Today I was reading Psalm 24:4 and came upon the commentary on the verse by Charles Spurgeon called “The Treasury of David” exposition on the Psalms. Upon reading it I was delighted to find supporting evidence on the fundamental premise of this site – a condemnation of the corrupted grace doctrine. It is further interesting to hear these words coming from such a renowned theologian such as Spurgeon.
“Verse 4. He that hath clean hands. Outward, practical holiness is a very precious mark of grace. To wash in water with Pilate is nothing, but to wash in innocency is all important. It is to be feared that many professors have perverted the doctrine of justification by faith in such a way as to treat good works with contempt; if so, they will receive everlasting contempt at the last great day. It is vain to prate of inward experience unless the daily life is free from impurity, dishonesty, violence, and oppression. Those who draw near to God must have clean hands. What monarch would have servants with filthy hands to wait at his table? They who were ceremonially unclean could not enter into the Lord’s house which was made with hands, much less shall the morally defiled be allowed to enjoy spiritual fellowship with a holy God.”
– The Treasury of David exposition on Psalm 24:4 by Charles Spurgeon.
Proponents of the modern grace doctrine would be pleased to chalk up these statements to the idea that since we are “washed in Jesus’ blood”, then somehow none of that applies because Jesus’ blood alone makes us innocent, not our refraining from evil and good works that we do.
However, Spurgeon’s statement from long ago is undeniably clear. He couldn’t have meant that at all, for he explicitly stated that “many professors have perverted the doctrine of justification by faith in such a way as to treat good works with contempt”, which is precisely what the modern grace doctrine is doing today.
Modern grace doctrine perverts the salvation taught by the Bible to condemn all those who seek to do good works in order to please God and be holy. However, as we know, the Bible teaches very clearly throughout its entirety, all the way from Genesis to Revelation, that good works are indeed a part of our justification by faith. For, without works, faith is dead, as is reiterated repeatedly in the book of James. You cannot say that you have faith and yet not have works as the evidence of your faith.
The hypocrisy of Christians
Today I was speaking with my coworker who was raised in a Catholic home, and while he did say that he believes for sure that there is a God, he said that he does not believe the same as Catholic beliefs, so he would not call himself a Christian. In our conversation he asked me why Christians seem to often be the worst people. I related with this sentiment, because I myself have experienced the same – many Christians often behave worse than many non-Christians.
It was for this very same reason that I began this website, to refute this corrupted modern grace doctrine and to teach what the Bible truly says. And it was for this reason, the fact that self-proclaimed Christians often are some of the worst people today, that I felt convicted to begin proclaiming about the truth of the Bible that indeed God does require and demand us to do good works.
The way to salvation
Jesus is the only way to heaven, but it is not automatic. If it was automatic, then everyone should be saved, but we know that everyone is not automatically saved. And saying some words in a prayer does not save you either. James 2:19 says, “You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!” Belief alone does not equal salvation, because even the demons believe, but we know their fate is hell.
And saying some words and turning from your sin does not save you if later you turn back to your old ways of wickedness. Hebrews 10:26 says, “For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins”. Only believing in your heart that Jesus Christ is Lord, confessing with your mouth, repenting and turning from your sins, and living a life of holiness will get you salvation.
Pastors and teachers will insist, “but it’s not earning your way” and condemn all those who say anything that even implied you have to “do” anything to get to heaven. But, according to the Bible, they are the true heretics by teaching that you don’t have to do anything to get to heaven, when what the Bible says is that obedience is required: “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?” (Luke 6:46).
The reason for the hypocrisy of Christians
Back to Christians often being horrible people – why is this? My theory is that because of modern grace doctrine, which teaches that we can get to heaven no matter how we live – on the one hand it still says that we should seek to be good, but on the other hand it says that we are filthy creatures incapable of good – which is not biblical. This corrupted modern grace doctrine also suggests that we can still get to heaven even if we live horrible lives – which is unbiblical and untrue.
I think that often many Christians are horrible people because, despite what they think (because they believe a dichotomy), they actually do believe they have a license to sin. They might say they don’t believe that, but their actions show what they truly believe. One day they are cursing out their spouse or employee, working wickedness in their heart, and later that day someone asks them if they are going to heaven and they reply, “Yes! Because I am saved by the blood of Jesus! Thank God for His great grace that I can be such a horrible person and still get to heaven!” – of course, probably not in so many words. Yet this is not biblical.
These evil people who go to church every Sunday and call themselves Christians are going to be shocked when on that day, God tells them, “Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matthew 25:41). They will reply, “but I am saved! I said that prayer and believed, check the Book of Life again, Lord!” To which the Lord will reply, “your name is not in here, you wicked servant! Angels, take him away and cast him into the Lake of Fire!” For the Bible says, “Many will say to Me on that day, Lord, Lord, … then I will tell them plainly, I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!” (Matthew 7:22-23)
The dangers to teachers who teach unbiblical doctrines
Even worse, however, will be the fate of the teachers and pastors and ministers who teach this corrupted version of the doctrine of justification by faith. By condemning all works and teaching people that pursuing works is discouraged, they not only guide many souls into hell, but they themselves will also be subject to greater punishment. Spurgeon was not merely ranting about them, he was in fact referencing scripture, which says that “Not many of you should become teachers … we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.” (James 3:1)
It is for this reason that I am extremely cautious about what I teach. I am also keeping it in mind about God judging me by my own teachings. For this reason I am careful not to teach against any doctrine that I am not yet completely learned about, so as to not risk bringing myself under greater condemnation by teaching others the wrong thing. Grace doctrine, however, is one of the things that I am completely certain about, because the Bible is very clear about it. I believe that God convicted me to teach about this, and so I do.
However, it is a concern that teachers who do subscribe to believe in total depravity and the corrupted modern grace doctrine, that by this very doctrine they believe also that just as they are teaching that others will not be condemned for their evil lives, that the teachers too would not be judged for teaching evil teachings, because by extension, the teachers would also be supposedly innocent, “washed by the blood of Christ”. However, nowhere does it say this – in fact, the Bible says that false teachers will be condemned.
Nowhere does it say that “saved” false teachers get a free pass, so to speak. On the contrary, “It would be better for them to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around their neck than to cause one of these little ones to stumble.” (Luke 17:2). Imagine how many millstones must be around the necks of false teachers who cause not just one, but hundreds, thousands, or even millions of people to stumble by their false teachings.
And with the internet today, no longer is a false teacher limited to merely their small church or community, but a random false teacher can get in front of millions of people practically overnight through venues such as youtube. It is a scary time in history to be a false teacher; many may even accidentally be false teachers by propagating things they learned from false teachers but do not understand. This makes the internet and youtube a dangerous place to be for many teachers and even random people who are trying to do good but are actually causing many to sin by teaching these false teachings that they do not realize are false.
Modern grace doctrine is false doctrine
In any case, it is encouraging to see that the more I read classic theologians, the more I see that the perversion of the modern grace doctrine on a grand scale is more of a recent advent. It is encouraging because it means that there is plenty of evidence to refute modern false teachers who teach the modern grace doctrine, by their own favorite teachers who they thought actually supported their ideas. In truth, many (if not all) famous theologians wholly abhorred the teachings that condemned the importance of living a holy life and doing good works.
It is truly terrible that so many people today, including pastors and famous teachers, are subscribing to this belief that good works don’t really matter and don’t have any impact on salvation, which is utterly untrue and unbiblical. It is even more terrifying the number of people who honestly believe they are going to get to heaven and ascend into eternity with Christ despite living abhorrent lives.
I pray that many new teachers will rise up and begin to teach against this modern grace doctrine so that Christianity can be restored to a life of holiness, to a life where the Sabbath is honored and not dismissed, to a life where Christians are the people who stand out because they refuse to do evil, not because they are horrible hypocrites that are worse than even the non-Christians.
I pray that these false teachers can be discredited who are teaching believing Christians to stop being concerned about holy living, and by extension creating hypocrites and sending people to hell. I pray that people can begin to see the truth of the Bible, that good works are not only suggested, but commanded by the Bible; as not only a benefit to a Christian walk but a critical component in our salvation; for without works, faith is dead; and without faith in Christ, there is no salvation; so without works as evidence of our faith, then there is no salvation.
17 Every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 So then, by their fruit you will recognize them.
(Matthew 7:17-20)
If a person claims to be Christian but by their lives they reflect immorality and hypocrisy, then you can know by looking at their lives that they are not among those who will enter into eternity, unless they change their ways. You cannot enter into heaven if your life, actions, and good works and deeds do not reflect the faith in Christ that you claim to believe. The wicked in deed will not make it into eternity with Christ, but they will be sent to hell, no matter what they claim to believe.