To preface this post, I would like to be completely clear. There are individuals who add "repent of your sins" to the gospel message. I often repeated this phrase without fully understanding what I was saying. Someone eventually pointed out to me that I was wrong. Many Baptists out there may be mindlessly repeating "repent of your sins" for salvation. What they might mean, like I did, is that one must admit he is a sinner. That is is not repenting or turning from your sins. That is simply agreeing with the Scriptures, such as Romans 3:21, that you are, indeed, a sinner condemned to hell. A sinner must recognize that he is one in order to be saved. However, some do not use "repent of your sins" to mean admitting you are a sinner. There are some that actually teach a turning away from or repenting from sins in your life is a necessary component of salvation. Is repentance of sins necessary for salvation? No. Is repentance from trusting in works or a false god necessary for salvation? Absolutely. It's important to separate the two, which I'll do in this post.
There's an independent, fundamental Baptist missionary by the name of Bruce Berry. He is a missionary to Brazil out of Calvary Baptist Church in Hampton, Georgia. He is guilty of adding works to salvation. The gospel ought to be defended, even against those who call themselves Baptists. Galatians 1:9 says, "As we said before, so say I now again, if any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed." The gospel is either repent of your sins, or it's only believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. You can't have both. One is true, and the other isn't. Is it enough to put your faith in Christ alone, or is some degree of turning from your sins also necessary? Missionary Bruce Berry believes that a turning from sins is necessary in order to make it into heaven. Galatians 1:7 states, "...but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ." Those who add anything to faith in Jesus Christ for salvation are perverts. They have twisted the gospel message, and there is only one gospel message. We cannot give up an inch in the battle to defend the gospel.
On Bruce's blog, located here, he has a section to the right on how to "Prepare to Meet Your Maker." It's his gospel presentation which includes many truthful statements. However, the main problematic issues are found in "Lesson 3," which is pasted below in four different segments. All snippets are taken directly from his blog site. The first snippet below is from an earlier section in his gospel presentation.
The Gospel of John was written "that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name." John's Gospel should be complete in telling us what we must do to be saved. It's clear that faith, or belief, is what saves us. Consider the following simple verses:
John 1:12, "But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name."
John 3:16, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."
John 3:36, "He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him."
John 5:24, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life."
John 6:35, "And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst."
John 6:47, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life."
I could list many more statements from John about how those who believe on Christ have everlasting life. I could list even more instances where individuals and multitudes believed on Him after hearing His preaching. God made salvation very simple and very easy. In fact, God refers to salvation as a free gift numerous times. A gift is freely accepted with no strings attached. Bruce does not make mention once of salvation being a free gift from God.
Many heretics take the above passage from James 2 to teach that "faith alone" is not enough to be saved. Bruce Berry, along with the Catholics and other false denominations out there, interpret this passage to mean that if you have faith, but no works, you're not really saved. According to this way of thought, if faith is unaccompanied with works, then it is not enough to save you. They'll say that if your life shows no evidence of works after salvation, then you were never truly saved to begin with (what these specific evidences or works are, we're never told). The only evidence I look for to see if a person is saved is what they say they believe, since it's belief that saves. If you extrapolate this thought process, it would be a logical conclusion, which Paul Washer shares, that if you don't have works, you're going to hell. This is teaching blatant works-salvation since it is adding works as a necessary part to your salvation. This flies in the face of the doctrine of faith alone. Instead, these false teachers add "repent of your sins" in order for you to truly be saved and bear forth "evidence." Are works the proper evidence of truly believing? We'll look at some verses which address that in a moment.
If an individual believes he must turn from his sins and produce works, he would be adding directly to the finished work of Christ. Is it our works plus the works of Christ? If a person has one foot on Christ, and another foot on his ability to turn from his sins and produce good works, is he trusting 100% in the shed blood of Christ to save himself from hell? I would say definitely not. It's not faith plus anything else. It's faith alone - which should be a doctrine that any real Baptist ought to defend. Here is an excellent verse on whether works are necessary in salvation:
Romans 4:5 clearly states, "But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness."
Will the person who believes but doesn't have works go to heaven or hell? According to Romans 4:5, he will be in heaven. How many works is "worketh not"? Zero. A person with no works can make it to heaven if he has believed on the Lord Jesus Christ. Faith alone is what justifies a man before God. Did you catch that? Let me say it again. A man that has faith but has no works, his faith is counted for righteousness. Let's repeat it a third time. To the man who continues to drink, smoke, fornicate, lie, curse, steal, and do nothing right, but has believed in Jesus...
HIS FAITH IS COUNTED FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS!
Works have absolutely NOTHING to do with salvation, before or after! Still not convinced?Romans 3:20, "Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin."
Romans 3:28, "Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law."
Romans 4:6, "Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works..."
Ephesians 2:8-9, "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast."
Titus 3:5, "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;"
Hebrews 4:10, "For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his."
Galatians 2:16, "Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified."
Galatians 3:11, "But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith."
Again, what do works have to do with salvation? Absolutely nothing. No works, ever, are necessary before or after salvation. God's Word is extremely clear on this. In fact, it's so clear that if you think that works play any role in salvation, either before or after, you are not saved. Can it be any clearer? The Bible declares that only through FAITH in the shed blood of Christ do we have remission of sins. He is the One who went through hell for me, and my only hope is through FAITH in His propitiation! No where, and I challenge anyone, does it say in the Bible that you must "repent of your sins" to be saved, or that you have to have works to evidence "true salvation." It's all through FAITH!
Exhibit A in the Bible: look to the saved thief on the cross. He believed on the Lord Jesus Christ while he was dying on the cross. Did he have time to get off the cross and repent of his sins? Get baptized? Go to church? Show "evidences" or works to prove he was really saved? He got into heaven "so as by fire." He had no works. But he made it to heaven. It's faith, and faith alone, that justifies a man before God.
With the groundwork laid, is James 2, when it speaks of "dead faith," talking about a person who is not saved? No, the passage is addressed to believers. If they have faith in Jesus Christ, but no works, are they saved? Yes - according to the multitudes of verses I just listed. However, if they only have faith in Christ but don't produce any works, what are they? Dead Christians. They're saved, but they're completely unprofitable. The context of this passage confirms this. It's an exhortation to do good works, not to cast doubt on your salvation if you don't have works. Some passages are harder to understand than others, but if we have the foundation of salvation firmly laid down, you won't misinterpret that passage to mean that works are necessary in order to be truly saved. Not only that, but if you have one verse that appears to suggest something contrary to one hundred clear statements from Scripture, maybe you're wrong on that one verse.
Here are the snippets from Bruce Berry's blog which get to "Lesson 3" about how a sinner can solve his problem of sin. I will analyze the errors in each beginning with the first snippet.
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It says at the top, "What must the sinner do to solve his problem of sin?" Great question. Step 1 is to repent of your sin - not believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. You must first repent of your sins before you can turn to Christ in faith. After hearing how the Savior died for our sins, was buried, and raised Himself from the dead, we cannot simply "believe" and be saved. That has to come after we repent of our sin, and nobody can be saved without first repenting of their sin. What exactly does the phrase "repent of sin" mean, anyway? And more importantly, how does God view it?
In the Book of Jonah, the people of Nineveh responded to the preaching of Jonah by turning from their sin, which is defined as works, "And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way" (Jonah 3:10). In Matthew, the same story is recounted, and this time God says that they "repented" of their sins: "...because they repented at the preaching of Jonas" (Matthew 12:41). What are we not saved by? Works. What does God consider repenting or turning from sins? Works. Therefore, we are not saved by repenting of or turning from our sin. To do so would be works-salvation and would go directly against God's Word. Preachers ought to define words and phrases in the Bible, especially if they are trying to explain the gospel. Telling a sinner to repent of his sins is very unspecific and ill-defined. How would you react if someone arbitrarily told you to repent of your sins in order to go to heaven? Which sins would you turn from?
Bruce is emphatic when he says, "No one ever turned to God that did not, first, turn from his sin." If he believes that his turning from sin is what got him saved, then he is completely lost. He correctly identifies "repent" as "to turn" or to have a "change of mind." But then he immediately defines it as a change about or turning from sin. To "repent" does not mean to "repent of your sin" - that does not define the word. It means simply to turn or change. Every time Bruce reads the word "repent" in the Bible, he immediately defines it as "repent of your sins." Context governs how the word repent is used in the Bible. For example, the Lord repented several times in the Old Testament. Did God have sin to repent of? Absolutely not. Therefore, the word "repent" does not mean to turn from sins (unless it is used in connection with sins in the context). When repentance is used to talk about salvation, it means someone has turned from a false religion or a false set of beliefs and turned to Jesus Christ alone to be saved. If I told you I was going to go to the beach today but repented, it means I was planning on going but changed my mind and did not go. When looking at the word "repent" in the Bible, the context will tell us what is being repented of, whether it be sin or false beliefs.
Bruce quotes the story about the "Prodigal Son" in Luke 15 as a salvation story. The story continues on the second snippet (pasted below). It's an eternal security story, because it's about sons. To be a son of God means you have already been born again by believing on Jesus Christ. Even if you were to wallow in the filth of the world, you're still saved and God still loves you. Once you're saved, you're always saved. According to Bruce, you must have a change of direction in your life before you can be saved. Alcoholics reform themselves through Alcoholics Anonymous every year, but does that make them automatically saved because they changed the direction of their lives? Salvation is not based on the direction of one's life, but rather on what one believes. If Bruce is correct in how he characterizes the gospel, then it must be pretty difficult for most people to get saved. If one is addicted to drugs, alcohol, sex, porno, or any other filth this world has to offer, that person will have to cease from that addiction before God will save him according to Bruce's gospel. That's incredibly difficult to do, to say the least. Isn't salvation free and easy?
Here's what Romans 10:12-13 sounds like to Bruce Berry:
"For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that will give up their life of sin. For whosoever shall repent of his sin shall be saved."
The Bible actually says, "For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."
The truth is God is rich unto all who call on Him, regardless of whether they give up certain sins or not. Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord will be saved. It does not say that whosoever forsakes his life of sin will be saved. It does not say that God is waiting on the sinner to turn from his sins. It does not say he that truly believes and has a changed life will be saved. The only thing we can do is believe - call on Christ for salvation. That is the only action a condemned sinner can take! And God is prepared to save anyone who has faith in Jesus Christ, even those who take the free gift of salvation and still continue to live in their sins and worldly lifestyles. In fact, one must forsake the deeds of the law if they are seeking justification in the eyes of God - not sin!
The next section is about the consequences of sin. What will happen to me if I don't repent of my sins? According to Scripture, if you believe on Christ you'll be saved. But according to Bruce Berry, you will go to hell. He quotes Luke 13:3, "...except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish." He just ripped the verse completely out of context to mean that if you don't turn from your sins, you will go to hell. Does it really mean that? What's the context? Luke 13:1-5, quoted in full:
"There were present at that season some that told him of the Galilaeans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And Jesus answering said unto them, Suppose ye that these Galilaeans were sinners above all the Galilaeans, because they suffered such things? I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish."
Bruce is emphatic when he says, "No one ever turned to God that did not, first, turn from his sin." If he believes that his turning from sin is what got him saved, then he is completely lost. He correctly identifies "repent" as "to turn" or to have a "change of mind." But then he immediately defines it as a change about or turning from sin. To "repent" does not mean to "repent of your sin" - that does not define the word. It means simply to turn or change. Every time Bruce reads the word "repent" in the Bible, he immediately defines it as "repent of your sins." Context governs how the word repent is used in the Bible. For example, the Lord repented several times in the Old Testament. Did God have sin to repent of? Absolutely not. Therefore, the word "repent" does not mean to turn from sins (unless it is used in connection with sins in the context). When repentance is used to talk about salvation, it means someone has turned from a false religion or a false set of beliefs and turned to Jesus Christ alone to be saved. If I told you I was going to go to the beach today but repented, it means I was planning on going but changed my mind and did not go. When looking at the word "repent" in the Bible, the context will tell us what is being repented of, whether it be sin or false beliefs.
Bruce quotes the story about the "Prodigal Son" in Luke 15 as a salvation story. The story continues on the second snippet (pasted below). It's an eternal security story, because it's about sons. To be a son of God means you have already been born again by believing on Jesus Christ. Even if you were to wallow in the filth of the world, you're still saved and God still loves you. Once you're saved, you're always saved. According to Bruce, you must have a change of direction in your life before you can be saved. Alcoholics reform themselves through Alcoholics Anonymous every year, but does that make them automatically saved because they changed the direction of their lives? Salvation is not based on the direction of one's life, but rather on what one believes. If Bruce is correct in how he characterizes the gospel, then it must be pretty difficult for most people to get saved. If one is addicted to drugs, alcohol, sex, porno, or any other filth this world has to offer, that person will have to cease from that addiction before God will save him according to Bruce's gospel. That's incredibly difficult to do, to say the least. Isn't salvation free and easy?
Here's what Romans 10:12-13 sounds like to Bruce Berry:
"For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that will give up their life of sin. For whosoever shall repent of his sin shall be saved."
The Bible actually says, "For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."
The truth is God is rich unto all who call on Him, regardless of whether they give up certain sins or not. Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord will be saved. It does not say that whosoever forsakes his life of sin will be saved. It does not say that God is waiting on the sinner to turn from his sins. It does not say he that truly believes and has a changed life will be saved. The only thing we can do is believe - call on Christ for salvation. That is the only action a condemned sinner can take! And God is prepared to save anyone who has faith in Jesus Christ, even those who take the free gift of salvation and still continue to live in their sins and worldly lifestyles. In fact, one must forsake the deeds of the law if they are seeking justification in the eyes of God - not sin!
"There were present at that season some that told him of the Galilaeans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And Jesus answering said unto them, Suppose ye that these Galilaeans were sinners above all the Galilaeans, because they suffered such things? I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish."
Does "perish" here mean hell? When the Bible says "likewise," it means "in like manner" or "in the same way." Jesus is warning a group of Jews that unless they repent, they will perish (or "die") in the same way as those Galilaeans in the temple or those who were toppled at the tower of Siloam. This isn't talking about a sinner who needs to repent of his sins or else he'll go to hell, this is talking about the nation of Israel rejecting the Lord Jesus Christ. They will face sudden calamity and death if they reject the Messiah. They rejected Him by slaying Him on the cross, and as a result of their not repenting, their demise came about in 70 AD when the Romans destroyed them. Just because the Bible uses the word "repent," it does not always mean "repent of your sins." Whenever you see "repent," you ought to ask yourself, "What needs to be repented of?" Context helps define that. But if you want to be a fool and rip a verse out of context, just follow Bruce's lead.
Let's rewrite the Bible so it fits Bruce Berry's warped view on salvation. Because clearly God forgot to add "repentance of sins" to several verses:
John 3:18: "...but he that repenteth not is condemned already, because he hath not repented of all his sins."
John 3:36: "...and he that repents not of his sin shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him."
Mark 16:16: "...but he that does not turn from his sins shall be damned."
Reading further under point number three, Bruce says that when a sinner repents of his sin, "he opens the door to receive divine assistance." What does "divine assistance" mean? You know who else is good at making up words and phrases that don't appear in the Bible? Catholics. Bruce says that it is God's will that "all sinners repent and escape the eternal consequences of sin." He twists 2 Peter 3:9 into reading the Lord is "not willing that any should perish, but that all should repent of their sin." Actually, if we read John 6:40, we'll better understand 2 Peter 3:9:
John 3:18: "...but he that repenteth not is condemned already, because he hath not repented of all his sins."
John 3:36: "...and he that repents not of his sin shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him."
Mark 16:16: "...but he that does not turn from his sins shall be damned."
Bruce says if we do not repent of our sin, we will go to hell. That is an outright lie. The Bible really says, "But he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed on the name of the only Begotten Son of God." It goes on, "and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him." Finally, "but he that believeth not shall be damned." Have I demonstrated enough that the only thing that will condemn you to an eternity in hell is unbelief? No where in the Bible does it say you will go to hell unless you repent of your sin. Bruce Berry has rehashed Catholic works-salvation doctrine, that if you don't have works, you'll go to hell!
"And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day."
2 Peter 3:9 says that God is "not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." What does repentance here mean? What needs to be repented of? Other verses in the Bible can help define this.
Matthew 21:32 says, "For John came unto you in the way of righteousness, and ye believed him not: but the publicans and the harlots believed him: and ye, when ye had seen it, repented not afterward, that ye might believe him."
Mark 1:15 states, "And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel."
John the Baptist preached the gospel of repentance. What is this gospel of repentance? That people should turn from their unbelief and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, the Messiah. If you don't have faith in Christ, repent! Change that, and put your faith in Christ. Is the gospel of repentance turning from sins? It's not in the Bible. Here's another proof passage:
Acts 19:4 says, "Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus."
Hebrews 6:1 says, "Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God."
If faith without works is dead, then what are dead works? Works without faith. They are man's vain attempt to save himself from God's wrath. Whoever believes their works are necessary to get to heaven must repent of trusting in those works, and put their faith in God, Jesus Christ. If we take the Bible definition of repent to mean "turn" or "change," it makes perfect sense in all these passages. But if we insert "of your sins" at the end of repent, it doesn't make any sense whatsoever. Not only that, but individuals, like Bruce Berry, who do that are adding to God's Word. The Bible says in Proverbs 30:6, "Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar."
John 3:16 is a very clear, widely recognized verse. So why does Bruce throw all these "repent" verses which are hard to understand at an unsaved person? Not one time has he mentioned the words "believe" or "faith" yet. If he wants to start a section on what you must do to be saved, why wouldn't he start with John 3:16 or a multitude of other verses that say to believe on Jesus Christ? A false prophet will always go to the harder, unclear verses to trip up the unsaved. Here's the next section:
Finally, Bruce gets to the "believe" part of the gospel. But let's be clear: you have to deal with your sins before get to this section of the gospel. Even in this section, he keeps mentioning turning from sins to be saved. He can't let it go. He says, "In his heart man turns from his sin (that's repentance[sic]) and turns to God for Salvation (that's faith)." He quoted Romans 10:9-10 before he made that statement, which says nothing about repenting of your sin. He's reading things into the Bible that aren't there.
2 Peter 3:9 says that God is "not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." What does repentance here mean? What needs to be repented of? Other verses in the Bible can help define this.
Matthew 21:32 says, "For John came unto you in the way of righteousness, and ye believed him not: but the publicans and the harlots believed him: and ye, when ye had seen it, repented not afterward, that ye might believe him."
Had the Pharisees repented, they would have believed. They did not believe John's gospel, thus they did not repent. The publicans did believe, and they did repent. In this passage, repentance is correlated with belief. The Pharisees were self-righteous, meaning they thought that their good works, such as turning from their sins, justified them before the sight of God. John the Baptist warned them that they should repent of trusting in their works to save them from hell. They needed to turn from their own works and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ like the publicans and harlots did. Did it mention anywhere in that verse or passage that the publicans turned from their greediness, or that the harlots turned from their whoredoms to be saved? No, it only said that they believed.
John the Baptist preached the gospel of repentance. What is this gospel of repentance? That people should turn from their unbelief and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, the Messiah. If you don't have faith in Christ, repent! Change that, and put your faith in Christ. Is the gospel of repentance turning from sins? It's not in the Bible. Here's another proof passage:
Acts 19:4 says, "Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus."
The baptism of repentance was for those who believed on Jesus Christ. Was this baptism for those who repented of their sins? No, it's for those who repented of whatever they used to believe took them to heaven, and trusted in Jesus Christ. "Believe" and "repent" are correlated in many places, but none of those verses mentioned people "turning from their sins" to be saved. Still unconvinced?
If faith without works is dead, then what are dead works? Works without faith. They are man's vain attempt to save himself from God's wrath. Whoever believes their works are necessary to get to heaven must repent of trusting in those works, and put their faith in God, Jesus Christ. If we take the Bible definition of repent to mean "turn" or "change," it makes perfect sense in all these passages. But if we insert "of your sins" at the end of repent, it doesn't make any sense whatsoever. Not only that, but individuals, like Bruce Berry, who do that are adding to God's Word. The Bible says in Proverbs 30:6, "Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar."
God wills, or wants, people to believe in His Son. We have an abundance of verses that talk about faith or belief as the means for salvation. "Repentance" in 2 Peter 3:9 means a person must change their mind about whatever false beliefs they have, and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. And therein lies the definition of repent: to turn or change. What should we change when it comes to salvation? What we believe. Why? Because salvation is entirely dependent upon belief. Is it dependent upon repenting of our sins? No, because Ephesians 2:9 says that salvation is not of works. That's why we base our core doctrinal beliefs, especially about salvation, on clear and simple verses, such as John 3:16: "For God so loved the world, that He gave his only Begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life." However, a person cannot believe in Buddha or Allah and believe in Jesus at the same time. He must repent, or turn, from his beliefs in other gods and trust the one true living God.
Next, he shows how we believe on Jesus Christ according to the Zondervan Pictorial Bible Dictionary (why is that necessary?). Romans 1:16 says, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth." The Zondervan Bible Dictionary is not the power of God unto salvation, the gospel is. Bruce says the three "elements" of intellect, emotions, and will are necessary to be saved, and he bases this on his Bible Dictionary, not the Bible by itself. Sure, I don't disagree about intellectually understanding the Bible and what it says we must do to be saved. And yes, the free will must be involved because believing is a decision. But emotions can lead us into false doctrine. Salvation is not a "feeling." It should not be dictated in the least bit by our emotions.
Next, he gives the invitation part:
Wait.
Throughout the whole gospel presentation, this man has been saying that you must repent of your sin in order to be saved. What is it Bruce, do we need to repent of our sins or do we only need to be willing to do so? Berry's version of Luke 13:3 says that unless we repent of our sin, we'll go to hell. Does it now say, "Except ye be willing to turn from your sins"? What if I'm willing to be willing to turn from my sins, does that count? Where in the Bible does it say we must be willing to turn from our sins to be saved? Not only that but concerning repentance of sins,
how often?
to what extent?
all sins?
some sins?
one sin?
This is a snippet from another earlier part of his "gospel" presentation. You can't believe on Jesus Christ without turning from your sins. This is a corrupted and flawed gospel message. He seriously believes that if you have not turned from various sins in your life, you will spend an eternity in hell. If that isn't the definition of works-salvation, I don't know what is. God has given man an opportunity to believe on His Son Jesus Christ. God's desire is that all unbelievers would put their faith in the sacrifice that Christ made for our sins. Your part is to only trust in Him - and if you add anything else to that, you're damned.
Is this the gospel presentation that Bruce is giving overseas? Is this what he's being paid to preach? Here is a partial list of churches that financially support Missionary Bruce Berry and his false gospel:
Calvary Baptist Church Hampton, GA (link)
Crooked Creek Baptist Church Athens, GA (link)
Gantt Street Baptist Church Cayce, SC (link)
First Baptist Church of Atoka Atoka, TN (link)
Faith Baptist Church Jefferson City, TN (link)
Newtown Baptist Church Covington, GA (link)
Victory Baptist Church Fort Valley, GA (link)
Val Verde Baptist Church Groves, TX (link)
Jefferson Lighthouse Baptist Church Jefferson, GA (link)
Liberty Baptist Church Gastonia, NC (link)
Calvary Baptist Church Trenton, GA (link)
Faith Baptist Church Bath, SC (link)
Mt. Vernon Baptist Church Murrayville, GA (link)
Macedonia World Baptist Missions Braselton, GA (link)
White Oaks Spring Baptist Church Dallas, GA (link)
Bible Baptist Church Royston, GA (link)
Lighthouse Baptist Church Jackson, GA (link)
Maranatha Baptist Church Lilburn, GA (link)
Roddey Baptist Church Catawba, SC (link)
Westside Baptist Church Newnan, GA (link)
If these churches can't see the problems with his false gospel, they're just as lost as he is.
If we are to repent or be "willing" to repent of our sins, wouldn't God give us some parameters so we can know exactly how to be saved? How many sins should we turn from? Which sins? The fact is God is very black and white when it comes to salvation. In John 3:16-18, you either believe or don't believe; it's that simple. That passage deals with salvation, and it doesn't mention the word "repent" once (or in the entire Book of John for that matter). Is John 3:16 insufficient to lead someone to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ? The whole book of John is written for this purpose: "But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name" (John 20:31). There are dozens of references to faith all throughout John, but there is not one single reference to an individual repenting of his sins in order to be saved. If the Gospel of John is written to lead people to believing on Christ, why is repentance of sins no where to be found? In fact, you won't find the phrase "repent of your sin" anywhere in the New Testament. And it should be clear to any Bible-believing Christian that all one must do to have eternal life is believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, nothing more and nothing less.
If the phrase "repent of your sins" doesn't exist in the Bible, where did it come from? You can find that phrase LITTERED ALL THROUGHOUT THE MORMON BIBLE! Don't believe me? Take a look for yourself and follow the link.
If the phrase "repent of your sins" doesn't exist in the Bible, where did it come from? You can find that phrase LITTERED ALL THROUGHOUT THE MORMON BIBLE! Don't believe me? Take a look for yourself and follow the link.
If you haven't noticed, there's something conspicuously missing from all four of his pages on what we must do to be saved. That's the word: HELL. I'll give him some credit, he did quote verses that mentioned hell in previous pages not listed here in this post. However, he never mentioned the word "hell" in his commentary. And in the above images, he refers to hell as a "sin problem." I can think of several other adjectives to describe hell other than as a sin problem, such as "everlasting fire," "everlasting torment," "their worm dieth not," "lake of fire," "blackness of darkness," "damnation," and so forth. "Sin problem" doesn't have the same ring to it. If I tell you, "I'm saved," what, exactly, am I saved from? Hell. Too many so-called Christians think that being saved means you've done an about face concerning how you were living and chose to live godlier. That's not what being saved means. If a missionary can't utter the word "hell," he's not fit to preach the gospel.
Sometimes it can be difficult to spot a heretic, especially in Baptist circles. They may say many truthful things, but there's leaven in the lump. When you mix a little lie with the truth, it's completely ruined. You cannot mix works with salvation, ever. Attached below is from an earlier part of his gospel presentation not listed above.
Is this the gospel presentation that Bruce is giving overseas? Is this what he's being paid to preach? Here is a partial list of churches that financially support Missionary Bruce Berry and his false gospel:
Calvary Baptist Church Hampton, GA (link)
Crooked Creek Baptist Church Athens, GA (link)
Gantt Street Baptist Church Cayce, SC (link)
First Baptist Church of Atoka Atoka, TN (link)
Faith Baptist Church Jefferson City, TN (link)
Newtown Baptist Church Covington, GA (link)
Victory Baptist Church Fort Valley, GA (link)
Val Verde Baptist Church Groves, TX (link)
Jefferson Lighthouse Baptist Church Jefferson, GA (link)
Liberty Baptist Church Gastonia, NC (link)
Calvary Baptist Church Trenton, GA (link)
Faith Baptist Church Bath, SC (link)
Mt. Vernon Baptist Church Murrayville, GA (link)
Macedonia World Baptist Missions Braselton, GA (link)
White Oaks Spring Baptist Church Dallas, GA (link)
Bible Baptist Church Royston, GA (link)
Lighthouse Baptist Church Jackson, GA (link)
Maranatha Baptist Church Lilburn, GA (link)
Roddey Baptist Church Catawba, SC (link)
Westside Baptist Church Newnan, GA (link)
I appreciate you laughable "expose" of Brother Berry. Please add Victory Baptist Church of Allenhurst, GA to your list. We have no desire for those who preach the gospel without repentance in out pulpit. homepage.victorybcinallenhust.com
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