WHAT IS EASY BELIEVISM AND WHAT DOES IT EVEN MEAN?

Earlier today I shared a video on this Easy Believism teaching by Pastor Robert Breaker who I feel does an excellent job defining what it is and is not.  Those who hold to this have not defined it and so it can mean different things to each person.  That's my biggest issue with these new terms and labels.  Is salvation easy?  Yes!  Are there conditions?  Also yes.  You can't just say a prayer for Jesus Christ to save you and then say, "well, that's done.  Now I can go out and do whatever I want."  It doesn't work that way.  Conditions aren't works.  Well, they are the fruits of salvation by the Holy Spirit and not anything you do, even if you give every dime you have to feed the hungry.  It's grace alone.  You need to watch the video and then decide where you stand but to me, be it Lordship or Easy Believism, it's still the same Gospel.  So, why not just teach that?  Sounds reasonable and would cut down on this infighting and bring unity to the Body of Christ.  We're failing the lost sheep, people.

Jesus Christ:  Peter, do you love Me?

Peter:  Yes!

Jesus Christ:  Feed my sheep!

Repeat twice!

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Question: "What is easy believism?"

Answer: Easy believism is a somewhat derogatory term used by opponents of the view that one needs only to believe in Jesus in order to be saved. From this they conclude that those who hold to sola fide (“faith alone”)teach that no corresponding need exists for a committed life of Christian discipleship as proof of salvation; however, that is not what sola fide means. True faith in Christ will always lead to a changed life. Another common usage of the term easy believism is in regards to those who believe they’re saved because they prayed a prayer—with no real conviction of sin and no real faith in Christ. Praying a prayer is easy—thus the term easy believism—but there is more to salvation than mouthing words.

Much of the debate over easy believism is unnecessary and is based on a misunderstanding of the Scriptures. The Bible is clear that salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. The essence of this doctrine is found in Ephesians 2:8–9: “For by grace are you saved, through faith, and that not of yourselves. It is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast.” So we see that faith, given as a gift by God, is what saves us. But the next verse tells of the results of that salvation: “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” Rather than being saved by some easy act of our own wills, we are saved by the hand of God Almighty, by His will and for His use. We are His servants, and from the moment of salvation by faith, we embark on a journey of pre-ordained good works that are the evidence of that salvation. If there is no evidence of growth and good works, we have reason to doubt that salvation ever truly took place. “Faith without works is dead” (James 2:20), and a dead faith is not a saving faith.

“Faith alone” does not mean that some believers follow Christ in a life of discipleship, while others do not. The concept of the “carnal Christian,” as a separate category of non-spiritual believer, is completely unscriptural. The idea of the carnal Christian says that a person may receive Christ as Savior during a religious experience but never manifest evidence of a changed life. This is a false and dangerous teaching in that it excuses various

ungodly lifestyles: a man may be an unrepentant adulterer, liar, or thief, but he’s “saved” because he prayed a prayer as a child; he’s just a “carnal Christian.” The Bible nowhere supports the idea that a true Christian can remain carnal for an entire lifetime. Rather, God’s Word presents only two categories of people: Christians and non-Christians, believers and unbelievers, those who have bowed to the Lordship of Christ and those who have not (see John 3:36; Romans 6:17–18; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Galatians 5:18–24; Ephesians 2:1–5; 1 John 1:5–7; 2:3–4).

While the security of salvation is a biblical fact based upon the finished work of salvation by Christ, it is certainly true that some of those who seemed to have “made a decision” or “accepted Christ” may not genuinely be saved. As noted before, true salvation is not so much our accepting Christ as it is His accepting us. We are saved by the power of God for the purpose of God, and that purpose includes the works that give evidence of our conversion. Those who continue to walk according to the flesh are not believers (Romans 8:5–8). This is why Paul exhorts us to “examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith” (2 Corinthians 13:5). The “carnal” Christian who examines himself will soon see that he/she is not in the faith.

James 2:19 says, “You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble!” The type of “belief” demons have can be compared to the intellectual assent made by those who “believe” in Jesus in the fact that He exists or that He was a good person. Many unbelievers say, “I believe in God” or “I believe in Jesus”; others say, “I prayed a prayer, and the preacher said I was saved.” But such prayers and such belief do not necessarily signal a change of heart. The problem is a misunderstanding of the word believe. With true salvation comes genuine repentance and real life change. Second Corinthians 5:17 says that those who are in Christ are a “new creation.” Is it possible that the new person Christ creates is one who continues to walk in the carnality of the flesh? No.

Salvation is certainly free, but, at the same time, it costs us everything. We are to die to ourselves as we change into the likeness of Christ. Where easy believism fails is its lack of recognition that a person with faith in Jesus will lead a progressively changed life. Salvation is a free gift from God to those who believe, but discipleship and obedience are the response that will no doubt occur when one truly comes to Christ in faith.

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Be a good Berean and search the Scriptures daily to see if what you are being taught is truth.  These made up words are misleading and confusing.  I'm sure our adversary is loving how man is dividing the Body of Christ with labels that mean the same thing but divide us and cause us to fail the flock.  I'm calling on you Prayer Warriors.  It's time to get on our knees and call on God while He can still be found.

WHAT IS LORDSHIP SALVATION?

Lordship salvation is yet another man-made term to describe salvation.  Jesus IS the Lord of my life and I try to do His commandments but fail but when I do, the Apostle Paul told me I have one mediator to God and that is the Man Jesus Christ who died to save me from my sins.  I'm sola scriptura, faith/grace/Christ alone salvation but the truly saved will obey His commandments by the POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT AND NOT OF THEMSELVES.

If we have to work to aid in salvation, no one is going to make it.  We all deserve hell. He came to save sinners, not the righteous.  I am a sinner in much need of a Savior.  He is the Lord of my life and I trust in Him alone for my salvation.  If you want to call me a Lordship Salvation believer, I accept that label.  It's that are the other man-made label of "Easy Believism" in which I posted a very good video by Robert Breaker about it.  I do not agree with him on some of his teachings but his doctrine is sound.  On this, I agree 100% so watch the video as you need to be aware of these terms, what they mean or rather what they don't mean.  They are basically undefined and left up to the individual on what it means.  That is extremely dangerous.  So what IS Lordship Salvation?  The below commentary comes from Got Questions of which I will leave a link.  You can find good, solid Biblical answers to almost any question you can ask.  It's Bible-based only and has no denominational affiliations.  Great site.  Be familiar with these terms because they're becoming a thorn in the side of the Church.  We need more unity, not more division.  One voice; one accord please!

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GOT QUESTIONS? CLICK HERE FOR ANSWERS!

Question: "What is lordship salvation?"

Answer: The doctrine of lordship salvation teaches that submitting to Christ as Lord goes hand-in-hand with trusting in Christ as Savior. Lordship salvation is the opposite of what is sometimes called easy-believism or the teaching that salvation comes through an acknowledgement of a certain set of facts.

John MacArthur, whose book The Gospel According to Jesus lays out the case for lordship salvation, summarizes the teaching this way: “The gospel call to faith presupposes that sinners must repent of their sin and yield to Christ’s authority.” In other words, a sinner who refuses to repent is not saved, for he cannot cling to his sin and the Savior at the same time. And a sinner who rejects Christ’s authority in his life does not have saving faith, for true faith encompasses a surrender to God. Thus, the gospel requires more than making an intellectual decision or mouthing a prayer; the gospel message is a call to discipleship. The sheep will follow their Shepherd in submissive obedience.

Advocates of lordship salvation point to Jesus’ repeated warnings to the religious hypocrites of His day as proof that simply agreeing to spiritual facts does not save a person. There must be a heart change. Jesus emphasized the high cost of discipleship: “Whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:27), and “Those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples” (verse 32). In the same passage, Jesus speaks of counting the cost; elsewhere, He stresses total commitment: “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:62).

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says that eternal life is a narrow path found by “only a few” (Matthew 7:14); in contrast, easy-believism seeks to broaden the path so that anyone who has a profession of faith can enter. Jesus says that “every good tree bears good fruit” (verse 17); in contrast, easy-believism says that a tree can still be good and bear nothing but bad fruit. Jesus says that many who say “Lord, Lord” will not enter the kingdom (verses 21–23); in contrast, easy-believism teaches that saying “Lord, Lord” is good enough.

Lordship salvation teaches that a true profession of faith will be backed up by evidence of faith. If a person is truly following the Lord, then he or she will obey the Lord’s instructions. A person who is living in willful, unrepentant sin has obviously not chosen to follow Christ, because Christ calls us out of sin and into righteousness. Indeed, the Bible clearly teaches that faith in Christ will result in a changed life (2 Corinthians 5:17; Galatians 5:22–23; James 2:14–26).

Lordship salvation is not a salvation-by-works doctrine. Advocates of lordship salvation are careful to say that salvation is by grace alone, that believers are saved before their faith ever produces any good works, and that Christians can and do sin. However, true salvation will inevitably lead to a changed life. The saved will be dedicated to their Savior. A true Christian will not feel comfortable living in unconfessed, unforsaken sin.

Here are nine teachings that set lordship salvation apart from easy-believism:

1) Repentance is not a simple synonym for faith. Scripture teaches that sinners must exercise faith in conjunction with repentance (Acts 2:38; 17:30; 20:21; 2 Peter 3:9). Repentance is a change of mind from embrace of sin and rejection of Christ to a rejection of sin and an embrace of Christ (Acts 3:19; Luke 24:47), and even this is a gift of God (2 Timothy 2:25). Genuine repentance, which comes when a person submits to the lordship of Christ, cannot help but result in a change of behavior (Luke 3:8; Acts 26:18–20).

2) A Christian is a new creation and cannot just “stop believing” and lose salvation. Faith itself is a gift of God (Ephesians 2:1–5, 8), and real faith endures forever (Philippians 1:6). Salvation is all God’s work, not man’s. Those who believe in Christ as Lord are saved apart from any effort of their own (Titus 3:5).

3) The object of faith is Christ Himself, not a promise, a prayer, or a creed (John 3:16). Faith must involve a personal commitment to Christ (2 Corinthians 5:15). It is more than being convinced of the truth of the gospel; it is a forsaking of this world and a following of the Master. The Lord Jesus said, “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me” (John 10:27).

4) True faith always produces a changed life (2 Corinthians 5:17). The inner person is transformed by the Holy Spirit (Galatians 2:20), and the Christian has new nature (Romans 6:6). Those with genuine faith—those who are submitted to the lordship of Christ—follow Jesus (John 10:27), love their brothers (1 John 3:14), obey God’s commandments (1 John 2:3; John 15:14), do the will of God (Matthew 12:50), abide in God’s Word (John 8:31), keep God’s Word (John 17:6), do good works (Ephesians 2:10), and continue in the faith (Colossians 1:21–23; Hebrews 3:14). Salvation is not adding Jesus to the pantheon GOT QUESTIONS? CLICK HERE FOR ANSWERS!of one’s idols; it is a wholesale destruction of the idols with Jesus reigning supreme.

5) God’s “divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life” (2 Peter 1:3; cf. Romans 8:32). Salvation, then, is not just a ticket to heaven. It is the means by which we are sanctified (practically) in this life and by which we grow in grace.

6) Scripture teaches that Jesus is Lord of all. Christ demands unconditional surrender to His will (Romans 6:17–18; 10:9–10). Those who live in rebellion to God’s will do not have eternal life, for “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble” (James 4:6).

7) Those who truly believe in Christ will love Him (1 Peter 1:8–9; Romans 8:28–30; 1 Corinthians 16:22). And those we love we long to please (John 14:15, 23).

8) Scripture teaches that behavior is an important test of faith. Obedience is evidence that one’s faith is genuine (1 John 2:3). If a person remains unwilling to obey Christ, he provides evidence that his “faith” is in name only (1 John 2:4). A person may claim Jesus as Savior and pretend to obey for a while, but, if there is no heart change, his true nature will eventually manifest itself. This was the case for Judas Iscariot.

9) Genuine believers may stumble and fall, but they will persevere in the faith (1 Corinthians 1:8). This was the case for Simon Peter. A “believer” who completely turns away from the Lord plainly shows that he was never born again to begin with (1 John 2:19).

A person who has been delivered from sin by faith in Christ should not desire to remain in a life of sin (Romans 6:2). Of course, spiritual growth can occur quickly or slowly, depending on the person and his circumstances. And the changes may not be evident to everyone at first. Ultimately, God knows who are His sheep, and He will mature each of us according to His perfect time table.

Is it possible to be a Christian and live in lifelong carnality, enjoying the pleasures of sin, and never seeking to glorify the Lord who bought him? Can a sinner spurn the lordship of Christ yet lay claim to Him as Savior? Can someone pray a “sinner’s prayer” and go about his life as if nothing had happened and still call himself a “Christian”? Lordship salvation says “no.” Let us not give unrepentant sinners false hope; rather, let us declare the whole counsel of God: “You must be born again” (John 3:7).

WHAT IS ANTINOMIANISM?

Since God is not the author of confusion, who is and why are we so confused?  Why is the Body of Christ so divided?  Our adversary is having a high 'ol time today with all the infighting, false prophets/churches, wolves and we Christians tearing each other apart.  I fear until we become of ONE VOICE; ONE ACCORD, we can share the Gospel to every lost person on the earth and no one is going to want to get involved in this rabid fighting amongst ourselves.  We like sheep have gone astray.  How about we stop making up new terms for salvation by grace alone; faith alone; Christ alone and just share the Gospel?  What power does preaching the Gospel even have?  According to the Apostle Paul, it has "the power to salvation."  Easy believism is an undefined, man-made term as is Lordship Salvation.  I'm sharing what I've found but I think it comes down to a few simple questions to ask yourself...

Do you trust in what Jesus Christ did on the cross alone and in full to pay your sin debt so that you can be saved and made righteous by His work?  Or do you believe that His death/burial/resurrection was insufficient for salvation and that you can work, buy, earn or in any way aid in your salvation?  If so, why did He have to die such a painful death?  Why did He have to take on the sins of the world on the cross? What does "good works" mean to you?  


Is Jesus Christ the LORD of YOUR LIFE?

The commentary below comes from a highly credible site called Gotquestions.org. I in no way endorse this belief system.  But this is where the Body of Christ is and why I believe (my POV ONLY) that we are failing and causing many to abandon church altogether and go it alone but the worst case is that they abandon the faith altogether.  Stop using made up words and let's get back to the Bible.  

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Question: "What is antinomianism?"

Answer: The word antinomianism comes from two Greek words, anti, meaning "against"; and nomos, meaning "law." Antinomianism means “against the law.” Theologically, antinomianism is the belief that there are no moral laws God expects Christians to obey. Antinomianism takes a biblical teaching to an unbiblical conclusion. The biblical teaching is that Christians are not required to observe the Old Testament Law as a means of salvation. When Jesus Christ died on the cross, He fulfilled the Old Testament Law (Romans 10:4; Galatians 3:23-25; Ephesians 2:15). The unbiblical conclusion is that there is no moral law God expects Christians to obey.

The apostle Paul dealt with the issue of antinomianism in Romans 6:1-2, “What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?” The most frequent attack on the doctrine of salvation by grace alone is that it encourages sin. People may wonder, “If I am saved by grace and all my sins are forgiven, why not sin all I want?” That thinking is not the result of true conversion because true conversion yields a greater desire to obey, not a lesser one. God’s desire—and our desire when we are regenerated by His Spirit—is that we strive not to sin. Out of gratitude for His grace and forgiveness, we want to please Him. God has given us His infinitely gracious gift in salvation through Jesus (John 3:16; Romans 5:8). Our response is to consecrate our lives to Him out of love, worship, and gratitude for what He has done for us (Romans 12:1-2). Antinomianism is unbiblical in that it misapplies the meaning of God’s gracious favor.

A second thethat antinomianism is unbiblical is that there is a moral law God expects us to obey. First John 5:3 tells us, “This is love for God: to obey His commands. And His commands are not burdensome.” What is this law God expects us to obey? It is the law of Christ – “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments” (Matthew 22:37-40). No, we are not under the Old Testament Law. Yes, we are under the law of Christ. The law of Christ is not an extensive list of legal codes. It is a law of love. If we love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, we will do nothing to displease Him. If we love our neighbors as ourselves, we will do nothing to harm them. Obeying the law of Christ is not a requirement to earn or maintain salvation. The law of Christ is what God expects of a Christian.

Antinomianism is contrary to everything the Bible teaches. God expects us to live a life of morality, integrity, and love. Jesus Christ freed us from the burdensome commands of the Old Testament Law, but that is not a license to sin, but rather a covenant of grace. We are to strive to overcome sin and cultivate righteousness, depending on the Holy Spirit to help us. The fact that we are graciously freed from the demands of the Old Testament Law should result in our living our lives in obedience to the law of Christ. First John 2:3-6 declares, “We know that we have come to know Him if we obey His commands. The man who says, ‘I know Him,’ but does not do what He commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But if anyone obeys His word, God's love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in Him: Whoever claims to live in Him must walk as Jesus did.”

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CHRIST JESUS PAID FOR OUR SIN DEBT IN FULL!!!

EASY BELIEVISM AND REPENTANCE BY ROBERT BREAKER

God is NOT the author of confusion but of peace.  Why then are so many Christians confused, worried and unsure of what they've known all their lives?  Well, my POV is the LIAR.  Confuse the Church, cause division and give them a man-made word like Lordship Salvation vs. Easy Believism.  Robert Breaker explains it and takes away the confusion.  My next post will be from a very credible source about Lordship salvation.  Let me be perfectly clear here on what I believe...

"For ye are SAVED by grace through faith and not of yourselves.  It is a gift of God.  Not of works lest any man should boast."  Ephesians 2:8-9

"It is not God's will that any man should perish but all be called to REPENTANCE."

I believe there is a false salvation and true salvation.  Acts 8:37 in the KJV says clearly that you MUST believe with your whole heart, mind, soul and strength that Jesus Christ is Lord.  You cannot say a prayer, asking God to forgive you and then go on living your life in sin.  The Apostle Paul is clear when he says "should we sin so that grace can abound?  God forbid!  

You are a new creation in Christ Jesus upon true salvation.  By that and through the works of the Holy Spirit, you will live a different life.  We will sin but we won't remain in willful sin.  The Holy Spirit regenerates you, transforms you, sanctifies you and ultimately you go to Heaven.  True salvation will produce good works but what are considered good works?  It's not anything we do but what He does.  We will sin and Paul also says that when we do, we have one mediator between us and God and that's the man Christ Jesus.  "I am the way, the truth and the life.  No man cometh unto the Father except through me."  Salvation is simple, easy and free but there is a cost.  You will have to be willing to lose everything to be found worthy.  What are you willing to lose to gain the Kingdom of God?

These are my own thoughts.  I am not teaching, preaching or sharing a different Gospel.  The only Gospel is the death/burial/resurrection of Christ Jesus; trust in Him alone for your salvation and you are saved.  Read First Corinthians 15.  Do not add to or take away from this or you ARE teaching a false Gospel.  Saying a prayer but living a willful sinful life isn't true salvation.  You are going to be transformed and you will receive the fruits of the Spirit and your life will show it by those fruits.  I believe this is where the confusion comes in.  Many think "fruits" are actions and works of the law but it's not, it's patience, humility, mercy, etc.  We are called to Holiness and righteous living and that can only be achieved by the WORK of the Holy Spirit in your life.  Be ye therefore transformed.  You cannot receive the Holy Spirit without true conversion.  It is a free gift upon salvation!