In step #2 on how to go to Heaven,
Jack Chick teaches damnable heresy... “Be willing to turn from sin (repent).” This
is unbiblical. To require sinners to “be willing to turn from sin”
to be saved is an act of self-righteousness.
Carefully notice that this is not
acknowledging one's sinnership, for that is requirement #1 in Chick Tracts.
Jack Chick adds an entirely new requirement to be saved; not only admitting
one's guilt of being a sinner, but also being willing to cease from those
sins. In effect, Jack Chick is trying to do the Holy Spirit's job. Instead
of allowing God to change a person who has come to Christ to be saved; Jack
Chick requires sinners to change themselves as a prerequisite to placing
their faith in Christ. This is a false gospel of qualification by works. 2nd
Corinthians 11:3-4 warns us about “another gospel.”
Jack Chick has perverted the
Gospel. The word “repent” in the Bible simply means “a change of mind”; not
a change of behavior. Jack Chick cites Acts 17:30 as evidence of his perversion of the
Gospel... “And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now
commandeth all men every where to repent.” Although it is
certainly true that repentance is necessary for salvation, the Bible does
not teach that a sinner must “be willing to turn from sin” in order to be
saved. Jack Chick wrongly assumes that repentance means from sin; thus,
he has fabricated his own false gospel of works
salvation. This is a very
serious issue, because if one's wrong on salvation—they're wrong on
everything.
Please read
REPENT! REPENT! REPENT! to learn
the Biblical meaning of repentance.
Also, I just want to point out
that California appears to be a hot-bed of heresy, considering that John
MacArthur, Jack Chick, Ray Comfort, and Kirk Cameron are all based in the
state of California.
Jack Chick's teaching on
repentance is that you cannot come to Christ for salvation unless you first
intend not to walk in sin after you receive Him. This is “qualification by
works” as a prerequisite for receiving Christ as Savior.
Also, notice the prayer that Jack
Chick leads sinners to pray in order to be saved. He includes the phrase...
“I am willing to turn from sin.” This is of the Devil. Salvation is a free gift, NOT conditioned upon our willingness to turn from
sin. You can't show me one Scripture where the Word of God requires
someone to be willing to forsake their sins to be saved. Again, it is
“qualification by works” as a prerequisite for receiving Christ as Savior.
Please notice that the words “believe” and “believeth” are found 85-times in
the Gospel of John, but the word “repent” is NOT mentioned even once.
Hence, the man who believes on Christ has repented.
Romans 4:5 plainly states... “But
to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the
ungodly, his faith is COUNTED for righteousness.” Did you
read that? ... a man's faith is COUNTED for righteousness!!! This
means that a person can be saved and continue living in sin. Before you
get upset, you'd better stop and realize that the Bible is filled with
believers who lived in horrible sin. Noah was a drunkard. Samson
was a whoremonger. David was an adulterer and murderer. Rahab was
a prostitute. Isaiah had a dirty mouth. Jonah ran from God. Peter denied and cursed
the name of Jesus. Ananias and Sapphira stole from the church. Demas
forsook Paul in the ministry, having loved this present world. The
church at Corinth had a serious problem with church members committing
fornication, fighting against each other, suing one another, eating meats
offered to idols, and even showing up drunk at the
Lord's Supper. They were a house divided. The apostle Paul called them carnal
in 1st Corinthians 3:1.
Jack Chick's Own Words
Condemn Him
Jack Chick cites Acts 17:30 in
support of his heresy. Carefully notice in Acts 17:30 that God
COMMANDS all sinners to “repent” in order to be saved. Repentance is NOT
optional. So “being willing” to repent is not enough! God
orders us to REPENT!!! If repentance is merely being "willing" to turn
from sin, as Jack Chick defines it, then salvation cannot occur. The
Word of God plainly states that there can be no salvation without
repentance. Yet, Jack Chick defines repentance as merely being
"willing" to turn from sin (not actually doing anything about one's sins). Clearly, Jack Chick's definition of repentance is impossible, because how
can you only be "willing" to do something that God absolutely requires
you to do to be
saved? Obviously Jack Chick is wrong on the Biblically meaning of
repentance.
You won't find any Scripture
references about "repenting from sin" to be saved. In
Acts 11:21 we read, "And the hand of the Lord was with them:
and a great number believed, and turned unto the Lord." This is Biblical repentance... turning to the Lord
to be saved. To turn to Jesus
by faith to be forgiven and saved from sin is repentance. God commands
all men to turn to Jesus Christ to be saved, because we are sinners. It's as simple as that. Please read,
What
is Biblical Repentance?
BEWARE: Another Gospel
Thank God—a believer's salvation is
rooted in Jesus' righteousness, and not our own—because we have no
righteousness of our own to offer God. 2nd Corinthians 5:21
states, "For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we
might be made the righteousness of God in him." Our only hope is in
the precious blood of Jesus Christ. The following page is from the Chick
Tract, This Was Your Life...
Chick Tracts seem to have a
different answer than the Bible to the question, "What must I do to be
saved?"
Surrender your life to Christ? That's
Lordship
Salvation!
“And
brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said,
Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.” — Acts 16:30-31
On their website's statement of faith, they state
concerning salvation:
“Salvation is the gift of God
and includes the forgiveness of sins, the imputation of the Righteousness of
Jesus Christ, and the gift of eternal life. Union with the triune God
provides all blessings in this life and the life hereafter. Salvation is
received by faith alone, apart from all good works and merit.”
SOURCE:
http://www.chick.com/information/general/statementoffaith.asp
Yet, Mr. Chick horribly
contradicts himself in every tract he writes when he REQUIRES lost sinners
to “Be willing to turn from sin” to be saved. No Sir! Why doesn't he state
that in his statement of faith? This is deception! Jesus plainly said in
Revelation 21:6, “I will
give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life
FREELY.” Jesus said in John 7:28, “He that believeth on me, as the
scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.”
It hurts me to expose Jack Chick as a heretic, because I grew up reading
Chick Tracts. I had quite a collection. I loved the cartoon art. It really
made me think about the things of God.
I always loved the booklet, “This
Was Your Life!” Unfortunately, I really didn't know what I was reading. I
didn't know about theology when I was a child. I was saved at age 13 in a
fundamental Baptist church. I didn't learn theology until I attended Bible
college when I was 18 to 26. And even then, it wasn't until 15 years after
graduating from Bible college that I finally was perfected in my doctrines,
and realized that the Gospel is being perverted everywhere today. I myself
used to tell people to “Ask Jesus to come into your heart,” but that is
wrong. I would NEVER tell anyone that today. To “Invite Jesus into your
life” is a false Gospel. To “Ask Jesus into your heart” is a false Gospel.
To “Surrender your life to Christ” is a false Gospel. To “Trust Jesus” is a
false Gospel.
“The Gospel” is defined as: Christ
DIED on the cross for our sins, He was BURIED,
and bodily RESURRECTED three days later according to 1st
Corinthians 15:1-4, “Moreover, brethren, I declare unto
you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have
received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in
memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I
delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that
Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
And that he was buried, and that
he rose again the third day according to the scriptures.”
Beware of all the garbage being taught in churches and on religious
radio today!
Jack Chick is Confusing!
Mr. Chick states on one hand that he believes
"salvation is the gift of God"; but then on the other hand teaches that a
person MUST "be willing to turn from sin" to be saved. What a
contradiction! Regardless of what Mr. Chick claims to believe, we must
analyze his Gospel tracts based upon their content. In order to be
saved, Jack Chick requires a sinner to pray the words... "I am willing to turn from sin." This is unbiblical. The implication is that a person must cease from the activity of sin to be
saved. This is the heresy of
Lordship
Salvation, which is nothing less than works salvation, and a sure road
to hellfire.
Biblical salvation is when a person turns toward
Jesus Christ to be saved from their sin; NOT turning from their sin in order
to be saved. Romans 3:19 states, "Now we know that what things soever
the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be
stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God." Carefully notice that a person is only required to turn to Jesus to be saved
from the condemnation of sin, and not from the act of sin itself. The
Law of God shows us our sinful condition, which causes us to realize that we
are GUILTY! Repentance is when we "turn" to Jesus to receive His free
gift of forgiveness and eternal life. To turn to Jesus Christ for the
forgiveness of sins is Biblical repentance. This is drastically
different than what Jack Chick is teaching, i.e., that a person is required to
be willing to turn from the act of sin itself to be saved. You won't
find the phrases "repent of sin" or "turn from sin" anywhere in the
Bible.
It is false doctrine to require
lost sinners to "be willing to turn from sin" as part of saving grace. Jesus shed His precious blood to pay for our sins, because our own
self-righteousness could NOT save us. Isaiah 64:6 declares our own
self-righteousness as "filthy rags" in the sight of God Almighty. Matthew
6:33, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and HIS
RIGHTEOUSNESS; and all these things shall be added unto you.” To
go to Heaven my friend, you need HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS, i.e., Jesus'
righteousness. We read in Romans 10:3-4, “For they being ignorant
of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own
righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of
God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that
believeth.” Jack Chick asks sinners to establish their own
righteousness when he tells them they MUST "be willing to turn from sin" in
order to have God's free gift of eternal life.
If a person is required to be
willing to do anything to obtain a gift (other than receive it), then it
is no longer a gift. If I say to my son... "You may borrow the car if
you're willing to gas the tank," the implication is clear—I expect him
to gas the tank before he returns the car! The implication is the same in
Chick Tracts. If a person MUST “be willing to turn from sin”
to be saved, in effect they are being required to forsake their sinful
behavior to
be saved. Jack Chick's mumbo-jumbo is nothing less than a backdoor
approach to Lordship Salvation. According to Mr. Chick, you
cannot be saved unless you're willing to turn from sin (which clearly implies
that you must forsake your sinful bad habits to be saved). There's nothing in John
3:16 about being willing to turn from sin...
“For
God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that
whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting
life.” —John 3:16
All that God requires for
salvation is that we come as sinners and trust the Savior. Acts 16:30-31,
“Sirs,
what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ,
and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.” Salvation is receiving, NOT
giving. It is the gift of God. Salvation is a take proposition, not
a give proposition. Jesus paid for our sins with His
own precious redeeming blood (i.e., His literal physical blood)... “Neither by
the blood of goats and calves, but BY HIS OWN BLOOD he entered in once
into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us” (1st Peter
1:18-19). What a Wonderful Savior!
For decades, since childhood, I ignorantly supported
Jack Chick's ministry, not realizing that he was teaching the Lordship
Salvation heresy. Several years ago a faithful Christian warned me
concerning Chick Tracts. I was defensive at first, because Jack Chick was
one of my childhood mentors. After several months of conviction by the Holy
Spirit, I decided I needed to do the right thing and stop distributing Chick Tracts. I speak the truth
without apology. Say what you will about how much Chick Tracts get read... it makes them
all that much more dangerous, especially to children. Jack Chick
is wrong on salvation! As with Ray Comfort, John MacArthur and other
Lordship Salvationists, Jack Chick speaks double-talk, i.e., he says one thing
in his official doctrinal statement, and something completely different in his
Chick Tracts. The doctrinal content in Chick Tracts is
100% contradictory to Mr. Chick's official doctrinal statement. I agree with
Mr. Chick's website statement of faith. Why the discrepancy?
Many of the false prophets
teaching the heresy of Lordship Salvation are from California (John
Mac Arthur, Ray Comfort, Kirk Cameron, Jack Chick, et cetera). California is
a hotbed of false prophets! “Lordship Salvation” is the false teaching
that a person must receive Jesus as their “Lord” (i.e., Master or Boss) to be saved.
And then the sinner is told that they must turn away from sinful behavior
since Jesus is now their “Lord.” If they don't forsake their sinful bad
habits, then they are accused of being lost. Hence, Lordship Salvation is
definitely a form of works-salvation. This is not “the simplicity that is
in Christ” (2nd Corinthians 11:3), which is “the Gospel” (Romans
1:16). Any plan of salvation that places the burden of sin upon a
sinner's shoulders, instead of completely upon Christ, Who bore the weight
of our sins upon the cross, they are teaching “another Gospel” (2nd
Corinthians 11:4). Jesus paid a debt that He did not owe, because we owed a
debt that we could not pay. What a great Savior!
In Jack Chick's case,
he's a bit more subtle, teaching that it's not enough to admit one's
sinnership to be saved, but also that a person must also “be willing to
turn from sin” to be saved. This is a damnable heresy that destroys the
free gift of
God. You don't give up anything to be saved, Jesus gave up everything to pay
for your sin! Jesus came into the world to
SAVE SINNERS! If you
want to be saved, then repent toward God by placing your faith in Jesus
Christ, the Son of God, to forgive your sins. It's that simple. God will
take care of the rest from there.
Salvation is not doing your best, it is having
Christ's best put to your account through receiving Him by faith. God will
not save anyone who is trying to be saved, He will only save those who are
trusting to be saved.
Salvation is Either a Free Gift or It's Not!
Either salvation is a free gift, or
else it's not, and we must be willing to change the direction of our life in order to
obtain eternal life. Romans 4:5 plainly states that A MAN'S FAITH IS COUNTED
for righteousness, which means that if we never do one good thing again, and
choose to live in sin until we die, we can still go to Heaven if we believe on
the name of Jesus Christ,
i.e., He who justifieth the ungodly. This is what the Word of God
teaches! See,
Scriptural Proof
that Lordship Salvation is a Lie! Anyone who admits they are a guilty
sinner in God's sight, and receives Christ's sacrifice on the cross as
full-payment for their sins, believing that Christ was buried, and 72 hours
later raised up from the dead, is saved. This is the simplicity that is in
Jesus Christ. In Acts 2:41, as the apostle Peter preached the Gospel on the
Day of Pentecost, there were 3,000 souls saved simply because they
“gladly received his word.” In Galatians 3:2, the apostle Paul said that
the way to be saved, when you hear the Gospel preached, is “by the
hearing of faith?” We are saved solely by BELIEVING the Gospel.
Some people try to use Isaiah 55:7 to justify the
false doctrine of Lordship Salvation... “Let the wicked forsake
his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the
Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly
pardon.” However, the Bible doesn't use the word “sin,” It says
“way.” John 3:20 explains Isaiah 55:7, “For every one that doeth
evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should
be reproved.” It is love for sin that prevents men from coming to the Lord
for salvation. To be saved, a sinner must come to the place of becoming
guilty before God (Genesis 3:19). This is what Isaiah 55:7 means. A sinner
must come to the realization that they are guilty of violating God's
commandments, and that they are hellbound in their sins if they don't come
to Jesus for salvation. If “forsaking one's way” means
departing from sin, then we're all in big trouble because there is NO
Christian who doesn't sin every day.
It is not that men must literally forsake the act
of sin to be saved, nor even be willing to do so; BUT rather, they must become guilty before God as sinners,
under the condemnation of God's Holy Law, in need of a Savior. One who
has believed on the Lord Jesus for forgiveness has repented concerning his
sin, although there may NOT be a willingness to turn from sin at that time. The church at Corinth was plagued with sins, and they clearly didn't
have a willingness to turn from sin. Paul called them "babes in Christ"
(1st Corinthians 3:1).
Perhaps Mr. Chick simply means
that genuine repentance should result in inward change; BUT, that is NOT
what his Chick Tracts teach!!! Jack Chick adds an unnecessary
requirement to being saved; namely, being willing to turn from sin. America is saturated today with sanctimonious
religious people, who refuse to acknowledge that a true believer can be immature in
the Lord, living in horrible sin, and shaming the name of Jesus. The
Bible is filled with such examples. Heaven will be filled with the only
type of people there are—SINNERS!
You see, Jack Chick is foolishly
requiring the change that salvation brings as a requirement to be saved. That's like placing the cart in front of the horse and expecting him to pull
it. Tragically, Chick Tracts are a big hits with Pentecostal
Charismatics, who wrongly teach that a person can lose their salvation if
they don't persevere in the faith. Again, this is a "works salvation"
heresy. Man has NO part in salvation other than to believe on Jesus. John MacArthur also teaches Works Salvation!, while simultaneously
stating that he believes salvation is by grace through faith. These
are masters of deceit!
Conclusion of the
Matter
Jack Chick is a false prophet! Stop trying to force people to live right by corrupting the simple plan of
salvation! I realize that Mr. Chick has done MUCH to promote other ministries and
Christian authors who are diligently fighting against the evils of
Catholicism, Wicca, et cetera (and I can appreciate that); BUT, I cannot sit
back as a God-fearing believer and remain silent while Jack Chick is telling
millions of people that they MUST "be willing to turn from sin" to be saved. Mr.
Chick fails to explain what he means in his tracts by the phrase, "be willing
to turn from sin." The only reasonable conclusion that a person
can assume is that they cannot be saved unless they are willing to cease
from their sinful living (which is untrue!).
I recently received a letter from a
gentleman, who told me that for many years he was reluctant to get saved,
because he had read a Chick Tract and genuinely thought God wouldn't
save him unless he was willing to stop living in sin. The man expressed
his frustration that he would have died and went straight to Hell because of
Jack T. Chick, if it weren't for a dear saint of God, who explained to him from
the Bible that eternal life is a free gift of God which is NOT conditioned
upon a lifestyle change or willingness to clean up one's life. Jack Chick
is teaching heresy and should be avoided by all soulwinning ministries. My recommendation is to write and draw your own Gospel tracts. People
will look at your pictures just as eagerly as they will Mr. Chick's.
I am not happy to expose Jack
Chick as a false prophet. In fact, it pains me. I realize most
professed "Christians" today are phonies. Certainly, genuine
repentance should result in a drastic change within the soul of the believer
(2nd Corinthians 5:17). However, the change comes as a RESULT of genuine repentance; and
NOT as a prerequisite to salvation itself. Jack Chick requires a
willingness to change (i.e., turn from sin) as a requirement to be saved. This is damnable heresy and a road to Hell, because it is self-righteousness! Hebrews 12:8 tells us that God will chastise His children if they live in
sin. Although no believer can live in sin without Holy Spirit
conviction, many believers do live horribly sinful lives (as evidenced by
king Solomon in the Bible).
To be saved, a person must become
GUILTY before God (Romans 3:19), realizing one's condemnation under
God's Holy Law, and justly deserved penalty in Hellfire—turning by faith to Jesus Christ
for forgiveness. The precious blood of Jesus Christ is what washes our sins
away forever... “Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible
things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition
from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb
without blemish and without spot” (1st Peter 1:18,19). Jesus
paid a debt He did not owe; because we owed a debt we could not pay. Oh
how foolish it is for anyone to require lost sinners to be willing to depart
from their sins to be saved.
According to Chick Tracts, it's
not enough to admit you're a sinner to be saved, you must also be
willing to turn from those sins. Jack Chick needs to either change his
tracts to accurately reflect his website's statement of faith; or else
rewrite his statement of faith to backup the Lordship Salvation he's teaching in his
tracts. To continue to teach both is contradictory, confusing, and
deceitful. Don't you tell me that you believe salvation is the free
gift of God, and then contradict yourself by saying that sinners must be
willing to turn from their sins to be saved. No Sir! You are
100% wrong. What a Gospel Tract should tell people who want to be
saved is:
1. Admit you are a GUILTY
sinner, under the condemnation of God's Law, deserving of Hellfire (Romans
3:19,23; 6:23).
2. Believe on the Lord Jesus
Christ, Whose redeeming blood will wash away your sins (Acts 16:31; 1st Peter 1:18,19).
The change (i.e., the FRUIT of a
believer's faith) that genuine repentance brings is not a requirement
to be saved. It is a separate issue. We must not confuse the
ROOT of a believer's faith with the FRUIT of a believer's faith (See:
Are We
Justified by Faith and Works?).
It's the churches who don't take
the matter of salvation seriously who are also bought and paid for by the
government, having sold their soul to become a
501c3
organization. In a 501c3 organization, churches and religious
organizations receive tax-exemption as a pay-off for not getting involved
with government matters. if you criticize blatant crime, theft and tyranny
in the government, then you lose your tax-exemption. Don't tell me that
America's churches haven't been bought off!!!
Kindly, Jack Chick is
Preaching Another Gospel
The Gospel is that Jesus
Christ DIED on the cross for our sins, was BURIED and bodily RESURRECTED (1st Corinthians 15:1-4). If you
receive Christ's sacrificial death on the cross as full-payment for your sins,
believing that He raised up 72 hours later from the dead, you are saved. But don't I
have to repent? Yes, of course! Biblical repentance is “a change of mind”
that compels a person to believe the Gospel. Repentance is NOT a desire to
stop sinning. Repentance is realizing that you are a guilty SINNER in the
eyes of a holy God (Romans 3:19), and so you believe (place your confidence)
in the Gospel and are saved.
The ONLY thing that you need to repent of
to be saved, is whatever it is that's been hindering you from coming to Christ
to be saved.
(See: The Great
Meaning of “Metanoia”)
Whatever happened to “the gift of God,”
which “is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23).
Anyone who says that eternal life is a “gift,” but says changing the course of
your life (or being willing to turn from your sins) is necessary, is a Gospel pervert!!! ARE YOU A GOSPEL PERVERT?
Here is the best quote that I've
found on
repentance, by Dr. Harry A. Ironside (1876-1951):
“Which comes first,
repentance or faith? In Scripture we read, 'Repent ye, and believe the
gospel.' Yet we find true believers exhorted to 'repent, and do the
first works.' So intimately are the two related that you cannot have one
without the other. The man who believes God repents; the repentant soul
puts his trust in the Lord when the Gospel is revealed to him.
Theologians may wrangle over this, but the fact is, no man repents until
the Holy Spirit produces repentance in his soul through the truth. No
man believes the Gospel and rests in it for his own salvation until he
has judged himself as a needy sinner before God. And this is
repentance.” (Except
Ye Repent, p. 16)
Seeing one's self as a needy
sinner in the sight of God is very different than having a willingness
to forsake sinful bad habits. It is the difference between “the
knowledge of sin” (Romans 3:20b), verses trying to keep “the
deeds of the law” to be saved, which is a false Gospel (Romans
3:20a). Romans 3:20, “Therefore by the deeds of the law there
shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the
knowledge of sin.” A “willingness to turn from sin” effectively
means keeping the deeds of the law. This is not the Gospel. The purpose
of God's law is to show men their sinnership, so that they may repent
toward God and believe the Gospel to be saved.
Lamentations 1:12, “Is
it nothing to you, all ye that pass by? behold, and see if there be any sorrow
like unto my
sorrow, which is done unto me, wherewith the LORD hath afflicted me in the day of his fierce anger.”
Jack Chick plainly teaches in every Chick Track that faith in Jesus
Christ is insufficient to save unless you are willing
to cease from your sins. That is works salvation!!!
Mr. Chick puts the cart before the horse, demanding a willingness to
change as a qualifying prerequisite to faith in Christ. That is a back door
approach to Lordship Salvation. I am not loyal to men, but to the Word of
God. Anyone who messes with the Gospel needs to be exposed. Jack Chick is
hindering sinners from coming to Christ!
