1. Zane C. Hodges, The Gospel Under Siege (Dallas: Redención Viva, 1981), 14.
Today's Gospel: Good News or Bad?
people really are born again and should be embraced by the rest of the church as true believers.
The Abandonment of Jesus' Gospel
One segment of evangelicalism even propounds the doctrine that conversion to Christ involves "no spiritual commitment whatsoever."1 Those who hold this view of the gospel teach that Scripture promises salvation to anyone who simply believes the facts about Christ and claims eternal life. There need be no turning from sin, no resulting change in lifestyle, no commitment — not even a willingness to yield to Christ's lordship.2 Those things, they say, amount to human works, which corrupt grace and have nothing to do with faith.
The fallout of such thinking is a deficient doctrine of salvation. It is justification without sanctification, and its impact on the church has been catastrophic. The community of professing believers is populated with people who have bought into a system that encourages shallow and ineffectual faith. Many sincerely believe they are saved, but their lives are utterly barren of any verifying fruit.
Jesus gave this sobering warning: "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven; but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven. Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness' " (Matt. 7:21 – 23, emphasis added). Clearly no past experience — not even prophesying, casting out demons, or doing signs and wonders — can be viewed as evidence of salvation apart from a life of obedience.
Our Lord was not speaking about an isolated group of fringe followers. There will be "many" on that day who will stand before Him, stunned to learn they are not included in the kingdom. I fear that multitudes who now fill church pews in the mainstream of the evangelical movement will be among those turned away because they did not do the will of the Father.
Contemporary Chris tians have been conditioned to believe that because they recited a prayer, signed on a dotted line, walked an aisle, or had some other experience, they are saved and should never question their salvation. I have attended evangelism training seminars where counselors were taught to
1. Zane C. Hodges, Th e Gospel Under Siege (Dallas: Redención Viva, 1981), 14. 2. Charles C. Ryrie, Balancing the Chris tian Life (Chicago: Moody, 1969), 169 – 70.