John MacArthur and Dispensationalism

[webdog]

Man Web you are making me take a double look at regeneration first?! What do you say then to Jesus telling the rich man that he had to give all? Was that unfair way of Jesus telling him that he would have to forsake this world to follow him?

Jesus clearly stated that to become a disciple...not a believer.

 

[Timtoolman]

Jesus clearly stated that to become a disciple...not a believer.

I have a problem with that translation in light of context.

Matthew 19:17-25 17 So He said to him, "Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments." 18 He said to Him, "Which ones?" Jesus said, " 'You shall not murder,' 'You shall not commit adultery,' 'You shall not steal,' 'You shall not bear false witness,' 19 'Honor your father and your mother,' and, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' " 20 The young man said to Him, "All these things I have kept from my youth. What do I still lack?" 21 Jesus said to him, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me." 22 But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. 23 Then Jesus said to His disciples, "Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 "And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." 25 When His disciples heard it, they were greatly astonished, saying, "Who then can be saved?"


Key phrases that lead me to believe we are talking about salvation here.

 

[canadyjd]

I have a problem with that translation in light of context..........Key phrases that lead me to believe we are talking about salvation here.

Scripture in context triumphs everytime. Well done.

peace to youraying:

 

[JustChristian]

Folks:

Please be reminded that canadyjd has acknowledged never having read any one of JM's four major works on Lordship Salvation.

He seems to think that the use of common orthodox biblical terminology guarantees orthodox, biblical definitions and interpretation. If that were the case we could find brief excerpts from many of the better known cults, (RCC & Mormonism for example) and without digging more deeply into how they define and interpret the same words we read in the Bible we'd probably deem them biblicists.

BTW, if you read his posts, such as the one above, watch for his Calvinistic presuppositions sprinkled in.

IMO, Canadyjd has allowed his emotions and personal feelings toward JM to get the better of him. I pay no attention to what appear to be his increasingly hysterical reactions to genuine areas of concern with the teachings of John MacArthur.

Now, to refocus the thread to its original intent. We are looking at an article developed by George Zeller that discusses John MacArthur & Dispensationalism.


LM

Once again we are presented with a rejection of the Sermon on the Mount as being not applicable to the "Church Age."

CONCLUSION: The Sermon on the Mount was addressed to Jews who had followed Christ and who had seen His astounding healing miracles. They had been told by John the Baptist and by the Lord Himself that the kingdom promised by all the prophets was near at hand. The Lord, in this Sermon, set forth the kind of righteousness that was required in order to be fit to enter the kingdom. The Sermon was legal in character and condemnatory in effect. Though the gospel is not revealed in this Sermon, the Lord did make it clear that the solution for those who lack the needed righteousness is found, not in SELF, but in HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS (Matt. 6:33). Thus we have the first beatitude (Matt. 5:3) showing the blessedness of the person who recognizes his own spiritual bankruptcy.

The Sermon was not addressed to the Church (although there were certainly some in the audience who would later become members of Christ’s body). It did not set forth Church truth. The revelation of Church truth and mystery truth would come later, with Paul as God’s chief instrument in conveying this revelation. There is nothing in this Sermon which sets forth the great distinctive truths of this Church Age. There is much in this Sermon which is profitable and precious to the heart of every Church Age believer who loves God’s infallible Word.

This conclusion has been extended by some Dispensationalists to the entirety of the four gospels. I cannot accept rejecting everything we know directly about God (in the form of His Son) based on His life on this earth.

The article says that the Sermon on the mount is legalistic. That's the same thing as saying that Christ's message was legalistic and that the true gospel could not be preached until after His crucification. That distorts Christ's message and minimizes His impact to only that of dying and being resurrected. Personally, I believe that Jesus' ministry was much more than that. This stuff is heresy.

 

[Lou Martuneac]

Canadyjd:

This the third I have asked for you to address the following question...

Would you indicate whether or not Goodman's article (WebDog posted above) on salvation is, in your opinion, sound and correct, or not?


LM

 

[Lou Martuneac]

Simple Question to canadyjd

canadyjd:

Here is the sermon excerpt WebDog posted. Would you indicate whether or not this article on salvation is, in your opinion, sound and correct, or not?


The following text is taken from an article titled "Warning: The Day Of The Lord Is Near" by Heath C. Goodman of Alarm Ministries in Lindale, Texas:

"You have offended God's holiness and broken His laws! You know what is wrong by natural instinct, "the law having been written in your heart" yet you chose to rebel against the conscience God gave you. You are guilty, guilty, guilty! You are sinful before Him and deserving of eternal damnation. You must be punished...
But Good News, my friend! There's hope! Jesus took the punishment! The gospel is simply this- Jesus, the Lamb of God took upon Himself your debt of sin. He paid for it in full. You can be forgiven and have fellowship with the Holy God that you once offended with your sin. However, to receive God's forgiveness, eternal salvation and blessings, you are required to believe the gospel and confess your sins in sorrow and regret. Do not just confess them generally. Be specific in confessing what you have done to offend His holiness.
Show Him that you are sincerely sorry for your sins by MAKING A COMMITMENT NEVER TO PRACTICE THOSE SINS AGAIN! This is real repentance. "Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. (Matthew 4:17,). Put your faith in His grace to keep you from falling. He will keep you!


It is not enough to just "say a little prayer'. Many preachers will stand in judgment for leading so many in a false conversion. How many souls are in hell right now who thought they were alright because the preacher didn't want to scare them away with a challenge and a call to a total commitment to Christ? I will not tell you a cheap and easy gospel message. Jesus requires you to give your ALL!

"So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not ALL that he hath, he cannot be my disciple." (Luke 14:33). "And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with ALL thy heart, and with ALL thy soul, and with ALL thy strength, and with ALL thy mind; and thy neighbor as thyself." (Luke 10:27).


Many of you have hardened your heart to God and the gospel. You have heard the preaching of Jesus many times before. But you've never made a total commitment to follow Jesus. You do not care that He died for you. You are in bitterness of soul and "nigh unto cursing." I warn you! Do not harden your heart to God's love and mercy! There is no other choice left to you but His wrath and indignation! I plead with you to fall on the Rock and be broken before the rock falls on you and you are crushed to powder! (see Matthew 21:44). This is a very serious decision you must make. Your eternal destiny depends upon it!
On Judgment day you will be without excuse. You have been warned of the Day of the Lord and told the Good News to avoid God's wrath. Jesus loves you... enough to warn you and give you a way out. Will you choose His loving way or go your own way to destruction? The ball is in your court now. What will you do?"

-Quote taken from an article titled "Warning: The Day Of The Lord Is Near" by Heath C. Goodman of Alarm Ministries in Lindale, Texas

 

[Lou Martuneac]

Pure Gospel?

Once again we are presented with a rejection of the Sermon on the Mount as being not applicable to the "Church Age."

I have dealt with issue at my blog because of the LS interpretation of this event.

Please read, Is the Sermon on the Mount "Pure Gospel?"


LM

 

[canadyjd]

Canadyjd:

This the third I have asked for you to address the following question...

Would you indicate whether or not Goodman's article (WebDog posted above) on salvation is, in your opinion, sound and correct, or not?

Lou, don't waste cyberspace. I only have the time and energy to expose your intellectual dishonesty one smear at a time.

I don't know anything about Goodman. I do know that you and webdog have a history of misquoting and taking people's statements out of context.

Will you ever admit that MacArthur bases his beliefs and teachings on his understanding of what scripture teaches? If so (and that is obviously true to anyone without an agenda to push) then just say you disagree with his interpretation. Quit making the laughable claim that he teaches a works based salvation and that his views are extra-biblical.

Everytime you do, you reveal yourself to be intellectually dishonest and therefore anything you write on the subject fails the test of scholarship.

peace to youraying:

 

[Lou Martuneac]

Please Don't Dodge the Question

jd:

Please don't dodge the question. The quotes are accurate and verifiable.

Here is the link to Goodman's article- Day of the Lord

Would you indicate whether or not this article on salvation is, in your opinion, sound and correct, or not?


LM

 

[webdog]

Lou, don't waste cyberspace. I only have the time and energy to expose your intellectual dishonesty one smear at a time.

I don't know anything about Goodman. I do know that you and webdog have a history of misquoting and taking people's statements out of context.

Will you ever admit that MacArthur bases his beliefs and teachings on his understanding of what scripture teaches? If so (and that is obviously true to anyone without an agenda to push) then just say you disagree with his interpretation. Quit making the laughable claim that he teaches a works based salvation and that his views are extra-biblical.

Everytime you do, you reveal yourself to be intellectually dishonest and therefore anything you write on the subject fails the test of scholarship.

peace to youraying:

Why are you avoiding the question?

 

[JustChristian]

Jesus clearly stated that to become a disciple...not a believer.

This is the entire account of the rich young ruler in Luke.

Luk 18:18 And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?
Luk 18:19 And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? none [is] good, save one, [that is], God.
Luk 18:20 Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother.
Luk 18:21 And he said, All these have I kept from my youth up.
Luk 18:22 Now when Jesus heard these things, he said unto him, Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me.
Luk 18:23 And when he heard this, he was very sorrowful: for he was very rich.
Luk 18:24 And when Jesus saw that he was very sorrowful, he said, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God!

Not only does it NOT say that this is about decipleship, it clearly state that it is about entering into the kingdom of God. How do you support your false contention?

 

[canadyjd]

jdlease don't dodge the question.

Let's see. I asked you about 5 times to give MacArthur's quotes in context.

What was my question to you? Oh, I remember. MacArthur was speaking of "responding" to something with whole-hearted commitment to Christ. You kept saying that proved he taught a "works-based" salvation that frustrates grace. I asked, "What does MacArthur say the person is responding to?" You wouldn't/couldn't answer. Why not? Because it demonstrates your intellectual dishonesty on this issue.

And you kept asking about the passage in James. I took the time to answer every question you had. I discussed the book of James, in depth, to show you how the context could be seen as an address to the lost.

You promised to respond, but you never did. Again, your intellectual dishonesty on display for all to see.

And then you start a thread, not to ask a question, but to proclaim to everyone that Lou Martuneac has decided to conduct an in depth analysis of John MacArthur's "distinctives of Lordship Salvation"....at some point in the future. We're still waiting.

What's wrong? Are you having trouble twisting his words out of context? Must be tough dealing with all those references to scripture, huh?

Oh, I forgot. If Lou Martuneac disagrees with someone's interpretation of scripture that makes it "extra-biblical". Since it's "extra-biblical", Lou Martuneac gets to call that person a heretic by comparing them to well known heretics. Of course, that makes Lou Martuneac the final authority on what is "biblical" and what is not.

I usually attempt to answer every question as frankly as I can. This time, Lou Martuneac, I am not particularly motivated to answer your questions, since you won't answer mine.

I am not motivated to answer your questions because you will not/are not able to engage scripture on this isse, but instead make outrageous allegations that are easily demonstrated to be false.

Like I said, don't waste the cyber-space. I only have time and energy to address one smear at a time.

peace to youraying:

 

[Lou Martuneac]

jd:

Why are you trying to avoid inteacting on Goodman's article. This is beginning to look like you are hiding something. Is there something about Goodman's article that you'd rather not deal with or acknowledge?

Please don't dodge the question. Please don't redirect. The quotes are accurate and verifiable.

Would you indicate whether or not Goodman's article on salvation is, in your opinion, sound and correct, or not?


LM

 

[canadyjd]

jd: Please don't dodge the question. Please don't redirect. The quotes are accurate and verifiable.

Based on your previous posts concerning John MacArthur, I believe most people reading this will understand why I don't want to accept your word that the quotes are "accurate and verifiable".

I only have the time and energy to address your intellectual dishonesty one smear at a time.

peace to youraying:

 

[Lou Martuneac]

Based on your previous posts concerning John MacArthur, I believe most people reading this will understand why I don't want to accept your word that the quotes are "accurate and verifiable".

jd:

This is odd behavior. Why are so determined to dodge this article and give Web and I a simple yes or no on whether you think it is sound? You have been able to read extended excerpts by WebDog and linked to the article to read the excerpts in their full context.

Here is the link to the full article. http://www.jesus-is-lord.com/dayoflrd.htm

Let me help you further with this. Following is the full article, and now that you have it you know that the quotes WebDog cited are accurate and verified. I know you'll appreciate that. Because of its length have to post it in two successive comments

Now you can tell Web and I if Goodman's article on salvation is, in your opinion, sound and correct, or not?

"But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?" (2Peter 3:10-12)


They say that only raving fanatics and religious madmen are obsessed with the end the world and the wrath of God...
They say that such doomsday prophets are a menace to society and such odd fellows should be locked up in a padded cell...

They say that this idea of God's wrath and "all the world a burning" is the myth of the ancients and talk of fools... They say that... wait a minute...who are "they"?

"For this THEY willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished: But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men." (2 Peter 3:5-7).
"For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when THEY shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and THEY shall not escape." (1Thessalonians 5:2,3)

Many church people may find this message to be too blunt or negative for their sweet tooth religion. They may sincerely believe that it is "too hard" or "too unloving". But I am not going to cater a chocolate covered message. Besides how can you candy coat the Day of the Lord and hell? God knows my heart that I share this message in soberness but also in love. And tell me, isn't warning you of impending danger an act of love? And so I will warn you in love.

There is not enough time left to beat around the bush or to spare words lest I offend or "run you off" from the gospel that I preach. Too many preachers mince their words and hell is enlarged because of it. I will not be a polite neighbor who knocks softly upon your burning house (lest I offend you) to wake you out of your intoxicated sleep of damnation. No, I will even resort to being referred to as a "raving fanatic" if I can but save one from the "everlasting burnings". Like the Apostle Paul stated, "knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men" (2 Corinthians 5:11).Your eternal soul is more important than my fleeting reputation. I do not care what you think of me in the end, as long as you have heard the Word of God and have been properly warned.

As a child of wrath you have already been "run off" by your sin and rebellion to God. I can not make your damnation any worse than it already is, especially by preaching the truth. Since you are already a child of hell, I must then make every sincere effort to warn you to "flee from the wrath to come". Should you be offended or get angry, it is only another sign to you that you are a hater of God and His truth.

First, I must tell you that your eternal house is on fire already. You have already been judged and sentenced to an eternity without God and without hope. The scriptures clearly speaks of your condemnation,

"...he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. (John 3:18b-19).
Yet because your sentence has not been carried out thus far, you are not truly alarmed or fearful of what lies ahead for you eternally. Like a happy lunatic on death row who has no understanding of the chair they are strapping him in, so you, being blinded by deception ("In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not" 2 Cor 4:4) are oblivious to the consequences of your sin. You, my friend, live too carefree and too happy in such a condemned state... for hell has enlarged itself already to recieve you. You are like so many who say to themselves,

"The LORD shall not see, neither shall the God of Jacob regard it." (Psalm 94:7)
BUT

"understand, ye brutish among the people: and ye fools, when will ye be wise? He that planted the ear, shall He not hear? He that formed the eye, shall He not see?" Psalm 94:8,9
No, truly your judgment and eternal sentence shall be carried out. It is as certain as death itself.

"It is appointed unto man once to die but after this the judgment." (Hebrews 9:27)
My friend, are you not aware of your condemnation before a Holy God, that your

"judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and your damnation slumbereth not".
Moreover, because your life is so uncertain and compared to eternity is like "a vapor of water", it would be unwise to disregard or ignore the fate of your eternal soul. But you say, "I do not believe in your God or your Holy Scriptures." All I can then answer to this is- you will one day believe! But then it will be too late. My precious friend, just because you don't believe doesn't make God nonexistent or less God!

Close your eyes all you want but the mac truck that is speeding toward won't go away. Unbelief doesn't make you exempt... actually it is for this reason that you will judged. How foolish it would be for a fly to disbelieve his condemnation even when the swatter is over him already. Judgment and eternal damnation is over you now and speeding toward you at this very moment, I pray you have eyes to see the truth.

continued on next comment


Share It With The World! Uncopyrighted. Heath C. Goodman 1997

 

[Lou Martuneac]

Goodman Article on LS: Pt. 2

jd:

Here is the balance of the article. Now you can read Goodman's article in its entirety.

The hour is very late. "The end of all things is at hand...". (1Peter 4:7) Judgment and the wrath of God is even now being unleashed upon our world. Sooner than most think or care to even see, we shall see our world be destroyed through fire, war, famine, plagues, natural and supernatural disasters. (see Matthew 24) As men cry, "peace, peace... then sudden destruction!" This Word of God will come to pass and I am fearful that most of you will not heed the warnings.

There is a dark day coming my friend- It is referred to by the prophets as "the day of the Lord". "Shall not the day of the LORD be darkness, and not light? even very dark, and no brightness in it?" (Amos 5:20)

The New Testament refers to it as the "great and notable day of the Lord" (Acts 2:20)

The Apostle Peter warned, "But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up." (2Peter 3:10)

The day of the Lord is a fearful and dark day when God will pour out his wrath against all the ungodly, the disbelieving, the religious hypocrite and all those who do not know God. Yes, Almighty God is all love but He is also "Holy, Holy, Holy" and "An All Consuming Fire". He will send you, oh child of His wrath, rejecter of His mercy, despiser of His love, with a countless multitude of others to an eternal Hell where their will be no escape and "weeping and gnashing of teeth". The pomp of kings and presidents will descend into this fiery abyss just as well as the little man. No unrepentant man will escape. Woe upon woe- Oh, Isaiah prophesied of that day!

"Therefore hell hath enlarged herself, and opened her mouth without measure: and their glory, and their multitude, and their pomp, and he that rejoiceth, shall descend into it." Isaiah 5:14
What a sad day! What a grievous day! Woe to any man who would desire such a day! "Woe unto you that desire the day of the LORD! to what end is it for you? the day of the LORD is darkness, and not light." (Amos 5:18)

The Lord Jesus who came to bring mercy once before as a meek lamb, a sin offering to God will come back very soon as "The Lion of Judah" bringing judgment on all those who refused His mercy and His love.

"But when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power; (2 Thes 1:7-9).
Oh child of disobedience, has any one pleaded with you recently "to flee from the wrath to come?" Do you not know "that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God?" Forget what your preacher told you, forget what you read in some book- What does God say? "Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience." (Ephesians 5: 5-6).

The Apostle John saw the multitude of the damned descend into their everlasting darkness and wrote,

"But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death. (Revelation 21:8).
Just as Noah warned the wicked age in which He lived to "flee from the wrath to come" so I now warn you too. The world was once destroyed by a great flood of water. It will be soon be destroyed by fire. It may seem absurd to you... (although I don't know why since we live in the atomic age) but it will happen... as God's Word always proves true. Skeptics come and go but the Word of God has always been constant and unshakable!

Noah surely seemed an odd fellow, building a boat when it never had rained before. Sad to say, no one believed the old preacher except his own family. So when the rain finally came, the carcasses of the skeptics and unbelievers floated upon the water... along with all of Noah's tracts which read- "Warning: The Day Of The Lord Is Near".

Let me remind you that it is not by God's choice to send you to Hell. It is your choice. You are the one who chooses to sin against God. You are one who decides to hate and murder, cheat and covet, lie, steal, lust and commit sexual perversions against God. It is your choice to be a drunkard, a druggie and a rebel. You are treading your own fearful destiny, your own pathway to destruction!

You have offended God's holiness and broken His laws! You know what is wrong by natural instinct, "the law having been written in your heart" yet you chose to rebel against the conscience God gave you. You are guilty, guilty, guilty! You are sinful before Him and deserving of eternal damnation. You must be punished...

But Good News, my friend! There's hope! Jesus took the punishment! The gospel is simply this-

Jesus, the Lamb of God took upon Himself your debt of sin. He paid for it in full. You can be forgiven and have fellowship with the Holy God that you once offended with your sin.

However, to receive God's forgiveness, eternal salvation and blessings, you are required to believe the gospel and confess your sins in sorrow and regret. Do not just confess them generally. Be specific in confessing what you have done to offend His holiness.

Show Him that you are sincerely sorry for your sins by MAKING A COMMITMENT NEVER TO PRACTICE THOSE SINS AGAIN! This is real repentance. "Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. (Matthew 4:17,). Put your faith in His grace to keep you from falling. He will keep you!

It is not enough to just "say a little prayer'. Many preachers will stand in judgment for leading so many in a false conversion. How many souls are in hell right now who thought they were alright because the preacher didn't want to scare them away with a challenge and a call to a total commitment to Christ? I will not tell you a cheap and easy gospel message. Jesus requires you to give your ALL!

"So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not ALL that he hath, he cannot be my disciple." (Luke 14:33). "And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with ALL thy heart, and with ALL thy soul, and with ALL thy strength, and with ALL thy mind; and thy neighbor as thyself." (Luke 10:27).
Many of you have hardened your heart to God and the gospel. You have heard the preaching of Jesus many times before. But you've never made a total commitment to follow Jesus. You do not care that He died for you. You are in bitterness of soul and "nigh unto cursing." I warn you! Do not harden your heart to God's love and mercy! There is no other choice left to you but His wrath and indignation! I plead with you to fall on the Rock and be broken before the rock falls on you and you are crushed to powder! (see Matthew 21:44). This is a very serious decision you must make. Your eternal destiny depends upon it!

On Judgment day you will be without excuse. You have been warned of the Day of the Lord and told the Good News to avoid God's wrath. Jesus loves you... enough to warn you and give you a way out. Will you choose His loving way or go your own way to destruction? The ball is in your court now.What will you do?

Share It With The World! Uncopyrighted. Heath C. Goodman 1997

 

[Lou Martuneac]

jd:

I'm sure you appreciate being able to verify the accuracy of what WebDog posted earlier in the thread. (See Post #22 on p. 3) Here is that excerpt for you once again.

The following text is taken from an article titled "Warning: The Day Of The Lord Is Near" by Heath C. Goodman of Alarm Ministries in Lindale, Texas:

"You have offended God's holiness and broken His laws! You know what is wrong by natural instinct, "the law having been written in your heart" yet you chose to rebel against the conscience God gave you. You are guilty, guilty, guilty! You are sinful before Him and deserving of eternal damnation. You must be punished...
But Good News, my friend! There's hope! Jesus took the punishment! The gospel is simply this-

Jesus, the Lamb of God took upon Himself your debt of sin. He paid for it in full. You can be forgiven and have fellowship with the Holy God that you once offended with your sin.

However, to receive God's forgiveness, eternal salvation and blessings, you are required to believe the gospel and confess your sins in sorrow and regret. Do not just confess them generally. Be specific in confessing what you have done to offend His holiness.

Show Him that you are sincerely sorry for your sins by MAKING A COMMITMENT NEVER TO PRACTICE THOSE SINS AGAIN! This is real repentance. "Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. (Matthew 4:17,). Put your faith in His grace to keep you from falling. He will keep you!

It is not enough to just "say a little prayer'. Many preachers will stand in judgment for leading so many in a false conversion. How many souls are in hell right now who thought they were alright because the preacher didn't want to scare them away with a challenge and a call to a total commitment to Christ? I will not tell you a cheap and easy gospel message. Jesus requires you to give your ALL!

"So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not ALL that he hath, he cannot be my disciple." (Luke 14:33). "And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with ALL thy heart, and with ALL thy soul, and with ALL thy strength, and with ALL thy mind; and thy neighbor as thyself." (Luke 10:27).

Many of you have hardened your heart to God and the gospel. You have heard the preaching of Jesus many times before. But you've never made a total commitment to follow Jesus. You do not care that He died for you. You are in bitterness of soul and "nigh unto cursing." I warn you! Do not harden your heart to God's love and mercy! There is no other choice left to you but His wrath and indignation! I plead with you to fall on the Rock and be broken before the rock falls on you and you are crushed to powder! (see Matthew 21:44). This is a very serious decision you must make. Your eternal destiny depends upon it!

On Judgment day you will be without excuse. You have been warned of the Day of the Lord and told the Good News to avoid God's wrath. Jesus loves you... enough to warn you and give you a way out. Will you choose His loving way or go your own way to destruction? The ball is in your court now. What will you do?"

-Quote taken from an article titled "Warning: The Day Of The Lord Is Near" by Heath C. Goodman of Alarm Ministries in Lindale, Texas

Please don't continue to dodge the question. Please don't redirect. You now have quotes that are accurate and verified.

Would you please indicate whether or not Goodman's article on salvation is, in your opinion, sound and correct, or not?


LM

 

[Lou Martuneac]

Why Is jd Dodging This Simple Issue?

WebDog:

Why do you suppose jd does not want to give an answer to the question you and I raised. It is highly relevant to the LS discussion and MacArthur's view that jd is speaking for (without ever having read MacArthur's 4 books on LS).

It is possible that Goodman's article is a blunt, transparent explanation of the same thing MacArthur believes to be the plan of salvation? Could that be why jd does not want to give an answer? If jd believes Goodman's articled is wrong and it is not reflective of what JM teaches; why not say so one way or the other? Maybe Goodman's artcile articulates what jd believes to be the plan of salvation.

The article is either right or wrong; which is it?

canadyjd: Do you think it is an accurate description of the Gospel?

What do you think? Is that biblical or a departure from the faith?


LM

 

[thomas15]

Lou,

If you want to point out the errors of JM, fine. But why are you muddying the waters by bringing in this Goodman fellow?

Please stay on topic. You are loosing me with all the unnecessary verbage.

BTW, are you trying to say in 1000s of words that JM teaches salvation by works?

Yours truly,
Tom

 

[Rippon]

Lou , take your traveling road show some place else . Your billboard :"John MacArthur is an arch-heretic" isn't playing here .