesus to be saved. It doesn't matter what I think, nor what you think, the Bible says in Romans 1:16, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.” Do you see that? THE GOSPEL is the power of unto unto salvation, to them that believe. I find no distinction in the Word of God between believing The Gospel, versus believing on the name of Jesus, for they are one and the same! It is impossible that an admitted sinner could rely upon Jesus Christ dying on the cross for their sins, being buried, and raising up three days later, and yet not actually be trusting upon the name of Jesus for salvation. Kindly, Pastor Robert Wilkin is a confused and confusing man theologically!
Please understand that the purpose of my articles are never to shine a negative light on someone, nor to be critical of others, but solely “that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints” (Jude 1:3).
