Salvation
By Grace Alone

Author:
Pastor Luther Walker

Salvation – by grace alone
Copyright © 2010 Luther Walker. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced or retransmitted in any form or by any means without the written permission of the publisher, except when transmitted in its entirety with no charge of any kind to the recipient.

Published by Grace Chapel
www.gckw.org
Art Work Copyright © 2010 W. Haskell

All verse quoted in this book are translated from the original language by the Author, unless otherwise noted. The Majority (Byzantine) text is the primary Greek text used in the translation of verses with alteration made when sufficient textual support warrants a change. The translation style is literal, with supporting notes if more explanation to meaning is required.
This book is only valuable where it correctly represents the concepts that are in the Word of God. Although the author strives to explain accurately the Word of God, he beseeches the reader to compare every precept presented with Scripture, for it is only God’s Word that is authoritative in the life a believer.

AN EPIDEMIC

In Hebrews chapter five, Paul addresses saints that were caught up in Judaism to the point that even though they have had enough time to mature in their Christian lives and learn the deep things of Christ; they were in need of being taught the basics again ¹. One would think that having addressed this issue some two thousand years ago, the Church would have taken steps to correct this type of problem; unfortunately, this is still an epidemic in today’s churches. Many who claim to be Christians do not even know the very basics about the faith they claim to adhere to in their lives. Because of the lack of knowledge about the faith, many good people are lead astray. Either they, or someone they trust, is forcing Scripture into a Theological theory rather than taking Scripture for what it says. Without understanding the basics, maturity will always be difficult and minimal at best. In addition, by not knowing the fundamentals of the faith, many heresies are allowed into the Church that are harmful to the Christian's spiritual life and make it impossible for the saints to mature.

The most significant aspect of our salvation is that Christians have a new life, one that God has given to all who believe that Christ died for their sins, was buried, and rose again on the third day according to the Scriptures². This life is completely different from what life was before salvation. Christians have been born again from above³ ; however, there is no physical change that occurs with the new birth. This is because the new birth happens in the spirit, the intellectual part of man⁴ . Nevertheless, just because the effects of salvation on a saint are invisible, that does not mean they are not real, or that they should be ignored. We have a new life. What exactly does this new life entail? To understand our new life we need to understand first the basics about the faith in which we now stand. Once we understand the basics, we need to put them into practice, living according to God's opinion of us. Just as a child must learn to walk, we also must learn how to live out our new life one step at a time, becoming more familiar with how to continually govern the manner of our lives according to the new nature that we now possess.

To begin with, we need to understand how a person is saved. Salvation is the foundation of the Christian life, for without salvation there is no new life. So understanding how a person is saved is a very essential knowledge that all Christians should be very clear on.

What is required for salvation? A fairly simple question, is it not? Unfortunately when you start asking different ministers and Christians this question the answers vary so greatly that our simple question returns a very confusing and frustrating conglomeration of responses. Is God able to communicate His message of salvation objectively? Or is the message of salvation not as essential as a person’s belief?  God is not the author of confusion; therefore, the confusion about how to be saved does not originate from God, but from man ⁵. As we study Scripture, and take it literally, according to the normal use of the language when the original manuscripts were written, Scripture is very clear on how a person is saved today. We are saved by grace through faith⁶ ; therefore, to be saved, you must believe that Christ died for your sins, was buried, and rose again on the third day according to the Scriptures⁷ .

Faith is defined by Scripture in Hebrews 11:1, "Now faith is the substance of that which is hoped for, the evidence of accomplished deeds not seen⁸ ." Faith is therefore not blind; rather, it is always based upon a promise because it is what gives hope substance and hope always comes from a promise. In Romans chapter eight, Paul speaks how hope affects our lives⁹ . The hope that is mentioned in Romans refers back to the promise that we will receive our redeemed bodies. Faith is what gives our hope substance, which then influences our lives because we live according to the promise God gave us. A simply Biblical definition for faith is, "Taking God at His Word."

We are saved by simply believing the message that God has sent to us concerning His Son;¹⁰ “Christ died for our sins, was buried, and rose again on the third day according to the Scriptures.” God is so involved in our salvation that even the faith that we need to believe the Gospel for salvation is given to us by Him; hence, by grace through faith¹¹ .  The Holy Spirit convicts an unsaved individual of their unbelief in Christ, which initiates repentance¹² and that individual directs this faith at Christ through the Gospel for Salvation¹³, and is therefore saved solely upon the basis of faith.

Since Scripture is so clear on how to be saved, why is there so much confusion? To understand the confusion we need to look at what is being taught regarding the different ways of salvation and the errors that they cause.

FALSE WAYS OF SALVATION

            There are many different ways given by man to gain salvation that are used today and have continually been used since almost the beginning of Christianity. In the book of Acts it is recorded that while in Philippi, Paul was followed by a young woman who was possessed with a demon saying "These men are slaves of the most High God, who proclaim to us that which is a quality of a way of salvation"¹⁴ . Many of our translations, KJV, NAS, NIV, and even the ESV, add an article that is not in the original language. Rather than depending on the original manuscripts, the translators all add "the" and change the meaning of the sentence. She is not saying they are teaching "the" way of salvation; rather, she is saying they are proclaiming "a" way of salvation. In other words, there are many ways to salvation, they are just teaching one of the ways, when in fact Paul was teach “the” way to salvation, since there is only one way. This is why Paul rebukes the demon from her. Satan and his demons have been trying to pervert the Gospel for Salvation from the very beginning; however, Scripture still stands firm. We are only saved by directing faith at Christ through the facts of the Gospel.

Changing the message and saying there is more than one way to gain salvation is still going on today, not just with Satan and his demons, but also with men who are either taught incorrectly or desire to make a profit from the message rather than give the truth. The more predominate modifications of the Gospel for Salvation that are used today have to do with repentance of sins and Lordship salvation.

REPENTANCE OF SINS

            The problem with adding “repentance of sins” for salvation is that the Scriptures do not support such a statement. That is right; it is not actually supported in Scripture even though it is very predominate in Christian literature. Scripture is very clear that salvation is by faith, not by repentance of sin. So why do so many gospel tracks and preachers add “repentance of sins” as an essential part of the Gospel for Salvation? Before I explain why repentance of sins is added, I want to look at what the word "repentance" really means and how it is used in Scripture, especially how it is involved in salvation. Understanding the meaning of a word is essential to comprehend what Scripture is revealing.

"Repent", comes from a Greek word that is a combination of a preposition and a noun. The preposition "after" is combined with the noun "mind", meaning, "to change the mind" ¹⁵ .  This word explains the process within the mind when new facts are introduced and then accepted which are either unknown or in contrast to what is known. "Repentance of sins" is not the correct translation of this word because it does not have inherent to the meaning "of sin", which means the context must supply what is to be repented of in any given situation. By understanding the proper definition of ‘repent” and keeping the context in mind, we begin to correctly see what is being stated in Scripture, which really helps to clear up the confusion. The correct translation in all occurrences is "to change the mind." When it comes to salvation, repentance is involved in salvation; we just need to understand from context what exactly is to be repented of by the person receiving salvation.

Did you know that according to Scripture the Holy Spirit is not convicting men of their individual sins? In the upper room when Jesus told the disciples that He would send another comforter, He also told them what this comforter would do ¹⁶ .  In verse nine of chapter sixteen in the gospel of John, Jesus states that the Holy Spirit will convict men of a singular sin, the sin of not believing in Him (Christ). Therefore, according to Scripture, the work of the Holy Spirit in salvation on earth right now is convicting men to change their minds about Jesus. What that change of mind entails is to believe that Christ died for their sins, was buried, and rose again on the third day according to the Scriptures, since they are in disbelief¹⁷ .

When we take the proper translation of the word "repent" and look into Scripture, there is no place where it states that one must repent of sin in order to be saved. As an example, in Luke 3:3 Scripture states that John the Baptist was proclaiming a baptism of repentance because of the forgiveness of sins. What was the message that John was bringing to the Jews? “Prepare the way of the Lord, make His path straight.” He was not brining a message of repentance of sins for salvation, but of the coming Messiah. The Jews had to change their mind about the coming Messiah and receive Him. The immersion that John was teaching was an acknowledgment by the Jew that he believed that the Messiah was coming, the one who would take away the sins of His people.  

As we look further into Scripture, right from the beginning, in the very first sermon that was preached to the Jews by Peter in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost, repentance was necessary, but not of sins, rather changing their mind about Jesus. After giving his sermon, Peter tells the Jews what they must do. “Repent and be baptized because of the remission of sins¹⁸ .” Through the death burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ, sin can now be sent away.  However, they had to change their mind about who Jesus was. Baptism is the public display of that repentance; it never saves a person¹⁹ . In order for sin to be forgiven there had to be the shedding of blood, not the repentance of sin, for without the shedding of blood there is no remission (send away) of sin²⁰ . In addition in Acts 5:31, before the Sanhedrin, Peter testified that God has exalted Jesus to His right hand as Savior to give repentance to Israel and the forgiveness of sins. The one they killed by hanging on a tree. Peter statement separates repentance and the forgiveness of sins.

Since Scripture never states that repentance of sin is necessary for salvation, why do so many preachers add it? The issue really comes down to whether salvation is by simply believing the message or by a person doing or giving something in exchange for salvation. If we repent of our sins to gain salvation, then we have given something to God for salvation, which requires a reward not grace²¹ . If that is so, then we have a claim to salvation and salvation is not by faith anymore but rather by works²² . God does not count faith to be a work²³ . The Holy Spirit convicts of one sin: not believing in Christ, therefore, only faith directed at Christ through the facts of the Gospel for Salvation is required²⁴ .

Everyone knows that they have done wrong in their life. Some may think that they are not so bad that they need a savior; nonetheless, they know they have sinned. By focusing on personal sins, guilt is used to induce a response to the message. Then comes the deal: if they repent of their sins and ask for forgiveness then God will give them forgiveness. This message does not focus on, or require belief in, the fact that Christ died for our sins, was buried, and rose again on the third day. Rather the focus is that salvation is based upon the repentance of personal sins, not faith, especially when it is presented with the intent of invoking an emotional response rather than a logical response. Repentance of sins was added so that the message would get a response were it was not getting one. People where not accepting the message of the cross so it was modified to make it acceptable. This modification was unfortunately proliferated in the Church and now many who use it do not understand what they are really saying. They may have good intentions, but they are not speaking the truth.

LORDSHIP SALVATION

Lordship salvation goes beyond repentance of sins and adds another requirement, which is to make Jesus the Lord of your life. Sometimes repentance is included, but not every time.  Salvation by repentance of sins and Lordship salvation are beginning to blend so much that often times you will hear both ways by the same preacher. The biggest issue with Lordship salvation is that Scripture states that only a Christian can set Christ apart as Lord. 1 Peter 3:1, "But sanctify (set apart) Christ as Lord in your heart…"²⁵ . In additions, Lordship salvation does not require, or even emphasis, belief in the death for sins, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

The main passage that is used for Lordship salvation is Romans 10: 9, 10.  The Roman road is a very popular dogmatic²⁶ method for bringing someone to salvation that begins with recognition of one’s personal sins and ends with making Jesus the Lord of your life or accepting Jesus into your heart.  The Roman road however, does not lead one to accept Jesus as Lord, rather, if you follow it correctly, it leads to believing that Christ died for your sins, was buried, and rose again according to the Scriptures²⁷ .

Understanding Romans 10:9, 10 requires considering the context. Paul is directing his comments at Israel. This is important to recognize because the Gentiles and Israel are different people groups and God deals with them differently²⁸ . God has given the nation of Israel promises of land that He will fulfill; however, due to their rejection of the Messiah and seeking to establish their own righteousness, salvation is being offered to the Gentiles²⁹ .  During this dispensation³⁰ , God requires that all men, both Jew and Gentile direct faith towards Christ through the Gospel for Salvation³¹ . However, the Jews are coming out from a faith and the Gentiles are coming into a faith³² . As a Jew, living during the time in which Paul wrote the book of Romans, you would have had knowledge of who Jesus was, or at least who He claimed to be. In the context, the Jews rejected the righteousness of God through Christ; however, if perhaps they confess with their mouths, Lord Jesus, and believe in their heart that God raised Him out from the dead, they would be saved. Confession is to say the same things. In this case, they are to confess that Jesus is God. "Lord" is used in different ways in Scripture. It is used of “God”, of one who is a “master”, and sometimes of a general greeting of respect, like our "sir".  The issue with the Jews was accepting Jesus as God, not as the master of their lives³³. The word "God" is not used here because the focus is on the humanity of Jesus, who is the one God raised from the dead and is the rightful Lord of Israel. They had to believe in their heart that God raised Jesus from the dead. The heart is the center of a person, where your body, soul, and spirit come together ³⁴. Within the heart lies the person and determinate will. All of our actions come from our heart because we must determine to do something before we perform it. In order to confess Lord Jesus, the Jews first had to believe that God raised Him from the dead. Romans 10:10 explains what is going on, "For with the heart he believes because of righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses because of salvation." Confession is not what brings salvation; rather, it is the belief in the resurrection of Jesus from the dead that produces the willingness to confess Lord Jesus. Since Jesus was raised from the dead, He died physically. And in order for His death to have any value for salvation it had to be for sin. The Jews would have fully understood the sacrifice and its significance. Sloppy translations and allegorical interpretations have made Romans 10:9, 10 very difficult to understand. As a result, it has been used incorrectly to justify a false gospel. The Greek uses a preposition in verse 10 twice that restricts the meaning to "because of" and does not allow the meaning "for", "unto", or "resulting in"³⁵ with righteousness and salvation. Confession is made because of righteousness and forgiveness of sins comes because of salvation. Therefore, once they believed, they were able to confess (say the same thing that God is saying about Jesus) that Jesus is Lord (God).

WHAT DID THE APOSTLES TEACH ABOUT SALVATION?

            When referring to salvation, what was the message that the Apostle took to the nations? In Acts chapter two, Peter gives the first sermon about the resurrection of Jesus. On the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came upon all of the people in the upper room. These were all those who had experienced the resurrection of Christ. Many of them even personally saw and spoke with Christ³⁶ . They had received instruction to wait in Jerusalem for the Holy Spirit³⁷ . From this point on the message changed. No longer did the Apostles speak of the Kingdom of the Heavens, now they were taking the message of the resurrected Christ to the people, first to the Jews, then to the Gentiles. In Peter's first message, he proclaims that the Jesus whom they slew God raised from the dead and has made Him both Lord and Christ³⁸ . The resurrection is the central focus of the very first message. When the Jews asked what they must do, Peter told them to repent. He did not say, "Repent of your sins", but within the context, he is referring to their unbelief in who Jesus is³⁹ . All throughout the New Testament the focus of the message is on the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ only.

Paul clearly states the gospel he was given in 1 Corinthians 15:1-4. This is the gospel that he gospelized⁴⁰ to the Corinthians, by which they were saved; Christ died for their sins, was buried, and rose again on the third day according to the Scriptures. After the defeat in Athens when Paul tried to use philosophy to persuade the people concerning Christ and was mocked when he mentioned the resurrection, in first Corinthians, Paul states that when he came to the Corinthian people he judged to only know Christ crucified⁴¹ . He did not use enticing words but rather kept it simple; Christ died for their sins, was buried, and rose again on the third day according to the Scriptures.

Even others who took the message focused on belief in the Gospel for Salvation. Philip's message to the Ethiopian eunuch explained the death of Christ (Messiah) that was prophesied of in Isaiah. Philip began from Isaiah and gospelized the Ethiopian about Jesus⁴² . No doubt, the focus was on the death and resurrection of Christ. Especially because the Greek uses a word that means “to give good news”, not one that means “to preach” or “proclaim”.

ACCORING TO THE SCRIPTURES

            Presenting the gospel incorrectly is a huge problem in the Churches today. If the gospel is not presented correctly, according to Scripture, then no matter how much a person believes in what they have done, they are not saved. Salvation comes only by faith in the facts that Christ died for your sins, was buried, and rose again on the third day according to the Scriptures not through the repentance of sins, accepting Jesus into your heart, or making Jesus the Lord of your life.

Scripture states that salvation is by grace through faith, Ephesians 2:8, 9. It is not a work and therefore no one can make a claim against God for salvation. Faith is defined in Hebrews 11:1 "Now faith is the substance of that which is hoped for, the evidences of accomplished deeds not seen." Hope is always based upon a promise; therefore, faith is what makes God's promises of value in our lives because we are living according to His Word. Grace is God's attitude whereby He gives a benefit without consideration of merit⁴³ .  Scripture states that faith is not a work, so that no one can boast; therefore, to receive salvation you must believe⁴⁴ . Believe what? Christ died for you sins, was buried, and rose again on the third day according to the Scriptures. Without the death of Christ, there is no substitution for your sin ⁴⁵ . Without the resurrection of Christ, there is no justification ⁴⁶.

JUST BELIEVE

            There are many excuses against salvation by faith alone. Especially against only believing that Christ died for your sins, was buried, and rose again on the third day according to the Scriptures for salvation. Often the argument is that this is too simple or we must do something to show that we believe. I have heard some say in trying to justify salvation through “repentance of sins” that "we believe in putting our faith into action, therefore, repentance of sins is required for salvation." However, putting faith into action requires that you believe before you act; works are a result of belief, they do not produce faith. Scripture is very clear that salvation is by faith and that this faith does not have its source in men. God provides the faith needed to believe the Gospel, for if He did not, we would all perish by our own choice⁴⁷ . Salvation is a work of God we just get the benefits.

Remember, when it comes to repentance, the Holy Spirit is only convicting men of one sin, the sin of not believing in Jesus⁴⁸ . He is not convicting unbelievers of their personal sins to bring them into a saving faith. In addition, repentance of sin for salvation is and will always be a work. If you give something to God in exchange for salvation then you have earned salvation. If you repent of your sins for salvation, then you are giving God something in exchange for salvation. Scripture never states that you must repent of your sins to receive salvation. Abraham is given as an example in multiple places in the New Testament that salvation comes by faith alone. Abraham believed that God would make his seed a mighty nations and God counted that belief as righteousness to Abraham⁴⁹ .

The "sinner's prayer" at the end of many gospel tracks really shows what the intention of the track is. The prayer should be one of thankfulness for salvation because you believe, but often times it is a plea for salvation based upon what you are offering God in exchange. In addition, repentance of your sins is not a manifestation of your faith. James writes, "… show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works.⁵⁰ " True faith is only shown by your actions, never by just your words. Therefore, saying that "repentance of sins" is an expression of faith ignores Scripture and turns faith into just words, rather than actions. When we believe the Gospel for Salvation, our entire life is affected. The expression of our faith is going to be a change in our lifestyle. No words are required. The change in our lifestyle does not come through self-effort; rather, it is a result of believing God and taking Him at His Word. Although repentance of sins may be a part of our change, it never brings salvation. Only faith brings salvation.

DEALING WITH PERSONAL SINS

            Since repentance of sins is not required for salvation, what does a person do with their sins? After salvation, do we address our personal sins by asking God for forgiveness?

The need for salvation goes far beyond our personal sins. Our sin stems back to Adam, who first sinned and warped his nature by knowingly going against God’s Word⁵¹ . As a result of Adam’s sin, all humans are constituted by God to be condemned⁵² . On that day, some six thousand years ago, by choosing to reject God’s Word Adam brought sin into the world⁵³ . In the process of committing that sin, both spiritual and physical death came to all who were born to Adam. Spiritual death is the separation of our spirit from God⁵⁴ . One who is spiritually dead is no longer able to receive the things from the Spirit for they are foolishness to him⁵⁵ . Spiritual death was brought about by Adam’s trespass⁵⁶ . A trespass happens within the mind when a person determines to do something that lacks in character or an action that is against the standards that God has set for how that person is to live. Sin is that determination being worked out; when you commit the act⁵⁷ .

Salvation takes us out of Adam and puts us into Christ, where just as Christ is righteous before the Father, all who are in Christ are constituted to also be righteous⁵⁸ . So, not only are our personal sins taken care of, every aspect of sin is dealt with by the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. As Christians, when we sin, we are to confess our sin to the Father and He is faithful to forgive us of that sin and cleanse us from all unrighteousness⁵⁹ .

Confession means, “To say the same thing” or “agree with”. God has already forgiven us of our sins; however, there are times in our lives when we choose to live a life that does not manifest the life of God, but rather manifests the desires of the flesh. One who is clean does not need to be washed again, but only needs his feet cleaned. In the upper room when Jesus was giving the disciples revelation concerning the new relationship that was coming, He used the washing of feet to show the disciples that they are to care for each other. In His conversation with Peter, Jesus states that one who is clean does not need to be washed again⁶⁰ . Once God saves a person, that person does not need to be saved again, but rather needs to live a life that glorifies God by using all that God has given in salvation to live a life that truly manifests the life of God. However, there are times when we all make poor choices and do not live up to who we are in Christ. To get our life back on track we have to change the focus of our mind by framing it on the things that relate to the Spirit⁶¹ . Once our mind is properly focused, we can weight our actions as to whether or not we are manifesting the life of Christ. If we are not, then we need to agree with God that our actions are sin and stop doing them. Therefore, personal sins are dealt with after salvation, never before, or for salvation.

THE GOSPEL OF “THE CHRIST”

There is another Gospel in Scripture that goes beyond the Gospel for salvation and informs us of how to live a life that truly glorifies God.  This Gospel contains the facts concerning the good news that the Holy Spirit has taken us out of Adam and place us into The Christ⁶² . “The Christ” is a new creation in which Christ is the head and the Church is His body. 1 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore since someone is in Christ; a new creation, the old things have passed away, behold, all things have become new.” In this new creation, we have access to God, we are righteous before God, we share in a quality of the Divine nature, and we have a quality of the mind of Christ, just to mention a few of the wonderful benefits⁶³ . Understanding who you are in Christ is essential to live out the Christian life.

REPENTANCE – THE PROPER TRANSLATION

The English word “repentance” is a translation of the Greek word “Metanoew” (metanoeo), which is a mind term. That is, “Metanoew” is a word that illustrates what is happening within the mind. It is formed from a combination of a preposition “after” and a noun “mind”. When attached together the meaning is to “change the mind”.

Although the English word “repent” carries a meaning of “feeling remorse, or sorry”, the Greek word does not. Since “Metanoew” is a mind term it does not have inherit to it an emotional aspect. Because it is a mind term, only the context determines what the mind repents of in any given passage.

In addition, “of sins” is not part of the definition of “Metanoew”; some who are trying to use philosophy in translation rather than being literal added it. The logics behind adding “of sins” is justified by the use of the incorrect definition of repentance “turning around” by implying that if you are turning you must turn from something; therefore, it has to be from you sins. However, this logic is flawed since the word is used in many different situations that have nothing to do with sin; therefore, it has to ignore the context in which the word is found.

When you look into Scripture and investigate the use of the word “repent”, you quick find that it is not referring to personal sins, but rather to believing, or changing your mind, about the message that is being presented.

The Gospels of Matthew and Luke use “repent” in the response to the Jews regarding the message of the Kingdom of the Heavens brought by both John the Baptist and Jesus, Matthew 3:2; 4:17; Luke 11:32; 13:3, 5, 7.

The message of the Kingdom of the Heavens is the fulfillment of the promised Messiah (Christ) who would sit upon His father David’s throne and rule over the earth.

The Gospel of Mark uses “repent” in regards to the message of the Kingdom of God, which always refers to salvation. The Jews were to change their minds because of the message and believe, Mark 1:15; 6:13.

In Luke 15:7, the response in heaven to a sinner repenting is recorded. The context does not allow “of sins” to be added to what they are repenting of because it is referring to both those who are sinners and righteous. The righteous are those who have believed the message of the kingdom, the sinners are those who rejected the message and went their own way. In another instance recorded in Luke, Jesus tells of the rich man and Lazarus. After their death, they are both in Hades; the rich man is in torment and Lazarus is resting. The rich man asks Abraham to send Lazarus to his brothers so that they will repent. Keeping everything in context, the rich man is referring to the lifestyle he lives which rejected the Mosaic Law. (Luke 16:30).

In the book of Acts, on the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit came to earth, Peter rose up and spoke to the crowd of devout Jews saying that they must repent of their disbelief in Jesus and receive the forgiveness of sins. (Acts 2:38).

2 Corinthians 12:21 helps in the understanding of repentance because Paul specifically states what types of actions they are to change their minds about, which in this case is sins. … I am afraid that when I come again my God may humiliate me before you, and I may mourn over many of those who have sinned in the past and not repented of the impurity, immorality and sensuality which they have practiced. The repentance in this passage is referring to their lifestyle, which leads to sin.