Hardness & Hostility
A man who represented Accelerated Christian Education in our area once told
me in the midst of an intense discussion about the plan of salvation presented
in ACE’s material: “All the best scholars agree that the terms are the same—Ask
Jesus into your heart and trust Christ as your substitute.” He went on to say
that if what we were saying was correct then he was lost. That ended the
conversation, for it was then obvious he was not defending God’s Word; rather,
he was defending a false profession.
We confronted a missionary who worked with a printing ministry in the South
over the false plan of salvation used in their materials. After a lengthy,
heated discussion, he said that he had asked Jesus into his heart here in our
church many years ago, and if that did not save him, then he was not saved.
We have found that those who become the most “hostile” over what we are
saying are more often than not unsaved themselves. They are defending their own
false profession of faith as surely as a man defends a city. Normally, their
defense is not Scriptural, and if they admit that what is presented herein is
true, they must admit that what they have is false. On the other hand, those
who have trusted Christ rejoice over the message contained herein.
Not one time in Scripture is there even a hint that one can be saved by
asking Jesus into his heart; it is a false plan of salvation being used by the
devil to draw multitudes down the broad road to destruction.
The man from ACE said, “Boy, you sure are narrow!” when I would not
consider any argument except Scripture. Yes! I am; furthermore, the Lord was
very narrow, calling all others thieves and robbers. [Jn 10]
A Personal Testimony
The truth presented herein is largely overlooked in our day; therefore, I
realize many who read this will not understand what we are trying to say. But,
obviously, the risk is far too great to dismiss this lightly.
Though I am apprehensive about mentioning personal experience (the Spirit
deals with individuals as individuals), I think it would be useful to mention
that this little booklet is written from personal experience. This preacher was
“deceived” by this other gospel for many years. Whereas there are “other
gospels” which are just as dangerous as the one presented herein, this one
appears to be the most prevalent today. Our prayer is that the Holy Spirit
might see fit to use this little booklet to perform the same work in others
which he did in this preacher’s life at 11:30 A.M., Oct. 29, 1977. Please do
not attempt to compare experiences, for our only comparison must be with the
Word of God. The Lord deals with unique individuals, and calls each to Himself
in His unique way within the bounds of His Word.
When I got out of the Service in 1965, I worked construction during the day
and took some evening Bible College courses. Our church had a large bus
ministry, and the head of the bus ministry talked me into driving a bus, then
into taking a bus route. The Lord allowed a successful bus route, so successful
in fact, that when he left I was asked to take over the ministry. While I was
there, the Lord dealt with my heart about salvation.
I had gone forward as a nine-year old child. I am certain I went through
all the proper religious motions because I was baptized at that time. As I got
older, I could remember nothing about it, and the message I kept hearing was,
“If you can’t remember asking Jesus into your heart, then you aren’t saved.” I
could not remember; therefore, one evening, in deep emotional distress, I went
to one of my instructors saying, “I need to talk to you.” He took me into his
office and I told him, “I’m not saved.”
“Ovid,” he said, “if anyone is saved, you are.”
I replied, “No, I’m not. Show me how to be saved.” He proceeded to show me
that I needed to ask Jesus into my heart which I did.
The Lord moved us to another church where, once again, we were placed in
charge of the “soul-winning” visitation and the bus ministry. With very few
exceptions, each Sunday we had someone whom we had “led to the Lord” in their
homes, walk down the aisle and publicly profess asking Jesus into their hearts.
After three years, we went on to the staff of another church and again were
given charge of the soul-winning visitation program. Here my job included
door-to-door “soulwinning,” as well as following up the new children from the
buses. I spent six hours a day, five days a week, doing this. In my files I
still have record of close to 1,000 names and addresses of those whom I led to
pray, “Jesus, come into my heart, and save me.” The only reason I mention this
is to point out that, in this particular area, I am not a novice. I have been
there.
I noticed something different about the pastor at this new church. He used
a soul-winning plan called “Circles and Steps” which he picked up from Tom
Wallace. I saw the difference in this presentation as he pointed out the
necessity of the substitutionary death of Christ before he said to the
prospect, “If you are willing to trust Christ as your Saviour, take my hand.”
I felt this was a much better way of presenting the Gospel, so I changed
the plan I used from “Ask Jesus into your heart to save you,” to “Take my hand
to show you are trusting in Christ as your Substitute and Saviour.”
I had no problems with this until my pastor and I held a Christian workers’
conference in a little church in Missouri beside the Mississippi River. At the
conference, I was teaching a class on soul-winning and was speaking about how
so many people believed they were saved because they had walked down the
aisles, shook the preacher’s hand and told him they believed that Christ died
and rose again (Romans 10:9, 10). Then they would go on to be baptized, yet their sincerity
didn’t save them. A lady on the back row raised her hand and said, “If that’s
true, then I’m not saved.” Others raised their hands speaking their agreement
with her.
I had to call in my pastor for help in leading them to trust in Christ.
Everyone in attendance that afternoon was saved except the host church’s
pastor, his wife, and a visiting pastors wife. 45 Christian workers from the
area’s churches were saved.
As we made the 10-hour drive back home the following day, I was devastated,
and wept most of the way. The question which kept burdening my heart was, “How
could so many good, sincere people be so wrong?”
The next day, as we met with our ladies to send them out soul-winning, I
told of what had happened in Missouri. As I did, I saw the lady who was in
charge of our church’s nursery program began weeping. I gave an invitation, and
she raised her hand. I sent her to my office to talk to her after dismissing
the others. As I walked into the office, she said, “You got me, didn’t you?”
Surprised over what happened, I led her to trust in Christ.
Later that day, as I drove back to the church following some hospital
visits, the thought occurred to me: “Ovid, how do you know you are going to
heaven?”
“Because I have asked Jesus into my heart,” was my reply, knowing that was
not the right answer. I was then reminded that I had just led a lady to trust
in Christ as her Substitute and Saviour who had my false hope.
I wrestled with the matter, arguing, “I wouldn’t be soul-winning every day
if I wasn’t saved. . . . I wouldn’t be teaching the adult Bible Class. . . . I
wouldn’t be scheduled to be ordained if I wasn’t saved.” (At this point I was
the Associate Pastor, had been licensed by the church, was doing most of the
baptisms and was going to be ordained in a few weeks.) “I wouldn’t be doing all
of these Bible-based religious activities if I wasn’t saved.”
We had taken a $600-per-month cut in pay to come to this church. I was
spending four hours each morning with the Lord, as well as fasting and spending
one night a week in prayer. As I thought on these things, I understood that I
was basing my salvation upon all of my good works. (“I wouldn’t be doing all
these things if I wasn’t saved.”) Furthermore, I remembered that God was not
and would not be impressed with my good deeds.
Still not wanting to give in, I fled to some standard excuses which I had
confronted so many times in others: “Well, I didn’t understand about the
substitutionary death back then, but I do now.” Then I remembered that we do
not believe in evolution. The final argument to fall was, “What will people
think?” The answer to this was the one I had used so many times with others:
“Which is worse, hell or what people think?” [These were all answers that I had
used to convince others of their lost conditions. My own arguments were coming
back against my false hope.]
I put off a decision for another day, until Saturday morning. When I could
avoid the issue no longer, I called the pastor at his office. He came into my
office, and I told him I had to be saved. His response was that he knew; every
time he had asked me how I knew I was saved, I had answered, “Because I prayed
and ask the Lord to save me,” or, “Because I prayed and accepted Jesus Christ
into my heart and life.” I saw myself that morning as one who was trying to
climb into heaven by some means other than through what Christ had done for me.
This pastor was caught in the trap; I must say with Paul in Philippians 3, I now count it all lost. I had spent 12 years
under this false plan of salvation; I taught it, practiced it and told people
by the thousands that they would be saved if they would “pray and ask Jesus into
their hearts,” when all the time I had nothing and probably gave them the same
nothing.
I fled to Romans 10:13 and Revelation 3:20, but using them alone wrests them from their
contexts. Romans 10:13 is based on Romans 5:8 and 10:9-14, Revelation 3:20 is to a specific church. Anything less than a
clear presentation of the atoning work of Christ is not the Gospel of the Lord
Jesus Christ; it is another Jesus, 2 Cor 11:3 & Gal 1:6. Anything less than trust in what He has done is not
Biblical salvation. Every Bible scholar in the world can say differently, but
that will not change God’s Word—“Yea, let God be true and every man a liar” [Rom 3:4]. It is not possible to be saved unless God’s plan is
first clearly heard and understood.
Do not compare your experiences with this pastor’s or any other person’s.
Let Us Know
If God has used this to speak to your heart about salvation, please let us
know so that we may both rejoice and be encouraged as we do what we can to
advance the Kingdom of our God.
—By Ovid Need, Jr.
See here for this entire study.
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