Amen! Mr. Smith...

The false gospel which the majority are hearing in days past and continue to hear in our day has no ability to convict of sin for it rarely if ever includes the depth of man's depravity which is revealed in the holy law of God. Saying you are a sinner is a far cry from what the Holy Spirit brings upon a sinner's soul. All of God's elect come by way of heart-felt, Spirit-wrought conviction. At the same time, the Spirit reveals to the elect sinner the inexorable holiness of God. When those two truths are impressed upon a person's mind and heart, it kills all self-righteousness and self-reliance. A cursory reading of the Scriptures will illustrate how those who are saved by God are effected. Some salient examples are:

Mephibosheth
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2 Samuel 9:6-8 (KJV) "Now when Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, was come unto David, he fell on his face, and did reverence. And David said, Mephibosheth. And he answered, Behold thy servant! And David said unto him, Fear not: for I will surely shew thee kindness for Jonathan thy father's sake, and will restore thee all the land of Saul thy father; and thou shalt eat bread at my table continually. And he bowed himself, and said, What [is] thy servant, that thou shouldest look upon such a dead dog as I [am]?"
Isaiah
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Isaiah 6:1-5 (KJV) "In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, [is] the LORD of hosts: the whole earth [is] full of his glory. And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke. Then said I, Woe [is] me! for I am undone; because I [am] a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts."
The Publican
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Luke 18:13-14 (KJV) "And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as [his] eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified [rather] than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted."
Peter
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Luke 5:5-8 (KJV) "And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net. And when they had this done, they inclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake. And they beckoned unto [their] partners, which were in the other ship, that they should come and help them. And they came, and filled both the ships, so that they began to sink. When Simon Peter saw [it], he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord."
At Pentecost
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Acts 2:36-38 (KJV) "Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ. Now when they heard [this], they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men [and] brethren, what shall we do? Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost."
Paul
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Romans 7:8-12 (KJV) "But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. For without the law sin [was] dead. For I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died. And the commandment, which [was ordained] to life, I found [to be] unto death. For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it slew [me]. Wherefore the law [is] holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good."
Those who have come to Christ through true conviction and a heart-felt faith all experience these things from one degree to another. And, as the children of God grow in grace through the Spirit's indwelling, the realization of how sinful they are and how glorious in holiness God is increases throughout their lives. The fear of God dominates their lives (2Cor7:1; Eph 5:21). This is not a fear of dread of condemnation, but rather a reverential fear knowing the one true God. The modern gospel has no place for any of these things and thus as Mr. Smith rightly pointed out, such as who bring another Gospel and those who believe another gospel are ANATHEMA... not saved!

There are a number of excellent articles on The Highway in the "The Beginning " section and also "Calvinism and the Reformed Faith > Evangelism" section that address the modern gospel which does not and cannot save anyone. I say again, no one is saved because they assent to right doctrine, but no one is saved without right doctrine. The modern gospel is anemic and does not declare who the God of the Bible is, nor the Fall and its consequences, nor the necessity of perfect righteousness, nor the efficacy of Christ's atoning work, nor does it bring the law to bear upon sinners, etc., etc., ad nauseam. There is only ONE Gospel and the Spirit of Righteousness works only through that one Gospel to bring God's people to Christ for the remission of their sins and reconciliation with God. A false gospel, is the lie of Satan and those who embrace it are his disciples, not of the Lord's Christ.

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simul iustus et peccator

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