The following is what Dave Hunt had to say about Dan Corner's free-will view of salvation and perseverance;
...Dan apparently is not sure whether he's going to get to Heaven or not, by his own standards that he set forth. If he doesn't live a good enough life, he's not going to get there. My hope of Heaven is not in the good life that I am going to live, but is in the promise that Christ has given me. And he very clearly says, John 5:24, for example, he that hears my word, believes on him that sent me, has everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation, but is passed from death to life. Dan says, no, you can pass back again. You can lose your salvation. Well I don't get this from Jesus. 1 John 5:13, these things have I written unto you that believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have, present possession, eternal life, and that you may believe in the name of the Son of God. Now it sounds as though Dan, one day when he gets to Heaven, if he gets there, he will be able to boast before the throne of God that he lived a good enough life to keep his salvation. He couldn't earn his salvation, but he's going to live a good enough life to keep his salvation and he tells people you've got to live a good enough life to keep your salvation. I, I'm not going to keep my salvation by living a good enough life. It is Christ who is keeping me, and he will not let me go. I give my sheep eternal life. They will never perish and no one can pluck them out of my hand. So I'm trusting in Christ, who is able to keep us from falling, to present us faultless, Jude says, before the presence of his glory, with eternal joy. I'm trusting in him for my eternal security. Dan is trusting, apparently, in his ability to live a good enough life. He couldn't earn his salvation by his good works, but now he's going to keep his salvation by his good works. And that's not Biblical. #1
Mr. Hunt is quite right when he points out that if Mr. Corner's
salvation is
dependent upon his ability to keep it by good works, then, when he got
to
Heaven he would be able to boast about being saved because he lived a
good
enough life, etc.,.
Mr. Hunt is dead wrong when it comes to his free-will view of
salvation. He
has stated that a person cannot boast about being saved by their
free-will
decision. #2
From Mr. Corner’s view, man can boast about his free-will believing and
about keeping his salvation by his free-will faithfulness.
From Mr. Hunt’s view, the sinner can only boast about being saved by
his
free-will belief.
Both of these views have one thing in common they each lift up the
alleged
free-will of man and not solely the grace of God in the salvation of
the
sinner. #3
To borrow a statement from Mr. Hunt, “And that’s not Biblical.”
Redemption work also belongeth to our anointed Priest, and He only
could
effect it. The priests under the law required the redemption price to
be
brought to them by the people, but our Priest, in the similitude of
Melchisedec, brings the price to them, and pays it for them; hence the
apostle was commissioned to say to the elect of God, "Forasmuch as ye
know
that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold,
but
with the precious blood of Christ." (1 Pet. 1:18, 19) Now, as the word
redemption in our day is so grossly perverted, and as the Papist
sentiment
of universal redemption has poisoned the great mass of professing
Protestants, I shall detain you a few moments to take a view of the
redemption which is by Christ Jesus, labeled as it is with three
prominent
words, purchase, pardon, and perfection. The first of these labels is
given
us by the mouth of Paul: "Feed the Church of God, which He hath
purchased
with His own blood." (Acts 20:28) No universal redemption here; it is
the
Church of God which He hath purchased, and it would be an impeachment
of the
wisdom and faithfulness of God our Savior to suppose that He had
purchased
what He never meant to possess. The Church is His property; and though
she
had gone into captivity to sin and Satan, it was His prerogative to buy
back
(as the word redeemed signifies) that which was His own from
everlasting,
and must be possessed by Him forever, yea, and to perfect His work in
every
redeemed soul to meeten it for glory.
Moreover, the redemption which the word of God publishes includes the
full
and free pardon of all the redeemed, as it is written, "In whom we have
redemption through His blood, even the forgiveness of sins." (Eph. 1:7)
How
foolishly then do men talk about all the world being redeemed, while
the
large majority of Adam's race remain unpardoned, unregenerate, and
under
condemnation until they perish eternally. What mockery and falsehood to
tell
men they are redeemed, while they continue in slavery, wearing their
chains,
and fond of them. Would to God that such heresy was confined to Rome,
for it
is quite in keeping with the rest of the dogmas of Antichrist. Again,
the
redemption which honors our High Priest is and must be perfect; hence
the
apostle is directed to inform us that our Redeemer "entered once into
the
holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us." (Heb. 9:12) So
also
He is said to have "perfected for ever them that are sanctified," (Heb.
10:14) or set apart as His redeemed. And His own declaration is, "All
that
the Father giveth me shall come unto me." (John 6:37) Surely then, the
most
trembling doubting soul who has come to Christ for pardon and salvation
may
take courage to believe that His very coming to Christ proves that he
is
redeemed with precious blood, and that he shall assuredly be saved,
because
the redemption which is in Christ Jesus is a perfect work.
"An able minister of the New Testament" is one that has received the spirit of promise, one that has felt and enjoyed the truths, blessings, and promises, of the gospel in his own heart, and so "tells to others what God has done for his soul." He has the Spirit, and is a minister of the Spirit; he is a partaker of grace, and a good steward of it; he is pardoned; and preaches, forgiveness; he is justified, and preaches righteousness; he believes, and therefore speaks; he is quickened, and holds forth the word of life; he is free, and preaches liberty to others; he made his own calling and election sure, and therefore shuns not to declare the whole counsel of God. Christ is revealed in him; and he bears him and preaches him amongst the Gentiles. He has felt the savor of his name as an ointment poured forth, and therefore is instrumental in making manifest the savor of his name in every place; he has salt in himself, and his words are seasoned with salt, to season others; he is illuminated, and lets his light shine before men; he is a candle on the stick, and gives, light to all that are in the house. Such an one, in the hands of Christ, is an able minister of the New Testament.
O the matchless grace of God! What is it? Who can describe it? Let a poor worm venture to drop a hint or two upon it. It is the glorious, rich teeming out of the free favor of God the Father in election and its glorious bearings; of God the Son in redemption, and all he is and has, and has done for his spouse, the church of God; of God the Spirit in his quickening, enlightening, teaching, sealing, anointing, and sanctifying power. Every act of the eternal Trinity, from the first contrivance of the plan of salvation to the full consummation of it in glory, when and where the whole church shall be with Christ and like him, is all of the rich free favor and sovereign grace of God the eternal Trinity.
The following admission was made by Bob Ross – a professing free-grace
believer – in one of his e-mailings:
I sell more John R. Rice #4 "What Must I Do to be Saved?" than I sell
of
Osteen's book. #5
INDIA: Greetings to you in the holy name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Thank you
so much for your holy prayers and mil to us. We do daily praying for
you,
your family and ministry.
I received your booklets. And share in our church in Sunday. All the
believers are blessed to hear the wonderful words. I, personally very
much
encouraged by the booklet. Many are asking for booklet in my own
language
(Telugu). Because many people do not know English. And I would like to
translate it to my own languages if you permitted me. And please pray
for my
ministry in India. We are poor in the world but rich in Jesus Christ.
KENYA: We always fill happy when we receive literatures from your ministry of Grace truth ministries.
End notes:
1. Dave Hunt Versus Dan Corner Mini-Debate on the Believer's Security
Transcript, p. 4
2. For more on this subject and Mr. Hunt see the following editions of
this
newsletter; November 2002, Number 21 and October/December 2003, Number
26.
3. Grace from the free-will view is merely an offer for the sinner to
be
saved and not the only reason that he is saved.
4. Mr. Rice was a free-will preacher. God willing, we’ll have
something by
him in a future newsletter.
5. E-mail dated August 2, 2005.