“Crossless/Deityless” Missions in India

To All:

Picture, if you will, a Grace Evangelical Society “Crossless/Deityless” gospel preaching missionary in India. That missionary would tell the Hindu that (in spite of his worship of many gods) “if you will believe in the name Jesus as the giver of eternal life, whomever you think Jesus is, even if you just add this Jesus to your list of many gods, you will receive eternal life.”

The missionary would realize a stampede of new believers in the name Jesus, but not one genuine conversion.

For more on this issue read The Tragedy of a “Crossless” Gospel in William Carey's Gold Mine of Souls


LM

 

Max:

My oldest lives in Inner Mongolia. She understands what your missionary friend spoke of.

It is tragic what is coming from the Grace Evangelical Society these days. It is a shame that these men are going into India to spread this strange, unbiblical teaching.

These men insist that a lost man does not even need to know, believe or understand he is a sinner. Just believe a promise of eternal life through the name Jesus and you are saved.


LM

 

Boiling Down...

TC:

If you go to my blog and read Boiling Down the "Crossless" Gospel you'll get a synopsis of just great a departure from the faith this interpretation of the Gospel is.


LM

 

Hi David:

When the Lordship Salvation controversy broke out following the release of John MacArthur’s The Gospel According to Jesus (1988) the Grace Evangelical Society (GES) was formed. Zane Hodges, Mike Cocoris, and to a lesser extent Dr. Charles Ryrie responded to the Lordship position. Dr. Ryrie’s book So Great Salvation is among the most reliable answers to the Lordship interpretation of the gospel from that period, and I cite it a number of times in the pages of my book.

There are serious doctrinal problems with Hodges and Bob Wilkin. Hodges totally eliminates repentance from the conversion experience. In his book, Harmony With God Hodges takes the position that the process of repentance may be a preparatory step in coming to salvation, and should be evident in the life of a believer, but a lost man can be born again without repentance. Hodges also said he no longer holds to the “change of mind” view of repentance. For example, Hodges says there is only one answer to the question, “What must I do to be saved?” Hodges emphatically states that repentance is not part of that answer.

Another area for concern is that while Hodges believes the death, burial and resurrection should be part of a gospel message, he also teaches it is not necessary for lost men to believe Jesus died for their sins in order to be born again. The core objective of Hodges’ gospel is for the sinner to believe Jesus grants eternal life, and this belief in a promise alone results in salvation from sin, death and Hell. According to Hodges, all a sinner needs to do is believe in the name Jesus for eternal life and he is born again. The lost man does not have to know, understand or believe he is a sinner. The lost man does not need to know, understand or believe anything about Jesus, His deity, Hs death, burial or resurrection. He can consciously reject the deity of Christ, but according to GES he can still be saved by believing in a promise of eternal life through the name Jesus. Portions of this teaching is found in a two part series by Hodges available through the GES website titled, How to Lead People to Christ, Part 1 & 2.

The GES (Bob Wilkin & Zane Hodges) no longer speak for or represent the vast majority of men who would identify themselves as part of the Free Grace community. Many who once fellowshipped with the GES have departed the GES over the GES's (Hodges & Wilkin) departure from orthodoxy on repentance and the Gospel itself.

For more...

Go to the Grace Family Journal and read the articles titled The Tragedy of the Crossless Gospel.

Go to my blog and read the series on The Crossless Gospel



LM

 

William Carey Refutes Hodges

David:

I just posted a new article where, from William Carey's journal, I show how he would not have accepted the teaching and evangelistic methods Zane Hodges and the GES on the "Crossless" gospel.

William Carey Refutes the "Crossless" Gospel


LM