Reasons Why I Hate Conditional Security as Much as I Hate Antinomianism!
There's really no secret I hate Antinomianism but I also hate conditional security doctrine at the same time because both are heretical and dangerous leading to false conversions. It's the frequent argument of conditional security proponents that eternal security is a dangerous gospel. Now it does become dangerous if taught in the way of the Antinominian but the real doctrine of once saved, always saved is rooted in the doctrine of Lordship doctrine- either you are saved or not saved, either you are saint or an ain't, either you are in Christ or not in Christ. In fact, I have read various badmouthing of pastors like Ray Comfort, John F. Macarthur, Paul Washer, Robert Charles Sproul, Charles Stanley, Harry Allen Ironside, Vernon McGee, David W. Cloud and even Charles Spurgeon or the Baptist groups as a whole. Now for my reasons:
1.) Despite their accusation that teaching eternal security makes Christians the worst of sinners, I've seen more conditional security preachers behave more like children of the Devil than those they accuse.
This takes back to what Jesus said in Matthew 7:20 saying, "By their fruits you will know them.". There is really a distinction between the saved and the unsaved in the long run. One time I knew some conditional security preachers said that Baptists are producing children of the Devil with their doctrine of once saved, always saved or better yet known as the perseverance of the saints. They have called the doctrine of PERSEVERANCE of the saints to be a doctrine of the Devil.
However some of the most wicked irony here happen like the preacher was a homosexual, another was a womanizer who accused people who opposed him to be homosexuals, one was making profit out of naive people with his so-called truth ministry, another kept making up stories to suit his needs, another got divorced many times, another was a habitual drunkard, another owned a liquor store, another ran a brothel, another was always treating people like garbage- all living like as if they had a license to sin! In fact this is what Jesus warned to be the leaven of the Pharisees.
Meanwhile, one of the greatest proponents of can't lose your salvation Paul Washer was last seen really living decently and preaching against sin and watered down evangelism so fiercely he refuses to debate all those clowns! Paul Washer teaches the perseverance of the saints saying that true believers cannot completely fall away but will certainly endure to the end. How can that even be Antinominism? Paul Washer gives the biblical warning that anybody who professes to be a true Christian but behaves otherwise is a false convert and a Judas Iscariot. Incredible irony isn't it?
2.) They accuse expository preachers of taking Scriptures out of context when they are the ones taking Scriptures out of context.
I have noticed how many times they take Scriptures out of context like Matthew 24:13 or Ephesians 2:10 ignoring verses like Matthew 7:23 and 1 John 2:19 or even misinterpreting it. They have even ridiculously interpreted Galatians 5:4 as something to saying you can lose your salvation if you don't do works. Even James 2 gets ridiculously misinterpreted. If you see Matthew 7:23 you read "I never knew you..." showing that these people weren't saved. In 1 John 2:19 it shows the distinction of the saved or unsaved. In Ephesians 2:10 if they say the verse requires good works then that will contradict verses 8-9. When you also think about it, never means never. Galatians 5:4 is clear if you think you can get yourself justified by the law, you are fallen from grace!
The reason is because they do not really study the Scriptures verse by verse. It does make a difference to do exegesis over eisegesis. Exegesis takes things in context while eisegesis does not. During one of the many so-called Bible expositions of such preachers, one can notice they have really been taking things out of context. No wonder they are messed up. Worse the so-called "messengers" aren't messengers of God at all by their own lifestyle and attitude. That proves they are a bunch of phonies!
I would say that what I like about Grace to You with John F. Macarthur is that he really takes time to study the Bible. His sermons are arranged by book, chapter and verse. He is one of the greatest expositors of our time. If there is anybody who should also be mentioned are Baptist commentators like Charles H. Spurgeon, Jonathan Edwards and John Gill. Great Presybterian expositors one can have are Matthew Henry, Billy Sunday, D. James Kennedy, Vernon McGee and Robert Charles Sproul. As far as concerned, Paul Washer is also an expositor himself.
3.) They make a believer out of Judas Iscariot
One of the most ridiculous teachings I have read is that Judas Iscariot was a Christian. However when looking at Scripture, there was no real evidence he was really saved. He followed Jesus for 3.5 years but he NEVER gave life to Jesus. If you give your life to Jesus, you simply yield to Him just as you are like giving out your hand to receive a gift the giver gives, you give the giver your trust. In John 6:70, Jesus had already mentioned that one of them is a devil which refers to Judas Iscariot. Just because he preached and taught does not make him a Christian. In Matthew 7:21-23 we read that many will claim to preach in God's name but aren't saved to start with!
So what evidence do we have Judas Iscariot was an apostate? 1 John 2:19 says that those who left the assembly were not of Christ, if they were of Christ they would have continued. The Apostle John must have one way or another, remembered Judas Iscariot when he wrote that verse. We read that Judas Iscariot departed from the Lord's supper, he also left their fellowship. In John 17:12, Jesus says, "None of them is lost but the son of perdition." which proves Judas Iscariot was not even saved. To think about it, I don't see any reason to believe he was saved. If he were, I don't think he would even dare sell Christ out for money and he only repented of the act but definitely not a genuine one. But he did and later his own suicide proved he wasn't saved. In fact, a lot of people who commit suicide aren't even Christians! In fact, remembering Judas Iscariot made me really see that it's impossible for a true believer to renounce one's status and go back to works salvation again proving that a person is either saved or not and life will show it!
Also this will show how those so-called Christians who actually are ecumenical aren't saved. How can a man who is truly saved reject Christ after that? It is impossible to do so. In fact, that's why I am starting to doubt whether or not these ecumenical Baptist preachers are even Christians to start with. Preachers like Rick Warren are obvious to be apostate. Rick Warren proved himself to be a fraud when Benedict XVI resigned that he asked the world to fast with him for the election of the current Pope, he also welcomed Pope Francis as a brother-in-Christ. Martin Loser King Jr. was also another who by his actions exposed himself to be another Jesuit operative. False pastors don't need to be exposed one by one, they expose themselves when their doctrine is exposed!
3.) They are extremely arrogant to take credit for the good works they do thus robbing God of the glory.
Now don't get me wrong, I am not against works but against the wrong motive of doing works. It's no wonder why Charles H. Spurgeon is so hated by the conditional security crowd. Charles Spurgeon also taught that good works also have a motive- either's it's for God or for yourself. Does anybody remember the Pharisees? The Pharisees thought they were good enough for Heaven just because they looked like decent men before everyone. But Jesus blew their cover. The problem of the Jews was that they were doing good works only for the praise of men. It was quite different from Zaccheus who only did good because God saved Him.
I would say I do have a problem if I see a person who says, "I'm saved, I'm a Christian..." just because in one moment of his life he prayed a prayer and got baptized. But he was preached an incomplete Gospel which was so watered down by Antinomianism. The next thing that could happen is this person lives a life of sin, no evidence of conversion. Remember again, Matthew 7:16-20 warns that by their fruits you will know them. As said, banana trees bear bananas and mango trees bear mangoes. A good tree bears good fruit and a bad tree bears bad fruit. A poisonous plant bears poisonous fruit and a non-poisonous plant bears non-poisonous fruit. If a person claims to be saved but is indifferent about good works, that is another sign of false conversion as much as a person who claims to be saved but boasts about his good works.
The problem of conditional security is that they take the glory of the good works themselves. If Christians do good works, they give no credit but to God. Ephesians 2:8-10 is clear that good works happen by God's grace. Romans 3:27-31 declare that even if salvation was without works, yet it results to works. Romans 4:5 says that one is counted to righteousness not by their works but by God's works. Philippians 2:13 declares that it is God that works in the believer, it is God who completes salvation not man and that it is God that works in man. Titus 2:11-14 is clear that it's by God's grace that sinful man turns for the better. Again, Christians do good works not because they have to but because they will and want to please God. 1 Corinthians 6:11 is clear in saying, "And such were some of you..." and then it describes the sanctification of man in Christ. That means from unrighteousness to righteousness. God changes the life of people by His grace and that grace makes them do good works. Enduring to the end is the fruit, not the root of salvation and the proponents of conditional security put the cart before the horse, the car before the driver.
Works salvation is always "Me, myself and I." which really shows the arrogance of man. If you think about it, conditional security is rooted on arrogance no wonder many of its preachers gain more popularity. Man in himself thinks he can assist in salvation like Cain who thought his good works were enough. When Cain refused to accept God's grace, it made him murder his brother Abel as proof he wasn't saved. Works don't save a man but the kind of works do show a man is saved or not.