Caleb Garraway is a full-time travelling independent Baptist evangelist, “preaching, teaching, and singing in churches, Christian schools, and conferences across America,” according to his website bio. The motive for his work is a “heart that burn[s] for national revival,” which then led to founding “Remnant Ministries — an evangelistic God & Country ministry with the three-fold emphasis of bringing redemption to the lost, revival to the church, and restoration to the country.” (Online bio).
All three points of his three-fold emphasis cannot be successful when the gospel is incomplete or corrupt; when revival is based on false teaching (revivalism for alleged saved people); or true and genuine restoration when the gospel is wrong and revival is wrong.
In 2020, he released The Gospel Film and this report analyses that evangelistic video as to whether he is teaching a true gospel and whether it can truly “bring redemption to the lost, revival . . . and restoration to the country.” (I helped him out here a bit, classifying what true revival actually is, through the use of ellipsis).
What we find is very typical for independent Baptists in our present post-modern world, and his threefold redemption for the lost is Biblically insufficient. Though the videography itself is well done, everything that is wrong with the “gospel” of “fundamentalists” and “evangelicals” today and why the churches are loaded with false professors and false teachers, is well summarized by this video.
Today there is a pandemic of gospel perversion and false professors found throughout Christendom, including amongst evangelicals and fundamentalists, two groups where it should not be. The gospel has become anemic and corrupted. Men accept it, but they shouldn't. This video is one example of this anemic gospel teaching that emphasizes easy believism and quick prayerism and skips important elements of the gospel.
By the way -- in the event you hate being tested, reproof, criticism, admonishment, and the like -- men should prove all things (1 Th 5:21). It is loving to point out doctrinal error. It is loving to “hate every false way” (Ps 119:128). Those that love the truth (Ps 119:127) and thus obey it (Jn 14:23-24; 1 Jn 2:3-5), will hate every false way (Ps 119:128; Rom 12:9). Nothing is more important to each of us than the gospel. We can be saved only through the gospel, but it must be the one and true, actual gospel. I have found that commonly churches, even though they might give some truth, don't preach a biblical gospel. They mess it up. It might be a message that has "worked" for them, but it falls short, often far short, of the true gospel found in Gods Word.
And that is precisely what we discover with The Gospel Film.
Disclaimer: I'm not criticizing the tool here, since there is nothing in scripture that disputes using video or online to give the gospel, as biblical teaching allows for a microphone or a movable type printing press — unless the natural circumstances themselves were contradicted by the Bible, such as the oxcart that carried the ark. God had regulated that tool.
The problems are vast in the film, and there is an almost continual emotional appeal being made with the continual background sappy elevator music, the soul-stirring oration of Scripture in the beginning and then all the bloody and suffering scenes depicting what Christ did at the cross. Emotional appeals produce emotional responses, which leads to superficial conclusions. The end result is hell full of Christianized counterfeits.
Garraway’s performance is representative of the emasculated version of Christianity that dominates our day. Its an all out attempt to be as less offensive as possible to the unsaved sinner, even though hell will be very offensive to them one day.
Behind his presentation, for what one can say is only for dramatic purposes, Garraway uses music, an easy listening type of elevator music but with dramatic crescendo and decrescendo pitches. Music however is no scriptural means for propagation of the gospel, including the music he uses. It contradicts biblical preaching. The gospel isn't an emotional appeal, arousing someone by means of music. Nowhere is that a method in scripture. God authorizes preaching alone — the sheer gospel (1 Cor 1:20; Rom 10:17; etc). The gospel really is good enough on its own. Adding to it says that you don't believe that. The additives don't help, and that would include the breathy-voiced, scrunched, overly sympathetic and sorrowful face, communication style too. They take away. They turn this into a human enabled endeavour. The gospel is the power of God unto salvation (Rom 1:16) but it doesn’t seem like that in this video.
Garraway starts with “God loves you,” which is obviously and thankfully true (Jn 3:16; Rom 5:5; 1 Jn 4:19) but no gospel presentation ever starts like that in Scripture (or even ends for that matter), nor is it conducive for salvation in majority cases. But it is a definite sign of things to come. How does the Book of Romans go? You don’t know the love of God until you hit chapter 5, after Paul spent nearly three full chapters dealing with God’s holiness and man’s sin and wickedness and utterly lost condition (Rom 1:18-3:23) and then the gospel of justification by faith (Rom 3:24-4:25). How about Jesus, how did He evangelize, and is it anything close to Caleb’s strategy? No is the rhetorical answer. How he starts is rarely even mentioned at all, if at all, in Christ’s preaching of His gospel or in the apostles preaching of the gospel. The Lord’s emphasis was on repentance, Biblical repentance: “From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matt 4:17) and He gave the same orders to His apostles (Mk 6:12). It speaks volumes when there is no actual mention of repentance at all, neither by principle, but rather a focus on love.
Garraway claims in the beginning of the video:
“God longs for you to spend eternity with Him in heaven.”
I have been reading through the NT six times a year and usually twice the OT over the last fourteen years, on top of lots of other readings and studying in the Bible including going through it as a family, and have also preached through a number of the books of the Bible, but never have I come across this statement in Scripture, or anything of that fashion. Could it still be true? Could it be God’s motivation in saving the lost sinner? It could be, but it doesn’t actually say that. What I read however is God longing and waiting (while drawing, convicting, reproving, etc) for unsaved people to come to repentance (2 Pet 3:9) like He did “in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water” (1 Pet 3:20) and longing to save people from their sin, “And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation;” (2 Pet 3:15), so He can save everlastingly. It’s the need of humans that God is meeting, not a need that He allegedly has (“God longs for you to spend eternity with Him in heaven.”) God doesn’t need human beings, He is entirely satisfied with the Godhead, so to say that He longs for people to spend eternity with Him is a serious stretch of the Scriptures. What He actually longs for is for people to come to repentance and salvation, but that won’t be happening as long as people listen to repentant-less corrupted “gospels” being preached like the one in question here.
Consider a brief overview of the video, while not covering every single thing he stated.
1. Garraway starts with his first point, “Our Sinful Corruption,” about man being a sinner, admitting he's a sinner and he needs help, even detailing some of man’s sin. That is good. In preaching the gospel, every person should hear he's a sinner. Of the thousands of people to whom I've preached the gospel, I've had very very few ever tell me they had never sinned and likewise very very few who wouldn’t admit they are sinners.
2. Garraway goes on to speak about the consequence of sin, his second point, which he titles “Our Separated Consequence.” He says “to die in our sins without Jesus Christ, is to spend an eternity in hell.” That is also good. At this point he quotes Rev 21:8, some of the sins that condemn the sinner to the lake of fire. He then attempts to explain why a loving God sends people to Hell, as if its a question in the deluded and skeptical minds of the unsaved (more like mockery and excuse for them to reject Him): “You might think, ‘How could a God of love do this?’” Garraway’s answer: “The truth is, He doesn’t want to, but He has to.” He said that with with a scrunched, overly sympathetic close-to-tears face. There is no schism in God’s will, and Garraway is creating confusing concerning it. The Apostle Paul spends the first three chapters of Romans justifying God's wrath against sinners. People hearing the gospel are going to have to be fine with hearing that, or they just don't see themselves as bad as they really are. “Evangelists” like Garraway like to park on “love” because that is the only characterIstic of God they want to identify with, and in many, in their evil and rebellious way, an excuse why they can continue to reject Him. It’s a self-serving, sceptical, mockery of God and Garraway feeds right into it. He speaks of hell, and its awfulness and once again parks on an appeal to unregenerate man’s false caricature of God by being clear that God didn’t make hell for man but for the Devil and the fallen angels, and rather He made heaven for us. Garraway should stop being concerned about what rebellious mankind thinks and and just preach the Bible.
3. The third point focuses on “The Saviours Cross,” briefly going through His sinless life, death on the cross (focusing considerably on his suffering and the tools of suffering and death), burial and then resurrection. He then does some adding to Scripture. “I believe there was a specific moment as He hung on the cross when He literally thought of you.” Again, appealing to his audiences emotions, what this entire video does par excellence. Garraway states that because “through what Jesus did on the cross, God has a gift for you. It is eternal life in heaven.” He then parks on “gift” for a while, with the choice, you have to receive it or reject it. He explains that no baptism, attending church, or amount of good works can buy the gift of eternal life. Its only through Jesus and then quotes Eph 2:8 and Jn 14:6 and Acts 4:12.
4. The fourth and final point, “Our Simple Choice.” What do we have to do in that “simple choice”? Rom 10:13 is God’s promise that whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. Garraway then declares with crackling voice and emotional uplifting music in the background, that “He [Jesus] stands in heaven with His arms wide open in love waiting for you to come to Him by faith an accept Him as your personal Saviour.” Actually, Jesus is sitting at the right of the Father (Matt 26:64; Lk 22:69; Mk 12:36; 14:62; Heb 1:13; etc), not standing. “Hereafter shall the Son of man sit on the right hand of the power of God.” (Lk 22:69). It is not accidental that he says “standing,” which has a much greater emotional appeal than had he said, “sitting.” The “standing” also fits much better than His “sitting,” with the “arms wide open” action of Jesus which is a mere figment of his imagination. There is only one account in Scripture where Christ is “standing on the right hand of God” (minus the “arms wide open”) welcoming someone into heaven, and that is when Stephen is martyred (Ac 7:56). Caleb is adding to Scripture in saying this, but also in his anecdotal claim that Christ stands “with arms wide open in love, waiting for you to come to Him.” Nowhere in Scripture does it say that, not even when Stephen saw Christ standing at the right hand of God. All of it is meant to be emotionally appealing to the unsaved person watching this, and get them to superficially make a “decision” for Christ. Garraway then states, According to the bible if you were to receive Jesus Christ and His gift of salvation that He offers you, where would you go when you die? The exciting answer is heaven. But if you reject Christ and never accept what He did on the cross, where would you spend eternity? The sobering answering is Hell.”
5. In this final point and a this time of man’s “simple choice” he says, “right now you have choice, a personal decision to make. Why not call upon the name if the Lord and ask Him to save you? In this moment I am begging you. Join with me in prayer. Of course merely saying words will not save you, but sincerely calling out to Christ from your heart from a prayer of faith will. God is listening. Right now. will you bow your head and simply pray with me. ‘Dear Lord Jesus. I know I am a sinner. I know I deserve the penalty for my sins. But I don’t want to die and go to hell. . . Please forgive me of my sins; come into my heart and save me. I gladly receive your gift of eternal life. I trust you alone to be my Saviour…’” then without skipping a beat, he goes from this alleged prayer of salvation to immediate assurance of salvation in the same prayer: “Thank you God for your love, and for saving me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.” The words on the screen titled at this point time: “THE PRAYER OF SALVATION.” Again, throughout the end of this presentation, the breathy-voiced, scrunched, overly sympathetic face, communication style keeps on keeping on.
6. After giving “THE PRAYER OF SALVATION,” he says, “Friend, did you just trust in Jesus Christ to be your personal Saviour?” Garraway says if you did, i.e. pray that prayer, then “you can never lose your salvation.” Born again saints can't lose their salvation, but I wouldn't want people to think they have eternal life just because they prayed that prayer. That is giving someone false assurance.
So salvation in this presentation, the gospel, comes down to praying a prayer. This really is 1-2-3 pray-after-me. Textbook. Like most salvation presentations that end with a prayer of some sort, and then some kind of reassurance of the persons state, Rom 10:13 gets cited. It is a forced conclusion and its very very common. It is a product of Jack Hyles and his false gospel that manipulated the unsaved into hell. This presentation, like so many others, creates a false finish line. And I'm pretty sure the statistics on prayers prayed go exponentially upward with this approach. Who would reject the free gift, and all you have to do is pray the prayer? About no one.
I recognize that this is a 14 minute presentation, and you can't get everything done like you want in 14 minutes, and I don’t think YouTube limits people to 14 mins. However, there are necessary components for the gospel and Garraway doesn't mention them. Some he does, but he messes those up. I believe someone could give all the necessary components to the gospel in less than 14 minutes without a full explanation, so that's not the real problem for and with Garraway here. To Garraway, salvation is a free gift which you get by praying the prayer that he prayed. What is he missing or what did he mess up? I will cover four things below.
What Garraway teaches here is not the gospel. It had some of the parts to the gospel, but it leaves too much out and botches other parts of it to be called, "the gospel.”
None of these are non-trivial matters, each issue important in their own way considering its God’s Word, but the crux of the issue with this gospel video is the incomplete and corrupted gospel that he is presenting, even though he claims, “There are so many stories of hope and Divine enlightenment as souls who’ve been sitting in absolute darkness have heard the Gospel clearly presented to them for the very first time!” (Source). I wonder how many souls are being genuinely saved under this kind of message, since God’s Word proclaims that it will damn souls to eternal hellfire. How do the above relate to his gospel perversion. He is preaching after his own lusts, doing what Caleb Garraway wants to do and not after what Scripture says, which is the rebellion noted in those who have never received Jesus Christ as their Lord, and thus never been converted. He appears to have no issue of unrepentantly adding to Scripture, and omitting from Scripture, and changing Scripture, and this is what God warns to the one that does such horrible things:
“For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.” (Rev 22:18-19).
The following points reveal the false gospel that Garraway is presenting and so very prevalent today:
1. Presents salvation as taking or accepting the gift, but nowhere is that found in Scripture.
Ask for the gift Garraway says, but Salvation is Never Received in Gods Word by Asking for the Gift.
The following is excerpted from that article. Rom 6:23 is commonly used in this fashion. The passage could work in a plan of salvation, such as “the wages of sin is death,” but not by wrongly interpreting the entire passage through pulling it out of its context and teaching that you ask for the gift and God gives it. That is wrong. You can’t turn salvation into asking for the gift. This is not salvation, but it is a common turn from Rom 6:23 that many take. I think I get it. They want to simplify the plan to the extent that they get professions, that is, they get results. People want a gift. The idea is that a gift is very appealing to someone, so this offer brings more often a positive response. Since we know God is good, He wants to give you a gift. How could someone refuse a gift from God?! And the gift of all gifts, the gift of eternal life! Who wouldn't want eternal life? Come on! Just ask for it and take the gift! How can you refuse the greatest gift ever when God wants to give it to you? This emotional appeal moulds well into easy believism and quick prayerism.
Is Rom 6:23 about salvation? It isn't in its context, unless you are including sanctification as part of one's justification, which is true. Rom 6:23 is speaking to already saved people, like the chapter is, contrasting the saved and the lost, or rather, what we had before salvation and what we are after salvation. It was to help the saints at Rome in their sanctification, to remind them of what transpired when they were justified and to understand how they’re to live the Christian life by way of contrast of their condition before salvation and their obligation to live according to their new position, which is what truly saved people will do because of what transpired at conversion. Simultaneously, it entreats self-examination to hearers whether they are truly regenerate. This theme is found throughout Rom 6, 7 and 8.
2. No repentance.
Garraway does not mention repentance one time — not even once. It is obvious that he doesn't believe that repentance is necessary to be saved. You just receive the gift, pray the prayer.
God however has something totally different to say. There is no salvation without repentance, and repentance is much more than just saying the word.
Repentance relates to believing. What we see today is the gospel dumbed and watered down to where Jesus only needs to be received as Saviour, not Lord. The two biggest ways that both "believe" and "Jesus Christ" are perverted today are related to one other. The gospel is corrupted when "believe" does not include true repentance and "Jesus Christ" does not include Him as Lord. If repentance is mentioned, its typically false where it becomes a mere change of mind or synonymous with faith. Jesus’ Lordship is thrown to the curb-side, and He becomes “another Jesus” (2 Cor 11:4). Jesus is the way to the Father (Jn 14:6). You can't get there going your way, and your way happens to be idolatrous and rebellious until then (Rom 1:18-32).
If people do not repent or know what repentance is, they will not truly believe. Their faith will be false and dead (Jam 2:14-19). Most who reject the doctrine of repentance will change its meaning to accommodate the word found so often in Scripture. Some might claim that repentance is just a mere acknowledgment of being a sinner and others, turning from unbelief. Most of these will similarly claim that repentance is just a change of mind, which makes an easy cop out for not preaching repentance, since repentance then becomes synonyms with faith or again, just a turning from unbelief. All of these definitions or descriptions of repentance are false, but Caleb doesn’t even go that far with repentance. He doesn’t mention the word or the principles behind repentance even once.
False teachers either deny repentance or create a false definition and application of it.
The Bible is extremely clear that there is no salvation without true repentance (Mk 1:15; Lk. 13:1-9; Ac 3:19; 17:30; 26:20). Repentance is a critical component of the gospel (see Lk 24:44-48; Ac 20:21, 24). Gospel preaching should be focused on repentance and what it entails, as seen with John the Baptist (Mk 1:1-4; Lk 3:3-16), with God the Son (Matt 4:17), with the apostles as commissioned by Christ (Mk 6:12), and commanded for all His servants (Lk 24:47-48; Ac 17:30).
More than likely, Garraway would classify repentance as a change of mind only, a very common theme among IFB preachers, but Repentance is Not Just a Change of Mind. In the following report, I Debunk False Arguments of the False “Change of Mind” Repentance Position.
Repentance involves all three faculties of man: intellectual (Pr 1:29; 2:1-5; Jer 8:6; Rom 3:11), emotional (Ez 9:6; Ps 34:18; Ezk 6:9; 9:4 Jon 3:8; 2 Cor 7:10) and volitional—the will (Is 55:6-7; Ezk 18:30; 1 Th 1:9; Ac 14:15; Matt 13:44-46). It’s the last one that is the critical element of repentance, it’s the will of man that rejects and hates the truth and light (Jn 3:19-21). That is what we see in Rom 1, lost sinners holding the truth in unrighteousness.
In the NT repentance is described and translated by four Greek words (while three different words in the OT), which are illustrated by all the following:
turning (the change of action wrought from a change of will), from general sin (Is 55:6-7; 1 Th 1:9; Ac 26:20) and from all known specific sins/idols (Ezk 18:20-23, 28-32; Rev 9:20-21; 16:11);
turning from our stuff, material, riches—which is idolatry and covetousness (Mk. 10:21; 8:36-37; Lk. 9:25; 18:22; Ac. 14:15; 1 Th. 1:9);
turning from the world (Phil 3:8-11; Matt 6:24; Jam 4:4; 1 Jn 2:15-17);
turning from our people, from loved ones, which is idolatry before God (Matt 10:34-37; Lk 14:26);
turning from self, denying and dying to self (Mk 8:34; Jn 12:24-25);
losing our life for Christ and the gospels sake (Matt 10:39; Lk 9:24; 14:26; Mk 8:35; Jn 12:25);
taking up the cross (Matt 10:38; Mk 8:34; 10:21; Lk 9:23; 14:27);
turning from false religion (2 Cor 6:14-18; Heb 6:1; Jn 4:23-24) with a desire to make things right with God (Lk 19:5-10; 2 Cor 7:10-11);
counting the cost (Lk 14:28-32; 10:21; Matt 13:44, 45-46);
forsaking all (Lk 9:57-62; 14:26-33);
turning with contrition and compunction from going our way to God’s way with the desire, intention and motivation to serve and obey Him in holiness and righteousness (Ex 8:1; Is 55:7; Mk 10:21; Lk 15:17-21; 18:22; Rom 2:1-4; I Th 1:9),
But this is just one part of the equation. In repentance you must turn to God (1 Th 1:9-10; Ac 20:21) for in repentance alone there is no merit. You don’t earn God’s favour or become inherently righteous when you repent. It is the blood of Christ, not your repentance, that is the ground of forgiveness; repentant faith is simply the means through which salvation is received. Only those wretched, ungodly, poor, blind, and naked sinners who come to the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ in humbleness and contrition with nothing but repentance and faith receive mercy and grace. Repentance is not a work—it’s demanded for salvation. The Bible says it and then it has nothing that contradicts it. Love rejoiceth in the truth.
True saving faith is faith that is founded upon true repentance which involves the volition (the will), emotions and intellect (Ac 20:21; Mk 1:1-20; 1 Th 1:9). It is faith that submits to and obeys the gospel (Is 1:18-20; 2 Th 1:7; Rom 10:16; 1 Pet 4:17); that surrenders to the Lordship of Christ (Lk 14:25–15:32; Phil 2:13-14); that loses ones life, dies to self and denies self, for Christ and the gospels sake (Jn 11:25; Matt 10:39; 16:25; Mk 8:35; Lk 9:24); that exchanges masters (Matt 6:24); that puts on the cross of Christ (Matt 10:38; 16:24; Mk 8:34; Lk 9:23; 14:27); that originates from a poor, broken and contrite heart (Matt 5:3) that seeks to be cleansed and purified (Jam 4:8; 1 Cor 6:11).
Also impotent to understand concerning the gospel, The Gospel is More than 1 Corinthians 15:3-4, and Repentance is an Important Component of It. To corrupt repentance and everything it entails or not preach it; is to corrupt the simplicity of Christ and preach “another gospel” which comes about because of the subtlety of Satan (2 Cor 11:3-4), whose entire endeavour is to keep the lost blind and deceived (2 Cor 4:3-4).
3. No Lordship.
Garraway doesn't talk about who Jesus is. He actually doesn't even talk about "believing." He says, "Trust," which is one aspect of "belief," but no one would know that. He uses the word, Lord, but it's all about Jesus as Saviour and not anything about Him being Lord, even though Rom 10:13 does say, which he quotes a few times, “Call upon the name of the Lord."
Not one mention of this most critical aspect of who Jesus Christ is, and thus salvation.
Akin to this, is a perversion of surrender. Throughout his writings, such as his newsletters, he differentiates between those who trusted in Christ and those who surrendered their lives to the Lord, as two entirely different events. But this is a man-made doctrine, a man-made belief pulled pulled out of thin air. Such a contrast is found nowhere in Scripture and all scripture that relates to surrender is referring to salvation, not something post-salvation. This teaching is extremely convenient to keep the pews full of pew warmers feeding the coffer, but it doesn’t actually save their souls.
In repentance we turn and believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, which involves receiving Jesus as Lord, which means to surrender to the King (Mk 10:21; Lk 14:25-35; 19:12-27; 23:40-43; Ac 9:3-6; 10:36; Rom 10:3, 9-13).
Jesus will save indeed. He's the Saviour (2 Pet 3:18) but the thrust of His saving message was about Him as King (Jn 12:13), Lord (Phil 2:11), God (Jn 20:28), the Son of God (Ps 2:6-12), and the promised Messiah (Jn 1:12-13). The lost who genuinely desire salvation can’t receive a divided “Christ” who is only Saviour; they must receive Him as God, Lord, King, and Saviour — both as Redeemer and Ruler. The emphasis in Scripture is on receiving Christ as Lord. He is Saviour no doubt but the specific title Savior (“Soter”) is found only 39 times in the entire Bible (24 in the NT), not once in Romans and only twice in Acts (we don’t get “Saviour” till 5:31) while the title of "Lord" 675 times in NT alone.
The Jesus that is Saviour but not received as Lord, is “another Jesus, whom we [Paul and Timothy, 2 Cor 1:1] have not preached” (2 Cor 11:4).
“Lord” is the Greek equivalent to the Hebrew “Yahweh” or “Jehovah.” This is the Divine name for God. 90 times in Acts Jesus is called Lord and only twice Saviour. The preaching of Lordship of Jesus is all the way through the gospels, Acts, the epistles, and OT as well. In all of those initial messages of Peter in the book of Acts, it was Lord—Ac 2:20-21, 25, 34, 36, 39; 3:19, 22; 4:24, 26, 29, 33. Throughout Acts on every page you‘ll see the Apostles thundering "Jesus is Lord.” And what was John the Baptist preaching in Jn 1:23? “Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias.” So we see its the same message as the OT prophets. Of course it would be! Salvation has never changed.
This is also noted throughout Scriptural testimonies, along with all the following passages where Christ is preaching His gospel to the lost multitudes: e.g. Matt 10:32-39; 14:24-26; Mk 8:34-38; 10:17-31; Lk 5:1-10; 9:23-26, 57-62; 18:10-30; 19:1-10, 12-27; Jn 12:24-26; etc. This is not mere semantics or lip service, it is the difference between the true Jesus of the Bible and “another Jesus” (2 Cor 11:4) and between true salvation and false salvation. The sinner must be willing to relinquish control of his life, to surrender to the King (Lk 14:25-32), to be a follower and servant (Greek “doublos”, i.e. slave) of Jesus Christ.
In the article Salvation Requires Surrendering to Jesus Christ as Lord, I cover nine Biblical reasons that point to the necessity of surrendering to Jesus Christ as Lord for salvation. Here is a brief synopsis of that, but do read the article for further detailed explanation of each point.
The word “believe” entails the idea of committal or entrustment in the common NT verb "to believe in/on Him,” (“pisteuein eis auton”) the verb found in texts such as Jn. 3:16, is evident, and is translated in a form including the word “commit” in Lk. 16:11; Jn. 2:24; Rom 3:2; 1 Cor. 9:17; Gal. 2:7; 1 Tim. 1:11 and Ti. 1:3.
What repentance means and entails, as defined and described by the four Greek words translated as repentance or it’s principles in the NT, and the three Hebrew words in the OT, and seen in passages such as Ezk. 33:11; Is. 55:6-7; I Th. 1:9-10; Phil. 3:3-11; Matt. 10:39; 16:25; Mk. 8:35; Lk. 9:24; 14:25-15:32; 17:33; Jn. 12:24-25.
Because of who Jesus is. Since Jesus Christ is God (Jn. 20:28), Lord (Phil. 2:11), King (Jn. 12:13), and Saviour (2 Pet. 3:18), the lost who want to genuinely be saved will receive Him as God, Lord, King, and Saviour, as both Redeemer and Ruler.
As seen in the believer's relationship to Jesus as a “slave,” — a servant, same word (“doulos”) (seen for e.g. in Lk. 16:13; Matt. 6:24; 1 Cor. 7:22-23). We become servants to God at salvation, happy willing slaves to God, bondservants.
Seen in the much greater emphasis in the Scriptures on receiving Jesus as Lord than that of just Saviour. Jesus is Saviour no doubt but this specific title of Saviour (“Soter”) is found 39 times in the entire Bible — of which 24 times in the NT but not once in Romans and only twice in Acts (5:31 & 13:23) while the title of "Lord" 675 times in the NT alone. And most of the usages of Saviour are not even related to personal salvation, such as Lk. 2:11: “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.”
This is the example of salvation in the NT, that of lost sinners calling upon Jesus as Lord (e.g. Lk. 5:8; 23:40-42; Jn. 8:11; 9:36-38; 11:27; Ac. 2:21; 9:3-6, 17-18; 22:16; 16:31; Rom. 4:24-25; 10:9-10, 13; I Cor. 1:2, 6-9; Phil. 3:8; etc) and not one example of calling upon Him as Saviour. Jesus must be received for who He is or He becomes “another Jesus” (2 Cor. 11:4).
Surrender involves discipleship and we become true disciples of Christ at conversion NOT after conversion (e.g. Ac. 11:26; Mk. 6:1; Matt. 8:23; Lk. 14:25–15:32; 22:39; Matt. 10:42; 28:19; Jn. 8:31-35; 13:33; 14:1; 18:15; 21:20). In the Bible, the call to discipleship is a call to salvation (and vice versa), as seen in the NT (see Matt. 10:32-39; 16:24-28; 28:19; Lk. 9:57-62; 14:25-35; 18:21-30; 19:1-10; Mk. 1:14-20; 2:14, 17; 8:34-38; Jn. 12:24-25; etc), and in the OT (e.g. Jos. 22:15; 24:14-15, 18-21; 1 Sam. 12:20-25; 2 Ch. 30:8).
Salvation requires submission and humbleness, which is tied into surrender (Lk 14:7-11; Jam 4:7-10).
This is the historical belief of true Bible believing churches over the last millennia at least (the years we have record of), who embraced and taught that repentance and faith involved turning from sin and self to Jesus Christ as Lord and receiving Him as both Lord and Saviour, and receiving freedom from both the penalty and power of sin at the very moment of their surrender to Christ's Lordship for salvation.
So to not believe and teach that surrendering to the Lordship of Christ is required for salvation, is to not only go against Gods Word but also to oppose what Bible believing Christians have always believed.
Much gospel preaching today is focused on Jesus as Saviour. Faced with the alternative, people very often want to go to heaven — they want to be saved from hell. Jesus will save them and it's free, so they don't have to work for it and really can't work for it. They just take the gift by “accepting Jesus as personal Saviour.” The alter call is made, elevator music put on, guilt poured on those not walking the sawdust trail, eyes are closed hands are raised (those desiring the gift), sinners prayer offered (by self and preacher) to “receive Christ as Saviour.” Conspicuously absent in all this is repentance and Lordship. They are receiving a divided Jesus with a false faith. Manipulation, and then fabrication of artificial finish lines for the new birth. I'm not saying that we shouldn't recognize Him as Saviour, but for Him to become your Saviour, you must receive Him for Who He is, and He is Lord. That means surrender and submission. And thats where Biblical repentance dovetails. When Jesus preached the gospel, He preached, "Repent for the kingdom of Heaven is at hand." They needed to receive Jesus as the Messiah, the fulfilment of the OT prophecies, while turning with godly compunction from their sins, self, stuff, people to Jesus as Lord. Jesus talked about this at the end of His ministry, when He told the story of the Master who sent His Son to the wicked tenant farmers (Lk. 20:9-18). Their lack of acknowledgement of His authority and power was what had them in trouble. “I will send my beloved son: it may be they will reverence him when they see him.” (v. 13). How does Jesus end this parable? “Whosoever shall fall upon that stone shall be broken; but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.” (v. 18). This is speaking of salvation and the Authority of Christ: of repentance and of submitting in humility and brokenness and contrite heart to Jesus Christ as Lord, to His Authority. But if you won’t, He will clobber you into powder, like braying a fool in a mortar among wheat with a pestle (Pr 27:22). You’ll just be ground pepper by the time He is done. That was the last public message to the lost recorded that He preached before His death. There is so much of this, all over. Especially in the Gospel of Luke. Denial of the Lordship of Christ is a false gospel directly related to Roman Catholicism false doctrine.
There aren’t two types of salvation in the Bible. “Lordship salvation” is the only saving message, it’s the old paths (Jer 6:16) of the apostles and our forefathers (Baptists/Anabaptists) over the last two millennia. You can easily see that in their doctrinal statements (those that survived Rome’s wrath): e.g. Schleitheim Confession (1527), The Baptist Orthodox Creed (1679), London Baptist Confession of Faith (1689), Baptist Philadelphia Confession of Faith (1742).
The title “Lordship salvation” was actually given as a pejorative by inventors of a new salvation to replace the Biblical plan of salvation historically taught. Lordship Salvation is Salvation (a thorough Biblical exposition on the subject) but many IFB, possibly including Garraway, argue that Lordship Salvation Proceeds from Calvinism, but is that actually true? We deal with it in that linked report. The new salvation denies or undermines repentance and Christ’s Lordship. And that is what Garraway is peddling, but he should take heed to what Paul says in 2 Cor 2:17,
“For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ.”
4. Asking Jesus into the Heart, Quick Prayerism and Easy Believism.
Garraway says,
“Join with me in prayer. Of course merely saying words will not save you, but sincerely calling out to Christ from your heart from a prayer of faith will. God is listening, right now. Will you bow your head and simply pray with me. Dear Lord Jesus. I know I am a sinner. I know I deserve the penalty for my sins. But I don’t want to die and go to hell. . . Please forgive me of my sins; come into my heart and save me. I gladly receive your gift of eternal life. I trust you alone to be my Saviour…” then without skipping a beat, he goes from this alleged prayer of salvation to immediate assurance of salvation in the same prayer: “Thank you God for your love, and for saving me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
First of all, how does Garraway know that the person praying that prayer actually got saved? He doesn’t say that they will know they are saved, only that in some osmotic fashion they slip into salvation without knowing what’s going on. This enigmatic form of “conversion” is extremely common amongst the IFB, and there answer to my chagrin at this would be “mankind.” We apparently have to help them understand they are saved, and to encourage them to do Biblical things. God allegedly cannot do that; so He needs us. I speak as a fool, the type of foolishness noted amongst these ministers of Satan (2 Cor 11:12-15). I have personally witnessed this in action on multiple occasions. I think of the time two sisters were allegedly saved at a Christmas Eve service, led in a slick prayer by a few slick snake oil salesmen (aka. Keswick Repentant-Hating Theologians) and before they ever knew what had hit them, they were “saved” and had “eternal life.” The girls wanted absolutely nothing to do with Christianity, in spite of the pathetic attempts of people at the church, but they were “saved.” This is the destruction of the churches and North America. Heretics making unsaved people two-fold children of hell. I ponder whether Garraways type of salvation also comes without any change, without any fruit, without new things happening, without really knowing what’s going on. It sure looks like that. But not the kind spoken of in Matt 13:23; 2 Cor 5:17-21; 6:2; Col 1:4-6; Ti 2:11-14; 3:3-7; Eph 1:1-14; 2:1-10; and the list goes on and on and on, a supernatural and superdramatic conversion experience that is actually genuine.
After the prayer he asks, “Friend, did you just trust in Jesus Christ to be your personal Saviour. Praise God.” What? Didn’t he already give God the thanks for saving him within the prayer? He did: “Thank you God for your love, and for saving me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.” This is mindless confusion akin to robots repeating instructions, that will only exacerbate the confusion already present from an incomplete and anemic gospel.
Secondly, we do not need to pray a prayer to be saved. This is a superficial finish line meant to produce convenient to superficial professions of faith. No place in Scripture indicates a necessity to pray to be saved. Nowhere is this ever exemplified in the Bible. Peter never said to do this in Acts 2, 3, 4, 10, or Stephen in Acts 6, 7, or Philip in Acts 8. Paul never calls for this either, and neither did Jesus. There was not a finish line, nor did they miss major components of the gospel.
The "finish with a prayer" philosophy, even on the end of a good gospel presentation gives a false sense of security both for the evangelist and the proselyte. So many unbelievers cling to having prayed a prayer, and sadly many supposed believers look to a faltering new convert and cling to that moment. What is happening is unsaved people made “twofold more the child of hell than yourselves [those doing the proselytizing]” (Matt 23:15)—following the footsteps of the Pharisees.
Thirdly, asking Jesus into ones heart is not Biblical salvation. I touch on this in the following report: Is it Biblical to Ask Jesus into Your Heart to be Saved? In my refutation of this false gospel, I cover the following reasons why this teaching is false and no person can be or ever has been saved through asking Jesus to come into their hearts: (1) This false teaching is not the Biblical way to be saved and denies the absolute necessity of repentance and surrender. (2) This false teaching is an insult to the OT sacrificial system. (3) This false teaching confuses the means of salvation with the result of salvation. (4) This false teaching denies the miraculous work of the Holy Spirit in true salvation. (5) This false teaching is without example in Scripture. (6) This false teaching leads to the eternal lake of fire because of the false assurance and security it parades with.
"There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death” (Pr. 14:12).
Fourthly, the prayer and the entire fourth section reflects The Bible never Describes Salvation as Easy. To get to their easy gospel requires corruption of a key passage, which is 2 Cor 11:3, but that passage and the one following actually incriminates their “another gospel” even further. I address this passage here: Does “Simplicity in Christ” (2 Cor 11:3) Refer to a Simple, As In Easy, Gospel?
Out of the anemic, repentant-less, Lord-less, easy-believism false gospel proceeds the Hyles style of manipulative salesmanship of praying a scripted repeat-after-me prayer to invite-Jesus-into-your-heart and trust Him as your personal Saviour. This instruction follows from something that isn’t taught in the Bible in the first place. The first step isn't biblical and then none that follow. The one teaching this is not starting with the Bible but following his own ideas or what someone has taught him. Understanding the IFB world quite well, I would say the scales tip to the side of someone taught him. It is so prevalent and has been for so long, that it is now regarded as the Biblical method of evangelism.
Its because of these heresies that you have testimonies as follows, which Garraway gives in his latest newsletter:
“A 75-year-old man came up to me after the service and said, “I’ve never given my entire heart to God, but tonight I did!” We have seen more and more that surrender is not just for teenagers. It is for believers of ALL ages!”
What does this even mean? Where in the bible do you find anything that even closely resembles what happened here? Nowhere is the rhetorical answer. No one has been saved that hasn’t given his life over to the Lord in completion (see Matt 6:24; Mk 8:34-38; 10:17-31; Phil 2:10-11; Jn 12:24-25; etc). God doesn’t save a divided heart. “Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.” (Matt 22:37). This man’s heart is reflected in what Jesus says in Mk 7:6, “This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.” In such a heart there is no “singleness of heart, fearing God:”(Col 3:22), for it is not a “true heart” (Heb 10:22) or one “that call[s] on the Lord out of a pure heart.” (2 Tim 2:22). This man was never saved at all, and maybe, just maybe, he got saved that day, but that is not at all how it would be reported by Garraway. This man was revived out of a life of incompletion. People like Garraway would chalk it up to a lack of dedication. There isn’t an expectation of biblical living, because here's a person who has made it only through the first tier, where Jesus is his Saviour. And then along comes the unrestrained day his true nature and rebellion has opportunity to express itself, but then salvation is even further corrupted by treating them as one temporarily fallen away, “backslidden,” and out of “fellowship” with God. The answer then becomes “rededication” or “revival.” He can't get saved by works so works are not expected, because works can't be "front-loaded." His continued carnality occurs because he hasn't yet grown enough. At some point in the future hopefully he will, after he gets dedicated. This also is evil.
In the context of the story of the 75 year old man, the drawing on emotions and corrupting Biblical salvation is noted in what Garraway is doing in his “revival” services. He was preaching “a one-day Revival . . . behind the pulpit Billy Sunday preached his last sermon from before he went to Heaven a week later” and there he saw “a mighty move of God[!]” This is what revivalists do; always looking for some great emotional reaction and response to what they are doing, as if that is the indication they need that God is working. Is that how Scripture reads concerning the work we are to do today? What about the false spirits? “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.” (1 Jn 4:1). Other Keswick/Revivalist-type currency noted was “dedicating themselves to Christ” (which is essentially heresy since it is at conversion alone that we need to dedicate ourselves to Christ, which then produces a lifetime of dedication because of what occurs at salvation and because of the indwelling Spirit of God, but that is obviously not what he meant by this rededication) and “kne[eling] at the altar weeping” and “surrender.” If he didn’t embrace a false gospel of easy-believism, quick-prayerism, no-repentance, no-Lordship, then he would maybe understand that this “surrender” he is referring to here occurs at salvation, and the reason why church people have to constantly re-surrender their lives to Christ is because they have actually never been born again, which requires surrender to Jesus Christ as Lord.
It seems perhaps Caleb Garraway has learned some of his tricks of the trade from the heretical false teacher Charles Finney, whose False Gospel and “Revivalism.” One thing is certain and that is Garraway is loaded with Keswick/Revivalist theology some of which is brought to the pulpit in concealed form. His Echoes of Yesteryear series are essentially sermons on this subject. This is described by him on his website as “a 3-volume set filled with sermons preached at D. L. Moody’s campground in Northfield, MA from 1894-1899 with an emphasis on holiness, revival, a Christ-centered life, the power of God, and personal soulwinning.” These are currency terms for Keswick/Revivalist “theology” (heresy). Those Northfield Conventions were indoctrination conventions for Keswick/Revivalists heresy, which has been absolutely instrumental in apostatizing evangelical/Baptist churches almost as a blanket across North America. D.L. Moody was instrumental in bringing Keswick heresy to America through his Northfield Conventions in the early 1890s using heretical apostates to preach such as the Baptist F. B. Meyer, both of which men are exalted by Garraway as “wonderful men of God that the Lord used in a mighty way!” Three others exalted by Garraway in such fashion, who also promoted serious Keswick heresy, were R. A. Torrey, Andrew Murray, and G. Campbell Morgan. Meyer in particular was a severe heretic and wolf in sheep’s clothing, an unconverted so-called minister, noted by the false gospel he peddled; propagation of the standard errors of Keswick theology; absence of personal conversion testimony; modernistic heresies; absurd eschatological fictions, refusal to contend for Baptist distinctives; acceptive of liturgy and baptismal regeneration but rejected the Regulative Principle of worship; grossly ecumenical; radically watered down the demands of the gospel and taught that heathen did not need to hear about and consciously believe in Jesus Christ to be saved; universalism concerning salvation (e.g. Telling people in India that their heathen ancestors were saved, not lost); rejected the truth that Christ propitiated God’s wrath on the cross; blasphemed Jehovah by claiming that OT Israel thought He was only the God of the hills, not of the valleys; blasphemed the Holy Spirit by claiming that He was thought of as an atmosphere, not a Person, for most of the history of the world; rejected the verbal, plenary inspiration of Scripture for modernistic apostasy; spread continuationism and contributed to the rise of Pentecostalism; was open to forms of spiritualism; and massive amounts of other heresy, damnable heresies and wresting of scripture. Indeed, a wolf in sheep’s clothing, yet one exalted by Garraway as a “wonderful [man] of God that the Lord used in a mighty way!” What does that say of Garraway (Am 3:3)? Another area that is indicative of being immersed with the destructive Keswick heresy is in the area of praying for the anointing power of the Holy Spirit, something that they ascertain out of places such as Acts 2; 10:38; and Lk 4:18. In one newsletter, Garraway asks for “prayer for the anointing power of the Holy Spirit upon all the Lord would have us to be involved with” and another, “crave His anointing in each service.” But its patently false, a Keswick/Revivalist heresy, because the “anointing power of the Holy Spirit” is already upon saved people (1 Jn 2:20-21, 27) which makes me inquisitive as to why he would pray this. Were I to take the time to listen through any of Garraway’s sermons, I would predictably, continually be exposed to Keswick/Revivalist heresy with its severe corruption and wresting of Scripture that goes along with it. Of that I have no doubt.
A major problem among these revivalists type of IFB, which is >90% of IFB churches, is not understanding the true gospel that saves which then subsequently produces an inability to understand the great difference between Saving Faith and Non-Saving Faith and that A Profession of Faith that Doesn't Produce Fruit is False — but rather are indoctrinated into Keswick/Revivalists heresy that explains the lack of fire and fruit among their pews full of professing “believers.” Instead, they recategorize these people that are somewhere between hot and cold as “lukewarm Christians” and “backsliding Christians” and “carnal Christians” and “Christians in unbelief,” another issue that I slam on its head right here: Labels Misused Towards Professing Believers that Only Apply to False Professing “Believers" and Saved People Don't Backslide - They Are Not Apostates.
The “evangelist” Rick Flanders is a major purveyor of this among revivalist IFB churches, teaching the same heresies as Garraway, whom I expose here: Exposing Rick Flanders Field of False Gospel and False Sanctification, Revivalism, and Deception.
Though all the issues correlate and compound and are bad, each one on their own, the repentance issue alone incriminates Garraway’s gospel as false. No other points were actually necessary; they only compound the problem and further expose the corrupted gospel.
So in these four points it is noted that salvation is corrupted and perverted in all its realms, from means of salvation to its effects, in what it produces, along with the consequential false sanctification. Yet many rejoice in the profession of faith. These “decisions” do not have “fruit meet for repentance” (Matt 3:8) but corrupt/evil fruit grown on a corrupt tree (Matt 7:15-20) regardless how much they attempt to hide their unconverted estate, and lest they be truly converted, they shall be “hewn down, and cast into the fire” for Christ’s “axe is laid unto the root of the tree” (Matt 3:10).
And its “evangelists” like Caleb Garraway that are the cause of it.
The whole process of which I speak is very horrible. Though horrible is bad, very horrible is worse. I can't use enough "very’s" in front of horrible. The end result is high plausibility of making the lost inoculated to the truth and two-fold children of hell.
The combination of preaching no repentance, no Lordship, and then asking Jesus into your heart via easy believism and quick prayerism, is more than enough evidence that what Caleb Garraway is presenting is clearly a “another gospel” (2 Cor 11:4) than that which is found in Scripture, “Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ” (Gal 1:6) Paul warned, and of such he said, twice, “let him be accursed.” (Gal 1:8-9).
Like majority, maybe even all, of IFB who subscribe to this type of corrupted easy-believism, quick-prayerism, no-repentance, no-Lordship, type of false gospel, he has to twist and manipulate easy to understand salvation scripture into something post-salvation, something for practical sanctification or “revivalism.” Like which ones? All the ones where the Lord Jesus Christ is preaching His gospel to the unsaved multitudes and professing disciples (many of His disciples were false believers, imposters: cf. Jn 2:23-25; 6:60-66) or teaching His disciples what to preach: Matt 7:24-27; 10:32-39; 16:24-26; 19:16-30; Mk 8:34-38; 10:17-31; Lk 9:23-26, 57-62; 13:23-30; 14:11-24, 25-15:32; 17:26-32; 18:18-30; 19:1-10, 12-26; Jn 12:24-26; and others like it. I deal with this issue here: In Mark 8:34-38, Is Jesus Teaching How to be Saved or How to be A Better Christian?
Caleb is preaching after his own lusts, doing what Caleb Garraway wants to do and not after what Scripture says, which is the rebellion noted in those who have never received Jesus Christ as their Lord, and thus never been converted. That Garraway is preaching the same false gospel as Jack Hyles is unsurprising since after all he has stated many times that Jack Hyles is his idol and reason for being a pastor. Yikes. If that isn’t the most hideous man-centred thing one could hear, something that runs rank among IFB, I don’t know what would be. This also happens to paint an immediate bullseye on his back of wolf in sheep's clothing, just like his idol Hyles. That linked article exposes some of the truck loads of heresies and evil teachings that exited the mouth of master Hyles, who claimed that the future of America rested on his two shoulders. I guess Garraway is keeping the torch burning in Pulling for America. Unbelievably and so ironically, Garraway even uses Hyles as the narrator preacher in his short film “The Battle for Truth.” The glaring issue with that however is that Jack Hyles was a proven enemy of the truth, in every facet of the truth.
“For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.” (Rev 22:18-19).
Have you bought into this lie of asking for the gift? Of easy believism? Or making a quick prayer to receive the gift? Jesus says "repent [or] perish," (Lk 13:1-5) and by reading my gospel tract which will teach you true repentance and who Jesus is, it can bring true salvation to your spirit, soul and body: ARE YOU SAVED?
Conclusion
Caleb Garraway is an evangelist. He should be preaching a true gospel since that is the main program of the evangelist. As an evangelist myself, I am fairly certain of this because of what God’s Word says concerning the office. An evangelist must preach the entire gospel for it to be true. Garraway claims his gospel is “clearly presented” but the Bible paints a different story.
Sadly, that is not happening. Why not? Why leave out important aspects of what believing means and who Jesus is? Much of what he is saying is true, but leaving out two very important and essential components of the gospel, true faith and who Christ is, results in a corruption of the gospel and the gospel becomes less than what it actually is. It becomes a counterfeit and anemic gospel. Furthermore, practicing the abominable exercise of quick prayerism and easy believism corrupts the gospel to even a greater extent, making majority of people who follow the advice, two-fold further children of hell.
The Cause of Most False Professions Today is precisely caused by individuals like Garraway, in what he is doing with this video. He, like so many others like him, is dumbing down and perverting the gospel of Jesus Christ. Many professions of faith will be gotten by means of a false gospel that isn’t focused on repentance and Christ’s Lordship as the Bible does. People are willing to get “salvation” for intellectual assent. They are fine with that. So what happens? This less than saving gospel is presented and then received, which produces a “decision.” Maybe even a “decision” at the alter with weeping (both Judas and Esau wept tears of repentance, but both were false professors with sorrow of the world, 2 Cor 7:10). The decision is called salvation. The professions validates the work and message of the false preachers. They think they're more spiritual and obedient because they get more decisions. It appeases their sponsors. For the leaders, it is easier to get workers, because it reduces preaching to a human effort. You can actually have unsaved people present the false gospel, and I have personally seen that on a number of occasions.
It doesn't take faith and obedience to present what Garraway is doing, it requires no godly wisdom, and yet it is given credit as being faithful. It really is a bait and switch. Someone is offered something said to be salvation, but it's actually a placebo. The whole system glorifies man, is man-centred and makes false professors two-fold children of hell. For someone to be truly saved, he must truly believe which requires repentance (actual true repentance, which is three-fold: intellectual, volitional and emotional) and then believe in the true Jesus, which requires receiving Jesus Christ Who is Lord, Saviour and God. You aren't receiving one or two selective attributes of Jesus and still receiving Him. If He isn't Lord, then He isn't Jesus. Leaving out Lordship is turning the grace of God into lasciviousness. Leaving out repentance results in a false faith, a dead faith, an imposter faith that is of the intellect only. Yes this is a false gospel. It’s a grace and a faith that doesn’t save.
Is it possible that non-Lordship or Saviour-only “evangelists" like Garraway have simply spread apostasy throughout the land, explaining the many “professions,” and yet so much godlessness? According to Scripture, it very well is. They’ve inoculated or turned people from the true gospel. The no Lordship with the false repentance is actually a diabolical attack on the gospel and uncovers the heresy of easy-believism that doesn’t save. It’s a lie that should be rejected wholesale. What it has also produced is a pandemic of child false “professions,” which continues on this day, and though the corrupt fruit will likely eventually reveal itself (though it may remain deceptive, i.e. Matt 7:21-23), sometimes it can take years because of the nature of the child and the parent/child relationship. The requirements for true saving faith doesn’t change between adults and children, yet the tendency is to dumify the gospel message into something that is easier palatable by children; and a “decision” prayer later, they are certified as saved. A sinner has "repented," so, I guess, heaven is rejoicing too. Even when the professions don’t stick, apparently that doesn't mean they weren't saved, since salvation doesn't come by works. Then hopefully in the future, some fruit will show after the professor is dedicated and surrendered and Jesus becomes his Lord, that is, he participates in some sort of “sanctification repentance." However, this is no prodigal returning, not even like the prodigal's return.
I understand there are testimonies of people getting saved. Are they true? I don’t know, they could be but there is good chance also they might not be. But that is neither here or there; the truth of Scripture is not predicated on the back of our experiences. The truth isn’t arbitrary. Peter the Apostle speaks to this in his second epistle, chapter 1, of his experience in seeing the Christ transfigured before Him, declaring that they “were eyewitnesses of his majesty” (1:16) of the “honour and glory” that Christ “received from God the Father” and the “voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount” (1:17) — all incredible and amazing things to behold — yet upon saying all that, he declared the Word of God, the truth of the Scriptures, the sound doctrine of His Word, is “a more sure word of prophecy;” (1:18) than what he and the others had experienced. Men like Garraway treat God’s Word like tomatoes falling off the back of a produce truck, because of lust. Lust to follow after his own ways and the ways of his pastor and other men, instead of obeying, listening, studying and keeping what God has said. He will likely scoff at what is written here against what he is doing, a sharp reproof that he may be sound in the faith (Ti 1:11-13), but that only proves that he is a “scoffer, walking after [his] own lusts” (2 Pet 3:3).
A false gospel produces apostates and apostates produce more apostasy. Why are men apostates? 2 Pet. 2:1 tells us that they deny “the Lord that bought them.” They don't like lordship, they don't want a boss. "Lord" translates the Greek word “despotes,” from which we get the English, "despot" (an absolute ruler). In the English, a “despotes" is a boss. The apostates, false teachers, of 2 Pet. 2 don't want a boss. They deny Jesus Christ because they don't want someone ordering them what to do. Thats what we see with the false teachers in Rom. 16:17-18 and Phil. 3:18-19. They do what they want to do, because they are serving their belly, not the Lord. They're glad to have a Jesus Who will save them and yet not require any subordination. And thats precisely what Jesus says of those who reject His Authority in Lk. 19:11-27, even though they profess to know and work for Him: “But those mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before me.” (vv. 14, 27). They don’t want Jesus to reign over their lives. The word “reign” means “to rule either literally or figuratively, as king.” This is exactly what these people reject, the Lordship of Jesus Christ. He is the King preaching the kingdom of God. This is referring to salvation, that is the spiritual lesson here (“He said therefore, A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return.” — v. 12). They reject Christ’s rule and authority over them, and will not receive Him and surrender to Him as King (as Lord). They profess to believe, but are actually lost, like the false teachers in 2 Pet. 2:1-22, illustrating the stony or thorny soils in the parable of the sower and seed (Matt 13).
I honestly can’t react to this false gospel harshly enough. We are commanded to shun and expose false doctrine (Rom 16:17). No one should have any association with this false doctrine but immediately separate from it and churches and teachers that teach this. By not, you’re only enabling a corrupted perversion of the gospel to spread like a blight with its proselytization making lost people two-fold children of hell. “But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways” (2 Pet 2:1-2).
What Garraway does here should be hated (Ps 119:128). It's been turned into a game that is played. It has components of the real thing, but on many important, vital, necessary features, it is fiction. People need to know it and call it out. I hate this stuff, the whole method, the manipulation that it is and represents. I don't want anything to do with it. Garraway perverts the gospel of Christ. Does he preach another gospel than what Jesus and Paul preached? I believe he does. Neither do I want anything to do with those who would have anything to do with what Garraway is doing here. Do not promote him or men like him!!
Choose you this day whom you will serve.
Mr. Garraway, if you are reading here, take careful heed what is written and repent of the false gospel you are promoting. Don’t go into full justification mode, when its extremely evident that your gospel is perverted and corrupted and false. Furthermore, the philosophy that you are presenting within this gospel presentation gives a false sense of security both for the proselyte and the evangelist. Many, many unbelievers cling to having prayed a prayer all because of “evangelists” like yourself, thereby making them two-fold children of hell. Even in your comments online to some poor soul, reflects the fanger of your "damnable heresies" (2 Pet 2:1)
"But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction." (2 Pet 2:1)
This is my objective in exposing you far and wide, warning as many as I can of wolves in sheep's clothing like you, and others who,
“resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith. But they shall proceed no further: for their folly shall be manifest unto all men, as theirs also was." (2 Tim 3:8-9)
Read and repent Caleb Garraway for God can still possibly save false teachers who preach damnable heresies (2 Pet 2:1), though I see the great difficulty in spiritual reprobation (2 Pet 2:1-3, 20-22; 2 Tim 3:5-9).
The fact that Caleb Garraway allows no negative comments, no criticism, no rebuke or reproof publicly, all of which is censored and hidden, even though this Gospel Film is nothing but PUBLIC, further reflects his evil nature, one very common amongst the IFB. He just hits delete. Only "positive" is allowed. That doesn't surprise me however, seeing he is IFB and seeing who else is on his "executive" team, all of which are Hyles-type men. This evil and completely unbiblical attitude also ties into the false gospel, and reflects a heretical nature.
"A man that is an heretick after the first and second admonition reject; Knowing that he that is such is subverted, and sinneth, being condemned of himself." (Ti 3:10-11).
Those, like myself, who question or criticize such techniques employed by Garraway as a perversion of the Gospel will undoubtedly be labelled as sowers of discord, negative, proud, judgmental, meddlers, majoring-on-minors, engaging in friendly fire, and ultimately as enemies of the Gospel. Many people apparently think it is more important to remain in good standing with people than to defend a pure gospel.
If you want to watch a Biblical, thorough, explanation on the true gospel of Jesus Christ—though it not be ecstatically pleasing to the eyes and not have the elevator music in the background appealing to your senses and though it appeals not to the counterfeit and anemic gospel of easy believism and quick prayerism so prevalent today—please see here: THE True Gospel Of Salvation.
Alternatively, read a gospel tract here on How You Can Be Saved and Have Eternal Life.
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