Jerry Falwell is a well known Baptist who is the Chancellor of Liberty Baptist University in Virginia. He is about as well known as Billy Graham. Their beliefs are pretty much alike. I have reproduced below the entire article taken from Jerry’s web page. Much of what Jerry writes below, any Bible believer would endorse. The problem is somewhat like the illustration of Decon rat poison. It is ninety eight percent wholesome  corn meal and two percent rat poison. That two percent is deadly however. I shall enter my comments below each paragraph although I will not be able to answer every error found in Jerry’s treatise on “salvation” from alien sins, I will deal with enough of them to show the reader some of the subtle errors couched in Biblical language perverted to teach that salvation comes by “an experience” rather than by complying to the terms of  the “Great Commission” as given by Jesus and carried out by His  apostles and evangelist of the first century. All bolding is done by me for emphasis’ sake.

“Without a doubt the most important message of all times is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. There is no other name on Earth, beneath the Earth or in the Heavens above by which a person can be saved except through the name of Jesus.”

Ken’s comments: No Bible believer will take issue with the above paragraph. I would just add these passages (Matthew 1:18-23; John 14:6; John 20:30-31; Acts 4:10-12; 1 Corinthians 3:11).

“Man was originally created by God as a perfect being. God gave man all good things at creation including a free will to make his own decisions. In one instance of Satanic temptation, man chose to disbelieve what God had commanded him thus disobeying God and falling from his sinless state of perfection. The Bible says, Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: (Romans 5:12). Every man, woman and child has sinned. There is none righteous, no, not one. Romans 3:10. That day Satan was cursed by God for deceiving Adam and Eve: And the Lord God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel (Genesis 3:14, 15). Verse 15 is the first verse to contain a prophecy of the coming Redeemer.”

Ken’s comments: This paragraph sounds like Jerry is admiring that we as creatures of “free will” must each answer for our own sins as (Ezekiel 18:20; 1 John 3:4; James 1:13-15; Romans 14:12) and other passages suggest. However, couched in this paragraph is the doctrine of “inherited sin” or hereditary total depravity which suggests that we are born due to Adam and Eve’s sins in a fallen state. Later in this response we will prove that Jerry has misused (Romans 5:12).

“The only way sin could be atoned for was through a perfect, sinless sacrifice. The events,  sacrificial offerings and prophecies of the Old Testament looked forward to the day when Messiah would come and redeem the world from sin. Jesus Christ is that perfect, sinless Messiah; the Son of God born of a human virgin, the sinless God/Man.”

Ken’s comments: I have no disagreement with the above paragraph whatsoever. It fairly represents what the Bible teaches about the means by which mankind may be saved through Christ Jesus.

“It is my prayer that you have already made the most important decision to accept Christ into your own life. There is only one way of salvation and it is through Jesus Christ.
Becoming a Christian is an act of faith. Jesus Christ willingly died for your sins and calls upon you to trust him as your personal Savior.”

Ken’s comments:  This paragraph is so subtle that it is difficult to respond to. Knowing what Jerry believes and what he says later in his treatise on salvation from alien sins makes me know that in this paragraph is found the idea that one is supposedly saved “the moment one accepts Jesus as his personal Savior,” a doctrine that misses the mark. While none of us deny that one must in a very personal manner accept all that the Bible says about Jesus as our only Savior, there is more to our salvation from alien sins than that.

“Knowing Jesus Christ as your personal Savior is the most exciting experience of life. Yet millions of people live today as if there were no God at all. They live as though the death and resurrection of Christ made no difference for them. He does not matter to them because they have never come to know Him as their personal Savior.”

Ken’s comments: See what I told you? The above paragraph indicates that Jerry’s “plan of salvation from alien sins” is accomplished by what he calls “the most exciting experience of life.” He places the emphasis on “experience.” This language was never used by inspired apostles or evangelist as they carried out Christ’s “Great Commission” (Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 15:15-20; Luke 24:45-49; Acts 2:22-38,40-41,47). John says we love Him (and know him ket) by keeping His commandments (1 John 5:2-3; John 14:15, 21; 2 John 9-10).

“One does  not become a Christian by merely attending church or religious services. Sitting in church will not make you a Christian any more than sitting in your garage will make you an automobile!
To become a true Christian believer, you must come to know Jesus Christ. This involves a personal encounter with Christ. Such an encounter may happen anywhere: at a church altar, in your car, or at home. The place is incidental. The personal experience with Christ is what really matters. Jesus said, I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly (John 10:10). I want to introduce you to this abundant life.”

Ken’s comments: I have no disagreement with the first statement that one doesn’t become a Christian by merely attending. I  know  that “Sitting in church will not make you a Christian any more than sitting in your garage will make you an automobile.” The  next remarks are where we part company with “Jerry’s plan of salvation.” He speaks of a “personal encounter with Christ.” Later we will learn what Jerry believes this “encounter” or this “personal experience with Christ” involves.  Take note that it will not  be in agreement with what happened on the birthday of Christ’s church in Jerusalem, Palestine when the apostles of Christ began carrying out the “Great Commission” (Acts 2:22-38,40-41, 47 as per Luke 24:47).

“We need forgiveness. The Bible clearly teaches that we are all sinners by nature and by choice. Sin is the transgression of God’s law. To sin is to voluntarily disobey God’s law. The  Scripture says, For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23).”

Ken’s comments: Yes, we do indeed need forgiveness. Yes, we are sinners “by choice” but Jerry  adding  this comment is at odds with his use of  Romans 5:12  which supposes that we become sinners through Adam. Proof is seen in the very passage he uses next, “For all have sinned...” (Romans 3:23). We did not sin in Adam-we sinned when we made wrong choices on our own (James 1:13-15; 1 John 3:4; Ezekiel 18:20; Matthew 18:3; 19:14).

“Sin is a problem with which we all must deal because its consequences are so devastating. The Scripture says, For the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). Spiritual death involves  total separation from God for all eternity. It is the greatest of all the consequences of sin.”

“We are all guilty of sin. The degree or intensity of our sins may vary, but we are all guilty of sinning. The Bible reminds us, If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us (1 John 1:8). The prophet Isaiah illustrated it this way: All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way (Isaiah 53:6).”

“Doing the best we can or trying to “balance the books” is not sufficient to remove even one of our sins. That is why the payment for sin always involved a blood sacrifice. In the Old Testament, animals were sacrificed for sin. In the New Testament, Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, became the ultimate sacrifice for the sins of mankind.”

“Sin is an offense against a holy God. It separates us from God and keeps us from experiencing all that God has for us in life. Since we cannot save ourselves, nor remove the fact of our sin, we need to be forgiven.”

Ken’s comments on the four paragraphs  above:  Most of the above is good and represents biblical truths. However one passage above is applicable to Christians and not to alien sinners that passage being (1 John 1:8). The next verse will show this to be true since it is the way a Christian who sins gets forgiveness. The alien sinner is never told to pray any kind of a prayer but the erring child of God is (Acts 8:22; James 5:16; 1 John 1:9). This point will be dealt with more later.

“We need a Savior. A savior rescues someone else from dire consequences. Jesus Christ is called the Savior because He died to rescue us from the consequences of our sin. The Bible says, Christ died for our sins... was buried, and... rose again the third day according to the Scriptures (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). The apostle Peter put it this way: For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened [raised] by the Spirit (I Peter 3:18).”

Ken’s comments: No problem with this paragraph when used in the light of other properly understood passages of Holy writ. (2 Timothy 2:15). We must never interpret one passage so as to be at odds with another (2 Peter 3:16).

“Jesus died in our place and took the punishment for our sins. Trusting Him as your personal Savior means that you accept his death on the cross as the sufficient payment for your sins. The Bible declares, The blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin (I John 1:7).”

Ken’s comments: That Jesus died so we may live is indeed true. He made a way open back to the Father for each of us (Hebrews 2:9; John 3:16-17; Romans 5:6-8). Couched in Jerry’s next statement however is his Calvinism concept of “once saved always saved,” a doctrine unknown to inspired writers and new testament Christians. Too, Jerry uses a passage which is written to Christians and applies it to the alien sinner, that passage being (1 John 1:7).

“Christ’s payment for our sins is so complete and sufficient that we can add nothing to it. We cannot save ourselves, and we need not try, because He has already paid for our sins. That is why the apostle Paul said, 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).”

Ken’s comments:  Christ did indeed make possible the salvation of every soul (Hebrews 2:9). He did not die for a selected few but for all mankind. The fact that so few will be saved  stating that they are the ones who will obey in order to enter the church of Christ, His kingdom rules out the idea that the price paid settled all accounts without man’s obedience (Matthew 7:13-23; Hebrews 5:9).
Grace is sufficient to save the whole world and if salvation were by “grace alone” then all would be saved (Titus 2:11-14; Ephesians 2:8-9).  But there  are foreordained acts of obedience with which man must comply to receive the grace that is available to all (Ephesians 2:10).

“Salvation is a free gift of God made possible by His grace to undeserving sinners. It is not a reward for our good deeds. Nor is it something we must spend a lifetime trying to earn. It is a gift that we must receive by simple faith.”

Ken’s comments:  The above paragraph sounds pretty good. I agree we are undeserving sinners prior to our salvation from alien sins. However in the above while he denies it later is couched the idea of “salvation by faith alone” which the Bible flatly states  is untrue (James 1:18-25; 2:14-26).
“We need to receive salvation by faith. Knowing that Christ died in our place and that God is willing to pardon our sins will not save us until we receive that pardon by faith. If  a prisoner was condemned to die and was given a pardon, he would have to receive it in order to be set free. Saving faith  is simply receiving God’s pardon for sin. That pardon was secured by Christ’s death on the cross.”

Ken’s comments: The same is true of the above paragraph, it suggests salvation from alien sins by faith alone or at the point of faith. I deny the contention. I have already given multiple passages which refute that ungodly doctrine.

“Faith is the placing of one’s trust in someone or something. It is believing a chair will hold you up when you sit on it. It is believing the word or promise of someone when he gives it to you. Saving faith is believing in the promise of God. It is accepting the offer of salvation as a free gift from God to you personally.

The Bible is the instrument of our faith. It is the inspired Word of God, which declares the message of God to mankind. The apostle Paul said, Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God (Romans 10:17). The apostle Peter describes this process as being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God (1 Peter 1:23).”

Ken’s comments: The above two paragraphs say much the same as he has already affirmed. Then he speaks of  “the process of being born again” and quotes one passage from (1 Peter 1:23). If only he would have given the whole context! To have done so however would refute his own contention that salvation is at the point when one accepts Jesus as one’s Savior. Peter, the one who told believers to “repent and be baptized...for the remission of sins” (Acts 2:38). Said in 1 Peter 1:22-25, “Seeing you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that you love one another fervently: Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever” (1 Peter 1:22-25).

“The Holy Spirit is the agent of our faith. He is the one who convicts us of our sin and causes us to see our need of a Savior (John 16:8). He is also the one who guides us into all truth (John 16:13). The Holy Spirit initiates conviction in our hearts and draws us to the Saviour.”

“Jesus Christ is the object of our faith. Having faith alone cannot save anyone. It is the object of one’s faith that really matters. In relation to our salvation, our faith rests in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. He alone is the object of our faith. To trust Him as your Savior means to believe by faith that He died for your sins and that the price has been paid.”

Ken’s comments on the two paragraphs above: It is true that the Holy Spirit is the agent of our faith if one understands how He works. He works only through His inspired word (Ephesians 6:17). He does not work separate and apart from His word. Faith comes by hearing the word that the Holy Spirit inspired (Romans 10:17). The statement that “He is also the one who guides us into all truth” is taken out of its context and given general application. That was a promise Christ made to His apostles and which he carried out by sending them the Holy Spirit as a guide to this end  (John 16:12-13; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; James 1:25; 2 Corinthians 3:1-18). If the Holy Spirit directly did as Jerry suggests above “...initiates conviction in our hearts and draws us to the Savior” then He would do so for “every person” for Christ “tasted of death for every man” (Hebrews 2:9), and God isn’t willing that any perish but that all come to repentance and to a knowledge of the truth (2 Peter 3:9; 1 Timothy 2:1-4; Acts 17:30-31).  Jerry’s statements above are born of the Calvinistic concept that we are born totally depraved and cannot act until acted upon by the Holy Spirit. Again if that was so, why would He not act on every man since God wants every man saved? Answer. Calvinism is wrong about man’s nature at birth and that colors his interpretation of the holy Scriptures and causes many perversions of the same.

“We need a spiritual rebirth. The New Birth is not an improvement on our old nature. It is the imparting of an entirely new nature. By the creative act of  the Holy Spirit at salvation, the believer becomes a new creature in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17). When we trust Christ as  our personal Savior, the Holy Spirit enters our lives and causes us to be born again with spiritual life.”
“Jesus said, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God (John 3:3). The New Birth is not just a nice idea, it is an absolute necessity. The unanimous testimony of the Bible is that one is born again when he receives Jesus Christ as his personal Savior.”

“Spiritual rebirth occurs when God is born in us and unites His Spirit with our spirit. The marvelous truth of Scripture is that God lives within your soul. When you receive Jesus Christ, He comes to live within you forever (John 14:20).”

Ken’s comments on the above three paragraphs:   It is true that we all need a “spiritual rebirth.” Jesus said so in (John 3:3-5; Titus 3:3-5; Acts 2:38; Romans 6:3-4; Galatians 3:26-29; Acts 22:16; 1 Peter 1:22-25; 1 Peter 3:20-22). However, Jerry’s idea of the “new birth” is that “one is born again when he receives Jesus Christ as his personal Savior” which takes away man’s part in his own salvation whereas Christ gave salvation in two parts, God’s and man’s else the whole world would be saved you see. Couched in the above three paragraphs is also the doctrine of “once saved, always saved” or “eternal security” a doctrine born of the devil in Eden when he told mother Eve “you shall not surely die” (Genesis 3:4). The “new birth” in Jerry and his brethren’s theology is a “better felt than told religious experience wrought in the soul of men by a direct operation of the Holy Spirit apart from the word of God requiring man to only be passive and not active in his own salvation.” However, have you not noticed that Peter told believers on Pentecost to “Save yourselves from this crooked generation (Acts 2:40)?”

“In the last night of His earthly ministry, Jesus prayed for all who would come to believe in Him: That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us (John 17:21). Our union with Christ is to be exemplified by our unity with other believers. The New Birth makes us children of God and adds us to the family of God. By the New Birth we actually receive the divine nature of God Himself.”

Ken’s comments:  Yes, Jesus prayed for unity but this unity must be based “on their words” that is the apostle’s words (John 17:20-21), not some Baptist preacher who short circuits the Lord’s “Great Commission” and  dehydrates the Lord’s instructions concerning the “new birth of the water and of the Spirit” which involves “water baptism” for the purposes assigned the same in the word of Christ (John 3:3-5; Titus 3:5; Acts 3:19; Acts 2:38).

“We need to call upon God to save us. The invitation of the gospel is clear. The Bible says, Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved (Romans 10:13). I  want to personally invite you to call upon God, by faith, to save you. Ask Him to save you and believe that He will do it.  Do not hesitate. The Scripture urges us, Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near (Isaiah 55:6).”

Ken’s comments:  Where did an inspired apostle or a first century evangelist tell his audience to “Call on God to save you?” Yes, we are to “call on God” alright and we must do so as did the believing, penitent, fasting, confessing, praying, Saul of Tarsus who was told, “...why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized (immersed) and wash away your sins calling on the name of the Lord” (Acts 22:16). “Calling on the Lord” is simply complying with His inspired instructions  relative to salvation. None were ever told to pray as we will see below asking Jesus to come into one’s  heart and save them! See (Matthew 7:21; Hebrews 5:9; James 1:18-25; 2:14-26)

“Right now, while you are visiting this web page, give your life to Christ and receive Him as your personal Savior. The Bible says, But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name (John 1:12).”

“If you have never really accepted Jesus as your personal Savior, would you do it right now? Do not delay or put it off. If you would like to receive Christ by faith, pray this simple prayer in  your heart:”

“Dear Lord, I acknowledge that I am a sinner. I believe Jesus died for my sins on the cross, and rose again the third day. I repent of my sins. By faith I receive the Lord Jesus as my Savior. You promised to save me, and I believe You, because You are God and cannot lie. I believe right now that the Lord Jesus is my personal Savior, and that all my sins are forgiven through His precious blood. I thank You, dear Lord, for saving me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”

If you prayed that prayer, God heard you and saved you. I personally want to welcome you to the family of God, and invite you to use The How To Book Online. It is a booklet that will answer many of the questions you are sure to have about living the Christian life. And when you contact us, tell us about your salvation experience so that we can rejoice with you.

Thank you and God bless you.”

Ken’s comments on the above three paragraphs:  Yes, the Bible says “as many as received Him, to them gave He the power to become the sons of God...” Faith is a prerequisite (John 8:21-24; Hebrews 11:6). Faith gives access to the grace of Christ (Romans 5:1-2). The power to become sons is now in the believers’s possession. He isn’t a son of God at this point however. Believers were told on Pentecost to “Repent and be baptized...for the forgiveness of their sins...” (Acts 2:38). Is this in Jerry’s plan of salvation for the alien sinner?  It is not! The idea that an alien sinner, a child of the devil could pray a prayer of forgiveness as Jerry, Billy Graham and many other Protestants affirm is repugnant to the teachings of the word of Christ. Until one is “born again” coming out of Satan’s kingdom into the kingdom of Christ, one has not  Christ as one’s mediator or intercessor and has not the privilege of prayer. Prayer is a blessed privilege of God’s children and is not for the alien sinner.

The ”alien sinner’s prayer” given by Jerry Falwell above has no basis in the word of Christ. It is a figment of the Calvinistic understanding of the depraved condition of the alien who must have a direct operation of the Holy Spirit to remove said depravity enabling such a one to believe and to accept Jesus as personal Savior. Don’t you know that inspiration would have given a “model prayer” for the alien to pray for forgiveness of alien sins if such were the will of Christ? Even the erring child of God cannot pray for God’s blessings until he repents and complies with God’s “second law of pardon” for the erring child of God (See John 9:31; 1 Peter 3:12; 1 John 1:8-9; Acts 8:22; James 5:16).

Jerry welcomes the one who prays “his prayer” into God’s family. He has no such prerogative to begin with and is wrong on how one becomes a child in God’s family. He says write and tell us about your “salvation experience.” This is further proof that the Great commission of Christ is totally absent from Jerry’s “plan of salvation for the alien sinner.” Do not be deceived by Jerry, Billy Graham nor any other Protestant preacher or members of their flocks for they completely disregard not only the “Great Commission” as given by Jesus Christ as well as all of the cases of conversions found in the Acts of the apostles. Each of these followed the “Great Commission” and when put in their logical sequences indicated the following pattern   Hear-Believe-Repent-Confess Jesus-Be immersed for the remission of alien sins. That’s not about it, that’s it, as found in the word of God Almighty.

P.S.  After I had posted my reply to Jerry Falwell on a discussion list to which I subscribe and after having sent it to several friends and brethren, one brother in Christ called to commend what I had written. A couple on the internet list did the same. I appreciate that and hope it will be of benefit to many others. The one Christian who called me suggested that if I had answered every error of Jerry Falwell’s I would have had to write a book. I agree. He did say I believe “I would have said something about Jerry’s prayer for others: I would have said “what makes him think God hears his prayers since he obviously has no regard for what His (God’s) word teaches.”

  My brother is exactly right. Both testaments suggest that one who turns his ear away from hearing the law “even his prayer is abomination.” Jesus’ apostles said “if we ask according to His will, He hears us” (Prov. 28:9; 1 John 5:14).  The bolding of words and passages is done by yours truly. Kenneth E. Thomas     kthomas@ntslink.net