Bio

Dr. Mike Halsey is the chancellor of Grace Biblical Seminary, a Bible teacher at the Hangar Bible Fellowship, the author of Truthspeak and his new book, The Gospel of Grace and Truth: A Theology of Grace from the Gospel of John," both available on Amazon.com. A copy of his book, Microbes in the Bloodstream of the Church, is also available as an E-book on Amazon.com. If you would like to a receive a copy of his weekly Bible studies and other articles of biblical teaching and application, you can do so by writing to Dr. Halsey at michaeldhalsey@bellsouth.net and requesting, "The Hangar Bible Fellowship Journal."

Comments may be addressed to michaeldhalsey@bellsouth.net.

If you would like to contribute to his ministry according to the principle of II Corinthians 9:7, you may do so by making your check out to Hangar Bible Fellowship and mailing it to 65 Teal Ct., Locust Grove, GA 30248. All donations are tax deductible.

Come visit the Hangar some Sunday at 10 AM at the above address. You'll be glad you did.

Other recommended grace-oriented websites are:

notbyworks.org
literaltruth.org
gracebiblicalseminary.org
duluthbible.org
clarityministries.org

Also:

Biblical Ministries, Inc.
C/O Dr. Richard Grubbs
P. O. Box 64582
Lubbock, TX 79464-4582

Friday, January 20, 2017

A TRAGIC ENCOUNTER

The following is an account of a "gospel" presentation by one who is a Lordship salvationist:

"After we had talked for a couple of hours, the young man seemed to be prepared to trust Christ. My friend, no doubt sensing that, asked him a question: “In light of all we have talked about this evening, can you think of any reason why you should not become a Christian tonight?”

"The young man sat for a few minutes, then looked back at him and replied, “No, I cannot think of any reason.”

"I was excited by this, but to my amazement, my friend leaned across the table and said, “Then let me give you some!”

For the next few minutes, he began to explain the cost of being a Christian. He talked about the young man’s need to surrender his whole life, his future, his ambitions, his relationships, his possessions, and everything he was to God. Only if he was prepared to do this, my friend explained, could Christ begin to work effectively in his life.

"… My friend then leaned even further across the table and asked, “Can you still not think of any reason why you shouldn’t become a Christian tonight?”

"After another moment, the reply came, “I can think of some now.”

"My friend responded, “In that case, do not become a Christian until you have dealt with every one of those reasons and are willing to surrender everything to Christ.”

What a tragic encounter! It was a "gospel" of one work piled on top of another--surrender your life, surrender your future, surrender your ambitions, surrender your relationships, surrender your possessions, and surrender everything you are to God. 

Now, really, what unbeliever, dead in trespasses and sins, can do that?

MESSAGE DETERMINES METHOD

One’s view of the gospel and how its saving effects are appropriated by the sinner will determine not only the message of evangelism proclaimed but also its methods. The Lordship Salvation presentation of the gospel is necessarily more involved because of its message. Every Lordship salvationist has his lists and his steps to receiving the free gift of salvation, which render salvation costly.

J. I. Packer, one who advocates just such a message as stated above, said: “In our own presentation of Christ’s gospel, therefore, we need to lay a similar stress as Christ did on the cost of following Christ, and make sinners face it soberly before we urge them to respond to the message of free forgiveness.”

Wait a minute. Packer's statement doesn't make sense: let's look at it again. "We need to lay a similar stress . . . on the cost of following Christ, and make sinners face it soberly before we urge them to respond to the message of free forgiveness." First he writes that we need to stress the cost, then he finishes the sentence with "free forgiveness." How can the forgiveness be free if there's a cost to it? "Free" means no cost, doesn't it?

In George Owell's classic novel, "1984," he said that there would come a day when doublethink would hold sway over the minds of people. By doublethink, he meant the power of holding two contradictory beliefs in one's mind simultaneously, and accepting both of them. Packer's statement is an example of doublethink in the church.

Packer's comment illustrates the misunderstanding of Lordship Salvation--it mixes discipleship into the gospel and hence, all the requirements, all the lists that add to Paul's simple declaration of "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved." 

Christ paid the cost of salvation. The cost the Bible talks about is the cost of following Christ, that is, the cost of discipleship. John 3:16 conditions eternal life on "whosoever believes," not on "whosoever surrenders their life, surrenders their future, surrenders their ambitions, surrenders their relationships, surrenders their possessions, and surrenders everything they are to God." 



1 comment:

  1. Tragic. I prayed for the young man in the first few paragraphs, whoever he is, that the Lord will clear his mind to accept the free gift of salvation.

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