THE MAN WHO RULES THE EVANGELICAL WORLD FROM HIS GRAVE

 Charles Finney (1792-1875) was a revivalist who led America's 2nd Great Awakening. He's the father of many of the terms we use today which present an inaccurate gospel. These are words that many in evangelical circles use without thinking because they've heard them tossed around with reckless abandon through the years, tossed so many times in so many churches, in so many books, in so many tracts that they've become embedded in our minds. 

These terms are ubiquitous, terms such as, "Accept Christ as your Savior," "Give your life to Christ," "Make Christ the lord of your life," "Abandon your sins," "Ask Jesus into your heart," and "Confess your sins," et al. We could also point out one of the all-time favorites, the ABC method of  "Admit you are a sinner, Believe in Jesus, and Confess." 

Finney said, "Do whatever it takes to induce a conversion." Today that would mean, if it will induce a conversion, turn down the lights; if it will induce a conversion, use dry ice. These are manipulative, man-made techniques and whatever is man-made to manipulate is way, way off the reservation from the Scriptures. They should be classified as gimmicks. 

 People repeat the above phrases disguised as the gospel without asking, "Are any of these statements in the Bible?" Or more particularly, "Are any of these requirements in the Gospel of John, the only book in the New Testament written to unbelivers to persuade them to trust Christ as Savior?"

When they read the Gospel of John, they will find that they can't find any of those declarations in the book. Not one. Instead of "steps to salvation," we find one and only one--"believe" ninety-nine times in John and almost 200 times in the entire New Testament. So, salvation is through faith alone which is trust alone in the power of Jesus alone to forgive YOUR sin and give YOU eternal life. 

"Believe" or "trust," must have a content, so, what is the content of saving trust? The Bible is clear: one must believe that Jesus is God (Jn. 8:24); that Christ died for his sins (this implies, of course that he knows and understands that he's guilty of sining) and rose from the dead. That's it. Over and out. No asking, no confessing, no pleading, no tears, and no forsaking of sin. Salvation's one condition is to believe in Christ alone apart from works.

In evangelism, it's important to understand that knowing a bunch of facts about Jesus does not equal being saved. A person my know that Jesus was born of a virgin in Bethlehem; that Jesus died on a cross and even that He rose from the dead. (A Roman Catholic friend of mine told me that while he was studying to become a priest, he believed all of those things, yet was lost. Those were just facts to him.)

The issue for him and all of us is, "Do you, believing and understanding those facts, trust Him, and Him alone to save YOU?" That is the accurate gospel.