It
hurts me to write this article, because I like Ray Comfort. I believe
Mr. Comfort is a sincere man, but sincerely wrong. Unfortunately,
as is the case with
John
MacArthur and so many other heretical Bible teachers today, Ray Comfort
teaches a false gospel. The great deception is that 95% of everything
they say is good wholesome Bible. Ray Comfort is an eloquent speaker,
and he is certainly correct on the issue of God's Law, i.e., a person cannot
be saved without realizing their GUILTY condition and condemnation under
the Law of God. Please read,
Ray Comfort Teaches Another Gospel.
HOWEVER, the big problem with Ray Comfort and Kirk Cameron
is that they teach the damnable heresy of
LORDSHIP
SALVATION. Like all Lordship Salvationists, Ray Comfort
errantly teaches
that salvation by faith ALONE in Jesus Christ is not enough to save
someone. That is a false gospel. According to Ray Comfort, a person MUST
also cease from their sinful lifestyle and give up worldly living to be
saved. Thus, eternal life ceases to be a gift in Ray Comfort's gospel,
which has now been turned
into
a reward. It is much more than a matter of mere semantics. The Bible
teaches
one Gospel, not two.
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!
This is a backwards gospel, where a sinner must reform as a prerequisite to
qualify for salvation. In this false gospel, the burden of changing is
placed upon the sinner instead of upon the Lord. It is indeed salvation by
self-righteous works. The gospel is a big deal and worth fighting over. Ray
Comfort leads sinners to believe that God will not save them unless they are
willing to stop sinning; but the Bible disagrees with Mr. Comfort.
In Biblical salvation, you come to Christ by
faith to be forgiven of your sins, and then God works on your heart to
change as you grow in the milk of the Word (1st Peter 2:2). God chastises
His children who continue in sin (Hebrews 12:6-8), but all believers sin
(Romans 7:14-25). Ray Comfort says that lustful and thieving believers never
got saved (as seen in the following quote).
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
In sharp contrast,
read
what Dr. John R. Rice (1895-1980) has to say Scripturally about worldly
believers.
That is self-righteousness! Clearly,
Ray Comfort believes
that some personal effort to depart from sin is necessary to be saved
by God. This is self-righteousness; and not the salvation of the Bible which
is received freely by faith in Christ. Revelation 22:17 states: "Let him
that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life
freely." Romans 4:5 plainly states that one's faith in Christ makes that
person righteous in the eyes of God. Adding even
the slightest work of self-righteousness to the Gospel corrupts it into a
false way, a false plan, a road to damnation.
Sadly, Mr. Comfort and his sidekick,
Kirk Cameron, are doctrinally corrupted and
confused; likely because they are followers of heretic
John
MacArthur (evidenced by Kirk Cameron promoting the John MacArthur Study
Bible on his website). They are WRONG to teach that repentance unto
salvation means ceasing from sin. They are also wrong to teach that
repentance is a completely separate act from believing upon the Lord to be
saved. These are 2 deadly heresies concerning salvation. THE TRUTH is that
you simply turn to the Lord by faith to be forgiven of your sins and you are
saved immediately, completely and eternally. It's that simple. We are the
SINNER and Jesus is the SAVIOR!
Ray Comfort Corrupts Matthew
7:22-23
"Many will say to
me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy
name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And
then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that
work iniquity." —Matthew 7:22,23
Again, 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. Mr. Comfort is teaching that you cannot
get to Heaven unless you try really hard to stop sinning.
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. They were
self-righteous religious people. Romans 10:3-4, “For they being ignorant
of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own
righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.
For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that
believeth.”
It wasn't
because they still had personal sins in their life in Matthew 7:22-23 that
God rejected them. It was because they had churchianity without
Christianity. 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 (2nd Peter 3:16).
The reason why the religious people in Matthew
7:21-23 were not allowed into Heaven was because they had failed to do the
will of God the Father; by believing on Jesus Christ, the Son of God (John
6:40). They died in their sins, in their own self-righteousness (Ephesians
2:8-9). They ran around saying “Lord, Lord” like the unsaved Lordship
Salvationists, perverting the gift of God into a lie.
Again, the reason why the religious people in
Matthew 7:21-23 weren't saved is because they REFUSED to obey God's will
concerning the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It had nothing to do with personal
sins that were still in their lives. Ray Comfort is a dangerous Bible
teacher, who believes that he is saved because he tries really hard not to
sin, in addition to whatever faith he has in Christ. The big problem with
his warped theology is that you're not really trusting Christ if you're also
trying really hard to stop sinning as part of your salvation. That is
self-righteousness my friend; a false Gospel.
The whole reason why Jesus came into this world
was to SAVE SINNERS.
Romans 4:5 teaches that Jesus justifies THE UNGODLY by faith alone...
to him that WORKETH NOT. There's no way that anyone could please God
by trying to stop committing sin (Isaiah 64:6). Ray Comfort totally perverts
the gift of God by teaching that a person must try really hard to stop
sinning to be saved. This is the garbage that John MacArthur teaches.
Comfort, Cameron and MacArthur all misquote great preachers of the past,
like Charles Spurgeon, as a secondary authority to support their heresies
(because they can't use the Bible to supports their claims). But
they'll
never show you this quote from Charles Spurgeon! ...
“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...” —Pastor Charles Spurgeon
SOURCE:
http://www.spurgeon.org/sermons/0044.htm (Charles
Spurgeon, from
a sermon titled, REPENTANCE UNTO LIFE, preached at the New Park Street Chapel, Southwark, on
September 23, 1855)
Why doesn't MacArthur, Comfort and Cameron
quote that? Salvation is not something that you do to get; it's a gift that
you receive to have (John 1:12). Salvation is a matter of God keeping His
PROMISE...
“For God so loved the world, that he gave
his only begotten Son, that WHOSOEVER
believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life”
(John 3:16).
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...” —Pastor 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.
You can't show me one verse in the entire Bible
that requires a person to give up their sinful lifestyle to be saved. Salvation
is receiving, not giving. It's not what you're doing that gets you to
Heaven, it's where
you're looking. It's
not just a matter of semantics. Salvation is not something you do to
get; it's something you receive to have. Why is that so hard for some people
to grasp?
“LIVING WATERS” ministry logo, top
left, of Ray Comfort and Kirk Cameron. Notice the letter “C”
forms an eye in Pat Robertson's Christian Broadcasting
Network, bottom 2nd from left. A Mormon apron with an eye,
bottom 2nd from right. Bottom, center, Italy's City of Arts
and Sciences where the
Pope
spake.
911
Memorial at Ground Zero
On Ray Comfort's
Way of the Master
website, there's a logo for Living Waters, which is an Illuminati
eye. The 4 circles below the words “LIVING WATERS” make up the pupil of the
eye. I believe Ray Comfort is a part of the New World Order, i.e., he is
helping to lead people into the
Ecumenical
Movement and ultimately into a one-world religion. Ray Comfort is not as
deep into the Ecumenical Movement as is Billy Graham, but he is close
behind. Billy Graham's son wrote the foreword for Ray Comfort's
The Evidence Bible. None
of these ministers will openly expose the Catholic religion and Pope as
being of the Devil. They are silent, to avoid offending anyone. We'll I will
step up to plate to bat if they won't... the Pope is the vicar of Hell and
the Catholic religion is straight out of the pits of Hell.
It's As Simple As Two Cookie Jars
Lordship Salvationists; such as, Ray Comfort, Paul Washer and John MacArthur, have a
totally different MINDSET toward salvation than genuine born-again
believers. The Bible teaches that eternal life is a free gift to be freely
received, with no strings attached nor obligations required.
In sharp contrast, Ray Comfort, Paul Washer and other Lordship
Salvationists, have the flawed mindset that salvation is not easy to
obtain, and that the price must be paid of forsaking the world, and that faith by
itself will not save a man without an earnest desire to stop committing them. They are woefully ignorant of the gift of God.
Here is some typical heresy taught by Pastor John MacArthur...
“Don’t believe anyone who
says it’s easy to become a Christian. Salvation for sinners cost God His own
Son; it cost God’s Son His life, and it’ll cost you the same thing.”
SOURCE:
Dr. John MacArthur, Grace To You, an
updated quote from his book 'Hard To Believe', page 93.
That's the false teaching of Calvinism! True Biblical salvation is
grounded in the promises of God, where there is no cost whatsoever to
the recipient, because the gift of God has been paid in full by the Giver
(1st Peter 1:18-19). This is the mindset of a true believer. The cookie jar is placed by God on the bottom shelf for
anyone to receive and enjoy. Salvation is completely unconditional. You just
take it freely! Christ died, that's history; Christ died for me, that's
salvation!
The corrupt teaching of Lordship
Salvation places a very heavy burden upon the sinner, whereas the Gospel
places the full weight of our sins upon Christ alone on the cross. The
requirement for a person to forsake their sinful bad habits to be saved is a
very heavy burden to bear. That's why you never see Ray Comfort winning
anybody to the Lord in his public street preaching meetings. Ray tells
everybody how sinful they are, and that they have to turn from their sinful
ways to be saved, so he has no converts! Salvation to the Lordship
Salvationist is conditional upon man's intent to reform; whereas to the
doctrinally sound fundamentalist, the Gospel may simply be believed to be
saved.
In Acts 2:41, there were 3,000 precious souls
saved in ONE DAY. They were saved simply by receiving the Gospel when they
heard it preached by the apostle Peter on the Day of Pentecost (i.e., fifty
days after Jesus resurrected from the dead). If 3,000 people could be saved
in one day by simply receiving the Gospel, then it is no different today.
God made the plan of salvation incredibly simple, so that even stupid people
can do it. I say that kindly, but truthfully. All that is required is
childlike faith to be saved.
John MacArthur actually teaches that children cannot be saved, because
he says surrendering your life to Christ is an adult decision. Ladies and
gentleman, that is not “the simplicity that is in Christ” (2nd
Corinthians 11:3-4). Beware of anyone who makes it difficult and hard to
be saved.
Ray Comfort is Woefully Ignorant
Concerning Theology
Ray Comfort is an extremely popular evangelist.
His ministries are: 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.
Biblical Repentance
The problem is that there is a common
misunderstanding of the word “repentance.” Many false teachers today are
saying that repentance in the Bible means to forsake one's sinful lifestyle. Nothing could be further from the
truth of God's Word. That is the English definition of “repent,” not
the Biblical Greek meaning. In Mark 1:15 Jesus said, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand:
repent ye, and believe the gospel.” The Bible doesn't say,
“Repent ye, and stop living in sin.” No, rather, the Bible says, “Repent
ye, and believe the gospel.” I am not saying that God approves of a
believer continuing in sin, God forbid. I am simply saying that the change
of life which genuine repentance brings is not a part of saving-faith. We
don't live for God to get saved; we live for God because WE ARE SAVED.
Eternal life is a free gift. Salvation is receiving, not giving.
Here is one of the best quotes that I've read on
repentance, by Dr. Harry A. Ironside (1876-1951):
“Which comes first, repentance or
faith? In Scripture we read, 'Repent ye, and believe the gospel.' Yet we
find true believers exhorted to 'repent, and do the first works.' So
intimately are the two related that you cannot have one without the other.
The man who believes God repents; the repentant soul puts his trust in the
Lord when the Gospel is revealed to him. Theologians may wrangle over this,
but the fact is, no man repents until the Holy Spirit produces repentance in
his soul through the truth. No man believes the Gospel and rests in it for
his own salvation until he has judged himself as a needy sinner before God.
And this is repentance.” [emphasis added]
SOURCE: Dr. Harry
Ironside;
Except Ye Repent,
p. 16.
We are saved wholly by God's grace, through
faith in Christ Jesus. We are saved by HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS. Matthew 6:33,
“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS; and all these
things shall be added unto you.” Romans 10:3,4, “For they being ignorant of
God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness,
have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. For Christ is
the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.” Amen!
The word “repent”
in Mark 1:15 is the Greek verb METANOEO, meaning, “to think
differently.” When a person
acknowledges their GUILT of sin for violating God's law, and that person believes on the
Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, believing that He raised up from the dead
72 hours later, they are saved immediately and eternally. We are
the sinners and Jesus is the Savior. It's that simple. Please
read, What is
Biblical repentance?
An Every Word Inspired Bible
I am dismayed when I hear professed Christians say
that the Holy Bible is not something we should fight over. What? If God is going to
judge us for the very words we speak (Matthew 12:36), then don't you think that the Words He
speaks are equally important? Yes, of course! Everything that we believe as
Christians hinge upon EVERY WORD THAT PROCEEDETH OUT OF THE MOUTH OF GOD
(Matthew 4:4). Therefore, I need an every word Bible. God only wrote one
Book. There are literally hundreds of English translations, which vary widely in
their content, meaning and doctrine. This is why I defend, love and promote only
the King James Bible. All other English translations on the market today
are corrupt! It does matter, very much, that we have the right message, from a
trustworthy Bible. As Pastor John Wilkerson rightly says in his excellent MP3
sermon “DOCTRINE”...
“Doctrine determines your destiny!” I praise God for the inspired and
preserved King James Bible!!!!!!!
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. Harry 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).
There is Only One Gospel
Ray Comfort once kindly wrote to me, attempting to
convince me that our doctrinal differences are a mere matter of semantics (i.e.,
wording the same belief differently). I told him that we do not agree at all on
the issue of salvation, because he believes that a person cannot be saved and
deliberately continue in sin; but I do believe that. The difference is much more
than mere semantics; it is night and day:
- THE GOSPEL -
The “Gospel” is defined as Christ's DEATH on the cross for our sins, He
was BURIED, and He bodily RESURRECTED from the dead three days later
(1st Corinthians 15:1-4). Anyone who judges them self as a needy sinner
and believes the Gospel is saved. I believe that one's salvation is solely
based in Christ's righteousness and has absolutely nothing to do with
one's desire to depart from sin. Romans 4:5-6 plainly teaches that
salvation is “without works” of self-righteousness, and that we are saved
by the imputed righteousness of God by faith in Jesus Christ
(Philippians 3:9; Romans 10:3-4). Salvation is of the Lord.
A changed life is the FRUIT of the indwelling Holy Spirit (Galatians
5:22-23), and not a part of the
ROOT of saving faith. A person gives up their sins because they ARE a
Christian (Ephesians 2:10), and not to BECOME a Christian (Ephesians
2:8-9). The changed life comes AFTER a
person is saved, as a person grows in the milk of the Word (1st Peter
2:2). In the Gospel, the total weight of sin's burden was placed upon
Jesus Christ on the cross. We are saved by believing the Gospel when we
hear it preached (Galatians 3:2; Acts 2:41).
- LORDSHIP SALVATION -
Evangelist Ray Comfort on the other hand, believes
that a person must stop deliberately committing sin to be saved. He
thinks this is what it means to “repent.” Mr.
Comfort teaches that those who profess faith in Christ but still
continue in sin, are not saved because they have never given up their
sins, which he teaches is necessary for salvation. This is unbiblical. Ray Comfort teaches
that a changed life is part of the ROOT of saving faith. According to
Mr. Comfort, a person must give up their sinful ways to BECOME a Christian. In
this false plan of salvation, a sinner must change in order to be saved.
Other false prophets, like Jack Chick, teach that you must “be willing
to change” to be saved. Lordship Salvation places the burden of sin upon
the sinner's shoulders, instead of fully upon Christ. Satan's greatest
weapon is to con people into living the Christian life without ever
being born again. Partial faith in Christ plus human effort is religion,
and does not produce the new birth by the Holy Spirit of God.
Do you see the drastic difference between the
two different Gospels? The former is the truth, but the latter is damnable heresy.
May I kindly say, You don't have to receive
Jesus as your “Lord” to be saved, only your “Savior” (2nd Timothy 4:10). You
don't make Jesus Lord, He is Lord. The moment that you get saved,
Christ automatically becomes your Master (Lord). 1st Timothy 4:10, “For
therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living
God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those
that believe.” Jesus is the Savior of all men, including
Christ-rejecters. They are not saved, but Christ still died on the cross for
their sins. To be saved, you simply need to receive Jesus as your Savior
(John 1:12).
Please listen to the following beautiful,
doctrinally sound, MP3 sermons, which clarify God's plan of salvation for
man.
The first sermon is by Pastor Hank Lindstrom,
titled: “How
Permanent Is Your Salvation?”
The next sermon is by Pastor Ralph Yankee
Arnold, titled: “Caught
Between Grace And Works.”
I
believe Ray Comfort is sincere, unquestionably, but he
is doctrinally messed up from following
Dr.
John
MacArthur. Biblically, a person who continues in sin is of the Devil
(1st John 3:8). That doesn't mean he or she is not saved. Jesus called the
apostle Peter, “Satan” (Matthew 16:23). It is possible for a believer to
backslide to the point of committing the most horrible of sins (Proverbs
14:14). David committed adultery, got Uriah drunk to deceive him and
murdered him when the plot didn't work. The apostle John said in 1st John
5:13 that the purpose of his Epistle was to help believers “KNOW that
ye have eternal life.”
It is important to understand that good works
are not the evidence of the new birth; but rather, the presence of the
indwelling Holy Spirit. The world's churches are filled with unsaved people
who do “many wonderful works” (Matthew 7:21-23). Here is Scriptural
evidence for what I am teaching. 1st John 3:24, “And he that keepeth his
commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we
know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us.”
When you get saved, the Holy Spirit comes to
live inside your body. If God lives inside a person, we can see it by the
FRUITS in their life (James 2:18-22). When a person experiences a false
conversion, it's not because they never gave up their sins as Ray
Comfort errantly teaches. It's because they never genuinely believed on
the Lord Jesus Christ (Matthew 7:21; John 6:40). Jesus promised in 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 Scripture also teaches the eternal security of every believer. God
has never disowned even one of His children.
Ray Comfort Adds to The Gospel
Mr. Comfort adds turning from sinful behavior
to the Gospel. That's where Ray Comfort goes astray in his
theology. To teach that giving up one's sins is mandatory for salvation is a
false Gospel of self-righteousness, which excludes everyone who is not
willing to stop living in sin. Who can stop sinning? We all sin every day. Jesus
promised in John 6:37 that He will not
turn away anyone who comes to Him for salvation, and that includes the vilest
sinner who isn't ready to give up his sins yet. Pastor Charles Spurgeon
teaches this beautiful truth in chapter one of his excellent book, “All
Of Grace.”
What Did Pastor Charles Spurgeon Believe About Repentance? (God
saves sinners AS IS!!!).
All God requires is that a
person acknowledge their guilt of sin (Romans 3:19), and believe on the Lord
to be forgiven (Acts 10:43; Romans 10:13). Acts 16:30-31, “Sirs, what
must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and
thou shalt be saved, and thy house.” That's the way to be saved, i.e.,
to believe on Jesus as the Christ.
There are hundreds of perversions of the Gospel
nowadays. Every believer needs to be a watchman, a pit bull guard dog, that
shines the Light of God's Word upon the darkness. That's the only way to
expose the darkness, i.e., by shining the Lamp of God's Word upon it.
Salvation is simple—we are SINNERS and Jesus is the SAVIOR.
If a person must forsake their sinful habits to
be saved, then salvation is extremely complicated. The hypocrisy of Ray
Comfort's and John MacArthur's Lordship Salvation heresy is that NO ONE can
give up all their sins. 1st John 1:10 says that we are calling God a liar if
we say we are without sin. Only Jesus is completely without sin (1st Peter
2:22).
Ray Comfort's False Gospel
On Ray Comfort's ministry website, at LivingWater.com, he has a short presentation titled "The
Good Test." At the
end of the presentation
the following heretical teachings are found...
Do
you see God’s great love for you? Do you
see your need for His forgiveness? Do what
He commands and “Repent…that your sins may be wiped out and times of
refreshing may come from the Lord.” (Acts 3:19)
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. Jesus died to set you free,
and then he rose from death to be your Lord. Jesus said, “I am the Way,
the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
If you will confess and forsake your sins (repent) and trust in
Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord, God will forgive you and you’ll
pass from death to life.
If you are not sure how
to pray, read Psalm 51
and make it your prayer.
What does it mean to "put your faith in
Jesus Christ?" It means to personally trust in Jesus the same way you’d
trust in a parachute if you had to jump 25,000 feet out of an airplane.
You wouldn’t just "believe" in the parachute; you would put it on! In
the same way, the Bible says, "Put on the Lord Jesus Christ..." and you
will be saved. There are millions of people who "believe" Jesus exists .
. . but they have not put on the Savior—there’s a BIG difference. And
the difference will be obvious when you “jump” through the door of
death.
Today, with all your heart—turn
away from sin, and surrender your
life to Jesus Christ. Please don’t put it off till later. You
may die today and then it will be too late. You may not yet have all the
answers to your questions, but better to put on the parachute first and
then ask questions, then to pass through the door unprepared, grasping
for the parachute when it’s too late. You can pray something like this—"Dear
God, today I turn from all my sins (name them), and I put my
trust in Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. Please forgive me, and
grant me your gift of everlasting life. Amen." There is nothing
magic about these words—it is the attitude of your heart that God cares
about. (emphasis added)
SOURCE:
http://www.livingwaters.com/good/022.shtml
There is absolutely nothing in the Word of God which
requires a person to “surrender your life to Jesus Christ” to be saved. It is a damnable heresy to require people to
make a commitment to Christ to be saved. Jesus DIDN'T ask us to
surrender our life to Him to be saved, He asked us to BELIEVE on His name (John
3:16; Romans 10:13). I like Ray Comfort's style of preaching, and he
seems like a great person to know, but he's wrong on the Gospel. I have
nothing personal against him or Kirk, God knows my heart. If Ray Comfort or
Jack Chick, or Paul Washer, or John MacArthur, and hundreds more, ever
correct their flawed doctrinal positions, I'll remove all my articles
exposing them and instead promote their ministries.
I am presently promoting some
non-denominational ministries, like Dr. Texe Marrs, because he is correct on
the King James Bible and the simplicity that is in Jesus Christ. I promote
Pastor Steven Anderson's ministry, even though he teaches a PostTribulation
Rapture (I teach a Pretribulation Rapture). A person doesn't have to agree
with me on everything for me to support their labours for Christ. Brother
Anderson is 100% correct on the King James Bible and the Gospel. Those are
the two big deal breakers! Ray Comfort is a good man, but in my estimation
he is not saved. You cannot be wrong on the Gospel and still be saved. Here
is
an excellent rebuttal of Ray Comfort's false plan of salvation by Michael P.
Bowen.
In sharp contrast to Ray Comfort, read what
Dr.
Harry Ironside (1876-1951) stated 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?
Dr. Ironside is doctrinally correct. Salvation
is of the Lord. Surrendering one's life to Christ for salvation is a false
gospel.
Romans
4:5 couldn't be any clearer on this matter... “But to him that worketh
not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith
is counted for righteousness.” It is sad that the simplicity
of salvation, i.e., the Gospel, has been perverted in so many ways today. It is a shame that someone like Ray Comfort, who is a dynamic and charming
speaker, and is a nice guy, is preaching a false gospel to the masses. Perhaps Mr. Comfort does it ignorantly; but nevertheless, he is teaching
works salvation. It's
not just a matter of semantics.
Ray Comfort clearly states: “You must turn away from sin”
and “surrender your life to Christ” to be saved. Although it is true that a
person needs to turn from their sins to be saved, it is only in the sense of
acknowledging one's guilt of sin before God (Romans 3:19). To turn to the
Lord for forgiveness is to turn one's back against sin. This is Biblical
repentance. From reading numerous writings by Ray Comfort, it is abundantly
clear that he interprets “turning from sin” as trying very hard to stop
committing sins. That is wrong. In salvation, we turn to Jesus to be
forgiven of our sins, we don't turn from our sins as a prerequisite to
believing on Jesus. Christ died, that's history; Christ died for me, that's
salvation!
Pastor Harry Ironside is Correct on
Repentance
In sharp contrast to Ray Comfort,
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. Harry 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).
Jesus DIDN'T ask us to forsake our sins to get saved; no,
rather, He asked us to BELIEVE on Him that He could save us from our sins. Being a Christian does NOT give us
God's permission to sin. Not at all. Every believer will give account
to God for their deeds at the Judgment Seat of Christ (Romans 14:12;
2nd Corinthians 5:10). The notion that a lost sinner must "desire
to have nothing to do with sin" to be saved (which is exactly what Ray
Comfort teaches) is of the Devil. Most of what the Jehovah's
Witness cult teaches is 100% Scriptural; but it's that small percentage
of damnable heresy that condemns them all to Hell. John MacArthur is a
dynamic Bible teacher and pastor; but ruthlessly
denies the power of the literal blood of Jesus. Therefore, John MacArthur is an unsaved heretic.
Please read:
Dr.
John R. Rice Refutes Lordship Salvation.
Satan is a Master Deceiver
Ray Comfort is awesome in many ways, which is
why he is so dangerous. Most "everything" you read from this man is
95% right on target; however, Ray Comfort adds WORKS to God's Plan of
Salvation which renders it VOID and USELESS. The most effective lies
are the one's that sound the most like the truth, and Satan is the Master
Deceiver behind Ray Comfort's ministries (Living Waters, Way of the Master,
etc.).
Ray Comfort misdefines "repentance" and does not use the original Greek
meaning that Christ talked about, which is "metanoia" (a change of mind
about sin and Christ). He is very accurate in other areas; yet, what
he is telling us is that WORKS are necessary for salvation (even though he
explicitly tells us that works are not necessary for salvation in other
writings). Why the total contradiction? Mr. Comfort mixes
discipleship with Grace, i.e., works of righteousness
with Christ's Blood. This, according to the Bible, is a FALSE GOSPEL
which cannot save a lost man from Hell.
Ray Comfort is just "one of thousands" who twist the Bible to make it say
what he wants it to say, rather than telling us what it really says — he is
a tool of Satan because Satan's time is short. We've not long to go
before the Rapture, and Satan is busy deceiving everyone he possibly can. Remember, the best lies are the one's that sound the most like the truth. Ray Comfort is a master deceiver,
following the trail of John MacArthur.
Please read:
Charles
Surgeon DIDN'T Teach Lordship Salvation.
What the Bible Says
Let me refute and rebuke Ray Comfort using the King James Bible by giving
you references:
1a) What Ray says: Ray tells us that in
order to be saved we must forsake all sins.
1b) What the Bible says: Forsaking sins is a condition for being a
disciple; not for being saved (Luke 14:26-27 / Luke 9:23 / Luke 14:33 /
Romans 4:5 / John 12:42 ).
2a) What Ray says: Commit your life to Christ / Turn from your
sins to be saved / Surrender your life to Christ / Make Him Lord of your
life, etc...
2b) What the Bible says: Jesus Christ is the Savior! Living
the “Christian Lifestyle” cannot save us (John 5:39-40).
Living a consecrated life is the FRUIT of genuine repentance; and not a
part of saving faith.
The Bible is clear that man's good works and
intentions have no part in gaining him salvation, just look: "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).
Ray Comfort is subtle, as are many false
prophets today. Here is Ray Comfort's doctrinal
Statement of
Faith, and it is 100% Biblical. But then you listen to his
videos, and The Good Test I just mentioned, and Mr. Comfort teaches
something totally different. Benny Hinn does the exact same thing. Mr. Hinn's website presents the basic plan of salvation;
but then in public he endorses
Catholicism's Our Lady of Fatima, praises the Pope, never
condemns works salvation, never condemns
Baptismal
Regeneration, etc. Benny Hinn
exploits the Gospel to make merchandise of his victims... 2nd Peter 2:3,
"And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise
of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation
slumbereth not."
Martin Luther, as do Lutherans today, are guilty
of the same hypocrisies. Martin Luther is renowned for his alleged
awakening that "the just shall live by faith"; YET, Luther clearly
taught Baptismal
Regeneration in his Catechism writings. In fact, Martin Luther
taught many damnable
heresies after his alleged salvation experience, even
Mary worship. Martin Luther is
sadly burning in Hell today! Ray Comfort speaks out of
both-sides-of-his-mouth, as do John MacArthur, Martin Luther, and others. All
these men claim salvation by faith alone in Jesus Christ; BUT then PERVERT
the Gospel by requiring people to either give up their sins, get baptized,
or surrender their life to Christ to be saved. It can't be both ways! Salvation is either by faith, or by works—not BOTH. Titus 3:5 plainly
states that salvation is NOT BY WORKS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS WHICH WE
HAVE DONE!
Ray Comfort's doctrine is flawed, and he needs to
reconsider what he is teaching people. You don't have to forsake your
sinful lifestyle to get saved; you forsake your sinful lifestyle because you
ARE SAVED. A sinner need only acknowledge to God that he is a GUILTY
sinner (Romans 3:19) who deserves the penalty of Hell (Romans 6:23;
Revelation 21:8), and believe (trust) on the Lord Jesus Christ to forgive
one's
sins (Acts 10:43; 16:30,31). You need a Savior and Acts 4:10-12 tells us His
name—Jesus Christ.
Please read,
Guilt verses Feelings in
Salvation, and, No Salvation Without
the Law.
Conclusion of the Matter
On Ray Comfort's website,
http://www.wayofthemaster.com,
under the drop-down-menu "Get Equipped," there's a link titled, Answers to
100 Common Questions. In this section you'll find Ray's heretical
answer to the question... "Is Repentance Necessary for Salvation?" The answers are directly from The Evidence Bible, which was compiled
and commented by Ray Comfort. This heresy also appears on Mr.
Comfort's other website at...
http://www.livingwaters.com/witnessingtool/browse.shtml.
Here is Ray's unbiblical answer to the
question...
Is
Repentance Necessary for Salvation? ...
We are dead in our
trespasses and sins (Ephesians 2:1) and until we
forsake them through repentance, we cannot be made alive in Christ.
My Oh my, that is horrible false doctrine! I didn't write this article to be unkind, but
to warn people about the dangers of Lordship Salvation. If Mr. Comfort would stand
true to his Statement of Faith on his website, then there would be no
problem, but he doesn't. Instead, he teaches lost sinners that
salvation is conditional upon forsaking the act of sin. But the Bible
teaches salvation is receiving, NOT giving (John 1:12; 4:10). Salvation
is not doing your best, it is having Christ's best put to your account
through receiving Him by faith. God will not save anyone who is trying to be
saved, He will only save those who are trusting to be saved. Eternal
life is a free gift (Romans 5:15; 6:23). There is a fine line between the
turning from sin that genuine repentance brings; verses the turning from
committing sin
that false prophets require for people to get saved. Ray Comfort is
putting the cart before the horse, as does pastors
John MacArthur
and Aiden W. Tozer.
Ray Comfort is condemned by his own words. The Bible is clear...
“But to him that worketh not, but believeth
on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for
righteousness.”
Beware of the
John MacArthur and his
Lordship
Salvation Club!
(Kirk Cameron's website sells the
MacArthur Study Bible!)
