What's Wrong With "The Four Spiritual Laws"?

The following is an excerpt taken from "The Way of the Master," by Ray Comfort, page 78. It concerns a widely accepted evangelistic tract developed by the late Dr. Bill Bright and published by Campus Crusade for Christ around the world.

Examine everything carefully;
hold fast to that which is good;
abstain from every form of evil.
1 Thess 5:21-22

Over the years that I have shared my concerns about contemporary evangelism, I have been careful never to name names. However, many have guessed that on occasion I have been referring to the incredibly popular tract The Four Spiritual Laws, penned by the late Dr. Bill Bright of Campus Crusade for Christ. More than a billion copies have been distributed in all the major languages of the world, and his approach has become the model for the modern gospel presentation.

In July 2002, Kirk and I were invited to Orlando, Florida, to join Dr. Bright at his home for breakfast. After breakfast, we sat down in his living room and heard this warm, humble, sincere man of God (then eighty-one) confess that he had been in error. Let me use his own words from his book Heaven or Hell - Your Ultimate Choice (published the same year) to tell you what he said to us:

"In his approximately 42 months of public ministry, there are 33 recorded instances of Jesus speaking about hell. No doubt He warned of hell thousands of times. The Bible refers to hell a total of 167 times. I wonder with what frequency this eternal subject is found in today's pulpits. I confess I have failed in my ministry to declare the reality of hell as often as I have the love of God and the benefits of a personal relationship with Christ. But Jesus spent more of His time warning His listeners of the impending judgement of hell than of speaking of the joys of heaven....I have never felt the need to focus on telling people about hell. However, as a result of a steady decline in morals and spiritual vitality in today's culture and a growing indifference to the afterlife, I have come to realize the need for greater discussion of hell....I have thus come to see that silence, or even benign neglect on these subjects, is disobedience on my part. To be silent on the eternal destinations of souls is to be like a sentry failing to warn his fellow soldiers of impending attack." [Bill Bright, Heaven or Hell - Your Ultimate Choice (Orlando, Fla.: New Life Publications, 2002), 32, 48]

Dr. Bright even took the time to use the Law lawfully, by quoting every one of the Ten Commandments, then expounding the Law by saying, "Breaking these commandments will take us to hell without the intervening grace and mercy of Jesus Christ." [Ibid., 37] By admitting that "benign neglect on these subjects is disobedience on my part," Dr. Bright revealed his honest humility and his genuine love of the truth.

Please, follow Dr. Bright's example and examine your evangelism methods in light of God's Word. At stake is the eternal salvation of millions of people. You don't have to throw away The Four Spiritual Laws. Simply make four important changes. First, don't tell sinners that Jesus will improve their lives with a wonderful plan. Second, don't make the unbiblical mistake of giving the cure before you've convinced them of the disease. Third, take the time to follow in the way of the Master by "opening up" (or explaining) the Ten Commandments. And fourth, faithfully remember to include the terrible realities of Judgement Day and hell.

What's Wrong With Just Preaching About God's Grace?

There's nothing wrong with preaching the grace of God! In fact, it is what we are commanded to do. But what is the grace of God if not a thorough understanding of the Law (ie. the 10 Commandments) which magnifies the grace of God to us? If, however, we consistently lean upon grace and mercy and God's "unconditional love" without carefully expounding the Law, God's requirements and how we can even have access to that love, then we are not speaking the truth. The gospel message is not ours to modify and soften; it is God's message and we must be faithful witnesses. A half truth is not the truth -- it is perjury in man's court and it is no different in God's. Worse than complete untruths, those who hear a half truth conveyed as though it was the whole truth become convinced that God loves them and will accept them no matter what they do. It's as if they were heading towards the cliff of God's justice, about to fall off to their peril, and instead of warning them to change their ways, we plug earphones into their ears and lull them into complacency and eternal damnation with beautiful praise music!

YES -- God's grace and mercy is not something that can be purchased by ANY work or deed of man, but if there is no repentance and a giving up this life for the blessing of eternal life, then there can be no heaven. Grace is not made effective to the willfully disobedient. Communicating anything otherwise is misleading and dishonors God.

Watch your life and doctrine closely.
Persevere in them, because if you do,
you will save both yourself and your hearers.
1 Timothy 4:16, NIV

The truth is that those who claim to love God and be a friend of God but do not obey His commandments are liars and the truth is not in them (see 1 John 2:4). If we say that we abide in God and He in us, then we ought to walk in the same manner as Jesus did (see 1 John 2:6).

The following is very thought provoking excerpt from a book entitled "What Would Jesus Do?" by Ray Comfort. It is an email message to Ray from a minister in the First Church of God in Waco, TX. Please listen carefully to his message.

Dear Brother Ray,

I have been a pastor for 25 years. I always thought I was doing a reasonably good job. Kind of like the folks that tell you they consider themselves "good people." I had tried to preach, what I thought, was the whole counsel of God. I prayed, over the years, with many people to accept Jesus and make Him Lord of their lives.

My wife Judy and I moved to Ruidoso, New Mexico about six years ago to plant a church. Shortly after arriving I was convicted that something was horribly wrong with my ministry. I read the scriptures and prayed earnestly that God would show me what was wrong. The feeling continued to grow and I became depressed and moody. I asked Judy to pray for me and explained my problem. I didn't know if this was the Holy Spirit convicting or Satan attacking. She prayed that God would reveal the cause of my depression and make Himself clear as He revealed any problem with my ministry for Him.

That night I had the most terrifying, realistic, blood chilling nightmare any man has ever had. I am a Vietnam veteran and I know a little about nightmares. Nothing in my experience has ever come close, nor do I ever want it to, to the horror of that night!

I dreamed that it was judgment day and I was standing right next to the throne of God. I noticed that to my left and my right were pastors as far as I could see. I thought this was odd that the Lord would reserve this front row space for pastors only.

I looked out across a space of only a few yards and there were millions, maybe billions, of people, yet I could see each one of their eyes staring at me. As I studied this group I noticed that I knew many of them from times at the alter or ones who had sat under my teaching. I was pleased to see that they had made it to heaven, but confused because they didn't look happy. They looked very angry and hateful.

Then I heard the voice of the Lord say, "Away, I never knew you." I was suddenly frightened that what I was seeing was those who "thought" that they were saved. Then I saw all of them pointing a finger at each of us pastors and together, in one voice that shook my soul, "WE SAT IN YOUR CHURCH AND THOUGHT WE WERE SAVED. WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL US WE WERE LOST?"

Tears were pouring down my face and the faces of all of those pastors. I watched as one by one those people were cast into hell. One and then another, and another, and another......., until they were all gone. I died inside as each one screamed in agony and gnashed their teeth, cursing us as they went into the lake of fire.

Then I was looking into the face of Jesus and He said to me, "Is this the part where I'm suppose to say, ' Well done my good and faithful servant?" I woke up with a scream and my heart pounding and I was begging Jesus to forgive me.

I died a million deaths that night. Since that night I have done two things on a daily bases. I do everything I can to preach the law before grace in the hope that conviction of sin will bring a sinner to true salvation. The other thing that I do is pray for every person I have ever preached to asking God to repair any damage I have done. I also never believe anyone when they tell me they are saved. It is my duty to challenge them and search out the solidness of their salvation.

Your ministry and material has been a great blessing to me. I am learning to be more effective and confident as I teach others how to share their faith by using the Law. I have seen several people saved, who thought they were saved, as I have used The Way of The Master material to teach them evangelism.

I do want to hear those words, "Well done my good and faithful servant", and thanks to you and your team I have a better chance of hearing them. Thank you! I just wanted to let you know, some pastors are waking up to the truth. The desire of my heart is to please God. I pray that my days of being a man pleaser are over along with the nightmares. I also pray that God will use me to bring other pastors into the truth of the Gospel message so that they will not have to face the nightmare that I did.

Blessings,
Steve Kreins
First Church of God
Waco, Texas

Billy Graham Reveals Secret Behind Failure of the Church

In September 22, 1958, Dr. Billy Graham preached the following message in Charlotte, North Carolina. Using the 10 Commandments, he reveals the secret behind our failure as a church, as elders and deacons, and as Sunday School teachers, collectively and individually (click here to see a longer quote, or here to see the full text).

God gave the law for one specific purpose. He gave the law to be a mirror. And when I look in the Ten Commandments and read them, and understand them, it shows me how far short I've come. But the law cannot forgive, the law cannot save, the law cannot cleanse me from my sins. I believe before this week is over I shall prove to you night after night that every one of us in this audience has broken every commandment.

You say, "But, Billy, I've never killed anybody. Doesn't the Lord say, 'Thou shalt not murder'?" Yes, Jesus, interpreting that passage, said, "If you've ever hated anybody, you have broken my commandments" [see 1 John 3:15]. Under that comes prejudice, and bigotry, and malice, and contempt.

A Christian leader wrote another Christian leader the other day, and I've got a copy of the letter. He said, "I hold you in utter contempt." You look up the word "contempt" in the dictionary; and it means "I have hatred, I have malice for you."

Jesus said, "Any man who hates his brother is going to hell" [see Matthew 5:22]. I didn't say it; Jesus said it. So we've broken that commandment.

You say, "But, Billy, I've never stolen anything." Haven't you? Did you ever cheat on your income tax, even a little bit? Did you ever cheat in school? You've broken every commandment.

You say, "But I've never committed adultery." Haven't you? Jesus said, "If you've ever had lust in your heart, you've committed adultery" [see Matthew 5:28].

We've all sinned and come short of the glory of God [see Romans 3:23]. You're a sinner, and I'm a sinner. We've all broken God's law, and the law was to show us that we're sinners. I see that I'm wrong, that I'm a sinner. But the law cannot correct; it cannot save. Because salvation came through Christ.

And then the law was given for something else. It becomes a schoolmaster [see Galatians 3:24]. It becomes an usher to drive me to the cross of Christ.

I read those commandments and say, "My God, I haven't kept them. My God, I'm a sinner." And then I hear the thunder from Sinai, and I see the lightning. I hear the judgment of God's thunder and wrath. I hear that the wages of the broken law is sin, and that sin bringeth forth death [see James 1:15]. And I know that every man who breaks that law is lost. And immediately I say, "How can I be saved?"

I find the answer in the grace, and mercy, and the love of God at the cross of Calvary where Christ died and shed His blood for my sins. No one will ever be saved apart from the cross.