28 December 2007
Paul Washer's Shocking Message - Is it true?
If you are concerned about anyones salvation, I think this message is worth watching and discussing. Paul Washer preaches to a youth evangelism conference from Matthew 7:13-27. Do you think the way he interprets it is true? Let me know in the survey on the left or leave a comment to this post.
2 Corinthians 13:5 NASB Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you--unless indeed you fail the test?
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Paul washer said, "The greatest heresy in the American evangelical and Protestant church is that if you pray and ask Jesus Christ to come into your heart, He will definitely come in."
ReplyDeleteCompare that with Revelation 3:20 "Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; therefore be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me." Jesus will not come in if there is no repentance infact he will spit unrepentant out of his mouth in the end! God, give me boldness to preach the truth!
This message needs to be preached everywhere. Here in America we live in a Disneyland of unreality. It's not a prayer we say but REPENTANCE and EVIDENCE that shows a changed life. It's not who we know, but Who knows us. It's only through REVIVAL or PERSECUTION that we will see change. Pray for REVIVAL! Let us have the heart of God for a lost and dieing world
ReplyDeleteThanks for making Paul’s message on Matthew 7 available. There certainly needs to be a stirring in the church community today. It’s not the tee shirts that make one a radical Christian. We live in a generation of easy believism for sure. We have lowered, often eliminated the Biblical truth of the importance of fruit as an evidence of salvation. The deeper questions might be, “what does it mean to confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus” and “what does it mean to believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead” (Romans 10:9, 10)? If any man be in Christ he is a new creation… old things have passed away (II Corinthians 5:17). We need His righteousness in us.
ReplyDeleteDennis Vaus
I am with Paul when it comes to being against an easy believism or cultural Christianity. The American church has embraced a seeker-sensitive, entertainment-driven, and compromising version of Christianity. Purpose-driven, Emergent, and others have weakened the church.
ReplyDeleteI am cautious, however, regarding his stance towards assurance in Christ and man's responsibility in the work of salvation. He seems to hold to a "process salvation," where a man is saved over time. Paul told the Philippian jailer, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved." We know that "a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law." So, while I can agree with much of his message, I am cautious regarding the more "reformed" portions of his theology and would also deliver the message with a much different tone.
The results are in for the poll question "Was Paul Washer telling the truth about the way to be saved?" Out of the 6 people who voted, 5 said "true" and 1 said "false". Not that we get to decide what's true and false by voting but it is interesting to get some different reactions from my blog readers.
ReplyDeleteFor the record, I was one of the "true" votes. I didn't hear the "process salvation" message here, he did acknowledge we are saved by faith in Jesus Christ not by works. But asked a deeper question. "how do you know you believe?" I agree with his interpretation that good works is the fruit of true faith, a changed life is fruit of true repentance (repentance means a changed mind). In other words, we are not saved by good works but we do good works because we are saved (Eph 2:8-10). The way to be saved is narrow, it's through genuine faith in Jesus Christ alone. He is the way, the truth and the life. The only way to the Father is through Jesus, NOT through repeating a prayer, NOT being in the right denomination.
Nate, thank you for cautioning us about his reformed portions of the message. I did not realize that He was a calvinist, but now I can recognise it in his opening prayer, based on the sovereignty of God. Much of this prayer is Biblical, God is sovereign but men also have free will to accept or reject God's grace.
ReplyDeleteI think the survey question was too general (completely true or completely false) but as with any teacher, commentator or missionary who is not perfect, we should chew up the meat and spit out the bones. The main thing I would like to emphasise is here is that the way to be saved is by grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone, not by works or by fruit. Works is not the way to be saved, but we are saved for good works (Eph 2:8-10), works is a result of saving faith. The fruit of love is the evidence of spiritual life (Gal 5)If someone claims to be a Christian but has no fruit of love for God or for fellowship then we should question the claim (1John). Show me your faith by your works (James).
Now I'm troubled. What if there's evidence of a change, but somewhere somehow the person who genuinely trusts in Jesus Christ commits mistakes along the way, does that negate the "evidence" requirement to "prove" that a person's faith is genuine?
ReplyDeleteIf a person is expected to live a "perfectly righteous" life after committing himself to Jesus Christ just to "prove" that his faith is genuine, doesn't that in effect NEGATE the very essence of Christ's sacrifice on the cross?
If man CANNOT save himself from sin by his own efforts, shouldn't it also follow that he can't MAINTAIN his salvation by HIS OWN EFFORTS?
Please clarify this, otherwise this dangerous tendency to generalize would send a lot of genuinely believing christians into doubting the very sacrifice of Christ on the cross.
I am deeply troubled. I have embraced my Christianity with so much joy and enthusiasm when I first began, knowing that Christ died for me; but with this controversy, I am now deeply troubled.
ReplyDeleteWhat if there's an indication of a change in the person's life, but somewhere somehow, the
person who genuinely committed his life to Christ commits mistakes along the way, would that cause him to be considered as to have
failed in the "evidence" requirement, because as stated above, it is needed to "prove" that his faith is genuine?
Wouldn't following that line of doctrine in effect NEGATE the very sacrifice of Christ on the cross?
If man CANNOT attain salvation by his own efforts, shouldn't it also follow that he cannot MAINTAIN it
by HIS OWN EFFORTS?
If a believer needs to do good works TO PROVE that his faith is genuine (because of fear that if his faith will not work it's not genuine), wouldn't that in effect be a works-based salvation instead of a faith-based salvation?
What about Paul's strong statement to the Galatians when he rebuked them for trying to complete in the flesh
what they (the Galatians) have begun in the Spirit (Galatians 3:3). Is Paul wrong then?
This thing should be clarified, otherwise, it would only cause "young" christians like me to stumble.
I am deeply troubled. I have embraced my Christianity with so much joy and enthusiasm when I first began, knowing that Christ died for me; but with this controversy, I am now deeply troubled.
ReplyDeleteWhat if there's an indication of a change in the person's life, but somewhere somehow, the person who genuinely committed his life to Christ commits mistakes along the way, would that cause him to be considered as to have failed in the "evidence" requirement, because as stated above, it is needed to "prove" that his faith is genuine?
Wouldn't following that line of doctrine in effect NEGATE the very sacrifice of Christ on the cross?
If man CANNOT attain salvation by his own efforts, shouldn't it also follow that he cannot MAINTAIN it by HIS OWN EFFORTS?
If a believer needs to do good works TO PROVE that his faith is genuine (because of fear that if his faith will not work it's not genuine), wouldn't that in effect be a works-based salvation instead of a faith-based salvation?
What about Paul's strong statement to the Galatians when he rebuked them for trying to complete in the flesh what they (the Galatians) have begun in the Spirit (Galatians 3:3). Is Paul wrong then?
This thing should be clarified, otherwise, it would only cause "young" christians like me to stumble.
Joshua and eblogger,
ReplyDeletesorry for the delay, it takes me a while to screen comments and reply. God knows whether your faith in genuine before there is any outward evidence. We have the example of Abraham in Genesis 15:6 He believed God and it was accounted for righteousness. This is quoted in Romans to prove justification by faith. Later when Abrahams faith was tested with Isaac, his works were evidence to all of his faith. At that point James teaches that saving faith will produce good works, but faith without works is dead. God knows the heart but man can only judge by the fruit.
You asked "do mistakes negate the 'evidence' requirement to 'prove' that a person's faith is genuine? If a person is expected to live a 'perfectly righteous' life..."
First, no one said we are expected to live perfectly righteous life. Second, we shouldn't minimize sin by calling them mistakes, 1 John teaches that we shouldn't sin but if we do, we can be forgiven if we confess them (1:9) and if we trust in Christ Christ(2:1).
1Jn 2:1 My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous;
There is a difference though, between stumbling into sin and willfully sinning as a life style. So John goes on to say,
1Jn 2:4 The one who says, "I have come to know Him," and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him;
1Jn 2:5 but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him:
1Jn 2:6 the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked.
So we are saved by faith not works, but works is the evidence that we have true faith and know we are saved. If you are walking in sin, you should be troubled until you repent. The only way we can overcome sin is by the Spirit (according to Galatians 3-5). This would not be works based salvation, it is still based on faith in the finished work of Christ.