David Wilkerson
World Challenge, Inc.
PO Box 260
Lindale, TX 75771
1633 Broadway, 38th Fl.
New York, NY 10019
Dear David Wilkerson:
Greetings in Jesus' holy name.
For quite some time now, my wife and I have been very concerned by your writings, as found in the Times Square Church Pulpit Series. It seems that you have somehow come to believe in the heresy of eternal security (which is known to some as once saved always saved or the perseverance of the saints). This is the conclusion I must come to since you continue to write as you do. I say this being fully aware that you have stated in the past that you don't believe in "eternal security." But David, if a bird sounds like a duck, walks like a duck, acts like a duck and looks like a duck, then it must be a duck, even if it might call itself something else. Similarly, even though you say you reject eternal security, you have come to write just like one who believes in this perverted grace message. We came close to writing you in September of 1999. The following is an email we sent out to some of our ministry friends. This is what we wrote to them:
Yesterday we got some very discouraging news about world famous David Wilkerson. In his Times Square Church Pulpit Series, dated 9-13-99, and entitled Out of the Depths I Cried, Wilkerson wrote:David, that is only one of many examples which reveals your present doctrinal condition. Most recently, we opened our mail and found another Pulpit Series dated 3/20/2000 and entitled, Shall We Continue In Sin? I read it over and was extremely disturbed by this one too. In the very first paragraph, you said:Our ministry regularly receives letters from sincere Christians who struggle with homosexuality. The tone of their writings sounds a lot like David's agony. Many of these precious people have grown up in the church, and they love Jesus with all their heart. But they can't get free from their homosexual lust.It sounds like DW is saying homosexuals can be (1) "sincere Christians" and (2) love Jesus with all their hearts, while being addicted to sexual immorality!DW also wrote in the same article:
What, exactly, does it mean to fear the Lord? It means being able to say, "I know my father loves me, I'm safely, forever his, and I know he'll never abandon me" ....Here's our brand new definition of fear of the Lord, that is, "I'm safely forever his." That is the essence of the eternal security heresy! It seems that Wilkerson has become a doctrinal apostate!
Yet multitudes of believers today continue to cling to lusts, habits, grudges, bitterness.That statement flies square in the face of the following Scriptures:
But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. (Mat 5:28,29)Furthermore, you continued throughout your newsletter to discuss what will happen to the believer if he continues in sin, but nowhere did you say that he can lose his salvation. What you wrote is what I have read numerous times in books by once saved always saved authors as they discuss what sin in the life of a believer can do. They can never say that sin can bring a believer to his spiritual death, even though the Bible clearly teaches this (Luke 15:24,32; Rom. 8:13; James 1:14-16; 5:19,20; etc.). No informed Christian writing on such a subject could neglect this cardinal truth about sin in the life of a believer. Related to this are two more quotes from you:The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. (Gal 5:19-21)
David was forced to walk up and down and go into hiding to save his own life. Worst of all, the Bible says, he lost the joy of his salvation: (Pulpit Series, 12/11/95).To say that the worst thing that happened to David was for him to lose the joy of his salvation is to say that a Christian can be both adulterous and murderous and remain saved. Furthermore, when Paul wrote of the sexually immoral man in 1 Cor. 5:1-5, he identified that same man as being wicked (1 Cor. 5:13) which is the same Greek word (poneros) found in Mt. 13:49,50 that shows he was headed for the fiery furnace at that moment. See pages 362-364 in my enclosed book for more details.And Paul writes that if we continue in our sin, we'll be turned over to Satan for the destruction of our flesh, that our souls may be saved (Ibid., 11/15/99).
David, please turn from such devilish teachings as the aforementioned and preach sound doctrine as you once did. Do this for the sake of all the many souls that respect and receive your teachings without question. Souls hang in the balance! Regretfully, I can no longer recommend your ministry like I once did, because of your present teachings about "grace," sin, etc., which have been adversely affected by eternal security doctrine.
Enclosed is a free copy of my 801 page book, The Believer's Conditional Security, which refutes the teaching of eternal security. Please read it over prayerfully. Unless you contact our ministry regarding the above by May 1, 2000, we will openly publish this letter.
Sincerely,
Dan Corner
[David Wilkerson preached a message entitled, "Shall we continue in sin?" To hear him, click David Wilkerson. He is stating a Christian can be sexually immoral, a drunkard, etc. The words within this paragraph and brackets were not part of the original open letter sent to David Wilkerson but were added afterwards.]
[Email received: Thank you for taking the time to reply, I feel it has been worthwhile to pursue my questions & your answers. I was able to hear ... Wilkerson on audio as you said, I was saddened, very very grieved both for him and the many dear ones who have previously been blessed through his ministry, I'm sorry too that he did not heed your comments and reply. This is a dreadful doctrine that leads many to have no true fear of the Lord and to continue in their life of sin forfeiting their salvation it does not even lead to repentance. I really do not know what else to say, as I truly believed that those who sought truth, lovers of the truth would search the scriptures in the whole and part and see the travesty of such teaching .... how many have been truly lost we will never know. I know I appeared to question you thats why I was persistance with my questions,as I had myself searched the scriptures many years ago and never taken on board "Once saved always saved" the Lord Jesus never ever taught that. Thank you for all your help ..... I pray that David and many more will search the scriptures, heed the warnings, and return to Christs words on salvation. With blessings. No need to reply to my email ..... keep being a lover of truth.]
NOTE: ALL Scriptures used as once saved always saved verses have been somehow misused. DO NOT BE DECEIVED! There is NO salvation security in heinous sin!
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