****** - Verified Buyer
4.5
From His book "True Evangelism": "Salvation is not conditioned upon prayer, repentance, reformation, profession, or "seeking the Lord." —Lewis Sperry ChaferUp until now, I had been in complete agreement with the contents of this book (True Evangelism) and it’s author (Lewis Sperry Chafer). However, I am reminded that with every God given truth, satan also has his counterfeits. For even the apostle Paul wrote in 2 Cor 11:12-15 But what I do, that I will do, that I may cut off occasion from them which desire occasion; that wherein they glory, they may be found even as we. 13 For such [are] false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. 14 And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. 15 Therefore [it is] no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.Now I say what I’m about about to say believing it is by command of the Lord Jesus and under the direction of the Holy Ghost that the greatest of satans deceptions are not direct oppositions to truth, but rather deceptions that come almost up to the truth, then back off; think of Eve in the garden and the 3 temptations of the Lord Himself. In both cases, Satan uses almost truth. Such is the methods of all false apostles. As Spurgeon notes, “Discernment is not knowing truth from error, but knowing truth from almost truth.”Here the author clearly states that repentance is not necessary for salvation, but that is in stark contrast to the clear teachings of the scripture. Every prophet and apostle to include Paul (the apostle to the gentiles) preached repentance, and if that isn’t enough, even the Lord Jesus himself said in Luke 13:3 “Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.”Now I realize that the hyper-dispensationalist will argue that the Gospels were transitory books, and so we cannot use them as NT doctrine etc., but this is completely untrue. Of a truth there is a transitory nature to the synoptic gospels, but spiritual truth is truth regardless of age. Paul himself declares that “All scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for instruction in righteousness. That the man of God may be thruly furnished unto all good works” (2 Tim 3:16-17). At the time Paul wrote this, the NT cannon had not been completed, yet notice he told Timothy that “ALL scripture” was profitable for doctrine. And what scripture was he referring to? The same "scripture" he had told Timothy he’d known from his youth —the Old Testament. There is and always has been only one way of salvation —by grace through faith. Again, using Paul (the apostle to the gentiles) who wrote in Rom 2:4 “Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?”I find it odd indeed that for a man who is supposed to be teaching that repentance wasn't "necessary" for salvation, he sure spoke about it an awful lot.Preaching again on Mars Hill, notice again what Paul the supposed bastion of unrepentant sinners says: "Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device. 30 And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent: 31 Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead." (Acts 17:29-31).As far as I’m concerned, the nail in the coffin concerning these apostates can be found in Paul's first epistle to Timothy when he writes: "If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness; 4 He is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings, 5 Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself." (1 Tim 6:3-5).What does Paul say concerning those that “consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness,“ and that tell us the Gospels don’t belong to this age? He is proud knowing nothing, men of corrupt minds, destitute of the truth —they are NOT saved.For further reading see: Wrongly Dividing the Word of Truth by H. A. Ironside
