Twice As Much A Son Of Hell
Guest Editorial: LuJack Martinez – Evangelist

Written by LuJack Martinez on May 10, 2009 – 12:00 pm -

“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites!  You shut the Kingdom of heaven in men’s faces.  You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to.  Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites!  You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as you are.” Matthew 23:13-15

Matthew 23 is perhaps the most scathing rebuke recorded in the New Testament.  It was given by none other than Jesus, Himself.  In this chapter, He vehemently – and specifically – goes after the leaders of God’s people, who were supposed to be leading the people of God to their God, both by their example and by their doctrine. (1 Timothy 4:16)  It seems – from this severe reprimand – that they were doing neither.  In fact, the very “missionary work” they boasted about was exposed as the work of Satan!

How do you feel about false doctrine, brothers and sisters?  Are you as indignant about it as Jesus was?  Do you hate false doctrine as much as you hate racism or child molestation or cruelty in the treatment of the weak?  In my own life, I have always been a defender of the weak and outcast.  I’m not sure why.  And when I became a disciple, my convictions ran deep about what it meant to be a Christian, according to the Scriptures.  I believed from the Bible – with all my heart – that, to be saved and become a member of God’s church universal, one needed to believe Jesus died for our sins and rose from the dead, repent of those sins, become a disciple, and then be baptized for the remission of our sins to receive the Holy Spirit. (Acts 2:36-42; Matthew 28:19-20)

But something happened in these last few years: people close to me began to die.  And, many of these people (although some of them were “believers”) I did not know to be disciples.  Sure, I had built relationships with them because I loved them, and I invited them out to church activities; but they would politely decline, and I would put them on the backburner of my mind, as I focused on others who were more open at the time.  And when these friends and family died, the only way I felt I could handle the sorrow was by making myself believe that somehow, someway, they were going to be okay – that God, in His infinite mercy, was going to somehow “broaden” His mind about His Word and not judge them according to it. (John 12:48)

This grew particularly acute in my latter years as a member of my former fellowship.  We had given up the dream to “evangelize the world in our generation” (because our “teachers of the law” and “evangelists” had decided that this vision was somehow “unbiblical” and an “impossible” burden on the people of God, that they were unable to bear); we had given up one-another discipling as an “unbiblical” practice that was intrusive, invasive and demeaning; and we even started building bridges with fellowships that we knew to be lukewarm – and even outright hostile to our former movement!  THE URGENCY TO REACH THE LOST WAS GONE, mainly because we forgot who the lost were!  And when the urgency was taken away, the vision and the passion were taken away, and compromise became my own way to stay “faithful.”

“The Sinner’s Prayer”

How did all of this affect me?  Well, perhaps I can best explain what happened to my convictions by sharing my viewpoint about a widespread false doctrine that I knew – and know – to be wrong when I was baptized into Christ in 1986: the erroneous theology known as “The Sinner’s Prayer,” made popular by Billy Graham, Greg Laurie (Harvest Crusade), Raul Ries (Calvary Chapel), and a host of other “Christian” celebrities and televangelists.

The Sinner’s Prayer is a practice whereby an individual, who has made a decision to become a Christian, is directed to say a prayer, inviting Jesus to come into his/her life and heart.  Once that prayer is said – as long as it is prayed with sincerity of heart – that individual is “saved” and “welcomed into the Kingdom of God!”  (For a history of how this false teaching received its prominence, please see Steve Staten’s article here.

Nowhere is this ever found in the Bible!  There is NO Biblical precedent whatsoever for this practice.  Jesus NEVER taught “The Sinner’s Prayer” as a means for salvation; Paul wasn’t converted on the road to Damascus by “praying Jesus into his heart;” and Peter in Acts 2:38 didn’t preach, “Repent and ‘accept the Lord Jesus as your personal Savior,’ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit!” And even the feeble claims that evangelicals make as to why this practice is acceptable to God are easily refuted by simple Bible study!

But I wasn’t studying my Bible that much in my latter days in my former fellowship; and I believe that is why I, personally, began to accept “The Sinner’s Prayer” as an alternative means of salvation.  Not that the International Churches of Christ (ICOC) were supporting this teaching, nor were they accepting those who said this prayer as members of their own congregations.  However, there was a fading line of fellowship with, particularly, Rick Warren (The Purpose Driven Life) and the Saddleback Church – who practice The Sinner’s Prayer.  Several ICOC ministers – after “damning” the leaders who held high the vision of an evangelized world – began to look towards Rick Warren for their ongoing training as ministers, and their example of a “healthy church.” But, once again, when we gave up the evangelization of the world in our generation, the urgency of the conversion of the masses was gone, and I began to appease my own conscience by convincing myself, “Well, God will judge in the end; if He decides to save those who said ‘The Sinner’s Prayer’ instead of making the pledge of being a disciple of Jesus, and being born again – amen.”

I had such deep convictions at one time about Biblical conversion; but these seemed to slip away, as I was no longer “[seeking] first [God’s] Kingdom and His righteousness.” (Matthew 6:33)  In fact, I replaced Matthew 6:33 with Ecclesiastes 10:19 in my own life: “A feast is made for laughter, and wine makes life merry; but MONEY is the answer for everything.” Money became my priority.  I began to compromise my convictions about conversion, because I began to compromise my convictions about everything else in my life at that time.  In the past, the Great Commission helped me to fill my life with good deeds, to help me overcome the evil that was so prevalent in my life and flesh.  Take the Great Commission away from any sinner, and it will be replaced with evil once again – whatever evil one is prone to.  And if you can convince yourself that there are other ways of being saved, that kind of eases the blow to an already seared conscience!

What have you compromised, brother?  What have you compromised, sister?  Billy Graham and Greg Laurie and Rick Warren and their ilk will continue to perpetuate their false doctrine called “The Sinner’s Prayer,” for their own ends, and they will be held accountable for this. (Galatians 1:8-9)  But each one of us will be held accountable for ourselves.

People may say to me, “Who the heck are you to say that Billy Graham, Greg Laurie and Raul Ries are leading people astray?!”  I’m a sinful nobody, but that’s exactly the point.  If I may, I think the more relevant question should be, “Who are Billy Graham, Greg Laurie, Raul Ries and Rick Warren to change the very words and practices of Peter, Paul and Jesus Himself, when it comes to the Bible’s clear plan of salvation?  Who are they?”

I do not question the sincerity of those who have had a religious experience and prayed “The Sinner’s Prayer” in faith, believing that it would save them, any more than I would question my own sincerity at the time (or times) that I prayed this prayer for my own “salvation!”  But I will question the leaders, who should know better, and I will stand up for what the Bible says about this, and every other matter affecting our salvation and our zeal to spread salvation to a lost world.

Brothers and sisters, it’s time for all of us to stand up, once again, for the teachings of Jesus, Peter and Paul – the very Word of God – especially since it has become so widely accepted to follow the teachings of the false prophets of modern-day “Christianity.”  Our religious friends must be shown the gospel, “more adequately,” through our lives AND through our doctrine as well, as we may be the only ones in their lives capable of exposing satanic false doctrines. (Acts 18:26; 1 Timothy 4:16)

Let us fast and pray together that the “false prophets” of modern day Christendom be publicly brought down to humble them, so that they can humble themselves to accept and to teach the “elementary truths of God’s Word.” (Hebrews 5:12)  And let us not become “missionaries for hell” by compromising the convictions that Jesus, Himself, taught in the Scriptures!  But let us become – and remain – the “ambassadors for Christ” who God created us to be. (2 Corinthians 5:20)  It is then, and only then, that we will be able to evangelize – and baptize – the nations in our generation! (Matthew 28:19-20)  And to Almighty God be ALL the glory!

Lu Jack Martinez
Evangelist

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