This was posted on a friend’s Facebook status:

“The 4 spiritual laws and sinner’s prayer is not the gospel of Jesus Christ, and that methodology and evangelism has done more to hurt this country than every heresy introduced by every cult combined. Millions of people in this country whose lives have never been changed believed themselves born again because we have so reduced the gospel of Jesus Christ that it means now nothing more than simple decision that will only take five minutes of your time.” ~ Paul Washer

An interesting thought, though not one I had considered before reading this.

To review, the four spiritual laws are:

1. God loves you and offers a wonderful plan for your life. (John 3:16, John 10:10)
2. Man is sinful and separated from God. Therefore, he cannot know and experience God’s love and plan for his life. (Romans 3:23, Romans 6:23)
3. Jesus Christ is God’s only provision for man’s sin. Through Him you can know and experience God’s love and plan for your life. (Romans 5:8, I Corinthians 15:3-6, John 14:6)
4. We must individually receive Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord; then we can know and experience God’s love and plan for our lives. (John 1:12, Ephesians 2:8,9, John 3:1~8, Revelation 3:20)

It is hard to argue with them individually, so it made me wonder (for a minute) why Mr. Washer has such a problem with them.  The same day, as I dug into my scripture study of John 15:1-11, the wondering stopped.  There’s a 5th Law.  That 5^th Law is abiding in Christ, and all that means according to Him.

John 15 is the passage where Jesus, walking through a vineyard with His disciples, metaphorically describes Himself as the True Vine, His father as the Vinedresser, and His people as the branches. For the branches to bear fruit they must abide in Christ (He must be the source of their nutrition). Abiding is apparent by obeying His commands and bearing fruit.

In John 15:16 Jesus tells them that they had not chosen Him, He had chosen them. The four spiritual laws leave us to make a decision that does not acknowledge God’s work in us. We would not respond to the Truth of the Bible if God did not give us understanding through the Holy Spirit.

If all we have to do is hear a truth and pray a prayer – easy – I can spend eternity in heaven and live God’s wonderful plan for my life. Where is God’s sovereignty in that thinking?  It reminds me of the “Get out of jail (Hell) free” card in Monopoly.

What’s missing is the “fruit.”  Fruit comes from abiding in Jesus here and now (and His abiding in us). It necessarily will include pruning, hardly ever a fun process, so that we will bear even more fruit for Him. If we “lead” someone to Christ with the four spiritual laws and expect to see her in heaven – we have no idea if we have produced fruit, because we have no idea if she will produce fruit. Time will tell.

I no longer wonder about Mr. Washer’s problem with this evangelistic tool.

There will be no fruit for the one who simply says a prayer and can’t wait to meet Jesus.  If, or when, we see the fruit of abiding, we can rejoice with the angels!