The Soft Gospel
In our search for greater personal holiness, we must never lose sight of The Real Gospel.
Much user inclusiveness and seeker friendliness has been meted out to the lost in our efforts to ‘win some at all costs’!
I’m sure it’s done sincerely, but it’s not The Gospel of Spirit led Truth. That old warrior Leonard Ravenhill put it thus –
“Paul never glamorized The Gospel!
It is not success, but sacrifice!
It’s not a glamorous gospel, but a bloody gospel, a gory gospel, and a sacrificial gospel!
5 minutes inside eternity and we will wish that we had sacrificed more! Wept more, bled more, grieved more, loved more, prayed more, given more!”
He wasn’t the first to sound such a warning.
William Booth of Salvation Army fame also put it similarly –
“The chief danger that confronts the coming century will be religion without the Holy Ghost, Christianity without Christ, forgiveness without repentance, salvation without regeneration, politics without God, heaven without hell.”
One glance today confirms the fulfilment of both these Words. Mr Ravenhill, as ever, short sharp and very on point — not to mention being spot on!
Yet it’s William Booth’s pin point accuracy that saddens me most.
Listen to this litany of error which has taken almost stranglehold of much of the church in this past 30 years.
- Religion without The Holy Ghost, this is cessationism — the baptism and gifts of The Holy Spirit were NOT just for the apostles.
They have not ceased. They are the weapons of our warfare today. - Christianity without Christ, many are denying scripture by saying that He was a good man but not the only way to God.
Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He is the ONLY way to God. - Forgiveness without repentance, say this prayer — get saved.
This is one side of hyper-grace, once saved always saved.
I believe we need to keep short accounts with God. Confess our sins, receive forgiveness again, and move on.
I also believe we can ‘give our salvation back’ to God and reject His plan. - Salvation without regeneration, no repentance, no turning, no changed life, another aspect of hyper-grace.
- Politics without God, say no more!
Politics has long abandoned godly principles in favour of self interest, profit, and greed. - Heaven without hell. Many in mainstream Churches dismiss this as allegory.
All I ask is why Jesus spoke about heaven and hell so much? Why did He preach to those in Hell?
Then there’s replacement theology — the theology that says The Church has replaced Israel as the Apple of Gods eye. What utter rubbish — an apostate theology.
Finally, don’t even mention prosperity the prosperity gospel — dear Kenneth Hagin must squirm when he sees how certain leaders in the church have completely twisted the Word of Faith Movement!
~ Chris G. Bennett
Chris Bennett came to salvation in 1962 but didn’t begin ministry until 2007 — a late-comer! Now mandated by The LORD to prophesy and open old wells of revival in the U.K., but especially in Wales. He has also operated Healing Rooms, and worked with deliverance teams, all with his wife, Linda. Happily now doing whatever The LORD asks of them! Founder, with wife Linda, of their ministry The Upper Room Encounter.
Salvation without regeneration is religion without the Holy Spirit. The next revival will be the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. It will complete salvation for a great many.
The “soft gospel” is worse than being just soft: it is a false gospel that deceives people into thinking they are saved when they are not.
PS. The first – and emboldened – sentence suggests that the pursuit of personal holiness and the real gospel are at odds with each other. Is this a mistake?
Yes! Yes!