Church of Christ Cult

CoC Collusion: A Keeper of Secrets

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There’s a major difference between privacy and pretense. Such a distinction is even recognized in secular circles, for confidentiality has always had its limits, especially when it comes to situations that involve a criminal-level of collusion.

However, the implications are even MORE serious when it comes to spiritual issues that have eternal consequences. Jesus’ apostle’s even named names when it came to disclosing information that had eternal implications that were crucial for bringing out into the open.

“Open rebuke is better than secret love” (Prov. 27:5).

Apostle Paul openly rebuked Peter for committing the sin of dishonest dissimulation (pretending), for he was hypocritically hiding his ham sandwich, so to speak, from legalistic Jews (Gal. 2:11-21). The cause of Christ was being obscured by a cover-up scheme, so Paul exposed it for the sake of the gospel. As a result, he was “loving his neighbor as himself” by rebuking such sin before all (1 Tim. 5:20-22), so that Peter would repent and so that others would also fear committing the same sin of pretense.

“He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy” (Prov. 28:13).

Imagine if Peter had been self-centered (like so many today), rather than God-centered. What if he had taken personal offense at Paul’s rebuke and tried to guilt-shame him for being so “disrespectful” of his public image? Worse yet, what if Paul had acquiesced to such an accusation and become a dishonest slanderer who disregarded truth and just began to bandy-it-about casually, instead of openly rebuking sin for the purpose of honoring God and His truth?

According to Scripture, it would’ve been considered hate for his neighbor and for God (e.g., Lev. 19:16). If Paul had succumbed to such false guilt manipulation and become a false flatterer (Prov. 20:19), he would’ve probably ended up having a grudge against Peter, and may have even become vengeful against him, for he would’ve incurred the same guilt and ended up having Peter’s blood and the blood of the others on his hands for not loving them and God enough to be open and honest about the truth.

But thankfully, by God’s grace, Peter seems to have humbly accepted Paul’s brutal honesty and must have recognized it as a blessing in disguise, for Peter never seemed to be portrayed as being resentful or bitter toward Paul for calling him out publicly. In fact, he seemed to respect him more than ever after that, for Paul was being a faithful friend (Prov. 27:6). Because, thanks to God’s glorious grace, Paul did not ignore or excuse sinful behavior that directly dishonored the gospel, but was obedient to God and His Word, which he obviously knew so well, for Leviticus 19:17-18 states the following:

“You shall not hate your brother in your heart. You shall surely rebuke your neighbor, and not bear sin because of him. You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.”

Although it is honorable to withhold many personal details for the sake of privacy, it is never honorable to disregard the cause of Christ by allowing it to be blasphemed without repercussions. We are never bound by honor to disobey God. For instance, honoring dishonorable parents cannot ever mean “suppressing the truth in unrighteousness,” for one commandment cannot be kept by breaking another.

“Blessed is that man that maketh the Lord his trust, and respecteth not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies” (Psa. 40:4).

So bearing false witness by keeping up a superficial front that obscures the cause of Christ cannot ever possibly be a way to honor immediate ancestors who are involved in cultic collusion. It’s also no way to live, for such demonic oppression leads to pent-up anger, bitterness, resentment, depression and anxiety, which is all par for the course in secret keeping cults.

Therefore, God’s people must follow the biblical precedent to:

“cause them to know the abominations of their fathers” (Ezek. 20:4).

And personally, facing the truth about my own cultic background has been one of the most difficult challenges that I’ve had to come to terms with while sharing my testimony in Christ as honestly and as openly as possible.

For in doing so, it has not only been necessary to share some of the personal details of my own life, but it has also been necessary to reveal how my own family of origin has been deeply embedded in CoC collusion for generations. And how there were severe consequences whenever one’s cultic conditioning started to crack under pressure, including the likelihood of being over-dosed with prescription drugs when CoC cultism was combined with the belief that “psychotropic solutions” could fill the spiritual void that the CoC created.  

But despite pressure to please, perform and pretend, a God-given love for Jesus and His truth enabled me to finally face reality with authenticity, transparency and integrity, in order to expose such cultic collusion and how it has played out within the context of family, while maintaining a fair amount of discretion without compromising the truth.

Only after careful consideration, unceasing prayer and a diligent study of Scripture did I fully realize the necessity of disclosing information that was crucial for exposing just how spiritually dangerous and abusive false religion really is, so that others could be warned.

“For nothing is secret, that shall not be made manifest; neither any thing hid, that shall not be known and come abroad” (Lk. 8:17).

God’s Word also convinced me that it would be terribly wrong to waste the sanctifying afflictions that He has allowed me to suffer through, because they were meant to be set forth as examples and warnings for others, which is clearly exemplified throughout Scripture.

At the same time, I’ve discreetly withheld many details that were not absolutely necessary, for “love covers a multitude of sins” (1 Pet. 4:8). So this labor of love has been a very delicate balance to try to maintain, and I’m sure I’ve probably not done it perfectly, but the Lord knows my heart.

Only by God’s saving grace have I been able to even attempt such a feat from a place of forgiveness and understanding. And, in light of such wonderful healing and insight, the disclosure of some very painful and bitter details has always been accompanied by biblical perspectives that have also helped others to excavate the important life lessons that are meant to be gleaned from such painful experiences.

But, even so, there will be some readers who are left with a bitter taste in their mouth, because not everyone will be able to spiritually comprehend those life lessons or to clearly see and appreciate those blessed biblical perspectives, especially if they’ve not personally experienced them for themselves.

CoC’s are especially notorious for denying what Scripture actually conveys, for they don’t want to be held accountable for the eternal ramifications of teaching the exact opposite.  As a consequence, CoC captives often end up suffering under spiritual bondage, due to developing an emotional attachment to its heretical theology.

As a result, they grow so accustomed to it that they are no longer able to see things for what they really are.  So, when faced with the truth, a biased prejudice can often cause them to become neurotic in their opposition to it, for they have not been spiritually equipped to handle it. But God does not want us to worship Him in ignorance (Jn. 4:23).

For years, my grandmother kept several CoC pamphlets and booklets (the CoC’s secret creeds that they claim not to have) tucked away in her desk, which I’ve had in my possession since her death. Ironically, on the very front cover of the October 2001 issue of “The Spiritual Sword” it states: “Things Most Surely Believed,” which happens to be the Bible passage that Reformed confessions of faith also base their creedal stance upon (Lk. 1:1).

Apart from the obvious hypocrisy, this particular issue also happens to reveal the CoC’s real reasons for trying to hide and distort the truth concerning what it falsely calls Calvinism, and the undeniable, historical fact that Alexander Campbell was indeed at the headwaters of the CoC’s water gospel, for he laid the groundwork for the very first “Church of Christ.”

Campbell openly expressed his hatred against the true gospel after realizing he was not truly born again by the Spirit, so he began to hope the truth wasn’t really true. As a result, he devised his own scheme of salvation. And, like other cult leaders, he even came up with his own version of the Bible, called “The Living Oracles,” in order to further his sinister agenda.

Instead of trusting in the power of the biblical gospel, which compels undone and desperate sinners to throw themselves upon the mercy of Christ as their only hope, Campbell grew impatient, angry and down-right rebellious against God. Subsequently, he invented a short-circuited way of salvation; a salvation that bypasses all of the humbling spiritual struggles involved in waiting upon the Lord and submitting to His way of dealing with guilty sinners.  

This is why the CoC has been marked with an inbred authority structure based on Campbell’s man-centered, synergistic concept of salvation, which the Bible calls “another gospel.” It is so contrary to God’s way of salvation that He places it and those who promote it under a divine curse (Gal. 1:6-8), which puts those who are entrenched in such CoC collusion on extremely dangerous ground.

Though CoC’s fervently attempt to keep it a secret, Alexander Campbell was a prominent leader of the very Restoration Movement that has bred so many American grown cults, including Mormonism, Seventh Day Adventists, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Oneness Pentecostalism, etc., all of which initially claimed to restore “unity,” based on what was termed “the ancient gospel.” But what was actually “restored” was the Roman Catholic, sacramental concept of salvation, primarily, Baptismal Regeneration. 

Consequently, this Campbellite collusion has secretly infiltrated many towns, churches and families, under the guise of “Church of Christ” (a misnomer) for over two centuries, which explains why these “keepers of secrets” will often display an irrational revulsion to being identified as Campbellites, because such clear category distinctions expose the CoC as being a full-fledged cult. So, they’ll try to save face by falsely accusing people of “name calling” if they point out these obvious and undeniable facts.

Though the CoC denies and tries to hide its history, or at least tries to revise it, (for it claims Christ as its founder), its literature proves that the CoC still holds its true founders in high-esteem and continues to teach their peculiar doctrines, which my grandma’s CoC pamphlets clearly revealed. 

Although the CoC denies teaching baptismal regeneration, by trying to re-define it as something that only Roman Catholics do when they baptize babies, or when they ascribe saving power to the water itself. But despite its attempts to distinguish itself from Romanism, the CoC’s baptismal regeneration formula still dictates that one can only be spiritually born again through water baptism, just as Romanism does. Yet the CoC secretly glosses over these facts. It doesn’t want its captives to be “confused with the facts,” for it must deny what it has no excuse for.

Formerly well-known as Campbellism, this counter-reformation began to hide its true identity, for many Christians, especially those who were doctrinally equipped in the reformed Baptist camp, stood strongly against this Romanist system in the 1800’s. Because they could see it for what it really was…a heretical cult. But by claiming to have no formal creeds, the CoC managed to start flying more under the radar, so that it could spread like an undetected cancer.

Because, once its false doctrines are detected, they are easily destroyed by the power of the true gospel. As it has been demonstrated repeatedly, the CoC is embarrassingly incapable of defending itself against the onslaught of biblical exegesis which brings out the original and intended meaning of Bible passages that the CoC attempts to pervert with its own special brand of eisegesis.

No wonder so many CoC operatives seem to have the audacity to think that reality should conform to whatever they dictate it to be, which is why they’ve warmed up to other secret societies that also have sinister agendas. For in their mind, whatever is unthinkable to them must not really be true.

So, either they will have to continue to exist in a vacuum of cognitive dissonance; hoping the truth isn’t really true, or they will have to come clean, stop aligning with works of darkness, repent of all their damnable heresies and confess that the CoC’s baptismal regeneration formula is a false gospel.

Or else CoC captives will invoke the same dreadful judgment upon themselves as their false prophets, for “the punishment of the prophet shall be even as the punishment of him that seeketh unto him” (Ezek. 14:10). Because once the CoC’s premises have been removed (and they have been, time and time again), its entire secretive sacramental system collapses.

But sadly, it seems that CoC collusion can get so deeply embedded, especially within the context of family dynamics, that the facts no longer have any bearing on its generational patterns of deception. So, when its operatives refuse to engage with Scripture and accept the reality that it presents, it’s no wonder when they begin to lose touch with reality in other aspects of their lives as well.

“Can a man take fire in his bosom, and his clothes not be burned? Can one go upon hot coals, and his feet not be burned? (Prov. 6:27-28).

Those who are involved in cultic collusions can only operate at the level they are so adapted to. But those of us whom God has given a strong sense of reality to, have been called to be peacemakers, “for the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace (Jas. 3:18). Unlike CoC operatives, we’re not called to be “peacekeepers” who secretly keep peace with evil where there is no peace (Isa. 48:22, Jer. 8:11, Mt. 5:9).

Instead, we carry the message that corresponds to reality, for Jesus laid down His life to make peace between God and sinners. For, “the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy” (Jas. 3:17). So that sinful CoC secrets do not have to be swept under the rug but can be openly acknowledged and brought to the forefront by the light of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Only then can cultic sin cycles finally be broken, forgiven and healed, so that biblical generational patterns can be established.

If it’s possible, as far as it depends on us, we, as born-again believers, are called to pursue peace with all others (Rom. 12:18). But not everyone will cooperate, for there are those who have bitter envy and strife in their hearts, which is why they lie against the truth (Jas. 3: 14-16).

In such sad cases, we forgive them on a personal level, yet not to the detriment of truth by allowing them to continue in a sinful pattern of behavior toward us and the gospel, for they are still accountable to God for unrepentant sin (Jn. 20:23, 2 Tim. 4:14-15, Rev. 6:10).   

Even in 3 John vv. 9-11 we find a biblical distinction between forgiving and forgetting, because forgiveness brings us freedom, NOT a mindless enslavement to ongoing trauma. The natural outworking of true honor toward a cultic family is a life of peace and joy in the Lord, NOT a life of blindly subjecting ourselves to their spiritual abuse.

…”he that regardeth reproof shall be honoured” (Prov. 13:18).

Honor does not mean compulsively subjecting oneself to sinful and toxic behavior or excusing it for the sake of “peace.” Honor does not mean blind obedience, pleasing or pretending. Honor also doesn’t mean having inordinate affections toward cultists by rescuing, enabling, excusing or hiding their cultic collusions. Such attempts at playing god would be idolatry, and God will not share His position with anyone or anything (Col. 3:5).

So, they must be allowed to incur the natural consequences of their cultic collusion (1 Cor. 5:5), in hopes that God will rescue them and restore their sanity. Only then can they learn to depend solely upon Him, rather than a wrongful reliance upon the CoC’s all-too-familiar-abuse-by-proxy, shaming and false guilt-manipulation tactics against those who reprove their heresies; those who refuse to blindly submit to heretical CoC cultism.

The Pharisees used the same cultic tactics against Jesus. So, in order for Christians to endure such persecution we must follow Jesus’ example, for He “despised the shame” that false accusers tried to place upon Him, for He was focused upon the joy that was set before Him (Heb. 12:2).  Hallelujah!!!!

True honor does not mean keeping up a façade of enshrining a false family image, for that would also be idolatry and bearing false witness. Therefore, any relationships with CoC family must be based upon honesty, mutual respect, repentance and their acceptance of responsibility for any level of involvement in cultic collusions.

Whereas, if they maintain a position of excusing themselves and being deceitfully divisive, defensive, dishonest slanderers and gossips that are hostile toward the gospel, then a separation is in order (Titus 3:10).

Such biblical boundaries encourage them to be honorable by not allowing them the opportunity to replicate the same sinful CoC patterns of spiritual abuse. We can honor them without being compelled to accept their cultism or to remain in ongoing close relationships with them, especially when extremely abusive and horrific circumstances may limit and rule out certain ways of showing them honor.

In such cases, we can honor them by trying to help them to grasp God’s time-honored truth by modeling what it truly means to be a follower of Christ. For He commands our complete consecration to Himself and an alienation of affection toward anyone or anything that would restrain or hinder us from following Him in truth, for He plainly stated:

“If any man come to Me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple” (Lk. 14:26)

Thankfully, this biblical alienation of affection is not the same thing as a worldly lack of natural affection, but rather entails God-given boundaries that protect God’s people from anyone or anything that would spiritually harm them, their testimony and the cause of Christ that they stand for. So we can rejoice in the fact that God still allows us the privilege of being good stewards of His blessings, and the wonderful privilege of still being allowed to love, bless and pray for those who persecute, abuse and hate us (Mt. 5:44), while withdrawing from any evil influences that would tempt us to lose faith in Christ alone as our all in all (e.g., Eph. 5:11, 1 Tim. 6:5).

Copyright©2022 by Lee Anne Ferguson

The Thief on the Cross

Dedicated to the Memory of My Beloved Grandmother

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Personal note: If only I could’ve presented the sum of all this to my CoC grandmother before she died. But it was not meant to be. Yet thanks to the testimony of the penitent thief, I still hold out hope that my grandma may have been saved. After all, I had sowed many seeds of the gospel in her life that may have even sprung up at the last minute. Only God knows. So I dedicate this article to her memory, for I loved her so very much, and today would’ve been her birthday. And who knows, maybe someone else’s grandmother is meant to come to Christ after reading this. I commit it all into God’s hands. May He be gracious to pardon this author and preserve the reader from anything that would not be solely for the honor of His glory.

THE PENITENT THIEF: A POWERFUL TESTIMONY OF GOD’S GRACE

Introduction:

True, historic Christianity has always acknowledged the fact that the new covenant officially went into full effect, in the realm of time, at the cross, not at Pentecost. To say otherwise, as the CoC does, is to promote a hyper-dispensational theory concerning the gospel that can never square with Scripture.

This is one reason why the CoC has always discouraged its captives from ever looking into historic, reformed confessions that reveal what the Bible has to say about God’s everlasting covenant, what the true gospel really is, the only way that it can be obeyed and how God’s eternal plan of redemption has never changed.

And all true believers need to be studied up on this, for our confessions have entire articles of faith concerning these biblical truths, which most Christians are not even aware that they have in their arsenal against these dangerously heretical cults.

The CoC is notorious for dishonestly claiming to have no creeds, while hypocritically condemning Christian confessions of faith that have been passed down for centuries, which even have Scriptures to back them up. This means that CoC’s are inadvertently condemning Luke, for he spoke of Christians setting in order declarations of faith that state the things most surely believed among them (Lk. 1:1-4).

So, CoC’s are obviously trying to be silent where Scripture speaks (Acts 19:36). But they boast that they are silent where Scripture is silent. And yet, they cannot demonstrate any ability whatsoever of harmonizing their hyper-dispensational theories concerning salvation, with the full council of God. For example, they cannot biblically answer the question: What gospel did the thief on the cross obey, according to Hebrews 4:2?

Because they cannot reconcile the CoC’s “new terms of salvation” (a different gospel) with Hebrews 4:2 and its parallel passages that are so intrinsically interconnected (e.g., Isa.53:1, Jn. 12:38, Rom. 3:29-30; 10:16 and Gal. 3:6-8). For in these passages, Isaiah, John and Paul reveal that the “report” of Isaiah 53 was nothing less than the pure and unadulterated gospel of Jesus Christ, with nothing added to it.

Carefully notice that Isaiah, John and Paul never equated water baptism with obeying the gospel (Rom. 10:16), because the gospel of Jesus Christ does NOT include man’s own contributions. The sum and substance of the entire gospel is simply Christ and Him crucified (1 Cor. 2:2), nothing more, nothing less.

These truths not only confirm the fact that the true gospel was preached long before Pentecost, but they also further disprove the CoC’s theory of water baptism being a part of the gospel message.

Scripture reveals that the gospel of the Old Testament is the SAME GOSPEL of the New Testament, due to the fact that changes in dispensational covenants have NEVER meant changes in God’s eternal plan of redemption, which has always remained the same. A new covenant has NEVER meant a new gospel, but only a fuller manifestation of the SAME GOSPEL.

The full context of Hebrews 4:2 alone reveals that the gospel of the Old Testament is the SAME GOSPEL of the New Testament. Therefore, what was the ONLY GOSPEL that the thief could obey? CoC’s do NOT want to answer this question biblically, for to do so would be undeniably detrimental to the CoC’s sacramental salvation system.

When cults center their theology on the false notion that “God won’t just reach down to us, we must reach up to Him with our works”… then its revelations on salvation will vary, which is why the CoC came up with its “new terms for salvation,” which can never square with Scripture. But since God must reach down to us, His revelation remains consistent, which is why true Christians can harmonize their theology with the full council of God.

At the very start of His ministry, Jesus submitted to water baptism in order to identify with those He came to save, fulfilling all righteousness on their behalf (Mt. 3:15). And those who are saved are to identify with Christ in water baptism, which is also symbolic of their identification with His death, burial and resurrection (Rom. 6:3-4).

This important part of their discipleship and ongoing sanctification is NOT a part of their justification whereby Jesus’ perfect obedience on their behalf must be imputed to their account through faith, solely by God’s free and sovereign mercy and grace. Only then are they able to bear fruits worthy of repentance (Mt. 3:8, 10), such as putting on (imitating) Christ in baptism (Rom. 13:14, Gal. 3:27).  

But the CoC labors to instill legalistic fear, by repeatedly hammering it into people that they will go to Hell if they don’t believe in its false Pharisaical formula for salvation that requires the external availability of water and a CoC mediator.  So anyone who believes the true gospel of salvation by God’s grace alone, through faith alone, in Jesus Christ alone, will be cruelly ostracized and demonized by the CoC and its staunch defenders who seem to no longer be able to think for themselves.

Unfortunately, the cults are full of emotionally and spiritually immature people who have never been truly born again by the regenerating power of the Holy Spirit. This is why so many of them want to be controlled and told what to “do” to get themselves saved, for they have no internal substance.

So whenever they encounter a true Spirit-guided faith in Christ, it is such a shock to their system that they become bound and determined to try to destroy that faith wherever they find it. Their CoC conditioning causes them to tolerate and enable those who are on the same surface-level as themselves, no matter how wicked. But free and faithful followers of Christ pose too much of a threat to their false support system, so they will often be shunned and/or scourged in their presence (Mt. 10:17).

And sadly, this is one reason why CoC’s have always bent over backwards to try to underhandedly debunk and undermine the common salvation that all true believers have with the penitent thief on the cross. No wonder they mercilessly make up things about us that are not true, for their heretical movement has been doing that to the penitent thief, and to Jesus our Savior, for centuries!

If one was to bring every CoC doctrine to this touchstone….all that went down at the cross…including the salvation of that thief….then the entire CoC cult would crumble into a million pieces.

If anyone doubts that the thief’s testimony is a death blow to the CoC, then all anyone has to do is read the CoC’s official literature, listen to CoC podcasts, watch CoC videos and interact with CoC members on that very subject, and one will quickly realize how desperate CoC’s are when it comes to the salvation of that thief. Only when he is brought up does one fully begin to recognize the CoC’s hyper-dispensational heresies concerning the gospel, which often go unnoticed until they are brought to this touchstone, where they are ground to powder.

God has graciously provided us with the exemplary testimony of the thief on the cross, because it is an illustrative monument of God’s divine mercy and grace. It is a glaring witness against all of the destructive heresies that the CoC heavily indoctrinates its captives into, and it especially testifies against the CoC’s re-packaged version of baptismal regeneration.

God’s Word gloriously champions baptism out of the hold of the CoC’s sacramental system of salvation, by revealing its true purpose and beauty, which the CoC sacrilegiously departed from when it introduced its profane pollutions.

To further prove this point, it’s finally time to go even deeper and re-examine the CoC’s hyper-dispensational heresies concerning the gospel. This overwhelming task has not been taken on lightly. After much prayer, many sleepless nights and decade’s worth of intense Bible study, it seems to be God’s timing to finally bring the CoC to the plumb line once and for all.

“Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not;But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God” (2 Cor. 4:1-2).

So dear reader, you may want to brace yourself for this long, but well-worth-it journey into God’s Word, for He has “laid it on the line” when it comes to the CoC and other cults like it! For His righteousness is being exalted, and self-righteousness is being plummeted, as the plumb line of God’s Word dismantles and overflows the CoC’s hidden things of dishonesty.

“Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet: and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place” (Isa. 28:17).

Here goes:

Just to recap:  Although the penitent thief was saved in EXACTLY the same way that every sinner has EVER been saved, CoC’s deceptively claim (or at least until they’re exposed) that he was saved without being baptized because he was still under the Mosaic dispensation. But God’s Word plainly reveals the opposite. Besides, the thief died AFTER Jesus.  

As I’ve pointed out before, Scripture discloses that the two thieves had their legs broken in order to speed up death, but NOT Jesus, for He had already died (Jn. 19:31-33)! So the thief on the cross was technically NOT still under the Mosaic dispensation right before he died. Jesus died BEFORE the thief, so the new covenant was immediately in force upon the thief BEFORE he died!

“For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. For a testament is of force after men are dead; otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth” (Mt. 26:28, Heb. 9:16-17).

However, CoC’s will say Jesus forgave his sins before He died, so the thief was still saved under the old covenant when he was forgiven, and that’s supposedly why he didn’t have to be baptized in order to get saved, but that people must do so today. Yet, they still want to assume the thief was “probably” already baptized by John anyway. And back and forth goes their topsy-turvy theories that can never be harmonized with each other.

What they can’t seem to realize, is that NONE of that even matters, in light of the ETERNITY OF THE CROSS which reveals that the thief was saved in exactly the same way that every sinner, throughout redemptive history, has ever been saved, regardless of the two different dispensations that he lived under, and regardless as to whether John baptized him or not, for the essential content of God’s eternal plan of salvation has NEVER changed.

But CoC’s will still try to present their same worn-out and disproven theory of a so-called “probate period” between the cross and Pentecost, which is found NOWHERE in Scripture, in an attempt to promote their “new terms of salvation.” As a result, they constantly speak where Scripture is silent, because they are always introducing novel inventions that are completely foreign to Scripture!! Because one lie always lead to another lie, in an attempt to cover their last one.

This is why CoC’s trip themselves up after introducing a “probate period” between the cross and Pentecost, for they simultaneously claim that the Law of Moses (the old covenant) was nailed to the cross, while referencing Colossians 2:14, but they cannot have it both ways. For if that’s what was nailed to the cross, and there was no new covenant in effect until Pentecost, then that would mean weeks went by without any covenant at all. Do CoC’s REALLY believe the law of Moses was nailed to the cross? If so, then what covenant went into effect at the cross?

When such unreasonable contradictions are confronted, CoC’s will often try to do damage control by saying things like, “Well, only the power of the Law of Moses was nailed to the cross,” which only digs their hole even deeper. Such sad scenarios reveal the total desperation of those who try to uphold the CoC’s unbiblical, unworkable and self-refuting positions that can never be harmonized with Scripture.  

CoC’s even teach that Jesus could forgive people, as He willed, BEFORE He died. But afterwards, He was then limited and could only forgive based upon one’s compliance with the “new terms” of His will (the CoC’s “New Testament Law”) that He supposedly left behind for His heirs. In other words, Jesus had one will BEFORE He died, and a different will AFTER He died, as to how He wanted to save people.

The CoC not only makes it seem as though Jesus is now limited in how He can save people, but it also makes it look as though God must operate within the limited bounds of how mankind operates. Man distributes his assets as he wishes while he lives, but after death, a man’s assets are then distributed according to the will they may have left behind. So, we must ask: Do CoC’s REALLY believe that the sovereign God of the universe must operate within the limited capacity of man? For Scripture clearly reveals that He doesn’t (Isa. 55:8-9).

And when confronted with the fact that Jesus Himself never water baptized anyone (because His main focus was THE GOSPEL), CoC’s will sometimes say that it was because Jesus hadn’t died yet, for they point out that one must be baptized “into His death” (Jn. 4:1-2, Rom. 6:3). But such a biblically illiterate evasion can hold absolutely no water (pun intended). 

For one, a symbol cannot literally effect what it signifies. When one is truly saved they have been baptized by the Spirit, into the body of Christ. Water baptism is a ritual re-enactment of Holy Spirit regeneration (1 Cor. 12:13, Titus 3:5). Even Romans 6 speaks of baptism being a “likeness,” a reflection, a demonstration, of our eternal union with Christ through His substitutionary atonement (Mt. 20:28, John 1:29).

Because believers are considered by God to be one in Christ, even in Jesus’ baptism of death (Mt. 20:21-23, Lk. 12:50, Mk. 10:38-39, Rom. 6:3-18). In other words, God sees Jesus’ death as their death; He sees Jesus’ resurrection as their resurrection, for Romans 6 is all about a believer’s eternal union with Christ. But the CoC falsely claims that it’s all about baptismal regeneration, for its philosophical concept of salvation-by-man’s-appropriation is founded upon Pelagian views of the Fall, which is at the very root of all the CoC’s heresies.

However, the biblical concept of salvation-by-God’s-application is founded upon sacred Scripture, which is why it’s the only view that can be consistently upheld by true believers. For if God had not appointed Adam to be the representative head of all mankind, and if God had not decreed the Fall, where Adam’s sin was imputed to all of his posterity, then there would’ve been absolutely no need for the last Adam’s representation of all who were objectively in Him by God’s divine decree (Eph. 1:4).

There would’ve been no need for His substitutionary atonement on behalf of all whom He represented. There would’ve been no need for the imputation of their sins to Jesus and the imputation of His righteousness to them. This is why the CoC is conspicuously silent concerning the absolute necessity of this double imputation, because the biblical doctrine of original sin completely destroys its sacramental system of salvation-by-man’s-appropriation.

Not only does the CoC fail to acknowledge the eternity of the cross, but it also contains no knowledge of clear category distinctions when it comes to a believer’s objective union with Christ in eternity, and their subjective union with Christ in time. God’s elect were in Christ (objectively speaking) before the world began (2 Tim. 1:9). They were even viewed by God as being objectively in Christ when He accomplished their redemption (i.e., Mt. 20:28; Gal. 2:20).  Therefore, Jesus’ blood was objectively applied to them at the cross.

Then, at the appointed time, His redemption becomes an experiential reality in time. For His blood is subjectively and experientially applied to them when their heavenly Father draws them, with cords of love, to His Son, Jesus Christ (e.g. Song 1:4, Jer. 31:3, Hos. 11:4, Jn. 6:65-66).

These revealed truths are just a few of the reasons why so many CoC’s are floundering to come up with new sophistry. Even to the point that they are entering into ecumenical alliances, for they are losing more and more ground every single day.  So, whenever their hyper-dispensational heresies concerning the gospel are biblically and publicly exposed and annihilated, they will then flip-flop all over the place by saying things like…..“Oh, well, we’re not that big on dispensationalism anyway.” 

Seriously? No repentance for deceiving the masses for centuries?  No confession of sin? No humility or remorse whatsoever? Why??  Because, that’s how cults operate. For instance, the Jehovah’s Witnesses (which sprouted from the same “restoration” movement) continue to pull the same deceptive wool over their follower’s eyes today, rather than humbly repenting of all their failed prophecies and heresies that have ruined so many lives and eternal souls.

So, like their heretical counterparts, when CoC’s are confronted with the truth, they will attempt another route to deceive, by saying something along the lines of…. “Well, Jesus had authority to forgive sins THEN, because He was still on earth. So no one today can be saved like the thief on the cross.”  REALLY?!

Does the CoC truly believe that Jesus was only forgiving sins while He was physically on earth (Mt. 9:6)? Because that would imply that Jesus is no longer exercising His power and authority to forgive sins today! And that would be such a terrible contradiction of Scripture. Jesus has pre-eminence in ALL things, and He is alive forevermore (e.g. Col. 1:18; 1 Jn. 1:9). Therefore….

“See that ye refuse not Him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused Him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from Him that speaketh from heaven; Whose voice then shook the earth: but now He hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven.” (Heb. 12:25, 26).

Yet, if we went by the CoC’s line of reasoning, we would have to conclude that Jesus’ atonement no longer atones, for He accomplished it while He was still physically on earth. How ludicrous! Just because Jesus’ atonement took place on earth, that does not mean that it doesn’t still apply to us today.

Likewise, just because Jesus forgave sins while He was still physically on earth, that does NOT mean the same forgiveness doesn’t still apply to us today. God forbid! Jesus accomplished redemption while He was still physically on earth. And yet, it still applies to us today, just as much as it did to the thief on the cross. Our forgiveness depends upon the definite atonement of Christ, just as much as his did!!

Every believer throughout redemptive history has always been saved based upon what Jesus accomplished while still physically on earth. Even His resurrection was founded upon what He accomplished on earth (Heb. 13:20). And yet, the CoC has the audacity to claim we cannot be forgiven like the thief on the cross, all because Jesus forgave him while He was still physically on earth! Wow.

CoC’s also theorize that nobody can be saved today like the thief on the cross, because supposedly only the Father forgives sins now through Christ, for Christ is now in Heaven to advocate on behalf of His people. But they’ve created yet another serious exegetical problem for themselves, because Jesus also advocated on behalf of believers while He was physically on earth, and even BEFORE His death, but that never meant that only the Father could forgive sins then either (i.e., Lk. 22:32, Jn. 17).

Anytime we read in the Old Testament about God speaking or being revealed to people, it was the Lord Jesus Christ (Jn. 5:37; 14:6). And through His Word, God is still speaking to us today by His Son (Heb. 1:1). Yet, CoC’s falsely claim that no one in the O.T. was ever forgiven of sins “by Jesus speaking it to them” like He did to the thief on the cross. They even attempt to deceitfully mishandle Mark 2:1-10 to try to prove that no one today can be saved like the thief on the cross, which reveals such severe illiteracy when it comes to the whole of Scripture. But no surprise, for the CoC has always ignored the beautiful harmony that exists between the Old Testament and the New Testament.

Jesus has always been the Mediator between God and man (Isa. 42:6; 49:8; 63:9, Mal. 3:1, 1 Tim. 2:5). Jesus wasn’t incarnate in the Old Testament, and yet, He was STILL forgiving sins even then (e.g., Num. 14:18-20). Or do CoC’s NOT believe that Jesus is God? Because that is exactly what their doctrine implies.

OF COURSE Jesus had the power and authority to forgive sins on earth during His incarnation, and even BEFORE His incarnation, and even BEFORE His actual atonement, and He is STILL exercising His power and authority to forgive sins today, apart from men’s works and their so-called “freewill” authorization.

Because, Jesus’ atonement was timeless. It was a spiritual reality before it even became a physical reality in time. God knows the end from the beginning (Isa. 46:10). His eternal existence transcends time, so He is NOT limited by it! Even from everlasting to everlasting, He is God (Ps. 90:2). In eternity past, the Lamb of God was already considered slain, even before the foundation of the world (Rev. 13:8). So the atonement covered the entire realm of time itself; past, present and future (Heb. 4:3).  

Therefore, even though Jesus forgave sins before His physical sacrifice occurred, that forgiveness was STILL based on His atoning sacrifice, which was grounded upon the eternal decree of God (Acts 2:23, 4:28)! And since He is Infinite, He suffered an infinity on that cross that cannot be measured by time, for God is eternal, which means there is absolutely no way that our feeble finite minds could ever comprehend the torture He went through for His own.  What unimaginable, indescribable LOVE!!!! 

“Jesus knew that His hour was come that He should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved His own which were in the world, He loved them unto the end” (Jn. 13:1).

Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever (Heb. 13:8). So, the gospel has also always been the same, for He is the very substance of the gospel (Psa. 119:89). The timeless nature of the atonement also proves that its saving benefits have never depended upon the time of its accomplishment. The propitiatory sacrifice of Christ was once for all time (Heb. 10:10, 12).

Therefore, all saints in the Old Testament still essentially experienced the same new covenant blessings (God’s unmerited mercy and grace), by virtue of the eternity of the cross and their eternal union with Christ (e.g., Deut. 30:6, Psa. 103:1-14, 130:4,7, Isa. 38:17, Micah 7:18-20, Jn. 3:3, Rom.4, Gal. 3:14).

So, whether the thief was under the old covenant, or the new, is completely irrelevant when it comes to the eternity of the cross and his eternal union with Christ.

Even in 2 Samuel 23:5, David spoke of the everlasting covenant of salvation (in present tense), and about how it was sure and ordered in all things, even though God didn’t “make it to grow” in his day, for it was only revealed vaguely in types and shadows in the Old Testament. Nonetheless, the gospel has always been a call to covenant union with Christ Who died as our surety to procure and provide all that God commands of us.

Anytime the gospel call has ever gone out within the realm of time, it has always been presented as an already accomplished fact.  When Paul said “Be ye reconciled to God,” he was in keeping with all of the Old Testament prophets who were always outwardly calling for sinners to enter into the blessed benefits of the reconciliation that God provides, in His Son, to save sinners (Jn. 10:9, 2 Cor. 5:20, Rom. 5:10, Col. 1:22). Because, like all of the O.T. saints, Paul had faith in God’s promises that there would be some who would be irresistibly prompted by the effectual, inward call of the Holy Spirit, to respond in faith and repentance (e.g., Isa. 53:10, Jn. 6:37, 10:27).

These foundational truths must first be understood and acknowledged, in order to grasp the fact that even in the Old Testament, sins could only be forgiven based upon the eternity of the cross and what the Savior accomplished there in fulfillment of the everlasting covenant. The Old Testament saints were looking to Yahweh (the pre-incarnate Christ) for their salvation, just as believers today are looking to the SAME SAVIOR, for the SAME SALVATION.

“Look unto Me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else” (Isa. 45:22).

Paul quoted Joel 2:32 in Rom. 10:13, to confirm the fact that Yahweh (or Jehovah) in the O.T. was the pre-incarnate Christ.  After all, didn’t Adam and Eve walk and talk with Him in the Garden (Gen. 3:1-15)? Wasn’t Abraham in communion with Him also (Gen. 18:13, 17-33, Jn. 8:58)? Didn’t Jacob wrestle with the pre-incarnate Christ for a blessing (Gen. 32:24)? Isn’t Jesus the same Good Shepherd of the O.T. (Psa. 23, Isa. 40:11, Jn.10)? Isn’t He the same eternal Son of God in the O.T. (Psa. 2)? Isn’t the same Sovereign Savior and King of Glory in the Old Testament the same Sovereign Savior of the everlasting covenant that was promised and kept, even under the shadows of the old covenant (Psa. 24, Jer. 32:40)?

No wonder Hebrews 1:8-12 also applies Psalm 102:25-27 to Jesus! The O.T. saints were always looking for a fuller manifestation of God’s eternal plan of redemption, as they spoke of Christ “by the Spirit of Christ which was in them” (1 Pet. 1:9-11). Because Old Testament saints were saved by the same God Who gave them the old covenant, but they were NOT saved by virtue of the old covenant, or by the administration of it. They were saved by the same God, in the same way (through faith), and upon the same basis (God’s grace through Jesus and His saving work), with the same salvation that believers have today.

“For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ” Jn. 1:17).

Even O.T. observance of the law was derived from a God-given faith. When Paul referenced Deuteronomy 30:12 in Romans 10:6, he clearly connected the true purpose of the law with the gospel of God’s promise of free righteousness by faith, because the impossible demands of the law have ALWAYS been meant to reveal humanity’s desperate need to be spiritually regenerated by God’s free mercy and grace.

For He saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy” (Rom. 9:15-16).

Both Paul and Moses essentially declared the same gospel, by placing the pardon of sins in God’s free promise of divine grace alone, which is why they both preached repentance and faith. This biblical fact also reveals that the move from the old covenant to the new was progressive, NOT contradictory, as the CoC would so deceptively have us to believe. The gospel of God’s free grace in the O.T. is still the SAME GOSPEL that we have today!

“For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them” (Heb. 4:2).

So please prayerfully think this through:

The law and the gospel constitute the sum and substance of God’s revealed truth, for there cannot be a revelation of our desperate need for the Savior without a revelation of how bad sin is in the eyes of a holy God. It’s impossible.

No wonder we find that the old covenant was confirmed AND enforced on Mt. Sinai, by God giving the impossible demands of the law, through Moses, to reveal people’s complete dependence upon His mercy and grace. The same gospel parallel was demonstrated when the new covenant was confirmed AND enforced on Mt. Calvary, by God giving what He commands, through Christ, to further reveal His justice and mercy. The providential parallels are astoundingly undeniable!!

Hebrews 10:11 makes it clear that animal sacrifices could never take away sins. Although the old covenant ceremonies revealed the hopelessness of sin, they also revealed the hope of good things to come, in order to relieve the saints from the constant ceremonial reminders of sin-guilt and to confirm them in the faith of Christ. In this sense, the law and gospel were joined together, because the gospel also reveals our sin-guilt before God and our desperate need for the Savior. So when God promised a new covenant, He revealed that it would NOT be a different way of salvation from the first, because the new is an EXTENSION of the very same eternal plan of redemption.

God revealed that the mode of administration under the old covenant would no longer be needed once a greater measure of His grace was given (Jer. 31:32-33). So, when Jesus enforced the new covenant by the blood of His cross, He confirmed the eternality of the gospel and God’s moral law, for they both reflect His unchanging character and our desperate need for His free mercy and grace.

When God said, “I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people” (Jer. 31:33), He revealed that the new covenant would still continue to confirm and even further validate God’s sovereign distinguishing grace, in virtue of Jesus’ atoning death, as the ONLY basis of salvation (Acts 3:18, Gal. 4:6), which was even being revealed under the types and shadows of the old covenant (i.e., Psa. 37:31; 40:8). Therefore….

“He taketh away the first, that He may establish the second” (Heb. 10:9).

Jesus made it clear to the Samaritan women at the well, that the hour was coming, when God’s people would worship Him in spirit and in truth (Jn. 4:21-24), which required the taking away of the external ceremonies that had only been the “dead letter” of the true substance (Rom. 7:6). Therefore, Jesus’ fulfillment of Jeremiah’s prophecy, concerning the new covenant, was never a departure from the former covenant in its truest spiritual sense, for they both point to Christ alone as one’s only hope of salvation.

Scripture makes it so clear that all of God’s promises are ratified and established in Christ (2 Cor. 1:20). A fuller manifestation of the everlasting covenant even further validated the very reality that had only been previously revealed figuratively. So, even though Jesus was falsely accused, by the Pharisees, of doing away with the moral principles of the law, He made it clear that He actually established the spiritual fulfillment of the very truths of the law that were figuratively represented in their external ceremonies (Heb. 10:1).

Ancient external practices were taken away because they can only be kept now in their ultimate spiritual sense. The eternality of those ceremonies was not in their temporary, external observance. Their perpetuity was only in the spiritual aspects of what those ceremonies signified (e.g., Gen. 17:13).

The superiority of the new covenant, since Jesus’ death, is that God’s people now have a fuller assurance of salvation, for a new and living way is more abundantly opened up to them, because the O.T. types and shadows have now been fulfilled, in the realm of time, by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ (Heb. 6:11-15, 17-18; 10:1). As a result, we can now have a fuller view of the gospel, but it is still the same gospel, NOT the CoC’s new gospel!

However, to try to escape the clear force of Scripture, the CoC deceitfully claims that its so-called “new terms for salvation” could supposedly not be enforced until after Jesus’ resurrection and the coming of the Spirit’s outpouring at Pentecost. Hence, the CoC’s obsession with Acts 2:38.

But, according to Scripture, Jesus’ blood of the Covenant was poured out for the remission of sins, in the realm of time… AT THE CROSS!... NOT at Pentecost!! (Lk. 22:19-20, Mt. 26:28, 1 Cor. 11:25, Rom. 11:27, Heb. 9:22).

Furthermore, we read the following:

“Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin” (Heb. 10:18).

Jesus’ blood was no longer being poured out for the forgiveness of sins after His resurrection!! Despite the CoC’s dishonest claims, there were absolutely no further “terms” to be fulfilled on “our part” for the remission of sins in order to make His work effectual, for Jesus said, while still on the cross, “It is finished.” Because salvation is NOT about what we do but is about what He has done.

How else could He have been resurrected? For the resurrection itself was PROOF that God the Father accepted His substitutionary atonement as “the blood of the everlasting covenant” (Heb. 13:20). Jesus’ blood had already effectually sealed, fulfilled and enforced the terms of the new covenant, in the realm of time, AT THE CROSS...in order to “save His people from their sins” (Mt. 1:21).

“For this is My covenant unto them, WHEN I shall take away their sins” (Rom. 11:27).

And again, exactly WHEN was His new covenant put into effect and enforced in the realm of time? According to Scripture, it occurred at the time of HIS DEATH! (e.g. Heb. 9:26)…. NOT AT PENTECOST!!  

How else could the Holy Spirit’s official discharge be ushered into public ministry at Pentecost? For the assignment of the Spirit’s outpouring in Acts was grounded upon the fully enforced terms of the everlasting covenant, sealed by Jesus’ blood, so that the Spirit could then apply the benefits of those terms, in a unique and special way, to all whom the Lord added to the church (Acts 2:47), which was already in existence or else it couldn’t have been added to (Acts 2:47).

God’s church was already in existence or else it could NOT have been renewed and added to (e.g., Gen. 28:17, Mt. 16:18-19; 18:17, Lk. 12:32, Acts 2:36, 47; 15:16). Jesus has always been the Head of the church. Since there has always been one Great Shepherd, He has always had one sheepfold (Jn. 10:16) throughout redemptive history; sometimes referred to as God’s sanctuary, the house of Israel, the tabernacle of David, the heavenly Jerusalem, or the general assembly and church of just men made perfect, etc. (e.g., Ezek. 37: 26-27, Heb. 12:22-23).  

So, a new state of the church beginning at Pentecost (the time of renewal), never meant an altogether “new church” that had never existed before. However, the CoC claims to be a “new church” that supposedly began at Pentecost, confirming the fact that it is, indeed, a heretical cult.

Notwithstanding, the terms of God’s eternal plan of redemption have always remained the same, which is salvation by God’s grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. And just because the Holy Spirit applied the benefits of those same terms, that were fully enforced at the cross, in a unique and special way at Pentecost, doesn’t mean that He applied a new way of being saved. Instead, along with many other spiritual gifts, He applied a greater evangelistic empowerment to spread the SAME GOSPEL, which is God’s ETERNAL plan of redemption. ETERNAL means it does NOT change, which is why it transcends any given dispensation!

Sadly, CoC’s fail to acknowledge the biblical concept of God’s application, but God has ALWAYS provided His people with what He commands, under EVERY dispensation. For the “terms” of salvation have NEVER changed and have never depended on the works of humanity! The “terms” of salvation, in EVERY dispensation, have ALWAYS been God graciously providing what He commands (Compare Ezekiel 18 to Ezekiel 36). The “terms” have always been a salvation by God’s grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. The terms have NEVER changed but have only become more fully manifested.

All of the Holy Spirit’s operations at Pentecost were in conjunction with all that Jesus had already executed, enforced, and put into operation at the cross (i.e., John 16:13, Joel 2:11, Acts 2:16). Even Christ’s ministry to His disciples in the upper room, before His crucifixion (Lk. 22:11-12), and their further receiving of the Holy Spirit, after His resurrection (Jn. 20:22), preceded the commencement of the Holy Spirit’s work in the upper room at Pentecost.  

Such perfect parallels not only reveal a conjoined mission in the Godhead, but they also reveal a difference between the initial indwelling of the Holy Spirit for salvation, and the filling of the Holy Spirit for greater evangelistic empowerment (Also see: Num. 11:25, Mt. 3:16, Lk. 1:15; 24:49, Acts 1:8; 5:8; 6:5-8; 7:55-56).

But, the CoC would deceptively have us to believe that the filling of the Holy Spirit, in the book of Acts, was a saving operation that had never occurred before. However, the same group of already saved disciples in Acts 2:1-4, were again filled with the Holy Spirit in Acts 4:31. Therefore, we must ask CoC’s: Were those saved disciples in Acts 2:1-4 supposedly saved again in Acts 4:31? Furthermore, we must ask them: Was the Apostle Peter saved again in Acts 4:8? But they cannot answer, unless they finally want to come clean and confess that the CoC’s heretical doctrines are not supported by Scripture.

Contrary to the CoC’s false doctrines, the Holy Spirit permanently indwelt and sealed believers who were alive during the Mosaic dispensation, even before they were ever filled with the Holy Spirit” during the new dispensation (Acts 2:4, 32-33; 4:31; 6:5, 8; 7:55, 56). Or else they could have never been saved (e.g., Lk. 10:20, Jn. 15:13; 17:14). No wonder Paul commanded those who were ALREADY SAVED to then be filled with the Holy Spirit (Eph. 5:18-19).

CoC’s even falsely claim that there were people under the old covenant being “grandfathered” into the new covenant by virtue of all the good works they did while under the old covenant. Therefore, CoC’s are in lock-step with the Pharisee’s who also believed they were saved by virtue of their good works. But Scripture reveals that even under the old covenant they could only be saved by God’s grace, through faith, because it was absolutely IMPOSSIBLE for any of their imperfect works to save them (Acts 15:10).

Even the Gentiles, who didn’t participate in the old covenant ordinances, were being drawn into the SAME eternal inheritance as the fathers of the O.T., the exact SAME WAY (through faith), upon the exact SAME BASIS (God’s grace through Christ and His work on the cross). Because, “THERE IS NO DIFFERENCE” (Acts 15:9)!!!! To even further confirm this truth, Scripture states:

“But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, EVEN AS THEY” (Acts 15:11, emphasis mine).

God’s eternal plan of redemption progressed even further after Pentecost, but that does NOT mean that His eternal plan of redemption ever became a different plan of redemption, or a different way of being saved. Moreover, Jesus’ confirmation and enforcement of the new covenant AT THE CROSS (the very crux of redemptive history), was even further confirmed by His resurrection, but that does NOT mean that there was a different way of being saved after His resurrection (Mt. 27:50; Mk. 15:38; Lk. 23:45,Heb. 9:26; 13:20).

Regardless of the CoC’s dishonest claims, there was NEVER any so-called “new terms for salvation”… “beginning at Jerusalem” (Lk. 24:47). Pentecost always meant a renewal of vows and consecration to God, NOT a “new gospel” (Lev. 23:15-21), because the true gospel of Jesus Christ had its “beginning” long BEFORE Pentecost (e.g., Gen. 3:15, Isa. 53:1, Mk. 1:1-2, Jn. 12:38, Acts 8: 32-35, Rom. 3:29-30; 10:16, Gal. 3:6-8, Heb. 4:2; 9:15; 10:1-4).

Furthermore, Scripture reveals that the Holy Spirit permanently indwelt and sealed believers who were alive during the Mosaic dispensation, even BEFORE they were ever filled with the Holy Spirit” during the new dispensation (Acts 2:4, 32-33; 4:31; 6:5, 8; 7:55, 56). Or else they could have never been saved (e.g., Lk. 10:20, Jn. 15:13; 17:14). No wonder Paul commanded those who were ALREADY SAVED to THEN be filled with the Holy Spirit (Eph. 5:18-19).

The permanent regeneration, indwelling and sealing of the Holy Spirit has ALWAYS been essential to salvation (e.g. Isa. 63:11, Jer. 31:31-34, Ezek. 36: 26, 27, Jn. 3:3, Rom. 8:9-11, 1 Cor. 2:10-16). Just because the Spirit’s outpouring in Acts was a unique and special gift to believers, doesn’t mean that it was a new way of being saved, as the CoC would so deceptively have us to believe (Acts 15:8).

For instance, John wasn’t referring to the saving operations of the Spirit when he said, “the Holy Spirit was not yet given because Jesus was not yet glorified,” because Jesus’ disciples were already saved. Besides, the word “given” is not even in the original Greek (Jn. 7:39). So, John was obviously referring to the Spirit’s special outpouring, or else no Old Testament saints could have ever been saved, because no one can be saved apart from the saving operations of the Holy Spirit (Rom. 8:9).

In John 3, Jesus even reprimanded Nicodemus for not being familiar with water being symbolic of the purifying and regenerating agency of the Holy Spirit under the old covenant (e.g. Ex. 30:18, Deut. 21:6, Ezek. 36:25). Scripture interprets Scripture.

In direct opposition to the CoC’s false doctrines, believers in every age have ALWAYS been permanently indwelt, sealed and regenerated by the Holy Spirit (e.g., Deut. 30:6, Lk. 1:15, 41, Jn. 3:10). Or else no one could have ever been saved or filled with the Holy Spirit afterwards. Scripture clearly reveals that the O.T. saints were savingly indwelt by the SAME saving operations of the SAME Holy Spirit as today (e.g., Psa. 116:10, Isa. 63:11, Lk. 2:25-35, 1 Cor. 10:4, 2 Cor. 4:13, 1 Pet. 1:11).

These biblical realities further confirm the fact that the CoC is in grave error when it teaches a conditional and temporary indwelling of the Holy Spirit in believers. It also further reveals that the CoC is deceiving people when it leads them to believe that the Holy Spirit had never indwelled, sealed and regenerated believers before Pentecost, for Scripture proves otherwise.

Now, for even MORE biblical proof that the new covenant went into force at the cross and not at Pentecost, we read the following:

“Jesus, when He had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. And behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom” (Mt. 27:50-51, Mk. 15:38, Lk. 23:45).

The tearing of the veil, at the moment of Jesus’ death, symbolized the fact that His sacrifice was a definite, complete and effectual atonement for sins. It signified that entrance into “the Holy of Holies” was immediately open for all of His people, for all time, both Jew and Gentile, apart from the old covenant priesthood.

They did NOT have to wait until Pentecost to drop the ceremonial law, because the torn veil rendered it completely unnecessary for the sacrifices of expiation to continue (Dan. 9:27, Heb. 10:10, 14, 18). The O.T. prophets declared no time gap or interval between “the suffering of Christ, and the glory that should follow” (1 Pet. 1:11). Because, contrary to the CoC’s counterfeit claims, there was never a so-called “probate period,” between the cross and Pentecost to prove God’s will, because the proof was already clearly being revealed for all to see!

“For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men” (Titus 2:11).

AND THERE IT WAS!! The torn veil confirmed what God had done in Christ, AT THE CROSS!! It was an even fuller manifestation of the SAME gospel. It was a fuller manifestation of access through faith into this grace (Rom. 5:2)!! For Jesus has ALWAYS been the object of true saving faith, because He ALONE (apart from our own works)… is the way through the veil (Ex. 26:31-33, Jn. 14:6, Heb. 6:13-20; 9:1-28).

Even the observance of God’s perfect standard of righteousness (His moral law) springs from faith in Christ, for faith alone has ALWAYS been the only way to enter into God’s promises, NOT faith plus our own works. Irrefutably proving the fact that the CoC’s “new terms for salvation” is a complete sham.

Jesus’ death officially and immediately executed, inaugurated and ratified the new covenant (Mt. 26:28). IT WAS IMMEDIATELY PUT INTO FORCE!!! And this was confirmed by the fact that the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom, to reveal that the old covenant was done away with and no longer in force (Mt. 27:51), for its types and shadows were fulfilled in Christ, the very sum and substance of the TRUE gospel (Isa. 61:1-3, Lk. 4:17-22).  

The torn veil clearly revealed permanent and unparalleled access to God the Father through Jesus Christ.  All spiritual barriers to a fuller revelation of God’s grace were immediately REMOVED, and a believer’s free access to God by grace, through faith, was immediately REVEALED, even further, upon the death of Christ.

It was a dramatic illustration that the temporary Mosaic dispensation was completely done away with and that the New Covenant was everlastingly established in its place, so that believers could have a fuller assurance and “confidence to enter the holy places” by the blood of Jesus, Who is the “new and living way” through the veil, His flesh, without the burdensome animal sacrifices that had only foreshadowed the reality (Heb.10:20-22).

 Just as God’s original command to love was called “new” when it was more clearly set forth by Jesus (Jn. 13:34, 1 Jn. 2:8), God’s original plan of redemption was called a “new and living way” when it was more clearly set forth by Jesus AT THE CROSS.

The spiritual transaction was FINISHED and revealed publicly AT HIS DEATH. Therefore, the CoC’s so-called “new terms for salvation” were NOT awaiting “enforcement” at Pentecost, as the CoC so blasphemously claims.  Jesus had already “enforced the terms” of the new covenant AT THE CROSS!  And those “terms” did NOT include water baptism for salvation!

The torn veil further reinforced the fact that the “terms” of the new covenant were immediately in force, and that the “terms” of the old covenant were immediately obsolete (Heb. 8:13), for Jesus fulfilled all that had previously been prefigured in types and shadows.

It also revealed that God was done with the visible temple and its religious system, for it was left “desolate” and was finished off by the Romans in A.D. 70, just as Jesus prophesied (Lk.13:35; 19:41-44; Mt. 24:15-28). The old covenant was always meant to be temporary for it was only composed of “the shadows of the good things to come”(Heb. 10:1-4, 11-12).

Through HIS DEATH, Jesus removed all spiritual barriers, for all time, between God and men (Heb. 7:27; 9:15).  Only then did the way into the most holy place become more fully manifest (Rom. 16:25-26, Eph. 3:9-12, Col. 1:26, Heb. 9:8, 1 Pet. 1:19-20). How do we “get INTO” Christ?? Just as the old gospel hymn proclaims, “My hope is built on nothing less, than Jesus’ blood and righteousness”….which is why …. “My anchor holds within the veil.”

“Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which ENTERETH INTO that within the veil” (Heb. 6:19, emphasis added).

We can only “enter into” Christ and His everlasting covenant of salvation, through faith in His blood, to declare HIS RIGHEOUSNESS for the remission of sins (Rom. 3:25)!! Because the blood that Jesus shed was the blood of the everlasting covenant! According to Scripture, even Jesus’ resurrection was only possible because it was founded upon the very covenant that He sealed with His very own blood.  For we read the following….

“Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that Great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant” (Heb. 13:20-21, underlining added).

But CoC operatives seem to have a very low reading comprehension when it comes to Scripture. Even when faced with indisputable evidence, they continue their charade when they misuse Romans 10:9 and 1 Corinthians 15:17 to still try to prove their false claim that the CoC’s water gospel and its so-called “new terms for salvation” (which they claim is Acts 2:38) didn’t come into force until AFTER Jesus’ resurrection. Are CoC’s REALLY that clueless? Because they constantly refute their own arguments!

The very fact that the thief on the cross was not required to confess Jesus’ manifest resurrection in time (for it hadn’t occurred yet), is even further proof that one can only be saved because of the ETERNITY OF THE CROSS and what God already considered to be accomplished there (2 Tim. 1:9-10).

Jesus’ resurrection was an even fuller manifestation of the SAME GOSPEL, which gave Jesus’ followers even MORE assurance of salvation (Rom. 10:9)!! So, just because the thief hadn’t acknowledged the full manifestation of Jesus’ resurrection in time, that does NOT mean that he wasn’t still saved by believing the gospel. For Jesus’ resurrection was included in His death, because His resurrection was based upon His shed blood of the covenant, on the cross (Heb. 13:20). In this way, the atoning death of Christ was joined to His resurrection, and the thief witnessed, and trusted in, Jesus’ sacrificial death.

Yet, CoC’s will often bring up the 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 definition of the gospel, which includes Jesus’ resurrection, in an attempt to dismiss the fact that the thief on the cross obeyed the gospel. But they fail to acknowledge that there are differences in DEGREE when it comes to believing the gospel, but there are NOT differences in KIND.

For instance, Romans 10:9 says that if you confess the Lord Jesus AND believe in your heart that He was raised from the dead, you will be saved, because divine revelation had progressed after Jesus’ resurrection. That fuller manifestation of God’s eternal plan of redemption further increased their faith and enlarged it, but it was STILL the same KIND of faith that all the O.T. saints possessed, with essentially the same content, but with an even more expanded view of the SAME truth. Also remember the example of Apollos in Acts 18, who had to be shown a fuller view of the same gospel.

And the thief on the cross obeyed that gospel! No wonder he was STILL blessed with the same saving benefits, of the same grace, that all saints have ever been blessed with, in every age, throughout redemptive history! He was saved under the EXACT SAME TERMS OF SALVATION (through faith), UPON THE EXACT SAME BASIS (God’s grace through Christ and His atoning sacrifice) that every sinner throughout human history has EVER been saved, including all O.T. saints who were also saved by God’s grace alone, through faith alone, in Messiah ALONE.

Because God’s Word makes it abundantly clear that it was absolutely IMPOSSIBLE for any of their flawed works to save them (Acts 13:39; 15:10). No one has ever been, or ever will be, saved by their own works (e.g., Ezek. 20, Mt. 19:26). All people, in all ages, have only been saved by the supernatural circumcision of the heart (Deut. 30:6, Acts 7:51, Col. 2:11). Scripture is so abundantly clear, that all O.T. saints were saved the same way that we are saved today, for they too had the common testimony of Jesus (Rev. 19:10)!!

But the CoC falsely teaches that people were saved in the O. T. under the old covenant of law, so that it can portray itself as a system that possesses the new covenant of a “believing immersion” in Christ,to replace the old covenant of a “believing circumcision.” It teaches that a so-called “salvation by circumcision” has been replaced with “salvation by water baptism.” But Galatians 5:6 makes it clear that circumcision never saved anyone, so neither can baptism, for both ordinances were meant to be a pledge of one’s commitment to the Lord, not as a way to get themselves saved.

So, are CoC’s REALLY willing to dismiss the fact that Jesus Christ, and Him crucified, has ALWAYS been the very HEART of the gospel (1 Cor. 2:2)? Because that is EXACTLY what their false doctrine entails!

Are CoC’s REALLY willing to be consistent with their false doctrines, which imply that all of the Old Testament saints died in their sins due to Christ not yet being incarnate, sacrificed and resurrected? LET’S HOPE NOT!! Because Jesus’ resurrection actually proved that God discharged ALL of the sins that He bore for ALL of His people (PAST, PRESENT and FUTURE)…AT THE CROSS (Heb. 13:20-21).

The thief on the cross was saved because he obeyed the gospel, for there has always been only ONE GOSPEL that saves! He realized that apart from God’s merciful, saving grace he was a doomed sinner. He repented and trusted in Christ alone as his only hope. Therefore, he obeyed the EXACT same terms of salvation that EVERY saved sinner in human history has ever obeyed. Because changes in dispensational covenants have NEVER meant changes in God’s eternal plan of redemption, which has always been the same. 

A new covenant has NEVER meant a new gospel. According to Scripture, there has NEVER been a “covenant of works for salvation” made with fallen humanity. God has NEVER ordained a “salvation-by-man’s-works” ever since the Fall of mankind, for the entrance of sin made it impossible for anyone to ever please God apart from His free mercy and grace in Christ that enables us to believe (e.g., Jn. 15:5, Acts 13:48, Gal. 3:8-16, Phil. 1:29, Heb. 4:2).

All the blessings that were lost in Adam are procured and restored by Christ, because He fully satisfied God’s divine justice and wrath against sin, on behalf of all who are in eternal union with Him.

“For if by one man’s offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ” (Rom. 5:17).

Therefore, the thief on the cross was saved in exactly the same way that every sinner, in human history, has ever been saved, regardless of the two different dispensations that he lived under, for the essential content of God’s eternal plan of salvation has NEVER changed.

Yet, wicked people have never wanted to face God on His terms, but instead they’ve always tried to run from Him in hopes to appease Him from a distance with their own works (e.g., Ex. 20:19, Heb. 12:19-20). They’ve always preferred to do things according to their own “terms” instead of God’s terms. Likewise, the CoC makes up a fictitious way of being saved that actually shuts the door of heaven on those who adhere to it.

Jeremiah warned:

“you were hypocrites in your hearts when you sent me to the Lord your God, saying, ‘Pray for us to the Lord our God, and according to all that the Lord your God says, so declare to us and we will do it” (Jer. 42:20).

Just like the “restoration” cults of today, hypocrites in every generation pretend to be all about “obedience,” but once any of God’s people begin to extol that which ALONE produces TRUE obedience, they want nothing to do with it, which reveals their true colors and the fact that they’d rather take at least some of the personal credit for their own salvation, instead of giving God ALL of the glory for His merciful grace through the saving work of Christ ALONE.

No wonder they maliciously try to stir up ill-will against the true God of the Bible, and His people, by playing upon the biased prejudice that most people already have against the true gospel, by saying we promote “an excuse for disobedience” when we point to the testimony of the thief, even though nothing could be further from the truth!!

Yet, out of sheer desperation, they even attack the word ALONE, by theorizing that if a person cannot find the exact phrase “faith alone” for salvation in the Bible, then that must mean we are saved by faith PLUS our own works. They don’t seem to realize that they are revealing the absolute ridiculousness of their own line of reasoning!

For example, just because one cannot find the exact phrase “Christ alone” in Scripture, that does NOT mean that we should worship Christ PLUS other gods!! Yet according to the CoC’s faulty line of reasoning, we are supposed to conclude the opposite of what God’s Word actually conveys in context.

God’s saving gifts of grace and faith in Christ alone as our only hope of heaven, are not mere “ideas of Calvin,” because they are actual biblical facts according to God’s Word. So CoC’s can call Scripture “Calvinism,” in a derogatory way, all they want, but it will never change what God has set in stone, which is the biblical fact that no one has EVER been saved any other way than by Christ alone. God commands that we look to Christ alone for all that He offers to us for salvation. Since salvation is based upon the blood and righteousness of Christ alone, then salvation has to be by God’s grace alone, through faith alone, in Him ALONE.

And ironically, while CoC’s vehemently attack people’s faith in Christ alone as their only hope, they will still religiously tack the name of Christ ALONE to the end of all their prayers! Which also goes to show that they really don’t understand what it truly means to pray in Jesus’ name, that He is our only hope, our only access to God, and that we can have direct access to God through Christ, by faith in His finished work on the cross and in His righteousness alone as our only hope of salvation. 

They can’t seem to understand that through Him, “we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand” (Rom. 5:2). “For through Him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father” (Eph. 2:18, emphasis mine). But thankfully, NONE of the CoC’s disproven theories can ever erase the biblical reality that even the absence of physical water cannot keep us from the love of Christ and access to God through faith in Him (Rom. 8:35-39, Eph. 3:12). No external circumstance can prevent “whosoever will” from partaking of the Water of Life freely….by God’s grace alone, in Christ Jesus ALONE.

“Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace” (Rom. 4:16).

Just as Scripture reveals, even faith in Him is attributed to the mercy and grace of God ALONE. Therefore, our own works cannot be connected with it for justification. If the gift of faith had not been procured by Christ, then it would not be by grace.

“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” (Eph. 2:8-9).

So again, what can CoC’s not comprehend about salvation being in Christ ALONE? Since salvation is in Christ ALONE, then it is by God’s grace alone, through faith alone, in HIM ALONE.  No matter how much they want to arrogantly add their own works into the equation, Scripture cannot be changed. Either Christ will be ALL of one’s salvation, or NONE.

Sadly, if CoC’s continue to “neglect so great a salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him (Heb. 2:3-4), then they will not inherit eternal life.

Apart from Christ and what He accomplished at the cross, there would be no eternal plan of redemption, no good news, no gospel, no regeneration, no mercy, no grace, no true faith, no works of faith, no true obedience, no true repentance, no confession of sin, no pardon of sin, no baptisms, no love of truth, no love of God, no love of people, no Holy Spirit empowerment, no sound doctrine, no gospel preaching or teaching, no holy calling, no saints, no assembling together of the saints, no everlasting blood covenant of salvation, no propitiation, no reconciliation with the Father, no resurrection, no intercession, no justification, no perpetual priesthood of Christ, no throne of grace, and no hope of new heavens and a new earth.

Nevertheless, CoC’s still relentlessly attack and mock the only way that sinners can be justified before a holy God, by saying things like “that’s a lot of ‘alones,’” as if we are “adding more alones” by attributing everything that pertains to life and godliness to HIM ALONE (2 Pet. 1:3). How ludicrous of them to say that we are the one’s adding to Scripture by looking to Christ ALONE for our salvation!  Ugh!!

Yet, this is how ridiculous CoC’s can get when they try to project their own guilt of adding to the gospel, onto those who want to give all the glory to God alone. CoC’s even type up huge “to do lists” of all that they think they must do in order to get saved, intermingled with Jesus and His work here and there, as if He and His works are on equal footing with them and their works, if not lower. It is truly blasphemous!

For they try to establish their own righteousness for salvation, rather than relying solely upon the blood and righteousness of Christ ALONE (Rom. 10:3). They are not satisfied with Christ alone, so they attempt to bring in other aids for their salvation. As a result, they end up completely cutting themselves off from having access to heaven, which is only through faith in Jesus Christ alone.

No wonder they reject the “old paths”….

“Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein” (Jer. 6:16).

Even in Ezekiel we see God freely offering grace, but the people insisted on their own obedience to the law for salvation. So, God gave them over to it, and held them strictly accountable to it, in order to show them their absolute inability to live up to His perfect standards of righteousness, and thus, their desperate need of His mercy and grace (Ezek. 18).

By the time we get to Ezekiel 36 it becomes painfully obvious that the people are unable to obey God’s perfect precepts, so God finally tells them that He is the only one Who can save them and enable them to obey, by giving them a new heart and spirit, by virtue of His merciful grace.

No one, not even O.T. saints, has ever been saved by being obedient (Heb. 7:19). Even Ezekiel chapter 20 makes it clear that the O.T. fathers were disobedient to God. They were sinful rebels and God saved the souls of a remnant of them, ONLY because of His unmerited grace and mercy upon them.

Although God, His gospel, and the spiritual needs of humanity have never changed, CoC’s “suppress the truth in unrighteousness,” by trying to explain away the fact that the TRUE gospel was preached long BEFORE Pentecost.  For example, New Testament passages, such as Acts 8:32-35, referred to THE GOSPEL in the Old Testament. Romans 3:29-30 referred to THE GOSPEL in the O.T. Also, Galatians 3:6-8 referred to THE GOSPEL in the O.T. And Hebrews 4:2; 9:15; 10:1-4 referred to THE GOSPEL in the O.T., etc., etc.  How much clearer can it be?!

“There is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

In the O.T., the gospel was often referred to as the promises and glad tidings (Acts 13:32, Rom. 10:15-16, Gal. 3:8, 14, 2 Tim. 1:1, 1 Pet. 4:6). In Isaiah, the gospel was even referred to as the “report” (53:1), and “the sure mercies of David” (55:3). Because the gospel has ALWAYS denoted the promise and doctrine of Christ, and how one abides in it by a faith that is granted and maintained by God’s grace (Gen. 3:15, 21; 6:8, Jonah 2:9, Hab. 2:4, Jn. 12:38, Heb. 11, 2 Jn. 1:9).

Even before it was more fully manifested in this “gospel age” (Rom. 1:1-2), the gospel has always been “the law of faith” and “the law of the Spirit of life in Christ” that sets believers free from the law of sin and death (Rom. 3:27; 8:2). This is also why the gospel is referred to as “the word of reconciliation” (2 Cor. 5:19), and “the riches of His goodness” (Rom. 2:4). For God’s eternal plan of redemption has never changed, because it has ALWAYS been founded upon God’s free mercy and grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ Jesus alone, NOT with the inclusion of man’s works (Lk. 1:73, Rom. 4).

Although CoC’s try to put the cart before the horse, good works are the result of salvation, not the cause. No matter what, the cause must always precede the effects. Even from the beginning, Abel was killed by his jealous brother Cain, all because his righteous works were THE RESULT of his salvation by God’s grace, through faith in the promised Seed (Gen. 3:15, Heb. 11:4, 1 Jn. 3:12).

Spirit-guided Simeon, Anna the prophetess, the woman at the well and all of God’s people had been faithfully awaiting His arrival (Lk. 2:25-38, Jn. 4:25, 1 Tim. 3:16). Even Moses believed, obeyed and trusted in the pre-incarnate Christ (Ex. 3:3-6, 14). For their salvation, by God’s grace, enabled them to bear fruits worthy of repentance (Mt. 3:8-10).

Abraham seen His day and rejoiced (Jn. 8:56, Gal.3:8, 16). For God’s everlasting covenant of salvation was concluded with Abraham BEFORE there was ever even a temple, circumcision or the law of Moses, etc. (Heb. 2:16, 8:10 and 11:18). God’s Word clearly reveals that those who belong to Christ are of the Seed of Abraham BY FAITH, and heirs according to promise (Rom. 4, Gal. 3).

Therefore, we must ask CoC’s how they could ever truly believe that God has a DIFFERENT eternal plan of redemption today, in light of these truths. Because, if they still refuse to believe that God’s eternal plan of redemption was concluded with Abraham, then according to Scripture, they cannot be a spiritual descendant of Abraham (Heb. 2:9, 16; 11:18), which would mean that they are NOT of Christ!!

Do CoC’s truly believe that God’s eternal plan of redemption changed at Pentecost? If so, then how was it eternal? How can any professing Christian deny that all of the Old Testament saints were justified by faith in Christ alone, for Jesus was Immanuel (God with us) from the very beginning (Isa.7:10-17, Lk. 1:26-38)?

By faith, Daniel declared the Messiah would be “cut off, but not for Himself” (Dan. 9:26). In the Old Testament, all of God’s people were urged to believe in the Son of God (Psa. 2:7, 11, 12), for all O.T. sacrifices were only pointers to a fuller revelation of God’s love and mercy in His Son (Psa. 40:6; 51:16-17). Also, compare Psalm 40 to Hebrew 10 for further confirmation. Agur even spoke of the Son of God (Prov. 30:4). By faith, Isaiah also foreseen the coming glory of the Messiah (Isa. 12:41; 45:22), which was reiterated in John 12:32-41.

All of the O.T. “Feasts of First Fruits” foreshadowed Jesus’ coming resurrection (i.e., Lev. 23:10-11). They symbolized justification by God’s grace through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. In verse 11, the words “to be accepted on your behalf” described how Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection is imputed to all who believe, including all O.T. saints, which perfectly coincides with Romans 4:23-25.

But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept” (1 Cor. 15:20).

Even Hebrews 11:13, 17, 33, 39-40 proves that none of the O.T. saints ever received the promises of God based upon any other way of salvation other than by God’s grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, just as God’s people do today, who ALL have the SAME eternal inheritance and share in the SAME saving grace that He bestowed upon Abraham, Isaac, Moses, David and every other saint, prophet, patriarch and godly king in the O.T. 

The only difference is that we now have even STRONGER consolation during this present reign of Christ and His kingdom, which is why God encourages us to overcome obstacles just as effectively as the O.T. saints did, and even more so, due to the fact that we have an even firmer foundation for belief than they did, because all of God’s promises have been more fully manifested in Jesus Christ (e.g., Hebrews 11:40 and 12:23).

Jesus’ resurrection, made possible by His shed blood of the covenant, also gives us even stronger assurance of salvation today (Rom. 10:9). The external O.T. ceremonies that ceased in practice were also given even more spiritual significance when Jesus fulfilled their shadows by His very substance. Therefore, the new covenant is “not according to that which He had made with their fathers” (Jer. 31:32), because there’s no need for candles once the sun has risen (Mal. 1:11; 4:2)!!

The new covenant is “new” because those who are brought into the everlasting covenant are effectually called into it. The temporary old covenant, which God made with many (of which a majority fell away) could not actually provide the reality that its ceremonies signified (Heb. 8:9), for the blood of animals could never perfect anyone (Heb. 10:1-11).

But all who are effectually called into the everlasting covenant are those whom God has determined to save, to the uttermost, by the efficacious blood of Christ (Lk. 22:20, Heb. 7:25). The new covenant actually provides them with what God commands (Heb. 10:16-17), for Jesus actually obtained their redemption (Heb. 8:10-13; 9:12-15; 10:11-12), which the old covenant priesthood could never do.

The temporary Mosaic Law could only reveal people’s sins and their desperate need of the Savior (Gal. 3:19). But it never had the power to actually enable anyone to live godly. However, the new covenant, which is expressed in the New Testament, not only reveals the eternal moral law of Christ more fully, it also more fully reveals how God powerfully grants what He commands, by effectually calling His people into His irresistible grace, which is His divine power that actually accomplishes His purposes.

The Mosaic Law could never do this, which is why its observance has now been fully replaced by the preaching of God’s kingdom (Lk. 16:16, Rom. 10:4). And this is why the Holy Spirit was poured out on God’s people, in fullness, after Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection (Jn. 7:39). Therefore, we now have a fuller view of Christ as our moral standard of righteousness, rather than the external, Mosaic form of law. Thus, the N.T. gives us a clearer view, and a deeper conviction, of our own spiritual heart condition, which is where all of our external actions spring from.

“For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ” (Jn. 1:17).

Therefore, in the O.T., even the remnant that was saved, while under the old covenant, was only saved by being effectually called into the everlasting covenant of grace by the redeeming blood of Christ. Although God’s church was in its infancy in the O.T., God’s gospel, His church, His kingdom and His people have always been secured in Christ, for His eternal plan of redemption is eternal (Psa. 102:28, Isa. 2:3, Lk. 1:32, Eph. 1:11). His kingdom is in this world, but it is not “of this world” (Jn. 18:36, Rom. 14:17).

“The Lord hath prepared His throne in the heavens; and His kingdom ruleth over all” (Psa. 103:19).

God’s kingdom is spiritual, which is why Jesus has always reigned in His people through faith, love and the good works that proceed from those God-given graces that He procured for them (Eph. 2:10). When Jesus referred to His people, He said “the kingdom of God is within you” (Lk. 17:21). For His people make up His body, the church, the kingdom of heaven (Psa. 74:2, Mt. 16:18-19). And they enter in by Holy Spirit regeneration, through faith (Mk. 1:8, 1 Cor. 12:13). As a result, they become a “new creation” that will eternally inhabit the “new Jerusalem” (2 Cor. 5:17, Rev. 21). Water baptism is then performed as an outward demonstration of what has already occurred inwardly (Rom. 6:3-5).    

No wonder Jesus told the Pharisees that the kingdom of God had come upon them (Lk. 11:20). He also told His disciples that they would see the kingdom of God come with power (Mk. 9:1), Not by observation (Lk. 17:20), but by experience, because the Holy Spirit would be more abundantly poured out, in order to empower them to spread the SAME gospel even further (Acts 1:8). No wonder Paul equated the gospel of God’s grace with the kingdom of God that Jesus and His apostles preached (Acts 20:24-25, 1 Cor. 15:11, Gal. 2:6-9). For they are ONE AND THE SAME!

“There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all” (Eph. 4:4-6).

Despite the CoC’s hyper-dispensational heresies, there was NEVER one way of being saved in the O.T. and another way of being saved in the N.T.  God forbid!  Such false teachings imply that God’s character has changed, and that man’s spiritual needs have changed, which are both an absolute impossibility! Therefore, CoC’s have dealt falsely with God’s covenant (Psa. 44:17).

Yet, they still insist on promoting another way of salvation, a different kingdom (its earthly organization) and a different gospel, which blasphemously implies that there’s more than one God. But, in Romans 3:29-30, Apostle Paul made it clear that since there is only one God, there has always been only one way of salvation, and that is by God’s grace, through faith. Paul even confirmed this in Romans 4 where he reveals how Abraham was justified by faith BEFORE the Law was given, and how David was justified by faith AFTER the Law was given.

In Ephesians 4:5-6, Paul confirmed this one way of salvation, in one God, for all of God’s people are one in Christ, by faith in Christ alone, in every age. No wonder Paul described the salvation of God’s people as being grafted into one tree by faith, and how they are the “true Jews” or “spiritual Israel” by faith (Rom. 2:29; 4:11; 11:17, 20, Phil. 3:3, Gal. 6:16; 3:29, Rev. 2:9).

God did not “replace” ethnic Jews or national Israel with His church (an error of “replacement theology”). Instead, He expands His church, builds His church and adds to His church, throughout redemptive history, for the gates of Hell cannot prevail against His “spiritual house” (Acts 2:47, Mt. 16:18, 1 Pet. 2:5). Jesus has always been the Rock foundation of His church (1 Cor. 3:11).

Therefore, the “everlasting gospel” that came to the Jews first, is made effectual in a remnant from EVERY tongue, tribe and nation, including Israel (Rom. 1:16; 11:5, Mt. 28:19, Rev. 5:9; 14:6), which is why the word “world” is used in Scripture to describe those who are effectually called into it (e.g., Jn. 3:16).

Yet, even after CoC’s have been confronted with all of the biblical evidence, the majority is still slipping in a DIFFERENT plan of redemption, not God’s ETERNAL plan of redemption. They continue to try to smuggle in a completely FORIEGN FOUNDATION for salvation that has never existed, and never will exist, because God’s eternal plan of redemption has always been, and always will be, based solely upon God’s grace through Christ and His work, NOT God’s grace through Christ and our work.

So again, there was NEVER any so-called “new terms” or “new laws” for a works-based-salvation, but only an even more powerful continuation of the SAME gospel, which was even further revealed and expounded upon “beginning at Jerusalem” where Christ had been crucified (Lk. 24:47).

This is why true Christians are able to harmonize their theology with the full council of God (including Hebrews 4:2 and its parallel passages (e.g., Isa.53:1, Jn. 12:38, Rom. 3:29-30; 10:16 and Gal. 3:6-8), unlike the enemies of the cross, because the gospel has never changed. God’s eternal plan of redemption remains the same, for “There is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).  

No wonder the Apostle Paul equated the gospel with God’s eternal plan of redemption! He proclaimed that it was given before the world even began, and that it became even more fully manifest at the physical appearing of Jesus Christ and what He accomplished at the cross…

“Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began, But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, Who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel” (2 Tim. 1:9-10).

But the CoC’s newfangled inventions were brought in to detract from God’s eternal plan of redemption, by introducing a DIFFERENT plan of redemption that unhitches the O.T. from the N.T., rather than revealing their intrinsic interconnectedness.

In the O.T. God promised a new covenant, and at the same time, He revealed that it would not be different in substance from His everlasting covenant, because the new is an EXTENSION of the same ETERNAL plan of redemption. In this sense, the new covenant was already in effect, to an extent, in the Old Testament. The very fact that Jesus was forgiving sins even BEFORE the cross, confirms that it was already in effect by virtue of the eternity of the cross (Gal. 3:17).

So, when Jesus enforced the new covenant AT THE CROSS….(NOT at Pentecost), He confirmed its eternality, because the cross is at the very crux of redemptive history. The TRUE gospel, even in its ultimate manifestation at Jesus’ second Advent, will STILL be the same eternal plan of redemption that God has ordained, NOT the CoC’s “new set-up fees for salvation” that are a modern counter-part to first century Judaism.

If only CoC’s could follow Apostle Paul’s example, for he publicly renounced his former Pharisee-ism when he submitted to water baptism, which comforted those believers who had been fleeing his previous persecutions, for he publicly confirmed his conversion through the ritual that represented it.

Only God can savingly justify a person through faith (Rom. 5:1). So, when James tells people to “show” their faith by their works (Jas. 2:18), he meant that a professing believer should be able to “show” (to prove, or justify their claim) by the fruits that come from a true and living faith (Jas. 2:24). Even God was said to be “justified” or proven to be faithful, in man’s eyes (Lk. 7:29). In the same way, a true believer is “justified before men,” so to speak, by proving to be a faithful follower of Christ and not just a false professor with no fruits to prove their claim.

However, Scripture is clear that we can never be “justified before God” by our own works (Rom. 4:2). Despite the CoC’s perversions, we are to never put the cart before the horse. Having already been justified by faith alone BEFORE GOD, Paul’s God-given faith was then justified (proved) BEFORE MEN (Mt. 5:16; 10:32-33), when he demonstrated his God-given faith by his works (Jas. 2:17-26).  For that is the Scriptural order!!

After that, Paul went forth preaching the gospel of repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus, with absolutely NO mention of water baptism being a part of that gospel (i.e., Acts 6:1-2; 20:21, 1 Cor. 15:1-4, 1 Thess. 1:9). Because baptism is NOT a part of gospel preaching!  

Instead, water baptism is part of the sanctification and discipleship of Jesus’ called out ones” (the elect, His church, His body, His scattered sheep), who obey the gospel… by coming to Christ through saving faith!! They are “grafted into Christ” by the Holy Spirit, through faith alone (Rom. 11:17-20).

There are other examples given to us in the Old Testament that foreshadowed how God’s people have ALWAYS been “engrafted into Christ” by faith, NOT by any works of their own. Saved Gentiles in the O.T. didn’t adhere to any covenant of works for salvation. For instance, Rahab, a Gentile harlot in the O.T., was highly commended in the “hall of faith,” NOT because she had any righteousness of her own that could commend her to God for salvation (Heb. 11:31). She had never even performed any of the ceremonial practices under the Law of Moses.

Rahab’s faith was counted as righteousness. She simply believed God and His promises. As a result, her God-given faith effectually worked by a love that rested in Him (unlike a self-generated, ineffectual faith that can only work by slavish fear). Her son Boaz also married a Gentile named Ruth, and because of her God-given faith, she gave up her entire family and culture to serve God and His people, for she too had a faith that effectually worked by love (Ruth 1:16). And these three are all honorably mentioned in the lineage of Jesus Christ, Who sprang from both Jews AND Gentiles, for He’s the Savior of both (Mt. 1:5).     

The mystery of the gospel of God’s grace was there all along (e.g., Col. 1:26, Eph. 3)!! No wonder Paul often quoted Old Testament prophets when he spoke of justification by faith (i.e., Acts 17:3, Hab. 2:4, Rom 1:17, Gal. 3:11, Rom. 4:6-8, Joel 2:32, Rom. 10:12-13, 2 Tim. 3:15, 1 Cor. 15:3). Peter even quoted an O.T. prophet in Acts 2:31, who had spoken of Christ, the object of that faith whereby one is justified.  For Jesus Christ is the central focus of ALL the Scriptures!

“And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, He expounded unto them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself” (Lk.24:27).

Paul spoke of having the same saving faith that the O.T. saints had in the Messiah (Rom. 4:23-25, 2 Cor. 4:13, Psa. 116:10). Job spoke of his faith in the Redeemer (Job 19:25:26). Micah prophesied of Jesus’ birth (Mic. 5:2). Zechariah spoke of Him when he said a fountain would be opened for sin and uncleanness (Zech. 13:1). Enoch spoke of Jesus when he prophesied that He was coming with thousands upon thousands of His saints (Jude 14). Moses chose the reproach of Christ over the riches of Egypt (Heb. 11:26).

All the Old Testament saints drank from the same spiritual Rock, “and that Rock was Christ” (1 Cor. 10:3-4). For all works of the law pointed to Christ, Whom they were to believe in. Even now, the law (which extends to all works) points to Christ, Whom we are to have faith in. For God’s people have ALWAYS been justified by faith, NOT by works (i.e., Rom. 11:6, Gal. 2:16, 21).

And Jesus severely rebukes any who will refuse to believe what the O.T. prophets spoke concerning Him (Lk. 24-25; 24:44-47, Jn. 5:39). So this puts the CoC and its heretical agents on EXTREMELY dangerous ground, for its false doctrines are an out-and-out denial of what those prophets spoke of!!

Only in Christ Jesus do we have the key of knowledge that unlocks all of the Old Testament types and shadows, which happens to be the very key that all Pharisees, in every generation, have always tried so hard to keep hidden under loads of legalistic luggage (Lk. 11:51-53). CoC’s even blasphemously set up their baptistery as a stumbling block to keep people from direct access to Jesus which is through faith in Him alone. They commit sacrilege by setting up their baptistery in such a way that it obstructs a clear view of the marvelous beauty of redemption by God’s grace through faith that is found in Jesus Christ ALONE.

But despite their dishonest deceptions, Jesus fulfilled all righteousness on behalf of His people (past, present and future), which irrefutably proves that the penitent thief on the cross was saved in EXACTLY the same way that EVERY sinner (past, present and future) has EVER been saved.  And that was by saving faith in Jesus Christ alone, not by his own works. Because those who are satisfied with Christ alone, are able to resist every phony remedy and fake refuge of lies that cults have to offer (Jn. 10:5).

Although the true gospel initially tends to tear down sinners, by destroying their delusive hopes, by detecting their legality, and by pursuing them through every refuge of lies, it does so in order to point them to a crucified Savior as their only spiritual safety (1 Cor. 2:2). Because, before a person can truly be saved they must first be humbled into the dust by being given a clearer view of their sad, sinful condition in comparison to the divine perfections of God’s holy standard of righteousness, so that they will throw themselves upon the mercy of Christ alone as their only hope of salvation.

This is why it cannot be stated strongly enough just how far the CoC’s dangerous hyper-dispensational errors are leading people away from the truth. Although many sincerely think that they are “doing the right thing” by listening to CoC leaders, they are actually being led further and further away from the true God and Savior of Scripture.

Sincerity is no guarantee of Heaven. As it has often been said, “The road to Hell is paved with good intentions.” Although there are many ways to Hell, there is only ONE WAY to Heaven, which is why Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me” (Jn. 14:6).       

And the thief on the cross was supernaturally led to that one way of salvation, which is why he didn’t have to be told, by cult leaders, what to “do” to get himself saved (1 Jn. 2:26-27), because his heavenly Father drew him, with cords of love, to Jesus (Song 1:4, Jer. 31:3, Hos. 11:4, Jn. 6:44), Who spiritually revealed Himself to the heart and mind of that thief, while the Holy Spirit applied to him all of the blessed benefits of God’s grace, which Jesus procured for him, so that he was able to spiritually apprehend Jesus by faith. He looked to Christ ALONE for his salvation, just as all of the O.T. saints did by virtue of the eternity of the cross and their eternal union with Christ.

What a beautiful testimony of God’s grace that completely destroys all of the CoC’s damnable heresies! May all glory be to God alone!! For He sets the captives free!!!!

Copyright © 2022 by Lee Anne Ferguson

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R. E. S. P. E. C. T….Find Out What it Means…TO GOD

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Anything that goes against the world’s false narrative is considered to be “disrespectful.” So, we must seek God’s view on it, and His Word reveals that just because someone “feels” disrespected, their feelings cannot be determinative of truth. For instance, the Pharisee’s and other heretics of Jesus’ day were ruled by their emotions and feelings, but Jesus never catered to their false perceptions of reality.

Although feelings are important, they are NOT to be confused with facts. And one fact is that there are those who will feel disrespected no matter how respectful you put the truth. It is just inevitable. But only biblical facts are determinative of truth, NOT people’s sinful emotional responses to it.

Despite the worlds’ knee-jerk reactions to the truth, it is perfectly biblical to battle against what we personally KNOW to be the cause of our loved ones apostatizing.  It is also biblical to faithfully depict and debunk its spiritual effects on them, so that others can be warned (1 Tim. 5:20). We cannot passively allow our good be spoken of as evil (Rom. 14:16).

There are no better advocates for a cause than those who have been the most personally affected by the enemies of that cause. Such advocates are commendable in the natural realm, so how much more should God’s people be commended for being spiritual advocates in the cause of Christ?

For instance, there are no better advocates for the cause of Christ against drug abuse, than those who have personally witnessed, firsthand, what that has done to them personally, or what it has done to their loved ones. Likewise, there are no better advocates for the cause of Christ against the CoC cult, than those who have been the most personally affected by it or have had loved ones whose lives and souls have been destroyed by it.

How could we ever claim to honor our loved ones if we did not zealously go up against the evil that has caused them so much spiritual damage? God forbid! We are to follow Jesus’ example, for He publicly exposed the unrepented spiritual abuses of the Pharisee’s and their ancestors, and even revealed the consequences of those abuses (i.e., Mt. 23).

God’s people have always confessed their sins and that of their own kinsmen and countrymen (i.e. Acts 7, Rom. 9:3; 10:1-3). For God’s people have always witnessed and experienced, firsthand, what those sins have done to them and their people, and how God has been blasphemously dishonored by them.

No wonder God wants us to acknowledge the iniquity of our people. And such confessions are meant to remind and warn us of what might happen if we follow in the same sinful footsteps as our apostate ancestors.

“Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them which killed the prophets. Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers. Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?” (Mt. 23:31-33).

God chooses certain people, with certain backgrounds, to be ambassadors for certain causes, because those that He has specifically qualified, for specific purposes, are those that He has equipped to passionately speak out about what happens to those who go against God’s objective, absolute truth. For they have personally experienced and witnessed the effects of such error, especially upon those closest to them.

Those, whom God has granted the experimental knowledge of just how spiritually destructive a false gospel really is, are equipped to be some of the most faithful witnesses. For they are enabled to address these issues at a much deeper level that can better help to warn others of the dire consequences of choosing subjective feelings over God’s objective truth. By doing so, they honor their people, and they honor God above all else, by speaking against what they experimentally KNOW to be so manifestly evil.

“We acknowledge, O Lord, our wickedness, and the iniquity of our fathers: for we have sinned against thee” (Jer. 14:20).

As a result, God’s people overcome evil with good. And even when they get backlash for speaking out, they must double down and finish what they’ve started or else the cause of Christ will be mocked (Lk. 14:26-33). Wicked silence and cowardly compromise is NOT an option. In the power of God’s might, Christians must be assertive and stand firm in their convictions.

By God’s grace, believers must also be honorable in the way they address these crucial issues, and must seek to have an honorable demeanor when doing so.  We, as believers, must strive to be honest, which means the truth will sometimes hurt or outrage those who are not wanting it to be exposed to the light so that it can be repented of and healed (Prov. 27:5, Jn. 3:20-21).

When people deny or minimize their sins and the sins of their ancestors, we may not get the hoped-for resolution. But we must still fight for our loved one’s honor, by standing firm against the enemies of their soul. And we honor them by not focusing on their personal attacks against us, but by focusing on what causes such spiritual abuses, and how they offend, disrespect and dishonor God.

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood but against powers of darkness (Eph 6:12-13).

By biblically putting to the proof how they have sinned against God and others, we risk their anger and disapproval, for it will upset the “status quo.” Yet, they are still going to be held accountable for how they respond to the truth that’s presented to them. It may even feel unloving to call them to repentance. But in all actuality, it is deeply respectful of their dignity, integrity and intrinsic value. Therefore, it is truly loving to do so. Anything less would be a wicked disrespect and total disregard for the eternal worth of their soul. 

“How can ye believe, which receive honour one of another, and seek not the honour that cometh from God only?” (Jn. 5:44).

We cannot lean on our own understanding, feelings or emotions, but solely upon God and His Word (Prov. 3:5-7). Jesus never allowed other’s emotions, feelings, or fallen human reasoning to determine His decisions, for He did not take His cues about what to think or believe, or how to speak or behave, from other people. Because He had the inner substance to do what He KNEW to be right.  And those of us who are indwelt and guided by the Holy Spirit are also enabled to do what we KNOW to be right according to God’s Word, which reveals that God’s approval supersedes man’s disapproval.

“Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29).

But there are those who have attempted to re-define God’s truth to mean embracing someone else’s emotional state as determinative of truth. In other words, the world’s obsession with the emotional life of individuals is dictating that we must be “respectful” towards those who are rebels against Christ. This is because they want Christians to back down on their convictions. But we must keep a very delicate balance between respect and a rebuke of sin, for they are both biblically compatible. Or else we will fall into the trap of bowing down to the most ridiculous ploys of modern-day wickedness, which is NOT respectable at all.

A prime example is the recent scandal created by a student who “identified” as a CAT. The student had obviously been willingly brainwashed into thinking their feelings were determinative of reality. But feelings are NOT facts! Nevertheless, a teacher was fired for not “meowing” back to the student!! And such spiritual insanity is the inevitable result of confusing the difference between feelings and facts. It is also the sad outcome of blurring the lines of distinction between true respect and disrespect.

“For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ” (Gal. 1:10).

Perhaps the student was feeling offended and disrespected by the teacher’s acknowledgment of reality and a refusal to go along with a lie. But it was actually the student’s delusional thinking that was a disgrace upon their own honor, integrity and the value of their own intrinsic worth. If the teacher had made excuses and just mindlessly went along with such vain and vile imaginations, it would have been spiritually abusive to the student, for it would have been a false witness against the truth and would have been a total disregard and disrespect for the dignity and worth of an image bearer of God.

Worse yet, it would have been a total disregard and disrespect for God Himself, for He is the One Who assigns our “identity” at birth. So, despite the fact that “truth sounds like hate to those who hate the truth” Christians are commanded to cast down every absurd imagination and every dishonest claim that exalts itself against the true knowledge of God (2 Cor. 10:4-5). This extends to stern warnings to “have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them” (Eph. 5:11).

When Apostle Paul refused to empathize with those who were rebelling against God, he was being extremely respectful of their human dignity, by not giving in to what was an eternal threat to their intrinsic worth. He stood firm against a blatant disregard and disrespect for what it truly means to be an accountable image bearer of God.

Everyone knows that when loving parents responsibly discipline their children, for their good, it is still typical for a child to say something along the lines of, “You hate me!” Or “You’re mean!” Because children are still immature and not yet fully capable of separating their feelings from facts. However, it is FAR below the dignity of a mature adult to act out so childishly, especially when they have been respectfully, honorably, humbly and firmly called to repentance for blatant sins and apostasy. And yet, as society continues to devolve into degeneracy, such absurdity is becoming more and more prevalent.

Although the world will increasingly continue to accuse faithful Christians of being “disrespectful,” unloving, “selfish” and judgmental, when they warn of God’s judgment, we are to NEVER cower or shrink back from exposing serious departures from the Christian faith behind an unbiblical concept of love. Because, according to God, TRUE respect and love… rejoices in the truth (1 Cor. 13:6).  

Copyright ©2022 by Lee Anne Ferguson.  

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The CoC and the Greek “Eis”

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Ironically, the CoC teaches that as long as one is water baptized “for (‘eis’ in Greek) the remission of sins” then there’s no need for re-baptism, or for doubting their standing with God. Yet, some Ephesians who had received John’s baptism of repentance “for (eis) the remission of sins,” were re-baptized later to demonstrate the Holy Spirit’s effects of Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection upon their lives (Mk.1:4, Acts 19:1-6).

So, with this being the case, CoC baptism falls way short, for it doesn’t even teach the necessity of the eternal indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Instead, it has a very generic and unbiblical view of the Holy Spirit that can be gained in water baptism and lost again when one sins. Its main focus is solely upon being baptized literally “for the remission of sins.” And, though it will usually deny it, such a stance also implies that John’s baptism was equal to Peter’s baptism, simply because both were “for (eis) the remission of sins.”

This creates a double-bind for the CoC, for it teaches that once one has “achieved” remission of sins “through water baptism” then they are to be considered saved, or at least until they sin again…(ugh). This issue alone, proves that water baptism is to be “in reference to” Jesus’ blood and righteousness, “for the remission of sins,” NOT “in order to obtain” remission of sins through water!!

Because if the Ephesians had actually “obtained” regeneration during their first baptism “for the remission of sins,” then according to the CoC, there shouldn’t have been a need for them to be re-baptized, especially considering the CoC’s generic view of the Holy Spirit. So, the fact of the matter is that neither one of the baptisms were “in order to obtain” a literal remission of sins through a baptismal regeneration formula!

Although Jesus preached the gospel, which is Himself, the CoC claims that the gospel wasn’t preached until after Pentecost, hence its obsession with Acts 2:38. However, the Bible shows that John the Baptist preached the same “remission of sins” doctrine before Pentecost that Peter preached on Pentecost, and both pointed to the righteousness of Christ for the remission of sins. 

This is why true believers are “to declare His righteousness—“for the remission of sins” (Rom. 3:25), instead of their own works of righteousness, such as baptism.  

In the parable of the Pharisee and the publican, Jesus said the publican was justified, because he pleaded to God for mercy when he realized that he had no saving righteousness of his own. But the Pharisee declared his own “works of obedience” for approval, because he didn’t want to fully rely upon the righteousness of another to save him.  He boasted in himself and what he had done in his own power to “activate” salvation.  Because Pharisees “trusted in themselves that they were righteous” (Lk. 18:9). 

Likewise, the CoC implies one can “activate” salvation by “coming into contact with Jesus’ blood in baptism,” for it misinterprets all of the Bible verses that have to do with baptism “for the remission of sins.”  By doing so, it makes use of a sacrament to soothe people’s conscience and to create false converts, which is an abomination to God.

But true believers are baptized from a different motive….gratefulness and love to God for granting them faith in the righteousness of Christ alone—for the remission of sins.  For only those, whom God has renewed in heart and spirit, are divinely enabled to perceive the true beauty and purpose of God’s ordinances.  

The Pharisee mindset is displayed when many boast about how they think they are accepted by God based on their works, with no emphasis on Jesus and His perfect atoning sacrifice.  But the humble mindset fully relies upon the mercy of God through Christ.  And those with this heart condition have truly had their sins remitted by the work Jesus did on the cross.

But CoC leaders even claim that their “church” didn’t come into effect until Pentecost, although the Bible reveals that God’s church was in full function way before Pentecost (e.g. Mt. 18:17, Lk. 12:32, Acts 2:47).

So considering the fact that the CoC teaches that one must be baptized into its “church,” and that salvation is only in its “church membership package,” it must first answer the question…..exactly what church did John’s baptism allegedly put people into, if there was supposedly no church until Pentecost?

 So far, no CoC leaders have ever been able to give a biblical explanation for such heretical inconsistencies, for then they would have to admit that their religion did not originate at Pentecost, but in the early 1800’s by their false prophet, Alexander Campbell. But, sad to say, even after learning the truth, many would still rather follow in the footsteps of Esau, and forfeit an eternal inheritance for a bowl of Campbell’s soup (Gen. 25:29-34).

The English word “for” never has a casual function?? Surely the CoC is NOT serious. And to say that the Greek word eis never means “because of,” is a patently false statement, for it flies in the face of hundreds of years’ worth of evidence to the contrary.

But this is no surprise, for even Alexander Campbell’s own “Living Oracles” version of the Bible, was proven to be tainted with false interpretations designed to give his own scheme of salvation the appearance of being supported by Scripture.

For instance, Campbell said “for” (eis) was always “forward pointing” assuming that the word translated “for” in this verse meant “in order to get.” However, in both Greek and English, there are many possible usages of the word “for,” especially when it denotes reference to a person or thing. In the case of ordinances, it is “with respect to” “because of” or in “reference to.”

And ironically, for something to be “forward pointing,” it must be pointing to something that is ALREADY in existence, which actually coincides perfectly with the true purpose of baptism being an outward sign of what’s ALREADY occurred inwardly!

Here are just a few more proofs that the CoC is not being honest with it’s people:

I. Some Bible translations that recognize the Greek word “eis” to mean more than just “in order to obtain” are as follows:

Amplified and Renaissance recognize that it can mean “because of.” Phillips says “as a sign of,” Goodspeed says “in token of,” Williams says “to picture,” Twentieth Century NT says “to teach,” Living Bible says “those who repent of their sins”

2. Greek Lexicons that recognize the Greek “eis” to mean more than just “in order to obtain” are as follows: Thayers Greek Lexicon, p. 184 makes it clear that eis can be used “with reference to” or “of relation to,” “with regard to,” or “as regards.”

See: https://www.christianresearcher.com/uploads/1/6/2/9/16298120/01greekenglishlexicongrimmthayer.pdf

An Intermediate Greek N.T. (Liddell & Scott Classical Greek), p. 231 also makes it clear that “in regard to” is one of the uses of the Greek word eis.

A Greek-English Lexicon of the N.T. (Green), p. 54 also indicates that eis can mean “in accordance with”

Art and Gangrit, A Greek-English Lexicon of the N.T., p. 229 shows that eis can also have the causal use “because of” and even mentions Mt. 3:11, which is an exact parallel.

3. Greek Scholars

Dana and Mantey, who produced the most well-known, well-used Greek grammar in this century, indicated that the Greek word eis can mean “because of” or “in reference to.” Also, Greek Scholar A.T. Robertson made it clear that whenever eis is used in connection with baptism, it’s always “unto” repentance. Just as in John’s baptism.

Along with Marshall’s Greek Interlinear and Dr. Randy Yeager concerning Acts 2:38

Also, Kenneth Veiths (Professor of Greek) translation of the N.T. revealed that eis in Acts 2:38 means “in relation to” sins having been put away.

Randy Acres, Renaissance N.T. — baptize (eis) “because of” forgiveness

The famous Weymouth Translation— baptize (eis) “with a view to”

But no matter how much evidence to the contrary, the CoC will always falsely assume that the word translated “for” in Acts 2:38 must mean “in order to get” because it’s whole system collapses without such an interpretation. As a result, it remains inconsistent with the rest of Scripture and even the message recorded in Peter’s next two sermons to unbelievers, where he associates the forgiveness of sins with repentance and faith in Christ, without even mentioning baptism (Acts 3:17-26; Acts 4:8-12).

Whether CoC’ers want to admit it or not, in both Greek and English, there are many possible usages of the word “for” (eis). And the context determines which one is correct. It doesn’t even take a Greek scholar to come to such a conclusion, because Scripture interprets Scripture.

If context doesn’t matter than how can the CoC’s surface-level line of reasoning explain the use of that same word “for” (eis) in…. Mt. 3:11, Mt. 10:41, Mt. 12:41, Mt. 28:19, Mk. 1:9, Acts 8:16, Acts 19:3, 5, Rom. 6:3,4, 1 Cor. 1:13, 15, 1 Cor. 10:2, 1 Cor. 12:13, Gal. 3:27 ?? To this day, we are all still waiting patiently for any of them to give a thorough and biblical explanation.

In the Great Commission, Jesus never even implied that one must be water baptized “in order to obtain” remission of sins. Instead, His Great Commission made it clear that identifying with His death, burial and resurrection, is part of one’s discipleship, which is symbolically demonstrated in water baptism, as part of one’s public profession of faith.

Because true disciples of Christ will inevitably work out (sanctification), what God has worked within (regeneration). Jesus never said that He made water baptism the initial entry point to salvation! That idea came from Romanism, which also confuses sanctification with justification which can only be by faith in Jesus’ blood and righteousness.

Although there are many ways to Hell, there is only one way to Heaven, which is why Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me” (Jn. 14:6). Jesus never even gave the slightest impression that He opened a baptismal door to Heaven as an initial entry point to God….for Jesus said that He is the door (Jn. 10:7-9)!

Yet, the CoC blasphemously claims that water baptism is the entry point of salvation! By doing so, it obscures the narrow way to Heaven and opens a broad way to everlasting destruction. For Christ is of no effect to those who fall from grace into performance-based “salvation” (Gal. 5:4-6).

Therefore, the CoC and its blind leaders of the blind come under the same condemnation as the Pharisees in Matthew 23:12-13, where Jesus says: “And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.  But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in.”

Also see: https://faithdefenders.com/campbellism-and-the-church-of-christ-by-dr-robert-a-morey/

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CoC’ers Follow a Campbellism Script

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I’ve kept pleading for CoC leaders to be honest with their flocks and the fact that they have no biblical answers for why they keep promoting their heresies. But, so far, they have still refused to do so. However, as a result of their refusal, there are those who are now starting to catch on and see through their lies and cover-up schemes, because their manipulative maneuvers make it so manifestly obvious.

Here is only one example of the kind of interactions one may expect from CoC leaders when they are confronted with Scriptures that disprove their heretical “traditions.” These emails (below) began at the start of this year (2021). Included is a link they sent me to their podcast concerning the thief on the cross. So readers can listen to it themselves, just to get a glimpse of the shenanigans I’ve had to deal with all these years.

Carefully notice how their “answers” go strictly by the Campbellite “playbook” that I’ve exposed throughout my book.  And once their “script” is proven to be completely at odds with God’s Word, they do what they even admit are “back-flips.”  lol

At the end, I brought my husband into the picture, for these guys started to really creep me out. Plus, I started having horrible flashbacks of how crazy CoC intimidation can get once they become intimidated by the truth, because they fear being exposed as the wolves in sheep’s clothing that they really are.

We’ve waited in vain for months, for a biblical response from them. Just recently they put up some new podcasts about baptism, so we were hoping they’d finally come out and admit the serious flaws in their Campbellism ideology. But, to our total dismay, they were even more adamant than ever in pushing their false gospel. And sadly, they are still deceitfully hiding the truth from their flocks.

They continued to confirm everything I’ve written about, and yet, they still have no shame. Instead, they keep trying to convince people that if anyone opposes their heretical doctrines, then according to them, they are just “trying to justify an excuse to hold to family traditions,” or an excuse to tread “a path of least resistance.”  The irony!!  While they claim to be against easy believism, they admitted that their so-called “salvation through baptism” is… so easy.   Ugh!   

They still seem to be completely oblivious to the fact that baptismal regeneration is just as heretical as decisional regeneration!

I was also shocked to find that they went to the extreme of trying to use the Gadarene demonic story, in the gospels, to promote baptismal salvation! When they told of how the swine were drowned in the water, after Jesus had cast demons into them, these CoC leaders even had the gall to say, “there’s that word water again!” AS IF THAT SCENARIO COULD EVER POSSIBLY SUPPORT THEIR WATER GOSPEL!!   WOW!!!  They are really getting desperate!

It is utterly unbelievable and truly tragic that so many are blindly following these blind leaders who are leading them into an eternal ditch! I sincerely pray that God opens their spiritual eyes before it is forever too late. For they are absolutely clueless when it comes to the true gospel of Jesus Christ. 

Here is the email thread I mentioned earlier:

On Jan 8, 2021, at 1:59 PM, Lee Anne Ferguson wrote:

Hello,

Can you please explain how a person can be saved?

From: Soul Training <soultrainingpodcast@gmail.com>
Sent: Friday, January 8, 2021 2:14 PM
To: Lee Anne Ferguson <godlee4@live.com>
Subject: Re: How can a person be saved?

Hi Lee Anne,

Are you interested in personally learning of God’s plan of salvation or would you like this discussed in a future episode of Soul Training? Or both?

Joe

On Fri, Jan 8, 2021 at 8:46 PM Lee Anne Ferguson wrote:

Both would be great!  Thanks

From: Soul Training <soultrainingpodcast@gmail.com>
Sent: Saturday, January 9, 2021 2:41 PM
To: Lee Anne Ferguson <godlee4@live.com>
Subject: Re: How can a person be saved?

Hi Lee Anne,

First of all, thanks so much for listening to Soul Training.  As you know, it’s a bit of a new venture for us but we have very much enjoyed the process. 

Our God wants us to come home to Heaven with him, so he’s made the process relatively easy to understand.  The short answer to your questions is:

1) Hear the word – Romans 10:17 – “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ”

2) Believe that Christ is the only Son of God – John 3:16-17 – “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.  For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.”

3) Repent – Luke 13:3 – “No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.”  Repentance is a turning away from sin in one’s life.

4) Confess –  Matthew 10:32-33 – “So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.”

5) Be baptized 

  • Matthew 28:19 – ” Go therefore and make disciples of all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
  • Acts 2:38  – “And Peter said to them “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
  • 1 Peter 3:21 – “Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,”
  • Acts 8:26-38 – This passage speaks about the Ethiopian eunuch and Philip.  Philip preached the word to him and the Ethiopian eunuch made the chariots stop as soon as they saw water in order to be baptized.  (I didn’t type it all out due to the length)

6) Remain faithful – Revelation 2:10b – “…Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.”

We’re going to do some episodes over salvation and will go into more depth on all of the above.  We haven’t recorded those shows yet so it may take a month or two to get them all published.  Our publishing schedule is typically a month behind our recording schedule.

If you’re in the Glasgow, KY area, we’d love to meet you for more study, or if not, we could do a virtual meeting through Zoom, Facetime, etc.

Can I ask you a couple of questions to help us in our endeavor?

1) How did you hear about Soul Training?

2) Are there any other topics you’d like for us to discuss besides the above?

3) What area of the country are you in?

I look forward to hearing back from you Lee Anne.  

In Christ,

“Big show” Joe   …….{ugh! can the arrogance be any more obvious?} Brackets mine

On Jan 10, 2021, at 6:36 PM, Lee Anne Ferguson wrote:

Hi Joe,

Thank you for your response. We check WCLU every so often and seen the announcement for your podcast. I appreciate you taking the time to reach out. My husband and I live in Summer Shade, KY and I grew up in the CoC, but a more strict one than South Green. When I would attend SG as a teenager, with a friend of mine, it was a much more liberating experience!! However, the basic doctrines were the same. Your explanation of the plan of salvation has clarified that this is still the case, and I would love to continue to discuss this further with you, if you have the time. I want you to know that I sincerely love my CoC people, and yes, I still consider them my people who are dear to my heart, even though so much time has passed since I’ve been a member of the CoC. 

Thanks again for your time. 

Love in Christ,

Lee Anne

From: Soul Training <soultrainingpodcast@gmail.com>
Sent: Monday, January 11, 2021 8:22 PM
To: Lee Anne Ferguson <godlee4@live.com>
Subject: Re: How can a person be saved?

It was really nice of WCLU to feature us for that story.  The reporter, Brennan Crain, was one of our first listeners.

It turns out that Allen Jones lives fairly close to Summer Shade.  Would want to meet with him? Or maybe have a phone call to speak about the subject of salvation further?  All he’d need is a phone number.

Also, I wanted you to know that because of your recommendation, we recorded our first episode on Salvation tonight.  The episode should be released sometime in February.  There are two more (Heaven and Hell) scheduled to be released before it.

I’ve enjoyed corresponding with you, Lee Anne.  You’ve encouraged me!

I hope we can encourage you as well 😃

In Him,

Joe

Sent from my iPhone

On Jan 12, 2021, at 7:55 PM, Lee Anne Ferguson wrote:

Hi Joe,

The reason I brought up this subject is because there is nothing more important than salvation, and being that I come from a CoC background, I can remember that the thief on the cross posed a huge problem for our plan of salvation that seemed to indicate the impossibility of anyone being saved apart from being water baptized. So I truly believe that your series on salvation would not be complete without a full discussion of the thief on the cross.  I’m sorry if this seems to be too much to ask. It is only a suggestion. But there has to be a reason that God would give us the testimony of that thief, even though there is no scriptural proof that he had ever been baptized. 

I appreciate your time and consideration.

Love in Christ,

Lee Anne

From: Soul Training <soultrainingpodcast@gmail.com>
Sent: Monday, February 22, 2021 8:27 PM
To: Lee Anne Ferguson <godlee4@live.com>
Subject: Re: How can a person be saved?

Lee Anne,

I just wanted to let you know that we just released the first episode on salvation last Friday and we recorded an episode on the thief on the cross tonight.  

We haven’t forgotten about ya!

Joe

Sent from my iPhone

On Feb 24, 2021, at 7:34 AM, Lee Anne Ferguson wrote:

Hi there! I’m sorry but I couldn’t find it. Maybe you could send a link?

Thanks for your time,

Lee Anne

From: Soul Training <soultrainingpodcast@gmail.com>
Sent: Wednesday, February 24, 2021 11:31 AM
To: Lee Anne Ferguson <godlee4@live.com>
Subject: Re: How can a person be saved?

The last episode that came out is entitled “Sin is the problem.  What’s the solution?”

This starts the conversation on salvation.  The thief on the cross episode will be released in a few weeks.

You can look on the podcast app on your phone or anchor.fm/soultraining 

Joe

Sent from my iPhone

On Feb 24, 2021, at 8:29 PM, Lee Anne Ferguson wrote:

Thanks, I look forward to it.

From: Soul Training <soultrainingpodcast@gmail.com>
Sent: Saturday, March 20, 2021 8:35 AM
To: Lee Anne Ferguson <godlee4@live.com>
Subject: Re: How can a person be saved?

Hey Lee Anne!

Here is a link to out Thief on the Cross episode.  I hope you enjoy it! https://anchor.fm/soultraining/episodes/Listener-Mail—The-Thief-on-the-Cross-Explained-esf5ci

Sorry it took so long to get published…

Joe

Sent from my iPhone

On March 21, 2021 at 8:15 PM, Lee Anne Ferguson wrote:

Thank you for kindly taking the time to address this issue. I will try to get around to listening to the podcast as soon as possible, and Lord willing, I’ll try to get back with you with a meaningful response that will hopefully be edifying for all of us.

On March 22, 2021 at 8:15PM Lee Anne Ferguson wrote:

Dear Sirs,

Again, thank you for your time and consideration. It is now hoped that the time, study and prayer that has gone into this response will also be appreciated, for there is nothing more important than soul matters.

Being that we should speak where the Bible speaks, it only seems fair that listeners should also be informed that the Bible is clear that both thieves had mocked Jesus (Mt. 27:44; Mk. 15:32).  This is a crucial point, because it proves that something supernatural happened to the one thief, for his heart was changed through the power of the gospel, whereas the heart of the other thief was not (See also: Jer. 32:40, Ezek. 36:26).

It is understood that although Jesus proclaimed the gospel, which is Himself, the CoC claims that the gospel wasn’t preached until after Pentecost, thus an extreme emphasis on Acts 2:38. However, the Bible shows that John the Baptist preached the same “remission of sins” doctrine before Pentecost that Peter preached on Pentecost, and both pointed to the righteousness of Christ for the remission of sins. 

“Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in His blood, to declare His righteousness for the remission of sins” (Rom. 3:25, emphasis added).

The CoC claims that the church didn’t come into effect until Pentecost.  However, the Bible reveals that God’s church was in full function way before Pentecost (e.g. Mt. 18:17, Lk. 12:32, Acts 2:47). So considering the fact that the CoC teaches that one must be baptized into its church, and that salvation is only in its church membership package, it must first answer the question….exactly what church did John’s baptism put people into, if there was supposedly no church until Pentecost?

It is greatly appreciated that there was at least an admission on the podcast that the typical CoC assumptions concerning the thief on the cross are likened to doing back flips.  So true!  For if the thief on the cross was saved because he was earlier baptized by John, then that would still throw a huge monkey wrench into the whole CoC system. For it admittedly teaches that John’s baptism was obsolete after Jesus’ death.  And the thief died after Jesus!

Scripture reveals that the two thieves had their legs broken in order to speed up death, but not Jesus, for He had already died! Sothe thief on the cross was no longer under the Mosaic dispensation right before he died. Jesus died before the thief! Therefore, the New Covenant was immediately in force upon the thief before he died!

“For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator.  For a testament is of force after men are dead; otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth” (Mt. 26:28, Heb. 9:16-17, emphasis added).

Furthermore, the other back flip would make it seem as though Jesus no longer has the ability and authority to forgive sins today, which would contradict Scripture, for Jesus is God in the flesh and still has  pre-eminence in all things (e.g. Col. 1:18; 1 Jn. 1:9).

More questions were generated on your podcast when it was stated:

 “Jesus being King of kings could still do as He wished”… until He died and then He couldn’t ?!?! 

 “The terms of the new covenant had not yet been given.”  [?]

Moreover, it was stated:

For us, we must follow what Scripture teaches about salvation.” –  Which implies that Scripture teaches another gospel, other than the gospel that Jesus taught before He died on the cross!  But that would create a false dichotomy between Jesus and Scripture!  

Questions were also generated when you all stated:

“Keys had not yet been given, more steps were included later.” [?]

“The Kingdom was a future reality before His death.” [?]

“The church is the earthly manifestation of the kingdom.” [?]

“The kingdom is synonymous with the church.” [?}

It is understood that Alexander Campbell established the “Millennial Harbinger” magazine in 1830, as a major tool for developing unique doctrines, which are still molding CoC practices today.  It was also used to promote his strange eschatological (end times) views and his claims of “restoring” God’s kingdom on earth. He ignored the biblical tension of the “already” and the “not yet.” This is why the CoC still claims to be that “restored kingdom on earth.”

However, the true gospel of the kingdom that Jesus preached, is the gospel of God’s sovereign rule and reign over sin, death and all things… including salvation (e.g. Mk. 1:14-15), which will only be fully consummated in the end.

Lastly, dear Sirs, it was stated that if there is a listener that writes in, their questions will be answered. And such a commitment is greatly appreciated, for it will hopefully clear up so much confusion, for this podcast has generated more questions than answers.  Listeners need airtight expositions of Scripture that cannot be refuted or resisted biblically.  If this cannot be done, then there may need to be some serious Soul Searching before there can be any Soul Training.

Sincerely in Christ,

Lee Anne

March 24, 2021 at 6:48 AM, Soul Training wrote:

Hey Lee Anne!

I forwarded your list of questions to Daniel and Allen and they said it would better to answer them over a zoom call, phone call, or in person rather than going back and forth in email.

Would you be interested in any of the above options?

Joe

Sent from my iPhone

March 25, 2021 at 9:44 AM Lee Anne Ferguson wrote:

Hello,

Thank you for taking the time to reach out. As it was stated earlier, it would only be fair for all listeners to be informed concerning these issues. If you are not comfortable answering these issues by email, then we will patiently wait for the next podcast that will hopefully utilize tightly-knit expositions of Scripture that can mend all of the Bible gaps that were left wide-open in the previous podcast.

In order to advance the cause of Christ, we sincerely hope that serious, biblical, honest and prayerful consideration will be given to these issues, for these are vital elements of the biblical narrative that have already been swept under the rug, by the CoC, for way too long, while precious souls have been at stake.

Sincerely Serving the Savior,

Tony and Lee Anne

From: Soul Training <soultrainingpodcast@gmail.com>
Sent: Thursday, March 25, 2021 11:11 AM
To: Lee Anne Ferguson <godlee4@live.com>
Subject: Re: How can a person be saved?

Hi Tony and Lee Anne,

We may be able to do a follow up episode at some point down the line, but answering your questions via email or just on the show could drag out a single topic over several months. L

For now, let me know if you’d like a phone call or a meeting so we can fully answer your questions in a more prudent manner.   We’d love to speak with you on a personally about all of your concerns.

Thanks for your comments and for listening. 

Look forward to speaking with you,

Joe
Sent from my iPhone

March 28, 2021 at 6:59 PM, Lee Anne Ferguson wrote:

So, according to what you’ve stated in your email, answering these simple issues could take several months, via email or on your show. And yet, you then indicate that you can fully answer these questions, as well as all of our concerns in a single phone call or personal meeting?!

Sorry, but it eerily sounds like the “prudent manner,” in which you prefer to fully answer all of these concerns, involves something other than the appropriate amount of time, prayer and study that it would take to answer them biblically and thoroughly in a scripturally expositional manner. 

From then on….there was the sound of crickets. For they cannot defend the indefensible.

Uncategorized

Breaking the CoC’s Cultic Code of Silence

Available at Amazon. All royalties go to free paperback distribution. Email: gospel4life@live.com

It is surely a sign of God’s judgment when the weak have to take a stand on biblical issues because of the cowardice of those who are more concerned for their own reputations and emotions, than for God’s honor.  But if the strong aren’t willing to take a stand, then they can at least try not to be needlessly offended by those of us who are willing to do so. And whether we are doing it “politically correct” enough or not, is NEVER a valid argument against the cause of Christ that’s being stood for.

Despite a natural instinct to protect our own, we must break the code of silence when God’s truth is being blasphemed and His people are being spiritually abused.  In the CoC we were taught to keep silent concerning our deceptive doctrines that were not supported by Scripture.  So those of us who break this code of silence, end up becoming outcasts, and are considered to be the scum of the earth (1 Cor. 4:13).

I am not a super woman, I am just one ordinary person; a sinner saved only by God’s free grace; a weak woman who refused to look the other way when God was being offended. As a result, I was disowned and disinherited, but I had counted the cost. And Jesus and an eternal inheritance in Him has been more than worth it. Even when my world started falling apart, God guarded my heart and mind through Christ Jesus so that I could patiently endure. Consequently, He revealed that one very weak and insignificant woman can turn the world upside down, for the cause of Christ, because His strength is made perfect in weakness (2 Cor. 12:9).

After being transformed by God’s saving grace, I just could not ever again go along with the CoC’s cultic code of silence. And by His sustaining grace, I’ve continued to stand firm on my convictions, to follow God’s command to have no fellowship with works of darkness, and to keep exposing it (Eph. 5:11).

According to Scripture, those in the truth do not mind being publically examined or questioned, which is why I have courted the light. But evil doers refuse to let their every word to be established, for they evade accountability (Mt. 18, Jn. 3:19-21). And this is precisely why staunch CoC’ers cannot help but to constantly confirm the truth represented in my book. But they do all that they can to stifle any convictions that could break through their cultic conditioning. Because they are taught to regard such convictions as a means of their overthrow, when they are actually a step in the right direction.

It’s typical for CoC’ers to refuse to answer for their heresies publically, in tangible form, for then they could be carefully re-read, examined and documented for all to see. But that would be too revealing, which is why they prefer verbal confrontations so they can try to intimidate any opposition, with shrilling, obnoxious, over-bearing condescension, haughtiness, hypocrisy and angry screeds. Because they cannot engage with the biblical evidence that they are unable to refute or humbly submit to.

Predictably, rank CoC’ers seem more concerned for their own reputations than for God’s honor. For they prefer to take personal offense when their heresies are exposed, rather than taking God’s side against themselves (true repentance) and taking offense over the fact that God is offended by their blasphemies against Him and those who actually stand for His truth. 

They often become very cynical toward any constructive criticism. Even to the point of having evil suspicions against the motives of those who sincerely seek to lead them to the true Lord and Savior. Because those who take refuge in lies will seek to evade the truth by obsessively occupying themselves with what they falsely perceive to be personal offenses.

For they….

“make a man an offender for a word, and lay a snare for him that reproveth in the gate, and turn aside the just for a thing of nought” (Isa. 29:21).

Reformed “Baptists,” like us, are even falsely accused, by them, of being in a cult and having demons simply because we agree with much of the 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith, which contains Scriptural references to back up our beliefs, and has been upheld by sincere Christians for hundreds and hundreds of years, before any “restoration” cults ever came about.

But ironically, they have condemned themselves as hypocrites, by falsely judging us for what they themselves are actually guilty of.  And we are not the ones troubling them, for their own guilty conscience is what troubles them. As a result, they are bringing down God’s judgment upon themselves, for not repenting, renouncing baptismal regeneration and turning to the true gospel of Jesus Christ.

So their sinful emotional responses do not have to be validated.  And we will not accept the false guilt they’ve tried to lay on us for not entering into and validating their spiritual abuses, cultic alliances and sinful reactions to the gospel. For to do so, would be like weeping with an abuser that didn’t get to abuse as much as they wanted to! The multitude of problems that inevitably result from their heresies, which they rebelliously refuse to confess, repent of and come to terms with, are not our responsibility. 

If bringing the gospel truth to our people makes us a “troubler” in their eyes, then glory be to God, we are forever thankful, because their blood is no longer on our hands! For such accusations only further confirm that we are in good company with God’s people and Jesus our Savior!!

Wicked King Ahab accused Elijah of being a “troubler” of Israel (2 Kings 18:17). Amos was told that the land was not able to bear all his words, and he was accused of conspiring against Jeroboam (Amos 7:10). My Lord and Savior was even accused of “stirring up the people” and “offending” the Pharisees (Mt. 15:12-14, Lk. 23:5). Apostle Paul and Silas “troubled the city” (Acts 16:20) and were accused of “turning the world upside down” (Acts 17:6).

“They hate him that rebuketh in the gate, and they abhor him that speaketh uprightly” (Amos 5:10).

Jesus made it clear that if the world does not hate you, then you are not following Him in testifying against evil (Jn. 7:7). Such compromisers are actually following those who hate God’s people and fight against His cause. Could it be because they never built their house upon the foundation of Christ? Could it be that their self-serving schemes all these years have finally caught up with them?

I realize now that it was a huge mistake for us to give even the slightest impression that CoC’ers could take advantage of our forgiving spirit, loving-kindness and tender-hearted empathy. For we have recently been reminded that there is NO forgiveness or compassion to be found in cultic CoC circles that try to put those of us who refuse to conform to spiritual chaos, in a position of perpetual penance.

For those who break the CoC’s cultic code of silence will not even be allowed to seek reconciliation on a personal level, because it would call for an understanding and forgiving spirit on their part, which they are unable to exhibit, because they know nothing about true forgiveness, for they do not believe the true gospel. 

But, by God’s grace, I will never again conform to the CoC’s “second laws of pardon,” or else I would be an apostate in God’s eyes. I am more than willing to apologize for any faults on my part, but I will NOT apologize for the truth, and I will NOT apologize for things that I’m not even guilty of!!

It’s truly amazing that there are those who have even tried to say there are certain things written in my book that are not even in there. Anyone who actually reads my book knows that such false accusers are witnesses against themselves by being so pathologically dishonest. Some have even gone to the extent of trying to convince us that certain things never happened, when we all KNOW that they did, because there are those of us who still have a strong sense of REALITY, for we are not on mind-altering substances.

But since the truth seems to be too offensive for some to accept, then it’s obvious that we are going in two totally opposite directions in this life and for eternity. So, I’ve realized that I have to come to terms with this, and it has been heart-breaking, but my ultimate allegiance is to my Savior, Jesus Christ, not to the enemies of His truth.

Even Jesus’ own countrymen were offended by Him, for they were too familiar with Him to believe that there was anything special about His message (Mt. 13:7). So we are not at all surprised to be regarded as offensive by those who have been the most familiar with our humanity, for they walk by sight instead of by faith in the truth that we stand for.  And we share the same sentiment that Jesus had toward such people, by recognizing that our true family is of those who love God and His truth (Mt. 12:47-49).

“Can two walk together, except they be agreed?” (Amos 3:3).

It’s no coincidence that the perilous times that we are living in are characterized by those who love themselves more than God. No wonder narcissism is at the very top of that famous list (2 Tim. 3). Their main concern is their own reputation, their own honor, their own emotions and their own name, rather than Jesus’ name.  And Jesus exposed the satanic influence behind such notions when He told Peter:

“Get behind Me Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God but of the things of men.” (Mt. 16:23).

If only those who are offended by truth could realize that the ones who are “helping” them and affirming them in their pretended victimhood, are actually the ones who are imprisoning them in a perpetual pity party, just so they can spitefully jump on the opportunity to spread slander, to further their own sinister agenda against the truth. All because they are infuriated that we broke the CoC’s cultic code of silence and publicly exposed their false religion for what it really is. For they had so many people fooled, for so many years. They pretended to believe the truth, while they still courted the cult and never came completely out from among them.

One sure sign of a false teacher is when they attempt to redefine their terms, once their heresies are exposed. And sadly, this was a CoC trick that I recently had to catch on to… all over again. They are so seductive, because they attempt to agree with the truth on the surface, while underhandedly slipping in baptismal regeneration. Just like the Judaizers, who slipped in circumcision, along-side faith in Christ (Gal.1-2). Such evil workers (as Paul called them) will always try to shame those of us who follow in the footsteps of Jesus and the Apostles, who set the precedent for us to publicly expose false teachers.

And many CoC’ers go to the extent of malicious slander when they are exposed. For instance, one CoC family initially tried to blame the mental institutionalization of one of their converts on her son who had left the CoC to become Presbyterian! Rather than confessing the true spiritual causes of their mental illnesses, CoC’s often try to lay the blame on those who leave their cult. As a result, many of their members often end up with an obsessive dependence upon pharmakia as a means to chemically sear a condemned conscience, rather than repenting, which is a serious offense against God! But such neurotic cultism happens more often than most Christians are aware of. Yet no one can expose it without being slandered and falsely accused of being too offensive.

But personally, I will no longer agree to be my people’s designated scapegoat. As a result, they will all have to face their own issues and take responsibility for them, instead of blame-shifting to try to avoid accountability to God. When they all turned their back on Christ and His true gospel, they ended up turning on those of us who live and die for His truth. And though God had initially given us to them as a heritage, they obviously never appreciated it, for they chose to strengthen the hands of the wicked instead, because they are more comfortable with lies than the truth (Isa. 28:15-17, Psa. 127:3-5, 2 Thess. 2:11).

Arminianism

The Divine Design of the Deliverer’s Death

Available at Amazon.
All royalty funds free paperback distribution.
Email: gospel4life@live.com

Scripture makes it clear that Jesus’ atonement was not limited in its power (which is what Arminianism implies). Instead, it is only limited in its scope. In other words, it is not extended outside of God’s bounds to include those who end up in Hell, because if it was, then there’d be absolutely no reason at all to trust in the power of Jesus’ blood to save. Moreover, no one could ever trust a Father who would accept the price of His Son’s blood while withholding from Him the possessions that His blood has purchased!!

Arminianism is a lie from the pit of Hell, for the Father did NOT allow His Son to pour out any of His blood in vain, for He has given Him ALL of the possessions that He has purchased with His blood (Eph. 1:14). Jesus fully entrusted His Father with the price of His blood, for He knew that His Father would give Him ALL of the purchased possessions that He paid for, in full, with His own blood, which means NONE of them can EVER end up in Hell (Jn. 10:15, 26-29).

All that the Father giveth Me shall come to Me; and him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out.  (Jn. 6:37).

This was the divine design of the Deliverer’s death; to save ALL of those that the Father has given Him. And ALL of them will come to the true Jesus of the Bible, for ALL of their spiritual blessings have been purchased by His precious blood, including the grace gifts of faith and repentance, so that they will NEVER finally perish in sin and unbelief. Because God ALWAYS accomplishes His designs.

“When He ascended up on high, He led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men” (Eph. 4:8). And the “gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable” (Rom. 11:29). “God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?” (Num. 23: 19).

The main reason why Arminians become so legalistic is because they cannot reasonably trust in their hypothetical, universal atonement. For one, there would have to be self-generated requirements that could make such a powerless atonement effectual for them; self-contrived conditions that would differentiate them from all who end up in Hell, which would contradict Scripture.

“For who maketh thee to differ from another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it?” (1 Cor. 4:7).

The divine design of the Deliverer’s death was never intended to provide a mere “window of opportunity” for the self-righteous to enter into God’s covenant by stealth (see: Mt. 22:11-14). Jesus is the only way, and only Jesus is the Door, for no one can come to the Father but by Him (Jn. 6: 44). There are ZERO short-cuts into the kingdom of God. There is no such thing as baptismal, sacramental or decisional regeneration, despite the lies of false religion. Yet, these are the broad paths that the self-righteous will seek out, for they have yet to receive a love of the truth and a saving knowledge of who Christ Jesus really is, and how He really saves.

The good news of the true gospel is that it offers an atonement that can be trusted; an atonement that actually atones; an atonement that requires no human effort to make it effectual. The only qualification is that one must be a poor, helpless sinner in desperate need of the Deliverer. It is a fountain free and open to anyone who wants this kind of atonement. And the only ones who will want this definite atonement (which is the only atonement represented in Scripture), are those who fully realize their total inability to deliver themselves from the bondage of sin and the wrath of God that their sin deserves.

Those who don’t want the Deliverer’s definite atonement are those who don’t yet realize the desperate wickedness of their own heart. And unless they are regenerated by the Holy Spirit, they will not seek to enter into the narrow way, but will instead seek the broad way to destruction. They will seek a different gospel; a different atonement; one not represented in Scripture. Jesus calls them thieves and robbers, for they attempt to find a broader way to enter into the everlasting covenant (Jn. 10), such as baptismal or decisional regeneration. Because, a sacramental or conditional concept of salvation is the logical conclusion of a so-called universal atonement.

There is a universal call of the gospel, but there is NOT a universal atonement or a universal salvation represented in Scripture. There is also only one Deliverer represented in Scripture, and He offers a definite deliverance.

But the type of deliverance that a person thinks they need, will determine the type of deliverer that they will call upon. For instance, if a person realizes they are bleeding to death, they do NOT want to call a lawyer. Moreover, if a person realizes they need legal help, they do NOT want to call a doctor. Likewise, a truly repentant person who realizes their total depravity, in comparison to the perfect holiness of their Maker, will NOT want to call upon an imposter who cannot offer a perfect imputed righteousness on their behalf, by virtue of a definite atonement!

When one truly realizes that they are completely helpless to save themselves, they don’t want to call upon a deliverer who doesn’t actually deliver from sin; they don’t want a deliverer that only paves the way for an abstract “possibility” that they might be able to save themselves by their own “freewill” authorization and works. Creaturely “freewill” can only act in accordance with its nature, and fallen sinners can only receive a new nature by virtue of a definite Deliverer Who offers a definite atonement!

This is why those who are quickened by the Holy Spirit, to realize the severity of their fallen condition, are the only ones who will desire to call upon the only Deliverer Who offers a definite atonement; the true Jesus of the Bible. But, those who are NOT given this deep conviction concerning the depths of their hopeless condition, compared to the perfect holiness of God, are those who will ignorantly rest content with a deliverer who cannot actually deliver from Hell. They will arrogantly rest content with an indefinite atonement that requires human works to make it effectual.  Because they do not really believe the true, biblical record that God has given of His Son:

“He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made Him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of His Son” (1 Jn. 5:10).

Only by the merits of Jesus’ own blood was He Himself consecrated into the office of eternal priesthood (Heb. 9:11-12). But, if His atonement could only be made effectual by the “freewill permission” of unregenerate sinners, then there would have been the possibility that He would have never become the High Priest of a better covenant, or had anyone to intercede for (Heb. 7:25), which would be a philosophical construct found nowhere in Scripture. Yet, these are only a few of the heretical ramifications of Arminianism!

No wonder consistently staunch Arminians end up fearing that they are predestined for Hell, because the hypothetical, universal atonement that they try so hard to self-generate faith in, is not really trustable at all.  But they don’t realize that their lack of faith and fruits is partially due to cognitive dissonance. Because even common sense and the common light of conscience demands that one cannot reasonably trust in an atonement that doesn’t actually atone and save everyone that it was allegedly designed for.

Again, it cannot be stressed enough, that the only way a universal atonement would be good news, is if there was also a universal redemption, but there is NOT. So we must all ask ourselves if we would rather place our trust in a hypothetical, universal atonement that’s only effective if we make it so, or if we would rather place our trust in an actual atonement that actually saves, based solely upon the power of Jesus’ blood, rather than upon our own “worthiness.”

We must all seriously ask ourselves if we’d rather place our trust in a hypothetical deliverer who has never secured the salvation of anyone, or if we’d rather place our trust in the true, biblical Deliverer Who actually saves actual people, rather than just opening a mere “provision of potentiality” that someone might make His atonement effective somehow by their own worthiness and authorization.

Finally, dear reader, don’t be deceived by Arminians who want to turn you against the true Jesus of the Bible, by making you think that His truths would require you to put the cart before the horse. Because you do NOT have to try to figure out if you’re one of God’s elect before you trust in Him! Nothing could be further from the truth! Jesus even tested a Canaanite woman by insinuating that she was NOT one of the chosen!! But did that discourage her from trusting in Him? NO, it did not. Did it cause her to get offended, give up or stop pursuing Him? Absolutely NOT! She kept pursuing Him and pleaded that even dogs eat the crumbs that fall from the masters table. And Jesus commended her faith, for He was the One drawing out her confession in the first place, so that He could minister to her (Mt. 15:22-28).

Many such scenarios reveal that Jesus provides the spiritual conditions necessary for receiving Him; including the instrumental graces of faith and repentance. Believing and receiving are not “cooperative” works that we do in our own strength to make Jesus’ atonement effectual, but are rather the effects and fruits of Jesus’ definite atonement, which is effectual for ALL that it was intended and designed for; ALL who desperately desire a definite Deliverer, Who offers a definite atonement. Faith is NOT what makes it effectual, but is rather the fruit of Christ’s effectual atonement, for we can only believe, according to the working of His mighty power, Which He wrought in Christ (Eph. 1:19-20).

“A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven” (Jn. 3:27).

We can only be saved, not by God looking at a faith that we self-generate that merits salvation, but by God’s unmerited favor (grace); based not on what we do, say, believe, or anything else that originates in us, but on God who has mercy. We receive salvation through a faith that Jesus is said to be the author and finisher of, NOT man (Heb. 12: 2). It is the work of God (Jn. 6: 29). Even in Ephesians one, there is no mention of man doing anything to merit salvation. It is all God’s work. But Arminians teach the opposite, for they read man into passages that speak of what God does.

So hear the welcome call now dear sinner; repent and trust in Jesus Christ alone before it is forever too late, and you will find that He provides what He commands. “God is no respecter of persons” (Acts 10:34, Mt. 22:16), which is why the vilest of the vile are invited to come for the eternally cleansing power of this free fountain of love; by grace alone, through faith alone, in Jesus’ blood and righteousness ALONE.

Copyright ©2021 by Lee Anne Ferguson. 

Arminianism

All the World: A Whole That’s Being Put for a Part

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Scripture often uses general terms to describe salvation. In other words, it’s often spoken of figuratively, with a whole that’s being put for a part. For example, the Word is said to bear fruit in “all the world” (Col. 1:6).  But this does not mean that everyone in the whole world is going to be saved.

“The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one” (Mt. 13:38).

Scripture plainly reveals, in other passages as well, that when it comes to salvation, the world is figuratively likened to a field that the Lord has bought in order to obtain the treasure hidden in it:

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field” (Mt. 13:45-46).

There is a general, limited sense in which the Lord has temporally “bought” those that perish (e.g. Deut. 32:6; 2 Pet. 2:1), because if God immediately rooted up the tares in the world, it could cause harm to the wheat that is mixed in with them.  That’s why the Lord is so long-suffering, merciful, good and kind to the wicked who are on earth.

“He maketh His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust” (Mt. 5:45).

But only for the sake of God’s people…

“lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them.Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn” (Mt. 13:28-30).

In John 12:19, it is stated in general terms that the world had gone after Christ. However, only the multitude, that followed Jesus in Jerusalem, was intended by these general terms (a whole was being put for the part).  The apostles in Acts 17:6 were said to have “turned the world upside down,” but it was a figure of speech that was NOT to be taken literally.

So in light of this biblical truth, prayerfully consider the following:

“I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men” (1 Tim. 2:1).

ALL men doesn’t include those in Hell, so it cannot mean ALL in an all-inclusive sense. It HAS to be a qualifying (selected) ALL. For instance, the context reveals that general terms are used here for all kinds of people (without distinction). It does NOT mean all without exception, but rather all without distinction of race, gender, social status, works, etc.  For “God is no respecter of persons” (Acts 10:34, Mt. 22:16), because He chooses His own apart from any earthly distinctions.

To further prove this, the context even provides us with an example!!—Prayers are to be made EVEN for kings and all who are in authority (v. 2)!  In order to clarify that those who are in authority– EVEN king’s– are all at God’s sovereign disposal.

“The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord, as the rivers of water: He turneth it whithersoever He will” (Prov. 21:1).

Likewise, in Romans 4: 13 we are given general terms to describe how Abraham was figuratively “an heir of the world.  And the context reveals the world that is literally being referred to…the faithful (v. 11). So again, a whole (the world) was being put for a part (the faithful).

In Romans 11:12, we are given general terms to describe how the believing Gentiles are figuratively referred to as the “riches of the world,” for they’ve been made partakers of the promises (Rom. 11:17), because the fallen Jews forfeited the riches of their inheritance, due to unbelief. And the context likens these “riches of the world” as a “reconciling of the world” (v. 11), because salvation is no longer just for the Jews.  So a whole (the world) was put for a part (the believing Gentiles).

“The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2 Pet. 3:9).

The context here clearly reveals that the “us-ward” are the “all” that’s being referred to. And it even reveals WHY God is not willing for them to perish, for they are His “beloved” (3: 1), who are given divine power and all things that pertain to life and godliness through the knowledge of Him (1:3), so that they can grow in grace and in the knowledge of their Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (3: 18).

The entire context also reveals that the “all” here are the children of promise, who are all “partakers of the divine nature,” who escape the corruption of the world through Christ (1:4). They are those “that have obtained like precious faith“(1:1), so that their faith can never finally fail, because Jesus makes sure that their fruit remains (Jn. 15:16), which clearly distinguishes them from the reprobates who are being referred to negatively within the same context!

Therefore, the “all” in 2 Peter 3:9 cannot possibly be referring to everyone. No wonder Scripture constantly reveals a whole that’s being put for a part, when it comes to salvation:

“Who gave Himself a ransom for all” (1 Tim. 2:6).

Once again, this passage perfectly coincides with what was just demonstrated previously, concerning the verses that immediately came before this one. Throughout Scripture we are constantly given a contextual frame of reference, to help us to clearly understand who these “all” are, and it’s NOT the whole entire world!  It is NOT every single person in the world who has ever existed!!

Not convinced yet? Then prayerfully consider what follows: 

“For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, Who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe” (1 Tim. 4:10).

(All men) is the figurative whole that’s being put for the part (those that believe). 

And again, we read:

“[T]hat He by the grace of God should taste death for every man. For it became Him, for Whom are all things, and by Whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings” (Heb. 2:9-10).

Here in Hebrews, the “many sons” reveals who is actually being brought unto glory, for many can never be interpreted as all, and the many are specifically defined as those whom He “sanctifies” (2:11), His “brethren” (2:12), the children God gave Him (2:13), those delivered from the bondage of death (2:15), the elect, whose salvation was obtained by this perfect Savior Who “tasted death” (the cup of death, Mt. 20:22; 26:42)… as their actual substitute.  

So, in light of the context, we clearly see, again, that a whole (every man) is being put for a part (who believes in Him). These are also the ones being referred to when Jesus said:

“Behold I and the children which God hath given Me” (Heb. 2:13).

Jesus even said:

“I pray not for the world, but for them which Thou hast given Me; for they are Thine” (Jn. 17:9).

Jesus makes a clear distinction between the whole world in general and the elect who are dispersed throughout the world.  Which further confirms the fact that the words “all” and “world” in Scripture are not always to be taken in an all-inclusive sense. Jesus said that His elect will be hated by “all” (Mt. 10:22), but does that literally mean all, which would include other believers? NO, it does not.

“And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed” (Lk. 2:1).

Again, “all the world” here is a figurative whole that’s being put for a literal part, because only those who were under the Roman government were being taxed.

So, in light of these obvious truths, are we really to believe the Arminians when they say that “all means all,” without even taking into consideration what the context so clearly reveals?

Does the “whole world” lie in wickedness, in an all-inclusive sense (1 Jn. 5:19)? Does all the world wonder after the beast” (Rev. 13:3)?  Certainly not, for such surface-level interpretations contradict the biblical import of language and passages within their proper context. Clearly, followers of Christ are not lying in wickedness and they are not wondering after the beast!

This is why context and biblical exegesis is so very important when “rightly dividing the Word of truth” (2 Tim. 2:15).  For if Jesus was given by the Father in order to literally save all men from their sins, and yet many perish, then how would He be trustworthy and faithful to all of His promises? For all of those that Jesus died for, are also promised all spiritual blessings, which most certainly includes the grace gifts of faith and repentance (Rom. 4:8; 8:32). For God not only decrees the ends, but also the means for accomplishing His purposes.

Scripture reveals that God’s redemptive love is unchangeable and everlasting. But if Arminianism was true (and thankfully it’s not) then that would mean that God still loves those who are in Hell,, even though the Bible is clear that the condemning, unappeased wrath of God eternally abides upon them (Jn. 3:36).  So, what kind of redemptive love would never even apply the eternal benefits of such a universal atonement?  It would not be a trustworthy, saving love at all!

Arminianism makes Jesus out to be a failure, by attempting to separate His redemptive work from the Fathers will and the application of it by the Holy Spirit, which would completely sever the divine unity of the Godhead in salvation. But thankfully the true Jesus of the Bible is promised to be an eternal blessing for all of those that He has died for, because He loses none that the Father has given Him, for they shall, in time, receive the gift of the Holy Spirit and all of the spiritual things that are necessary for them to be saved (Jn. 1:12-13).

“He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?” (Rom. 8:32).

“Us all” refers to the “all” who will be given “all things” that pertain to eternal life, because Jesus has promised eternal blessings to all that the Father has given Him (Jn. 17:2).  And He will not and cannot lie:

“I give them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand” (Jn. 10:28).

So dear reader, PLEASE prayerfully think this through, so that you will not be deceived:

”God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them” (2 Cor. 5:19).

If everyone in the whole world, who has ever lived, has been reconciled to God, and if everyone has had their sins imputed to Christ, then why in the world would any end up in Hell paying for them again?  Such vain, non-sensical Arminian philosophy also contradicts Romans 4:8:

“Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.”

So why would any that Jesus died for end up not being eternally blessed? The only way a universal atonement would be good news is if there was also a universal redemption, but there’s not, for that would contradict Scripture, because it’s clear that many perish in Hell.

Therefore, a universal atonement would be really, really bad news, because it doesn’t keep anyone from ending up in Hell, for it does not actually atone for ALL of the sins of ALL of those that it was allegedly designed for. There is a universal call of the gospel, which goes out to the entire world, but there is NOT a universal atonement or a universal salvation represented in Scripture, because only Jesus’ sheep will hear His voice, so to speak. But those who are not His sheep will continue to follow false shepherds (Jn. 10).

God’s Word reveals that there is only a definite, substitutionary, propitiatory and perfect atonement that saves ALL that it was designed for. There is a fountain free, open to ALL who thirst for a perfect righteousness outside of themselves; ALL who realize their inability to believe enough or repent enough to merit salvation; ALL who realize their will is in bondage to sin unless Jesus sets them free; ALL who realize their desperate and complete hopelessness, helplessness and sinfulness apart from the Saviors imputed righteousness; ALL who come trusting only in Jesus Christ and what He actually accomplished at the cross for sinners. These are the ones that it was designed for, and they shall ALL come to Him, and they shall ALL be saved!  

“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” (Jn. 3:16).

This verse does NOT say “whosoever” without exclusion has the natural ability to believe and thirst after righteousness.  Everyday life even testifies to this fact! Instead, the context shows that “whosoever” are those who will never perish because of unbelief, for God graciously gave them His Son, Who has obtained for them the spiritual gift of faith that will, in time, enable them to believe from the heart (Eph. 2:8; 4:8). The context of John 3 also clearly states that those who never believe have already been condemned (v. 18). 

Yet, Arminianism teaches that Christ died for the whole world, even those who end up in Hell, which blasphemously implies that His death didn’t obtain particular redemption for anyone. Case in point, it suggests that His death accomplished nothing!  But, in order to try to appear biblical on the surface, many Arminians will still attempt to borrow the Calvinistic truth of a substitutionary atonement. However, they always end up denying it in effect, because a substitution that doesn’t actually substitute is no substitution at all!

This is why it is so important to realize that just because a Bible passage uses the word “world” it does NOT automatically refer to every single person who has ever lived. Scripture is clear, in Romans 11:12, the Gentiles are referred to as the riches of the world, in order to clarify the fact that salvation is NOT just for a remnant of the Jews only, but that salvation is also for a remnant taken from EVERY tongue, tribe and nation throughout the world (Mt. 24:31).   

“And He is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world” (1 Jn. 2:2).

Once again, the words “whole world” is expressed in general terms here, for Jesus’ propitiation did NOT put away the sins of every single individual that has ever lived!  The words “not for ours only,” refutes such a notion and coincides perfectly with all the other parallel passages that make it so clear that the Jews were NOT the only nation that had a remnant chosen by God.  Jesus did NOT just die for a remnant of the Jewish people, which is why the words “whole world” is used.  How could it be any clearer?

Scripture interprets Scripture…

“…he prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation; And not for that nation only, but that also He should gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad” (Jn. 11:51-52).

God’s Word constantly conveys the fact that even Gentile nations have a remnant, chosen by God, who have been scattered abroad. And the promise that He shall gather them is an emphasis that is reiterated throughout Scripture.  For even more confirmation, we discover the following:

“Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on Me through their word” (Jn. 17:20).

God’s elect remnant is referred to in other parallel passages as well:

“I have manifested Thy name unto the men which Thou gavest Me out of the world: Thine they were, and Thou gavest them Me; and they have kept Thy word” (Jn. 17:6).

Clearly, not everyone in the world has kept God’s Word and not everyone is gathered in Him, but only those who belong to Him. Even Revelation 5:9 makes a clear distinction between the whole world and God’s gathered remnant:

“Thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by Thy blood OUT of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation.”

Revelation 7:9 also states the following:

“After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, OF all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands.”

Therefore, those who have eyes to see, can clearly concede that God’s Word contains overwhelming evidence that reveals the undeniable fact that He has a remnant of chosen people, throughout the whole world, who are scattered abroad and brought near to Him through faith in Jesus’ blood.

“But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ” (Eph. 2:13).

All spiritual blessings are found only in Christ Jesus and what He accomplished on behalf of sinners. His definite atonement not only procured the ends, but also the instrumental means of faith and repentance, so that all who trust solely in Him and what He actually accomplished at the cross can be sure that they have been elected by God before the foundation of the world. What a comfort it is to know that He rescues His lost sheep, He secures their salvation, and He gathers His chosen remnant!

“Jesus knew that His hour was come that He should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved His own which were in the world, He loved them unto the end” (Jn. 13:1).

Copyright ©2021 by Lee Anne Ferguson. 

Uncategorized

CoC Operatives Meet with the Pope’s Emissary

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There are modern day Pharisees who are causing severe obstructions and hindrances for those who are coming to Christ. Just recently, I was made aware of a video that involves the CoC’s famous ecumenical operatives (Duck Dynasty characters). And more than ever, all that I’ve written concerning the direction that the CoC is going…has been CONFIRMED.

Phil Robertson was just recently visited by the Pope’s emissary and they got along just great! The emissary even told Phil that they are both proclaiming the “same gospel.” SO TRUE!!! The CoC is indeed preaching the same baptismal regeneration gospel as Romanists…..

(2) Phil Robertson Gets an Unexpected Visit from the Pope’s Emissary & Jase Makes a Big Mistake | Ep 227 – YouTube

I’ve read a lot of the comments for this video and many are now fine about merging with Rome. But thankfully, I also noticed that there are still some who are REALLY starting to question where the CoC leaders are taking them. THIS IS HUGE!! And very encouraging for those of us who are continuing to reach out to these poor, misled souls.

It is so sad, because many who are still in the CoC do not even have the slightest clue as to how to deal with all of their troubling doubts concerning the sinking ship that they are in. They don’t know where to turn, and even in this video these wolves are telling the people to stay away from any confessions of faith. Because that could possibly help people to know the true gospel that would set them free!!!! 

Like I’ve said in the book, any sect that claims to have “Christ not creeds” is not being honest, but is creating a christ of its own. The CoC, and every other sect for that matter, has creeds whether they want to admit it or not. But the CoC wants to make sure that its captives stay blinded to this fact, because this is one way that CoC’s maintain control over them.

Uncategorized

Jesus’ Resurrection PROVED Substitutionary Satisfaction

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Christology is the study of the Person and work of Jesus Christ. And within that realm of study, one goes to the “crux” of the matter, so to speak. The word crux has its root in the Latin word for “cross,” because the message of the cross is at the very core and center of biblical Christianity. For it was there that propitiation (satisfaction) was made on behalf of God’s people, which was a fulfillment of Isaiah 53. Verse 11 even conveyed how God would be satisfied with what the coming Messiah would accomplish.

At the cross, all the offices of Christ became clear and fully formed (crystallized), including His unchangeable priesthood. Apart from what He actually accomplished at the cross, there would be no good news, no propitiation, no reconciliation, no resurrection, no intercession, no justification, no redemption, no perpetual priesthood, no throne of grace, and no hope of new heavens and a new earth.

This is why Arminian theology, with its “hypothetical, universal atonement,” is so blasphemous, for it implies that everyone has been “hypothetically” redeemed and purchased by Jesus’ blood, but that they can still be tossed into Hell as worthless if they don’t make His atonement effectual by their own works or by exercising their own “libertarian freewill consent.”

“Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden underfoot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith [H]e was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?” (Heb. 10:29, brackets added).

 Although many Arminians will claim to believe in substitutionary atonement, they betray their claim when they are unable to explain exactly who Jesus was being a substitute for, because if they were consistent with their theology then they’d have to admit that His atonement never secured the salvation of anyone. In other words, they’d have to admit that it accomplished nothing, except to create an abstract “possibility” that they might save themselves if they would only “activate” it somehow.

The implications of Arminianism not only denies the fulfillment of Isaiah 53 (including verse 11), but it also dislocates the whole meaning of the eternal plan of redemption and obstructs a clear view of the eternal purposes of God that were revealed at the cross, for the blood that was shed there by the great Shepherd of the sheep, was the blood of the everlasting covenant (Heb. 13:20).  Jesus’ blood effectually sealed and fulfilled the New Covenant, in order to “save His people from their sins” (Mt. 1:21).

No wonder Apostle Paul could say, “I count all things but loss, for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord” (Phil. 3:8). Because to know Christ in His Person, and to know Him by His work, constitutes the sum and substance of divine knowledge, for it is upon this solid Rock alone, that the church of the living God is built.

All the spiritual blessings that are found in Christ are grounded upon the validity of His sufferings. Christ is now in the presence of the Father, effectively pleading His finished work on the cross, on behalf of all those He died for, because His unfailing intercession for them is grounded upon the merits of the pure and efficacious blood that He shed there.

Jesus sanctified Himself so that they too would be sanctified (Jn. 17:19). Jesus’ own blood made way for His entrance into the Holiest of all, as their High Priest (Heb. 9:8, 24), where He pleads the precious value of His blood on their behalf, which is why they can approach the throne of grace, because their acceptance in the Beloved (Who was their substitute, Eph. 1:6) is grounded upon the fulfillment of divine justice, merited by Jesus’ blood, NOT by their own works, or their own “freewill” act of authorization.

“[B]y His own blood He entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us” (Heb. 9:12, brackets added).

The Apostle tells us, “No one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ” (1 Cor. 3:11). For it was laid not by man, but by God, in the eternal counsels of the Godhead. So those who attempt to substitute this great truth with the weak fabric of human philosophy are laboring in vain. Because our faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God” (1 Cor. 2:5).

Christians must be well-grounded in the knowledge of Who Christ really is, and how He justifies sinners. Because when a system claims to be Christian but doesn’t have the doctrine of Christ, (the truth about the work and Person of Jesus Christ), it doesn’t have the true God and Savior, but rather falls under the condemnation of 2 John 7-11 as being a deceiver and an anti-Christ.

This is why the inconsistent perplexities of Arminian-based theology, science, philosophy, social reforms and human philanthropies only swerve people away from the gospel with profane and vain babblings. But Christ is the light of the world that scatters such darkness away, which is why battles against such earthly schemes of man’s advancement can only be fought with the doctrines of the divine Savior.

Apostle Paul never utilized the rhetorical persuasion of humanistic philosophy, for he renounced such worldly wisdom and “excellency of speech.” He never promoted social reforms, political discourses, sermons on patriotism or any other popular and sensational topics that the polished people of his day would have applauded. Like today, many were prejudiced against God’s sovereign supremacy and “spent their time in nothing else but either to hear or tell some new thing” (Acts 17:21), but Paul refused to cater to them, for he never descended to any other theme than Christ and His atoning work.

As Christians, we too must stand firm and labor until we die, resolving always and everywhere to determine to know nothing among men, except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified (1 Cor. 2:2). By the grace of God, with an eye single to Jesus’ glory, we must keep our heart and mind steeped in His Word so that all of our endeavors converge to the developing of this central truth. Because if it wasn’t for the life that Jesus laid down for our sins, and the life that He took back up again for our justification, there would be no substitutionary atonement, no Christianity, and no Savior.

“Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification” (Rom. 4:25).

Jesus’ two-part propitiation fully satisfied divine justice, so that His perfect righteousness is imputed to all who have faith in His blood!!

“Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in His blood” (Rom. 3:25).

Jesus’ resurrection from the dead PROVED that God the Father cancelled and discharged all of the sins that Jesus bore on the cross, on behalf of all who were given to Him as a love gift from the Father (e.g. Psa. 2:8). His resurrection PROVED that His propitiation at the cross was completely successful on behalf of all those whom He stood in relation to by an everlasting covenant; all those that He was united to by the eternal decree of the Father, before the foundation of the world (Jn. 13:1; Eph. 1:4; Rev. 13:8, 17:8). Because the blood that Jesus shed was…the blood of the everlasting covenant!!

“Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant” (Heb. 13:20).

The fact that Jesus is alive forevermore, PROVES that His atonement was definite, substitutionary and propitiatory, NOT universal or hypothetical, for it actually and effectually sealed the everlasting covenant with His people. It victoriously appeased and satisfied God’s holy wrath and reconciled them back to the Father, which was the whole purpose of Jesus’ incarnation in the first place (Mt. 1:21), in order to manifest His everlasting love, His perfect righteousness and the praise of His glorious grace.

Because He lives, it PROVES that all who put their faith in Christ alone have been “sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise” (Eph. 1:13), because Jesus’ perfect atoning sacrifice was accepted by the Father on their behalf, so that all who come to God by Jesus Christ shall be saved to the uttermost!!

“Wherefore He is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for them” (Heb. 7:25).

To the praise of God’s glorious grace, it is truly amazing what Jesus actually accomplished by His death, burial and resurrection to secure the eternal plan of redemption, by which God determined to save, through Christ, sinners whom He has chosen, and how glorious and beautiful it is that He freely bestows the grace necessary for them to respond in faith and repentance.

This is why Jesus Christ and Him crucified is the very heart of the gospel. For in virtue of His victory, He fulfilled the demands of God’s holiness and justice, so that all who come to Him shall receive God’s mercy and grace;  so that they may certainly “know Him, and the power of His resurrection” (Phil. 3:10)

Copyright © 2021 by Lee Anne Ferguson