Good Works Get Sinners Justified

Not only do good works get Christ glorified; but good works also get sinners justified. Before beginning this discussion, please take note of two attributes of those who are working for their salvation. First, notice their selfishness. Those who believe in a works-based salvation are working overtime, fighting the flesh, fighting the world, fighting the devil, trying to go to church enough, trying to hear enough preaching, trying to pray enough, trying to fast enough...all so THEY can be saved. Everything they do is done because they are "striving to make heaven their home." Consequenly, the second attribute of those who work for their salvation is their lack of soul-winning. Think about it. If you do everything you do just so you can "barely make it in," you have very little to give anyone else. It is no wonder to me that Holiness churches are among the smallest churches. We spend so much money on youth camps, campmeetings, conferences, and so forth...all to keep our people saved. When you are working for your salvation, you have little or no assurance of your own salvation. This smothers you until you literally have nothing to offer the lost generation of our day.

Those who believe in the doctrine I refer to as once saved, always saved also tend to run into some trouble. Often, they present salvation as "fire insurance." They often ask someone, "Do you know for sure you are going to heaven when you die?" When the person says, "No," the one asking the question then offers salvation as a means of "knowing for sure they are going to heaven." The problem with this is simple. Once a person gets saved, only so they can go to heaven, they often kick back and relax until they die. They have everything taken care of, so there's no need to do anything. Consequently, many of them do not make good soul-winners either.

Friend, we are not saved just so we can go to heaven. Jesus gives a parable in Matthew 20 that illustrates the point beautifully. He tells about man who has a vineyard, and he needs workers. He goes to the marketplace looking for workers. Several times throughout the day he hires workers to work in the vineyard. At the end of the day, it is time for each labourer to receive his reward. Friend, when you are saved, it is not just so YOU can go to heaven. God forbid that we be that selfish. I am saved so I can work in the field and win others to Jesus Christ. I am not working for God because "I'm striving to make heaven my home;" I work for God that, according to Matthew 5:16, others will see my good works, and glorify my Father which is in heaven. This silly business of "working so we can go to heaven" needs to be thrown into the creek. We need to work while it is day, to reach the lost for Jesus Christ.

The Lord has a way using our good works to convict sinners, and bring them to salvation. In Matthew 5-7, Jesus Christ sowed good seed. He gave the multitudes His word, preached with authority. We call that message from our Lord "the Sermon on the Mount." He spoke this message to the multitudes. Vast numbers of people were ready to hear Him. Why were so many people ready to hear what Jesus had to say to them? The answer, I believe, lies in the 4th chapter of the book of Matthew. At the end of the 4th chapter, Jesus goes through the coasts. He heals their sick. He cures their lunatick. He takes care of their physical needs. He shows them "good works." After He had been good to them, when we come to Matthew chapter 5, they are ready to listen when He speaks to them. Yes, we often give people the Word. We tell them how it is. We cut no corners. But often, they are not ready to hear us. The Holy Ghost has a way of using our good works to break up the fallow ground of one's hard heart, and bring them to salvation. It is hard for a lost man to speak harshly to one who is showing him kindness. I think if those of us who are trying to win souls would show kindness to people before witnessing to them, we would have greater results. It always makes sense to plow the ground before planting. Yes, let's have good works. Not so we can be saved, but that others can come to Jesus Christ.

Good Works Get Christ Glorified

After reading my last several blog posts, one may conclude that I believe in a salvation where one just professes to believe and lives like the devil. That is most certainly not what I believe, and no statement could be further from the truth. I believe that good works play a major role in the life of the Christian - just not in the plan of salvation. Good works, as best as I can see them, serve three purposes in the life of a Christian. We do not possess good works to be saved or stay saved. Rather, we work as Christians to get Christ glorified, to get sinners justified, and to get the church edified.

Christ Glorified
Good works in the life of a Christian glorify Christ. To illustrate, allow me to show what happens when a person is saved. When a person believes on the Lord Jesus Christ, the spirit of Christ moves into the heart, or inner man, of that individual. Note the following scriptures:

Romans 8:9 - "...Now if any man have not the spirit of Christ, he is none of his."

Galatians 2:20 - "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me."

Ephesians 3:16, 17 - "That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith..."

Colossians 1:27 - "To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory."

So, as you can see, when a person is born again by the Spirit of God; saved by the grace of God, the spirit of Jesus moves into the heart of that individual. You will notice Galatians 2:20 quoted above - "the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God..." I believe in salvation by grace THROUGH FAITH. Those who believe in unconditional eternal security also believe in salvation by grace THROUGH FAITH. The fork in the road lies in the word, "faith." To the man who believes in once saved, always saved, faith is a one-time expression. You just express faith one time when you ask the Lord to save you, and that's it. As far as they are concerned, you can discard your faith. However, Paul says here, that the same faith that saved him is the same faith that he LIVES BY. "The life which I now live... I LIVE BY THE FAITH of the Son of God..." Three times the scriptures declare, "The just shall LIVE BY faith." I believe that the same faith that gets you saved will keep you saved. It is possible, according to I Timothy 4, to depart from the faith. However, as long as you are in the faith, the faith will keep you. Please understand, I am not talking about "living by works;" I am talking about "living by faith." I am talking about continuing to trust the Lord for your salvation. If you start trusting in anything else for your salvation (even good works, as the Galatians did), you are fallen from grace.

So, when you place your faith in Christ, the spirit of Christ moves into your heart. Going back to Galatians 2:20, as you live by the faith of the Son of God, you can with Paul - "Christ liveth in me." NOTE THIS - As long as my faith is in Christ, CHRIST WILL DO THE LIVING IN MY HEART. Here's the question: If Christ is doing the living in my heart, what kind of works will be present in my life? When I was a student at Free Gospel Bible Institute, students argued and debated over whether or not Jesus could've sinned while He was in the flesh. It is not really important as to whether He could have sinned or not; the two important things are these: 1) He didn't; and 2) He still doesn't! Friend, Christ never has sinned, and Christ never will sin. When you get saved, you let Jesus in your heart. As Jesus lives in your heart, He WILL NOT SIN. This is why I preach that there is power in the gospel - power to overcome sin. You do not have to be bound by it; it does not have to enslave you. Just let Jesus do the living, and every work that He will do will be good works.

If you let Jesus do the living, good works will only be the natural result of salvation. You won't have to force good works to come out of you; they just will! When you plant an apple tree, you don't have to force it to bring forth apples. Just get it rooted good and deep, water it, and apples will grow. The Bible says we are rooted in Christ. Brother and sister, if we are in Christ, good fruit will just grow as we water it with the Word!

If we will just let Christ do the living in our hearts, He will live a holy life. If we have Christ in the root, we'll have Christ in the fruit. It will be automatic. And, since Christ will be the One doing the living in us, it will be Him and only Him, who will receive the GLORY. I want Jesus to bring forth good works in my life, so that He alone will be glorified.

What About Repentance?

Having written several blog posts concerning salvation, this is likely my last one for a while, since I have other subjects I would like to cover. I would like to say "thank you" to all of you who have e-mailed me regarding my blog. I have received numerous e-mails, some positive, some negative, but I appreciate all of them. Some have been written by those who say they read my blog regularly, and I appreciate that. I will try to keep it up-to-date, writing on a regular basis.

The recent blog posts I have written concerning salvation illustrate, clearly I hope, the simplicity of the gospel of Jesus Christ. I have stated that there is really only ONE thing for a lost person to do to be saved, and that one thing is BELIEVE. Now, in my last blog post, I examined the tenth chapter of the book of Romans, where Paul tells us to "confess with the mouth," and "believe with the heart." He goes on to say, "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." So, yes, it is important to call upon Him to be saved. HOWEVER, any praying you do MUST hinge on believing. Believing is the center of all of it. If you do not believe, you can pray all day long and still be lost. If you believe with all your heart, "confessing with the mouth" won't take all day. It all hinges upon believing. John 3:18 says it this way - "He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." It is believing, or putting your trust in, Jesus Christ that frees you from condemnation. Works can't do it; standards can't do it; the law can't do it; only believing can do it.

There are some who claim that believing is not enough for salvation. "You've got to repent," they say. So, what about repentance? First, Jesus said twice in Luke 13 - "Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish." I have heard many preachers preach repentance as a works-based salvation, and it is preached wrong when it is preached that way.

Let me say first, that repentance is necessary for salvation. You may say, "Wait a minute! I thought believing and confessing was all that was necessary!" I ask the reader, "Just stay with me."

Webster defines "repentance" this way - "A change of mind." Many Holiness preachers who preach repentance speak of repentance as being "a change," but not "a change of mind." I've heard preachers speak of repentance, and say, "There's got to be a change." What change are they talking about? Usually, they are preaching that a person must change their ways to be saved. This is how many of these preachers preach a works-based salvation. When the Bible speaks of repentance, He is not referring to changing one's ways. If you preach repentance as changing one's ways, let me ask you a question. How many ways must a person change before they are saved? What if I told you that a person came to the altar last Sunday, and, as a result, quit smoking instantly? Did they get saved? What if I told you that the same person, even though they quit smoking, still cusses here and there? Did they change enough to be saved? How much changing does one have to do? I know this much for a fact - a person may quit smoking, quit drinking, quit chewing tobacco, quit doing drugs, quit dressing immodestly, quit looking at sinful images on the Internet, start going to church, start paying their tithes, start praying regularly, start reading their Bible regularly...and still be lost! Quitting bad things and starting good things is not the repentance of the Bible! Do you see how, when preachers preach repentance, easy it becomes to preach a works-based salvation?

Repentance is not a "change of works," or "change of ways;" it is a "change of mind." I stated in my previous blog post that, in Romans, Paul said we must "confess with the mouth the Lord Jesus," the key word there being "Lord." This is repentance. To be saved, one must change their mind about Jesus. Rather than any previous thoughts you had about Jesus, when you "repent," your thoughts about Him change, and you make Him LORD of your life. If you do not confess Jesus as Lord, you can quit anything you want; you still have not repented unto salvation.

Let's look at another passage regarding repentance. 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 of dead works..."

Paul, in this passage, is speaking to the Hebrews about "going on to perfection." He describes repentance as being "repentance from dead works." Paul is not speaking here of repenting from bad works necessarily, but dead works. "Dead works" is referring specifically to "works that cannot give life." Good works are "dead works," if I trust in them to give life! In Philippians 3, Paul described his condition before He got converted - "Circumcised the eighth day, a Pharisee, and even BLAMELESS concerning the law!" Wow! You talk about good works, Paul had them! But what did Paul do? In verse 7, Paul said, "But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ." Those "blameless" works could not give Paul life. He had good works, and was lost as he could be. So, what did he do? He REPENTED of his dead works! He quit trusting in his good works, and trusted Christ to save him! That's the repentance that is necessary for salvation.

Jesus told about two men who went to the temple to pray. One was a religious man, a Pharisee; the other a wicked publican. Luke 18:11, 12 says this - "The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess." Now, this man had good works of which he could boast.

The publican, however, prayed differently. Verse 13 says, "And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner." Jesus said in the following verse, "I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other." The Pharisee's works were DEAD WORKS - they could not justify. That Pharisee would have been better off had he repented of his dead, good works, and trusted, as the publican did, the mercy of God for his salvation.

"Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish." This is not a works-based repentance. It is, rather, a changing of your mind about Christ. It is a repentance that hinges on believing. "Believing" is what brings salvation. The repentance that lost people need to do is this: Quit running from the Lord, and run to Him. Quit doubting Him, and start believing Him. The change that needs to take place is from unbelief to belief. If you will make Jesus Christ Lord of your life today, that is Biblical repentance. "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved!"

The Third Myth Concerning Salvation

Those have been born again are saved by the grace of God, through faith. Simply put, we place our faith in Christ, and He does the saving.

Every Christian needs to answer the following question clearly: "How does a saved person become lost?" It is in the attempt to answer this question where many Christians stray. This is the point where many begin to believe and preach a works-based salvation. Most Christians will readily tell you that they do not believe in a works-based salvation. Then, they will make a statement similar to this: "Jesus Christ will save you, but if you're going to stay saved, you have to...do this...do that...etc...etc..." WHOA!! Wait a minute. Let me ask a simple question. If works can't get you saved, how can works keep you saved? This is the third myth concerning salvation - that we are saved by grace and kept by works. It is not right.

I heard a man preach on CD nearly two years ago. During the entire message, he made it sound like salvation was so hard, and he wasn't sure if even he himself was keeping all the commandments necessary to be saved. Finally, at the end of his message, he made the following statement (I am quoting, not paraphrasing) - "Folks, I really don't know what it takes to go to heaven." As I was listening to the CD in my car, I said out loud - "Sir, you need to sit down and let someone up there who does know!" Now before you criticize this man, he is not the only preacher who does not know what it takes to go to heaven. How did this man come to this conclusion? He had made salvation so difficult, with so many rules, that he lost track of them all. This man is of the mindset that if we do one thing wrong, we become lost. As a result, this man didn't even know if he was walking the line close enough himself.

Some boast that they do not believe in once saved, always saved, but they'll turn right around and believe in one sin, lost again. Consequently, they believe in this mess of people being saved fifteen or twenty times. God the Father does not  cut off one of His children just because they sin. According to Hebrews 12, He chastises them. He deals with them. Many of you fathers won't throw your children out of the house the first time they break the rules, but many Christians think our heavenly Father does so.

Friend, we are not saved by works; neither are we kept by works. The Galatian church was a church that was "fallen from grace." They fell from grace, not because they went back to committing evil works; but they rather went back to trusting in GOOD WORKS! In Galatians 2, Paul makes clear that "by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified." In Galatians 3, Paul asked the backslidden church, "Are ye so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?" He was asking them, "You mean to tell me that you started this race trusting the Spirit, and now you're going to rely on your works???" Listen to me closely. Let me answer the question I asked earlier - "How does a saved person become lost?" The same thing that got you saved will keep you saved. Friend, if you are not trusting Christ for your salvation, you are lost. When your faith is placed in anything other than the work of Christ, you are lost. Ephesians 2:8 says plainly that we are saved by grace, THROUGH FAITH (not works). I Peter 1:5 states just as plainly that we KEPT by the power of God THROUGH FAITH (not works). It is the act of placing our faith in the work of Christ that saves us; it is the act of placing our faith in Christ that keeps us. I am not kept saved by praying so much per day. I am not kept saved by dressing a certain way, or wearing my hair a certain way. Many Christians have made these standards their salvation. I believe whole-heartedly in living by the Bible. But living by the Bible doesn't save or keep me - the blood of Jesus and the power of God saves and keeps me.

It's very simple - we are saved by faith in Christ; and we are kept saved by faith in Christ. If my faith is in Christ, I belong to the Father. The devil can't haul my soul to hell. Man can't pluck me out of the Father's hand. I am kept, not by my works, but by the power of God. And friend, God's got power! I'll lose no sleep tonight worrying over my salvation. I am hid with Christ in God!

The Second Myth Concerning Salvation

I've heard it over and over in Pentecostal, Holiness churches - "I prayed for months and months. Finally, after several months of crying and praying, I got saved." I don't mean to minimize anyone's salvation experience. Nor do I wish to impose my experience on everyone. You do not have to get saved the same way I did, as far as the details of your experience. However, let me say it this way: If it took you two weeks of praying to get saved, it did not take the Lord two weeks to save you. He did it instantly! The split second you believed on Jesus Christ was the split second you were born again.

There is a great myth in Holiness churches today, and it has been around for years. As a matter of fact, since I am calling this belief a "myth" someone may accuse me of not being a genuine Holiness man. However, I choose to believe the Bible over anyone's myth. This well-known myth is the belief that one must "pray through" in order to be saved. By "praying through," I mean "praying until you 'feel' saved." Not one place in the Bible does it say that you must pray for a long period of time to be saved. Not one scripture indicates that you must shed tears to be saved. Yet, in many Holiness churches, when a lost person comes to the altar to be saved, we just gather around them, and encourage them to pray for a long time, giving little or no guidance concerning how to be saved! I'm amazed at how many people come to our churches to pray to be saved, and, rather than declaring to them how it is done, we just stand around and let the spiritually blind grope their way to "feeling better."

As I begin, let me say that salvation is simple. Many Holiness people can't stand that statement. They have a list a mile long of rules to keep, standards to obey, and these lists define their salvation. If you really think salvation is difficult, you need to get on your knees, open your Bible to John 19, and read the story of Christ's crucifixion again, because you missed something in it. If the Lord wanted to make salvation hard, don't you think He would have just left us under the law? Friend, Jesus Christ performed the work necessary for salvation, taking the hard part out of it. Jesus did the hard part! Jesus subjected Himself to living in the flesh after leaving the splendor of heaven. He gave His back to the smiters; He gave His cheeks to them that would pluck out the hair; He gave head to the thorns and His hands and feet to the nails. When He was on the cross, His blood flowing out of Him, He cried, "It is finished!" Friend, I believe it's finished. There is not one thing for me to add to this great plan of salvation! All we must to believe, or trust, the work of Christ for our salvation. One day I asked the Lord to save me, and believed Him to do it - and that's exactly what He did. A friend of mine made this statement, and he is exactly right - "I can almost preach that what Christ did on the cross SAVED the entire world. There's not one thing to do; the whole world is saved." Now I know we must believe what Christ did and trust in Him to save us. I'm not taking away from that. But I can sure preach that Christ saved the whole world when He died on the cross before I can preach that we have to add a bunch of things to it. Friend, Christ finished it! Thank God for the simplicity of the gospel!

The myth that one must "pray through" before they are saved is a prominent one in Holiness churches. Some churches make you feel like if you didn't leave a puddle of tears and a puddle of snot at the altar, you didn't get saved. When I first started preaching, I thought that's the way it was. If people didn't spend a good deal of time praying, I didn't think they got saved. Then, I noticed something. I noticed that some who prayed for a long period of time, crying, weeping, and wailing, NEVER CAME BACK TO CHURCH. I noticed others who came to the altar, prayed for a short time, and showed little or no emotion, are going to church to this day and are strong Christians!

In many instances, those who pray for a long period of time to be saved are some of the most unstable people in our churches. I am not picking on them, but look at our youth. Some of them go to the altar at youth camps, spend hours each night there, and give them two weeks and they're out of church. Then, the next year, at youth camp, they "get saved again." This is a repeated process. Those whose salvation is based on how much they prayed and how good they felt when they got up from an altar have an emotion-based salvation. Their salvation is built on it. If you ask them, "How do you know you're saved?" many of them will tell you, "Because I felt this way or that way." Sure, they "prayed through" to a certain feeling. But what happens when the feeling departs (and it will)? They drop out. They're gone. Feelings are wonderful, but they do not provide my assurance of salvation. I KNOW I am saved because of what GOD SAID, and NOT because I "prayed through" until I felt better. Please understand, if it took you a good deal of time to be saved, I am not negating your experience. If you are saved, then thank God for it. But you're salvation better be built on what God said, and not how you feel. If you would have asked me the day after I got saved, "How do you know you're saved?" I would not have said one word about how I felt. I would have said something like this: "God said that if I would ask Him to save me, He would. I asked, and He did." My salvation hinged on what God said. That never changes. Feelings change. God's Word doesn't.

Romans 10, the great salvation chapter, states that ALL a person must do to be saved is confess with the mouth and believe with the heart. When you confess Christ as Lord, and believe (or put your trust in) the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ for your salvation - you are saved. There is not one thing said about "feeling a certain way." There is no indication that you must pray a certain length of time. It says nothing of tears. There is no concept of "praying through" regarding our salvation visible in Romans 10. I have more than 26 verses in the New Testament that state clearly that ALL you have to do to have eternal life is believe. He is not speaking of merely believing in God's existence; the devils do that. It is not just saying, "I believe that Jesus died on the cross." The devil knows that. "Believing" means "putting your faith in what Jesus did. It means you are not trusting your works, your good deeds, your religion, your background, or anything else to save you. You are completely trusting Jesus Christ to save you, and you ask Him to do so based on this truth. Consequently, because you ask, believing Him to save you, HE DOES! It's that simple.

For all these people who believe you must "pray through" in order to be saved, I have a question for them. EVERY TIME in the New Testament, when someone received salvation and their prayer was recorded for us to read, their prayer was EXTREMELY SHORT. Why is this? When Saul of Tarsus changed directions on Damascus Road and began following the Christ He saw, his prayer went this way - "Lord, what would you have me to do." When the publican prayed, he simply smote his breast, saying, "God be merciful to me a sinner," and went home justified. The thief on the cross said simply, "Remember me when Thou comest into Thy kingdom." As for the eunuch in Acts 8, there's no record of any prayer whatsoever and the Bible doesn't even tell us that he did pray. The eunuch simply told Philip, "I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God." Philip then baptized him. Now, I'm not saying that praying is not important in your salvation. I am saying that your praying better hinge on your "believing" of Christ, or all the praying you do will be in vain.

Two things to do to be saved - Confess with the mouth and believe in the heart. I promise you this - If you believe with all your heart that God will do exactly what He said, it will not take you hours, days, weeks, or months to get it confessed. The moment you believe, you will be saved.

I am not throwing away the idea of "praying through." This concept is a good one for believers. Believers need to get back to praying through. We need to get in our prayer closet, close the door, shut everything else out and pray until answers come. We need to quit worrying about time and just worry about touching the Father. I believe strongly in this kind of "praying through." But as for salvation, just ask the Lord to save you, believing that He will, and you are saved. A lot of our weeping and begging God to save is unnecessary. He is more ready to save than man is to be saved!

The First Myth Concerning Salvation - Part 2

As stated in my previous blog post, there are those who believe in the possibility of someone praying to be saved (while yet in this life) only to be turned away by Jesus Christ. I began with the most popular verse they use and showed how they use that verse out of context.

Now, I will point out a few other verses that this crowd uses. I will show how ALL of these verses are taken out of context, and will show the true meaning of these verses.

Proverbs 1:24-28

"Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out mine hand and no man regarded; But ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof: I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh; When your fear cometh as a desolation, and your desolation cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you. Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; They shall seek me early, but they shall not find me:"

This passage is preached often and sinners are told that if they do not come to God right now, they may try to come later, but will be rejected. Advocates of this belief use verse 28 especially - "Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer." This passage is ALWAYS taken out of context when it is used in this manner.

This passage IS NOT DEALING WITH SALVATION. To use it this way is to take the verses out of context. In this passage, God Almighty is not even the one speaking. If you will just back up a few verses and read verse 20 - "Wisdom crieth without; she uttereth her voice in the streets..." Then the following verses tell what Wisdom is saying. Wisdom, in this passage, is personified. She is telling all who will listen that they need to receive wisdom now, BEFORE calamity comes. She says, "If you seek wisdom after your life is in shambles, wisdom will do you no good." The purpose of wisdom is to keep calamity from coming. This passage is about receiving wisdom, not about receiving salvation. Simply reading the entire passage clears this up.

Hosea 4:17

"Ephraim is joined to idols: let him alone."

This verse is used to indicate that there may be a time when God quits dealing with an individual to be saved. First, in reply to this, I made it clear in my previous blog post that I do believe in a possibility of God ceasing to deal with an individual. If this happens, however, you should note that this is a rare experience. Jesus did not come to tell people they couldn't be saved; He came to open a fountain for sin and uncleanness and declare the glad tidings that WHOSOEVER WILL could be saved. It is equally important to note that, if the Lord ceases to deal with an individual, that person will have NO DESIRE to make things right with God. The desire to be saved is evidence of God's dealings. I cover this more extensively in my previous blog post.

Hosea 4:17, however, IS NOT DEALING WITH INDIVIDUAL SALVATION. This verse is another that is often taken out of context. Ephraim is not an individual, but a group of people. God had dealt with them, sent prophets to deal with them, and gave Ephraim many opportunities to return to the Lord. Now, judgment had come, and it was too late for Ephraim to pray. This is proven in Hosea 5:11 - "Ephraim is oppressed and broken in JUDGMENT..." Judgment had come! I stated clearly in my previous post that there are three places where man will pray to be saved, but it will be too late - in hell, at the coming of the Lord, and at the judgment. Friend, when judgment comes, it will certainly be too late to pray. For Ephraim, judgment had come. Chapters 4 and 5 of Hosea do not deal with individual salvation, but rather with a tribe of people who were facing God's judgment, and for them to be saved, it was too late. The correct way to preach Hosea 4:17 is in this manner: "If you wait until judgment to make peace with God, you'll be left alone." Thank God we are not at the judgment yet. If you do not know Jesus, and are not in hell or at the Great Judgment, then this verse does not yet apply to you! You can be saved today! However, if you wait until judgment, this verse will apply to you - you will be left alone.

Genesis 6:3

"And the Lord said, My spirit shall not always strive with man..."

This verse is more popular among those who believe the faulty teaching which I discuss. They state how "God won't always strive, or deal, with man." They conclude that if you try to pray after God quits striving, then you will be rejected.

This verse does not deal with individual salvation, but rather with God's dealings with mankind as a whole.

This chapter introduces Noah. God tells Noah that He will destroy the earth with a flood. He is tired of man's wickedness. He tells Noah, "My spirit shall not always strive with man." This is because God had plans to destroy mankind. He was through dealing with mankind as a whole. The Lord dealt with man just a little longer, giving mankind an opportunity to enter the ark to be saved. But after it started raining, God's dealings with mankind as a whole was finished, and the whole earth was destroyed. Then, God began dealing with mankind afresh, with those who were on the ark. Jesus Christ compared His coming to the day when Noah entered the ark. Jesus Christ, the King of kings, is coming to destroy the wicked. Only those who are in the ark, which is Jesus Christ, will be saved. When the hour of His coming arrives, His striving with man will be over. You must get in the door of the ark while it is open. It is open for all who will enter! But one day, the door will close on all of mankind. God's spirit will cease to deal with man at that point.

Hebrews 12:16, 17

"Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright. For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears."

This passage, like the others, is taken out of context when it is used to say that a person can seek the Lord, only to be rejected. In this passage, we have Esau, a wicked man. He lived his life as a fornicator. Then, it came time for him and his brother Jacob to stand before their father to receive their inheritance. Esau received no inheritance, no blessing. He was rejected. He began to weep and cry to his father to bless him, but no blessing came. Even when he begged and cried, he was rejected. Some preachers take this passage, and preach that it is possible to beg and plead to be saved IN THIS LIFE and be rejected by Christ. THAT IS ABSOLUTELY WRONG.

In this passage, the most important detail to note is the setting. When was Esau rejected? Our passage says, "when he would have inherited the blessing." Esau was standing before his father, and was rejected. Of course, he tried to repent then, but it was too late. What the Hebrew writer is telling us is this: If you wait until you are standing before the Father, at the time when rewards will be given (the Day of Judgment) it will be too late to repent. If you wait until then, you will be rejected. THIS PASSAGE IS NOT REFERRING TO PEOPLE BEING SAVED PRIOR TO STANDING BEFORE GOD. It deals with people trying to repent as they are standing in judgment, and there it will be too late, even if they seek repentance with bitter tears.

CONCLUSION

Clearly, "today is the day of salvation, and now is the accepted time." It will be too late when judgment comes. The good news is this: you still have breath in your body. The Lord has not yet come. We are not yet standing before God. You are not yet in hell. The door is still open to you! But when your eyes close in death; or, when Christ comes to gather His elect and destroy the wicked; it will be everlasting too late. Repent of your sins today. Confess Jesus Christ as Lord. Ask Him to save you, believing that He will do so, and you will be saved today.

The First Myth Concerning Salvation

Imagine this: You are sitting in a church while a Pentecostal, Holiness preacher is preaching. He tells the following story:

"Years ago, I preached a three-week revival in North Dakota. There was a man there who came to the last service. The Spirit of God was there in a mighty way. The man heard a clear presentation of the gospel. I made it clear that the Lord was dealing with him, and he needed to pray while the Lord was dealing with him. However, the man walked out of that service lost.

"After the revival had concluded, I preached the following week in South Dakota. The same man showed up. After service, he came to me and said he wanted to talk to me. We talked. He said that since he left the revival the previous week, he did not feel the Lord dealing with him and was afraid that he couldn't be saved. I said, 'Son, let's go to the altar right now and pray, and see if the Lord will save you.' We prayed at the altar for two solid hours. The man wept like a baby, begging God to save him. After the man quit praying, he looked at me and said, 'I'm still lost!' This man waited too long, and since the Lord is no longer dealing with him, he cannot be saved. He is doomed to be lost forever."

Now, dear reader, what is wrong with that story? The problem with that story is simple. There is little about that story that is Biblical. Now, please understand, I am not referring to any particular story that I have heard. I am not referring to any particular preacher. I am singling no one out. I have heard stories exactly like this one on several occasions. It is a story where someone tries to pray, but God refuses to save them because they waited too long.

People who tell these stories and believe in the possibility of God rejecting pleading sinners have used a few scriptures to support their belief. Let me point out these scriptures, then rightly divide them.

Advocates of this belief first go to John 6:44, where Jesus states, "No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day." This is the most popular verse among this crowd. They interpret this verse to say that if you don't feel a certain way, you can't be saved. If you are not trembling under conviction, then God is not dealing with you. Consequently, if God is not dealing with you, you can't be saved.

But let's look at it closer. Let me say first that there will come a time when people will pray to be saved, but they will be rejected. People will pray in hell, and will not be saved (Luke 16:19-31). People will try to escape the wrath of God at the coming of the Lord and find no escape (Revelation 6:14-17). People will pray and find no salvation on the Great Day of Judgment (Matthew 7:21-23). However, in this blog post, I am discussing whether people can pray only to be rejected IN THIS LIFE.

Notice what Jesus said. He said, "No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him." Let's look at this word "draw." Look at what Jesus said in John 12:32, 33 - "And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, I will draw all men unto me. This he said, signifying what death he should die." Here, Jesus very clearly connects the "drawing" to His death on the cross. Friend, when Jesus died on the cross, at that point, with hands outstretched, He drew, and continues to draw, the entire world to salvation. Because of the blood of Christ that washes our sins away, the Father says in Isaiah 1:18, "Come now, let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool." Because of the blood and water that flowed from the cross, the Son says in John 7:37, "...Jesus stood and cried, saying, if any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink." Because of the cross, Revelation 22:17 states, "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."

Wow! Did you get all that? Jesus said that when He is lifted up on the cross, He will draw ALL MEN unto Him! Because of the cross, the Father draws, saying, "Come." The Son draws, declaring, "Come." The Spirit and the bride are drawing men, saying, "Come." And this great invitation is not to a select few who "feel convicted." It is not limited to those who feel goosebumps. It is not exclusive to those who tremble in fear. It is clearly to WHOSOEVER WILL.

So, you may be wondering if I believe the Lord ever ceases to deal with an individual. It is possible, but it is rare. Jesus did not come to close the door to mankind; He came to open it wide open. The Bible does, however, speak of the reprobate in Romans 1, who the Lord "gave them over" and "gave them up." One thing the Bible does teach is this: If the Lord ceases to deal with an individual, that person will have NO DESIRE to pray and seek God. Notice Romans 3:11 - "...there is none that seeketh after God." This means that no one seeks the Lord on their own. In the story I mentioned at the beginning of this blog post, there was a man who wanted to pray, and had a desire to get right, but somehow felt that the Lord was not dealing with him, and therefore concluded he could not be saved. THIS IS ABSOLUTE FALSE DOCTRINE. The desire to pray in itself is evidence of the Lord drawing an individual. "There is NONE that seeketh after God." You did not seek the Lord on your own. If you are taking steps to God, praying, asking the Lord to save you, then the Lord most certainly is drawing you to be saved.

So, you may now wonder if I believe in any possibility of someone trying to pray, but being rejected. My answer: NEVER IN THIS LIFE. Of course, I do understand that the praying person must believe with all their heart. But, my point is that if a person prays, believing and trusting the Lord to save them, He absolutely will save them.

Note this. In the same chapter where Jesus stated that a person must be drawn of the Father, He made another statement that is often overlooked. For those of you who believe that a person can pray and beg God to save them, and the Lord will turn them away, you need to put this other verse in your doctrine, because it is not there. John 6:37 - "All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I WILL IN NO WISE CAST OUT." This means that if a person prays, believing with all their heart, Jesus Christ will UNDER ABSOLUTELY NO CIRCUMSTANCE cast them away. You say, "What if God has ceased to draw them?" The very fact that the person is praying, asking God to save them is proof that He is dealing with them.