Ray Comfort: Is it Just
a Matter of Semantics?
By David J. Stewart
“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.” –2nd Corinthians 11:3
Someone recently wrote to me, trying to convince me that I and Ray Comfort
believe the same Biblical doctrine concerning salvation, and insisted that
it was merely a matter of “semantics” (i.e., the meaning, or an
interpretation of the meaning, of a word, sign, sentence, et cetera). I
certainly wish that were true. I believe that Ray Comfort is sincere; but
sincerely wrong on salvation. I am writing this article to evidence clearly
that Ray Comfort is errant concerning salvation, and it is NOT merely a
matter of semantics. I don’t enjoy exposing false prophets; but it is a joy
and a privilege to contend for the Christian faith. If one is wrong on
salvation, then they are wrong on everything.
Ray Comfort Says Sinful Believers are Not “Safe” in Jesus
On page 1513 of THE EVIDENCE BIBLE, under the section “Questions & Objections,” Ray Comfort addresses the statement: “Because Jesus died on the cross we are forgiven of every sin.” Here’s Ray Comfort’s reply to this statement…
“The forgiveness that is in Jesus Christ is conditional upon ‘repentance towards God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ’ (Acts 20:21). It is a gift that God offers to everyone, but individuals must receive it by repenting and trusting in Christ, or they will remain dead in their sins. No one has Biblical grounds to continue in sin, assuming that they are safe just because Jesus died on the cross. See 1 John 3:4-6.” [Emphasis added]
SOURCE: THE EVIDENCE BIBLE, by Ray Comfort, pg. 1513; 2003, Bridge-Logos Publishers, Orlando, Florida
Those are some very dangerous words at the end,
“…assuming that they are safe just because Jesus died on the cross.” Are not
all believers “safe” in Jesus Christ? Yes, they certainly are safe (Ephesians
1:13; Isaiah 28:16; Romans 10:11); but Ray Comfort teaches they are not. Ray
Comfort is teaching heresy to say that believers who fail to forsake their
sins are not safe in their salvation. Such reasoning places a heavy burden
upon the sinner, requiring one to depart from sinful bad habits as a
prerequisite to be saved. Ray Comfort's teaching here beckons the question:
How much sin is considered "safe"? Aren't we all willful sinners at times?
Yes indeed. Is any amount of sin "safe"? Clearly, Mr. Comfort interprets "repentance" for
salvation as ceasing from one's sins, which is entirely wrong. Man's only
part in salvation is to believe on Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins
(Acts 10:43).
The major problem with Ray Comfort’s theology is his faulty understanding of
what Biblical “repentance” means. It is interesting that Ray Comfort avoids
defining the term directly; whereas the New Testament Greek does…
METANOIA, “a change of mind.” That’s it! Ray Comfort understands
repentance to mean literally forsaking one’s sinful lifestyle to get saved.
He’s putting the cart before the horse. The changed life comes AFTER a
person is saved; not as a prerequisite to be saved. This is what 1st John
3:4-6 means. A believer’s faith should be evidenced by a changed life; BUT,
you can’t mandate that changed life, i.e., forsaking one’s sins, as part of
saving faith.
Dr. Harry Ironside (former pastor of Moody Memorial Church, 1930-1948) correctly understood repentance to mean…
"Repentance is the recognition of my sinnership — the owning before God that I am as vile as He has declared me to be in His holy Word."
SOURCE: Except Ye Repent, by Dr. Harry Ironside, chapter 3
Clearly, Ironside taught a Free Grace view of the Gospel. H.A. Ironside correctly recognized repentance as the confession that "one is utterly without merit" and that if one is "ever saved at all it can only be through the merits of our Lord Jesus Christ." Salvation is without works of self-righteousness. Romans 4:5 plainly teaches that a man's faith is COUNTED for righteousness, i.e., the righteousness of Jesus Christ is imputed to one's heavenly record by faith. Repentance and faith are inseparable. The Gospel of John mentions the word "believe" 85-times; but the word "repent" is never mentioned even once. In genuine salvation, one who believes on Jesus Christ has repented; and one who repents has believed on the Lord Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins.
In sharp contrast, Ray Comfort separates repentance from faith, thus requiring lost sinners to cease from their sins as a prerequisite to placing their faith in Christ for salvation (which is a false gospel).
Salvation is Not Hard
Ray Comfort makes salvation hard, as does John MacArthur (who even authored
a book titled “Hard To Believe”). My friend, it is not hard to believe. The
reason why people won’t get saved is because they willfully choose not to
come to Jesus Christ to be saved… “For every one that doeth evil hateth the
light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved” (John
3:20). In John 5:40 Jesus said to the unbelieving crowd… “And ye will not
come to me, that ye might have life.” Carefully notice that Jesus DIDN’T
say… “Ye cannot come.” Rather, He said, "Ye will not come." Salvation is
freely given and freely received by faith alone (Romans 6:23; Revelation
22:17). Salvation is not hard at all. What is hard is people’s hearts!
Anyone who acknowledges their guilt of sin and wants to be eternally
forgiven may, by simply believing on the Lord Jesus Christ.
John 6:40 tells us the will of God concerning salvation… “And this is the
will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth
on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.”
I don’t see any mention of “repentance.” Do you know why? It’s because a
person who turns to Jesus Christ to be forgiven of their sins has repented.
It's the very fact that one repents that causes them to believe on the Lord
for the forgiveness of sins.
"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." —2nd Corinthians 11:3
Ray Discomfort | Ray Comfort is Wrong On Salvation!
Ray Comfort's Perverted Gospel | The Unbiblical REPENTANCE Heresy!
Spurgeon DIDN'T Teach Lordship Salvation
Harry Ironside DIDN'T Teach Lordship Salvation
Ye Must Be Born Again! | You Need HIS Righteousness!
