Ray Comfort Says Sinful Believers are Not “Safe” in Jesus
By David J. Stewart
“But to
him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth
the ungodly, his
faith is counted for righteousness.” —Romans 4:5
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.” We can
identify two very distinct plans of salvation here... Mr. Comfort's verses
the Bible's.
Ray Comfort's False Gospel...
Mr. Comfort makes the grave mistake of
separating repentance from believing; thus, presenting them to the
sinner as two separate steps to salvation. According to what you just
read by Ray Comfort, a person must repent from their sins first (meaning
to cease from committing them), and then (and only then) that person
qualifies to place their faith in Jesus Christ. Mr. Comfort teaches that
you repent and then believe, as a process. So according to Mr. Comfort's
errant thinking, people who have faith but don't stop sinning have never
repented and are not saved. In Mr. Comfort's false gospel, the sinner
is obligated to try hard to stop sinning. This is damnable heresy, a
wrong understanding of what it means to repent unto salvation, and a
false gospel of self-righteousness.
The Biblical Gospel...
In sharp contrast, the Bible teaches that
faith and repentance are inseparable. Although repentance and faith are
two different parts of salvation, there is only ONE STEP. The man who
believes has repented, and the man who repents has believed. This is
evidenced in the Gospel of John where the words “believe” and “believed”
appear 85-times; but the word “repent” is not mentioned (not even once).
Clearly, repentance is part of believing. They happen simultaneously.
In Biblical salvation, the sinner is not obligated to stop sinning.
Eternal life is a free gift (Ephesians 2:8-9). A gift is simply
received.
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.
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).
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).
Ray Comfort Perverts Matthew 7:22-23
Ray Comfort Perverts Luke 8:13
Ray Comfort is a nice man, and I admire his courage, but he is wrong to
teach that believing on Christ to forgive one's sins is not sufficient
enough to be saved. Mr. Comfort clearly teaches that cleaning up one's
sinful lifestyle is also required...
"If
belief is all that is necessary for salvation, then the logical
conclusion is that one need never repent.
SOURCE:
http://www.livingwaters.com/witnessingtool/browse.shtml
The problem is that Mr. Comfort teaches that a
person must stop living in sin in order to be saved, and that is
self-righteousness. I'll prove it to you with Mr. Comfort's own words. On page 1197 of
THE EVIDENCE BIBLE, Ray
Comfort comments on Matthew 7:22,23...
"These are perhaps the most
frightening verses in the Bible. Vast multitudes of professing
Christians fit into the category spoken of here. They call Jesus 'Lord,'
but they practice lawlessness. They profess faith in Jesus, but have no
regard for the divine law. They tell 'fibs' or 'white' lies, take things
that belong to others, have a roaming eye for the opposite sex, etc.
They are liars, thieves, and adulterers at heart, who will be cast from
the gates of heaven into the jaws of hell."
SOURCE: THE EVIDENCE
BIBLE, by Ray Comfort, pg. 1197; 2003, Bridge-Logos Publishers,
Orlando, Florida
Ladies and gentleman, Ray Comfort is teaching
works salvation! According to what we just read by Ray Comfort, every
believer who is still living in deliberate sin won't be allowed into Heaven.
If you lust or tell lies, then Mr. Comfort teaches that you have never
repented and are going to Hell. Ray Comfort has a complete misunderstanding
of the Biblical meaning of REPENTANCE concerning salvation. John
MacArthur, Paul Washer, Kirk Cameron and Ray Comfort are all heretical
Calvinists.
The Lordship Salvation heresy is rooted in the works of John Calvin,
particularly the Perseverance of The Saints heresy.
The correct interpretation of Matthew 7:22,23
must include verse 21...
"Not every one that
saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but
he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven."
What is "the will of the Father"? The answer is
found in John 6:40...
"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."
The group in Matthew 7:21-23 were unsaved
because they refused to do God's will concerning salvation. It wasn't
because they still had personal sins in their life. Every believer still has
sin in their life! We all sin every day. That's not to say that we have
God's approval to sin, God forbid (Romans 3:31). It just means that even the
best of Christians are still sinners. Ray Comfort wrestles the Scriptures to
his own destruction, and sadly for those who follow his false teachings.
It is not one's unwillingness to forsake
personal sins that prevents a person from being saved; but rather, one's
love for such sins. In John 5:40 Jesus said, "And ye will not come
to me, that ye might have life." Jesus didn't say, "Ye cannot come." He
said, "Ye WILL NOT come." But if such a sinner does come to Jesus,
acknowledging his guilt of sin and sincerely desiring to be forgiven, the
Lord will save him eternally.
Jesus exclaimed in Mark 1:15, “...repent ye, and believe the
gospel.” The Greek word for “repent” here is METANOEO,
which means, “to change one's mind.” Biblical
repentance
is a change of one's mind. There is
NO controversy if you believe the Bible.
Ray Comfort is an extremely popular evangelist,
with his ministries, THE WAY OF THE MASTER and LIVING WATERS.
Unfortunately, Ray Comfort and Kirk Cameron teach the heresy of Lordship
Salvation...
“Merely being sorry for
your sins, or confessing them to God won't help you. You must turn from
sin (repent).”
SOURCE: LIVING WATERS ministry,
SAVE YOURSELF SOME PAIN
Heresy! That is self-righteousness! Adding even
the slightest work of self-righteousness to the Gospel corrupts it into a
false way, a false plan, a road to damnation.
What About Charles Spurgeon?
As with other false prophets, Ray Comfort leans heavily upon the quotes of
historically great men to support his unbiblical position. THE EVIDENCE
BIBLE quotes Spurgeon often.
Unfortunately, Ray Comfort (as does John MacArthur) horribly take Charles Spurgeon's words out of context, and
claim that Spurgeon taught Lordship Salvation. Nothing could be
further from the truth, as this quote by Spurgeon himself plainly reveals...
"You must not expect
that you will be perfect in "repentance" before you are saved. No
Christian can be perfect. "Repentance" is a grace. Some people preach it
as a condition of salvation. Condition of nonsense! There are no
conditions of salvation.
God gives the salvation
himself..."
— Charles Spurgeon
SOURCE:
http://www.spurgeon.org/sermons/0044.htm (from
a sermon preached at the New Park Street Chapel, Southwark, on
September 23, 1855)
Why doesn't Ray Comfort quote those words by
Spurgeon? Ray Comfort is guilty of twisting the Scriptures around and
misrepresenting the beliefs of Spurgeon to support his unbiblical position.
Pastor Harry Ironside Is Correct On
Repentance
Pastor
Harry A. Ironside
(1876-1951) DIDN'T teach Lordship
Salvation, which is evidenced in the following quote by Pastor Ironside...
"Repentance is the very
opposite of meritorious experience. It is the confession that one is
utterly without merit, and if he is ever saved at all it can only be
through the merits of our Lord Jesus Christ, 'who gave himself a ransom
for all.' Here is firm footing for the soul who realizes that all
self-effort is but sinking sand. Christ alone is the Rock of our
salvation."
SOURCE: Harry A. Ironside;
Except Ye Repent, pg. 36
Clearly, Ironside taught a Free Grace view
of the Gospel. Consider further the following quote by Dr.
Ironside...
“The
Gospel is not a call to repentance, or to amendment of our ways, to make
restitution for past sins, or to promise to do better in the future. These
things are proper in their place, but they do not constitute the Gospel; for
the Gospel is not good advice to be obeyed, it is good news to be believed. Do
not make the mistake then of thinking that the Gospel is a call to duty or a
call to reformation, a call to better your condition, to behave yourself in a
more perfect way than you have been doing in the past …
Nor
is the Gospel a demand that you give up the world, that you give up your sins,
that you break off bad habits, and try to cultivate good ones. You may do all
these things, and yet never believe the Gospel and consequently never be saved
at all.”
SOURCE:
Harry A. Ironside, from the sermon:
What
Is The Gospel?
Amen! Pastor Ironside is correct concerning
Biblical repentance and salvation. Yes, repentance is necessary for
salvation, but Biblical repentance is simply acknowledging my sinnership,
the owning before God that I am as sinful as He hath declared me to be in
His Word.
Read what Dr. Ironside said in his Gospel
tract, ANOTHER GOSPEL? ...
"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.
What a contrast in teaching from that of Ray
Comfort! Harry Ironside is teaching the Bible correctly; Ray Comfort is not.
We are saved by Christ's righteousness alone, and not in any way by our own
self-righteousness. If a man must stop lusting and telling little white lies
as part of saving faith (as Mr. Comfort teaches), then our salvation is
dependent upon our willingness to clean up our sinful lifestyle and commit
our life to live for God.
Jack
Chick teaches this same heresy.
Photo: Ray Comfort on Left,
Kirk
Cameron on Right
The FACT of the matter is that the Bible never uses
the phrases “repent of your sins” or “turn from your sins” in regards to
salvation. Salvation is the free gift of God—not of works—and relies
totally upon God's mercy through the LITERAL blood sacrifice of Jesus Christ
(Hebrews 9:12); not “turning from the act of sin” (Titus 3:5, Ephesians 2:8,9).
“Repent” in regards to salvation does not mean
“stop living in sin.” It means to “change one's mind.” Carefully notice in
Mark 1:15 what Jesus said... “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God
is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.” Notice that
Jesus DIDN'T say “repent ye, and forsake your sins.” No, rather, Jesus said,
“repent ye, and believe the gospel.” This is why we find the word
“believe” mentioned 85-times in the Gospel of John, but the word “repent” is
not mentioned even once. The man who has believed has repented, and the man
who has repented has believed.
Salvation is NOT a process. You don't give up
your sins first as Ray Comfort teaches, and then place your faith in Christ.
A changed life is the FRUIT of genuine repentance, and not a part of the
ROOT of saving-faith. Lordship Salvationists have it backwards. The Bible
teaches regeneration, which brings reformation. Lordship Salvationists
require reformation as a condition of regeneration.
Aiden W. Tozer (April 21, 1897 to May
12, 1963) was a false prophet! Mr. Tozer unquestionably taught
Lordship Salvation. At one time I viewed him as a great man of God, but
then one day realized that he taught a false gospel. Mr. Tozer errantly states:
"In the Bible the offer of
pardon on the part of God is conditioned upon intention to reform on the
part of man. There can be no spiritual regeneration till there has been
a moral reformation" (The Best of A.W. Tozer, Book 2, pg.
115-117; Compiled by Warren W. Wiersbe).
Wrong! Salvation is receiving, NOT giving. Mr.
Tozer requires sinners to “reform” themselves before they can be saved. This
goes totally contrary to the plainest teaching in the Bible. Romans 4:5
states: “But to him that worketh not, but
believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted
for righteousness.” Mr. Tozer is teaching works salvation!!!
Salvation is a free gift, freely given and freely received. Tozer's teaching
on repentance is that you cannot come to Christ for salvation unless you
first intend not to walk in sin after you receive Him. This is
“qualification by works” as a prerequisite for receiving Christ as Savior.
The Gospel is the most delicate thing in the universe and is so easily
corrupted. It is so simple... We are SINNERS and Jesus is the
SAVIOR. When anyone starts mandating that people give up their sinful
habits to be saved, they've just made salvation extremely difficult and
burdensome, because lifelong sinful habits are not easily broken. God is the
One Who changes us after we get saved; it is not a requirement to salvation.
I'll say it again and again... A person doesn't
give up their sins to get saved; they give up their sins because they ARE
SAVED! A changed life is the FRUIT of genuine repentance; and not a
prerequisite of the ROOT of saving-faith. Eternal life is a free gift. Salvation is
receiving, not giving. Our part is simply to acknowledge our guilt of sin
and receive Jesus as the Christ. John 1:12, “But as many as received him,
to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe
on his name.”
Ray comfort and Kirk Cameron are heretics! They teach that lost sinners MUST forsake their actual sins to be saved...
"You must turn away from sin and turn to
God. Desire to have NOTHING to do with sin, and
surrender your life to the One who can
save you... If you will confess and forsake your sins..."
SOURCE:
http://www.livingwaters.com/good/022.shtml
Read once again what Dr. Harry Ironside said in his Gospel
tract, ANOTHER GOSPEL? ...
"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.
Ray Comfort is condemned by his own words. The Bible is clear in Romans 4:5... "But to him that worketh not, but believeth
on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for
righteousness." Did not
the thief on the cross utter just a few words ... "Lord, remember me"? Does not the Bible
proclaim in Romans 10:13... "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord
shall be saved"? Why corrupt "the simplicity that is in Christ" (2nd
Corinthians 11:3)?
Biblically, one need only acknowledge their guilt of sin under God's Holy Law
(Romans 3:19) and believe on Jesus for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 10:43).
Ray Comfort perverts the simplicity of the Gospel. Any guilty sinner that
believes on Christ for the forgiveness of sins will be saved eternally. The
changed life comes as a newborn babe (new believer) feeds on the milk of the
Word of God (1st Peter 2:2). Salvation is a free gift (Romans 6:23;
Ephesians 2:8-9), freely given and freely received (Revelation 22:17). We must not confuse
the FRUIT of genuine repentance with the ROOT of repentance, which is... "For
by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it
is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast" (Ephesians
2:8-9). A
changed life is the result of genuine repentance, and not a part of
saving-faith. Biblical repentance is a change of mind that involves
turning to Jesus Christ to be forgiven of one's sins.
No Difference Between the False
Gospel of Ray Comfort and Benny Hinn
Here's the prayer Benny
Hinn suggests lost sinners to pray to be saved, as quoted from Hinn's
own website...
Dear Lord Jesus, I
believe You are the Son of God. I believe You came to earth 2,000 years
ago. I believe you died for me on the cross and shed Your blood for my
salvation. I believe you rose from the dead and ascended on high. I
believe You are coming back again to earth. Dear Jesus, I am a sinner.
Forgive my sin. Cleanse me now with Your precious blood. Come into my
heart. Save my soul right now. I give you my life. I receive You now as
my Savior, my Lord, and my God. I am Yours forever, and I will
serve You and follow You the rest of my days. From this moment on, I
belong to You only. I no longer belong to this world, nor to the enemy
of my soul. I belong to You, and I am born again. Amen! [emphasis
added]
SOURCE:
http://www.bennyhinn.org/salvation/default.cfm
Although sincere and innocent sounding, it's a
false gospel. Why? It's because Mr. Hinn ADDED to the Gospel. Where does the
Word of God require serving and following Christ, i.e., a surrendered life,
to be saved? It does NOT. By the way,
Benny Hinn has publicly endorsed praying to Our Lady of Fatima on
the Larry King Show. Every hellbound Catholic has no problem with the
gospel of ray Comfort and Benny Hinn. The Biblical Gospel
excludes ALL forms of
self-righteousness.
Listen for the
third time (because I want you to get this) to what
the man of God, Dr. Harry Ironside (1876-1951), former pastor of
Moody Memorial Church (1930-1948), had
this to say about Lordship Salvation...
"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.
Benny Hinn and
Ray Comfort teach
ANOTHER GOSPEL that is not found in God's Word. Dr. Ironside is correct,
anyone who teaches that salvation requires surrendering to Christ's Lordship
is teaching a false gospel. That makes Jack Chick a false prophet, because
he requires people to
surrender
their life to Christ to be saved. Jack Chick does not believe that faith
in Christ is enough to be saved; he also teaches that a sinner MUST have
intentions to reform to be saved. That is a very false gospel,
ANOTHER GOSPEL.
Heretics require a changed-life, i.e., surrendering to Christ's Lordship at
the time of salvation as part of saving-faith. This is wrong, unbiblical and
nowhere taught in the Scriptures. The word "gift" speaks for itself in
Scripture, and only those who are self-righteous would dare say that
salvation can be lost, or must be maintained in any way. It is the gift of
God.
“To him give all
the prophets witness, that through his name
whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.” —Acts
10:43
Ray
Discomfort |
Ray Comfort Perverts Luke 8:13 |
The Damnable Heresy of Ray Comfort
Ray
Comfort's Perverted Gospel |
Hell's Best Kept Secret |
The Unbiblical REPENTANCE Heresy!
Ray Comfort: Is it Just a Matter of Semantics?
The Evidence Bible Exposed!
Spurgeon
DIDN'T Teach Lordship Salvation
Harry
Ironside DIDN'T Teach Lordship Salvation
Paul Washer’s Washed-up
Gospel
Dr. John R. Rice speaks on worldly Christians — Are they not
saved?
Dr. Curtis Hutson
speaks on Biblical repentance — Must a person stop sinning to be
saved?
Paul Washer Calls Soulwinning Baptists
'Stupid'
(Lordship Salvationists...
making salvation hard)
Ye Must Be Born Again!
|
You Need HIS Righteousness!
