Moody Bible Institute’s Unbiblical Gospel

By David J. Stewart
September 2008 | updated April 2016

“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

       Dr. Harry A. Ironside (1876-1951), who pastored Moody Memorial Church between 1930 and 1948, died of a heart attack in New Zealand in 1951. I cannot help but wonder if Dr. Ironside somehow caught a glimpse of what the Moody Bible Church is today that caused his heart attack. I almost had a heart attack myself when I read their college's plan of salvation. It’s straight from the pits of Hell. The Moody church and school are today saturated with apostasy, false doctrine and a false gospel. What happened?

By the way, please read Dr. Harry Ironside's awesome book titled, “WHAT IS THE GOSPEL?,” to learn the Biblically correct doctrine of the Gospel. Moody students and staff today have strayed from their doctrinal roots to instead follow Calvinist heretics like John MacArthur, Paul Washer, John Piper, Ray Comfort, Billy Graham, R.C. Sproul and Chip Ingram. I'll follow the Bible with Dr. Harry Ironside!

Before I say anymore, I have always admired Moody Church. Pastor Dwight L. Moody (1837-1899) is a historical legend, whom I promote as a great man of God on my website. I recommend that my web visitors read Dwight Moody's biography. He made a living working in a shoe store. God did a mighty work in Moody's heart and he was compelled to reach Chicago for God. Moody used to gather children, families and the homeless and transport them to church in horse-drawn carriages and wagons. Today's equivalent is the church bus ministry, which you'll only find in a handful of faithful Independent Fundamental Baptist Churches still today.

A young 17-year old Harry Ironside couldn't get into the church building to hear Mr. Moody preach because of a packed crowd. So Ironside crawled up along one of the ceiling beams and looked down watching Moody preach for the entire sermon. Ironside saw the thousands of people in the crowd and Dwight Moody preaching the Word of God to them. Harry Ironside said that he then realized in his heart that God wanted him to do the same thing with his life, AND HE DID! Amen! I pray to God that Moody ministries today would return to the good old days when Dwight L. Moody and Harry A. Ironside prayed down the power of the Holy Spirit and thousands of lost sinners came to Christ to be saved! Instead, Moody has gone left instead of right, lifting a century old ban for faculty and staff against drinking booze, card gambling and cigar smoking. And then afterwards they host a conference on, of all things, HOLINESS!

My heart burns to see the Moody Memorial Church and Moody Bible Institute return to having a passion for truth, standards, soul-winning and the power of the Holy Spirit to win the lost to Christ. The lost won't come to us, we have to go to them! And so, I publish this article with a broken heart, because Moody still does much good but they are headed in a wrong direction in moral standards, the doctrine of Christ concerning salvation, and the apostate ministers they support (like John MacArthur, a liberal who says Jesus' blood was never applied to the Mercy Seat in Heaven). Woe unto America's backslidden churches! Which New Is Right? (Dr. Hyles, MP3; Devil ruins church with cantatas, no services, women's pants).

Pastor Jack Hyles (1926-2001) explains why Moody Memorial Church went from once being a great ministry when Dr. Harry Ironside (1876-1951) pastored there, to the disgraceful apostate institution that Moody Ministries has become today . . .

My heart aches for what has happened to churches across this nation. Many churches that call themselves Independent Baptists are not really Independent Baptists.

When Dr. Ironside was the pastor of the Moody Church in Chicago, he decided to form a group of men to run the business of the church. He basically turned the leadership of the church over to that group of men and decided that he would just do the preaching. It worked beautifully because these men loved him, and wanted to please him, but when he died, he had created the machinery for the destruction of their soul-winning program. What happened? A good pastor and some good men set up some bad machinery that worked as long as they were alive, but self-destructed when they died.

SOURCE: Dr. Jack Hyles, a quote from Chapter 5, THE AUTONOMY OF THE CHURCH, of his excellent book, THE CHURCH

I’ll tell you what happened… it’s that good-for-nothing, lousy, corrupt, piece-of-garbage, rotten, malicious, scum-filled, worthless filth called the New International Version (NIV) of the Bible. Moody church and college wouldn’t be in the mess they’re in today if they’d just remained faithful to the trustworthy King James Bible. Dwight L. Moody (1837-1899) chose to use the King James Bible, even though he lived nearly 300 years after the King James Bible was first published. Harry A. Ironside chose to use the King James Bible as well, hundreds of years later.

Why in just the past 30 years have Moody Bible Church and Moody Bible Institute decided that the King James Bible isn’t good enough anymore? They’ve bought into the lie of Satan and are using a counterfeit Bible. My friend, do you realize that Marten Woudstra, chairman of the Old Testament translating committee on the New International Version (NIV), was an open homosexual!!! No wonder they completely removed the word “sodomite” from the Old Testament. If you continue to use the NIV after reading this, you're not right with God! We're all sinners, granted, but to knowingly allow an unrepentant homosexual to lead a committee to butcher the Bible is the height of wickedness and blasphemy against God!!!

Here is the prayer that Moody Ministries suggests for a lost sinner to pray to be saved...

"If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. ~Romans 10:9

God, I know that I have done things that are wrong. But I believe that Jesus died on the Cross to pay the punishment for what I’ve done. I believe that He is Your Son, the Word of God, and I want Him to be my Savior. I want Him to cleanse me of what I’ve done wrong and defeat sin for me. In His name I ask You to welcome me back to You. I know that I have followed my own rules and served my own desires. But God, I don’t want to serve myself anymore. I want to follow You. I want to spend eternity with You! Thank You for Your wonderful gift of Jesus. [emphasis added]

And then they follow with this comment...

...If you have just made a commitment to Christ, please let us know. We'd like to send you Bible study materials to help you grow in your faith. Simply complete the form below to receive these materials."

SOURCE: Knowing Christ, The Next Step; http://www.moodyministries.net/crp_FormGeneral.aspx?ekfrm=1246

Ladies and gentlemen, that is a false gospel. One DOESN’T have to make a commitment to Christ to be saved. Where does this false idea come from? Look no further than Romans 10:9 from the NIV which I just quoted to you from their website… “If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” That is NOT what the Word of God says. The King James Bible correctly renders the Greek in English as…

“That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.”

There is a world of difference between “confessing the Lord Jesus” versus “confessing Jesus as Lord.” The NIV (or better yet, the H.I.V. Bible) teaches the malicious heresy of Lordship Salvation. The gift of eternal life (Romans 6:23) is nullified if one has to make a commitment (or be willing to stop living selfishly) to God to be saved. This is exactly what Moody Ministries is teaching today. Please read, Harry A. Ironside DIDN'T Teach Lordship Salvation. Sadly, Moody today does.

Moody’s board of directors and ministry leaders would have us to believe that they're still upholding the same doctrinal positions that were held back in 1928 (http://www.moodyministries.net/crp_MainPage.aspx?id=334); but nothing could be further from the truth. To realize just how messed up Moody Bible Institute is today, consider the following correct quote from former pastor Harry Ironside (1876-1951)…

“When anyone comes promising salvation to those ‘who make full surrender' of all that they have to God, and who 'pay the price of full salvation' he is preaching another gospel, for the price was paid on Calvary's cross and the work that saves is finished. It was Christ Jesus who made the full surrender when He yielded His life on Calvary that saves us, not our surrender in any way to Him.”

SOURCE: Harry A. Ironside, from the Gospel tract, Another Gospel.

If Dr. Ironside was alive today, he’d have another heart attack!!! Woe unto Moody Bible Church, pastor Erwin Lutzer, and the Moody Bible Institute. This is such a shame. Satan has used the wagon of ecumenicalism to corrupt America’s churches and seminaries with the demonic doctrine of Lordship Salvation. Beware of Moody Bible Church and Moody Ministries, because they have turned aside after Another Gospel not taught in the Word of God. God hasn't changed, Moody has changed!

Moody has some great Bible teachers, but they don't have preachers in my opinion. Teachers cannot reproduce preachers! America needs preachers!!!! America's only hope is Christ-uplifting, God-fearing, Bible-believing, uncompromising, non-apologetic, preaching! John the Baptist was offensive. There was nothing cultured about John. He wore camel's hair and ate wild locusts and honey. John stood alone, a sole voice crying in the wilderness, preaching repentance. John was a trouble-making preacher!

Today's so-called “preachers” in America are soft, wimpy and worst of all, ecumenical. America needs men of God to rise up and lead the way. Everything is run today by groups, committees and feminist women. Where are God's men? God says in Ezekiel 22:30 that He sought for A MAN. America is going to hell, while its tens-of-thousands of deadbeat ministers are playing church and joining each other's ministerial board of directors.
 

Not All Of MBI Is Corrupt

It appears that Moody Ministries has so many various departments these days, that no one has control over all of them. Although that's understandable, as a Christian I am going to expose heresy wherever it rears it's ugly head. Albeit, I want to give credit where credit is due. Moody Bible Institute publishes TODAY IN THE WORD, which accurately states concerning salvation...

Living in deliberate sin means living in rebellion to God's will for your life, and it is probably one of the most joyless experiences that you as a Christian can suffer. Our sins were dealt with at the Cross. Sinful thoughts and ungodly conduct grieve the Spirit of God (Eph. 4:30), and our communion with God suffers. But our eternal salvation is not based on what we did or didn't do—it is based on what Christ did for us. The old chorus is still true today: “Jesus paid it all, all to him we owe. Sin had left a crimson stain; He washed it white as snow.” It is finished.

SOURCE: Question and Answer | February 2011 | Today in the Word

Amen, that is very true! Our salvation is eternally secure in the precious blood of Jesus Christ! We don't get saved by good works, and we don't get unsaved by doing bad works. We are saved because of what Jesus Christ did for us on the cross at Calvary.

Our salvation is as secure are are the PROMISES of God. God promises to save anyone who calls upon the name of the Lord (Romans 10:13). Titus 1:2 says eternal life is a PROMISE from God, a promise that He made before the world began. Titus 1:2, “In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began.” Not only does God save those who believe the Gospel, but He gives us the blessed assurance of offering eternal life in the form of a PROMISE. But wait, God goes even further and assures us that He made this promise before the world was ever made. But that's not all, God even takes it a step further and lets us know that He CANNOT LIE. Isn't this a wonderful Bible verse!!! Isn't God a wonderful and awesome God!!!

Having said that, MBI uses and promotes the homosexual-translated New International Version (NIV) and others modern perversions of the Bible. Corrupt Bibles lead to corrupt doctrines, it's just a matter of time. The previous quote I gave you is reliable and very good, but I don't necessarily agree with everything on their website. A century ago Moody Bible Institute was the best, but instead of following the Word of God they followed the world. As the world becomes increasingly apostate, so also does Moody Ministries. Dwight L. Moody, H.A. Ironside and R.A. Torrey only used the King James Bible. Why today does Moody need a dozen different Bibles.

Let me say that Moody Bible Institute and Moody Church are still doctrinally sound in the core of their beliefs in humble opinion (but they are slipping). I'm glad that John Hart and other Bible teachers have defended the Pretribulation Rapture, which is 100% Biblical. I admire Moody's rich heritage and promote Pastor Dwight L. Moody (1837-1899) as a great man of God, because he was. I am a big admirer of Pastor Harry A. Ironside (1876-1951), also a great man of God. Sadly, Moody has changed for the worst, turning apostate in ecumenism.

Moody's fondness with false prophet John MacArthur is cause for alarm. Moody publishes MacArthur's books. Dr. MacArthur teaches that Jesus' blood soaked into the ground at Calvary. The Bible teaches that Jesus 'BY HIS OWN BLOOD' (Hebrews 9:12) entered into the heavenly holy place on our behalf in the Father's presence (Hebrews 9:24). Jesus sprinkled His liquid blood upon the heavenly Mercy Seat (Hebrews 12:24). MacArthur, like heretic Robert B. Thieme, says Jesus' blood remained in the dirt at the cross. Please read, The Blood Applied In Heaven. You can't lay with dogs and not get fleas. Moody's association with liberal ecumenical preachers will ruin their ministry in time. Doctrine eventually follows standards. Moody's low-standards, women wearing pants, religious rock music, and ecumenical connections will ruin them, and I feel already has.

America is going to Hell, what are we doing about it? Moody is an evangelistic church, but the New Testament Church was a soul-winning church. In an evangelistic church, you bring sinners to church to hear the Gospel, but in a soul-winning church you “Go out into the highways and hedges” as the Bible teaches (Luke 14:23). The Christians in the church in Acts went house-to-house and door-to-door (Acts 20:20). This Scripture is sometimes called “a Christian's 20/20 vision.”
 

Reverend Frankenstein

Today's ministers are sadly resemblant of Dr. Frankenstein, who took body parts from various dead corpses and assembled them into one zombie, calling it “life.” Today's Modernists and liberal preachers take quotes from different dead Bible perversions and assemble them into Frankenstein-like New York Times Bestseller books, sermons and articles, falsely claiming they'll change your life. I'm not interested in body parts from different corrupt Bible versions. The parallel is disturbingly accurate. Today's ministers are like Dr. Frankenstein, trying to create life from the butchered dead. You can't take body parts from dead Bibles and attempt to create spiritual life in a church congregation. God only wrote one Book!

Dr. Frankenstein's monstrosities could walk and talk, but they were dead. Today's corrupted modern Bibles can be read and studied, but there is no spiritual life. God didn't inspire a Bible that removes the words: Godhead, Calvary, sodomite, fornication, Lucifer, impute, propitiation, bottomless pit, begotten and atonement. Today's dead Bibles are producing dead stillbirths in our churches. Stillborn churchgoers think they are saved, but they have never obeyed the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Making a commitment to Jesus is not salvation. That is not the Gospel. Trusting Jesus is not the Gospel. Praying a prayer is not the Gospel. Surrendering to Christ is not the Gospel. Forsaking sins and the world is not The Gospel. And if it's not the Gospel, it does not produce the new birth by the Holy Spirit of God.

“The Gospel” according to 1st Corinthians 15:1-4 is that Christ DIED upon the cross for our sins, He was BURIED, and He bodily RESURRECTED three days later for our sins. Praise God! Jesus shed His literal, physical, blood for our sins (1st Peter 1:18-19). If any man receives “the Gospel” [Good News] as payment for his sins, then he is saved eternally. Repent and believe the Gospel (Mark 1:15). The object of repentance is to “believe the Gospel.” That is salvation. Repentance is a change of mind that compels us to believe the Gospel.

Here is the best quote that I've ever found on repentance, by Dr. Harry A. Ironside (1876-1951):

“Which comes first, repentance or faith? In Scripture we read, 'Repent ye, and believe the gospel.' Yet we find true believers exhorted to 'repent, and do the first works.' So intimately are the two related that you cannot have one without the other. The man who believes God repents; the repentant soul puts his trust in the Lord when the Gospel is revealed to him. Theologians may wrangle over this, but the fact is, no man repents until the Holy Spirit produces repentance in his soul through the truth. No man believes the Gospel and rests in it for his own salvation until he has judged himself as a needy sinner before God. And this is repentance.” (Except Ye Repent, p. 16)

Moody Ministries Honor Heretic Dr. John MacArthur

Heretical author, pastor and lecturer Dr. John MacArthur is a regularly featured icon at Moody Founder's Week. MacArthur is a dangerous corrupt Bible teacher who denies the efficacy of Christ's literal blood sacrifice. He claims to love the blood of Jesus, but then double-talks and says that the blood is only representative of Jesus' death. That is a lie of the Devil. Blood means blood, not death. The Lord was looking for the blood when He passed over Egypt during the Passover to kill the firstborn. The blood had to be APPLIED to the doorposts.

The dead lamb wasn't enough to protect the firstborn, and without the literal blood of Jesus no one will get to Heaven. 1st Peter 1:18-19, “Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.”

MacArthur also teaches a Calvinist view of works salvation. MacArthur is admittedly a 5-point Calvinist, teaching the unbiblical doctrines of Limited Atonement, Predestination to salvation, and the Perseverance Of The Saints. I believe in the preservation of the saints, amen; not the perseverance of the saints! God keeps us saved, not ourselves! The Bible teaches that we are SEALED with the Spirit of PROMISE (Ephesians 1:13). Eternal life is a PROMISE (Titus 1:2). Amen!!!

It is sad that MBI students are being led into doctrinal apostasy, led to idolize a Bible-corrupter like John MacArthur, who tramples the blood of Jesus underfoot as an unholy (Greek: common) thing (Hebrews 10:29). Jesus' literal blood is precious as 1st Peter 1:19 says; not a common thing to be diminished and ignored as MacArthur teaches by saying it only means death (which in effect totally negates the worth of the blood of Jesus).

Get out of Moody if you're there. Follow the OLD PATHS. Jeremiah 6:16, “Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein.” Get back to the old trustworthy and inspired King James Bible! Get back to the old ways of modesty and morality! Get back to the old paths of door-to-door soulwinning (Acts 20:20) instead of lifestyle evangelism! Get back to walking with God, getting angry over wickedness and contending for the Christian faith! America needs VOICES, not deadbeat ministers. The great need of the hour is preaching preachers!

I love people and have no ill-intent in authoring and publishing this article. I am simply contending for the faith and defending the Gospel. I love the Lord and His Word. As believers we ought to be loyal to truth and not to men, institutions nor organizations. Never go along to get along! The “Gospel” according to 1st Corinthians 15:1-4 is simply that Christ DIED on the cross for our sins, was BURIED, and bodily RESURRECTED after three days. If you receive the Gospel as full-payment for your sins, then you are saved immediately, irrevocably and eternally. Salvation is that simple.
 

Moody Church Not Completely Upfront About Beliefs

I do agree with the beliefs page for Moody Church concerning salvation; however, Moody Church also recognizes Dr. John MacArthur as an icon in their church, college and community. John MacArthur teaches a false gospel of Lordship Salvation. The Moody Church claims in a vague official doctrinal statement to believe the fundamentals of the Bible, but then in practice (clearly evidenced by their college's website as shown on this webpage) teaches something quite different. They're changing from their root beliefs established a century ago and trying to reconcile the two, but it's not possible. If you care about the integrity of the Gospel, then it should be a big issue to you if you love the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Gospel is simply that Jesus died on the cross for our sins, He was buried and He bodily resurrected from the dead three days later (1st Corinthians 15:1-4). When you subtract or add anything, you have corrupted the Gospel. John MacArthur requires people to receive Jesus as “Lord” to be saved, requiring them to live a surrendered life to God, to forsake sinful bad habits, and to persevere as Calvinists errantly teach. Dr MacArthur is an admitted 5-point Calvinist. Mormons and MacArthur agree on the false meaning of repentance (unbelievable!). Why does Moody Church tolerate such a heretic and honor him? MacArthur is a liberal, trodding underfoot the blood of Jesus Christ as an unholy (common) thing.

On the Moody Church website their is a women's section titled, “Sisters In Christ.” They use John MacArthur's Bible commentary for their lessons. It's called “The MacArthur New Testament Commentary on John” by John MacArthur, published by Moody Publishers, 2006. Published by Moody Publishers? Oh my! John MacArthur is a wolf in sheep's clothing, trampling upon the precious blood of Jesus Christ. MacArthur's words condemn himself.

Moody ministries has some great radio programming around the country, and I endorse much of their ministry, but like the buttons on a shirt, if you are wrong on repentance and salvation then you'll be wrong on everything else too. I'm glad that Moody ministries still correctly teaches a Pretribulation Rapture. I didn't write this article to attack Moody ministries; but rather, because someone has got to be on the frontlines exposing the Devil's lies that are creeping into our churches. The heresies of a young earth, Lordship salvation, baptismal regeneration, sacramental salvation, ecumenism, a post-tribulation Rapture, Zionism and the lie that we don't have a perfect Bible today are epidemic in our churches. Someone's got to take a stand for God!

Now that Moody ministries has endorsed Dr. John MacArthur, there's no turning back. MacArthur's false gospel is straight out of Hell. It is Another gospel. Oh that Moody ministries would get back to the sound Biblical doctrine of Pastor Harry Ironside who pastored the once great Moody Memorial Church from 1930-1948.

I Never Knew You
(The Horror Of The Great White Throne Judgment And How You Can Avoid it)

What Is The Gospel?
(Pastor Harry A. Ironside)