WesleyGospel Ministries

For over a year now, God has brought me on a theological journey into the mind of John Wesley, the Arminian evangelist and open air preacher of the 18th century Methodist revival. At this point, I have almost come to fully embrace every single point of his soteriology. The only point I differ with him on, is that I’m not convinced that “perfect love”, although mentioned in 1 John, is really what Wesley understood it to be. That it is possible for a godly Christian, in this life, after many years of striving with the world, the flesh, and devil, to reach a point of desperation, and cry out to God in prayer for the gift of perfection; and that, in response to such a prayer, the Holy Spirit can purify the heart and mind completely from all evil inclinations, sinful thoughts, and sinful tempers! And, in effect, to be completely purged from the sin nature, deliverance from original sin! Now, if such a thing is possible, a supernatural deliverance from the sinful psychological effects of original sin, surely this should be the most desired experience a Christian should want. I remain, however, to be fully convinced that such a “second blessing” is available, or whether this is purely from the imagination of Wesley. But, I am cautiously still holding it out as a possibility. I’m open to, but certainly not settled on, the doctrine of Christian perfection or “entire sanctification.” But I do know this, if it does exist, I certainly am not experiencing it now!

At first, God gave me a dream in July of 2011, of me holding the book The Way to Heaven: The Gospel According to John Wesley by Steve Harper. And I was going to bring this Gospel to a summer camp in the United Methodist Church. After I bought the book, and read it, in real life, I did further study on the soteriology of this great revivalist, starting with Thomas Oden’s John Wesley’s Scriptural Christianity, which I saw in Harper’s bibliography. After I read Oden’s book, which was much more thorough, and had extensive bibliographies all throughout it, I delved even deeper into John Wesley’s Sermons: An Anthology, and studied his three crucial sermons on salvation: “Salvation by Faith” (1738), “Justification by Faith” (1746), and “The Scripture Way of Salvation” (1765). It was here that I discovered just really how Scriptural the theology of Wesley was. Each of his sermons, if they were to be preached or read from the pulpit on a Sunday morning, were about 10 pages long; and had anywhere between 90-100 Bible verses quoted in each sermon! I learned that, based on these key sermons, which would have provided the intellectual basis for what he preached in the open air, he saw Romans 3-8 as the core of the Gospel message preached by the apostle Paul. He saw the doctrines of “justification and sanctification” as the two basic doctrines of salvation for evangelism, street preaching, or theology. And that any Calvinist-Arminian debating over Romans 9-11, and predestination or election, needs to be considered only through a calm, and even tempered spirit, and certainly not the focus of any evangelistic preaching.

After I had studied Wesley’s three major sermons on salvation, I moved on to learn about the Wesleyan “order of salvation” through Kenneth Collins’ Wesley on Salvation, The Scripture Way of Salvation, and Harald Lindström’s Wesley and Sanctification. These three books have solidified my vision of just what “the Gospel of Jesus Christ” is, how men are saved, and what the process of salvation looks like throughout the duration of the Christian life. The Gospel as doctrine AND experience are thoroughly explained, and differences with Reformed theology are highlighted: especially antinomian differences. Through this study, which was prompted by the dream from God, I have learned in just what “order” I should be preaching the doctrines of salvation in the street, in the pulpit, or anywhere I have opportunity to preach the Gospel:

1. Original Sin, and the Coming Judgment of Death and Hell
2. Repentance (Consciousness of Sin by Preaching the Moral Law)
3. Faith Imparted by Preaching the Cross
4. Justification (The Forgiveness of Sins)
5. Regeneration (The Desire to Live Holy)
6. Sanctification (Growing in Holiness)

The key to all of this is “preaching the doctrines of salvation in the street”: in open air preaching, on college campuses, at the court house, at the town square, downtown on the streets, at the state capitol, or any other such area that is public property, and available for public free speech. Before I had received the dream, I was meditating here and there about the weak soteriology in the modern open air preaching movement. And how most of the open air preachers today seem to be influenced by Charles Finney’s views on sanctification, and are only preaching “obey the commandments” or “go to Hell”! I just was getting tired of all this. Because to me, these men were not preaching the Gospel; they were only preaching the Law. So, eventually I started to receive revelation on the Gospel revivalists of the past: John Wesley, Jonathan Edwards, George Whitefield, Charles Finney, etc. But the dream concentrated my thought life mainly on Wesley for the time being, and now looking back, I am so glad that I delved into this preacher’s mind instead of the others. Not that I think Wesley was “right” and Edwards, Whitefield, and Finney were “wrong”. Its just that now I firmly think Wesley was a lot more careful, precise, and exacting in his Gospel theology and his philosophy of evangelizing the Gospel message. Which was predominantly through OPEN AIR PREACHING, and sending out circuit riders, who were well-versed Wesleyan Arminian OPEN AIR PREACHERS. At this point in my understanding, the 18th century METHODISTS are to be widely credited for the revival of OPEN AIR PREACHING in modern times.

But now for a word about George Whitefield. He was a close friend of Wesley during their days at Oxford University, and the “Holy Club” they had started together, which became the founding fellowship of the Methodist Church. It was actually Whitefield who persuaded Wesley to do open air preaching. Whitefield was the first to do it. But on a theological level, Whitefield turned away from Wesley’s Arminian views on predestination and election, and eventually parted company with him. Whitefield became a “Calvinistic Methodist”–the first “Calminian” if there ever was one. He became much more of a John Bunyan preacher (Calvinist Puritan) than a John Wesley preacher (Arminian Methodist). Whitefield joined forces with Jonathan Edwards over in colonial America, and became renowned as the “torch of the Great Awakening.” Since then, Whitefield’s and Edwards’ revival success have given credit to Calvinism as the “true Gospel”, whereas Wesley and his Arminian Gospel are “no gospel at all”! On the other hand, lets not forget the Methodist revival over there in England! It was exactly the same kind of revival as the Great Awakening over here in America. And it was ARMINIAN! This should bring us some pause. Whether you are a Calvinist open air preacher or an Arminian open air preacher, you can still get the same results as Whitefield (Calvinist) and Wesley (Arminian) did in their revivals. The truth lies in where they agree: repentance, faith in the cross, forgiveness of sins, and holy living (all of which are in Romans 3-8, and other Scriptures). REVIVALS happened around the preaching of this GOSPEL! This is the GOSPEL! Its when preachers get into debating about foreknowledge, predestination, election, grace, and free will, around Romans 9-11–that’s when revivals stop! Don’t debate Calvinism-Arminianism! That doesn’t cause revival! PREACH THE GOSPEL (ROMANS 3-8)–THAT CAUSES REVIVAL! Charles Finney would back me up on this (see Lectures on Revivals of Religion, “How to Preach the Gospel”).

Whether you are a Whitefieldian open air preacher or a Wesleyan open air preacher, I pray that you would study books about these men, very much, if you intend on doing any open air preaching! These are THE FATHERS OF OPEN AIR PREACHERS! How can we presume to do this complicated work by our own wisdom, and not regard the wisdom, and the evangelistic success that God gave these men from the past? Not to mention Francis Asbury, who laid the foundations of the Methodist Church in colonial America through open air preaching! On a final note, it is interesting that in my study of the soteriology of John Wesley–entirely with the INTENTION OF USING WHAT I LEARN FOR OPEN AIR PREACHING–I have come across some theology books on Wesley or Whitefield, that actually have pictures of these men OPEN AIR PREACHING on the front covers of the books! What does that tell you!? That there is a logic, a theology, and certain revealed doctrinal approach to open air preaching. And it would do well for OPEN AIR PREACHERS to delve into these issues, to be strategic, and logical, and try to figure out how best they can fulfill the Great Commission for this generation:

“And He said to them, ‘Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will follow those who believe: In My Name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover'” (Mark 16:15-19, NKJV).

and…

“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matt. 28:19-20, NKJV).

WESLEY and WHITEFIELD SOTERIOLOGY BOOKS WITH OPEN AIR PREACHING PICTURES ON THE FRONT COVERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

See also: “An Arminian Response to Charles Spurgeon’s ‘A Defense of Calvinism'”

A friend gave me a copy of the DVD set Amazing Grace: The History and Theology of Calvinism (2004), in order that I might be better educated about various Calvinistic perspectives. Being a Wesleyan-Arminian who has consistently come up against modern antinomian Calvinists, I admittedly have developed a prejudice against all Calvinists, that only by the grace of God, I will hope to be progressively delivered. My experience with some Calvinistic Baptists has almost always been negative, using “once saved, always saved” as an excuse to live in total sin and carnality all the days of their lives. But then again, there are the Paul Washers, and people like this who believe in lordship salvation, and Calvinistic, Puritan holiness. Which is something I’ve caught wind of, but have never really experienced very much of in my life. It was for this reason that my friend gave me this DVD, to balance me out a little bit, so I won’t think that all Calvinists are just demon possessed.

DISC 1: CALVINISM vs. ARMINIANISM

“Calvin’s teaching is the true teaching of Christ, Paul,…Calvin’s theology is the true exposition of Scripture” (1:07:37), declares Dr. Kenneth G. Talbot. This quote sets the tone for Disc 1. It is to prove that Calvinism is the true view of salvation; and that Arminianism is a false doctrine, a heresy, that was so out of line with the Protestant Reformers to be considered “out of Hell the Pelagian error” (2:39:26). George Whitefield is quoted as saying, “The Arminian gospel is no gospel at all.” The attack on Arminian soteriology is long, thorough, and takes hours. This is seen as a fundamental necessity for preaching Calvinism. Calvinism is the true Biblical understanding of salvation, the DVD argues, and so it stands to reason, Arminianism must be a heretical doctrine. The motive for all of this is THE GLORY OF GOD. The Calvinistic system argues that Arminianism, with its emphasis on man’s responsibility to live holy and keep his faith alive, is actually a religion of works-righteousness, self-righteousness, and nothing more than Pelagianism. Arminianism is a religion of PRIDE. Calvinism is a religion of HUMILITY.

Who is defining these words?

They seem to change throughout the DVD.

I will give my definitions. Then I would relay the reader to look up theology dictionaries, multiple times, just to confirm the words’ definitions are not changed or altered throughout the discussion.

Pelagianism – The belief that man has the will power of himself to live the Christian life, and perform all the moral commandments of God perfectly on his own strength.

Synergism – The belief that the Holy Spirit draws men to faith and obedience to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, influences them, broods over them, and helps them to choose the right way of the Christian life; yet that energy and power of God completely allows for fallen, dead, sinful wretched men, to resist the Holy Spirit, and reject the Gospel, if they so choose. Man’s ability to choose the Gospel now, and later, here a little, there a little, is always present, with the sovereign help, and influence of the Holy Spirit’s presence in their life. Man is totally responsible for his present relationship with God, because the Holy Spirit is always there reaching out His hand of divine help.

Monergism – The belief that men are dead in sin, and so, the only way they can live the Christian life, is if the Holy Spirit chooses to come into them; regenerate them, and give them power to be a Christian. The Christian does not have a free will, or any ability to choose good or evil; he is simply the regenerated, resurrected product of the Holy Spirit coming into him.

I noticed throughout the DVD, that Arminianism was not explained in Synergistic terms at all (or at least not for very long). It was explained in Pelagian terms almost exclusively; one time, the host mocks Arminians as if in a graceless, Spirit-less state, completely dead, trying to preach resurrection to a graceless, Spirit-less graveyard. But that is the PELAGIAN picture! Not the Synergist-Arminian picture! This message is all throughout the DVD: PELAGIANISM = ARMINIANISM. So, so wrong! [Not to mention, John Wesley is never mentioned in Disc 1; but in Disc 2 is called “the great Arminian evangelist!” (27:13).] Whenever the Arminian view was taught and explained, it was to show how prideful that religion must be, to claim that man’s repentance and man’s faith in the cross would give him reason to boast, in contradiction to Ephesians 2:9. But the godly Arminian does not pride himself for anything! For even the power of repentance and faith is a gift, that must be granted to him (2 Tim. 2:25); and on top of that I boast in nothing but the cross of Christ (Gal. 6:14), showing how much I trust in Jesus, and not myself!

I learned that there are different kinds of Calvinists and different kinds of Arminians. But this DVD lumps them into two camps. We have to remember that the wheat and tares have been sown together (Matt. 13:25). There are saved and unsaved Calvinists; and saved and unsaved Arminians. This should have affected the judgments of the DVD host. But it did not. An unsaved Calvinist will use his theology to justify carnality and not practice evangelism. An unsaved Arminian will use his theology to be a Pelagian, and puff himself up with his religious works and pride; and maybe even use the universal atonement viewpoint for justifying a belief in universalism! So, you can imagine the dynamics going on here. Saved and unsaved, confusion, and clarity, spreading throughout the Calvinist-Arminian debate. Wow! It just makes me want to stop arguing, and say, “Without holiness no one will see the Lord” (Heb. 12:14). In the end, that’s what’s going to pass the fiery test of God on Judgment Day; not any philosophical opinions about grace and free will.

Romans 9: the contested chapter on PREDESTINATION AND ELECTION. The DVD makes God out to show favoritism, saying, “Nowhere is man even given a scintilla of responsibility for his election” (1:48:46). I disagree: “My brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall” (2 Pet. 1:10). It would be utter nonsense for Peter to be commanding the Christian brothers to make their election sure, if as the DVD argues, man has no “responsibility for his election”! Dr. R. C. Sproul argues that Romans 9:14 anticipates an objection to Calvinistic election: “What then shall we say? Is God unjust? Not at all!” But this quote doesn’t mean Paul was anticipating an objection to Calvinism, as if it were Biblical. John Wesley–the Arminian preacher–said in his Notes Upon the New Testament, that God has fixed terms of repentance and faith for men to be saved. If they use the grace that God has given them, with the power of the Holy Spirit, and repent and believe, like they are told to, then God will “have mercy on whom He will have mercy”! (Rom. 9:15). Namely, on those who accept the New Covenant by repentance and faith! A pagan moralist may think this is unjust for “those who have never heard the Gospel,” but who are they to question the mysterious wisdom of God? What if all men are given a chance? But so many resist the workings of conscience, and so, never reach the point of hearing the Gospel: which is the voice of Conscience itself. And what pride can there be in this?: In pleading for the sheer grace and mercy of God to save our wretched Arminian souls?!

MORAL GOVERNMENT / MORAL INFLUENCE THEORY is the doctrine that Jesus died on the cross to suffer as a moral example for Christians to follow; but not as a sacrifice for our sins. This is portrayed as “the Arminian view” of the CROSS! (2:31:01). There are some Arminian liberals who probably believe this; but this was certainly not the classic Methodist or Wesleyan-Arminian view (or anything you will find in books by Schmul Publishing or Francis Asbury Press). Wesley saw the cross the same way that Calvinist Puritans do: PENAL SUBSTITUTION: SATISFACTION OF THE WRATH OF GOD (see Kenneth Collins’ The Scripture Way of Salvation: The Heart of John Wesley’s Theology, pp. 84-86). This is why Wesley said, “I think on justification just as I have done any time these seven and twenty years; and just as Mr. Calvin does. In this respect, I do not differ from him an hair’s breadth” (Rev. John Wesley’s Journal, May 14, 1765).

PERSEVERANCE OF THE SAINTS or “Once Saved, Always Saved” in Calvinism is the belief that it is impossible for a truly saved Christian to lose his faith, holiness, and salvation. The warning passages in Hebrews are usually interpreted as a warning of God’s discipline in this life; but certainly not a warning to saved Christians about going to Hell in the afterlife. The Arminians feel this is a hazardous doctrine that encourages passivity; and discourages holiness. But the REFORMED CALVINIST (Lordship Salvation) replies: “Ah, ah. Not all Calvinists believe in the license to sin. We know that Zane Hodges’ Absolutely Free! is an antinomian heresy. But the Whitefields, Edwardses, Spurgeons, and Bunyans all required holiness of Calvinists, or they were never saved in the first place.” John Gill is quoted in his commentary for teaching that Jesus died for our past, present, and future sins. So, don’t worry, you’re secure in Christ. But remember now, says Wesley and the Arminians: “We are to have ‘faith in His blood, to declare His righteousness for the remission of sins that are past’” (Rom. 3:25, KJV). SINS THAT ARE PRESENT? SINS FUTURE? The Bible seems to remain silent about the remission of sins that are present and future, but the Calvinist preachers will not remain so silent. To me, as an Arminian, the only remedy for present sins, or potential future ones, is freshly repenting after I sin those sins, and confess those sins, and know then that God will forgive me when I repent, and maintain that clear conscience relationship with Him. To me, this is what it means to live “in holiness and righteousness before Him all the days of our life” (Luke 1:75, NKJV). And this is not a cross-less, or blood-less repentance either: every time I repent, and confess sin, I am also looking again to the cross for atonement from a fresh wrath of God at a freshly committed sin–however, God is still my Father.

DISC 2: CALVINIST EVANGELISM

I liked this disc a lot better. Although preaching the Gospel seems to be logically contradictory to the doctrine of Calvinist predestination–they reply, “It does not matter. Christ commands the Great Commission. We don’t know who the elect will be; only God knows. It remains our responsibility to go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature (Mark 16:15).” (02:18). Arminian evangelism is again construed through pride: “If we don’t preach the Gospel, who will? God must need us!” (04:10). On the contrary, Christ as an apparition appeared to Paul on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:3). God doesn’t need human missionaries; He just commands them; and it should be our pleasure to obey. George Whitefield and William Carey are referred to as Calvinistic missionaries; so, it proves that Calvinists don’t have to be unevangelistic and stuck in their church buildings. It has been done before! Finally: preach the law, the cross, and “repent and believe!,” and be ready to use apologetics to defend the faith.

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EXTRACTS ON LORDSHIP SALVATION (JOHN MACARTHUR, ETC)

“In 1988 John F. MacArthur, Jr published the first edition of The Gospel According to Jesus^[8]. By defining salvation by what it produces and what salvation will not fail to produce–namely, not only glorification, but good works, repentance, faith, sanctification, yieldedness, and obedience^[9], the book in its sales not only heavily spread the extent of the debate, but the debate expanded in scope, from questions about conversion issues, to questions about what is also necessary, and who it is who does what, throughout the Christian life. Using surrender language in the Gospel^[10] became not the only issue…

“Free Grace theology became an umbrella term for a variety of opposing or contrasting positions, sometimes arguing that lordship salvation was legalistic, sometimes more opposed to it than that, for example, faulting it about not being specific about what degree, quality, and current visibility there must be to the obedience necessary^[11]…

“The controversy moved to the forefront of the evangelical world in the late 1980s when John F. MacArthur argued that the one-third of all Americans who claimed to be born again according to a 1980 Gallup poll reflected millions who are deceived, possessing a false, soul-destroying assurance ^[17]…

“There was lots of published response, particularly from seminary faculty. For example, an early review of the 1988 edition of The Gospel According to Jesus appeared in a Jan-Mar 1989 Bibliotheca Sacra article by Darrell L Bock^[18]. Also in 1989, Charles Ryrie published So Great Salvation and Zane C. Hodges published Absolutely Free! A Biblical Reply to Lordship Salvation…

“While the concept of ‘free grace’ dates to the 17th century or before, ‘Free Grace’ became the popular term for the opposing camp in the lordship salvation debate, and for the ideas against lordship salvation by authors such as Charles Ryrie, Chuck Swindoll, Charles Stanley, Norman Geisler, and Bill Bright” (“Lordship Salvation Controversy,” Wikipedia).

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From John MacArthur’s “A 15-Year Retrospective on the Lordship Controversy”:

“Where you land on the lordship question will also have far-reaching implications for your views on assurance, faith, repentance, eternal rewards, human depravity, the role of the moral law, and a host of other crucial doctrines. Almost no aspect of soteriology is left untainted by the errors of no-lordship doctrine.

“So this is still a vital issue and one pastors can ill afford to ignore. If you are the least bit undecided about where you stand in the lordship debate, you need to study the issue carefully and come to solid biblical conclusions about it. Here are some books we recommend, beyond The Gospel According to Jesus(Zondervan, 1988) and The Gospel According to the Apostles(Word, 1993):

• Belcher, Richard P. A Layman’s Guide to the Lordship Controversy. Southbridge, MA: Crowne, 1990.
• Boice, James M. Christ’s Call to Discipleship. Chicago: Moody, 1986.
• Chantry, Walter. Today’s Gospel: Authentic or Synthetic? Edinburgh: Banner of Truth, 1970.
• Chrisope, T. Alan. Jesus Is Lord. Welwyn, Hertfordshire: Evangelical Press, 1982.
• Crenshaw, Curtis I. Lordship Salvation: The Only Kind There Is! Memphis: Footstool, 1994.
• Gentry, Kenneth L. Lord of the Saved: Getting to the Heart of the Lordship Debate. Phillipsburg, NJ: Presbyterian & Reformed, 1992.
• Hoekema, Anthony A. Saved by Grace. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1989.
• Kuiper, R. B. God Centered Evangelism. Edinburgh: Banner of Truth, 1961.
• Lescelius, Robert. Lordship Salvation: Some Crucial Questions and Answers. Asheville, NC: Revival Literature, 1992.
• Reisinger, Ernest C. Lord & Christ. Phillipsburg, NJ: Presbyterian & Reformed, 1994.
• ___________________. Today’s Evangelism: It’s Message and Methods. Phillipsburg, NJ: Craig, 1982.
• Tozer, A. W. I Call It Heresy! Harrisburg, PA: Christian Publications, 1974.

Please note that our recommendation of these books does not necessarily constitute an endorsement of everything by all of these authors.”

DEATH

1. Death is God’s punishment for sin. Adam ate the forbidden fruit: “you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die” (Gen. 2:17); “sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned” (Rom. 5:12).
2. At death, the soul is immediately sent to either Heaven or Hell (see Luke 16:19-31).

JUDGMENT

1. God’s act of sending a departed soul is a judgment: “it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment” (Heb. 9:27, KJV).—PARTICULAR JUDGMENT
2. There will also be a Day of Judgment, when all men will give an account of their lives to God (see Rev. 20:11-15).—GENERAL JUDGMENT

HELL

1. Hell is a place of eternal punishment for the wicked after they die; in the center of the Earth, in the spirit world (Ezek. 26:20); and will be finalized by the Lake of Fire after Judgment Day (see Rev. 14:10-11, NKJV; 20:15). Hell, according to Luke 16:19-31, consists of torment, seeing saints far away in Paradise, crying for relief, parched, dry, thirsty, burning in fire, agony, knowing that you cannot go to Heaven because of the chasm, and worry for loved ones alive on earth that they too might come to Hell.
2. The Lake of Fire is forever and ever: “these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal” (Matt. 25:46, KJV).

HEAVEN

1. Heaven is a place of eternal bliss for the righteous after they die; in the Third Heaven above the stars, in the spirit world (2 Cor. 12:2); and no longer Abraham’s Bosom; it consists of the holy city New Jerusalem with gates, high walls, and angels guarding them, the throne of God, no tears, no death, no crying, no pain, fresh water to drink, no wicked men, there are angels, mountains, the glory of God, precious stones of many colors, gold is abundant, the New Jerusalem is laid out like a square golden city, there is a main street that goes through it—like see-through glass but golden, there is no sun or moon because the city is illuminated by the light of Jesus, and so, there is no night time either, a river of crystal clear water goes down the middle of the main street, and the Tree of Life from the Garden of Eden bearing twelve kinds of fruit, the white-robed saints of the ages will regularly see the face of God (see Rev. 21-22).
2. Heaven is temporary until Judgment Day; followed by the creation of a new heavens and a new Earth (Isa. 65:17).

I dreamed that I was trying to make a loved one understand how churches at large, and their pastors, are not preaching the Gospel. How this presents a real challenge to me finding honest employment with a church. The person did not understand; the person rolled the eyes; shook the head; and exclaimed, “Why are you so difficult! It’s not really as bad as you say!” I said, “I would have to become lukewarm, lose my faith, my ethics, and go to Hell–in order to maintain a good solid pastor’s career in most of today’s churches.” The person didn’t understand; and wouldn’t hear any of it; nor want to understand what I was talking about: “the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear” (2 Timothy 4:3).

The Judge of all men is also the same person as the Savior of all men: Jesus Christ. The fall of man, the sinfulness of sin, the corruption of the human race, and transgression of God’s law are all clear. “In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now He commands all people everywhere to repent. For He has set a day when He will judge the world with justice by the Man He has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising Him from the dead” (Acts 17:30-31)—this Man who will judge the world with justice is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ. To “repent” means to change your heart, and manner of life, to turn away from wickedness, and onto the path of righteousness.

Some preachers say that it is impossible for a man to do this! Sad lot! They say that man is so corrupt and sinful that he is unable to repent, even all the while: God “commands all people everywhere to repent”! (Acts 17:30). Some of these people (though not all) call themselves Calvinists. They say, “God’s Spirit forces them to repent if they are to be saved, and this will all happen in good time; so it is not for preachers to preach the commandment of repenting.” But can I respectfully say this sounds silly? The conscience is a gift from the Holy Spirit: “the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world” (John 1:9, NKJV); and that which was perfectly manifested in the person of Jesus. “‘Do not I fill Heaven and Earth?’ declares the Lord” (Jer. 23:24). The Holy Spirit is omnipresent, all-present, everywhere; drawing all men to Christ by the conscience He has enlightened them with, so that “when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves” (Rom. 2:14). But “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23); and no one can keep the law perfectly, even if all they are working with is the conscience they have been given. It is for this reason that Christ said of His dying on the cross: “I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself” (John 12:32).

“Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ” (Gal. 3:24). But when the man with the sensitive conscience comes to Christ, he will hear Him say, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6). That is, you cannot come to a right relationship with God through any other faith: not through Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, Taoism, Judaism, or any cult. Why? Because they do not have atonement. Only the death of Christ, the Messiah prophesied through the Old Testament (Isa. 53; Ps. 22)—only His death on the cross atoned for the sins of the world, the transgressions of the law. This is why no one comes to the Father except through Jesus. “He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world” (1 John 2:2). And “whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned” (Mark 16:16). “He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him” (John 3:36, NKJV).

What exactly is “atonement”? In order for us to understand this fully, and to apply it to our lives by faith in it, let us define some terms:

Atonement – To become “at one,” or in union with, or reconciled to a right relationship with God. Formerly there was a breach or separation in this relationship because of the guilt of sin; but now, with the coming of Christ as the only Mediator between God and man (1 Tim. 2:5), dying for man’s sins, through faith only in this, is the breach healed, and a right relationship to God restored and reconciled. To preach this Gospel message is called “the ministry of reconciliation” (2 Cor. 5:18). Those who continue in this faith are considered “saved” from the wrath of God, and from an eternal punishment in Hell fire (Rom. 5:9).

Propitiation – To appease the wrath, and calm down the anger of someone; and in turn, make them turn to you with a favorable attitude. In our understanding of the atonement, Christ died on the cross and shed His blood to appease the justice and wrath of God at our sins, so that He might turn favorably to us with the love He has for all men, while at the same time maintaining all His holiness and righteousness: “In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins” (1 John 4:10, NKJV). The NIV says “atoning sacrifice” instead of propitiation.

Expiation – To make amends for one’s crimes; to repair the damage that has been done to another. In relation to the atonement, we lost and guilty sinners, are to make amends for our sins against an eternally holy God through one way only: FAITH that Jesus’ death on the cross is sufficient to save us from God’s wrath (Rom. 5:9), provided that we repent from sin, and go and try to sin no more throughout the course of our Christian life (John 8:11). “We are accounted righteous before God, only for the merit of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ by faith, and not for our own works or deservings.”[2] There are no other good works that can be done to appease the wrath of God: only faith in the blood of Jesus will do. Although God requires Christians to live a holy and righteous life, and try to keep the commandments out of obedience and love—this is all too imperfect, and is certainly not good enough to appease God’s wrath. “Good works, which are the fruits of faith, and follow after justification, cannot put away our sins, and endure the severity of God’s judgment.”[3] ONLY FAITH in the shed blood, and death of Christ, will calm down the righteous anger of God at you (Rom. 3:25; Eph. 2:8-9).

Why is this necessary? I don’t think I will ever understand the full meaning of the revelation on the death of Christ. But I know this: I am a sinner and God is holy. God was angry at me till I repented of my wicked ways, and believed Jesus died on the cross for my sins. If Christ had not stepped in to receive the punishment I deserve for my sins, I should deserve to be punished eternally in Hell fire; for the wrath of God would abide eternally on my immortal soul. Just as animals such as bulls, sheep, and goats were burned on the altar in the Old Testament as sin offerings (Lev. 4:29-31)—so I would have to be burned forever in the lake of fire and brimstone, and the smoke of my torment would rightly have to ascend forever and ever, into the nostrils of God Almighty (Rev. 14:9-11).

In Hell there is no forgiveness of sins, because the wrath of God abides eternally on those immortal souls who chose not to believe the Son of God died on the cross for their sins. They had their chance to live by faith; and stand justified before God; but they gave up on faith and chose to live in sin, and their guilt remained, and they died in their sins and remained that way till now, and will, forever and ever. “It is the blood by reason of the life that makes atonement” (Lev. 17:11, NASB). If the life-blood of God, Jesus Christ, is not applied to your life by faith in it—how can there be anything except the wrath of God abiding on you? You are too wicked; your life is just one enormous sin. Your sins mount up to Heaven, as a stinking garbage heap of refuse, ready to be burned in the fire of Hell!

“The Avenger of Blood” is after you, sinner! (Deut. 19:12). The Father has seen that His Son has been killed; and He is urgent to exact revenge upon the ungodly: all who will not believe, and all who mock Christ, and in spirit, join with those wicked ones who crucified Him. Choose you this day (Josh. 24:15)—to serve God or satan; to live in sin, or to have faith in the blood of Christ turning away His Father’s wrath at you, and pursuing God in a life of righteousness, and obedience, yea, an imperfect obedience to His law, but still growing; and a holy submission to Christ, not only as your Savior from Hell, but as your Lord, King, and Governor, and law giver in this life. Not only did Christ come to save you from Hell in the afterlife, but also from sin in your present life. It is for these two reasons that “we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace” (Eph. 1:7).

The blood, the gore, and the death of Christ—like the animal sacrifices of the Old Testament—has been commanded and ordained by God to show to men the consequences of their sins: how horrible they are—that either an innocent animal or the innocent Christ would have to suffer on your behalf, because the cost of the sin-guilt is too high for any man to pay back to satisfy God’s justice. And also, to show man the WRATH that God has for sin: how angry He must be—that when reconciliation with man is to be made; it must only be done by means of extreme violence to a pure and innocent being. As if to reverse the violence and offense that man has done in sinning against the only pure and innocent God.

And note: faith in Christ’s blood only appeases God’s wrath for “the remission of sins that are past” (Rom. 3:23, KJV). The blood of Christ does not atone for presently committed or future sins; there is no way you can cheapen God’s grace, and somehow avoid holy living; God sees what you are doing. The blood only applies to sins you have committed in the past. Jesus did not die on the cross for your “past, present, and future sins”—as some people say. Only for “the remission of sins that are past.” This requires us to maintain a clear conscience before God; and to live “in holiness and righteousness before Him, all the days of our life” (Luke 1:75, KJV). “But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One” (1 John 2:1). And if, as Christians trying to live for God, after we give into a temptation, and sin, if “we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). “After we have received the Holy Ghost, we may depart from grace given, and fall into sin, and by the grace of God we may arise again, and amend our lives.”[4]

And so, although Christians are called to live in holiness and righteousness, when we fall into sin, for that is probably going to happen: we can return with the eyes of faith to the cross of Christ, and receive atonement again for our freshly committed sins; and once again, return to the war against evil within our hearts and lives. This is possible because His death was “offered for all time one sacrifice for sins” (Heb. 10:12). “Christ died for sins once for all, the Righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God” (1 Pet. 3:18). His death stands as a perpetual atonement that we can return to again and again for our sins; so that in faith, in prayer, and in life, we may continue to walk in spiritual peace with God.

Only after the extreme violence done to Christ on the cross was expressed by the devil’s workers, under the administration and direction of God, can peace with God, and forgiveness of sins result upon confession of faith in this. We have “peace through His blood, shed on the cross” (Col. 1:20). Only in Christ’s death can we stand boldly before the Throne of Grace (Heb. 4:16); only in this has God’s revenge against Christians’ sins been completed: “it is finished” (John 19:30). Only in this can sinners receive His forgiveness, and come to God by a true and living spiritual friendship. And be like the founder of the faith: “‘Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,’ and he was called God’s friend” (Jas. 2:23). We must be careful to examine our lives; and to remember what Christ has done for us, and continues to offer us, on the cross; it is for this reason that we take the Lord’s Supper: “In the same way, after supper He took the cup, saying, ‘This cup is the New Covenant in My blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of Me.’ For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes” (1 Cor. 11:25-26).

This section from “In Christ Alone” by Stuart Townend, seems fitting:

In Christ alone who took on flesh
Fullness of God in helpless babe
This gift of love and righteousness
Scorned by the ones He came to save:
Till on that cross as Jesus died,
The wrath of God was satisfied
For every sin on Him was laid;
Here in the death of Christ I live.

And the prophecy of Isaiah, from around 712 B.C.:

He was wounded for our transgressions,
He was bruised for our iniquities;
The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,
And by His stripes we are healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray;
We have turned, every one, to his own way;
And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all…
It pleased the Lord to bruise Him;
He has put Him to grief.
When You make His soul an offering for sin…
By His knowledge My Righteous Servant shall justify many,
For He shall bear their iniquities…
He poured out His soul unto death,
And He was numbered with the transgressors,
And He bore the sin of many,
And made intercession for the transgressors.
                                                 (Isa. 53:5-6, 10-12, NKJV)

For the full original article, click here.

Question: “You have advised me to find a ‘Gospel preaching church.’ How do I know that a church is preaching the Gospel?”

Answer: This is a very important and serious question. Obviously, no one can provide a foolproof measuring stick for evaluating churches and their preaching. There are many important issues for determining the faithfulness of a local church to its Scriptural obligations. I can only suggest several very crucial characteristics that I believe one should look for in a church. Historically, the Protestant view of the marks of a true church were: 1) preaches the Gospel of Jesus Christ; 2) administers the biblical sacraments (baptism & Lord’s Supper); 3) practices Biblical discipline. Because of time and the question at hand, I will focus on the first one. This does not mean the last two are not very important. I will write on these later. But, for this space we will look at preaching the Gospel as the first mark of a true church.
…
It is the truth that makes the Church. The Gospel is the bare minimum of what determines a faithful church. I am not so concerned whether the church has a Boy Scout troop, a dynamic, interactive Sunday School curriculum, a quality contemporary pre-service warm-up band, the top speakers in the Evangelical circles, a Promise Keepers men’s group, or a gymnasium for youth sports. Honestly, these are not only peripheral things, some are fads which are not much more than blips on the radar screen of church history. The Church has survived every known weapon of Satan through two thousand years, and for most of its existence, the Church has survived without any of the above. But, take away the Gospel, and the Church is dead where it stands. “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but are mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds” (2 Corinthians 10:4). May we hold to the one thing that will never fail or fall–our gracious Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. The Church that pours its energy into exalting Christ and telling the world about His grace is a good place to make one’s home.

To read the original article, click here.

The “seeker-friendly,” or “seeker-sensitive,” movement currently taking a host of evangelical churches by storm is an approach to evangelizing through application of the latest marketing techniques. Typically, it begins with a survey of the lost (referred to by a leading church in this trend as the “unchurched,” or “unchurched Harry and Mary”). This survey questions the unchurched about the things their nearby place of worship might offer that would motivate them to attend. Results of the questionnaire indicate areas of potential changes in the church’s operations and services that would be effective in order to attract the unchurched, keep them attending, and win them to Christ. Those who have developed this marketing approach guarantee the growth of the churches that conscientiously follow their proven methods. Practically speaking, it works!

Two churches are seen as models for this movement: Willow Creek Community Church (near Chicago), pastored by Bill Hybels, and Saddleback Valley Community Church (south of Los Angeles), pastored by Rick Warren. Their influence is stunning. Willow Creek has formed its own association of churches, with 9,500 members. Last year, 100,000 church leaders attended at least one Willow Creek leadership conference. More than 250,000 pastors and church leaders from over 125 countries have attended Rick Warren’s Purpose Driven Church seminars. More than 60,000 pastors subscribe to his weekly email newsletter.

We visited Willow Creek Community Church not too long ago, and it seems to have spared no expense in its mission to attract the masses. Looking past the swans gliding across a mirror lake, one sees what could be mistaken for a corporate headquarters or a very upscale shopping mall. Just off the sanctuary is a large bookstore and an extensive eating area supplied by a food court with five different vendors. A jumbotron screen allows an overflow crowd or those enjoying a meal to view the proceedings in the main sanctuary. The sanctuary itself is spacious and high tech, complete with three large screens and state-of-the-art sound and lighting systems for multimedia, drama, and musical presentations.

While impressive, Willow Creek is not unique among mega-churches with a reach-the-lost-through-whatever-turns-them-on mindset. Mega-churches across the country have added bowling alleys, NBA regulation basketball courts with bleachers, exercise gyms and spas, locker rooms, auditoriums for concerts and dramatic productions, and Starbucks and McDonald’s franchises—all for the furtherance of the “gospel.” Or so it is claimed. Although it’s true that such churches are packing them in, that’s not the whole story in evaluating the success of this latest trend in “doing church.”

The stated goal of seeker-friendly churches is reaching the lost. Though Biblical and praiseworthy, the same cannot be said for the methods used in attempting to achieve that goal. Let’s begin with marketing as a tactic for reaching the lost. Fundamentally, marketing has to do with profiling consumers, ascertaining what their “felt needs” are, and then fashioning one’s product (or its image) to appeal to the targeted customer’s desires. The hoped-for result is that the consumer buys or “buys into” the product. George Barna, whom Christianity Today calls “the church’s guru of growth,” claims that such an approach is essential for the church in our market-driven society. Evangelical church-growth leaders are adamant that the marketing approach can be applied–and they have employed it–without compromising the Gospel. Really?

First of all, the Gospel and, more significantly, the person of Jesus Christ do not fit into any marketing strategy. They are not “products” to be “sold.” They cannot be refashioned or image-adjusted to appeal to the felt needs of our consumer-happy culture. Any attempt to do so compromises to some degree the truth of who Christ is and what He has done for us. For example, if the lost are considered consumers and a basic marketing “commandment” says that the customer must reign supreme, then whatever may be offensive to the lost must be discarded, revamped, or downplayed. Scripture tells us clearly that THE MESSAGE OF THE CROSS is “foolishness to them that are perishing” and that Christ Himself is a “rock of offense” (1 Cor. 1:18; 1 Pet. 2:8). Some seeker-friendly churches, therefore, seek to avoid this “negative aspect” by making the temporal benefits of becoming a Christian their chief selling point [peace, love, and joy]. Although that appeals to our gratification-oriented generation, it is neither the Gospel nor the goal of a believer’s life in Christ.

Secondly, if you want to attract the lost on the basis of what might interest them, for the most part you will be appealing to and accommodating their flesh. Wittingly or unwittingly, that seems to be the standard operating procedure of seeker-friendly churches. They mimic what’s popular in our culture: top-forty and performance-style music, theatrical productions, stimulating multi-media presentations, and thirty-minutes-or-less positive messages. The latter, more often than not, are topical, therapeutic, and centered in self-fulfillment–how the Lord can meet one’s needs and help solve one’s problems.

Those concerns may be lost on increasing numbers of evangelical pastors but, ironically, not on some secular observers. In his perceptive book This Little Church Went to Market, Pastor Gary Gilley notes that the professional marketing journal American Demographics recognizes that people are

…into spirituality, not religion….Behind this shift is the search for an experiential faith, a religion of the heart, not the head. It’s a religious expression that downplays doctrine and dogma, and revels in direct experience of the divine–whether it’s called the ‘Holy Spirit’ or ‘cosmic consciousness’ or the ‘true self.’ It is practical and personal, more about stress reduction than salvation, more therapeutic than theological. It’s about feeling good, not being good. It’s as much about the body as the soul….Some marketing gurus have begun calling it ‘the experience industry.’ (pp. 20-21)

There’s another item that many pastors seem to be missing in their excitement over “growing your church through attracting the lost.” Although numbers seem to rule in this seeker-friendly mania (an amazing 841 churches in this country have reached the “mega” category, with 2,000 to 25,000 weekend attendees), few have realized that the sizeable increase in church attendance is not due to the influx of the unchurched. During the last 70 years, the percentage of this country’s population attending church has been relatively constant at about 43 percent. A spike of 49 percent in 1991 (years prior to today’s initial seeker-sensitive enthusiasm) gradually declined, returning to 42 percent in 2002 (www.barna.org). From where, then, do those mega-churches, which have outfitted themselves to accommodate the unchurched, get their members? Mostly from smaller churches that aren’t interested in or that can’t afford the fleshly attractions. And what of the supposed horde of unchurched Harrys and Marys who have been assembled? They constitute a very small part of mega-church congregations. During his year of researching Willow Creek, G. A. Pritchard, in his book Willow Creek Seeker Services (Baker Book House, 1996), estimated that the targeted unchurched made up only between 10 and 15 percent of the 16,000 or so who attended weekend services!

If this percentage is typical among seeker-friendly churches, which likely is the case, a rather disturbing situation has developed. Thousands of churches here and abroad have completely restructured themselves as outreach centers for the unchurched. This, by the way, is not Biblical. The church is for the maturing and equipping of the saints, who then go out to reach the lost. Nevertheless, seeker-sensitive churches have turned to entertainment and conveniences in order to attract Harry and Mary and make them feel comfortable in their new church environment. In order to keep them coming back, they have avoided the thorough teaching of Scripture in favor of positive, uplifting messages designed to make them feel good about themselves. As unchurched Harry and Mary continue to attend, they get only a vague hint of Biblical truth that might bring conviction of sin and true repentance. Worse yet, they get a psychologized view of themselves that undermines that truth. However, as grievous as that situation is, it doesn’t end there.

The vast majority of those who attend seeker-friendly fellowships profess to be believers. Yet most were drawn to those churches by the same worldly allurements that were meant to entice the unchurched, and they continue to attend, being fed the same Biblically anemic diet created for the wooing of unbelievers. At best, they receive the skimmed milk of the Word; at worst, pablum contaminated with “profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called” (1 Tim. 6:20). Certainly a church can grow numerically on that basis, but not spiritually. Furthermore, there is no opportunity for believers to mature in the faith in such an environment. In defense of seeker-sensitive churches, some have argued that mid-week services are set apart for discipleship and getting into the meat of Scriptures. If that indeed is the case, it’s a rare exception rather than the rule.

As we’ve noted, most seeker-friendly churches focus much of their time, energy, and resources on accommodating unchurched Harry and Mary. Consequently, week after week, the entire congregation is subjected to a diluted and leavened message. Then, on Wednesday evening, when a fellowship is usually reduced to a quarter or a third of its normal size, would it be reasonable to assume that this remnant is served a nourishing meal featuring the meat of the Word, expositional teaching, and an emphasis on sound doctrine and discipleship? Hardly. We’ve yet to find a seeker-friendly church where that takes place. The spiritual meals offered at mid-week services are usually support group meetings and classes for discerning one’s spiritual gifts or going through the latest psycho-babble-ized “Christian” bestseller such as John Eldredge’s Wild at Heart rather than the study of the Scriptures.

Perhaps the most insidious aspect of the seeker-friendly approach to doing church is an attempt to impress the unchurched by looking to and quoting those regarded as the experts in solving all their mental, emotional, and behavioral problems: psychiatrists and psychologists. Nothing in the history of the church has undermined the truth of the sufficiency of God’s Word for “all things that pertain unto life and godliness” (2 Pet. 1:3) more than the introduction of the pseudo-science of psychotherapy. Its thousands of concepts and hundreds of methodologies are unproven, contradictory, unscientific, and thoroughly un-Biblical, as we’ve documented in our books and in previous articles. Pritchard observed that at Willow Creek “Hybels not only teaches psychological principles, but often uses the psychological principles as interpretive guides for his exegesis of Scripture….King David had an identity crisis, the Apostle Paul encouraged Timothy to do self-analysis, and Peter had a problem with boundary issues. The point is, psychological principles are regularly built into Hybels’ teaching” (p. 156).

During my own visit to Willow Creek, Pastor Hybels gave a message that began with Scripture and addressed the problems that result when people lie. However, he mustered his chief support regarding the harmful consequences of lying from psychiatrist M. Scott Peck, the author of The Road Less Traveled (Simon & Schuster, 1978), who declared in that book (pp. 269-70), “God wants us to become Himself (or Herself or Itself)”!

Saddleback Community Church likewise is entrenched in the psychotherapeutic. Although claiming to be Christ-centered rather than psychological, it has one of the largest conglomerations of Alcoholics Anonymous-based 12-Step recovery programs in the country. The church sponsors more than a dozen support groups, such as Adult Children of Chemically Addicted, Codependency, Co-Addicted Women in a Relationship with Sexually Addicted Men, Eating Disorders, and so forth. Each group is normally led by someone “in recovery” from the “addiction,” and the resource materials for understanding the “disorder” include books mostly authored by psychiatrists and psychologists (www.celebraterecovery.com). Although “in denial” about his use of “pop psychology,” much of it permeates Rick Warren’s work, including his seven-million bestseller, The Purpose Driven Life, which is largely about self-fulfillment, promotes Celebrate Recovery, and is sprinkled with psych references such as “Samson was co-dependent” (p. 233).

The overriding message from psychologically driven Willow Creek and Saddleback is that the Word of God and the power of the Holy Spirit are insufficient for delivering a person from a habitual sin and for transforming his or her life into one that is fruitful and pleasing to God. Again, what these churches say and do is exported to hundreds of thousands of church leaders around the world.

A large part of the evangelical church has developed a pleasure-laden, cruise ship mentality, but it will result in a spiritual Titanic. Seeker-friendly church pastors (and those tempted to climb aboard) need to get on their knees and read the words of Jesus to the church of the Laodiceans (Rev. 3:14-21). They were “rich, and increased with goods,” yet failed to recognize that in God’s eyes, they were “wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked.” Jesus, standing outside their church, where they had unwittingly displaced Him, offers them His counsel, the truth of His Word, which alone will enable them to live their lives for His pleasure. There can be nothing better here on earth, and for all eternity. 

“Without holiness no one will see the Lord.” –Hebrews 12:14, NIV

Two mockers: “Give that man an Oscar!” and “Follow the Yellow Brick Road!” Sheesh. And evangelism to a pot smoker.

Hell is underneath us in the spirit world. This has always been the classic view of Hell from the Old Testament times, to the early church, up through the Middle Ages. Modern man with his scientific skepticism and rationalism thinks that he knows better, and says there is no Hell. They say this for the same reason they claim there is no God: neither of them are physical, able to be seen with the naked eye; nor are they testable in the scientific sense. And so, because skeptics cannot scientifically test the existence of Hell, they assume they know that no Hell exists; or, they take a comfortable “I don’t know” viewpoint. But this is a bad idea. For several reasons: (1) The Bible never claims that Hell can be scientifically proven by experiments. (2) The Bible shows that Hell is as much a place as Heaven is; just as much as demons and angels are persons. (3) The Bible shows that Hell was created by God at first, for the purpose of putting the devil and his angels into a sort of spirit prison (Matthew 25:41). (4) The Bible shows that the only way that men have ever come to receive information about Hell has come directly from God through what are called prophetic dreams, visions, and revelations; in modern times, people would also use the phrase “out-of-body experiences.” (5) The Bible shows that God requires men on Earth to have FAITH in the divine revelations He has given; including the revelations pertaining to that dreadful place called Hell.

Hell is seen in Biblical visions as located downward, under the Earth: “Let death seize them; let them go down alive into Hell, for wickedness is in their dwellings and among them” (Psalm 55:15). How can it be that someone remains alive after they die? The soul is immortal, that’s why; your soul will live forever–there is no getting around it. This is why the psalmist prayed that if God would just let the wicked die, and let them “go down alive into Hell”–for that is naturally where they are headed. But what is more, they will be “thrown into Hell” as Jesus said (Matthew 5:29, NIV). Either God, an angel, or a demon by the permission of God must do this. While present torments of Hell must be widely varied, according to the severity of sins committed in this life (Luke 12:47-48); in the very end after the Day of Judgment, the final, future torment of Hell’s inhabitants will consist of “being tormented with fire and brimstone (that is, burning hot fireballs of stinking sulfur, raining down upon their heads) in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb (that is, the Lord Jesus Christ). And the smoke of their torment will ascend forever and ever; and they will have no rest day or night” (Revelation 14:10-11). The reason for this is simple: to them, the wicked ones of humanity, it has been given to “drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is mixed in full strength in the cup of His anger” (Revelation 14:10, NASB).

And why them? Why not all men, since all men have fallen short of the glory of God? Because these men rejected the Gospel of Jesus Christ, ignored the Holy Spirit and their consciences, and lived their lives according to what they wanted to do, and not what God commanded. The Bible says that God will “in flaming fire take vengeance (or revenge) on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Thessalonians 1:8). This is why the apostle Paul said, “Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, ‘Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,’ says the Lord” (Romans 12:19). HELL is what is referred to here; HELL is the place where God gets His payback upon the wicked; it is the place where He is at full license to punish the wicked with His fierce and holy anger, and to allow them to prosper no more; it is the place where they get what they deserve; it is the proper place for those non-Christians who continuously resisted the Holy Spirit, and the call of the Gospel on their lives. If you were to look into Hell right now, you would see: “the lawless and insubordinate, the ungodly and sinners, the unholy and profane, murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, manslayers, fornicators, sodomites, kidnappers, liars, perjurers…adulterers, homosexuals, thieves, the greedy and covetous, drunkards, revilers (or people who make fun of others in a hateful and demeaning way), extortioners (people who intimidate others to give them money)…the cowardly, unbelieving (that is, atheists and skeptics on purpose), abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars”–it is these that “shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone” (1 Timothy 1:10; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10; Revelation 21:8).

And there is no escape for these people, because they had their chance! When they were alive on Earth, God tried to get through to them time and time again, but they wouldn’t listen. They loved their sins too much to listen to God’s voice. They lived their lives as “lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God” (2 Timothy 3:4, NIV). Hell is God’s just and righteous penalty for their lives of sin. Hell is what they deserve for treating Christ’s death on the cross as nothing. They trampled upon the blood of Jesus with their feet all of their lives (Hebrews 10:29), and did not honor God; nor did they love or obey God’s commandments, nor did they do any good works to prove any faith in Christ. They loved themselves, and served themselves; and pushed God away. There will be no second chance for them. They had their chance on Earth to repent and believe in Jesus, but now they will live in Hell forever, regretting for eternity the decisions they made while they were up on the Earth–priding themselves in their education, financial responsibility, their business savvy, their success in the American Dream, and their sinful pleasure seeking. They lived as selfish, prideful, wicked men, “without God in the world” (Ephesians 2:12). Far be it from them that they should study the Bible and conform their lives to its ethics, morals, and laws! They wanted to watch their sin-filled movies, listen to their sin-filled songs, and read their sin-filled books; they wanted to fornicate with others in their hearts, and justify it by saying “everyone else does it; c’mon, we’ve experienced the Sexual Revolution…we know better than our forefathers.” But that “wisdom did not descend from above, but was earthly, sensual, demonic” (James 3:15)–and crowded up their hearts, minds, and lives with many perversions; only to drag their souls down to “everlasting punishment” in Hell, as Jesus said (Matthew 25:46). They should have listened to Jesus, but they did not; and so, the damned–those shut up in Hell–will remain there forever and ever, into all eternity, regretting that they did not repent and believe in the Gospel, and live their lives as Christians, real Christians.

Unlike Collins’ Wesley on Salvation, which was only based on Wesley’s Standard Sermons; this book is based on all the works of John Wesley! This is the “order of salvation”–the Gospel of Jesus Christ, explained in a brief theological manner.

IN CHAPTER 1, Wesley says original sin is a reality that simply cannot be denied by any real Christian. Original sin is the problem, but the Gospel is the solution to it. They are complementary realities. We must not be as the Deists, who deny the existence of original sin, who preach a humanistic view of nature; and deny the supernatural. Original sin is an inherited, corrupt nature passed down from Adam and Eve (Gen. 3:1; 6:5; Ps. 51:5; Rom. 5:12-21). The fruits of original sin are practical atheism, idolatry, pride, self-will, etc: pride of education and of physical beauty, materialism, and man-pleasing.

At the same time: all men have original sin–all men have prevenient grace (that is, the conscience of the Holy Spirit): “the true Light that gives light to every man who comes into the world” (John 1:9). By preaching on creation and the moral law, the conscience can awaken the lost to their need for salvation by faith in the cross of Jesus (Romans 1; p. 41). In the prick of conscience, all men have an irresistible grace (and this is the only gift from God which is irresistible): and it will either condemn or reward them at death. But in the revelation of the Gospel (justification and sanctification), all men have a resistible grace–which again, leads to Heaven or Hell. They must freely CHOOSE the Gospel (not because they haven’t heard, but because they have a conscience from the Holy Spirit, which if they follow it, will eventually lead them to hearing and believing the Gospel).

IN CHAPTER 2, Wesley says when people just begin to spiritually awaken, it comes through preaching the moral law, death, Hell, Judgment Day, and Heaven. An emphasis should be laid on the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1-17) and the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7). Only a little emphasis on the cross. [In a recent e-mail, Collins said Wesley preached 100% Law followed by 100% Grace (the Gospel); this is in contrast to the notion that Wesley preached “90% law and 10% grace”–and I have yet to find this quote in Wesley’s works. Perhaps Collins is right.] However, only misery will result if only the moral law is preached…immediately the people must be exhorted to live the Christian life (faith in the cross followed by a progress in righteousness). The initial repentance (firm resolve to live your whole life for Jesus)–is followed by an entire life of obedience to God’s commandments, and continuing to repent from sin. And false notions of salvation are done away with–such as: “If you just go to church, say your prayers, and be a nice person–then you’ll go to Heaven.”

IN CHAPTER 3, which is entitled, “Justification by Grace Through Faith,” Wesley says there are three stages that a Christian goes through on a psychological level:

(1) Ignorance of God (pre-conversion/practical atheism).
(2) Fear of God (sincere obedience out of fear of Hell).
(3) Love of God (childlike love of your Father God).
Romans 7 and the struggle with the flesh is the fear of God; but Romans 8 is the love of God.

Romans 8:1-17 (the love of God)–is the saved state–it is living in the state of justification. It is a faith that Jesus not only died for the sins of the world in general, but that He specifically died for your past sins (Rom. 3:25). It’s a faith that God has forgiven your sins through the judicial punishment of His Son; and that you surely trust Jesus to save you from going to Hell.

This faith can be received in an instant–as a divine revelation in the heart, not just as a doctrine in the mind; it is a faith in “penal substitution”; and it is supernaturally implanted in the heart by the Holy Spirit, received freely by your choice to yield to its saving influence. This remains as a deep impression and inner vision: “Christ loved me and gave Himself for me.” O! How I love Him too! I believe Christ gave Himself for me! And, on the cross, of all things! That is, I now have a personal faith in the doctrine of penal substitution (the atonement); and God is no longer angry at me for my sins! Hallelujah!

IN CHAPTER 4, Wesley says within the few moments we are forgiven of our sins, being justified by faith in the cross (penal substitution)–the Holy Spirit takes up residence in our hearts. This is regeneration; or being “born again.” What happens as a result of this:–is an inward, moral change–a desire to live a righteous life for Christ. Faith, hope, and love begin to be lived out in accordance with the moral law:–and from the heart (Heb. 8:10; Rom. 5:5; 1 John 5:3). Water baptism is a prophetic symbol of the inward cleansing of regeneration.

IN CHAPTER 5, Wesley says assurance of salvation, or the substance of saving faith, is a prophetic impression left on the heart that your sins are forgiven (justification); and you have experienced an inward transformation to grow in righteousness during your life (regeneration). There are rational evidences of this:–that is, ways you can know if you’re probably saved (based purely on reason): (1) Faith, hope, and love are in your life. (2) Obedience to God’s commandments. (3) Inwardly feeling the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23). (4) Having a clean conscience before God. (5) Using the Bible as the moral guidebook of your life.

But reasoning these things out is not good enough to know if you’re really saved. They are only marks, signs, probabilities, or inferences that you’re saved. The strongest evidence of salvation is the direct witness of the Holy Spirit in the Christian’s heart. This is a prophetic impression in the heart that carries with it several revelations: (1) I am God’s child. (2) Jesus loves me. (3) Jesus died for my sins. (4) My sins are forgiven. (5) I am reconciled with God; or I have peace with God. [(6) My (John) personal addition–a healthy fear of going to Hell for backsliders or apostates.] This is what Wesley called “the proper Christian faith”–it is what saving faith is: assurance of salvation. While the rational evidences have a reassuring element–there is no greater assurance than the witness of the Spirit by the experience of direct revelation. Only this mystical, spiritual experience will give Christians the perseverance they need to stand for Christ during trials and tribulations. A Christian’s mind may get cloudy at times, when tested–but the Holy Spirit bypasses intellectual confusion, and reassures: “You are My child now, because I love you, and My only Son died for you; and so, we are now in a clean relationship because you are putting your faith in Him.”

But carnal Pentecostal/Charismatics beware! Don’t only rest in so-called “rhema” words and spiritual experiences. If your subjective experiences say, “You are God’s child,” but you live your life as if the devil is your father–then THINK AGAIN–and turn to the rational evidences to see whether you have strayed from the true Christian faith, and if you need to repent, and return to the Captain of your salvation (Heb. 2:10).

And rationalist Christians (Fundamentalists and Evangelicals) beware! It’s not good enough to rely merely on the rational evidences to prove to yourself that you’re saved. In a way, they serve as a “checklist” to test the state of your soul: for you to see whether or not your present life lines up with them. But on the other hand, they are not a “checklist” in the sense that they are a “to do list” for earning God’s favor or forgiveness. You simply cannot earn your salvation by trying to conform your life to the rational evidences (that would be legalism, or works-justification). The only definite, sure way to know if you’re living in the state of salvation is: (1) The Holy Spirit directly speaks to your heart that, “You’re sins are forgiven you, through Christ alone; and you are now God’s child.” (2) It “just so happens” that the general tenor of your Christian life reflects the rational evidences. You are a foolish rationalist if you reject the direct witness of the Holy Spirit–and are probably not saved.

Faith (or the direct witness of the Holy Spirit) is experienced in various degrees, at different times in the Christian life. At times, it may be mixed with doubts and fears; at others, strong assurance and confidence. But generally speaking (except for times of sickness, trial, and Biblical ignorance)–the fear of the Lord is not enough to save a Christian. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and only the beginning (Ps. 111:10). If a man has been genuinely saved by the Holy Spirit, through faith in penal substitution, then his faith will grow into a childlike love of God, where “there is no fear in love” (1 John 4:18). He no longer experiences a life of drudgery and servitude under God, but now has a Father-son relationship based on love (see Romans 7-8).

As a general rule, saving faith is a clear sense of sins forgiven, of being God’s adopted child, and is driven by a desire for living a righteous life.

But there are exceptions to this rule. In times of trial, sickness, or ignorance of the Bible–a weak sense of faith is present (Rom. 14). There is much vacillation between flesh and Spirit. In such a circumstance, the Christian is saved, but just barely hanging on to God.

But, in the end–Wesley concludes a “real Christian” is the one with strong faith; who sees himself as God’s child, and not merely as God’s servant. This gives him the mind of Christ; and so, he is not afraid to die.

IN CHAPTER 6, entitled “Sanctification by Grace Through Faith,” Wesley says regeneration, or the new birth, occurred only at the beginning of the Christian life. A power from the Holy Spirit was put into the heart: a desire for righteousness by faith. But now that this power has been received, it is the Christian’s personal responsibility to “work out his salvation with fear and trembling” (Php. 2:12). As the Christian presses on toward perfection, growing in the moral commandments of God, such as the Ten Commandments (Exod. 20:1-17) and the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5-7)–he will meet many obstacles along the way; many trials, tribulations, and temptations from the world, the flesh, and the devil.

Knowing all too well that “without holiness no one will see the Lord” (Heb. 12:14), the Christian’s life from now on is characterized by resisting sin from inside himself, and sin from outside himself. He goes “onward, as a Christian soldier, marching as to war.” He will not let men, himself, or the devil drag him down to Hell. But in the fear of the Lord, he is intent on obeying whatever moral commandments of God there are in the Bible; and he yields to the influence of his conscience, when convicted by the Holy Spirit throughout his life. With his feet, he is now walking on the old paths of Biblical wisdom (Jer. 6:16). And, as he runs away from Hell, “fleeing from the wrath to come” (Matt. 3:7)–he takes care to remember that though he stands by God’s grace for the moment, it still remains possible for him to fall into sin, temptation, and HELL (1 Cor. 10:12)–but God helping him, God has “with the temptation also made a way of escape, that he may be able to bear it” (1 Cor. 10:13). The Christian does not have to give in–sin is always avoidable with the Holy Spirit’s help!

As the Christian continues his life in the pursuit of God, and His righteousness, he finds that within himself there is something wrong. He says to himself, so many times: “I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out” (Rom. 7:18). Why is this? Because, at this point in his Christian walk, his will power and the Holy Spirit in him have not united strongly enough. This will take time to strengthen. Like Paul, he can relate: “In my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members” (Rom. 7:22-23). The hymn “Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing” makes perfect sense:

Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here’s my heart, O take and seal it,
Seal it for Thy courts above.

It is likely the Christian will outwardly sin by accident, as we all do; but it is definitely guaranteed that the Christian will inwardly sin very often–especially in the beginning of his Christian life. This is because the flesh–that is, the human body–actually has a sinful nature. And were it not for faith in penal substitution, the inward sin nature (original sin) would be more than enough reason for us to be damned forever in Hell. Yet, at least according to Wesley, Christians may hope that one day the Holy Spirit will give them a “second blessing” of righteousness, of a completely higher level than the blessing of regeneration. And controversial though it is, Wesley maintains, it can eradicate all original sin from within the Christian–and he can, to a certain extent, experience a state of sinlessness (both inwardly and outwardly)!

But most, if not all, of the Christian life consists of a war against sin. And there are no “lone rangers,” no solo warriors. If the Christian is to be a soldier of righteousness, then it stands to reason he must join the army of other like-minded soldiers. He must take heed to Hebrews 10:25: Christians are not to “forsake the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is.” There are to be no desert hermits without Christian friends. [It is here that Wesley introduces a “new measure” of his own: class meetings (cell groups for new Christians), band meetings (cell groups for Christians trying to grow in righteousness, openly confessing sins), and select societies (cell groups for Christians seeking the “second blessing” of entire sanctification).]

“Faith without works is dead” (Jas. 2:17). And since salvation is based on faith (Eph. 2:8), that means the faith we initially received without works at our conversion–is not the same faith we continue with throughout our Christian life. The essence of this faith is: “Jesus died on the cross for my sins.” But it doesn’t stop there. I’m not on my deathbed; and I’m not the thief on the cross who was only justified by faith alone (Luke 23:41-43). I’ve got the rest of my life to live; and God will hold me accountable for everything I think, feel, say, and do! On the Day of Judgment, God will judge me according to my works–what I do (Rev. 20:12). There will be much time, and many opportunities, for me as a Christian, not only to heed Christ’s commandment to “go, and sin no more” (John 8:11)–but also to fill up my life with many positive things, and good works pleasing to God, and helpful to mankind. (Not because I am a great man: “There, but for the grace of God, go I!”–where would I be if it weren’t for God? HELL!) All good works glorify God, because although they are not perfect works, they are inspired by the Holy Spirit: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Php. 4:13). If it were not for His grace and regeneration–then “all our righteous acts are like filthy rags” (Isa. 64:6).

But to speak as one who has received the gift of regeneration–Christians should do all the good works they can before they die. “Good works” may be divided into two categories: works of piety and works of mercy. The works of piety deal with the Christian’s personal relationship with God: public prayer, family prayer, private prayer, the Lord’s Supper, Bible Study, and fasting. The works of mercy are for the Christian’s relationship to mankind: feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, entertaining strangers, visiting prisoners, visiting the sick, and preaching the Gospel.

This is how to open yourself up to greater anointings from the Holy Spirit [and to wait for entire sanctification]. By this we fulfill the two great commandments to love God and love man (Matt. 22:37-39)–which fulfills all the moral law. Whatever other good works there are than these can be found in a “vigorous, universal obedience, in a zealous keeping of all of the commandments, in watchfulness and painfulness, in denying ourselves, and taking up our cross daily” (p. 161).

Christian Perfection: According to John Wesley

In some Christians, very godly and righteous ones, who conscientiously obey the moral law, and keep works of piety and mercy alive–the year before they die, they can experience a state of almost sinlessness! This is very rare; Wesley called this state “Christian perfection” or “entire sanctification.” The love of God is shed abroad in the heart (Rom. 5:5), to such a degree, as to be called “perfect love” (1 John 4:18)–and the fear of God is no more; only the love of God. The entire Christian life up until this point has been one long transition from “the fear of the Lord” to “the love of God.” By “Christian perfection” is not meant perfect knowledge, freedom from mistakes, freedom from weakness, or from handicaps; it does not mean to be without temptation; nor does it mean (strangely enough) there is no room for spiritual growth.

Christian perfection is a state where one is no longer a “baby Christian,” but is instead an “adult Christian.” It consists of: (1) Freedom from evil thoughts such as ill will, lust, envy, practical atheism, etc. (2) Freedom from evil feelings like pride, self-will, and love of the world. But unlike the Puritans, Wesley maintains that those Christians who reach this state are completely cleansed from inbred, original sin! They are almost as holy as Adam was before the Fall–at least inwardly. Wesley insisted this state could be experienced in this life–that is, before death! No more original sin?! Yes, that’s what Wesley preached as possible. And before death! However, this can only be experienced in very rare situations, with very righteous men and women of God; and at least–according to Wesley’s experience with some of the most devout Methodists–this state only lasts as a continuous state of perfectly righteous love for about one year–and usually the year before death (or it occurs on the deathbed). At least, that’s what Wesley preached.

IN CHAPTER 7, Wesley reminds: you are going to die! Its just a matter of fact–and the Bible shows us that after we die, we enter into eternity. [The wicked will be cast into Hell; but the righteous into Abraham’s Bosom (even now–Wesley believed Luke 16 applies to today, not just Old Testament times, nor just before the resurrection of Christ).] The dead remain there till Judgment Day, when they will be “judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books” (Rev. 20:12, NIV). [Only after Judgment Day do the saints enter into Heaven.]