[Luke]

I used to use these at the university I went to.

http://www.it.usyd.edu.au/~matty/Faith/2WTL/1.html

I haven't seen them for a while, but I was reading something that made reference to them, and I know that they are popular in Australia

I am wondering what people think (disregarding the use of modern versions) of this tract.

[JMWHALEN]

Originally Posted by Luke

I used to use these at the university I went to.

http://www.it.usyd.edu.au/~matty/Faith/2WTL/1.html

I haven't seen them for a while, but I was reading something that made reference to them, and I know that they are popular in Australia

I am wondering what people think (disregarding the use of modern versions) of this tract.

____________________
(underline my emphasis)

Brother Luke,

1. There is no mention of the gospel of Christ as outlined in 1 Cor. 15:1-4.

2. The tract does an acceptable job of outlining mankind's dilemma , but takes a "space walk" when presenting the solution:


"1. Talk to God


The first thing to do is to talk to God. You need to admit before him that you have rebelled against him, that you deserve punishment, and that you're asking for mercy on the basis of Jesus' death in your place. You'll also need to ask God to help you change from being a rebel to being someone who lives with Jesus as their ruler. You could pray something like this:

Dear God,

I know that I am not worthy to be accepted by you. I don't deserve your gift of eternal life. I am guilty of rebelling against you and ignoring you. I need forgiveness.

Thank you for sending your son to die for me that I may be forgiven. Thank you that he rose from the dead to give me new life.

Please forgive me and change me, that I may live with Jesus as my ruler. Amen.

The first step, then, is to pray......."


My comment: No, the first step, after recognizing your guilt, and thus your dire predicament, the "bad news", and that you have come short, and will continue to come short, is to "shut up"(Romans 3:19-3:23), and believe the "good news", not beg, ask......

"2. Submit to Jesus


The second step is also fairly obvious. Having prayed the sort of prayer above, you will want to start putting it into practice--that is, actually submitting to Jesus. There will no doubt be all kinds of areas in your life in need of change. You'll need to get rid of old rebellious habits (like greed, anger, selfishness, and so on) and start some new ones that please God (like generosity, kindness, love and patience). This second step will go on for the rest of your life, but God will be with you all the way. He'll keep speaking to you (through your reading of the Bible); he'll keep listening to you and helping you (as you pray to him); he'll empower you to change and to live his way (by his Spirit that lives within you); and he'll provide brothers and sisters to encourage you along the way (as you meet with other Christians).

The second step, then, is to submit to Jesus and start living with him as your ruler.

3. Keep trusting


The third thing you have to do is also ongoing. You need to keep putting your trust in the right place. It's only because of Jesus (and his death and resurrection) that you can be forgiven and put right with God. You'll need to keep coming back to this again and again, because as you start to live God's new way, you will still fail and do the wrong thing. We all do. We all need to keep looking back to the death of Jesus on the cross as the only grounds for our pardon. We must never stop relying on him--and him alone--as the means by which we are forgiven and granted eternal life.

If you know full well that you have not yet taken these steps, and that you are still an unforgiven rebel, then you need to do something about it. You are at a fork in the road. It's the choice that we all face. There are only two ways to live."


My comment: As we all have discussed on previous threads, #2 and # 3 describe sanctification/service. The tract seems to not differentiate between the two, i.e., the requirement to be justified, vs. the result. Failure to rightly divide this Holy Bible(2 Timothy 2:15)?-more "Lordship Salvation."

"help you change from being a rebel to being someone who lives with Jesus as their ruler.......Please forgive me and change me, that I may live with Jesus as my ruler...Submit to Jesus...that is, actually submitting to Jesus. There will no doubt be all kinds of areas in your life in need of change. You'll need to get rid of old rebellious habits (like greed, anger, selfishness, and so on) and start some new ones that please God (like generosity, kindness, love and patience)....he'll empower you to change and to live his way ...The second step, then, is to submit to Jesus and start living with him as your ruler.....keep trusting. "


In Christ,

John M. Whalen