Justification

My Comments: No one should pretend that what Paul said here is a total list of God's requirements from people who wish to be saved from the wrath to come, and no one should say that what Paul doesn't say here proves that in a presentation of the full gospel nothing more is required. We should not argue from silence.

I could use the same kind of argument to prove that you will get everything you ask from God, regardless of conditions. Jesus said, "Ask, and you shall receive For everyone who asks receives" (Matthew 7:7). Jesus. By Joseph Prince's reasoning, since no conditions are mentioned here, it is not necessary to have faith when you ask, since Jesus does not mention it. In fact Jesus says "Everyone"! So everyone should get everything they want just by asking. Experience shows this just isn't the case. Neither is it the case that everyone who hears what Prince calls the "uncluttered immediate eternal gospel" gets unconditional forgiveness from God. We have to know what else Paul preached, and who better to tell us than Paul himself.

If we really care to know what Paul's message in preaching actually was, lets look at how he summarised his own preaching ministry. Paul in defending himself said:

Act 26:19 "Therefore, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision",
Act 26:20 but declared first to those in Damascus and in Jerusalem, and throughout all the region of Judea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent, turn to God, and do works befitting repentance.
Act 26:21 For these reasons the Jews seized me in the temple and tried to kill me.

To the Ephesian elders:



Act 20:20 how I kept back nothing that was helpful, but proclaimed it to you, and taught you publicly and from house to house,
Act 20:21 testifying to Jews, and also to Greeks, repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.

Act 20:24 But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.
Act 20:25 "And indeed, now I know that you all, among whom I have gone preaching the kingdom of God, will see my face no more".
Act 20:26 Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all men.
Act 20:27 For I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God.



You have to preach the whole counsel of God to be innocent of the blood of all men, and I do not hesitate to say that Joseph Prince, megachurch pastor in Singapore, not only DOES NOT preach the whole counsel of God, but also, he despises the teaching of it.

The gospel of the grace of God is what Paul preached (see the quote). How then does he say to Agrippa that he told the Gentiles that they should turn repent, turn to God and do works befitting repentance? It is because the true grace of God Paul elsewhere describes as follows:

For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men,
teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age,
looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,
who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works. (Titus 2:11-14)

Grace is God's power to enable us to change. It is not a promise that we don't have to change to be free from God's judgement.

JP: Let's follow now. We are going back to early Christianity. Alright? Paul did not make conditions. Paul didn't say "REPENT!" And if your heart is truly, truly, truly repentant (people laugh) if you are really sincere notice the full declaration of the free favor of God immediate and eternal through this man is preached to you the forgiveness of sins and by Him everyone who believes is justified from all things from which you could not be justified by the Law of Moses, by the Ten Commandments.

My Comment: This is not a complete presentation of the doctrine of the early Christians. I also doubt if it was a complete record of everything Paul said on that day, but rather his main points. The thing is, the gospel DOES present an offer of forgiveness that is not obtained by lawkeeping. But the gospel also REQUIRES something. It requires a surrendering to God, a commitment to the person of Christ, and a willingness to change as the living LORD Jesus speaks into our lives. The fact that Paul is not recorded as saying "Repent" in this message does not define for us what the gospel is or requires. In other passages like Acts 17:30 Paul does say REPENT while preaching to unbelievers. He says that "God commands all men everywhere to REPENT". Paul clearly taught that people should turn from sin and forsake it. Paul taught that His preaching made people OBEDIENT TO GOD.

Romans 15:18 For I will not dare to speak of any of those things which Christ has not accomplished through me, in word and deed, to make the Gentiles obedient
Romans 15:19 in mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God, so that from Jerusalem and round about to Illyricum I have fully preached the gospel of Christ.

Back to Joseph Prince:

JP: Now think about it. If he preached like this today there will be people, who are theologians, who have been influenced by cluttered Christianity, who will stand up and say, "You are preaching easy believism". You are preaching sloppy agape greasy grace cheap grace no don't say down there, "Paul meant they should repent". Where's the word repent? "Therefore let it be known to you that through this man is preached to you the forgiveness of sins when you have truly repented when you have truly repented. Hmmm?

I have answered this objection above. Joseph Prince is telling his people not to worry about what theologians may say. This is anti-intellectual. It is also stupid. As I have already shown, just because a verse of the Bible does not mention a concept does NOT mean that the concept is irrelevant to the passage in question.

I will just say that Joseph Prince is preaching HERESY. Such preaching will never lead to people "working out their salvation with fear and trembling" (Php 2:13) because they think that it has already been "worked out" for them. The true preaching of grace leads people to humbly depend on God and cling to God, trusting indeed that God IS working His righteousness out in their lives as they walk by the Spirit, and trusting that as they walk by the Spirit, their sins and mistakes are under the blood of Christ.



JP: Now Pastor Prince, the Bible teaches on repentance! Yes. Repentance means change your mind. You know what? When Jesus came on the scene he said, "Repent and believe the gospel". Change your mind about saving yourself, about your self effort, and believe the good news. Repent and believe the gospel. Its repentance from unbelief, from not believing God is so good, from not believing that the news that God has given is so good, what Jesus did is so good, the effects is so good, repent of that, and start to believe the good news. Your sins are truly forgiven. Your sins are truly forgiven.

My Comments:

Listen to JP's take on what Jesus meant when he said "Repent and believe the gospel". For Prince it is that Jesus is simply saying, "Stop trying to save yourself and believe you are already forgiven".

Greek word 'Metanoia' does mean changing the mind. But it is not any old change of the mind. For example, it is not changing my opinions on the doctrine of salvation that constitutes repentance any more than changing my mind on which kind of music I like the most. Changing your mind about sin is what is required. means not wanting it any more. That is repentance. And the Hebrew concept of repentance implies strongly a turning away from sin. You cannot cling to your sins and say that you have "repented".

I don't think the people of the time would have understood THAT by what Jesus said. Its not what John the Baptist who prepared the way for Jesus taught about repentance. The Bible does not say what JP says here, he is adding it in. The Bible instead rather contradicts such thinking, as I have shwon. On what authority is Prince saying these things? Is it on the authority of having lots of money collected from a 19000 member church? Is it on the authority of being an internationally demanded conference speaker and being praised by people like Brian Houston? Is it on the authority of an extra biblical revelation? On what authority does he teach these things which so contradict the Word of God in both Old AND New Testaments?



Beware of false teachers. If you believe them, they may well lead you to HELL.