No Promise of Salvation Possible

by Bill Cantrell

“On March 20, 1990, Bill McCartney, (then, University of Colorado head football coach), and his friend Dave Wardell, Ph.D., were on a three hour car ride to a fellowship of Christian Athletes meeting, when they first discussed the idea of filling a stadium with Christian men". (Official PK web site: Our Background). Later that same year "a few men dared to do just that."  Coach Bill McCarney and Dr. Dave Wardell asked 70 of their friends to meet together to pray. It was a small beginning. God had used an ordinary man to bring an appeal from the heart of God to participate in something much bigger than they could have ever imagined.  They committed to pray, fast, and plan for a Promise Keepers conference for the men of Colorado. In July 1991, a year later, 4,200 men showed up, and Promise Keepers was born" (Seven Promises of the Promise Keepers, P.6). Is the Promise Keepers program Good or Bad, Scriptural or Unscriptural?  How can something with such good intentions and having so many people involved be wrong? These are certainly good questions! The answers are not found in calculating personal opinions, nor by how many are involved (Mt. 7:13,14; Ex. 23:2). It cannot be denied that we live in a world that needs better and more responsible fathers. The question is, is the PK organization the answer? Let me suggest that it is not. There are some real biblical problems with the goals and teachings of the PK group. In the material that follows reasons will be given for my concerns regarding the PK organization.

 The Promise Keepers are convinced that their efforts are the work of God. Randy Phillips the president of Promise Keepers says, "While my wife and I were dining with the chairman of the board of Promise Keepers, Dale Schlafer, and his wife, the Holy Spirit prompted me in a unique and unmistakable way." The words were not audible, but the impression was clear. The sense of the Lord’s urging was that we were experiencing a sovereign move of His Spirit to restore the spiritual identity of His sons. Along with that, the Biblical injunction to make the most of every opportunity; was strongly impressed upon my mind. With time, it coalesced into an unshakable directive from the Lord" (Seven Promises of the Promise Keepers, P. 3,4). Mr. Phillips further says, "The Scriptures says God will do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us (Eph. 3:20).  For that to happen, however, we must be men of action, men who are ready to respond by faith to what God has initiated" (Seven Promise of the Promise Keepers, P. 4).

 Consider other statements made: "God’s Spirit is calling men to rise up!" "And now, all across the country, men are crossing the socioeconomic, racial, and denominational barriers, that have traditionally kept us from being one Body moving in unison under the leadership of Jesus Christ"  (Seven Promises of the Promise Keepers, P. 7). If it were a work of God, to oppose it, would be to oppose God. On the other hand, if it is not a work of God, then to endorse it would be to oppose God (2 John 9-11).

 If PK is consistent with the word of God we should encourage it, but if it is contrary to scripture we must oppose it (1 John 4:1). I do not believe the Promise Keepers organization is of God because there are some things they believe and teach that are not consistent with the scriptures. Following are the reasons for the conclusion drawn. For a person to make a proper evaluation of the organization, one must look carefully at the seven promises. The promises are as follows:

 "A Promise Keeper is committed to honoring Jesus Christ through worship, prayer, and obedience to God’s word in the power of the Holy Spirit.” Does this promise suggest that the members of the promise keepers were not previously committed to honoring Jesus Christ in worship, prayer and obedience to God’s Word? Why make a promise to do that which they had been doing all along. Furthermore, isn’t it the case when one becomes a Christian he is making that commitment? I respect the emphasis on honoring God, but it should not be something done because PK has required it, rather it should be a natural outgrowth of being a child of God (1 Cor. 10:31; 1Cor. 6:19,20). Further in this promise is an emphasis on the direct impact of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit does not impact the human heart directly, rather he operates upon the human heart through the medium of His word in conviction, conversion and sanctification (consider John 6:44-45; Mark 16:15,16; Acts 2:37; 18:8; Acts 20:32; Rom. 1:16).

"A Promise Keeper is committed to pursuing vital relationships with a few other men, understanding that he needs brothers to help him keep his promises." I understand the value of support groups in doing right or overcoming problems. Christians are to encourage one another (Heb. 10:24), and they are to help bear each others burdens (Gal. 6:2), however, this is not something that is done because PK requires it, but it is to be done as a natural outgrowth of being a Christian. Let me ask, is it possible for a person (each person) to keep his promises to God, without the encouragement of others? Perhaps here we should remember the words penned by Isaiah the prophet, "For I the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, fear not; I will help thee" (Isa. 41:13).

"A Promise Keeper is committed to practicing spiritual, moral, ethical, and sexual purity". I agree completely! The Bible requires such (1 Tim. 5:22; 1 Pet. 1:15).  We live in a culture where these values certainly are need. They can be found in the word of God and an individual commitment will produce them.

 "A Promise Keeper is committed to building strong marriages and families through love, protection, and Biblical values.” This is without question a worthy ambition and commendable that PK’s focus is in this vane. Let us not forget in the midst of our commendation of the aim, that if commitment is to the word of God the love and protection will take care of itself.  Love and protection separate from the word of God is easily misdirected (1 Cor. 13).

 "A Promise Keeper is committed to supporting the mission of the church by honoring and praying for his pastor, and by actively giving his time and resources.” It is true that every Christian should be committed to supporting the work and mission of the church.  They should pray and honor its leaders, but PK has misrepresented the idea of pastor. They no doubt use the word "pastor" to refer to a preacher. The word "pastor" does not refer to a preacher. It is used one time in the New Testament in Ephesians 4:11. It is used in the plural and applies to the elders of the church of which you read in Acts 14:23 and the qualifications given in 1 Tim. 3 and Titus 1.

Thayer’s lexicon defines the word "pastor" as a herdsman, esp. a shepherd; The presiding officer, manager, director, of any assembly so of Christ the head of the church, John 10:16; 1 Pet. 2:25; Heb. 13:20, (of the Jewish Messiah, Ezek. 34); of the overseers of the Christian assemblies." In Acts 20:17-28, one discovers that the elders are the overseers not a single preacher called the pastor. Another consideration to be offered is while Christians are to support the work and activities of the church, they should be sure the church and the programs are scriptural.

 "A Promise Keeper is committed to reaching beyond any racial and denominational barriers to demonstrate the power of Biblical unity". Several things need to be noted in regard to this sixth promise. It is agreed that Biblical unity is necessary. The Bible calls for us to be unified and speak the same things (1 Cor. 1:10). According to this sixth promise what one teaches is not all that important. How can one transcend denominational barriers without saying truth is relative rather than absolute? We are to strive for unity (Eph. 4:3).  It is also commendable to want to reach across racial barriers. Racism is unscriptural and therefore wrong. The cross removes racial, cultural, and economic barriers. However, a serious mistake was made in the sixth promise when racial and denominational barriers are equated. It is worthy of note that both racism and denominationalism do have something in common, they are both condemned. To reach beyond racial barriers is scriptural (Eph. 2:14-16), but denominationalism is unscriptural and sinful. Jesus prayed for unity, (John 17:20-21) denominationalism is the product of division. The Bible teaches there is one body of truth (Eph. 4:4,5), denominationalism makes truth relative. If the barrier of denominationalism is removed by a return to the scriptures and the giving up of man made doctrines, unscriptural worship practices etc. - I am all for it. However, I will not endorse, commend, nor support that which tries to remove denominational barriers based on comprise.

 Another concern regarding the Promise Keepers, is their desire and effort to unite all religious orders regardless of their practice or doctrine. The sixth promise of PK is:  "A Promise Keeper is committed to reaching beyond any racial and denominational barriers to demonstrate the power of Biblical unity" (Seven Promises of the Promise Keepers, P. 8). On page 7 of the same volume we read, And now, all across the country, men are crossing the socioeconomic, racial, and denominational barriers that have traditionally kept us from being one Body moving in unison under the leadership of Jesus Christ".

 There is much more here than simply men coming together to encourage one another to be better fathers, there is a focused effort to unite all denominations into one body, regardless of their doctrinal practices and beliefs. This is quite interesting in light of (2 John 9-11; Rom. 16:17-18; 1 Tim. 1:3). This intention forces truth to be relative rather than absolute. How can one promote unity among religious orders, with man made creeds, doctrines, worship practices, and plans of salvation, without contending by the very effort itself, that it does not matter what one believes in these matters, as long as we all have a common faith in Jesus Christ as our savior?

 The bible teaches that what ever a person does in religious matters is to be done by the authority of Christ (Col. 3:17). Since instruction is given to do all things in religious matters by the authority of Christ, then to do otherwise is to violate the will of God. To promote unity based upon something other than what is authorized is a violation of the will of God. I desire unity as much as anyone, but not at the cost of truth! A departure from the word of God is what drove the wedge in Christian unity, denominationalism is the product of that departure, thus if true Biblical unity is attained, there must be a return the word of God and a having Biblical authority for all religious practices: (Col. 3:17; John 12:48). I personally would like to think that what is being attempted could scripturally be done, but I know from the scriptures that it cannot.

The final area I would like to express concern is regarding their plan of salvation. In the book entitled, "Seven Promises of the Promise Keepers," we read: "Are You Sure You’re a Christian? You need to do five things to become a part of God’s family. If you haven’t already done these, I urge you, if you’re sincerely ready, to do them now:

1) Admit your spiritual need. I am a sinner.

2) Repent. Be willing to turn from your sin and, with God’s help, start living to please him.

3) Believe that Jesus Christ died for you on the cross and rose again.

4) Receive through prayer, Jesus Christ into your heart and life. Pray something like this from the sincerity of your heart: Dear Lord Jesus, I know I am a sinner. I believe you died for my sins and then rose from the grave. Right now, I turn from my sins and open the door of my heart and life. I receive you as my personal savior. Thank you for saving me. Amen.

5) Then, tell a believing friend and a pastor about your commitment.

I have one question, have you read in your bible a person becoming a Christian in this manner. A careful study of the bible reveals that Jesus Christ is not the author of eternal salvation to those who pray the sinners prayer, but rather to those that obey him (Heb. 5:8-9; Mt. 7:21).  I recognize that a person must realize his spiritual needs, repent, in turning from sin, put his faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, but the bible does not teach (if so reveal the passage) that praying the sinners prayer and telling a friend and pastor (note the unscriptural use of the term pastor) are conditions of salvation.

 In a consideration of PK statements a couple of things need to be noted:

They have added to the Bible (done that which is unauthorized) by stipulating two conditions of salvation that are foreign to the scriptures (Rev. 22:18-19) and by removing two clearly revealed conditions. The conditions that are absent are:

1) The confession or acknowledgement that Jesus Christ is the son of God (Rom. 10:9-10; Acts 8:37; Mt. 10:32-33)

2) Baptism for the remission of sin (Mk. 16:16; Acts 2:38; 1 Pet. 3:21).

 Why were these conditions ignored? And why were conditions of salvation added that has not scriptural warrant? If any person is going to be saved or become a child of God, it will not be done by submitting to man made conditions, but rather an humble submission to the simple word of God (Heb. 5:8-9).

 Dear friends, I am deeply concerned about your soul, the direction of the nation, the well being of the precious body of Christ, and the homes of our land. If I believed that PK was the answer and it was true to the word of God, I would be one of the first to endorse it but, it is not the answer.  A return to the Bible is the answer!

Not only is it not the answer to making strong father (as much good as it may do), it is also a detriment to the souls of men by the error it advocates, and the misleading of sincere and precious souls. The Promise Keepers organization is built upon the sand (Mt. 7:21-27) rather than upon the rock of ages. I plead your honest evaluation of this material and a prayerful study of it. God bless you in your study (Psa. 1:3).