After 40 years of being a Christian, and continually reviewing and reconfirming my beliefs; I thought a recent challenge would be somewhat easy. I was completely wrong.

I examined teachings by persons who presented scriptural evidence of their beliefs, which are completely at odds with the beliefs espoused and explained by what I believe are excellent scholars.  These new persons had a completely different perspective of the scriptures, and they presented their views in such a scholarly way that it rocked my world.

One such person is David Pawson, who produces very convincing productions stating that you can lose your salvation.  That is commonly known as Conditional Salvation.  He also teaches that God loves conditionally, and presents that John 3:16 only applies to God’s love for His elect and not the world as a whole.

Mr. Pawson makes many mistakes regarding the Greek language.  He doesn’t seem to know which Greek words are used in the New Testament.  His example of the word translated into the English word “lust” in every bible I have ever found, he presents as the word “love”.

He sounds very convincing, but his understanding of Greek grammar is off as well — though not as noticeably.

The problem is, he sets up a straw man that he easily knocks down.

He reduces eternal security to simply a one-time act of walking down the saw dust trail (answering an altar call for repentance at a service). Unfortunately, many people who think that they have asked for salvation actually go to hell.

In order to maintain integrity between me and God, I look at other people’s research and then attempted to validate it. This is usually where I find problems.

Mr. Pawson’s presentation of what he states his opponents believe is completely spurious.  I don’t know if he’s referring to something that was taught in England, but he certainly presents a bogus presentation of his opponents’ views using examples found in the United States.

Mr. Pawson quick erroneously completely misrepresents current teaching regarding “Eternal Security,” in fact I would go so far as to say it is liable and slanderous, and completely outside of the normal for scholars that today hold “Eternal Life” (as Jesus’ calls it), to be a correct, overwhelming teaching of Christianity proper.

He is obviously very sincere.  Unfortunately, I have no doubt that Hitler was very sincere in his beliefs as well.  Sincerity is not what is important.  The only thing that counts is that right is understood as right, and wrong is understood as wrong.

Unfortunately, his presentation has influenced thousands of people to come to what I would term as radical conclusions.

Mr. Pawson teaches that salvation is a condition: something you can get yourself into or you can get yourself out of.  Teaching that a person can do anything to add to their salvation condemns a person to hell based upon the false doctrine that we can earn our salvation through works.  This is why what he teaches is so diabolical. He teaches that salvation is a transaction.

Becoming a child of God is totally different from that.  Salvation is not a condition, it is a relationship.

As I reviewed Mr. Pawson’s work, I had to meditate for a week or so. I was deeply depressed because I was taking what he stated at face value rather than attempting to defy and disprove it. I mean I was physically sick.  I’m glad I went through this, but I don’t want to go there again.

When I got to the place of true evaluation, the Holy Spirit refreshed my understanding of salvation by faith alone and also taught me much more. I look forward to sharing some of those topics with you in the future.

Between December and February of 2018, I hope to upload my video presentation on this subject matter (as well as predestination – “I am not a Calvinist or Arminianist,” both have good, and both have bad; I will explain), to YouTube, Vimeo, my current web site and a brand new web site which I’m still putting together under the name “WhyFaith.works.”

The devil has been fighting me at every juncture in finishing my video studio which should be done this next week.

Lord willing, I will soon start posting video presentations on faith that are all eye opening and presented from the standpoint of why God demands faith in order to access His grace regarding salvation.

Any of my presentations that have an * at the end of their title will be brand new.

When I post videos about Eternal Security, which Jesus called “Everlasting life,” or “Eternal life,” I will use the words “Eternal Security” in the title and they will end with an * to identify them.

I am very glad that I was willing to go through this recent investigation, although the cost was emotionally devastating for a few weeks.  God rewarded me by showing me things I’d never seen before, so that I can combat this evil “conditional salvation” heresy taught by very sincere but very deceived individuals.