Ray Comfort What Does It Mean to Be Born Again
Past David J. Stewart | Jan 2015 | Updated July 2015
1st Timothy 6-vii, �From which some having swerved have turned aside unto vain jangling;
Desiring to be teachers of the law; understanding neither what they say, nor whereof they affirm.�
There is a disturbing trend among evangelicals to explain being �born again� equally an �EXPERIENCE,� instead of as a supernatural miracle of God in response to a homo'due south faith in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I have a copy of Ray Comfort'due south �THE Show BIBLE� in front of me. I bought information technology a few years ago. On page 1529, under the commentary section, �How Can You Know That You lot Are Saved?,� The Evidence Bible states:
Christians believed in God's existence before their conversion, however, when they obeyed the Word of God, turned from their sins, and embraced Jesus Christ, they stopped merely believing. The moment they reached out and touched the heater bar of God'southward mercy, they moved out of belief into the realm of experience. This experience is so radical, Jesus referred to it every bit beingness born once again. [emphasis added]
SOURCE: The Way of the Principal Testify Bible, past Ray Comfort and Kirk Cameron, folio 1529; �2003 past Bridge-Logos Publishers.
May I say, beingness built-in again is Not an �experience.� Ray Comfort and Kirk Cameron wrongly understand being �born-again� as an Feel that involves forsaking i's sinful lifestyle and �EMBRACING� Jesus Christ. Ray Comfort gets this idea from an errant agreement of James 2:19, �Thou believest that there is 1 God; k doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.� Many foolish Bible teachers misinterpret James two:19 to mean that simple Belief on Christ is insufficient to be saved. This is not what the Bible is saying here. Information technology simply means that no 1 is going to Heaven simply because they believe in that location is a God.
This is why Jesus told His disciples in Luke 13:23-24, �Then said one unto him, Lord, are there few that exist saved? And he said unto them, Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you lot, will seek to enter in, and shall non be able .� You tin believe in God all you want�you lot tin serve Him, go to church, tithe, sacrifice and do good all your life, and then become straight to the Lake of Fire forever to fire!!! Jesus said, �Ye must be born once again� (John 3:7).
What did Jesus hateful by �born again?� The question is answered in John 3:six, �That which is built-in of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit .� When you were built-in the first time into the earth, that was of the mankind; but the new birth (or 2d nascency) is when the Holy Spirit of God comes inside your body to indwell you (upon your faith in the Gospel of Jesus Christ). Existence �built-in once again?� means that you have been born into God'south family unit! Whereas all men are built-in spiritually Dead from birth (Romans five:15), in order to enter into the Kingdom of God a person must be born for the second time, spiritually (John 3:6-vii). The first birth is PHYSICAL, earthly; The second birth is SPIRITUAL, past the Holy Spirit of God (John i:12-fourteen).
Biblically, mere artless Assertive is all that God requires to be saved. This is what Jesus said in John 6:28-29, �So said they unto him, What shall we do, that nosotros might piece of work the works of God? Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent .�
In Mr. Comfort'due south thinking, being born once again means moving from the realm of merely assertive in God, to the realm of leaving one'south sinful ways and clinging to Christ. Mr. Comfort recognizes this as an EXPERIENCE, which to him means existence built-in-again.
The Word of God teaches something entirely different. A person is �born once more� by the Holy Spirit of God, which is initiated by mere artless belief in Christ's death on the cantankerous for our sins, His burial and resurrection three days subsequently. The Bible defines this equally the �Gospel� in 1st Corinthians 15:ane-iv. Whereas The Evidence Bible teaches that a transforming �radical experience� is what it means to be born-again; the Holy Bible teaches that it is the transforming power of God'south Holy Spirit that produces the new nascence . . .
John 1:12-13, �Just every bit many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the volition of the flesh, nor of the will of man, only of God .�
It is a fake plan of salvation to explicate the new birth equally a mere transforming experience. Any radical transformation is wrought solely by the Holy Spirit of God. It is heresy to require an experience, a radical change, or some transformation from a person in order to be saved. This is because eternal life is a free gift (Ephesians 2:8-9). Salvation is a TAKE suggestion, not a Give suggestion. God will non save anyone who is trying to be saved, He will simply save those who are trusting to exist saved. It is the presence of the indwelling Holy Spirit that changes a person, and not our own human endeavor.
Ray Comfort understands salvation backwards. He requires a person to commit to get out their sinful lifestyle, and embrace Christ, which is the radical experience he requires from people to be saved. Biblically, yous don't have to embrace Christ to be saved, y'all simply need to believe on Him. That'southward what the Bible teaches. John 3:16, �For God so loved the world, that he gave his just begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, simply have everlasting life.�
Although a person may or may not express emotions at the time of salvation, emotions are not required for salvation. Neither tears, nor whatever outward manifestation of inner changes, nor a desire to serve God, nor forsake sins, nor any radical experience is necessary to receive the free souvenir of eternal life. Information technology IS A GIFT, and a �gift� is free in every sense. For a wonderful presentation of the simple program of salvation by Pastor Hank Lindstrom (1940-2008), please see Go God'south Souvenir.
Furthermore, forsaking i's sinful lifestyle is NOT what it means Biblically to �apologize.� Repentance is �irresolute 1'south heed,� that is, realizing and acknowledging one'southward guilt of sin for breaking a holy God's commandments (Romans 3:xix). The only thing you demand to repent of to be saved is whatever has been hindering you from coming to Christ to exist saved (Hebrews 6:1). The man who BELIEVES the Gospel has repented, otherwise he never would take come up to Jesus Christ to exist saved (John iii:xx). Our part in salvation is only to BELIEVE on Jesus Christ, and whatsoever else is a part of our salvation is solely God's section, and you can be assured He will attend to that.
The term �born again� does non refer to having a �radical experience�
I accept nothing personal against Ray Comfort nor Kirk Cameron. I am a born-once more Christian and a Baptist preacher. Every bit such I am merely contending for the Christian faith equally Jude 1:iii commands us all to practice as believers. It concerns me when I hear Bible teachers who don't truly understand the Bible, teaching that the new birth is merely a radical transformation caused by turning abroad from sinful living and embracing Jesus Christ. That's non the Gospel. That'southward not salvation. That'due south not the new birth. That's reformation!!! I am 100% convinced that Ray Comfort is not a genuine Christian.
The Way of the Master Evidence Bible has much good information in information technology, just if they are wrong on salvation, they are wrong on everything. It's like buttoning a shirt, if you get the commencement push button wrong, then all the buttons will be wrong. Ray Condolement and Kirk Cameron have a wrong grasp on what it means to be saved. According to the quote I provided to yous from The Evidence Bible earlier, they sympathise the new nascence to be a descriptive term used by our Lord to depict the �radical feel� of forsaking sinful bad habits and embracing Christ. May I kindly say, the term �born again� does non refer to having a �radical experience.� That'southward not why Jesus used the term.
To exist �born again� means to accept He (Christ), Who is the get-go (Revelation one:viii), born in us. Jesus taught Nicodemus (a Jewish religious leader) that to enter into the Kingdom of God, a human must exist born of both water (the physical birth) and of the Spirit (the spiritual birth). Jesus said, �Ye must exist born over again� (John three:one-seven). Ray Condolement places the emphasis upon AN EXPERIENCE, which is produced past forsaking sinful living and embracing Christ; but the Bible places the emphasis upon THE GIFT OF ETERNAL LIFE, which is produced by assertive the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.
The great spiritual danger of instruction the new birth as �AN Feel� (let along a �radical� experience) is that people will call up they must have �an experience� to go saved, and that's not true. When you lot believe (fully trust) the Gospel (Good News) of Christ's death on the cross, His burial and bodily resurrection three days later, y'all are saved. When you get saved you lot won't feel any dissimilar inside. When I got saved I didn't see stars, angels or hear heavenly voices. The presence of the Holy Spirit is that still, small-scale, quiet, voice of God . . .
1st Kings 19:11-12, �And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mountain before the LORD. And, behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and potent wind rent the mountains, and restriction in pieces the rocks earlier the LORD; but the LORD was non in the air current: and after the wind an convulsion; but the LORD was not in the earthquake: And after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire: and afterwards the fire a still small voice .�
I love that! The prophet Elijah looked for God in the air current, the earthquake and in the fire, but God came to Elijah in A Even so Small VOICE . That is always where you volition find God my friend. Turn off the Telly. Turn off the radio. Put down the electronic toys. Selection up the Holy Bible and permit God's Holy Spirit speak to your heart in that precious STILL SMALL Phonation.
I could never recommend The Evidence Bible to anyone, considering it is misleading concerning the programme of conservancy. Mr. Comfort too butchers Matthew 7:21-23. I admire Ray Comfort in many ways as an aggressive street evangelist, and he has so much potential to go a smashing preacher, simply he needs to forsake Lordship Salvation and proclaim the souvenir of God instead. A gift is a gift is a gift! It'due south not that hard to effigy out.
Ray Comfort Says Sinful Believers are Not �Safe� in Jesus
One thing I notice is that Ray Comfort and Kirk Cameron avoid the topic of The Eternal Security of the Believer entirely. On page 1513 of THE Show BIBLE, under the section �Questions & Objections,� Ray Comfort addresses the argument: �Because Jesus died on the cantankerous we are forgiven of every sin.�
Hither�s Ray Comfort�southward disturbing reply to this statement�
�The forgiveness that is in Jesus Christ is conditional upon �repentance towards God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ� (Acts xx:21). Information technology is a gift that God offers to everyone, but individuals must receive it by repenting and trusting in Christ, or they will remain dead in their sins. No one has Biblical grounds to continue in sin, assuming that they are rubber just considering Jesus died on the cross. Meet 1 John iii:four-6.� [Emphasis added]
SOURCE: THE EVIDENCE BIBLE, by Ray Condolement, pg. 1513; 2003, Bridge-Logos Publishers, Orlando, Florida
Those are some very dangerous words at the end, ��bold that they are safe simply because Jesus died on the cross.� Are not all believers �safe� in Jesus Christ? Aye, they certainly are rubber (Ephesians one:13; Isaiah 28:16; Romans 10:eleven); but Ray Comfort teaches they are not. Ray Condolement does not fully understand the Biblical doctrine of the IMPUTED righteousness of God (Philippians iii:nine; Romans 10:iii-iv). Ray Condolement is instruction heresy to say that believers who fail to forsake their sinful living are not safe in their salvation. Such reasoning places a heavy burden upon the sinner, requiring one to depart from sinful bad habits as a prerequisite to be saved. This is human effort added to God's simple plan of conservancy. Offset of all, no one can repent of all their sins. Even the best Christians nonetheless commit sin every day, both in deed and thought. It is a sin even when we fail to pray as we ought (1st Samuel 12:23).
Check what I say and y'all'll discover that it is truthful, that... Mormons, Seventh-Twenty-four hours Adventists, Jehovah's Witness, John MacArthur, Paul Washer and Ray Comfort all define repentance THE SAME wrong fashion. They all mistakenly define repentance as ceasing from a sinful lifestyle and surrendering one's entire volition to Christ's Lordship as a requirement to be saved. If a person professes faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, but all the same hangs onto their sinful bad habits, they are wrongly accused of never having repented and are said to still exist unsaved. Thus, conservancy requires some degree of human endeavour with all these aforementioned religious cults and fake prophets.
Ray Comfort and Kirk Cameron totally fail to grasp the reality that eternal life is a FREE GIFT (Romans five:15,eighteen). Ray Comfort teaches a performance-based programme of salvation; whereas, the Bible teaches that eternal life is a GIFT. Romans 6:23, �For the wages of sin is decease; but the souvenir of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord .� Beingness built-in-again is not an experience; simply rather, it is a supernatural miracle of God in response to a person's faith in the Gospel bulletin. The Holy Spirit of God comes to indwell (live inside) the body of every laic the moment they receive Jesus as their Savior (John 1:12; Romans 8:9; 1st Corinthians iii:16-17). The �new nascency� refers to the Spirit of Christ which comes to indwell the believer (Romans 8:ix). If you're built-in one time, you lot dice twice; but if your born twice, yous die once. Although nosotros must all dice a physical expiry, the second death is simply for Christ-rejecters who die in their sins (Revelation 21:eight).
Anyone who realizes they are a sinner in God's optics, and believes the Skillful News of Christ'south death on the cross for their sins, and that He was buried and raised upward actual after three days, is immediately saved and has eternal life. Conservancy is received, not accomplished. Eternal life is a gift, and a gift demand only be taken. To receive a gift there tin can exist no obligations, requirements, prerequisites nor strings fastened. Salvation is not doing your all-time, it is having Christ's best put to your account through receiving Him by faith.
�Nobody tin love God who doesn't love sinners!�
(a quote past Dr. Jack Hyles archetype MP3 sermon, �The Happiest Human� (happiest is the man who will not impute sin to others!)
"The mark of the child of God is that he loves everybody!"
(a quote from Pastor Jack Hyles' classic MP3 sermon, "FORGIVENESS")
Source: https://www.jesusisprecious.org/false_doctrine/lordship_salvation/born_again_not_an_experience.htm
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