Featured Easy Believism is my conclusion of the faith.

So you said the sinners prayer and went on your way as though nothing had changed?

 

Luke 18:13 And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.

18:14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

Brother Glen

 

You seem determined to hang your hat on a term that is at best both controversial and confusing.

 

AMEN
MB

 

Controversial among Calvinist. Scripture is plain

Act_16:31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.

Joh_7:39 (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)

I find Calvinism controversial For one thing you don't really know if you're saved or not. Election is your stumbling block Your Salvation depends on whether or not you are elect. This is not scriptural.
MB

 

If by genuine gospel you mean giving mental ascent to what Christ did on the cross and wanting noting more than fire insurance apart from an ongoing and intimate relationship with God then its not the gospel at all. That is in fact what most mean by easy believism.

But if you mean placing faith in the finished work of the cross and His resurrection and having a desire for an ongoing, personal, and intimate relationship with the giver of the gift then that is in fact the genuine gospel and nothing like easy believism.

 

There is nothing controversial about God causing his adopted children to hear his voice and believe.

What is controversial is to teach that a magic incantation (sinners prayer) saves a person.

There is a difference between saying a prescribed incantation and actually believing by faith that Jesus blood atones for you, a sinner who deserves hell.

 

Easy believism is false doctrine.

How do we "take His yoke?" By believing into Christ, which means by God crediting our faith as righteousness and on the basis of that faith in the truth, putting us into Christ spiritually. But Matthew 13 tells us superficial faith and holding on to some of our worldly treasures might not result in our faith being credited as righteousness.

A deep commitment, results so to speak in having a "root" within us, such that we will strive to walk the talk. Live faith not dead faith. Not whitewash on the outside, but vile on the inside.

Salvation is indeed a "free gift." (Romans 5:15, Romans 5:16, and Romans 6:23)

Easy believism relies on "dead faith." (James 2:17 and James 2:26)

1 John 5:11 Eternal life is "in" (within) His Son. Only faith that results in God putting an individual into Christ results in receiving the free gift. To believe otherwise is false doctrine.

Romans 6:23, Eternal life is "in" (within) His Son. Only faith that results in God putting an individual into Christ results in receiving the free gift. To believe otherwise is false doctrine.

Romans 1:16 says salvation is to everyone who "believes" and it is God who decides who "believes." The second and third soils of Matthew 13 did not make the grade.

Romans 4:4-5 says it is God alone who credits or not an individuals faith, not ourselves.

John 3:16 says everyone has eternal life who believes "into" Him, thus spiritually transferred into Him by God based on credited their faith as righteousness.

Matthew 11:30 says those placed into Christ will find His Yoke beneficial and that is true.

Is the alternative to Easy Believism faith plus works? Nope. For example, say a person fully commits to Christ and his faith is credited by God as righteousness, and he is placed into Christ. Has he done any works? Nope. Can he lose his salvation if he do not do works? Nope. Having such a deep root within himself, is it possible he will not strive to follow Christ? Not likely, thus a changed life provides reassurance of salvation. And an unchanged life provides the opposite.

Easy Believism ignores the deep commitment indicated by Matthew 13, and the difficulty living for Christ might cause. It is therefore a false doctrine, certainly destructive to the ministry of Christ.

Those who claim if a person believes Jesus was a historical figure, a good teacher, but either a liar or a lunatic, is saved, based on believing something about Jesus, face Matthew 7 and being told, "I never knew you." The gospel of Christ hangs between to robbers, legalism and lawlessness. One side says if you believe all the "right things" you are automatically saved, and those on the other side say if you believe anything about Jesus, you are automatically saved. Both views are false unbiblical doctrines. Soil #3 (Matthew 13) believed all the right things but was unwilling to give up worldly treasures. Does that sound like easy believism to you? Not to me either.

 

No, not just controversial among Calvinists. But, my meaning in my post is that it is controversial (not settled, not agreed upon) regarding what they terminology even means. It seems to have at least two fairly common meanings: (1) that salvation is by grace through faith without any mixture of works, or (2) that salvation is mental assent to Christ as God and Messiah, often confirmed by repeating "the sinner's prayer."

 

You cannot just dismiss what words mean to people, without explaining what you mean. If you only mean salvation is a free gift, why just not say that? It might be misunderstood too (everything can be misunderstood by someone), but probably is less likely to be that "easy believism." To me, it seems your agenda for using and defending this particular terminology is more important that being understand.

 

The gift cost Jesus his life. He paid for your sins. The fact that he graciously chose to pay for your sins is Amazing Grace. We worship Christ Jesus with all our hearts, filled with joy.

Yes, we didn't do one thing other than experience that Amazing Grace, but easy believism puts the effort on humans rather than realizing it is all God's work.

Do you believe in the sinners prayer as the means of salvation?

 

So what you are really saying is people can't understand the simple truth.

Act 16:31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.
This is what easy believeism is all about. it's the simple truth. Other wise the bible here in acts lies about it. there is no other thing one must do but believe. Election is not a requirement, Works are not a requirement. Regeneration is Salvation not some prep for the real thing. There simply are no other requirements.
Calvinist have made up a bunch of requirements that are not in scripture. You deny Acts 28:28 that Gentiles can hear the gospel as Paul says and you apply Jewishness to your selves believing you are now the elect which is bull.
MB

 

All through scripture we are told to believe and repent to be saved and you deny it. People are saved by believing in Jesus Christ. You say you don't do anything God just saves you but scripture never says this at all Your doctrine of how you are saved isn't in scripture.It was made up by Calvinist. it's nonsense
MB

 

No, that is not what I am saying. I am saying that phrases have meaning to people, and they understand them in the way they understand them. It's not like "easy believism" is a biblical phrase. There is not a single Calvinist in our church and everyone of them believes Act 16:31 Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. Yet not a one of them will think this is what the term "easy believism" means.

I have no idea what you are talking about. I have not said such.

 

When God chooses to administer that Amazing Grace in us and cause us to hear His voice, we respond by believing and repenting.

Our difference is that you think spiritually dead people cause God to act. I think God acts by making spiritually dead people alive and thus cause humans to respond in belief and repentance.
Ephesians 2:1-9 supports my view. John 6, John 10, John 17, 2 Thessalonians 2 and Romans 8-9 all support my view.

It amazes me that you think God's word is nonsense.

 

Your not a Calvinist got it. I thought you were forgive for presuming you to be such.
Exactly what do you believe easy Believism really is then?
To me easy believe is just believing in Jesus Christ there is none other requirement for Salvation. Some bring up repentance but if you turn to Christ and believe you are repenting.
I don't see how it can get any easier Obviously it means something different to you.
Personally I feel Calvinism is the easy believeism. They believe they don't have to do anything
MB

 

In my Baptist belief the heart is changed before one can receive and believe the written Gospel... This point has been argued since I first joined the BB... Others disagree?... Well as the french say... C'est la vie... Brother Glen