Two Roads to Hell Named “Gospel”
It happened again on Facebook. A twenty- something professing Christian posting casual information about cohabitation with a boyfriend/girlfriend. What struck me about it was the following: as in other cases that I have seen and heard about, the shameless normality in which the information is shared.
Why is this the norm of our day? Answer: the gospel. The gospel means “good news,” and since the Fifties there has been two primary gospels preached in America and both are great news to most people. The first gospel (from the 50’s to the 90’s) emphasized the importance of believing that Christ died for our sins, and if you believed that, you were going to heaven. Obeying the ten commandments was a nice thing to do for Jesus, but optional. Even if you later denied Christ and the gospel, you were still saved, and keeping the law was optional. After all, we aren’t saved by the law, so how important could it be? Just in case you think that’s a generalization, consider these quotes from the book, “Eternal Security” written by evangelical superstar Charles Stanley:
PAGE 6 “As long as I have an ongoing role in the salvation process, my natural tendency will be to focus on my behavior rather than on Christ.”
PAGE 7 “People who are constantly examining their spiritual condition tend to fall into the trap of legalism.”
PAGE 200 “But isn’t it true that people who believe they must maintain some kind of good works in order to stay saved are trusting in themselves for their eternal security?”
PAGE 195 “Placing the responsibility for maintaining salvation on the believer is adding works to grace. Salvation would no longer be a gift. It would be a trade – our faithfulness for His faithfulness.”
PAGE 7 “Show me a believer who is caught up in trying to maintain God’s acceptance through good works, and I will show you a fragile saint. My experience has been that these are the people who on the surface appear to be completely sold out to personal holiness and purity but who suddenly disappear. It is not unusual for these well-meaning types to end up in a lifestyle completely opposite of what they once stood for.”
PAGE 93 “Even if a believer for all practical purposes becomes an unbeliever, his salvation is not in jeopardy.”
PAGE 72 “The Bible clearly teaches that God’s love for His people is of such magnitude that even those who walk away from the faith have not the slightest chance of slipping from His hand.”
PAGE 93 “Christ will not deny an unbelieving Christian his or her salvation because to do so would be to deny Himself. Why? Faithful or not, every person who has at any time had saving faith is a permanent part of the body of Christ.”
PAGE 104 “In Christ, the requirements of God’s holiness have been completely fulfilled!”
PAGE 63 “According to Jesus, what must a person do to keep from being judged for sin? Must he stop doing something? Must he promise to stop doing something? Must he have never done something? The answer is so simple that many stumble all over it without ever seeing it. All Jesus requires is that the individual “believe in” Him.”
Then more good news came in the latter Nineties. The first gospel didn’t emphasize the law enough, but the second gospel places very strong emphasis on the law. But the news is still good; Jesus obeys the law for us! In fact, it was part of the atonement; His perfect obedience was imputed to our sanctification! Moreover, even the relaxed approach to the law in the first gospel was legalism! So relax, be happy, live in peace with thy girlfriend. As one of the propagators of this second gospel has said,
The irony, of course, is that it’s only when we stop obsessing over our own need to be holy and focus instead on the beauty of Christ’s holiness that we actually become more holy! Not to mention, we start to become a lot easier to live with! Will someone please keep reminding me of this? (Tullian Tchividjian, Accountability Groups: The Tyranny of Do More, Try Harder).
And trust me, everyone is getting the message.
Besides, why bother with keeping the law? After all, as second gospel guru Paul David Tripp has stated in regard to Christians, “When you are dead you can’t do anything” (p. 64, How People Change 2006). Likewise, CJ Mahaney: “We [who is “we”?] are [present tense] enemies of God. We are God ignoring. We are God defying. We hate God” (2009 Resolved Conference).
Hence, compare the following quotes from these second gospel gurus to those of Stanley:
Francis Chan: “To change our hearts, what we value, what we risk, how we act, we don’t need more guilt or more rules, we just need to be in love with God. Because when you’re wildly in love with someone, it changes everything.”
DA Carson: “In this broken world, it is not easy to promote holiness without succumbing to mere moralism; it is not easy to fight worldliness without giving in to a life that is constrained by mere rules.”
John Piper: “So the key to living the Christian life – the key to bearing fruit for God – the key to a Christ-exalting life of love and sacrifice – is to die to the law and be joined not to a list of rules, but to a Person, to the risen Christ. The pathway to love is the path of a personal, Spirit-dependent, all-satisfying relationship with the risen Christ, not the resolve to keep the commandments.”
Tullian Tchividjian: “A taste of wild grace is the best catalyst for real work in our lives: not guilt, not fear, not another list of rules.”
These two gospels are two roads to hell. Why? Because both gospels restrict saving faith / belief to limited knowledge of the true gospel. Both limit saving faith to what Jesus did to make our entry into the kingdom possible, and not its purpose. “Jesus died for our sins, just believe that.” No, there is more. Jesus died for the purpose of setting us apart. The biblical word is “sanctification”:
Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men 10 nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God (1Corinthians 6:9-11).
But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters loved by the Lord, because God chose you as firstfruits to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth (2Thess. 2:13).
In other words, the Spirit’s purpose is to set us apart, and Christ died for our sins to make that possible, resulting in us being declared righteous by the Father. Any gospel that excludes that purpose thereof is a half gospel:
It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality (1Thess.4:3).
The one who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work (1John 3:8).
Therefore, the “new convert” supposes that Jesus only died to save us, and “enters the kingdom” indifferent to one of the primary reasons Christ died for us—to set us apart from the rest of the world unto the Father as a peculiar people. Hence, Facebook. Yea, flaunt thy supposed “festival of freedom.” After all, he only died to save us. Supposedly. For the true Christian beholding the heart of Christ and his purpose of setting us apart unto the Father, and His willingness to leave Heaven and obey the cruel cross—I beg you to tell me—how can being like the world be like business as usual? Furthermore, how can any man claiming to be a bishop of God tell us not to “obsess” over our holiness? It is the very essence of being a saint. It is what we signed up for. According to Mark G. Cambron, D.D. in Bible Doctrines:
Again we emphasis that the words “holiness,” “sanctification,” and “saint” all come from the same word meaning “set apart,” “separation.” The word “sanctify” in Exodus 13:2, and the word ‘holiness” in Psalm 29:2, and the word “saints” of Psalm 34:9 are the same word. The word “sanctify” of John 17:17, and the word “saint” of Philippians 1:1, and the word ‘holiness” of Hebrews 12:10 are all from the same word.
The call of the true gospel is a call to believe in the works of Christ and a commitment to be set apart according to His will. It is a call to embrace Him as Savior and Lord. It is most certainly an obsession with truth and holiness. It recognizes that being born again is to be set apart by the Spirit. Christ went to the cross to see this happen in His children, resulting in the destruction of the devil’s work. How it must grieve the Holy Spirit and Christ when we not only do the world’s bidding, but report it to others in casual fashion.
And because of this, should not the wording of the gospel be of major concern when we present it? How is it that the gurus of the second gospel proudly herald a five word gospel: “Christ died for our sins”? And then even go as far as to say that we live by that as well! How is it that John Piper presents the gospel in “one sentence,” excludes sanctification, and then says, “that’s the gospel”?
It is not the gospel. It is a half gospel. Both of these gospels breed an indifference for one of the primary reasons Christ went to the cross—sanctification. And by the way, the word of God is the standard for what that separation is and the knowledge to obtain it. It is not just law, it is every word that comes from the mouth of God that we live by (Matthew 4:4).
paul
Paul's Passing Thoughts 
I think the writer of Ecclesiastes would say that all of this gospel sanctification talk is so much vanity, so meaningless in the end. What is the whole duty of man? According to the inspired writer of Ecclesiastes at the end of his book, it is to “Fear God and obey his commandments.” This simple truth applies to the regenerate and the unregenerate. This simple truth hasn’t changed and never will, because God Triune hasn’t changed and never will. Just ask the master of the wicked servant. Just ask the Righteous Judge of the sheep and goats. May we all examine ourselves in light of the whole counsel of God’s word and never teach anyone to neglect, minimize or contradict the law of God.
Thank you again, Paul.
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Randy,
No doubt. When I was an unbeliever, I tried to join the young singles group at Prestonwood Baptist Church in Dallas, TX. I was informed by the Deacon who interviewed me that I needed to make a profession of faith in order to join. I refused, telling him I was not willing to give up my present life of sin. He then informed me that I didn’t have to, and in essence, that attaching a willingness to repent to my profession was works salvation. Even as an unbeliever, I knew better. He kept saying, “just say the prayer.” Really, this approach to the the gospel, when carried to its logical conclusion, is absolutely no different than New Calvinism and Mahaney’s five-word gospel and Piper’s one-sentence gospel. When I did become a Christian, I was distraught over the fact that I still sinned. Why? Because I understood intuitively (no doubt by the Spirit) that when one is saved, it’s a spiritual transformation. So where was the transformation? There was much I didn’t understand. And unfortunately, I had to find it myself.
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I am starting to see clearer why James wrote His book and why some did not want it in the canon. Faith without works is dead.
I am seriously at a loss why it is thought of as sin when we seek to live for God, to please Him. Something very evil in that. But it does work to keep people focused on the leader and not God. So, it is acheiving it’s purpose.
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Paul,
Do you understand that the Dr. Cambron you cited is one of the biggest advocates of cheap grace who ever lived. He and his associates blatantly deny the necessity of repentance in the conversion experience.
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Randy,
Citations on that would be appreciated. Also, what is errant about his word exegesis?
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So do we tell inquiring sinners all they need to do is believe in Christ and keep the Ten Commandments? That sounds like a false gospel to me.
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Randy,
We tell them to believe in Christ and love him by “observing all that I have commanded.” You change what Christ said, “observe all that I have commanded,” into, “keep the ten commandments.” Your problem is with what Christ said. You also have a problem with what the apostle said in Acts 17:29-31.
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Paul,
First, I don´t have a problem with anything Jesus said or anything the apostle Paul said or wrote. If your reference is to the command to repent, I have no problem with that at all. True faith is always a penitent faith. In turning to Christ, we turn from our sins. We bring our sins to him that we might be saved from them not merely that we might be forgiven for them. Yet, in coming to him we are acknowledging that we cannot leave our sins unless he saves us from them and makes us willing to do his will.
Second, you are arguing my position that ¨all things, whatever I have command them¨ is different from the 10 commandments. I agree we should love Christ by obeying his commandments. If we don´t obey him, we don´t love him.
My question is, in our initial presentation of the gospel, do we tell people they will be put right with God through trusting in God´s promise to save them for Jesus´ sake plus their obedience to his commands, or do we tell them to come to Jesus just as they are that he might save them from their sins? Will any sinner stand before God and confess that he has been saved through faith in Christ AND his own obedience to Christ? Not one!
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Randy,
You said,
“My question is, in our initial presentation of the gospel, do we tell people they will be put right with God through trusting in God´s promise to save them for Jesus´ sake plus their obedience to his commands, or do we tell them to come to Jesus just as they are that he might save them from their sins? Will any sinner stand before God and confess that he has been saved through faith in Christ AND his own obedience to Christ? Not one!”
1. No, we tell them that justification and sanctification are totally separate. We tell them that they are declared righteous by God based on their belief in Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection. We tell them that there is NOTHING they can do in their kingdom living to change their status and the righteousness of God has been credited to their account in full. Then we tell them that Christ died for their sins because he loves them, but He also suffered in order that they could be set apart to God as a peculiar people. We tell them that their salvation will result in a commitment to kingdom living and God has given them all the resources for that. We tell them that their works for the kingdom will make their faith known to themselves and others. We tell them that they must work out there own salvation with trembling and fear. We tell them that Christ is not only savior, He is also Lord, and he must be accepted as both. Does baptism save us? No. Do we have to be baptized? yes. Why? Because it is the first act of obedience that shows everyone, including themselves, that they mean business for God. And the law isn’t for salvation, it’s the light unto our kingdom path. Yes, the gospel is both the good news of the kingdom and the good news of salvation. Christ and the apostles proclaimed both.
2. Randy, Christians don’t stand in a judgement to determine their righteousness. Their righteousness has already been determined. And we are not “sinners.” We are holy ones (“washed” see 1Cor.6:11 and John 13:9-11. This is why our repentance as Christians is different than repentance that saves us) who sometimes sin because we have not yet been delivered from this body of death.
3. Your question exemplifies the Progressive Adventist/New Calvinism doctrine of Gospel Sanctification. A. We are still totally depraved sinners. B. We stand in a future judgement to determine justification. C. Regeneration/sanctification is missing from your equation.
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In 1962, Dr. A. Ray Stanford and Dr. Cambron started Florida Bible College. From 1962 -1977, Dr. Cambron served as Co-Founder, Vice President, President and President/Emeritus of Florida Bible College. The official position of the school was that repentance and faith are the same thing. Repentance is just a change of mind about Christ. It is just another word for faith. They taught If we call on people to repent, there will be fewer conversions. For that reason, we must not tell them there is a cost to Christianity. If you want to see what they taught, check out one of their cohorts at http://expreacherman.com.
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Randy,
I have Dr. Cambron’s classic work on doctrine, “Bible Doctrines.” Just not seein’ that position at all.
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So, would this be a correct understanding of your position:
Justification: all the merits of Christ’s penal satisfaction in our place, imputed to us through Sovereign grace alone, by faith alone.
Sanctification: the increasing obedience of the believer to all Christ’s commands/laws – the works which we are commanded to do, which in doing thus demonstrate a genuine faith.
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Jack,
No. Sanctification is the setting apart of the believer as a kingdom citizen for the glory of God. It is effected by regeneration/new birth which is missing from your consideration. The kingdom citizen lives by “every word that comes from the mouth of God.” Also known as, “law,” “law and the prophets,” “Sacred writings,” “law, prophets, Psalms,” “Scripture,” “the word,” “doctrine.” Sorry, but I don’t let NCT hacks frame questions according to their doctrinal prisms.
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Jack,
Yes, that would be my position. Both justification and sanctification are effected by the believer’s union with Christ. That union is established by God’s sovereign and effectual call 1 Cor. 1:9. In my view, calling is the Father’s work that is made effective by the washing of regeneration [or the washing that belongs to the regeneration] and the renewing of the Holy Spirit.
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Paul,
One of the first areas of our disagreement is that I believe our justification is based on Christ’s obedience, you believe it is “based on their belief in Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection.” There is a huge difference between saying justification is “based on faith” and saying justification is “through faith.”
So, you tell the unconverted sinner he must “work out his own salvation with fear and trembling?” I can only hope you misunderstood my question. My question was, “So do we tell inquiring sinners all they need to do is believe in Christ and keep the Ten Commandments?” If you tell them to believe in Christ and to work out their own salvation with fear and trembling.” are you not suggesting that their works play a part in their justification? Certainly, you understand that those words were spoken to believers, not to inquiring sinners.
You wrote,
“3. Your question exemplifies the Progressive Adventist/New Calvinism doctrine of Gospel Sanctification. A. We are still totally depraved sinners. B. We stand in a future judgement to determine justification. C. Regeneration/sanctification is missing from your equation.”
I don’t believe any of those things. Why don’t you let me tell you what I believe instead of persisting in trying to tell me what I believe.
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Randy,
THAT’S EXACTLY WHAT YOU BELIEVE. The fusion of justification and sanctification can be seen constantly in your comments. And this is also why you have to get into, “It depends what the meaning of “is” is–with this kind of foolishness: “There is a huge difference between saying justification is “based on faith” and saying justification is “through faith.”
Ok, I have had all I can take of you for another couple of weeks Randy. Yes, that means you are in time out again.
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Paul,
Do you believe in so-called lordship salvation?
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Randy,
Which version? But I will ask this: Is Christ Savior only? Or Savior and Lord? If He is Lord, what does that mean?
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I will say this. I think He is Savior for justification, and Lord for sanctification, and the two are totally separate. Serving Him as Lord in sanctification can in NO way affect our justification by adding, taking away, or maintaining. Now, if one believes the two are fused, that would be a problem.
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