Dear John and Doves:

Last week there were four URL's submitted by Mike P and posted on this site.  They were entitled: "Why Preaching Peter Makes Us All Liars," "The Baptism Gospel," "Did Paul Preach a Different Gospel," and "Why Paul Told Timothy to Rightly Divide." The links were to the "Grace Ambassadors" web site and featured articles by Justin Johnson.

I am hoping that readers on this site have enough discernment to see the errors in Mr. Johnson's approach to the new testament scriptures.  His theology is extremely toxic and I feel it's my responsibility to fellow believers to warn.  Johnson's ideas, followed to their logical conclusion, will leave believers bankrupt and deeply chagrined (to put it mildly) at the Bema Seat judgment.

All scripture - ALL scripture - is given by inspiration of God and is given that the man of God may be complete and thoroughly equipped for every good work.  If Johnson's ideas are applied, a significant amount of scripture is discounted as being essentially irrelevant to most Christians, because as Johnson falsely asserts, "Jesus, James, Peter and John weren't speaking TO us.  Only Paul was."  I would submit that the Holy Spirit was speaking to all of us, through the writers of scriptures.  "Peter" wasn't speaking at all ... the Holy Spirit was.

Some things are a salvation issue, but EVERYTHING is not a salvation issue.  Those things pertaining to a life of godliness that glorifies the LORD Jesus Christ are not to be dismissed as non-essential just because they're not salvation issues.  Johnson and his ilk seem to be hyper-grace people, in that they think EVERYTHING in a Christian's life is so overwhelmed by God's grace that obedience to the Lord is optional, and a life of disobedience is without eternal consequences.

I want to keep this short, but if anyone is struggling with this or is persuaded that the words of Jesus can be safely ignored, and that "unless Paul said it, it doesn't matter," and wants to explore this, I've hit a few of these items on my blog but will be happy to entertain private email correspondence 'stevekerp' is my gmail account ID.

Hope to see you all soon.

Steve