THE FALSE GOSPEL

OF SALVATION WITHOUT REPENTANCE

 

A Call for Humble Submission to God

By Gary Ray Branscome

 

 

“Shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? Absolutely not! / do not allow sin to reign in your mortal body” (Romans 6:15, 12).

 

 

          The words, “The law is not meant for a righteous man, but for those who are lawless and rebellious,” tell us that the law is God’s warning to the unrepentant [the “lawless and rebellious”] (1Timothy 1:9). And, because it is God’s warning to the unrepentant, when people are unwilling to turn from sin, or admit that there is anything wrong with their sinful lifestyle, the church must condemn them. Any pastor who portrays God’s love as God allowing them to sin without punishment is teaching a false gospel. And, that pastor is condemned by the words, “When I say to the wicked, You will surely die; but you do not give him that warning, or say anything to warn him to give up his wicked way… I will require his blood at your hand” (Ezekiel 3:18).  

          Many who are hardened in a homosexual lifestyle will claim that God loves them, and does not condemn their lifestyle. But His word to all of them is, “Anyone who claims to know Him, but does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him” (1John 2:4). In saying this I realize that people who want to do what is right sometimes wind up doing something they regret. However, those who not only do not regret their evil behavior but deny that it is evil, and have no desire to stop doing it are “lawless and rebellious”. And the words, “He who does what is sinful is of the devil,” tell us that they are under the control of Satan (1John 3:8). Moreover, the words “I will condemn you, because you say, I have done nothing wrong,” tell us that God will condemn them because they deny that there is anything wrong with their sinful lifestyle (Jeremiah 2:35).

 

Following Christ’s Example

          Anyone who thinks that the only way to save someone is to buddy up to them and tell them how much God loves them is not following Christ’s example. Those who are sorry for their sins and have a tender conscience before God need assurance of God’s love, but those who are unrepentant need to be warned of God’s wrath. And, the words, “The law is not meant for a righteous man, but for those who are lawless and rebellious,” tell us that those who are “lawless and rebellious” are still under the law, and will continue to be under the law until they cease to be “lawless and rebellious” (1Timothy 1:9).

          We see this truth in Christ’s own example as He dealt with the Pharisees. Consider the fact that Christ never told the Pharisees that God loved them. The reason that He never told them that God loved them is because they were unrepentant. If He had told them that God loved them each of them would have patted himself on the back and replied, “Oh I am sure He does, because I am such a good person”. That would have only hardened them in sin! He condemned them for being proud hypocrites because they were rationalizing their own sins instead of repenting, yet claiming to be saved. And, that is true today of all who want to be accepted by the church without giving up their sinful lifestyle. As it is written, “If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we are lying, and are not living the truth” (1John 1:6).

While we have God’s assurance that He “will not despise a heart that is humbled and sorry for sin” those who are “lawless and rebellious,” are not “humbled” and are not “sorry for sin” (Psalm 51:17).

 

Perverting the Gospel into an Excuse to Sin

          A few decades ago I would have found it difficult to believe that many who call themselves “Christian” have perverted the Gospel into an excuse to sin. However that false gospel is widespread! And the words, “If we, or an angel from heaven, preach any gospel to you other than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed,” should be a warning to all who follow it (Galatians 1:8). If those “who despised Moses’ law died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much more severely, do you think a man deserves to be punished, who has trampled the Son of God under foot, treated the blood of the covenant, by which he was sanctified, as an unholy thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace?” (Hebrews 10:28-29).

         

The passage I just quoted not only condemns the pastors who condone homosexuality, but any “Christians” who have bought into a false Gospel which tells them that they can live in sin and still be saved. The Bible says, “Walk in the Spirit, and you will not fulfill the lust of the flesh” (Galatians 5:16). Those words tell us that all who live in sin, with no desire to escape from that sin, do not have “a heart that is humbled and sorry for sin,” and, therefore, are not saved (Psalm 51:17). And, the words, “If anyone will not listen to what we say… do not associate with him, so that he may be ashamed,” tell every believer to withdraw from such people (2Thessalonians 3:14).

         

          The words, “They commit adultery, and walk in lies, they strengthen the hands of evildoers so that no one repents of his wickedness: all of them are like Sodom in my sight,” should be a warning to all who pat homosexuals on the back and tell them that God loves them (Jeremiah 23:14). “The LORD… hates the wicked” (Psalm 11:5).

The words, “Hear the word of the LORD… Correct your ways and your doings… Will you… commit sexual sin, and then come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, We are safe, only to continue doing these wicked things?” condemn all who sin sexually and think that God will accept them even though they have no desire to repent (Jeremiah 7:2-10).

 

Perverting God’s Promise of Sustaining Grace

The words “The law is not meant for a righteous man,” tell us that we need to comfort those who are sorry for their sins and long for God’s forgiveness, not threaten them with warnings of the Law (1Timothy 1:9). And all who have a repentant heart before God are “righteous” in the sight of God because “The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses” them “of all sin” (1John 1:7). Just as they need assurance of God’s saving grace, they need assurance that just as God has saved them by His grace, He will keep them by His grace. As it is written, you are “kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation” (1Peter 1:5). That assurance of God’s sustaining grace is an important part of the gospel. However, because those who are “lawless and rebellious,” are still under the Law (1Tim. 1:9), God’s message to them is, “Unless you repent, you will all perish” (Luke 13:3). 

 

Because the gospel is God’s promise of mercy to all who repent, while the Law is His warning to the unrepentant: The passages that assure us of God’s grace (including those that assure us of God’s sustaining grace) belong to those who repent (those truly saved). In contrast, the passages that warn us of the danger of falling from grace are God’s warning to all church members who are unrepentant. God wants those warnings given to the young man who got his girlfriend pregnant, and when called to account said, “That is what forgiveness is for”. Or to the young man who when caught being immoral, said “When I asked Jesus into my heart I was told that no matter what sin I committed I could not lose salvation”. Or to the woman who tried to convince other church members to accept her homosexual friend by saying, “We all sin, my husband and I were not virgins when we got married, and I lie to my kids all the time”.

I could give other examples, but people who think that way have created a false gospel in their minds, and since the Holy Spirit will not lead anyone to believe a false gospel, they also have a false faith. 

 

          God did not include warnings of the danger of falling away in His Word for Christians to ignore and explain away. When God moved Paul to write, “I buffet my body, and bring it under my control: lest there be any way that I, after having preached to others, might be rejected,” He did so as a warning to the kind of unrepentant Christians mentioned in the last paragraph. And, people like that need to be warned of the danger of falling, not told that they can keep on sinning without ever being condemned. As it is written, “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Hebrews 10:31).

 

In clarification, let me say that balancing God's promise of mercy with his warning of wrath is never easy. It may help to think of God's love for all men (or hatred of the wicked) in terms of actions rather than emotions. We tend to think of love and hate in terms of our own emotions, but God is beyond all of that. God loves all men in the sense that He sent Christ to die for their sins (John 3:16). At the same time, He hates the wicked (the unrepentant and unbelieving) in the sense that He is going to send them to hell (Psalm 5:5). The big question is which side of God we need to present to the unrepentant. A false gospel is being taught whenever the unrepentant are given a false assurance of salvation. The unrepentant need to be warned that they are on the path to hell, not told that they can keep on sinning and get away with it! At the same time, a perverted gospel is being taught whenever humble believers are robbed of their assurance of salvation by being told that faith in Christ is not enough, or that God's blessing depends on their works.

When it comes to the unrepentant, I believe that the real issue is: Do they really want to be delivered from their sinful lifestyle, or are they only using the gospel as an excuse to continue in sin. And, actions speak louder than words. God’s Word tells us to not “associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral… expel that wicked man from your congregation (1Corinthians 5:9-13).

 

Conclusion

          I have explained why those who think that the gospel is just a way of escaping punishment while continuing in sin have a false gospel. And, the words, “If we, or an angel from heaven, preach any gospel to you other than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed,” are God’s command to flee and condemn every church and church leader that promotes that false gospel (Galatians 1:8).”

          As a warning to all caught up in such falsehood Jesus says, “Whoever commits sin is the slave of sin” (John 8:34). “When you yield yourselves to someone to obey him as servants, you are the servants of the one you obey; whether of sin to death, or of obedience to righteousness” (Romans 6:16). “Were they ashamed after they had committed abominable sins? No, they were not ashamed at all, nor could they blush: therefore they will fall among those who fall: at the time that I punish them they will be brought down, says the LORD” (Jeremiah 6:15). “How can you say, We are wise, and the law of the LORD is with us? Look, the lying commentary of the scribes [left wing “scholars”] has made it into a lie” (Jeremiah 8:8).