"The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the LORD shall be safe." Proverbs 29:25

As always, my books are free to read on the website, but this book is also available to purchase from Amazon in paperback or Kindle. Click the image for details. READ CAREFULLY: Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. -Matthew 7:21-23

In Matthew 7:21-23, the Lord Jesus Christ is telling us that many would claim to believe on Him, calling him "Lord," but they will be sent away to everlasting fire. Many people have a hard time accepting this doctrine because they truly want to believe that all who say they believe on Jesus will go to heaven, but they do not understand that there are MANY (not few) who have a fake faith in which they claim to believe on Christ with their mouths, but they are not of Christ in their hearts. In the passage, you will notice that they claimed to have done "wonderful works" in the name of Jesus while they were in the world, but alas, Jesus said He never knew them.

Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
-Matthew 7:13-14

Jesus told us that most people will enter into the wide gate of destruction, but a smaller number of them will find the narrow gate that leads to eternal life. God was merciful to us, and explained to us in His Word the difference between those who receive eternal life, and those who receive eternal damnation, and in this book, we will learn more about why millions of believers on Jesus will end up in hell.

I plead with all readers to take this matter seriously:

In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;
-2 Thessalonians 1:8-9

Do not be deceived, what I am about to tell you is no secret. There is nothing I will say that you will not find directly in the Bible; rather, what I am about to tell you is unknown to the majority of churchgoers around the world due to their own willful blindness, and many have been deceived by the very so-called "shepherds" (i.e. pastors) who are supposed to be guiding and protecting them.

There are millions of Catholics, Baptists, Jehovah's Witnesses, Methodists, Mormons, Nazarenes, Lutherans, Wesleyans, Adventists, Anglicans, Presbyterians, Charismatics, and many more, who are going to end up in hell and the lake of fire to come. (Rev 20:15) If I failed to mention a religious group, do not make the mistake of assuming I belong with them; I belong to no religious denomination because I belong only to the Lord Jesus Christ and Him only do I serve. (There is no such thing as 'denominations' in Scripture.)
(Read "Denominations Are Unbiblical" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.
-Matthew 4:10

Also, do not make the mistake of thinking that I am about to teach you a false doctrine of works unto salvation, because a man is saved by grace through faith, as the Holy Scriptures clearly teach:

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.
-Ephesians 2:8-9

So the obvious question is: If so many people believe by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ for their salvation, why will they end up in hell? Is Ephesians lying to us? No, it is God's Word. Is Jesus lying to us? No, because God cannot lie.

In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;
-Titus 1:2

There is no other who can save mankind; only the Lord Jesus Christ. By His shed blood are we saved from our sin and promised eternal life, but as I quoted at the beginning, Jesus warned us that there are many who will come in His name, calling Him "Lord," meaning that they claimed to believe on Him and did works in His name, but they are false converts because they do not believe His Word.

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
-John 10:27

This concept of false converts is taught in many places throughout the New Testament, and to begin, let's look at John 8. Jesus went to Mount Olivet, which is a mountain ridge east of Jerusalem, and He sat down and taught the people there. He said to them:

I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.
-John 8:24

This is in correlation with other verses which state we must believe on the Lord Jesus Christ to be saved. Those who do not believe on the Son of God will not receive everlasting life in the Kingdom of God.

He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.
-1 John 5:12

Then, Jesus turned to address a large crowd of people who believed on Him:

Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;
-John 8:31

If you continue to read through the chapter, Jesus began to explain to those who believed on Him that they were not of God, even though they repeatedly argued with Jesus, making excuses and insisting that they were of God. Jesus finally told them:

Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word. Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not. Which of you convinceth me of sin? And if I say the truth, why do ye not believe me? He that is of God heareth God's words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God.
-John 8:43-47

In this passage, we can see an example of a large group of people who claimed to believe on Jesus, but in their hearts, they were not of God. Is it because they did not do enough of the right works? No, because Jesus had already told them that they would die in their sins if they did not believe on Him, so the obvious questions should be: What is missing? Why are they not saved? What is it that they did not have?

Jesus gave instructions to His disciples after opening their understanding so they would see the truth. In every nation, to every man, woman, and child, we are supposed to teach a specific doctrine:

And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me. Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures, And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.
-Luke 24:44-47

That leaves us with a new question: What is the gospel (i.e. doctrine/teaching) of "repentance and remission of sins?" Before drawing any conclusions, let's define those terms:

repentance (n): sorrow for any thing done or said; the pain or grief which a person experiences in consequence of the injury or inconvenience produced by his own conduct
remission (n): forgiveness, pardon
(See 'repentance' & 'remission', American Dictionary of the English Language, Noah Webster, 1828, retrieved June 7, 2019, [webstersdictionary1828.com])

There are many who have "believed on Jesus," but few who have ever come to repentance and believed, meaning that they never had grief and godly sorrow of their sin. Sadly, most churchgoers have been taught that 'repent' means "to turn" or "to change one's mind," which is not only false, but dangerous because it teaches people that "to turn and/or change" is required for salvation, which is the false doctrine of works unto salvation, and therefore, such false teaching leads them away from salvation.

Repentance is grief and godly sorrow of wrongdoing, and just like faith and grace, repentance is a gift from God:

And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;
-2 Timothy 2:24-25

The Lord God gives men repentance, and He has to because no man seeks after God on His own. The Bible teaches us that no man does good of himself:

As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.
-Romans 3:10-12

As I just said, grace is a free gift, but it is a gift that is not just given to anyone. The average churchgoer I meet believes that grace is like a free sample at a grocery store; that they can just come along and say, "Oh, would you look at that? It's free grace! I'll take one of those, thanks!" and then maybe they will circle back around later and take another when no one is looking.

God offers His grace of salvation as a free gift, but it is offered to people under a certain circumstance, and He tells us who is offered His gift:

Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.
-James 4:6

God does NOT give grace to the proud of heart.

Surely he scorneth the scorners: but he giveth grace unto the lowly.
-Proverbs 3:34

scorner (n): one who scoffs at religion, its ordinances and teachers, and who makes a mock of sin and the judgments and threatenings of God against sinners
(See 'scorner', American Dictionary of the English Language, Noah Webster, 1828, retrieved July 23, 2019, [webstersdictionary1828.com])

There are many who will scoff and scorn at what I am teaching here, and I have experienced it many times. I am often accused of being a cultist, but the apostles of Christ were also accused of being cultists (Acts 5:35-39) for teaching the same doctrine I am teaching in this book. (Acts 3:19) Surprisingly, I have found it is most often churchgoers and pastors who make a mockery of the doctrine of Christ, and they will also mock those who come to the humility of repentance, because they are prideful, and such people do NOT receive saving grace from God.

The Lord God only gives grace to those who have been humbled and brought low, or in other words, to those who have been given repentance and accept it, falling on their knees in tears of grief, having been given understanding of their wrongdoing and remorse for their actions against God.

The LORD is nigh [draws close] unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.
-Psalm 34:18

broken-hearted (adj): having the spirits depressed or crushed by grief or despair
contrite (adj): broken-hearted for sin; deeply affected with grief and sorrow for having offended God; humble; penitent
(See 'broken-hearted' & 'contrite', American Dictionary of the English Language, Noah Webster, 1828, retrieved June 7, 2019, [webstersdictionary1828.com])

There are two types of repentance spoken of in Scripture; the first being the repentance of the world, which is grief and sorrow of wrongdoing, but this type of repentance is aimed toward men, meaning that men are only expressing sorrow toward one another. The second type of repentance is what the Bible calls "godly sorrow," which is grief and sorrow aimed towards God that leads people to eternal life.

Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing. For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.
-2 Corinthians 7:9-10

In short, worldly sorrow will lead to death and destruction, but godly sorrow will lead to eternal life if combined with belief on the Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, those who are saved have come to godly sorrow of their wrongdoing, but there are millions upon millions of churchgoers from various denominations and countries all over the world who will end up in hell because they are prideful and reject the humility of repentance.

Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.
-Proverbs 16:18

I have heard false preachers make a mockery of godly sorrow, saying that a man cannot know every wrong thing he has ever done in a single moment. I agree, a man cannot know every wrong thing he has ever done throughout his entire life in the moment he falls to his knees before God, but those who have come to repentance know that they do not have to know every wrong deed they have ever done because they know they are guilty of the whole law.

For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.
-James 2:10

There are many who foolishly believe that conversion takes place from people reading a "Jesus Saves" sign, but that is not what the Bible teaches. The Word of God tells us that the law of God will lead us unto Christ:

But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe. But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed. Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.
-Galatians 3:22-25

Because many churchgoers said a generic "sinner's prayer" without any repentance in their hearts of wrongdoing against God by violating His laws, they do not understand how the Gospel of Christ should be preached, and they end up believing they are "saved" when they were never converted. They do not understand that the law brings men to acknowledgement of their sin, and thereby, they come to godly sorrow of their wrongdoing (i.e. repentance), which then causes them to look for a Savior because they had their eyes opened that they are lost and need to be saved.

We do not need more "Jesus Saves" signs, but rather, we need more signs that list out the Ten Commandments because, after all, those who have not been saved in Christ are still judged according to the law, and therefore, they need to know that law.

Thou shalt have no other gods before me Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image; Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them (i.e. This is idolatry.) Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain (i.e. Claiming to be of God if you are not of Him; like those who falsely claim to be of Christ.) Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy Honour thy father and thy mother (i.e. Do good unto your parents.) Thou shalt not kill Thou shalt not commit adultery (i.e. Sex outside of marriage.) Thou shalt not steal Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour (i.e. Do not lie.) Thou shalt not covet (i.e. Lust after things which do not belong to you.)

Jesus went one step further to show the wickedness in the hearts of mankind. There may be some of you who have never had sex with someone outside of your marriage (i.e. adultery), but have you looked in lust at someone else?

Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.
-Matthew 5:27-28

Jesus taught us that even if we look in lust at someone else, we are guilty of adultery in our hearts. Perhaps you have never killed anyone, but Jesus taught us that there are many more murderers than most people think:

Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.
-1 John 3:15

The Bible teaches us that those who lie hate those who are affected by their lie, and because they hate that person, they are a liar and murderer at heart:

A lying tongue hateth those that are afflicted by it; and a flattering mouth worketh ruin.
-Proverbs 26:28

These are just a small portion of the many verses of Scripture condemning our sin; there is a lot more in the Bible that condemns us. Knowing these things, we all should weep and cry out to God that we have done things worthy of death and eternal damnation.

Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
-Galatians 5:19-21

The great deception Satan has devised is not to corrupt the word 'faith' because even Satanists, witches, and atheists have faith. However, what all these people do not have is grief and godly sorrow of their sin, and if a repentant man turns to the Lord Jesus Christ for his salvation, he will be forgiven all the wicked things he has ever done because nothing we do is beyond the power of God to pardon.

When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved? But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.
-Matthew 19:25-26

There are some who foolishly believe they are too wicked and sinful for God to forgive them, but they are making an excuse to reject the godly sorrow of repentance. It is a prideful man that says such things because they scoff at the tears of grief, thinking they are above it, and furthermore, they do not receive the grace of God because they reject faith in Him to do as He promised.

If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
-1 John 1:8-10

However, as we read earlier, God will not save the proud of heart. It is not His will that any man should perish, but that all should come to godly sorrow of their wrongdoing to be saved.

The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
-2 Peter 3:9

However, there are many churchgoers, people who claim to believe on Jesus, who have "faith," but it is a fake faith because they do not have repentance; therefore, they will perish in their sin with their hopes in false doctrine. It is very common for churchgoers to speak of love, joy, and peace, claiming that they have these things in Jesus, but most of them are forcing and faking these things because they have never come to repentance.

When Job was rebuked by God for his sin, he spoke to God in the humility of repentance of his wrongdoing:

I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee. Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes.
-Job 42:5-6

abhor (adj): to hate extremely, or with contempt; to lothe, detest or abominate
(See 'abhor', American Dictionary of the English Language, Noah Webster, 1828, retrieved July 26, 2019, [webstersdictionary1828.com])

It is the new-age false gospel of church buildings that teach people they need to learn to love themselves more, but we can see that God gives grace to those who hate themselves, and look upon themselves with disgust at the wickedness of their sin. So often, churchgoers tend to see themselves as wonderful people, loving themselves greatly, and trying to educate one another on how to love their lives.

He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.
-John 12:25

Because they have obtained many worldly goods, they think they have need of nothing, but are willingly blind of the truth:

Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:
-Revelation 3:17

In James 4, after God says He gives the gift of His grace to the humble, the Bible continues to explain that many churchgoers will speak of laughter and joy, as they often do in church buildings, but they have never had the heaviness and mourning that comes with repentance:

Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.
-James 4:6-10

There are many who join church buildings and profess "joy in the Lord," but Jesus taught that such people who quickly receive the Word of God with joy have no root in themselves, meaning that they were never saved, because they did not receive the words with tears of grief over their sin. Jesus taught about this in what is known as "The Parable of the Sower."

And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow; And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up: Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth: And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away. And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them: But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.
-Matthew 13:3-9

In a moment, we will read Christ's explanation of these parables, but it is important to understand that Jesus taught us that the understanding of this parable is the foundation by which we should understand ALL the parables He taught:

And he said unto them, Know ye not this parable? and how then will ye know all parables?
-Mark 4:13

If we cannot understand the parable of the sower, then we will not understand ANY of the other parables Christ taught. In fact, Jesus said that He worded His teaching this way on purpose because it is only given for the children of God to understand these things, as readers of this book will only understand what I am saying if God opens their understanding.

And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables: That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them.
-Mark 4:11-12

It is not that Jesus would not have them understand, but in the wickedness of their hearts, being lifted up in their pride, they refused to listen. He has told them these things many times in the Old Testament, and they would not hear; so now, He only spoke to them in parables.

There are many who will open this book and read it, but will not understand, and even many of those who claim to believe on Jesus will refuse to hear and understand this doctrine. As Jesus will now explain, the parable of the sower is talking about false converts, that is, those who claim to believe on Jesus with their mouths, but in their hearts, they do not serve Him, and He never knew them because they had no repentance.

He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.
-Mark 7:6

In the parable, the 'seed' is the word of God, the 'sower' is the teacher of God's Word, and the 'ground' is the hearts of men.

The sower soweth the word. And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown; but when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts.
-Mark 4:14-15

Those whose heart is by the way side (i.e. falls in the grass and never touches the ground) are the people who hear the word of God, but walk right back into their sin without concern. The seed never makes it to the ground and just rests upon the grass, and like a bird that finds the wayward seed and eats it up, so is Satan to such people. They have no understanding of their lost and broken state, and go back into their lustful lifestyle without a love of the truth.

And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
-2 Thessalonians 2:10

The next is the seed that which falls among the rocks:

And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground; who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness; And have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word's sake, immediately they are offended.
-Mark 4:16-17

Those with stony hearts are a common occurrence, and make up the majority of churchgoers today, being similar to the seeds that fall on the way side (as Jesus said, "likewise"), unless they stick around longer for social acceptance. They remain in their sinful ways, but they put on an outward appearance of godliness by attending church services dutifully every week and singing songs about Jesus. However, when conflict arises in which men begin to hate the church for the doctrine they teach, the stone-hearted false converts fall away because they did not originally receive the Word of God in tears of repentance, but rather, received the word quickly with joy (Mat 13:20), and if at any time they do not feel that joy, they depart. (i.e. They follow their feelings instead of the truth.)

It should also be noted that, today, church buildings are filled to the brim with these types of people. The reason they are not often spotted is because once the entire church building is filled with them, there is no longer any persecution because they are not teaching the truth, and it turns into a country club rather than a place for worship and study of God's Word.

Many preachers today teach that those who fall away are those who "lose their salvation," but it is impossible for a man to lose his salvation once he has it. Shall we say that Jesus made a mistake in authoring the faith of His saints? Not at all, but rather, there is nothing that can separate a born again Christian from the love of God, as the Scriptures teach:

Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
-Hebrews 12:2

For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
-Romans 8:38-39

Jesus said we must be born again in the spirit (John 3:3), and once you are born into a family, you can never be UN-born out of that family, but rather, the problem with those who "fall away" is that they were never born again (i.e. they were never of Christ in the first place), and that's the main lesson in the Parable of the Sower. The reason pastors commonly teach this in ignorance is because they do not understand the doctrine of repentance, and therefore, they also do not understand the doctrine of false converts; never understanding that Jesus defined what is meant by 'fall away':

They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away.
-Luke 8:13

They fall away because they had no root, which means they were never of Christ; they are false converts. They received the Word of God with immediate joy, instead of the grief and godly sorrow of repentance, and that means they were never converted in the first place.

Next is the seed that falls among the thorns:

And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word, And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.
-Mark 4:18-19

These are those who enter the church looking to fulfill the lusts of the flesh, and lead others astray into sin. For example, the "prosperity gospel" movement, or the "name-it-and-claim-it" movement that exist today; they lure in members by promising them wealth and luxury while extorting them at the same time. They seek money and fame, in addition to an assortment of other lusts, because they never had a foundation of repentance.

For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
-1 Timothy 6:10

Labour not to be rich: cease from thine own wisdom.
-Proverbs 23:4

The last is the seed that falls into good ground:

And these are they which are sown on good ground; such as hear the word, and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some an hundred.
-Mark 4:20

These are they who are given salvation in Jesus Christ because they came to repentance, both hearing the Word of God AND understanding it:

But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it;
-Matthew 13:23

If you are reading this message of repentance and faith in Christ, and the lessons of these parables, and you understand and believe it, you did not receive it because of your intellect, nor are you receiving it because of me. God has had mercy on you and prepared your heart to receive understanding, and so I would say to you the same thing Jesus said: Repent, and believe the gospel.

Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.
-Mark 1:14-15

However, despite the fact that faith is what is preached far and wide all over the world, what the world is missing right now is NOT the message of faith. Based on my personal conversations with people over many years, I firmly believe that most churchgoers and unbelievers alike have a firm grasp on the definition of faith. Do not misunderstand; faith in Christ is vitally important, but the Bible makes it very simple and clear on how someone can "get more faith."

So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
-Romans 10:17

That is a very easy concept to understand: If a man lacks faith, then he ought to go to the Word of God and trust in His promises. However, what the churchgoers lack is the doctrine of repentance which is just as important, and the reason so many churchgoers talk about "how to have more faith" over and over every week is because they do not understand how many false converts are among them, never having laid a foundation of repentance. In other words, their faith is weak because it is a fake faith that is not of Christ because they never had a foundation of grief and godly sorrow lain in their hearts, and thus, they never seem to have enough faith.

What the world is missing right now is the message of repentance (i.e. grief and godly sorrow) and remission (i.e. pardon/forgiveness) of sins. Because humility and tears of grief are repulsive to them, they teach remission (i.e. forgiveness) of sins WITHOUT repentance (i.e. godly sorrow), creating a fake faith which they falsely label "Christianity."

Let's take a look at the early days of Christ and the New Testament church, and see what they were teaching. John the Baptist was a man who was prophesied to precede the coming of Jesus Christ, and his message was repentance for the remission of sins:

John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.
-Mark 1:4

John pointed to Christ, and the first thing Christ taught when He started His ministry was repentance:

From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
-Matthew 4:17

The first thing Jesus taught His disciples to go out and teach was repentance:

And he called unto him the twelve, and began to send them forth by two and two; and gave them power over unclean spirits... And they went out, and preached that men should repent.
-Mark 6:7-12

The first thing Christ's disciples and the early church taught the people was repentance:

But shewed first unto them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judaea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance.
-Acts 26:20

If 'repent' meant "to turn," then this verse would read "Turn ye therefore and be turned." That's redundant and nonsensical, and even indicates turning twice, which means you just walked in a circle and are facing the same direction you started. Rather, this verse says, "Come to godly sorrow of your wrongdoing and be turned and changed," and that matches perfectly to the rest of doctrine throughout the entire Bible.

In addition, many pastors have taught the error that repentance is "works" and that it is "turning from sin and turning to God." This is foolishness because it would force them to believe this verse says that they should "turn to God and turn to God, and turn from sin to God meet for turning from sin and turning to God," which is repetitive nonsense.

John the Baptist, Jesus Christ, Christ's apostles, and the early church all taught repentance (i.e. godly sorrow) and remission (i.e. forgiveness) of sins, so why it is that church buildings today think they have found a better way than what Jesus taught us? Do they know something better than Christ and His apostles? Do not misunderstand, it is not that they have found a better way, but rather, they found a way more pleasing to the masses, namely, that anyone can be "saved" if they just believe without repentance, but that is false doctrine because both repentance and belief is what Scripture teaches us.

And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:
-Acts 17:30

In the Bible, the early church called men to repentance (i.e. grief and godly sorrow of wrongdoing), preaching also that they should turn to God, which is conversion, and that they should do works worthy of a repentant heart.

Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance,
-Luke 3:8

Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;
-Acts 3:19

conversion (n): a turning or change from one state to another
convert (v): to change or turn from one religion to another, or from one party or sect to another; to change the heart and moral character
(See 'conversion' & 'convert', American Dictionary of the English Language, Noah Webster, 1828, retrieved June 7, 2019, [webstersdictionary1828.com])

Conversion is not done by men. Though men must take steps and choose to accept repentance and faith when it is given to them, it is the Lord Jesus Christ who converts men because He grants them the gift of understanding, faith, repentance, and grace, but most people (including most churchgoers) reject these gifts (i.e. desiring the gift of grace, but rejecting the repentance that comes with it) because they do not want to be converted:

For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.
-Matthew 13:15

This is why Jesus taught the following:

And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
-Matthew 18:2-4

Does this mean we have to go back in time and be physically transformed into small children to be saved? No. What this means is that we must be humbled in our hearts as little children, just like when a young child does something wrong against his father, he goes to his father in tears of grief and sorrow of his wrongdoing; THAT is what Jesus is talking about.

Jesus then continued to say:

And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me.
-Matthew 18:5

Most churchgoers do not understand that Jesus is not talking about literal children here. Do not misunderstand, it is not wrong to receive little children, and Jesus does love and care for children, but Jesus is referring to those who have been humbled to repentance. After many years in ministry, I have discovered that those who have a repentant heart are often rejected by churchgoers; mostly due to the fact that we rebuke their sin, and they hate that correction.

Correction is grievous unto him that forsaketh the way: and he that hateth reproof shall die.
-Proverbs 15:10

Jesus gave an example of what will happen on the Day of Judgment, and this will demonstrate the difference between the humble children of God (i.e. the sheep), and the prideful churchgoers who have a fake faith (i.e. the goats):

When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
-Matthew 25:31-36

Jesus is pointing out that the sheep clothed Him, fed Him, and took Him in, but in the following verses, you will notice the humility of the sheep, in which they are confused as to how they had done these things for Jesus Christ:

Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
-Matthew 25:37-40

This is what Jesus meant when He said "whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me." The little children are the sheep who have come to the humility of repentance, and all those who receive them also in turn receive Christ because those who have repentance and faith in Christ are the children of God.

However, Jesus continues to address the false converts and churchgoers:

Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.
-Matthew 25:41-43

In the next verses, notice the arrogance of the goats. Instead of taking the humble position, as the sheep did, questioning when they did these things, they take the prideful position, questioning when they did NOT do these things, because they assumed they were of Christ, when in reality, they had a fake faith:

Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these [i.e. the repentant sheep], ye did it not to me. And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.
-Matthew 25:44-46

These people thought they served the Lord Jesus Christ, but they rejected His sheep because they had no repentance in their hearts. Perhaps they had fed and clothed some poor and needy people, but they rejected the sheep who were humbled in repentance because they were not of God's flock. The churchgoers decided to trust in their own hearts instead of trusting in the Living God, and they were playing church and worshiping pastors instead of looking to the Word of God.

He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool: but whoso walketh wisely, he shall be delivered.
-Proverbs 28:26

The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?
-Jeremiah 17:9

The Lord God does not force anyone to accept His gift of repentance, just as I could not force you to sit down and eat a meal I had prepared for you. If you were at my home, I might even make you aware that you were hungry when you did not know it yourself, fixed you a meal, made all the preparations and offered for you to sit and eat, but if you refuse to eat, I cannot force you to eat. The Lord God could force us all to do many things, but in His infinite mercy and lovingkindness, He gives us the option of rejecting His gifts.

I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:
-Deuteronomy 30:19

For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD: They would none of my counsel: they despised all my reproof.
-Proverbs 1:29-30

The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death.
-Proverbs 14:27

Pastors who teach repentance in error, claiming that 'repent' means "to turn" or "to change," are teaching people to do what they cannot do for themselves. We cannot convert ourselves and cleanse our own souls. What the people need to hear is the message of godly sorrow, that they need to come to grief of their wrongdoing, because if they do not, God will not grant them His grace, and they will not be saved.

I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.
-Luke 13:3

The Lord Jesus Christ gave us a good example of repentance in Luke, and while reading this, remember that all parables have a foundational lesson about false converts:

And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:
-Luke 18:9

In this parable, Jesus is referring to people who trust in themselves that they are good people who follow God.

Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.
-Luke 18:10-12

The Pharisees were men who were teachers and leaders among the Jews, who were strict in their observance of tradition, rites, and ceremonies. They were also considered to be the most firmly founded on Scripture in their beliefs, or in terms we might use today, "fundamentalists," meaning that they based their beliefs on the fundamentals of God's Word. However, they pretended themselves to be holy and righteous men of God, putting more emphasis on tradition rather than truth, and they are what we would know today as pastors, priests, reverends, elders, deacons, etc.

In this parable, the Pharisee (or the pastor) went to God and justified himself by his works, while looking down his nose at those who sinned. The Pharisee acted as if he had no sin, thinking there was nothing in his life that needed to be cleaned, and so he put on an outward appearance of goodness and holiness, but inwardly, he was corrupt, which is why Jesus said:

Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess. Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness.
-Matthew 23:25-27

Church building leadership often puts on a fake outward appearance, doing their giving and charity to the poor to be seen among men (which Jesus rebuked in Mat 6:1), and giving a long show of dramatic prayer to be seen among men (which Jesus also rebuked Mat 23:14), but Jesus is explaining that, inwardly, they are corrupt. Such men put on a costume of so-called "Christianity" for the express purpose of making sure you believe they are "Christians" because, otherwise, they would not receive as much money in their paycheck, nor would they have the lofty respect of their person they love to receive from men.
(Read "Respecting Persons is Sin" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors.
-James 2:9

They love to be called "Pastor Bob" or "Elder Smith" or "Brother Joe," but there is no place in Scripture where a tradition was set for the church to give one another fancy titles. (Christians did not address each other that way in the New Testament; see Rom 16:1-24.) In fact, many preachers today are called "Reverend" (i.e. a word that means "holy"), which is a grave offense because there is only one in Scripture who is called reverend, and that is the Lord God; meaning that these self-righteous hypocrites are taking the name of God for their own title, allowing themselves to be worshiped.
(Read "Titles Are Unbiblical in the Church" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

He sent redemption unto his people: he hath commanded his covenant for ever: holy and reverend is his name.
-Psalm 111:9

Why are such things so commonly found in church buildings when they contradict Scripture? Why do churchgoers follow and desperately defend tradition instead of truth? The primary reason is because there is a lack of understanding, and the lack of understanding is because there is no repentance in their hearts, which would open their understanding.

In summary, there are far more Pharisees, and followers of Pharisees, in modern church buildings today than the average churchgoer is willing to admit. What is much rarer to find in church buildings today is what Jesus described as "the publican" in the back, who the Pharisee scoffed at:

And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. [That's repentance!]
-Luke 18:13

Publicans were tax collectors, who were, at that time, some of the most hated and despised men in society. Remember that the Biblical definition of repentance is "grief and godly sorrow of wrongdoing," and that is exactly what the publican was doing. His godly sorrow was so intense, he could not even lift his head, and the pain and grief of his wrongdoing was so great inside him, he could do nothing but beat upon his chest in hopes that it would somehow ease his inward pain, and those of us who have come to repentance will easily understand what he is going through.

I will quote the following verse again to emphasize that it is the publican in the back of the room, repenting of his wrongdoing, who God draws close to, and it is such broken-hearted men that God saves:

The LORD is nigh [draws close] unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.
-Psalm 34:18

God looks to the man who is broken-hearted because of his sin, and trembles in fear at God's Word:

For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the LORD: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word.
-Isaiah 66:2

And now Jesus proceeds to tell us which of the two men goes to heaven. Is it the highly respected Pharisee, the pastor or deacon or priest, who has title and status, and is viewed to be the upright of society? Or is it the lowly publican, who is hated, despised, and ignored by society, grieving heavily in godly sorrow of his sin?

Jesus continues:

I tell you, this man [the publican] went down to his house justified [forgiven and saved] rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
-Luke 18:14

exalt (v): to raise high; to elevate with joy, confidence, or pride
abase (v): to lower or depress, to throw or cast down, to reduce low; to humble
(See 'exalt' & 'abase', American Dictionary of the English Language, Noah Webster, 1828, retrieved June 7, 2019, [webstersdictionary1828.com])

I give praise to God if you have read this far because you have just read the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, namely, that through repentance and faith in Christ, the poor in spirit will inherit the Kingdom of God.

Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
-Matthew 5:3-5

meek (adj): mild of temper, soft, gentle, not easily provoked or irritated; yielding; given to forbearance under injuries
(See 'meek', American Dictionary of the English Language, Noah Webster, 1828, retrieved July 23, 2019, [webstersdictionary1828.com])

Jesus gives another example in Luke, which he begins by describing a lost sheep who had come to repentance:

Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth. And he said, A certain man had two sons:
-Luke 15:10-11

The younger of the two sons asked for his portion of an inheritance from his wealthy father, and then he took off into another country to lavishly spend all his wealth on worldly lusts. Eventually, he spent everything he had, and a famine came into the land. With no money left, he ended up eating husks (e.g. fruit peels, corn husks, etc) with pigs in their pen, so that he would not starve to death.

He then realized his broken and worthless state, and decided that he would return to his father and confess his sin in the grief and godly sorrow of repentance:

I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.
-Luke 15:18-19

And thus, he did go to his father, and confessed the truth to his father of his own sin and worthless state. Before the son ever reached his father's house, the father was overjoyed to see him, and hugged his son, because the father already knew of his son's repentance by the very fact that he returned, but the son stopped his father anyway:

And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son.
-Luke 15:21

It's not that he understood every individual offense that he had ever committed, but he knew he was guilty of many vile sins. He knew he was filthy on the inside. The son came to the father in the humility of repentance and acknowledged the truth (2Ti 2:25), and because of that, he received not only his father's infinite mercy, but he also received far more than he would have ever deserved because of the love of the father:

But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry: For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.
-Luke 15:22-24

The meaning of repentance is lost in this generation, and therefore, we see a lot of people making so-called "decisions for Christ," or "commitments to Christ," but they do not have grief and godly sorrow in their hearts. They do not become Christians; they just become churchgoers. However, once a man is born again through repentance and faith, understanding the meaning and the doctrine of godly sorrow for sin, it is amazing how much you will see it in Scripture; it is all throughout the Bible, even in many places where the word 'repent' is never used.

Earlier, we learned that the word 'contrite' means to be broken-hearted in humility, grieved over one's own sins. The words 'penitent' and 'impenitent' are part of the same concept:

penitent (adj): suffering pain or sorrow of heart on account of sins, crimes or offenses; contrite; sincerely affected by a sense of guilt and resolving on amendment of life
impenitent (adj): not penitent; not repenting of sin; not contrite; obdurate; of a hard heart
(See 'penitent' & 'impenitent', American Dictionary of the English Language, Noah Webster, 1828, retrieved June 7, 2019, [webstersdictionary1828.com])

In Romans, Paul wrote that it is the goodness of God, His great patience and longsuffering, that leads men to repentance, but the day of wrath (Rev 8-9) is reserved unto those who are impenitent, meaning that they do not have that godly sorrow of repentance (Rev 9:20-21) in their hearts:

Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance? But after thy hardness [prideful/harsh] and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God;
-Romans 2:4-5

This theme is found all throughout the Bible, but sadly, many cannot see it because, today, the study of God's Word is often replaced by "keyword searches," which is typing in a specific word into a search engine. Keyword searching the word 'repent' will not show a man what it meant to cover oneself in sackcloth and repent in dust and ashes as Abraham did:

And Abraham answered and said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord, which am but dust and ashes:
-Genesis 18:27

This was based on what God had told to Adam. Abraham had humbled himself in acknowledgment that he was nothing more than dust and ashes in the sight of God:

In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.
-Genesis 3:19

Repentance is also symbolized in Scripture by sackcloth, which is similar to the material used in a potato sack. It is a very scratchy material, and when worn, is very uncomfortable. Sackcloth has been made from a variety of materials, including, but not limited to, goat hair, flax, camel hair, cotton, and hemp. For the Jews, sackcloth shirts and loincloths were an outward sign of inward grief and sorrow.

O daughter of my people, gird thee with sackcloth, and wallow [rolling to cover] thyself in ashes: make thee mourning [grief and sorrow], as for an only son, most bitter lamentation [cries of grief]: for the spoiler shall suddenly come upon us.
-Jeremiah 6:26

Do not misunderstand, this does not mean you need to go purchase sackcloth in order to repent, because God looks at the heart (Pro 21:2), but sackcloth and ashes were a well-known outward sign in Jewish society for repentance toward God (i.e. godly sorrow):

And shall cause their voice to be heard against thee, and shall cry bitterly, and shall cast up dust upon their heads, they shall wallow themselves in the ashes:
-Ezekiel 27:30

Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works had been done in Tyre and Sidon, which have been done in you, they had a great while ago repented, sitting in sackcloth and ashes.
-Luke 10:13

There are thousands of preachers out there who claim to be of Christ, but will war against this doctrine of repentance with all of their might, being willingly ignorant that there is no place in the Bible where forgiveness is given without repentance. There are many churchgoers who teach that we must forgive anyone and everyone no matter what, and though I agree that a Christian ought to be ready and willing to forgive any offense, we are not required to forgive unless there is repentance involved.

Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him. And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him.
-Luke 17:3-4

Again, there is no forgiveness (i.e. remission) without repentance, but pastors and churchgoers everywhere are telling people they can have forgiveness without godly sorrow of their sin. It's a fluffy, feel-good message that is pleasant to the hearer, so the pastors and churchgoers do not have to rebuke anyone's sin, and they want to avoid doing so because, as the seed that fell among the stones in the parable of the sower, they hate tribulation and persecution.

For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.
-2 Timothy 4:3-4

Itching ears means that they love to have their ears scratched, like how a dog comes to have his ears scratched so he feels better. They turn away from the truth, and would rather hear pastors tell anecdotes (i.e. funny stories) from behind a pulpit because they hate the truth of Christ's doctrine, preferring entertainment rather than facts, and in most instances, when I share this doctrine with churchgoers, I am met with vicious hatred, which is precisely what the Lord Jesus Christ told us would happen when we teach the truth:

Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.
-Matthew 5:11-12

William and Catherine Booth were the founders of The Salvation Army (1878), and the goal of their organization was to feed and clothe the poor and needy. William Booth said:
"I am of the opinion that the chief dangers which confront the coming century [i.e. 20th-21st century] will be religion without the Holy Ghost, Christianity without Christ, forgiveness without repentance, salvation without regeneration, politics without God, and heaven without hell."
-William Booth, quoted in The Homiletic Review: An International Magazine of Religion, Theology and Philosophy, Religious Newspaper Agency, Vol. 44, 1902, p. 382, [University of Michigan]

It turns out that Booth was correct, as many of those false doctrines are taught today in many various church buildings. However, more specifically to the topic of this book, we now live in a generation that believes they are saved without the regeneration of the Holy Spirit of God, having forgiveness without repentance of sin, and the purpose of this book is to make some effort to dispel that false doctrine.

Even God Himself repents. Do not misunderstand; God does not repent of sin because He has no sin, but God does have grief in His heart.

And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
-Genesis 6:5

When God looked at mankind, He saw nothing but wicked thoughts. This grieved Him in His heart, and it is the first place in Scripture where repentance is defined:

And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.
-Genesis 6:6

The Bible defines repentance as "grief in the heart," which is inward pain. God did not "turn" or "change" in His heart, otherwise, mankind would no longer exist because if God had "turned" from making man, or "changed His mind" from making man, then it would make God a liar because we are still here.

And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.
-Genesis 6:7

Did it "turn" God that He made man? No, because we are still here. Did it "change" God that He made man? That's not possible because God does not change.

For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.
-Malachi 3:6

Rather, it "grieved" God that He made man, meaning that God was grieving in pain due to the wickedness He saw in the hearts of mankind. If He turned from making man, then we should not be here today, but thankfully, that is not what the word 'repent' means. God was grieved in His heart, but He was still merciful to us, as He is merciful to all those who call upon the name of the Lord.

For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
-Romans 10:13

Please do not misunderstand this verse as most churchgoers do because most people typically take the word 'call' as like calling out someone's name or calling someone on the phone. That is not what is meant by calling on the name of the Lord.

call (v): to pray to or worship; to utter a loud voice; to bawl
bawl (v): to weep, to wail; to cry loud, as a child from pain or vexation
(See 'call' & 'bawl', American Dictionary of the English Language, Noah Webster, 1828, retrieved July 23, 2019 [webstersdictionary1828.com])

To call upon the name of the Lord means that you cry out in pain and grief to the Lord God, as one who repents in godly sorrow of his sin. Just as a child cries out to his father when he does wrong, so are we also expected to cry out to our Heavenly Father.

And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.
-Galatians 4:6

All those who cry out to the Lord God with a repentant heart and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ will be saved. This is the way things have been even from the very beginning of the Bible, six thousand years ago, back in Genesis, all the way through the law and the prophets of the Old Testament, and even to the New Testament still today. God shows mercy to those cry out to Him in the grief and godly sorrow of their wrongdoing, and today, we must look specifically to the Son of God (i.e. Jesus Christ) for our salvation.

And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enos: then began men to call upon the name of the LORD.
-Genesis 4:6

I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the LORD.
-Psalm 116:13

But sadly, despite the fact that they put on an outward fancy show, singing songs, paying tithes (which is unbiblical in the New Testament), and attending church buildings, most churchgoers still remain in the pride of their hearts. Many are false converts which have become churchgoers who fell in love with traditions, but they have no understanding of Christ's Gospel.

Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye.
-Mark 7:13

As a side note, I have personally witnessed many who maintain tithe as their justification when I rebuke their sin and false doctrine. Sadly, they foolishly believe they can purchase a ticket to heaven.
(Read "Tithe is Not a Christian Requirement?" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy [way of thinking] and vain deceit [lies] , after the tradition of men, after the rudiments [first teachings] of the world, and not after Christ.
-Colossians 2:8

I say this again as a warning: God WILL NOT save the proud of heart. Many of these churchgoers attend lavish church buildings with light shows and music and TV screens, thinking they are just wonderful Christians, glorying in themselves at all the high and lofty things they possess, but they have no understanding of their lost state, in which they are wretched and blind.

wretched (adj): very miserable; worthless; despicable; hatefully vile and contemptible
(See 'wretched', American Dictionary of the English Language, Noah Webster, 1828, retrieved July 23, 2019 [webstersdictionary1828.com])

I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked... As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.
-Revelation 3:17-19

Churchgoers might sing very passionately all the hymns and songs they have in their church service, and they may lift up their hands in prayer and yell "Amen!" However, if they have no repentance in their hearts, it's all vanity and a false outward appearance because the Lord does not hear the songs and prayers of hypocrites.

hypocrite (n): one who assumes a false appearance; one who feigns to be what he is not; one who has the form of godliness without the power, or who assumes an appearance of piety and virtue, when he is destitute of true religion
(See 'hypocrite', American Dictionary of the English Language, Noah Webster, 1828, retrieved July 23, 2019 [webstersdictionary1828.com])

In the Old Testament, the Jews would celebrate the feasts that God had appointed for Israel, but the majority of them did so under false pretenses. They participated in the solemn assemblies (i.e. serious religious gatherings) as an outward show of being "holy," when in reality, they lived according to their sins.

I hate, I despise your feast days, and I will not smell in your solemn assemblies. Though ye offer me burnt offerings and your meat offerings, I will not accept them: neither will I regard the peace offerings of your fat beasts. Take thou away from me the noise of thy songs; for I will not hear the melody of thy viols.
-Amos 5:21-23

The oblations (i.e. gifts) and sacrifices brought to the temple were done in vain, meaning that they were worthless because they would not come to the altar humbled in the grief and godly sorrow (i.e. repentance) of their sin. Their hands were full of blood, meaning that they did sacrifices over and over and over, without repentance, and therefore, God told them to take away their songs and prayers from Him because He hates it when men do those things as hypocrites.

Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me; the new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting. Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth: they are a trouble unto me; I am weary to bear them. And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood.
-Isaiah 1:13-15

Just as today, many churchgoers lift up their hands in songs and prayers, and they do so as hypocrites. Most of them are guilty of doing the same offenses as the Jews, claiming with their mouths to serve the Lord Jesus Christ, but their hearts are far away from Him.

This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.
-Matthew 15:18

The same idolatry that existed in the days of the Jews still plagues church buildings all over the world, and yet, churchgoers say in their hearts, "We have been delivered by Jesus, so it's okay for us to do these things!" In their willful ignorance, they cannot see that the Jews used to say the same thing:

Behold, ye trust in lying words, that cannot profit. Will ye steal, murder, and commit adultery, and swear falsely, and burn incense unto Baal, and walk after other gods whom ye know not; And come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, We are delivered to do all these abominations?
-Jeremiah 7:8-10

Again, the problem is not faith, but rather, the problem is a fake faith because they have never laid a foundation of repentance towards God in their hearts.

Therefore leaving the principles [basics] of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God,
-Hebrews 6:1

When the foundation of repentance is laid in a man's heart, the Holy Spirit of God will convict Him to go forth and do good works in accordance to that repentance, not that works provides for his salvation, but rather, his works (i.e. his fruits, or that which he produces) will reflect what is in his heart.

Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance:
-Matthew 3:8

Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.
-Matthew 7:15-20

One of the primary fruits we can look at to discern if a man is of Christ or not is by His understanding of God's Word. Jesus taught His disciples to beware of the doctrine of men in religious authority:

And when his disciples were come to the other side, they had forgotten to take bread. Then Jesus said unto them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees. And they reasoned among themselves, saying, It is because we have taken no bread. Which when Jesus perceived, he said unto them, O ye of little faith, why reason ye among yourselves, because ye have brought no bread? Do ye not yet understand, neither remember the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many baskets ye took up? Neither the seven loaves of the four thousand, and how many baskets ye took up? How is it that ye do not understand that I spake it not to you concerning bread, that ye should beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees? Then understood they how that he bade them not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.
-Matthew 16:5-12

In summary, Jesus was warning His disciples to be cautious of the leaven coming from the Pharisees and Sadducees, which were the men in religious leadership at that time. Therefore, we also need to beware of the doctrine of those in religious authority, searching the Scriptures to see if the doctrine they teach us is true, as the church in Berea did in the book of Acts:

These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.
-Acts 17:11

Jesus used the word 'leaven' as a metaphor to describe something that is tainted, meaning that it is corrupted and wicked.

leaven (n): something which corrupts or depraves that with which it is mixed; tainted
(See 'leaven', American Dictionary of the English Language, Noah Webster, 1828, retrieved July 24, 2019 [webstersdictionary1828.com])

Thus, leaven is false doctrine that comes from a heart of wickedness, and if we are not vigilant, can end up having a dangerous effect on Christians. Such leavened men will not have understanding of the doctrine in this book because they have not come to repentance, and therefore, they have never been born again to receive the Spirit of God.

But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
-1 Corinthians 2:14

Such a leavened man could spend his entire life reading the Scriptures over and over, learning more and more every day, but he would never fully understand what he is reading because he is corrupted. This is why the Bible tells us that such men are "ever learning, and never able to come to a knowledge of the truth:"

This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.
-2 Timothy 3:1-7

Many churchgoers also think they understand love, and think they are loving people, but they are lovers of themselves only, and they understand very little because they have no repentance. Therefore, they have not been forgiven, which also means they have little love for anyone, no matter how much they claim to be loving people.

Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little.
-Luke 7:47

The Bible teaches us that love is a selfless sacrifice, not a warm inner feeling. The Bible tells us what the love of God is, and what we ought to do if we love the Lord Jesus Christ.

For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.
-1 John 5:3

If ye love me, keep my commandments.
-John 14:15

Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.
-John 14:23

Sadly, it is far more common today to see pastors and evangelists making merchandise out of the people; scamming them with false doctrine, and leading them to the wide gates of hell. These are false converts, false teachers, false prophets, and false brethren, and the Bible warns us of them in MANY different passages.

But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.
-2 Peter 2:1-3

Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass [travel across] sea and land to make one proselyte [convert to a religion], and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.
-Matthew 23:15

Woe be unto the pastors that destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! saith the LORD.
-Jeremiah 23:1

And that because of false brethren unawares brought in, who came in privily [secretly] to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage:
-Galatians 2:4

Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD.
-Jeremiah 17:5

Paul, the apostle of Christ, spent years in grief, warning Christians that false teachers would come in to deceive them:

Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood. For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them. Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears.
-Acts 20:28-31

Jesus warned us that there would be religious leaders who might teach us the good things of the law, like how we should abstain from sin. Though we should follow the law of God, we should not follow such hypocritical men because they do not do the things they are telling you to do:

All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not.
-Matthew 23:3

They are hypocrites who do not practice what they preach. They claim to know God with their mouths, but in their works, they demonstrate that they are not of God.

They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.
-Titus 1:16

Because they do not understand the doctrine of repentance, many churchgoers do not understand James 2, and falsely believe that the Bible is teaching works doctrine.

What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him? If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?
-James 2:14-16

This is talking about lazy churchgoers who, very often, when someone is in need, do nothing, and instead offer a quick one-liner, like "God bless you" or "I'll be praying for you!" Please do not misunderstand; as we have already seen, the Bible does NOT teach us that good works brings forth salvation, but rather, by salvation, a man brings forth good works.

Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance:
-Matthew 3:8

But shewed first unto them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judaea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance.
-Acts 26:20

So when James asks, "Can faith save him?" he is not talking about faith in general, but rather, he is pointing out that there are two types of faith. There is a fake (dead) faith of lazy churchgoers who think attending their weekly services will earn them a place in heaven, and a true faith of the children of God, who bring forth good fruits, which is why, at the end of the parable of the sower, Jesus said:

But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.
-Matthew 13:23

It is not that a man must do works to be saved, but when he has been saved by the Lord Jesus Christ, he loves Christ so much that he works to keep His commandments and, out of a repentant heart, tries to give a return on God's investment and be a good servant.
(Read "The Christian Work Ethic" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.
-James 2:17-18

The faith that has no action behind it is a fake faith. That false faith is a dead tree because it bears no fruit. Of course, most churchgoers (being lazy by nature) will be upset with this doctrine, and they will retort very strongly that they are true believers, and yet, continuing in James:

Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.
-James 2:19

Do you believe the Lord Jesus Christ is the savior of mankind who shed his blood to pay for their sins and was risen from the dead to sit on the right hand of the throne of God the Father? Did you realize that devils also believe that? So since the devils believe the same thing, then what is the difference between a Christian and them?

But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?
-James 2:20

The difference between a Christian and the devils is that a Christian has repentance of sin in his heart, and therefore, he brings forth fruit that will benefit the Kingdom of God. This means that lazy churchgoers still end up in hell because they were never humbled to repentance in the first place, and that brings us back to the very beginning of this book, when Jesus said that those who enter heaven are those who do the will of the Father:

Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
-Matthew 7:21

Those who do the will of the Father have repentance and the true faith of Christ in their hearts. We still need to examine the fruit of a man's works to see what sort they are, because the appearance of fruit does not automatically mean it is good, and we should beware the doctrine of men, judging what they teach and believe, so we can discern between the good and the evil:

But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.
-Hebrews 5:14

Either a tree is good or it is evil. There is no in-between, whether good or evil exists in a man's heart can be known by what he says:

Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit. O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things. But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.
-Matthew 12:33-37

In the end, every individual person on the planet will give an account for everything they have ever said, thought, or done. There is no escaping that Day of Judgment. Though many pastors parrot the question, "Do you know Jesus?" I would rather pose a more important question: "Does Jesus know you?"

Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
-Matthew 7:22-23

Repent, and believe the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. I pray that all would hear this message before it's too late because once we die, we go directly to judgment, and those without the Lord Jesus Christ speaking on their behalf will end up in eternal hellfire.

And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:
-Hebrews 9:27

And whosoever shall offend one of these little ones [those of a repentant and contrite spirit] that believe in me, it is better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were cast into the sea. And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.
-Mark 9:42-44
(Read "Hell Is Real And Many People Are Going There" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

If you tremble in fear of hellfire, that means you tremble in fear of the Lord God. That's good. Do not run from that. Fear God and gain His understanding:

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever.
-Psalm 111:10

It is my prayer that you would hear and understand the message of grief and godly sorrow of sin, that you may be pardoned of your sin and welcomed home to God's family on the Day of Judgment. If you have that foundation of grief and godly sorrow in your heart, and you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, you will be received by those who also have repentance and faith in Christ.

If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour.
-John 12:26

Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.
-John 14:1-4

My goal is to help readers understand the basic principles of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, that they might now put down this book, and pick up the King James Bible to learn from God's Word directly. I have no wisdom of myself, nor can you gain wisdom from me, but rather, turn to the Living God who freely gives wisdom to all men who ask of Him.

For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.
-Proverbs 2:6

If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not [i.e. He will not rebuke you for seeking His wisdom]; and it shall be given him.
-James 1:5

Though I know few will read and understand this message, I still hope that everyone who would read this book would be saved, being brought to repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, to become a true Christian, and turn away from the traditions of men which would have you remain in darkness and destruction.

Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received of us.
-2 Thessalonians 3:6

If this book was helpful to you, share it with someone else, that they too may know the good news of Jesus Christ, and that they would pick up a King James Bible to learn the truth of the pure Word of God, and go forth to produce fruits worthy of repentance.

Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
-2 Timothy 2:15

Visit our website at creationliberty.com if you would like to learn more, and I pray that you and your family would be healthy and prosperous.

Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.
-3 John 1:2

Some final Scriptures to consider:

If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
-1 John 1:8-10

All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.
-2 Timothy 3:16-17

These things have I written unto you concerning them that seduce you. But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.
-1 John 2:26-27

And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said, Blessed be ye poor: for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are ye that hunger now: for ye shall be filled. Blessed are ye that weep now: for ye shall laugh. Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man's sake. Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy: for, behold, your reward is great in heaven: for in the like manner did their fathers unto the prophets. But woe unto you that are rich! for ye have received your consolation. Woe unto you that are full! for ye shall hunger. Woe unto you that laugh now! for ye shall mourn and weep. Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to the false prophets.
-Luke 6:20-26

Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.
-Matthew 7:24-27

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