Salvation Is All About Jesus, And Not About You

By David J. Stewart | May 2020

Philippians 3:9-11, “And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.”

       Many people get born-again at a young age, but then they read articles or hear sermons on the internet by Calvinists (aka, the heresy of 'Lordship Salvation'). Consequently, they get confused and turned around in their faith, becoming full of uncertainty and fear, wondering if they are really saved at all. Who are these wayward preachers “that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ” (Galatians 1:7b)?

Some of their names include: John MacArthur, Steve Pettit, Bob Jones University, Paul Washer, Ray Comfort, R.C. Sproul, Brian Derringer, Moody Bible Institute, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Chip Ingram, William Lane Craig, John Piper, Rick Warren, Joel Osteen, John Hagee, Chuck Norris, Beth Moore, Charles Stanley, Billy Graham, Franklin Graham, Steven Davey and countless more heretics who pervert the Gospel of free grace. These all in some way ADD to “the simplicity that is in Christ” (2nd Corinthians 11:3b), either by requiring a person to “turn away from sins” to be saved, or to “make full surrender,” or to “run the race faithfully,” and other junk theology that cannot produce the new birth in Christ Jesus! I lovingly say: RUN FROM THESE DEVILS IN THE PULPITS TODAY!!!

Our text Bible passage says in Philippians 3:9-11, “And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:” What a beautiful Scripture! When you first got saved (at a young age likely), you trusted Jesus alone. It was settled in your mind. That is how eternal life is supposed to work. It is a “free gift” (Romans 5:15, 16 and 18) that you simply received “by faith” (Galatians 3:26) in Christ's substitutionary death on the cross in your place. Jesus paid our sin debt on the cross—a debt that He did now owe. Jesus could have dropped that cross and went back to Heaven, and let us all die in our sins to burn in Hell forever, punished by a holy God for what we deserve!!! Thankfully, Jesus “who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2). JESUS PAID IT ALL!!!

Dear reader, salvation has nothing to do with you, except that you must wholly lean on Jesus' name! Acts 10:43, To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.” The only difference between a saved person and an unsaved person—is that a saved person has Jesus Christ, and an unsaved person doesn't! It's that simple. Salvation is all about Jesus, and not about you! That is where Calvinists get it all horribly wrong. Religion is man trying to reach God through human effort, but Christianity is God trying to reach man by the sacrifice of His only begotten Son on the cross. 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.

Kindly, I heard Dr. Steve Pettit (the new president of Bob Jones University since 2014) teach over 2,700 BJU students that they cannot merely say, “I got saved!” Dr. Pettit is very wrong!!! I got saved at age 13, period, end of story! The life I choose to live as a child of God is a second and separate decision. I should live for God, because I have been bought with a price. 1st Corinthians 6:20, “For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.” That “PRICE” is the precious blood of Jesus (1st Peter 1:18-19). The Bible calls this the believer's “REASONABLE SERVICE” (Romans 12:1a). This is not our MANDATORY SERVICE! We have a choice. God has given to us a freewill. If we choose not to live for Christ, our POSITION in Christ as His born-again child is 100% safe and forever secure, through the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ! My performance here on earth has absolutely NOTHING to do with God's PROMISE of salvation, that He gave me as a “free gift” (Romans 5:15, 16 and  18) when I was 13 years old. I am saved solely because of WHAT JESUS DID!!! Eternal life has NOTHING to do with WHAT I DO as a Christian! Salvation is receiving, not achieving!

What saith the Scripture? 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.” I love that Scripture passage! We are not saved by our OWN RIGHTEOUSNESS; but rather, we are saved by GOD'S RIGHTEOUSNESS, which is through faith alone in the death, burial and physical resurrection of Jesus Christ (1st Corinthians 15:1-4). Christ died on the cross to pay for your sins and mine dear friend. If you will simply take God at His Word as recorded in the Holy Bible, and receive Christ's sacrifice on the cross as payment for your sins; believing that He died in your place, was buried, and three days later raised up from the dead; you will be immediately, irrevocably and eternally saved!!!
 

Beware Of Deadly Calvinism (aka, Lordship Salvation)

So many people are confused about their salvation, and cannot find assurance of eternal life, because they have been lied to by a false teacher. The heresy of Lordship Salvation says it is not enough to put your faith in the Gospel (i.e., the 'Good News') to be saved. In addition, they say you must “faithfully run the race” to get the “award” of “Heaven” (Dr. Steve Pettit teaches this Calvinist garbage at Bob Jones University). In addition, they say you must “Live a lifestyle” of turning away from sins to be saved. (Evangelist Ray Comfort teaches this garbage theology). In addition, they say you must “make full surrender” to Christ (John MacArthur teaches this garbage). Pastor Harry A. Ironside (1876-1951) gets it absolutely 100% correct, and I love this man of God!!! ...

“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.” [emphasis added] —Harry A. Ironside, from the Gospel tract, 'Another Gospel'

Dr. Ironside further states:

“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.” [emphasis added]—Harry A. Ironside, from the sermon: 'What Is The Gospel?'

It is hard to believe that Dr. Ironside pastored the great Moody Church from 1930 to 1948. He went to Heaven in 1951, after suffering a heart-attack in New Zealand (he loved the place). I cannot help but wonder if Pastor Ironside caught a visionary glimpse of the further of Moody Church. That would be guaranteed to induce heart failure! Moody Church, Moody Radio and Moody Bible Institute are a hellhole of Calvinist apostasy today! The modern corrupt Bible revisions are transforming the churches from fundamentalism to Calvinism. Check out Mark 1:15 in the Easy-To-Read Version (ERV). Please stay away from the new Bible versions, they are all corrupted by the Devil!!! Only use the inspired King James Bible, which has stood the test of time since 1611.
 

Jesus Bore Our Sins On The Cross So We Wouldn't Have To

Calvinism (aka, Lordship Salvation) removes some of the burden from Christ on the cross, and it places it upon the sinner instead. Christ bore the full weight of our sins upon the cross of Calvary! JESUS PAID IT ALL, NOTHING TO HIM I OWE!!! Eternal life is a gift (Romans 6:23). Calvinists, like Dr. Steve Pettit at Bob Jones University, falsely teach that you cannot get to Heaven by a one time experience of getting born-again! In addition, he emphasis that you MUST PERSEVERE in holiness, ministry and serving others. Read what Dr. Steve Pettit horribly says:

“You can't just speak about getting saved, and you accepted Christ, and then that's it! There is a justification; There is a sanctification; There's ultimately a glorification, and though there are three parts, they are all part of the whole, and you cannot separate them. In order for you to qualify for the award, you have to get into the race, you have to stay in the race, and you have to finish the race. If you want to win, you have to run to the end; and winning in the Christian life is everything, because if you lose—if you don't finish—you lose everything—you lose your SOUL. And so, the Christian race is the life of faith that begins, is run, and is finished when we cross over into Heaven!” [emphasis added] —Dr. Steve Pettit (“What Does It Mean To Run 'The Race'?” - 11:34; 'The Daily Platform' #21)

BLASPHEMY!!! That is “another gospel” accursed by God (Galatians 1:6-9). The Bible defines “The Gospel” (or “Glad Tidings,” or “Good News”) as: Jesus' DIED on the cross for our sins, He was BURIED, and three days later He physically RESURRECTED from the dead (1st Corinthians 15:1-4). If you come to God as a needy sinner, receiving 'The Gospel' as payment for your sins, you will be immediately, irrevocably and forever saved. Salvation has nothing to do with you, it has everything to do with Jesus. That is why we are commanded in Matthew 6:33, “ But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” You need HIS (GOD'S) RIGHTEOUSNESS!!! You need God's robe of righteousness, not your own torn and tattered sinful rags of self-righteousness!!! Revelation 7:14b, “These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” We are saved by the precious blood of the lamb!!!

What saith the FALSE PROPHET, Mr. Pettit? ....

“God's people HAVE TO CONTINUE in the faith! They MUST PERSEVERE, because perseverance is the testimony of the reality of your faith!” [emphasis added] —Dr. Steve Pettit (“What Does It Mean To Run 'The Race'?” - 11:34; 'The Daily Platform' #21)

Dr. Pettit errantly defines “faith” for salvation, as living the Christian life...

“For the real reality of the genuineness of your faith is that you are faithful to run the race!” —Dr. Steve Pettit (“What Does It Mean To Run 'The Race'?” - 11:34; 'The Daily Platform' #21)

So if you don't serve Christ, you are not saved, according to Pettit. Dr. Steve Pettit is a dangerous false prophet concerning salvation. He gets the Gospel way wrong! What saith the Scripture? Hebrews 4:9-11, “There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his. Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.” This totally contradicts the junk theology of Steve Pettit. Whereas Pettit says you MUST PERSEVERE to run 'The Race' to be saved, the Bible plainly says we simply need to REST in the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross!!! To “REST” means you don't need to WORK!!! Romans 4:5-6, “But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works,” Shame on Bob Jones University and any BJU alumni who bid Godspeed to this wicked unsaved man!!! Jesus Christ paid it all through the cross, so we wouldn't have to in Hell.

The Tormenting Doctrines Of Lordship Salvation

1st Kings 18:17, “And it came to pass, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said unto him, Art thou he that troubleth Israel?”

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“Too many people let the failures of yesterday and the fears of tomorrow rob them of the joy of serving God today!” —quote from the sermon, 'STARTING OVER,' by Pastor Danny Castle

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