Paul
David Washer is a false prophet, a member of the apostate
Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), who teaches
Lordship
Salvation. Here's
a one hour video sermon
where Mr. Washer brainwashes a group of 5,000 youths to believe that they
can't be saved without literally turning from their sins. Notice the
Rock 'N' Roll drums in the background on the video... what about the evils of
Christian Rock Mr. Washer? And why did the SBC lift their ban against
Walt Disney?
God hasn't lifted His ban! Who's the hypocrite?
Paul Washer makes many good statements, and he is certainly correct about the fake Christianity and apostasy in America; HOWEVER, he makes the deadly error of requiring the FRUIT of repentance as part of saving grace. Washer is adamantly clear that a person is not saved who doesn't have a drastic turnabout in their lifestyle. Yet, the Bible is filled with believers who sinned horribly; such as, Noah, Lot, Jacob, Judah, Samson, David, Solomon, Jonah, Peter, Ananias and Sapphira and the carnal church at Corinth. Please read, The Foolish Doctrine of Lordship Salvation.
To no surprise, Paul Washer never once mentions salvation as being the "free gift" of God in his sermon. Washer plainly states that a lost sinner must "repent of their sins" to be saved, and he defines repentance as a turning from sin BEFORE and AFTER salvation. Paul Washer's own words condemn himself:
What you need to know is that salvation is by faith, and faith alone in Jesus Christ. And faith alone in Jesus Christ is preceded and followed by repentance — a turning away from sin, a hatred for the things that God hates and a love for the things that God loves, a growing in holiness and a desire — not to be like Britney Spears, not to be the like world, and not to be like the great majority of American Christians; but to be like Jesus Christ. [emphasis added]
This is a false gospel. According to Paul Washer's thinking, the church congregation at Corinth evidently wasn't saved, because they lived in horrible sin; yet Paul calls them "babes in Christ" in 1st Corinthians 3:1. We must be careful not to label all carnal and immature believers as "unsaved." In Romans 12:1, Paul begged the believers at Rome to surrender their lives to God. They were saved, but they hadn't presented their bodies to God "a living sacrifice" yet. Look at the carnal church at Corinth! They were suing each other (1st Corinthians 6:6), eating meats offered to idols (1st Corinthians 8:12), allowing fornication within the church (1st Corinthians 5:1), showing up drunk at the Lord's Supper (1st Corinthians 11:21), et cetera. The idea of "turning from sins" prior to salvation is a false doctrine nigh unto the heresy of works salvation, if not altogether so. The carnal church at Corinth is proof that Lordship Salvation is a lie.
According to Paul Washer, saving faith must be
preceded by a turning from one's actual sins. You can't show me
even one Scripture from the Bible that mentions "repenting from sin."
Here's an online Strong's
Concordance... type in any phrase you want; but you won't find
anything in God's Word about repenting from sin to be saved. Please
read, What is
Biblical Repentance? Salvation is receiving; NOT giving!
Eternal life is a free gift from God, paid for by the precious blood of
Jesus Christ. Man has no part in God's freely given gift of salvation
except to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 16:31). You can study
the Bible over and over and you'll only find that salvation is a free gift
of God. Heretics like Paul Washer attempt to connect holy living with
salvation, which is the heresy of Lordship Salvation (i.e., works
salvation). This is the same damnable heresy that
Ray Comfort teaches. Say what you will,
Romans 4:5 is abundantly clear that a person's faith is COUNTED for
righteousness, because we have no righteousness of our own to offer God.
All we have to offer is our own self-righteousness, which is filth to God
(Isaiah 64:6; Romans 10:3,4).
Paul Washer Corrupts the Meaning of Matthew 7:14
"Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it."
In the video, Mr. Washer differentiates between the words "gate" and "way" in Matthew 7:14, claiming that Jesus is the gate, but the "way" refers to a continued life of holy living. This is heresy! Washer's teaching completely ignores the plain truth of Romans 4:5... "But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness." Could the Word of God be any clearer? A sinner's faith is counted for righteousness! It is Jesus who justifieth the UNGODLY by faith; NOT by works! A man's faith in Jesus is equivalent to a life of righteousness.
If Paul Washer is correct, i.e., that Jesus was teaching that salvation requires walking a strait "way" of continued obedience to God, then salvation is a PROCESS. This is the same damnable heresy that the Salvation Army teaches.
Paul Washer states...
"There is no such thing as a carnal Christian (time: 21:40 in video)... The Bible never teaches that a person, can be a genuine Christian and live in continuous carnality and wickedness and sin all the days of their life... " (time:22:20 in video)
What about Lot? Lot lived so sinfully that his sons-in-law laughed in his face when he tried to warn them concerning the judgment to come. 2nd Peter 2:7 calls him "just Lot." Lot was saved. What about the carnal church at Corinth? Paul even calls them "carnal" in 1st Corinthians 3:1. What are you talking about Mr. Washer?
Washer further states...
But if you profess to have gone through the narrow gate, and yet you live in the broad way ... just like all the other people who are carnal and wicked ... the Bible wants you to know that you should be terribly, terribly afraid — you know not God. (time: 24:37 in video)
It is dangerous that Mr. Washer is twisting
Matthew 7:14 to include holy living as part of saving faith. Jesus was
not teaching this. Matthew 7:14 simply contrasts the narrow path to
life (Heaven) verses the broad highway to destruction (Hell). Paul
Washer perverts this Scripture in an attempt to support his false doctrine,
just as
Ray Comfort perverts Luke 8:13 in an attempt to support his false
doctrine, just as
John MacArthur perverts Hebrews 12:14 in an attempt to support his false
doctrine. Salvation is receiving; NOT giving!
Conclusion
Paul Washer is bad news! He promotes apostate minister, Billy Graham (time: 37:00 in video). Billy Graham is of the Devil. How could Paul Washer speak so highly of such a wicked minister as Billy Graham? Washer also shamelessly professes to be a Southern Baptist, which has become sinfully ecumenical in recent decades.
Paul washer teaches a false gospel, which requires a person to continue on God's path of righteousness in order to be saved. This is works salvation. Being born-again isn't a process! Like other false prophets, Mr. Washer deceitfully claims to believe in salvation by faith alone; while simultaneously telling young people that they must have a hatred for sin in order to be saved. Although God certainly expects each believer who loves the Lord to depart from sinful living; this is NOT a prerequisite to the gift of eternal life.
Heretics like Paul Washer teach that sinners must repent FROM their sins in order to be saved; whereas the Bible teaches that we need only come as GUILTY sinners to Jesus for forgiveness. There's a bid difference between repentance "OF" one's sins, verses "FROM" one's sins. Romans 3:19 teaches that we simply need to realize that we are GUILTY sinners, under the condemnation of God's Holy Law, and then turn to Jesus for forgiveness to be saved (Acts 16:31).
As we saw with Lot and Samson in the Old Testament, not all believers live a holy life. Argue as you may, "repentance" in the Bible simply means "a change of mind." Salvation is as simple as a person realizing their guilt as a sinner, and turning in faith to the Savior for salvation. The Law of God shows us our hopeless condition, and then points us to the Savior for salvation. Like other Lordship Salvationists, Paul Washer confuses the FRUIT of the believer's faith with the ROOT of the believer's faith. Certainly, believers' don't have a license to sin; however, that doesn't give anyone the right to corrupt the Gospel by including holy living as part of saving faith. Romans 4:5 silences all the critics...
"But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness." —Romans 4:5
