Tag Archives: John R Rice

The Mesmerizing Appeal of Jack Hyles

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This entry is part 12 of 17 in the seriesJack Hyles and Jack Schaap
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Jack Hyles during the Independent Baptist Church Movement Heyday

Jack Hyles was pastor of First Baptist Church in Hammond, Indiana from 1959-2001. For many years, the church was the largest congregation in America. The church had a Pastor’s School and a Youth Conference each year that brought thousands of people to Hammond to see first hand what God Hyles was doing.

In the Independent Fundamentalist Baptist (IFB) church movement, no one was bigger than Jack Hyles. IFB churches and pastors measured success by:

  • Church attendance
  • Offerings
  • Souls Saved

and in these three areas, Jack Hyles and First Baptist Church were the king of the hill.

hyles_statute

Like most IFB churches, First Baptist Church was owned and operated by Jack Hyles. No, Hyles did not literally own the church, but there was no doubt about one thing, this was the house Jack built. Hyles had unlimited power to rule the church as he saw fit, and even when caught in an inappropriate sexual relationship with his secretary, he was able to wiggle free, and remained pastor of First Baptist Church until he died on February 6, 2001. (who can forget the 100% Hyles buttons?)  A statute of Jack and Beverly Hyles can be found in the church courtyard, an ever present reminder that First Baptist Church owes its existence to Jack Hyles.

People not raised, schooled, and indoctrinated in the IFB church movement often have a hard time understanding how Jack Hyles could wield such power over people.  It seems so “cultic” to them, and, truth be told, there are elements of IFB belief and practice that is “cultic.”

While the IFB church movement is not a cult in the classic sense, it does have beliefs and practices that are harmful to people emotionally and mentally. Because it is a movement built on a foundation of anti-intellectualism, pastors are given an inordinate amount of power over people. The pastor becomes the resident intellectual (even though he is likely no more educated than the people in the pew.) who church members see as God’s chosen man. The man of God speaks on God’s behalf. He is uniquely called by God to the ministry and he is to be obeyed. Failure to obey will bring judgment from God, at least according to IFB preachers.

Jack Hyles was a god in IFB church circles. People read his sermons in the Sword of the Lord and cassette recordings of Hyles’s sermons made their way around the globe.  He was the Big Kahuna, and when he spoke everybody listened. It is important to understand how popular Hyles was. (and still is) People would drive hours to hear him preach at a Sword of the Lord Conference. They would hang on his every word. (After all, look at the size of his church. This is PROOF that Hyles and God were on a first name basis) When it came time for the invitation, hundreds of penitents would stream down the aisle to the altar and prostrate themselves before God Hyles, praying that God would forgive them of their sins and give them Holy Ghost  power to do whatever Hyles was asking telling them to do.

It is hard for to admit, even to this day, that I was a part of this, that the  churches I pastored  were a part of this. (I left the IFB church movement in the late 1980’s, early 1990’s) It is hard to admit that I was caught up in a religion that encouraged worshipping men as gods. Hyles, like Bob Jones, even had a college named after him, Hyles-Anderson College.

Granted, anytime a group of people gather together under a common belief or ideal, there is the tendency to elevate certain people to god-like status within the group. IFB churches do it, Evangelicals do it, and yes, even atheists do it. (look at the typical Atheist/Humanist conference. The same speakers over and over)

It has been thirty years since I heard Jack Hyles preach. I heard Hyles preach many times during the heyday of the IFB movement, the late 1960’s to the late 1980’s. I would attend Sword of the Lord conferences whenever I could . Sometimes I drove several hours just so  I could sit at the feet of great IFB luminaries like Jack Hyles, Lee Roberson, Lester Roloff,  Bob Gray of Florida, Curtis Hutson, John R. Rice and Tom Malone. (Malone was the President of Midwestern Baptist College, the college I attended from  1976-79)

captain_hyles

A Poem Written by a Devoted Follower of Jack Hyles

What was it about Jack Hyles that drew people to him? (and God is not the right answer)

Jack Hyles was a superb orator. He knew how to use words, cadence, volume, and inflection to deliver sermons that most preachers could never deliver. As an oratorical specimen, his sermons were flawless.  His sermons rarely had much Bible in them since he typically preached textual or topical sermons, but his sermons were perfectly scripted with each point and sub point in perfect harmony. When Hyles chased a rabbit down the rabbit trail, he did it on purpose. He was methodical and disciplined in his preaching.

Hyles told a lot of stories about himself, his mother, and his feats as a pastor god. His stories often made up  the bulk of the sermon. Young preachers like myself hung on every word, every story. Here was a man mightily used by God. It was many years before I could divorce myself from my worship of Jack Hyles enough to see his sermons for what they really were; grandiose brag sessions of a narcissist.  I also came to see that the stories Hyles told were often lies or distortions of the truth. (and I have no doubt Hyles really believed his own narrative)

The IFB church movement prides itself on being anti-cultural. The movement is known for what it is against rather than what it is for. In his sermons Hyles would rail against Southern Baptists, The National Council of Churches, Evangelicals, pants on women, alcohol drinking, sex, and any other ill he deemed “worldly” or contrary to the received truth of the IFB church movement.

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Yes, There is Even a Church that Bears the Hyles Name

When Hyles would preach against these things, his words elicit deep emotional and physical response. People would shout or say Amen. Preach it, Brother Hyles. People would stream down the aisles to confess their sin, their disobedience to God. The Sword of Lord would report the “number”  of people  who came forward, (the IFB follows a corporate model, dominated by numbers) If you want to see how the numbers racket works, read Bob Gray of Texas’s blog. A Hyles disciple, trained at Hyles-Anderson College, he knows exactly how many souls have been saved under his ministry.  He is the ultimate IFB bean-counter.

When preaching a conference, Hyles would often have an afternoon Question and Answer time for preachers. Young, aspiring preachers, along with old struggling preachers,  could ask Hyles questions about building a great church. I can’t tell you the number of times I saw Hyles eviscerate a preacher because they asked the wrong question. One time, a young preacher asked a question about how to choose a good youth director. (not that Hyles would know since his son, serial adulterer, David Hyles was the youth director at home)  Hyles asked the young man how big his church was and after the young preacher told him, Hyles belittled him and accused him of being lazy. The young preacher should have felt humiliated, but he more likely felt that “God” was speaking to him through Brother Hyles. (Hyles, like many top shelf IFB preachers, could be a bully)

Hyles liked to give off an air of invincibility. His illustrations made him seem like a man who could charge into the flames of hell and come out without one hair singed on his head. He told illustrations like:

There were two men playing tennis and at the end of the game, the loser graciously shook the hand of the winner.

Bro. Hyles, how do you handle losing? (code for failure)

Hyles would thunder, I don’t know, I have never lost.

He would then preach forcefully and loudly about not being a loser, a quitter. (One of his most famous sermons was titled, Don’t Quit)

When you take all these things together, it is easy to see why Jack Hyles was, and still is, worshipped. Some consider him the greatest preacher since the Apostle Paul. I understand how people become mesmerized by the Hyles mystique. However, when a person puts some distance between themselves and the IFB church moment, they start to see that the movement is a man-centered, man-worshiping religion. Are their good, decent people in IFB churches? Sure. For whatever reason, they can not, or will not take off their blinders so they can see things as they really are. (and preachers turned atheist like me have little influence over them)

I wonder what it will take to finally bring the IFB house crashing to the ground? Evidently, sexual scandal won’t do it. Maybe it is too much to ask for. After all, the Roman Catholic Church has pedophiles running amok, yet faithful Catholics still show up for mass and give their money to the church.  It seems that we as humans quite easily ignore what is right in front of us. (we call it cognitive dissonance)

For further information:

Read Andrew Himes book, The Sword of the Lord, The Roots of Fundamentalism in an American Family. (Kindle version is only .99 cents. A great deal)

Read Bryan Smith’s Chicago Magazine article, Let Us Prey: Big Trouble at First Baptist Church

Read the Legacy of Jack Hyles

Read series on Jack Hyles and Jack Schaap

Read the 1980’s Biblical Evangelist story on the Jack Hyles scandal

Salvation Independent Fundamentalist Baptist Style

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Dr. Bob Gray, retired pastor of Longview Baptist Temple, Longview, Texas travels across America winning souls for Jesus. Every week he reports on his website his exploits for Jesus. Gray is the Über-Soul Winner of the Independent Fundamentalist Baptist (IFB) Church movement. He is a consummate bean counter. I have no doubt he knows exactly how many souls he has won to Christ over his 40 years in the ministry.

Last Sunday, Gray was in Florida for two days to help Dr. Ken Pledger, pastor of Calvary Baptist Church, Middleburg, Florida, celebrate his 26th anniversary pastoring the church. Pledger, I believe, attended Midwestern Baptist College in Pontiac, Michigan, the same IFB school I attended in the 1970’s.

Dr. (1) Gray preached at Calvary Baptist Church and of course while he was in the area he worked his soul winning magic. Gray tells an interesting and revealing story about going out to eat with Dr. Russell Anderson, (2) the Anderson in the college named Hyles Anderson.

Gray reports:

Dr. Pledger, Dr. Anderson, and myself went to a Cracker Barrel to eat supper that Saturday night.  Dr. Anderson started joking with the waiter who was 19 or 20.  He told the young man that he carried his priest with him where ever he went so he could get his sins forgiven the minute he sinned.  I was wearing a black pull over and Dr. Anderson pointed to me and said here is my priest.  He told the young man, “By the way we are having a two for one sale on forgiveness of sins and you need to take advantage of this offer tonight!”   The waiter took our order and went on his way.  

He returned with our food and before he walked away he looked at me and said, “Please don’t forget to remind me of that offer to get my sins forgiven.”  I said, “Ok!”  He left and we ate.  He came back and said it again.  We thought he was going along with the joking.  He returned to clear off the table and asked me again to not forget.  I told him to clear the table and then I would show him how to have all of his sins forgiven.  

In a few minutes he came back and I showed him Scriptures on how to have all of his sins whether past, present, or future completely paid for.  He bowed his head and trusted Christ to pay for his sins.  This young man was dead serious with something that started out as joking around.

Gray reports that 103 people were saved and 31 people were baptized while he was there.

Here is what I know. Of the 103 that were “saved” IFB style, most of them will not be in church a month or year from now. The reason is simple. Men like Gray, Russell Anderson, and Ken Pledger, and Bruce Gerencser (3) when he was an IFB pastor, reduce salvation to a sales pitch to be bought or rejected.  It is a complete prostitution and corruption of what the Christian NT teaches about salvation.

Notes:

1. Did you notice that Gray, Russell, and Pledger are all doctors? Except that they aren’t. IFB colleges love to crown their superstars with honorary doctorates. Almost all IFB pastors that have Dr. in front of their name have an honorary doctorate or a doctorate “earned” from a diploma mill.  And believe me, most of them expect to be called Dr.

2.  Russell Anderson came to Trinity Baptist Church in Findlay, Ohio to preach in the early 1970’s when I was a teenager. I was sitting in the far back of the auditorium while Anderson was preaching. I was doing what teens typically do in church….goofing around with my friends. Anderson noticed my inattentiveness and called me out publicly. He then instructed one of the deacons (Mr. Ashcroft I believe) to come sit with me. “One of you deacons go sit with Red there so he will behave!” Guess how many “Reds” there where in the church? You got it. Me. Boy was I embarrassed and my friends never let me hear the end of it.

3.  I believed and practiced IFB soteriology (doctrine of salvation) until 1988. I came to see that IFB soteriology, the soteriology of  Jack Hyles, Tom Malone, the Sword of the Lord  to name a few, was a corruption of what the Bible taught about salvation. After my break with the IFB, I was labeled a preacher of works salvation or Lordship salvation.  Dr. Curtis Hutson, then Editor of the Sword of the Lord, told me I was preaching a works gospel, a false gospel. He and I had tangled over his secret rewriting of a salvation tract written by Dr. John R. Rice. Rice. In rewriting Rice’s tract, What Must I do to be Saved?, Hutson totally changed what Rice believed about the doctrine of repentance.

Breaking Their Will, A Book Review

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This entry is part 2 of 12 in the seriesBook Reviews

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Janet Heimlich’s new book Breaking Their Will, Shedding Light on Religious Child Maltreatment, is a cogent investigation into religious child abuse. Breaking Their Will covers a broad array of religious sects and Heimlich does a good job at documenting the child abuse within these sects.

While Heimlich states several times that she is not suggesting that all religions are bad or that all religions lead to religious child abuse, she comes pretty close to proving otherwise. I wonder if she had to say not all religions are bad to avoid being labeled a closed minded hater of all religions, but regardless of her reason for playing nice with religion, she does a more than adequate job proving that religious child abuse is widespread.

Heimlich writes that religious child maltreatment manifests itself in many ways such as:

  • Justifying  abusive physical punishment with religious texts or doctrine
  • Having children engage in dangerous religious rituals
  • Taking advantage of religious authority to abuse children and procure their silence
  • Failing to provide children needed medical care to a belief in divine intervention
  • Terrifying children with religious concepts, such as an angry and punitive god, eternal damnation, or possession by the devil or by demons
  • Making children feel guilty and shameful by telling them they are sinful
  • Neglecting children’s safety by allowing them to spend time with religious authorities without scrutinizing the authorities’ backgrounds
  • Failing to acknowledge or report child abuse or neglect to protect the image of a religion or a religious group

Breaking Their Will is divided into four parts:

  • The pain of chastisement—religious child physical abuse
  • Harm without hitting—religious child emotional abuse
  • Violating a trust—religious child sexual abuse
  • Sin of denial—religious child medical neglect

Heimlich’s book is well documented and chocked full of real life stories of boys and girls that were abused. In my most recent battle with people within the Independent Fundamentalist Baptist (IFB) church movement I noticed that the testimonies of people who were abused are routinely dismissed. In most every case the abuse deniers know of people who were not abused while in the same setting as those who were abused,  or they know the accused abusers personally, so they dismiss abuse claims as lies or attempts to attack and destroy the IFB movement. I subscribe to the theory that where there is smoke there is fire and the sheer number of people claiming to have been abused make it highly in unlikely that they are all lying.

At times Breaking Their Will made me uncomfortable. The book reminded me of what I once was. It is hard to admit that my sincere literal interpretation of the Bible led me to preach and teach things that are clearly abusive. I routinely recommended child rearing books by John R. Rice, Jack Hyles, James Dobson, and Richard Fugate. While I can not undo the past, I can advocate for and demand that religious child abuse be taken seriously.

Heimlich suggests that clergy be required to report child abuse and neglect. Here in Ohio, such a requirement is already law. However, many pastors do not consider beating a child with a rod or a belt to be abuse. The Bible teaches (requires) it and their parents disciplined them using corporal punishment and look how they turned out. Until there is a federal law making striking a child a crime, physical child abuse, in the name of God will continue.

I observed and participated in disciplinary methods that I would today clearly consider abuse. Back then I called it Biblical discipline; Today it is child abuse. Over the course of 25 years I reported abuse to Family Services three times. All the reports were made after I observed or heard about abuse. (all of the reports came from our bus ministry) In retrospect, I now know that what I called good bible-based, God honoring discipline was actually religious child abuse.

Heimlich advocates extending or eliminating the statutes of limitations on sexual child abuse. She will get no argument from me. (though I do have some concern about false claims of sexual abuse being used to get back at a parent, pastor, teacher, etc) I think it is scandalous that the Roman Catholic Church, in many states, hides behind statutes of limitations, refusing to even acknowledge that abuse “might” of occurred.

Heimlich encourages parents to examine the norms and behaviors of the faith-based communities they are a part of:

  • Is my faith community theologically exclusive? That is, do religious leaders and other worshippers claim to be the only people who “know” religious truth?
  • Does my community fear or hold in contempt those who are not part of our faith?
  • Do I feel at ease asking questions, voicing complaints, or expressing feelings of religious doubt to those in authority or others?
  • Do I raise my child according to strict guidelines or beliefs held by my faith community?
  • Would I be rebuked or treated closely if I did not follow those norms, including enforcing strict discipline in the home and using physical punishment in ways that make me feel uneasy?
  • Do my faith leaders tell us God wants us to spank our kids?
  • Are children in my place of worship treated respectfully, even when they misbehave,or are they made to feel shamefully?
  • If parents or children help in managing their lives, does my place of worship offer suggestions for mental health services or simply tell them to talk to a member of the clergy, pray harder, or undergo an exorcism?
  • If I were to find out that my child was abused by a member of my faith community, or if I had strong suspicions that such abuse had taken place, would I feel comfortable reporting that abuse to outside authorities, or would I feel obligated to first contact faith leaders and follow their instruction?
  • If I did speak to faith leaders first, would they likely advise me to report the allegations to law enforcement or child protective services or to keep the problem within the church?
  • How much power does my religious leader hold?
  • Do worshippers believe he or she has some sort of God hotline and thus can tell us how God wants us to live our lives?
  • Does a religious leader try to scare people faith?

For those of raised in IFB churches and Evangelical churches this list pretty well describes most of the churches we have been a part of. In other words tens of millions of Americans attend churches that have dangerous abusive tendencies. How can this be? Simple. When a religious text becomes the authority over every aspect of life, and its teachings implicitly obeyed, abuse is sure to follow. (and we see the same thing in the Muslim faith and Orthodox Judaism)

Heimlich raises one controversial point towards the end of the book when she deals with female and male circumcision. Most everyone would agree that female circumcision (the cutting of the clitoris) is morally wrong and should be criminally prosecuted. But what about male circumcision? Heimlich makes a compelling case that male circumcision is just as barbaric and immoral as female circumcision. Fortunately, male circumcision is in decline with barley 55% of newborns being circumcised. (high of 80% in the 1970’s)

I heartily recommend Janet Heimlich’s new book Breaking Their Will. If you want to study the connection between religion and child abuse this should be the first book you read.  Religious child abuse can be stopped IF parents and religious leaders are willing to tackle the subject head-on. Thoughtful parents need to leave the belt in their pants and relegate the rod to the the trash bin of archaic, unenlightened tools of discipline. As a parent and a grandfather I have an obligation to encourage and gently instruct my children in matters of child discipline  and the propriety of religion in the lives of their children. (my grandchildren) Our children know my wife and I oppose any form of hitting children and they know that we do not support children being indoctrinated in a religious faith before they are mature enough to make a decision on their own.

I hope Breaking Their Will is widely read. May it spur a mass exodus out of churches that promote and teach religious child abuse. May it also make government authorities aware of the extent of abuse that goes on in faith communities.

Who is Janet Heimlich?

A freelance reporter for National Public Radio, Janet Heimlich won nine journalism awards, including the prestigious Katie, given by the Press Club of Dallas; the Houston Press Club’s Radio Journalist of the Year; and the Texas Bar Association’s Gavel Award. In addition to her radio work, Ms. Heimlich has written non-fiction articles for such publications as Texas Monthly, the Austin American-Statesman, the Texas Observer, Tribeza, and Edible Austin.

Breaking Their Will is published by Prometheus Books. The book is 326 pages long, with an additional 71 pages of end notes and bibliography.

What Must I Do To Be Saved? A Simple Question.

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And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them. And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one’s bands were loosed. And the keeper of the prison awaking out of his sleep, and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword, and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled. But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm: for we are all here. Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas, And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway.  Acts 16:25-33

Salvation. Forgiveness of sin. Deliverance. New Birth. Born Again. New Life. These words, and others, describe the grand purpose of religion. All humans, by nature, are sinners. All humans are in need of a spiritual transformation that only comes from God. (according to the Christian Bible)

You would think on such an important issue as salvation that the Christian church would be unified in their message. Surely God has made clear what a person must do to be saved. It is one thing to have varied opinions about eschatology but surely God wants the message of salvation to be crystal clear.

In the Bible text above the jailer asks What Must I do to be saved?

The  answer?

To a Baptist  the answer is Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.

To a Presbyterian the answer is Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.

To the Church of Christ the answer is Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house,And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway.

In just one passage of scripture multiple messages of salvation are found. Which message is right?

The truth is the Christian church is hopelessly divided on what a person must do, if anything, to be saved.

Calvinist and Arminians fight to the death over the means of grace. Does repentance precede regeneration? Is salvation offered freely to all people, everywhere?

Baptists and Campbellites (Church of Christ, Christian Church) fight to the death over whether a person must be baptized for the remission of sins.

Apostolics and Oneness Pentecostals  fight  with everyone over whether a person can be saved without believing in oneness, being baptized for the remission of sins, and speaking in tongues as evidence of salvation.

Catholics and  many Protestants fight each other over matters like baptism washing away original sin and confirmation.

When I was an Independent Fundamentalist Baptist preacher  there were constant conflicts over salvation. What must a person do to be saved?

  • Believe
  • Believe and repent (repent meaning a change of mind)
  • Believe and repent (repent meaning turning away from sin)
  • Believe and repent (repent meaning a change of mind that results in a change of conduct)

These conflicts continue today between Lordship Salvation adherents and Non-Lordship Salvation adherents.  (John MacArthur vs. Zane Hodges)

One of the most popular tracts among Independent Baptists was John Rice’s tract What must I do to be saved?(published by the Sword of the Lord)  When Rice wrote the tract he clearly stated that repentance meant turning from sin. After Rice’s death Curtis Hutson took over the Sword of the Lord and Hutson took it upon himself to rewrite several parts of Rice’s classic tract. He changed the meaning of repentance from turning from sin to a change of mind. I caught Huston in his deception and called him out on it. He and I traded several letters and he finally told me I was preaching a false, works based gospel. He told me Rice would approve of the changes he made. Of course Rice was dead so there was no way to check with him.

Christianity is hopelessly divided on the issue of salvation. 2000 years of interpreting the Scriptures has resulted in a quagmire that traps all who dare enter. I am sure some of my readers will object and say that THEIR understanding of salvation is the TRUE way but that is what everyone says. Every sect believes they have the keys to the kingdom.

So, Bruce what DO you think the Bible teaches about salvation? Well, I am an atheist so I am not sure my interpretation means much but…………..if I were Pope for the day I would decree that salvation is following after Jesus and his teachings. Take the red letter parts of the Bible, read and embrace the message of Jesus, and live it out each and every day. This is the kind of Christianity that even an atheist can admire.

Let me illustrate this issue by taking the first few websites that come up from a Google search on “what must I do to be saved”

Site one-What must I do to be saved? by Cotton Mather

First this must be done; You must come to be bitterly Sensible, that you want [lack] a Glorious Christ for your Saviour.

Secondly; This must be Done; You must confess yourselves, Unable To Do Anything Effectually of yourselves, in coming to a glorious Christ, as your Saviour.

Thirdly; This must be done; You must Admire, You must Adore, You must Address a Glorious Christ, in all His offices for all His Benefits.

A true Faith, will always have Repentance accompanying of it.

First; This must be done; You must heartily and bitterly Bewail all your Sins.

Secondly; This must be done You must make a Penitent Confession of your Sins; a Remorseful confession of them, All your known crimes, you must as particularly as you can, Enumerate with shame and grief before the Lord.

Thirdly; This must be done; Every way of Sin must be Abhorr’d, must be Avoided, must be Forsaken.

There is No Life in the Faith, which is not Productive to an Holy Life; ‘Tis not a Faith which will bring to everlasting Life. If the Grace to Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, be infused into the Soul, the Habit of every other Grace is at the same Instant infused.

This must be done; You must Resign yourselves up unto the Holy Spirit of the Lord; Consent, Request, Entreat, That He would Eternally take Possession of you.

This must be done; You must Livelily Pursue the Death of Every Sin.

This must be done: You must set before yourselves the Example of your Saviour: Study how He was in the World; Study to walk as He walked; mightily Delight in every stroke of Resemblance unto Him

This must be done; You must by a solemn Dedication of yourselves, and your All unto the Lord, become the Lord’s.

This must be done; You must remember, That the Eye of the omnipotent God is upon you,

This must be done: You must make it your Exercise to keep a conscience clear of Offence towards God and towards Man.

Site Two-What must I do to be saved?

Though there are no rules or steps to becoming a Christian, the following is a Biblical summarization of what you need to know and do:

  1. You must recognize your sinfulness before God: “Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned”. (Romans 5:12)
  2. You must recognize that your sin has caused a separation between you and God: “But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear.” (Isaiah 59:2)
  3. You must believe that Jesus is the only way to God: “I am the way, the truth, and the Life, and no one comes to the Father but by Me.” (John 14:6)
  4. You must ask Jesus to forgive you of your sins because He has the authority to forgive you of your sins: “Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me’”. (Matthew 28:18) Jesus told you to ask Him for your requests: “You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it”. (John 14:14) Jesus is the one who forgives sins: “‘But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins — He said to the paralytic, ‘I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home’.” (Mark 2:10-11)
  5. You must receive Jesus. John 1:12 says, “Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God.”
  6. You must turn away from your sin “In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent” (Acts 17:30); and to “produce fruit in keeping with repentance” (Matthew 3:8).
  7. If you want to be saved you must accept Jesus as your Savior. Pray to Him and ask Him to forgive you of your sins and come into your heart. He will because He loves you.

Salvation is only a prayer of faith away.

If you believe these things, you can pray a prayer like the one below, to receive Jesus into your life, keeping in mind that merely saying a prayer in itself does not save you, for prayer is not like a magic charm or incantation. Only faith in Jesus Christ alone saves.

Site three-What must I do to be saved?

To be saved we must:

  1. Hear the “good news” (i.e. the gospel) of Jesus Christ (Romans 10:14)
  2. Believe (Hebrews 11:6; Acts 8:37; Mark 16:16; John 8:24)
  3. Repent of our sins (Luke 13:3,5; Acts 2:38; Acts 17:30; Mark 10:15)
  4. Confess faith in Jesus Christ (Acts 8:36-37; Romans 10:9) {Footnote}
  5. Be baptized (in water) for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:37-41; 1Peter 3:21; John 3:3-5; Acts 22:16; Romans 6:3-8; Colossians 2:12; Galatians 3:26-27; Mark 16:15-16; Acts 8:34-39; Titus 3:5; Ephesians 4:5)
  6.  Remain faithful for the rest of our lives and carry our cross daily (Revelation 2:10; Matthew 24:13; Luke 9:23) (What about, “Once saved always saved”?)

This process of “remaining faithful” consists of striving to develop and form Christ within you—the goal behind the gift of the Holy Spirit received at baptism.

We become saved (conversion occurs) and we come into contact with the blood of Christ (or enter into Christ), at baptism, after steps 1-4 have been fulfilled.

Site number 4-What must I do to be saved?

What must I do to be saved?”

Simply believe in the Lord’s completed work; relying completely on him for your salvation.

Site five-What must I do to be saved?

God’s simple plan of salvation is: You are a sinner. Therefore, unless you believe on Jesus Who died in your place, you will spend eternity in Hell. If you believe on Him as your crucified, buried, and risen Savior, you receive forgiveness for all of your sins and His gift of eternal salvation by faith.

You say, “Surely, it cannot be that simple.” Yes, that simple! It is scriptural. It is God’s plan. My friend, believe on Jesus and receive Him as Savior today.

If His plan is not perfectly clear, read this tract over and over, without laying it down, until you understand it. Your soul is worth more than all the world.

Site six-What must I do to be saved?

  1. Romans 8:16 tells us: “The Spirit Himself [thus] testifies together with our own spirit, [assuring us] that we are children of God.” First and foremost, we have the unshakable testimony from within us! The indwelling Holy Spirit of God constantly reassures us that we belong to Jesus Christ.
  2. The entire book of First John was written as a “test” for determining the reality of salvation. Verse three of Chapter one tells us: “What we have seen and [ourselves] heard we are also telling you, so that you too may realize and enjoy fellowship as partners and partakers with us. And [this] fellowship that we have (which is a distinguishing mark of Christians) is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ, the Messiah.” The fellowship enjoyed by genuine Christians is proof positive of salvation. Those who claim Christ, but yet rarely attend church to worship God and associate with other believers, are possibly fooling themselves!
  3. 1 John 5:13 informs us that the entire Book of 1 John was written so that we can know that we possess eternal life in Christ. Do you know for absolute certainty that, if you were to die tonight, you would go to Heaven?
  4. The Word of God teaches that the Bible is incomprehensible to the “natural man”-the unsaved individual. It is a spiritual book and the unsaved person is not only spiritually blind, but 1 Corinthians 2:14 tells us that he “is incapable” of knowing that which is spiritually discerned. Do you understand the Bible? Does it make sense to you and speak to your heart? Does it convict you of your sin and teach you the right way?
  5. The Bible is very clear that an unregenerate individual will not seek God (Rom.3:11). Are you painfully aware of your sinful nature and cry out to God from your heart for forgiveness when you sin? If so, this is one of the signs of having been born again. Is your soul, your conscience, sorely vexed when you see sin in the culture around you? When you see blatant sin in public, or on TV, or in Entertainment, or anywhere else you encounter it, do you feel a severe vexation in your spirit? If your heart is “vexed” by the terrible sin in our daily culture, that is a good sign you are saved. If your spirit is not vexed by this sin, that is a good sign you are not saved.
  6. The Bible says that an unregenerate individual is a slave of Satan and incapable of doing anything about it (Eph.2:2). Have you been able to turn your back upon this world and its sinful ways? Are all of your close friends Christians? If you have been born again, your unsaved friends will drop you like a bad habit!
  7. Do you love–really love–Christians and would rather be with them than anyone else? Can you meet a total stranger, find out that they are a believer, and then have instant fellowship with them? Is there “something” in your heart that draws you to them and establishes a closeness which cannot be explained any other way?
  8. Do you actually enjoy giving to the Lord’s work? Do you give generously of your time, talent, and treasury?
  9. Do you sin less now than you did prior to receiving Christ?
  10. Have other people seen the “fruit of the Spirit” at work in your life? That is, can they see genuine love, joy, peace, long-suffering, etc., (Gal.5:22), being wrought in and through you by God’s Holy Spirit? Do they sense that you are a different person from the one you used to be?
  11. Have you experienced persecution because of your faith in Christ? (Former friends who back away because of your testimony for Christ, are a subtle form of persecution).
  12. Are you eagerly expecting and anticipating the any-moment return of Jesus Christ for His Church?

If you can truthfully answer “yes” to these questions, you are a child of God and the Holy Spirit dwells within you! If you cannot truthfully answer “yes” to these questions, then you are probably not saved and you need to go to the bottom of this page to the Salvation message and go through the steps in honesty and sincereness of heart so you can be saved!

I ask, which of the six plans of salvation above is the TRUE plan?

Christianity is a multi-god, multi-Jesus, and multi-salvation religion. Better yet, if you don’t like what is on the buffet at one Church there are plenty of other Churches to choose from. Look long and hard and you’ll be sure to find a Church that tells you what you want to hear.