I think there’s been plenty of discussion, but whenever you, or I, or anyone else twists, adds to, or takes away from the scriptures then they’re going to get called on it here at DefCon.

I stand by everything I wrote not because of “views”, but because of truth claims you made that contradict the words spoken by Jesus Christ. Jesus’ word is truth, and anything contrary to His word is a lie, even if we’ve been deceived into believing the lie.

I hope you’ll continue visiting.

In Christ,
CD

At the top of this post you stated that the question posed by theloveiknow was important to the point that a correct
Biblical answer will shape our entire view of soteriology and our concept of missions/evangalism.

Exactly.

So I simply try to discuss your view on what the scriptures say, maybe even challenge how you get your conclusion,
and maybe I am even mistaken on my views, but for you to
accuse me of calling Jesus a liar, and twisting the scripture
is uncalled for.

Some Christians believe in the type of election you say the scriptures teach, some don’t. I think this is an in house debate.
I agree that this is an important issue, so much that it colors our entire understanding of who God is and the very nature of His love.
We should welcome differing views as they may teach us something new or shore up what we already believe.
Either way I think all discussions can be win/win.

I guess for me, the better venue is sit down discussion over coffee and open Bibles, as this subject is way to vast for me to try to communicate by writing in this manner.
This has been difficult for me to get my thoughts down in a concise and orderly manner.

I had to try though, because I do disagree with your interpretation of key Biblical principals.

In the mean time, I will continue to be a big fan of Def Con,
you guys do a great job here. Thank you.

Complete in Him
Keith

I’m not sure if you realize it or not, but your response is quite contradictory and self-refuting, Keith. After reading and re-reading through your comments here it’s my well considered opinion that you hold to a semi-Pelagian/Arminian view of scripture.

For example:

First you say: However, I was not saying Noah earned anything from God.

Then you say: But Noah, moved with fear, by faith, found grace, why? because the ‘eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout all the earth to show Himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward Him.” 2Chron16:9

Which is it, Keith? Noah didn’t earn/merit anything from God, or Noah did earn/merit something from God? You’re presently claiming both and you can’t have it both ways.

In essence you are claiming that Noah “found grace” because he was “moved with fear” and by applying “faith” he somehow merited God to “show Himself strong” because Noah’s heart was “perfect toward Him”.

But the truth is that the heart is desperately wicked above all things. God must change man’s heart of stone and replace it with a heart of flesh before any man can ever be pleasing to God in any way whatsoever. This is because man is desperately wicked and depraved and dead in his sins and trespasses.

The only reason Noah got any notice from God is because God picked him for His own reasons and for His own glory, end of story. God chose Noah because God decided to choose Noah from out of His own good pleasure and infinite sovereign will alone, not for any intrinsic goodness that He saw that was in or ever could in Noah in and of himself. Any true righteous works that Noah ever could have performed were results of God’s grace, not results of Noah’s own righteousness. Good works can only flow from a heart that’s been miraculously transformed by God alone.

You said: God didn’t strike Adam in His wrath

Wrong.

God had already judged Adam prior to the fall should he partake of the forbidden fruit. In His omniscience God passed a death sentence on mankind for his yet future sin. Thou shalt surely die (Genesis 2:17) And as we’re all painfully aware, at the fall Adam died both physically and spiritually and passed the curse of sin and death to his children which thing extends to all of humanity apart from Christ Himself who was fully human (and fully God) but without sin.

You said: Thus God has laid down the priciple of always at all times reaching out to sinful man. I’m still waiting for some scripture to support this claim…will you be providing any?

You said: Prov8, God personified as wisdom is calling out “O men” beseaching all who would listen, He loves those that love Him and rewards those who diligently seek Him, Heb6:11 Those who listen and love Him and seek Him are those the Father draws to Christ, the elect. No one else is able to listen to, love, or seek Him.

In point of fact the Bible teaches such a thing is an utter impossibility because no flesh can please God and all men are naturally in the flesh and at enmity with God. Only those He supernaturally calls and regenerates from spiritual death unto spiritual life by His Spirit are miraculously enabled to come to Him, and all these will do so infallibly because Christ’s sacrifice was 100% effective and efficient to save 100% of those drawn to Him by the Father as He proclaims in John 6:44.

You said: 2Pet3:9 Gods will is revealed and we see that it is His heart that ALL men should come to repentance. If God willed all men to come to repentance then all men would come to repentance because, as you’ve correctly pointed out, God is completely sovereign and He decides who will be saved. God takes no pleasure in the punishment of the wicked, but they will be punished nonetheless because He is just.

2 Peter 3:9 is a passage about God’s divine patience in restraining His wrath and judgment until the fullness of the elect is drawn to salvation. This passage has no meaning or application whatsoever with respect to the repentance and/or salvation of “all men”, instead it’s about Christ’s Second Coming. Peter wrote this epistle to believers. Look back at 1 Peter 1:1 to see who the inspired Apostle is addressing in both 1 Peter and 2 Peter “Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who are elect. Who? The elect.

If you take this verse to really mean what you seem to want it to mean then you’re advocating universalism and I don’t think you want to go there. And if we really want to stretch the meaning of 2 Peter 3:9 to somehow shed light upon the salvation of men’s souls then what we will see is an amazing and loving display of God’s patience toward His elect in delaying Christ’s Second Coming until the fullness of His elect come to salvation so that “not any (of His elect) should perish but all (His elect) should come to repentance”. Amazing grace! This is the plain sense meaning of this passage which harmonizes perfectly with all the rest of scripture.

You said: In Is 1:16-20 , I know He is addressing Israel, but I don’t think it is too far a stretch that it is for all people in light of the whole counsel of God. Uh, there’s just one small problem here Keith, and that’s the fact that no man can actually do what God is commanding them to do in this passage. This is the type of scripture that is designed to drive God’s elect to their knees realizing they can’t meet His perfect standards, causing them by His Spirit to throw themselves upon His undeserved mercy. This is why Christ came. Everyone everywhere is commanded to repent and turn to Christ, but they won’t and they can’t apart from being regenerated by the Holy Spirit and drawn to Christ by the Father and according to scripture only the elect receive these divine benefits and no one else.

Sadly many perverse men – many of which claim to be “Christians” – are deluded by the wicked one and believe that they can actually do these things and perform these “good works” and therefore they’re found guilty of trying to earn God’s grace and favor by their sinful and corrupted works righteousness which things are an abomination to the Triune One True and Living God (Isaiah 64:6).

You said: In Jn6:44 Jesus states a fact;”No man can come to Me except the Father… draw him.” There is no inference that all men drawn will continue with Jesus. Those who do, He raises up at the last day.

What on earth are you talking about? “No inference that all men drawn will continue with Jesus”? Eh?

Jesus makes a plain statement of fact that ALL those drawn to Him by the Father WILL be raised up at the last day. This is an infallible, incontrovertible statement of fact, period, end of story. Christ will do exactly as He has said.

But there you go again twisting and adding to scripture and teaching demonic lies. Why are you calling Jesus Christ a liar, Keith? Jesus Christ said “No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.“ Jesus Christ always keeps His Word.

The truth is that Jesus isn’t lying when He proclaims without conditions and without fail that THOSE WHO ARE DRAWN TO HIM (CHRIST) BY THE FATHER HE (CHRIST) WILL RAISE UP AT THE LAST DAY. Yet you are teaching contrary to Jesus’ own words Keith, and therefore you are guilty of undermining scripture. Stop lying, Keith. It’s wicked and it pleases the father of lies, Satan. Jesus will do as He’s said even if you and all the legions of hell deny it.

All those who are drawn by the Father will come to Christ and they will be raised up at the last day. This makes it patently clear that all who are truly drawn by the Father will absolutely and without fail continue with Him (Christ). This is the church invisible, the true Body and Bride of Christ. All the others within the broader visible professing church are false converts, liars, deceivers, ravening wolves in sheep’s clothing, hirelings, false shepherds, tares and goats which are sown into the church by the devil who will one day hear those dreadful words “DEPART FROM ME!”

You said: Gods grace is seeking all men all the time,Rev3:20 This passage has absolutely nothing, zip, zilch, nada to do with salvation. Jesus isn’t some pathetic little shivering figure pecking at the “door” to men’s hearts pleading for them to just open it so He can come inside…*ugh*…this is among the very worst abuses of scripture and I cringe every time I see it perverted in the manner you’ve done here.

This passage is referring to the Laodicean church and its lukewarm, putrid, gag-reflex-inducing spiritual condition. Christ is knocking on the door that the wicked, false, corrupted church has closed on Him in favor of their man centered, ear tickling, flesh pleasing traditions like most American churches today have done – yet He is still graciously admonishing the harlot church, exhorting her to repent.

You said: He is free to choose, Gods love allows that. For true love is a choice. Agape. That is not a work of man but a work of God, Jn 6:29, to believe and then repent. Act2:38, and obey, Jn14:15

Apart from being drawn by the Father to salvation in Christ man is free only to choose sin and trespass, and nothing else. So-called “free will” when the subject is “choosing” or “rejecting” salvation is a fantasy, a vapor, and a hoax that’s been perpetrated on the church by horrible, anti-christ, vain-traditions-of-men false teaching which doesn’t exist anywhere in scripture. The only men who can come to Christ are men who are drawn by the Father and thereby are miraculously enabled to come Christ by grace through faith and those men will all infallibly be raised up at the last day by Christ. This is what the scriptures consistently teach about salvation – it’s a gift, it’s a gift, it’s a gift.

You asked: This gets to the crux of the whole matter: free will; is there such an animal? See above.

Furthermore you asked: How else to explain the origin of evil? Lucifer chose to exalt himself above the Most High,Is14, etc He then decieved Eve, Adam then chose to disobey the law of God and presto, sin enters in and we have evil.) The Bible says iniquity was found in Satan, that’s enough for me to know. The Bible then says Adam and Eve disobeyed God and fell into sin, that’s enough for me to know.

But look at the amazing pattern we discover here! Men are able to “freely choose” what? Evil! Sin! Wickedness! Disobedience! Just as it is today. In their flesh men are free all right, they’re totally free to exercise their “free will” to choose evil and evil alone. This is why no flesh will be justified before God and this is why no human being can come to Christ apart from the divine drawing of the Father, because the natural will is to do evil continually and to flee from God.

God has bent over backward (so to speak) doing everything He possiblebly could This is just plain silly, Keith. I recommend you go back and re-read Tozer’s “Knowledge of the Holy” because I have that book and there’s no way that one could get this sort of horribly distorted and low view of God from Tozer or from the Holy Bible.

God isn’t “bending over backward” for sinful men, He’s patiently and lovingly seeking after and saving His own to the praise of His glory alone, and reserving eternal fiery torments for everyone else. The natural man always flees from the light, and it’s only because of God’s grace and out of His boundless oceans of pity, mercy and love that He chooses to spare some undeserving, unworthy sinners to become partakers of His kingdom and enjoy Him forever.

You said: When I made that choice,(in response to the grace of God)I had to humble myself, I had to repent, I had to count the cost, I had to pick up my cross, I had to deny myself, God did none of those things for me, but without God, I could not have done any of it, or even considered it.
Only by the empowerment of the HS can I do anything.

Instead of making your “choice” for God as you claim you did, could you instead have “chosen” against Him? Could you “choose” against Him now, or possibly later in your life? Could you fail to “continue with Him” at some point in your life? Do you have “free will” now to turn away from Christ if you so choose?

In Christ,
CD

However, I was not saying Noah earned anything from God.
My apologies for not being a bit more clear.

God is absolutely sovreign. Is 43:13,etc. He has need of nothing.( A W Tozer- Knowledge of the Holy- is excellent in describing God in all His glorious attributes,)
Man, a created being, is sinful at his very core as it is his nature, Rom 3:23.

Ever since the sin of Adam God has been reaching out to sinful man. Gods first response to sin was mercy, in spite of Adam placing blame, God didn’t strike Adam in His wrath
but instead showed mercy providing sacrificially skins to cover the shame. Gen 3:21, and fortold of a future redeemer, Gen3:15.

Thus God has laid down the priciple of always at all times reaching out to sinful man. How could He not? Man is always going from God.Gen6:5.
But Noah, moved with fear, by faith, found grace, why? because the ‘eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout all the earth to show Himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward Him.” 2Chron16:9

Prov8, God personified as wisdom is calling out “O men” beseaching all who would listen, He loves those that love Him and rewards those who diligently seek Him, Heb6:11, in 2Pet3:9 Gods will is revealed and we see that it is His heart that ALL men should come to repentance.
In Is 1:16-20 , I know He is addressing Israel, but I don’t think it is too far a stretch that it is for all people in light of the whole counsel of God.

In Jn6:44 Jesus states a fact;”No man can come to Me except the Father… draw him.” There is no inference that all men drawn will continue with Jesus. Those who do, He raises up at the last day.
We love Him because He first loved us,!Jn4:19, again Jesus has chosen us, not us Him, no man can take any credit for coming to God, we are saved by grace through faith and that not of ourselves, it is the gift of God. Eph2:8

and where cometh that grace? “Behold,the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save;” thru the whole of chapter 59 Is, to v20 “and the redeemer shall come to Zion”
…in due time Christ died for the ungodly. Rom5:6

Gods grace is seeking all men all the time,Rev3:20
when a sinner responds to Gods grace- God is always the initiator. Always. But man is held respnsible in how he answers God. Mat7:26, God gives man the ability to say yes, and he has the light to see his own darkness,Jn1:9, that is why he is without excuse.Rom 1:20.

( He is free to choose, Gods love allows that. For true love is a choice. Agape. That is not a work of man but a work of God, Jn 6:29, to believe and then repent. Act2:38, and obey, Jn14:15.

This gets to the crux of the whole matter: free will; is there such an animal? How else to explain the origin of evil?
Lucifer chose to exalt himself above the Most High,Is14,
etc He then decieved Eve, Adam then chose to disobey the law of God and presto, sin enters in and we have evil.)

God has bent over backward (so to speak) doing everything He possiblebly could, going sofar as the incarnation in sinful flesh, Phi2. and being the perfect sacri-
fice in Jesus at calvary, that all a man has to do is step into that wonderful light by his repenting and believing, but step he must, for if he does not, he is already condemned.
Jn 3:18.

Is this a paradox? Welcome to the Christian Life.

When I made that choice,(in response to the grace of God)I had to humble myself, I had to repent, I had to count the cost, I had to pick up my cross, I had to deny myself, God did none of those things for me, but without God, I could not have done any of it, or even considered it.
Only by the empowerment of the HS can I do anything.
Can two walk unless they agree?
Thank you for your valuble time.
Complete in Him
Keith

I believe the analysis below by Dr. John MacArthur will help shed some light upon your inquiry.

In Christ,
CD

1.Those in heaven

Those in heaven consists of two groups: the angels and the spirits of redeemed believers (who await the resurrection of their bodies). Those who are in heaven already acknowledge Jesus is Lord.

The angelic group consists of God’s holy, elect angels–the unfallen seraphim, cherubim, and myriads of other angels who worship God in heaven. The spirits of redeemed believers are the triumphant saints now in the presence of Christ–”the general assembly and church of the first-born who are enrolled in heaven … the spirits of righteous men made perfect” (Heb. 12:23). Throughout all their time in heaven they’ve been worshiping the Lord of glory.

a)The angels

Revelation 4 describes the worship of angels. In verses 2-3 we see God on His throne. Around the throne are twenty-four elders, before the throne are seven lamps, and in the center and around the throne are four living creatures (vv. 4-7). The living creatures cry out unceasingly, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God, the Almighty, who was and who is and who is to come” (v. 8). That pictures the unending angelic worship of God (v. 9).

b)The redeemed

We see the worship of the redeemed in verses 10-11, where the twenty-four elders (who represent redeemed men) fall down before God and worship Him, saying, “Worthy art Thou, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for Thou didst create all things, and because of Thy will they existed, and were created.”

2.Those on earth

a)The obedient

“Those … on earth” (Phil. 2:10) refers to us. As believers we submit to Christ as Lord and Savior (by God’s wonderful grace). We have followed the pattern of Romans 10:9: “If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved.” The lordship of Christ and His resurrection are connected because the resurrection was the first step in the exaltation of Christ as Lord.

b)The disobedient

The disobedient on earth will also bow before Jesus Christ, but by compulsion. Second Thessalonians 1:7-9 says, “When the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, [He will deal out retribution] to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. And these will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power.”

When Jesus returns to subdue the earth He will remove the wicked from the earth, cast them into hell, and establish His kingdom. His kingdom will consist of His own people–the sheep of Matthew 25:31-40. The goats of Matthew 25:31-46 will also bow to His lordship, but then be destroyed in “the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matt. 25:41).

3.Those under the earth

“Under the earth” refers to hell, the place of eternal punishment, which is occupied by damned demons and men. They also will acknowledge the lordship of Christ–not by enjoying His reign, but by bearing the unending expression of His wrath. First Peter 3:18-22 indicates that while His dead body hung on the cross and then laid in His tomb, Christ’s spirit descended into the prison (hell–cf. 2 Pet. 2:4) where certain demons are bound. There He proclaimed His triumph over them.

As affirmed in Psalm 2, all the earth will be Christ’s (v. 8). Some will acknowledge Him as Lord willingly. Others will be broken with a rod of iron (v. 9). As Lord, Jesus will rule one way or another: by choice or by force.

You asked: Jn 6:44… Where do you get this “fact” that those drawn by the Father will come to Him?

Basically just from the text itself, Keith:

No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.

Q. How many men can (i.e. are able to) come to Christ except the Father draw him?

A. “No man”

This is pretty a pretty straightforward and uncomplicated statement from Jesus Christ that He applies universally to all mankind.

Happily there’s an exception to the “no man” clause and that is “EXCEPT the Father which hath sent me draw him”.

Okay, first Jesus Christ makes a blanket, universal statement of inability proclaiming that NO MAN can come to him (this is really bad news). But then He graciously proceeds to an exception to the “no man” clause when He says “except the Father which hath sent me draw him” (this is really good news).

And then Jesus proceeds to apply yet another astounding universal statement proclaiming that those “exceptions” to the “no man” clause who are drawn by the Father WILL be raised up by Him (Christ) at the last day: and I will raise him up at the last day.

This is an absolute statement of fact. Jesus doesn’t say that He will consider raising him up at the last day, or that there’s a really strong probability so long as certain pre-conditions are met, nope, He says He WILL raise him (the exception drawn by the Father) up at the last day.

This is the greatest news anyone has ever heard. If a human soul is drawn by the Father then that human soul will come to Christ and Christ will raise him up at the last day. Salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. This is Biblical Christianity.

You’re right that it isn’t universalism since only those drawn by the Father (the elect) will receive divine mercy and come to Christ and everyone else (the non-elect) will continue in their trespass and sin and receive divine justice and be condemned.

You said: The fact is that those who do come to Him with a real faith will have been drawn by the Father and He will raise -them- up on the last day. Not every one responds to the preaching of the word.

Correct. As the scriptures teach only the elect will come to Christ with genuine faith having been drawn by the Father and therefore Christ will raise them up on the last day. Not everyone responds to the preaching of the Word, only the elect respond because only they are drawn by the Father.

You said: It is not universalism, not everyone is saved.

Correct, only those drawn by the Father to Christ are saved, the elect.

You said: Gods choosing of Noah was determined by Noahs obedience to God, Gen6:8, thats why Noah found grace, and his family, and why the rest were destroyed in the flood.

Wow! Noah earned God’s grace by his works?!? By taking this position is it correct then to say that you believe God’s grace is merited (earned) by man’s efforts (works)? This goes against everything taught about grace in the Bible. The scriptures couldn’t be more clear or consistent on this point: namely that grace is a gift.

All the passage says is that Noah found grace in God’s eyes, period. In this instance you’re adding to and twisting scripture by claiming that God’s grace is dependent upon any sinful man’s “obedience”. This is a satanic lie from the pit of hell and I fear that if you have believed this lie then you’ve been duped by the enemy. In point of fact this is the bitter wellspring from whence all the cults of Christianity originate.

You said: God chose Israel, yet not all Israel made it to the promised land, but perished for their unbelief. Heb 3:18.

Exactly. And shouldn’t this tell us something about those who claim to be Christians? Everyone within ethnic Israel was not truly Israel (spiritual Israel, God’s true remnant) just as everyone who participates within the broader professing visible church is not truly part of the Body of Christ, the true church invisible (see tares/wheat, goats/sheep).

You said: God was at all times drawing all of Israel to Himself, but only the remnant found grace. why, because they believed, they obeyed, a theme echoed thru out the scriptures.

There you go tying God’s grace to sinful man’s obedience again. This is a demonic lie, Keith. Grace is utterly and completely apart from works (Romans 11:6) and you’re guilty of undermining God’s Word by persisting in this gross error. Please repent of this damnable lie and flee from it.

Yet even with this in mind we can still clearly see that only a remnant mercifully received unmerited grace – no one earns grace or merits grace from God by good works as you’re falsely claiming or else it’s no longer grace (Romans 11:6) – but I need to see some scripture to support your claim that “God was at all times drawing all of Israel to Himself”. Where do you get this strange belief? Chapter and verse would be great, thanks.

You said: Jesus work on the cross was indeed totally complete, that “whosoever believeth in Him should not perish,…” Therefore we preach, as Gods voice to all men proclaiming the good news. Rom10:18.

Amen! Christ’s cross-work is lacking nothing, He suffered perfectly and completely and fully satisfied His Father’s holy wrath and whosoever believes will certainly not perish. And the Triune One True and Living God determined before the foundations of the world those who would constitute the “whosoever” and He predestined them to divine election ensuring that Christ’s cross-work would be 100% effective for all of those who are called to true repentance and salvation (Ephesians 1:4-6).

You said: Gods love and His grace is available to anyone who will humble themselves and repent of their sins and believe in the saving work of the Lord JesusChrist. Is 66:2 Jn 3:16, 2Pet3:9, Act 2:21, etc…

Amen! And all those “anyones” who humble themselves are the very same ones who are infallibly drawn by the Father to Christ whom He (Christ) promises to raise up at the last day in John 6:44, amazing grace!

You said: But alas, not all who are drawn heed the call, for many be called, but few chosen.

All who hear the external procamation of the Gospel won’t respond, but all who are drawn of the Father will heed the call and will come to Christ without fail. The external call of the gospel is to go out to all men without exception or distinction because all men everywhere are commanded to repent, but few are chosen (elected) to actually receive the inward call of the Spirit, being thereby infallibly drawn by the Father to the Son.

We don’t know who the elect are so we must faithfully preach the Gospel to everyone with the full assurance that God Almighty will infallibly save those He has chosen in Christ before the foundations of the world.

In Christ,
CD

You said: PS, I have read the Gospel According to Jesus and thoroughly enjoyed it. Me too! It’s one of my favorites.

It is not universalism, not everyone is saved.

Gods choosing of Noah was determined by Noahs obedience to God, Gen6:8, thats why Noah found grace, and his family, and why the rest were destroyed in the flood.
God chose Israel, yet not all Israel made it to the promised
land, but perished for their unbelief. Heb 3:18

God was at all times drawing all of Israel to Himself, but only the remnant found grace. why, because they believed, they obeyed, a theme echoed thru out the scriptures.

2.Jesus work on the cross was indeed totally complete, that
“whosoever believeth in Him should not perish,…”
Therefore we preach, as Gods voice to all men proclaiming the good news. Rom10:18.

Gods love and His grace is available to anyone who will humble themselves and repent of their sins and believe in the saving work of the Lord JesusChrist. Is 66:2 Jn 3:16, 2Pet3:9, Act 2:21, etc…

But alas, not all who are drawn heed the call, for many be called, but few chosen.

In Him,
Keith

PS, I have read the Gospel According to Jesus and thoroughly enjoyed it.

blastedbylove,

Our command is to preach the gospel to all men without exception. No one but God knows who the elect are, therefore the external call of the gospel goes out indiscriminately to all. All men everywhere are commanded to repent. There’s no deceit in being obedient to the Great Commission.

I’m assuming that if you’re using the WOTM and you’re telling folks that Jesus died for their sins that you are following that proclamation with something conditional to the effect of “if you believe” or “if you trust in Him” or something similar, correct?

In other words no gospel presentation would be complete if one were simply walk up to a perfect stranger on the street and tell him that Jesus died for his sins and took his place on the cross and now he gets to go to heaven instead of hell and then simply turn and walk away, amen? This would certainly be lying assuming you randomly picked an unbeliever.

You might find this article informative.

In Christ,
CD

P.S. – Have you purchased The Gospel According to Jesus yet?