What Does It Mean to Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ by Mrs. Oliver B. Greene

This is an article written by Mrs. Oliver B. Greene to explain how to believe on Jesus for salvation.

The Bible teaches, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved" (Acts 16:31), But how does one believe on Jesus? How can we know when we have believed on Him?  To many, "believing" was easy - but to countless thousands, the words "believe" and "faith" are mysteries hard to understand. 

They say, "I have always believed in Jesus, I have always believed the Bible; yet I do not know whether or not I am saved."  That little word "faith" stops them - yet it is faith that makes salvation so simple and so easy that man has a hard time accepting it. 

Paul said, "But if our Gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost; In whom the god of the world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious Gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them" (II Corinthian 4:3,4),

The devil has blinded the spiritual eyes of mankind to the simplicity of salvation, and put it into the human heart that man must DO something in order to be saved.  "Faith" is the stumbling stone.  Some interpret faith to mean praying, working, feeling - and countless other things that have to do with man's efforts and emotions.

Perhaps it is because I, too, used to wonder if I really had "saving faith," that I have so much sympathy and patience with those who do not understand.  I grant you it is a miserable position to be in.

It is not God's will that we live in uncertainty.  It is His will that we know and understand what "believing" means.  Therefore I want to tell you, as simply as I know how, what it means to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.

John 1:12 says, "But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name.

You know that Jesus is the Savior, and that according to Romans 3:23 "all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God."  All are born in sin and are therefore on the road to hell.  You know that Jesus took your place.  He died for you - your substitute, your Savior.  You also know that before His death can help you, you must RECEIVE Him of your own free will. 

Now, you have acknowledged yourself a sinner and know in your heart that you want to be saved. You know that by receiving Jesus you can be saved, but your problem is HOW to receive Jesus.

You have never seen him.  If you could reach out and literally put your hand in His nail-scarred hand, that would be easy - and you would not hesitate to say, "Yes, Jesus, I will take you as my Savior."  But you cannot do that, and some of you do not know how you will know when you have received Him.  The most simple way I know to show you how to receive Christ by faith and to know when you are saved is just this:

Romans 10:13 says, "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."  In other words, God says, "I have given you the record of how I love you, and I have sent Jesus into the world to die for you.  I have told you that if you will receive My Son I will make you My child.  You will not be an adopted child - but I will give you a new birth; you will be born into My family and become My child (John 1:12, 13).  I have told you all of this in My Word.  Now when you are ready to receive My Son, just call - and I will do the saving!"

Born Again by the Word

I Peter 1:23 says, "Being born again, not of corruptible seed (like our first birth), but of incorruptible, by the Word of God, which liveth and abideth forever."  That is what you want, is it not?  You want to be born again.  Jesus said, "Except a man is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God ... Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again" (John 3:3, 7).  God's Word says we are born again by the Word of God.  Keep that in mind now as we turn to Ephesians 2:8.  (We will use several Scripture passages, turn to them and mark them in you Bible.

Saved by Faith
"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God." (Ephesians 2:8).  We are saved entirely by grace - nothing added, nothing taken away.  Salvation is all of God - God's grace; but we have to receive it by faith.  (We cannot see Jesus nor literally take hold of Him).  Faith is believing what?  Peter says we are born again by the Word; so then - we BELIEVE THE WORD.  Our faith is in the Word of God - not in our feelings, our prayers, our life, or anything we can do.  Faith is believing God.  (Notice, I did not say "believing IN God," but believing God.)

God says, "Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved" (Romans 10:13). God wants you to BELIEVE Him.  When you call on Him and ask Him to save you, and deep in your heart you sincerely tell Him you will receive Jesus as your Savior, God wants you to KNOW you are saved because He said He would save you.  That is believing God.  He wants you to trust Him to do exactly what He said He would do - and He said He would save you if you called on Him.

Does Salvation Produce Feelings?

If you pray for God to save you and then you say, "I know I am saved because I feel better," you have faith in the wrong thing.  Some people have faith in a dream, some in visions, some in feelings, and others in emotions.  But by the authority of God's Word I declare that if you are basing your salvation on any of those things, you do not have "saving faith."  Saving faith is BELIEVING GOD, instead of believing your feelings.

We are born again by the Word of God.  If faith is believing - then we must believe the Word.  I am just as sure I am saved, as I am sure the Bible is the Word of God.  Now what does this add up to?  You hear the record God gives of His Son - that Jesus died for you, and if you will receive Him as your Savior, God will "born" you into the heavenly family and you will be His child.  When you have heard God's plan for your redemption, you call on God and ask Him to save you.  You believe God and trust Him to save you because He said He would.  Then - you know you are saved because God said He would save you.

Have you sincerely asked God to save you?  Have you believed God?  It does not matter how you FEEL about it - God wants you to believe Him and His Word.  Peter says that the Word "liveth and abideth forever."  Your feelings will never change nor alter the Word of God.  The Word never changes - but your feelings do.  Never put your faith in your feelings - but in the Word of God.

Now let us go back to John 1:12: "As many as received Him...."  You know in your own mind and heart that you want to receive Jesus.  You know you told God you would receive Jesus, and you know you meant it.  Any sane person knows whether or not he wants to receive Jesus, and he knows whether or not he really means it when he asks God to save him.  The devil does not make you doubt that part; what he tries to make you doubt and wonder about is whether or not God kept His word. 

God Cannot Lie
According to Hebrews 6:18, it is "impossible for God to lie."  And Paul wrote to Titus concerning the "hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began" (Titus1:2).

When you, the very best you know how, receive Jesus as your Savior, that is as far as you can go, the rest is up to God.  Are you going to believe God?

Faith is believing.

We are born again "by the Word of God."

So - I am born again by believing God's Word!

He said if I would call, He would save me.  I have sincerely called - and I know He saved me because He said he would.

Those who have sincerely called and still do not know whether or not they are saved simply DO NOT BELIEVE GOD.  Yes, they believe there is a God, they believe Jesus died and rose again,  they believe God WILL save them - but they are not willing to believe God DOES save them NOW, this is not taking Him at His Word.  They are not willing to believe He saved them because He said He would.  They want Him to prove His truth by giving them some emotional experience.  They are not willing to believe Him on His Word alone.  They insult Him by asking for proof that He told the truth - but "God is not a man, that He should lie; neither the son of man, that He should repent; hath He said, and shall He not make it good?"  (Numbers 23:19).  

Nine out of ten people wait for a "feeling" before they are willing to believe God.  They ask God to save them, then tarry for Him to give them a feeling - and then they will believe Him.  Do you not see how wrong this would be?  You would then believe because of "feelings" - not because of God's Word.  Those who are not willing to believe God's Word are calling God a liar.  "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" (I John 5:10).  

The record God gave was that He would save whosoever called upon Him for salvation.  Anyone who calls upon God and then says he does not know whether or not he is saved does not believe God and has made Him a liar.

Oh, how simple salvation is!  God wants you to BELIEVE Him.  We are saved by grace through FAITH.  Faith is believing.  What do we believe?  Remember - we are "born again by the Word."  Believe it because God said it.  Do not ask for proof; that is not believing God, and it proves that you do not take Him as His Word.  

Some people treat God as though they cannot trust His Word.  They want proof (in an unusual feeling, a vision, or dream) that He meant what He said, and that He did what He said He would do.  Feelings or no feelings, I know I am saved, praise God, because I know His Word is true, and He said He would save me if I called on Him.  I know I am saved because God said He would save me!  I have God's Word for my salvation - do you?

May God help you to believe Him.  "For what saith the Scripture?  Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness" (Romans 4:3).

Jesus said, 'He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him, THE WORD THAT I HAVE SPOKEN, THE SAME SHALL JUDGE HIM in the last day" (John 12:48).

Spiritual Growth is Different

I believe many people have difficulty in "believing" because they have salvation and Christian growth confused.  We have discussed salvation by faith, but Christian growth is an entirely different matter.

1 Peter 2:2 says, "As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the Word, that ye may GROW thereby."

2 Peter 3:18 says, "But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." 

After we are born into God's family by the Word of God, we grow.  In this, many people become confused.  They expect to be and want to be mature Christians when they are just newborn babes.  The older we grow in grace, the more we will read the Word.  The longer we live for Jesus, the more joy we have.  Truly - "Every day with Jesus is sweeter than the day before."

Paul admonished the Ephesians to "be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine....but....grow up into Him in all things, which is the head, even Christ" (Ephesians 4:14, 15).

Take God at His Word; do not doubt Him any longer.  Be saved NOW - and have the assurance of your salvation!

"And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.  He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.  These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may KNOW that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God (1 John 5:11-13). 

THAT SETTLES IT!

Having a Relationship With Jesus is not the Same as Salvation

by Cindy Wyatt

The question is not "do you have a relationship with Jesus?" The question is "are you saved?"  There is a very common and popular teaching these days coming from many churches and pastors, even independent fundamental Baptist churches, that says in order to get saved and have eternal life you must have a relationship with Jesus.  Many say "begin a relationship with Jesus."  It is true that we must know Jesus to be saved.  In that sense it is okay to say we must accept Jesus as our savior personally.  So it is okay to say, do you know Jesus?  John 17:3: And this is life eternal, that they might know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou has sent.  But you don't begin a relationship with Christ to get saved, you simply put your trust in what Jesus did for you on the cross and receive the gift of eternal life that was paid for by him.  Romans 6:23: For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.  And the bible also puts it this way: You must receive Jesus.  John 1:12: But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:  It is very misleading to tell unsaved people that they need to have a relationship with Jesus to get saved.  An unsaved person has no idea how to have a relationship with Jesus.  What they need is to get saved first by believing on the name of Jesus, trusting in his shed blood, and receiving the free gift of salvation. 

It is also a dangerous teaching because it can lead to people thinking they are saved when they are not.  Some people when they hear all you need to do to be saved is have a relationship with Jesus, they will start praying and think they are saved because they supposedly pray and talk to God.  Many unsaved people pray.  Just praying alone does not save you, you have to come to a place in your life where you admit you are a sinner and deserve to go to hell for eternity, and then call upon the name of the Lord to save you. Romans 10:13: For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. You must put all your faith and trust in what Jesus did for you on the cross to pay for your sins.  That is how you get saved, not by starting to pray and trying to have a relationship with Jesus.  In fact, in Matthew 7:23 it says this: Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast our devils: and in thy name done many wonderful works? 23: And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.  These people thought they were saved, but Jesus said "I never knew you", so they ended up going to hell.  Even though they did all those things in Jesus's name, they were still unsaved.  The only prayer that God will hear from an unsaved person is in Luke 10:13:... "God be merciful to me a sinner" or something similar to that, where you admit you are a sinner and can only be saved by God's mercy when you put your faith and trust in what Jesus did for you on the cross to pay for your sins and rose again the third day.

Nowhere in the bible does it ever use the term relationship or anything close to that in regards to salvation, but the one word used to describe salvation is believe.  In the book of John the word believe or believeth is used over 85 times.  This is the main book in the bible that talks about how to get saved; that is why it uses the word believe, believe, believe over and over again.  And also in the book of Acts is where a man asked what he needed to do to be saved and the apostles said to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved. Acts 16:30: And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?  
31: And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.

There are many saved people who never read the bible, never pray, never go to church, never do anything for God, but they know in their heart that they have definitely trusted in the name of Jesus for salvation and have been born again.  These are the people who are saved, but do not have a relationship or close communion with Christ.  They are missing out on all the joy and happiness that being an obedient child of God brings, but they are still saved and will go to heaven when they die.  That is the difference between having a relationship with Christ and salvation.  We should walk with Jesus and talk with him by reading the bible, applying it to our life, and praying and being filled with the Holy Spirit, but not all saved people do.  It is like sometimes when a child grows up and moves away from home, they will go for years without speaking to their parents.  They still know their parents, they are just not having a relationship with them.  They are still their parents child, just like a saved person is still a child of God, even if they never pray or read the bible.

It is much better to be saved and to be in fellowship with the Lord.  Jesus wants us to have a relationship with him AFTER we get saved so that he can bless us and use us, but saying you have to have a relationship with Jesus in order to be saved is getting the cart before the horse. We get saved FIRST and then grow in grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ and get to know him better and learn to obey him if we want to follow him and live for him.
II Peter 3:18: But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever Amen.
Jesus wants us to follow him and be close to him and to be our friend, but that's not what saves us.  A wonderful passage of scripture about this is in John chapter 15.
John 15:14: Ye are my friends, if you do whatsoever I command you. 
15: Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.
Did you notice how it says the word "if".  There is a condition to being Jesus's friend and that is to keep his commandments.  The only condition for salvation is faith.  That is the difference.

To follow Jesus and keep his commandments the best we know how, as we learn and grow, brings so much joy.  1 Peter 1:7: That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ.
I Peter 1:8: Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory.: 
.
John 15:10: If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love.  11: These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.

Notice, it doesn't say to believe on him for your joy to be full, but to keep his commandments for your joy to be full.  Salvation is free, but after we are saved we should try to keep Jesus' commandments so we can have the full joy of our salvation. We should try to obey his commandments just like he obeyed his Father's commandments.

Living for Jesus is definitely the most joyous and rewarding life that any saved person could possibly live here on earth and it will be even better when we get to heaven and receive the rewards for our labor and the works we did for the Lord.  Even when we suffer for Christ's sake, and especially when we suffer for him, we will have great joy. 

I Peter 4:12: Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:
13: But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.
14: If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified.

So it is one thing to be saved and it is another thing to have a relationship with Christ.  Salvation is free, having a relationship takes work. It involves being in God's word and learning more and more about Jesus and striving to please him.  Of course, we are not perfect and all of us have sin in our life, and also we are all in different stages of growth in our walk with the Lord. We fail many times and fall into sin, but Jesus will forgive us and cleanse us if ye confess our sins. He is still our friend, though. 
I John 1:3: That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.
4: And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full. 
5: This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.
6: If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:
7: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
8: If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
9: If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

If you are reading this and you do not know Jesus as your own personal savior, you do not need to begin a relationship with Jesus in order to be saved, you only simply need to believe on Jesus and trust him with your heart as the one who died on the cross to pay for your sins and rose again the third day.  

To any saved person who is reading this, I would like to encourage you to love Jesus, walk with him, and be his friend (having a relationship with him), so that you will know all the abundant joy that he has in store for you, and that you will lay up treasures in heaven and receive great rewards there.  It will be worth it when you come to the end of your life and you hear Jesus say "Well done, thou good and faithful servant".
Matthew 25:21: His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.

For more information on how to trust Jesus as your savior, please click here for a clear presentation of the gospel.

Why Relationship Evangelism is Unbiblical

by Cindy Wyatt

There is a very unbiblical trend going on these days, that has even crept into some Baptist churches, called "Relationship Evangelism."  This is a total man-made philosophy found nowhere in the scriptures whatsoever.  Because these kind of churches have forsaken door to door or confrontational soulwinning, like most independent fundamental baptist churches used to do in the past, they have to come up with some newfangled alternative method to try to reach people to supposedly keep their churches going. The main principle in this type of evangelism is to form a relationship with a person first before you witness to them. In reality and biblically speaking, you don't need to form a relationship with someone before you witness to them.  If that were the case, there would be a whole multitude of people that would have never heard the gospel and gotten saved.  Along with this philosophy of seeking a relationship with an unsaved person, is also the trendy promotion called "Who's Your One?"  In other words, we are supposed to just pick out one person who we are going to work on and build a relationship with and try to get them saved. That is just totally unbiblical.  That actually throws a wet blanket on soulwinning and does more harm than good.  How many people you could have witnessed to, but didn't because you didn't have time to build a relationship with them first. They even have seminars and training materials about using the "Who's Your One" method.  We don't need some newfangled methodology and seminars; we just need to do exactly what the bible says about evangelism and reaching the lost God's way.  God's way is this: Mark 16:15: And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. Some pastors will quote this verse and then say right after that, "go make disciples," like that is part of the verse also, but it is not.  The bible never says "go make disciples."   

In the first place, the bible tells us to go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature, not just one person, but to every person.  Mark 16:15: And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.  Many people have gotten saved on airplanes, buses, trains, and in hospitals, etc. by a stranger giving them the gospel.  You could win many souls that way and none of them replenish your church with people.  If people are busy preaching the gospel to every creature like the bible says, they would not even have time to form relationships with people.  

Secondly, the bible says the harvest is plenteous and ready now.  Matthew 9:37: Then saith he unto his disciples.  The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few.  John 4:35: Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields: for they are white already to harvest.  According to the relationship evangelism method of first forming a relationship before you witness to someone, this could very probably take more than four months.  And how do you know when the relationship is ripe enough to witness?  One article I read about this method even said you may have to wait two or three years before you can share the gospel with someone.  I ask you, what if that person were to die suddenly while the relationship phase was ongoing without the witnessing part yet.  So you see, it is much better to get people saved now, not wait four months.  II Corinthians 6:2: (For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)  People are not promised another tomorrow.  

Furthermore, there is no guarantee that after you've spent much time with this one person, hanging out with them, and getting to know them, etc., that at the end of all that, they are going to get saved.  Mark 16:15: And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.  16:16: He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved: but he that believeth not shall be damned.  So you see, it is God's plan for us to witness to many people, and some will believe on Jesus and some will not believe on Jesus.  You don't know which people will believe the gospel and which people will not.  Instead of spending all your time with just one person, who may end up being one of the ones who do not believe and get saved, you could have used that time to preach the gospel to many people, and seen many come to trust Christ.  Just being a friend to someone does not mean they will automatically believe the gospel just because you are a friend to them.  The bible doesn't say to go into all the world and form relationships with people so you can share the gospel with them; it just says to go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.

For example, in the book of Acts 3,000 souls were saved on the day of Pentecost.  Acts 2:38: Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.  Acts 2:41: Then they that gladly received his word were baptized; and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.  There was certainly no relationship evangelism there.  What if the apostles who preached that day had decided to just pick out one person that they were going to work on and forget all the rest of the people.  There surely wouldn't have been 3,000 saved. 

The following bible passage in the book of Acts is the story of someone (an Ethiopian) who got saved by a stranger (Philip) giving him the gospel, and then Philip baptized him and left him, and never saw him again.  Clearly, the bible teaches us to witness to strangers.   
Acts 8:26: And the angel of the Lord spake unto Philip, saying, Arise, and go toward the south unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza, which is desert. 
27: And he arose and went: and behold, a man of Ethiopia, an eunuch of great authority under Candace queen of the Ethiopians, who had the charge of all her treasure, and had come to Jerusalem for to worship.
28: Was returning, and sitting in his chariot read Esaias the prophet.
29: Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot.
30: And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest?
31: And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me? And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him.
32: The place of the scripture which he read was this, He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth.
33: In his humiliation his judgment was taken away: and who shall declare his generation? for his life is taken from the earth.
34: And the eunuch answered Philip, and said, I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this? of himself, or of some other man?
35: Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus.
36: And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?
37: And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest.  And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.
38: And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him.
39: And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his way rejoicing.

But the people who teach you should form a relationship first, will say, but we are trying to get people saved who we can get in church and keep our church rolls and attendance replenished with new people so it doesn't die off.  They even go as far as saying you have to get someone to replace you.  If that is your motivation for trying to win someone to Christ, that is the worst motivation ever.  The whole purpose of winning a soul to Christ is to keep them out of hell, which is a lake of fire where there is weeping, wailing, and gnashing of teeth forever and ever; that is the motivation for soulwinning, not to make your church grow or be replenished.  I don't want people to replace me; I want to keep them out of hell.  The bible says that Jesus will build his church.  We just have to obey his word about giving the gospel to every creature and leave the church growth part to him.  Matthew 16:18: And I say unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.  The main reason Jesus came was to seek and to save that which was lost, and if we are a true disciple of Christ, that will be our main goal as well.  He bore the punishment of our sins on the cross, so we wouldn't have to go to hell and pay for them ourselves.  Luke 19:10: For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.  Thinking about whether that person is going to be a good church member and help fill a pew in your church, should be the furthest thing from your mind when you are trying to lead someone to the Lord.  Many people get saved and never come to church, but at least they are not going to hell; that is the most important thing.  Jesus came to keep people out of hell pure and simple.

The following account is where Jesus cleansed ten lepers, but only one returned to give thanks to him. 
Luke 17:12: And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off:
13: And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.
14: And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests.  And it came to pass, that as they went, they were cleansed.
15: And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God.
16: And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan.
17: And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine?
18: There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger.
19: And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.
So in the same manner, some people who get saved are not very thankful to the Lord for all he did for them.  Of course they should be, but many are not.  That is why many people who are saved don't come to church.

Another very important aspect to consider, and probably the most important, is that the bible teaches us that we should be separate from unsaved people, not have a relationship with them.
II Corinthians 6:14: Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?
6:15: And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?
6:16: And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
6:17: Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you.
6:18: And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

Of course we should love unsaved people the way Jesus loves them and let our light shine to them and try to win them to the Lord, but we should not try to have a relationship with them because according to the above scriptures, what fellowship hath light with darkness, righteousness with unrighteousness, etc.  We are supposed to come out from among them and be separate from them, and according to the above passage, that will cause us to have a closer relationship with God our Father.  If you spend a lot of leisure time with unsaved people, they will wear off on you and not vice versa.  Even Jesus, as our example, was separate from sinners.  Hebrews 7:26: For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens;  He loved sinners and ate with them, but he was still separate from them; he did not form relationships with unsaved people.  He only had relationships with his disciples after they already trusted in him for salvation.  In the same manner, we may have acquaintances that we want to win to the Lord, but an acquaintance is not the same thing as having a relationship with someone.  The main reason Jesus came was to seek and to save that which was lost.

The bible is very clear about the way to evangelize the lost, and that is through preaching the gospel to people.  Mark 16:15: And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
Romans 10:14: How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?
10:15: And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tiding of good things.
Notice how it says we are to "go" and "be sent."  This is talking about actually going somewhere to win souls.  It is not to pick out a coworker who you are going to work on, and call that your going; you were already going to work.  You need to purposely go out into all the world to preach the gospel to every creature.  Luke 14:23: And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled. The bible says in the book of Acts that the apostles went house to house proclaiming the good news of the gospel.  Acts 5:42: And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ.  They were not out forming relationships with people, they were out preaching the gospel to every person and in every house. 

So in conclusion, we should have a burden for the souls of the lost people around us and tell them that Jesus loves them and laid down his life for them when he died on the cross for their sins and rose again the third day.  Jesus suffered immensely to keep them out of hell and all they have to do is believe on him and fully trust him alone for salvation.  Keeping people out of hell should be the only motivation for soulwinning.

If you are reading this and have never put your complete trust in Jesus alone as the one who paid for your sins on the cross and rose from the grave so that you could receive the free gift of salvation and be sure you are on your way to heaven, please click on the link below.  John 3:16: For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.


The Bible Way to Heaven

How To Have Peace In A Troubled World

by Cindy Wyatt

The world is full of strife and misery and woe.  Just turn on the news and all you see is war, murders, rioting, mad gunmen, disease, tornadoes, and hurricanes.  You may be wondering if there is any hope, if there is any way to find peace in the troublesome world we live in.  But there is a way to have peace in the midst of it all, and that peace comes only from Jesus.  The bible tells us that Jesus has overcome the world.  John 16:33: These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace  In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.  You see, Jesus left his father's home from heaven, where everything is perfect and no sin, and he came to this world of woe just to be able to live a sinless life, and to suffer and die for us.  It was not easy to leave heaven to come to this world, but that is how much he loved our souls and wants us to be saved.  He came from heaven to earth and then he went back to heaven.  John 16:28: I came forth from the Father; and am come into the world: again, I leave the world, and go to the Father. 

John 6:33: For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.  

John 6:51: I am the living bread which came down from heaven.....

Souls everywhere are troubled and perplexed on every hand and don't even know where to turn.  The answer is to turn your eyes upon Jesus. John 14:27: Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you.  Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

Real genuine, true peace comes only through the peace that Jesus alone can give.  There is no other peace apart from Jesus.  You can try everything in the world to find peace, but you will never find it.  Money cannot buy it.  It cannot be obtained through education, careers, hobbies, worldly accomplishments, fame, relationships, pleasures in life, or anything else in the world. 

Philippians 4:6: Be careful for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

7: And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. 

Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

Once we are saved we know that Jesus will never leave us or forsake us. Hebrews 13:5b .... for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.  Just knowing that Jesus will never forsake us no matter what kind of trial or tribulation we are going through, brings great peace.  We can absolutely count on it because the bible says he will keep us.  Isaiah 26:3: Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.

No matter how bad the turmoil is in the world, we can have perfect peace in the midst of it all by keeping our mind on the Lord by thinking on his Word.

And if you've never trusted in Christ as your savior, maybe not only is the world in turmoil, but your life may be in turmoil and distress also.  In that situation, it is important to trust Christ.  Jesus can give you life more abundant and forgiveness of sins, and peace in your heart.  John 10:10: The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

When your sins are forgiven, you receive peace into your heart and the gift of eternal life.  The following verses show how Jesus forgives sins and gives peace. 

Luke 7:48: And he said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven.

49: And they that sat at meat with him began to say within themselves, Who is this that forgiveth sins also?

50: And he said to the woman, Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace.

If you would like to find out more about trusting Jesus as your savior, please click on the link below to hear a clear presentation of the gospel from the bible. 


The Bible Way To Heaven

The Attack on John 3:16 in the Bible

By Cindy Wyatt

One of the most beautiful verses in the whole bible is John 3:16: For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life. Is it any wonder then that the corrupt new translations of the bible would change this verse and pervert it to say God's one and only son, instead of only begotten son. The word begotten is a very important word because it tells us of the deity of Christ, that he actually came out of God, that he was God in the flesh. He is a part of the Godhead which is the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.  He is not God's one and only son, but God's only begotten son.  There are many sons of God, but they are not the Son of God, Jesus Christ.  John 1:12: But as many as received him to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.  This means that whoever puts their trust in Jesus and receives him as their savior becomes a child of God or a "son of God."  So God has many sons, not just one, but Jesus is the only begotten Son of God, meaning he came out of God.  Also I John 4:9 in the ESV leaves out the word begotten. 
I John 4:9: In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him.  The KJV says the following: I John 4:9: In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten son into the world, that the world might live by him.  

Another attack on the gospel in the modern bible versions in John chapter 3 is in verse 3:36.  John 3:36 (KJV): He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.  This is what the ESV changes it to read: John 3:36 (ESV): Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.  So the false prophets who use the ESV will quote John 3:16 and then say, but wait, believing on Jesus is not all you have to do to be saved, jump down to John 3:36, where it says you have to obey Jesus also.  In the first place, how would you even know how much you have to obey Jesus to be saved.  Surely, no one can obey Jesus perfectly.  Even after we get saved we still sin.  Our salvation doesn't depend upon our obedience to Jesus, but rather on our faith in Jesus as the one who died for us to pay for our sins on the cross.  Of course, we must strive to obey Jesus after we are saved for our own happiness and joy in our Christian walk, and for our usefulness in the Kingdom of God, but it has nothing to do with our salvation.  Salvation is a free gift received by faith alone.  The only thing you have to obey is to believe the gospel; the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus for the payment of our sins.  II Thessalonians 1:8: In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.   

These are the false prophets who say that is "easy believism,"  They think a person could not possibly go to heaven by just believing in Jesus, that, that is just too easy, you have to believe in Jesus, plus do this, that, or the other.  There is no plus doing anything in the gospel.  The bible is clear that believing in Jesus or on Jesus is the only requirement to receive eternal life as a free gift.  John 3:16: For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.  John 3:36:  He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him. Romans 4:5: But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justified the ungodly; his faith is counted for righteousness.  Ephesians 2:8: For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9) Not of works, lest any man should boast. 

Since we know that it is believing in Jesus that gets us to heaven, we have to understand what it means to believe.  There are multitudes of people in the world that believe Jesus existed and that he was the Son of God.  Many people in the world have nativity scenes set up at Christmas time and talk about the baby Jesus being born and laid in a manger, but they are still unsaved.  The reason is because to believe in Jesus or believe on Jesus means that you are putting all your faith and trust in him to save you and to forgive your sins, believing that what he did on the cross and being raised from the dead was for you personally, that he shed his own precious blood to purchase your own salvation.  Believing on Jesus means you are depending and relying on Jesus alone to save you.  You must apply Jesus's shed blood to your own heart.  In the book of John chapter 3 the bible says you must be born again.  Some people say "I've always believed in Jesus," but that is not true.  You may have always believed there was a Jesus since a small child, but you have not always believed in him for salvation.  That is why the bible says you must be born again.  You have to acknowledge that you are a sinner and cannot save yourself and then put your trust in Jesus and be born again.  John 3:3: Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily; I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.  

The bible says that if we could get to heaven any other way than to trust Christ alone, then Christ died in vain. Galatians 2:21: I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.  It means that all the pain, agony, and suffering of Jesus, and his dying on the cross was all for nothing.  Why would Jesus have gone through all that if we could get saved by keeping the commandments (which no one can) or some other way, like living a good life, etc.  Clearly according to scripture, Jesus is the only way.  John 14:6: Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. Jesus loves everyone and wants them to get saved, but only those who trust him will be saved and receive the gift of eternal life.  Hebrews 2:9: But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.  I John 2:2: And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.   

If you have never put your faith and trust in Jesus and believed wholly on his precious name to save your soul and give you the gift of eternal life, I urge you to do it very soon, even right now, as you never know when your time to go out into eternity is going to be.  Every day thousands of people go out into eternity that didn't expect to go that day, for instance the tornado victims in Tennessee or the Coronavirus victims, and many other reasons that people die unexpectantly.  Don't think you've got lots of time and will wait until your death bed because you may never have a death bed. That is why it is important to be ready now.  As the bible points out in John 3:36, the world is divided into two groups, those that believe and those that believe not.  John 3:36: He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.  Whether you believe on Jesus or do not believe on Jesus determines whether you will go to heaven or hell when you die.  Jesus loves you and has done everything possible to purchase and redeem your soul.  He willingly laid down his life for you and suffered so much agony and torture for you to keep you out of hell.  He took our punishment on himself to pay for our sins. I Peter 2:24a: Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree.... All you have to do is put your total trust in him and what he did for you on the cross and how he was risen from the grave three days later to show that God accepted his sacrifice for us. 

To accept the free gift of salvation, the bible says to believe in your heart and call upon his name. Romans 10:9: That if thou shall confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.  Romans 10:13: For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

How to Know You Are Going to Heaven

Poetry About Jesus And Salvation

The False Gospel of John MacArthur

by Cindy Wyatt

The purpose of this article is to show you the true gospel, and how to go to heaven according to the bible, so you will not be deceived by false prophets who pervert the gospel.

One of the most popular of such false prophets of our day and age, which has duped many sincere Christians, is Dr. John MacArthur.  He is damning souls to hell because of the heresies he preaches and the false gospel.  II Peter 2:1: But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.  
Matthew 7:15: Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. 16: Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?
17: Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.
Many people think that when it talks about how you shall know them by their fruits that it is talking about being able to tell if someone is saved or not by the way they live, but actually it is not talking about judging if someone is saved or not, but whether someone is a false prophet or not, even as it says in verse 15 "beware of false prophets."  This means the good fruit of a truly saved man of God is souls being saved and kept out of hell, whereas the man who preaches a false gospel leads people to hell, which is evil fruit.  This portion of scripture is not talking about the fruit of the spirit; it is talking about the fruit of a Christian.  Everything begets after its own kind and the fruit of a Christian is a Christian.  MacArthur is getting no one saved because he preaches a false gospel, therefore, he is bringing forth evil fruit.  It grieves me how so many true Christians are following MacArthur and have no discernment when hearing a false gospel preached.  In Galatians chapter one the bible says this about it:
6: I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:
7: Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.
8: But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. 
9: As we said before, so say I now again, if any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.
It is so serious of a matter that God said it twice to make sure we get it.  John MacArthur preaches another gospel and so the bible says he is accursed (or damned to hell). There are people who have been truly saved by the grace of God and now they are following a false prophet according to verse 6 above.  And the people who have never been saved at all will never get saved by John MacArthur's gospel because it is not the true gospel of Christ, in which salvation is offered as a free gift to anyone who puts their trust in him and what he has done for them with his sacrifice on the cross.  Jesus paid it all.

The following are some of the major ways that John MacArthur preaches a false gospel.
First of all,  MacArthur says if you want salvation it is going to cost you everything. It demands self suicide, the death of self, a willingness to embrace suffering, persecution, and maybe execution.  The person who is truly saved is saved with difficulty. (The Gospel In Perspective.)  He also says there's a price to pay, a real price.  (Which Way to Heaven?)  But wait, the bible says salvation is a free gift.  If it is a gift, the one who gives the gift is the one who pays for it, not the person who receives it.  Jesus has already paid for our salvation in full.  It costs us nothing to be saved, not everything, because Jesus paid for it.  Jesus is the one who did all the suffering on our behalf because he was taking our punishment for us on the cross to pay for our sins, and all we have to do is receive the free gift.  It is not difficult to receive a free gift, you only have to believe with all your heart. 
Ephesians 2:8-9: For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God. 9: Not of works, lest any man should boast. 

Romans 6:23: For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. 
John 1:12: But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:

MacArthur likes to use the rich young ruler as an example of someone who could not get saved because he was not willing to give up everything to follow Christ, he was not willing to sell everything he had and give to the poor.  MacArthur has this to say about it: "Jesus said 'If any man will come after me, let him deny himself.'  In other words, abandon all your own ambition, all your own will, all your own direction, your own choices, and totally and fully submit your life to the lordship of Jesus Christ. It is to say it is the end of me and I commit my life to Christ, to follow him whatever the cost, even if it is a cross and to obey him. That was not what the rich young ruler was willing to do.  He is a classic illustration of someone who will not deny himself.  He wanted to hold onto his own will, his own pride.  He wanted to hold unto his own money. He wanted to hold onto his own ambition."  (True Salvation Through Jesus Christ).  

That is a totally false interpretation of this scripture.  The reason he didn't get saved was because he was trusting in his own righteousness to get him to heaven, and Jesus was showing him that he had not kept all the commandments because he was covetous, he loved his possessions.  See Matthew 19:16-24 to read the whole account of the rich young ruler.  Throughout the entire bible salvation is referred to as believing on Christ, having faith in Christ, or being saved by grace or mercy. You can't just take one story in the bible to base your beliefs on and disregard all the very clear scriptures about salvation being by faith and not works.  You go with what the bible clearly says throughout the entire bible.  If a small portion of the scriptures seems to not correlate with the clear scriptures, it means you are interpreting it wrong.  

For instance, the bible clearly answers a question asked about how to be saved in the book of Acts.  Acts 16:31b: .... Sirs, what must I do to be saved?

31: And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.  And that is it, just BELIEVE on the name of Jesus Christ. You don't have to give up anything, deny yourself, or make a commitment to follow Christ and obey him.  In the book of John it says the word believe in reference to salvation over 80 times.  The only thing you have to obey is to believe the gospel.  The gospel is the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, and when you put your trust in that alone for salvation, that is obeying the gospel.  I Corinthians 15:3: For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; 4: And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
Romans 10:16: But they have not all obeyed the gospel.  For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report?
Obeying the gospel is the same thing as believing the gospel.  Mark 1:15: And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel. Notice, it does not say repent of all your sins, like many false prophets claim.  This verse means to repent of whatever else you are trusting in to go to heaven or maybe not even believing in an afterlife, and instead of these false beliefs, believe the gospel.  Repent actually means to change your mind.  Believe means not to just believe that Jesus is the Son of God or that he existed, but to actually believe on him to be your very own personal savior.  It is to apply Jesus's shed blood to your own heart, that was shed for you for all of your sins, past, present, and future.  Believe on means to place all of your faith and trust in what he did for you on the cross to pay for your sins, to depend upon him and rely on him alone for your salvation.  That is your only ticket to heaven.  It is just as the hymn goes, "Jesus Paid It All," so it costs us nothing.  If you are trusting in what you do, you will never make it to heaven.  You have to put all your faith in what he did.

Jesus paid it all, 
All to Him I owe;
Sin had left a crimson stain,
He washed it white as snow.

For nothing good have I
Whereby Thy grace to claim;
I'll wash my garments white 
In the blood of Calv'ry's Lamb

MacArthur also wrote a book called "Hard To Believe,"  In this book he says it is difficult to enter the kingdom of God because the way is narrow and constricted.   
Matthew 7:13: Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat.
14: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
Luke 13:24: Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.

Strait means a narrow passageway.  It does not mean straight as in not bent.  You don't have to walk the straight and narrow way, like many false prophets say you have to do to be saved, you just have to enter through the narrow gate.  Just because it is a narrow way does not mean it is a difficult way.  It says nothing about it being a hard way or difficult way in the KJV.  The reason it is a narrow way is because the only way to heaven is through faith in Jesus and most people in the world do not have faith in Jesus. They are trying to get to heaven some other way or are trusting in their own self righteousness or false religion, and many people don't even believe in God.  John 14:6: Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. So most people are on the broad way and few are on the narrow way.  To promote this false interpretation of the way being difficult, in Satan's counterfeit bible versions it says, in the NKJV for example, Matthew 7:13-14: Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it.  14:Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it. In the RSV it says Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is easy, that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many.  14:For the gate is narrow and the way is hard, that leads to life, and those who find it are few."   The KJV passage above says nothing about the way which leadeth to life being hard or difficult; that's because it's not.  Jesus did the hard part, so we don't have to.  Thus, you see Satan corrupting the word of God because he doesn't want people to get saved, he wants them to go to hell.  In the following article by John Macarthur, Are Just A Few Being Saved?  he talks about how hard and difficult it is to be saved.

Another quote from this book says this, "Don't believe anyone who says it is easy to become a Christian.  Salvation cost God his own son; it cost God's Son his life; and it will cost you the same thing.    That is so absurdly untrue.  There is absolutely nothing we could ever do to even help to pay for any of our own salvation.  We are saved entirely by God's grace and mercy.  We don't deserve salvation at all, it is a 100 percent free gift.  It costs nothing to receive a free gift.  If you had to pay even one dime for your salvation, then it wouldn't be free.  Titus 3:5: Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;

MacArthur is of Satan because he hinders people from getting saved.  Many people would like to be saved, but according to his false gospel, they would think it is too difficult to get saved, thinking, "I cannot live it, be totally committed, give up everything, totally obey, stop loving the world, stop sinning, etc.", and they are right, they can't.  And even if a person thought they could do all those things to get saved, they would still be unsaved because they would be trusting in themselves instead of trusting in Christ.  The truth is, you DON'T HAVE TO GIVE UP ANYTHING, YOU RECEIVE SOMETHING (the free gift of salvation,) and it is easy to be saved, not difficult.  Jesus did the hard part when he suffered on the cross and shed his blood, all because he loves us and wants us to trust him.

Furthermore, MacArthur says that entering the gate to the kingdom of God is so difficult and hard that you have to agonize to go through it (Two Paths One Way) and you have to go through it naked and stripped of all your own self will, ambitions, be spiritually broken, shattered, crushed, mournful, etc.  He says there is a certain violence in going through the narrow gate, that you have to struggle to get through it because the narrow way is so constricted.  MacArthur says that since you have to strive to enter the narrow gate that means it is agonizing.  Luke 13:24: Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.  What that actually means is people who are unsaved will want to get into heaven, but they won't be able to because they did not go through the narrow gate of salvation, which is putting all your trust in Jesus to save you.  Strive means to learn the truth about salvation, hear God's word, and believe the verses in the bible that talk about the way of salvation.  Strive doesn't mean to agonize.  Agonizing is painful, and it is not painful to accept Jesus as your savior and believe on him.  In fact, it is quite joyful to have your sins forgiven, be washed in the blood, and have your name written in the Lamb's Book of Life.  The following is an account of a man who was joyfully saved by Jesus.  Luke 19:2: And, behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus, which was chief among the publicans, and he was rich.  3: And he sought to see Jesus who he was; and could not for the press, because he was little of stature.  4: And he ran before, and climbed up into a sycomore tree to see him: for he was to pass that way.  5: And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste and, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house. 6: And he made haste, and received him Joyfully.  This is also a good example of someone who did strive to hear Jesus so he could get saved.  It was not agonizing for Zacchaeus to climb up a tree.  The word agony is found only one time in the bible and it is referring to Jesus being in agony in the garden of Gethsemane, where he was praying right before he went to the cross.  Luke 22:44: And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.  Nowhere in the bible does it say we have to agonize to get saved.  Jesus agonized for us so we don't have to.  What a great love Jesus has for us.

Furthermore, in Two Paths One Way, MacArthur says this "The rich young ruler comes to Jesus, "What do I do to receive eternal life?' Jesus said, "Take all your assets, sell them, get the cash, give it all to the poor."  That is so totally absurd.  That is not how you receive eternal life, and the bible does not say that either.  If that were the case nobody would be saved.

Now compare that to John 3:16 that says "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,"  along with all the other verses in the book of John that say believe for salvation.  Believeth means trust.  It is not difficult or agonizing to get saved; you only have to believe.  If God says if you believe on Christ you shall have everlasting life and you do not believe that, then you are calling God a liar.  If I said to you I have a red car and you do not believe me, then you are calling me a liar, and we know that God does not lie in his word.  If God says "whosoever believeth," that is the truth.  

Jesus likens salvation to eating a piece of bread, opening a door, or taking a drink of water.  How hard is it to eat a piece of bread, open a door, or take a drink of water?  It is not hard, it is easy, and it is easy to get saved.  You just look to Jesus on the cross and say I believe Jesus did that for me and you put your trust in him to save your very own soul.
John 6:51: I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.
John 4:13: Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again:
14: But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.
John 10:9: I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.
Notice how it says "whosoever" and "any man".  You must apply these verses to your own heart.  Anyone can be saved if they want to be.

The following is the account of how one of the thieves that were crucified with Jesus looked to Jesus for salvation and got saved instantly.  
Luke 23:39: And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us.
40: But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation?
41: And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss.
42: And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.
43: And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise.

In the old testament salvation was pictured in the book of Numbers when there were fiery serpents that were biting people and causing them to die and God told Moses to make a serpent on a pole and whoever looked at it would not die but live.
Numbers 21:8: And the LORD said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live.
9: And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.
The fiery serpent is a picture of sin and the serpent on the pole is a picture of salvation from sin.  In the same manner in John chapter three, it says whoever looks to Jesus will be saved.
John 3:14: And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: (meaning when Jesus died on the cross).
15: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
So do you see how the thief on the cross looked to Jesus and was saved, and so it is for anyone who wants to get saved.  If you want to get saved all you have to do is look to Jesus in faith, and that's all, no works whatsoever, just faith.

Another heresy that John MacArthur teaches is that he denies the blood of Christ and teaches that it is not necessary for our salvation, but that it only depicts the violent death that Jesus died, that only the death of Jesus is what matters.  Actually, it takes both according to the bible, his blood and his death.  He says there is nothing magical about the fluid that came out of Jesus's body and there is no efficacy in his blood.  He goes on to say that people have an emotional attachment to the blood because of the hymns we sing, but really the blood means nothing.  He says when he sings those hymns he just substitutes the word blood with death. Some of the hymns are "Nothing But The Blood,"  "There Is Power In The Blood,"  and "Are You Washed In The Blood." These are all great hymns that are true to the bible about the importance of the blood. (John MacArthur Denies the Blood of Christ)
The following are verses that talk about how important Jesus's blood really is.
Hebrews 9:22: And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.
Matthew 26:28: For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.

Acts 20:28: Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.
Ephesians 1:7: In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;
Ephesians 2:13: But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.
Colossians 1:14: In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:
Colossians 1:20a: And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself;
I Peter 1:18-19: Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; 19: But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.
I John 1:7: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
Revelation 1:5b.. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood.

When we trust Jesus with all our heart he then washes us from our sin with his own shed blood, meaning remission of sins.  That is why it says in Matthew 26:28: For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. Jesus is the one that performs a miracle in our heart when we believe.  It is not us repenting of our sins, it is us trusting in Jesus and he cleanses our heart.  It is not us trying to transform our own life and change ourselves, it is simply believing on Christ.  You cannot be saved and deny the blood of Christ; it is impossible.

There is one more thing that I wanted to clarify and that is that in the four gospels Jesus does talk about denying yourself and taking up your cross, forsaking all, and following him, etc., but these passages of scripture are talking about discipleship, not salvation.  There is a big difference.  To get saved all you have to do is come to Jesus in faith.  To be his disciple Jesus says come after me, to get saved he says come unto me.  It does cost to be a disciple, but it does not cost to be saved because the bible is clear that salvation is a free gift.  Luke 14:33: So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.  Most people who are saved are not disciples.  So you may be thinking, what is the benefit of being a disciple as long as I'm saved?  The benefit is the joy of having your life be used of God to help other people get saved.  Since Jesus saved us from going to hell, we should want others to hear the gospel so they can get saved too.  If we have a compassionate heart, we will not want anyone to go to hell, where we would be going ourselves if not for the grace of God.  Jesus said in Matthew 4:19: And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.  Notice how it doesn't say follow me and you shall have eternal life; it says follow me and I will make you fishers of men; a big difference.  MacArthur has it all backwards.  Nowhere in the bible does it ever say if you follow Jesus you will have eternal life.  Jesus uses his disciples to reach people with the gospel, i.e., being a fisher of men.     
Romans 10:13: For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
14:How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?
15: And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things! 
If there were no disciples, then no one would ever hear the gospel.  You have to hear the gospel before you can believe it, and the only way you can hear it is by a Christian who is sent to preach the gospel

Being a disciple will give you the joy of hearing God say to you one day, "well done" if you faithfully serve him.  Matthew 25:21: His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou has been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.

We should want to do everything we can to serve Christ since he did so much for us, but the point is, whether we are his disciple and follow him or not, we are still saved forever no matter what if we have trusted Jesus to save us.  There are many examples of people in the bible that at times were not living a very godly life, but they were still saved.  For example, King David committed adultery, Lot was totally living for the world, etc.

So you see there is a big difference between being a disciple and being saved.  To get saved you simply put your trust in what Jesus did for you on the cross and rose again the third day to pay for your sins.  Admit you are a sinner and cannot save yourself in any way, shape, or form.  It is all 100 percent by God's grace and mercy as a free gift; it costs nothing.  You do not have to give up anything or promise Jesus to obey him, forsake all, stop sinning, stop loving the world, etc.  If your salvation depends on anything you do to earn it, then it is not free and by faith.  Also, you don't have to give your life to Christ to be saved; he gave his life for us, and all we have to do is believe on him.  Satan tries to flip flop everything God does.  You have to get saved first before you can volunteer to be Jesus's disciple.  You don't have to be a disciple in order to go to heaven.  
John 3:16: For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 
17: For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
18: He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 

In conclusion, above all else make sure you are saved today if you have not yet trusted Christ.  We are not promised another tomorrow.  You never know when you might die.  Thousands of people die every day who never thought it would be their last day on earth.  If you refuse the free gift of salvation offered, you will have to spend eternity in hell, which the bible describes as a lake of fire.  Revelation 10:14: And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15: And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. 

To get saved, just acknowledge that you are a sinner that deserves to go to hell to pay for your sins, but that you believe Jesus paid for those sins on the cross and rose again from the grave three days later.  Romans 3:23: For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.  Romans 10:9: That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.  Romans 10:13: For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.  When you believe that in your heart, then just call upon the name of the Lord and tell him you are putting all your trust in what Jesus did for you.  

To call upon the Lord to save you, you could say it in your own words or you could say something like this, as long as you mean it in your heart:  Dear Jesus, I know I'm a sinner and I know I deserve to go to hell for my sins, but I believe you died for me on the cross and rose again the third day to pay for my sins so that I could be given the free gift of salvation.  I am now putting all my trust in you Jesus and I receive you as my personal savior.  Thank you Jesus for saving me.  Amen