[George]

Aloha brother Tandy,

A few comments and questions concerning your Post #127 (Thread > "Is water baptism for today?")

Your quote:

“Let me tell you a little secret. If you want to know how God dealt with men in the Old Testament just get a concordance and look up the word "heart."

I’d like to let you in on a “little secret” – Most of the people who Post on this Forum use an Electronic Concordance called SwordSearcher, which, by the way, the Forum Administrator, Diligent (Brandon Staggs) happens to be the Author of. {And which is 100 times faster and more convenient to use than a Concordance}

Your quote:

“God deals with men's hearts and their works prove what kind of hearts they have! That is why you see so many men who claim to be Christians but live their entire lives like devils. They give a mental assent to the gospel and Christianity but their hearts have never been converted. The same goes with a Jew under the law. He could keep all the ordinances and have all the outward appearance of piety yet have a heart just like the Pharisees and go straight to hell."

I must take exception to your statement: “God deals with men's hearts and their works prove what kind of hearts they have!” The Lord Jesus Christ said: “by their fruits ye shall know them.”

Matthew 7:15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.
16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?
17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.
18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.

There are so many false religions and cults out in the world that have lots of “good works”, but their “fruit” is rotten and corrupt. Works do NOT “prove” – “what kind of hearts they have”; according to the Lord - “FRUIT” is what we are to look for in men’s lives – NOT “works”.

Your quote:

"Many hyper-dispensationsalists refuse to preach about REPENTANCE when it comes to salvation because they turn it into a WORK. Repentance (a heartfelt sorrow for sin and a desire to turn from it) is no more a work than believing the gospel!”

Brother Chette is both a missionary and pastor on the Island Palawan in the Philippines. He is NOT a novice, nor is he a “Hyper-dispensationalist”; you didn’t tell him anything that he doesn’t already know, but I’m afraid that your tone came off a bit condescending toward him.

Perhaps you can clarify your position for us:

Do you believe that “God’s Salvation has ALWAYS BEEN THE SAME since Adam’s Fall?

Do you believe that Adam, Seth, Enoch, Noah, Job, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were saved the SAME "way" as we are today? {And what about Lot’s “works”? - 2Peter 2:7}

Do you believe that Moses, Aaron, Joshua, the Judges, David, and the Prophets were saved the SAME "way" as we are today? (And what about Samson’s “works”? Hebrews 11:32)

Do you believe that Peter, James, John, and the rest of the Disciples were “saved” just exactly the SAME "way" as we are today – BEFORE the death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord?

And do you believe that it is absolutely necessary that a person REPENT of their sins BEFORE they can be “saved” today?

Perhaps if you would explain yourself more clearly we would have a better idea as to WHERE you are coming from. I would suggest that you use the “search” function (advanced) on this Forum and look up “hyper-dispensationalism”; “justification”; “repentance”; salvation”; etc.; etc.; (and read at least some of the Threads & Posts) to get an idea of WHAT some of the people on this Forum believe, before making any “judgments”.

At this moment there are over 1,100 “Threads” & nearly 20,000 “Posts” concerning those “Threads”. Much of what you have presented here has already been discussed, and for some of us it would be like going over “old ground” and involve a lot of repetition.

Perhaps after you have answered some of the questions I have posed to you, we can proceed to an amicable “discussion” of the issues involved.