Damning the Souls of Men
E.A. Johnston warns that salvation is solely the work of God’s sovereign grace and condemns modern evangelistic methods that falsely claim man can choose salvation on his own.
In this powerful sermon, E.A. Johnston challenges contemporary evangelistic practices by emphasizing the sovereignty of God in salvation and the spiritual helplessness of man. Drawing from historical examples like David Brainerd and 18th century Orthodox Christianity, Johnston critiques modern methods that reduce salvation to a human decision. He calls believers to recognize the necessity of repentance and the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit. This message serves as a sobering reminder of the true nature of salvation as revealed in Scripture.
Full Transcript
A profitable exercise, friends, can be found in reading the story of David Brainerd's conversion, that over a prolonged period of time, as he was in anguish over the destiny of his soul, how he was angry at God for imputing Adam's sin to him. He was angry at God for the strictness of his law, which he confessed he was unable to uphold. He wished at times there was no God, and that there was an easier way to salvation other than Jesus Christ, that he felt it was unfair for God to have the sovereignty to either give him faith or withhold it and damn him forever and still be a just God.
Brainerd felt his heart rising up against God during this time of seeking salvation, which he finally found through the aid of Solomon Stoddard's book, Guide to Christ. And I look at how Orthodox Christianity shined in 18th century New England by eminent ministers who preached the doctrines of grace in all their fullness, clarity, and in their proper order, and how careful men were with the souls of men back then. And I look around today at all the apostasy in our churches, the ignorance and stupidity that we call evangelism today, and I see entire denominations damning the souls of men with heretical doctrines that go against the Bible and common reason and calling that salvation, to foolishly believe that a soul can pass from death to life in two minutes by raising their hand or walking an aisle or repeating a prayer and being saved by making a decision, goes against the whole of scripture and the whole attributes of a holy God.
God is the author of salvation, not man, a sinner in his natural condition, is blind and deaf and dead and utterly corrupt and helpless to come to Christ on his own. The badness of his heart hates God and drinks iniquity like water. To think that a hardened sinner can open his own heart to accept Jesus is utter nonsense and heresy at its highest.
To teach that man can be saved by just accepting Jesus is a lie that goes against the teachings of Christ who said, Except ye repent, ye will all likewise perish. To teach that sinners have the power within them to make a decision and become converted, take salvation out of the hands of God and place it in the hands of man. Jesus taught that no man can come to me except the Father draw him.
No man is saved by merely making a decision, but only by the regenerating power of the Holy Spirit. A great majority of our churches today are mere factories intended on producing man-made converts to support a denominational program and cover the bills on an oversized church campus that was built by the pride of men, and the process they call evangelism is nothing more than damning the souls of men.
Sermon Outline
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I
- David Brainerd’s spiritual anguish and struggle with God’s justice
- The historical context of Orthodox Christianity in 18th century New England
- Contrast with modern apostasy and false evangelism
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II
- The sovereignty of God in salvation
- The natural condition of man as blind, deaf, dead, and corrupt
- The impossibility of man choosing salvation on his own
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III
- The error of modern evangelistic methods
- The necessity of repentance and the work of the Holy Spirit
- The danger of man-made converts and church programs
Key Quotes
“God is the author of salvation, not man, a sinner in his natural condition, is blind and deaf and dead and utterly corrupt and helpless to come to Christ on his own.” — E.A. Johnston
“To teach that man can be saved by just accepting Jesus is a lie that goes against the teachings of Christ who said, Except ye repent, ye will all likewise perish.” — E.A. Johnston
“A great majority of our churches today are mere factories intended on producing man-made converts to support a denominational program and cover the bills on an oversized church campus.” — E.A. Johnston
Application Points
- Trust fully in God’s sovereign grace rather than relying on human effort for salvation.
- Recognize the necessity of genuine repentance and the work of the Holy Spirit in conversion.
- Be discerning of evangelistic methods that prioritize numbers over true spiritual transformation.