Saddleback Church:
The Cross, Sin, and Hell

It has been often been alleged by critics of Rick Warren that he and Saddleback Church rarely preach the cross of Christ (as well its necessity for salvation), the sinfulness of humanity, and the reality of hell. But nothing could be further from the truth. Warren has taught the classic, orthodox, Christian positions on these issues again, and again, and again. Moreover, Saddleback Church as a whole advances these doctrines with unfailing consistency via its many publications, doctrinal classes, and teaching pastors. Anyone willing to look at the materials that have come out of Saddleback will immediately see this undeniable fact. 

The following quotes represent only a small sampling of the numerous places such doctrinal truths have been presented as part of the faith, “once and for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3). For those interested in hearing several additional comments by Warren on sin, the sin nature, salvation, justification, substitution, salvation through Christ (including a sinner's prayer), please refer to my short statement and mp3 links page titled Rick Warren Preaches Salvation.

• “[Jesus] died on the cross to pay for my sins and He says, ‘If you’ll accept Me, you can come into heaven’” (Warren, Discovering Church Memberships, C.L.A.S.S. 101). 

• “You don’t seek God; He seeks you" (Warren, “God’s Final Verdict,” sermon, n.d.).

• “The difference between religion and Jesus Christ and what He said is this: ‘It’s nothing you do. It’s already been done. . . . I’ve paid the price.’ That’s why Jesus, with His arms outstretched on the cross said, ‘It is accomplished. It is finished. . . . All you need to do is trust Me’” (Warren, “God’s Passion for You,” part 2, February 28, 2004).

• “This verse is the heart of the Gospel—Christ’s death on the cross for us. Because this is the most important doctrine in the Bible, we will pause in our verse-by- verse study to look at other passages that explain the atonement” (“Why Did Jesus Have to Die?—Grace: The Truth that Transforms,” undated sermon).

• “Acts 2:23 Peter’s sermon on the day of Pentecost. ‘This man who was handed over to you by God’s set purpose and foreknowledge. And you, with the help of wicked men, put Him to death by nailing Him on the cross.’ It wasn’t any surprise to God or to Jesus that He came to die on the cross. He was not just a martyr. Why did Jesus have to die? It was a necessity. Jesus said many times, ‘I must go to Jerusalem . . . The Son of man must suffer. . . The Son of man must die . . . He must be lifted up.’ If there could have been any other way for the salvation of the world, don’t you think God would have used it? Sure and saved His Son the suffering on the cross. There was no other way” (“Why Did Jesus Have to Die?—Grace: The Truth that Transforms,” undated sermon). 

• “God has chosen you to have a relationship with Jesus, who died on the cross for you.” “If you want to know how much you matter to God, look at Christ with his arms outstretched on the cross.” “When he paid for our sins on the cross, the veil in the temple that symbolized our separation from God was split from top to bottom.” “In the Old Testament, God took pleasure in the many sacrifices of worship because they foretold of Jesus’ sacrifice for us on the cross.” “[Praise God] for what Jesus did for you on the cross. God’s Son died for you!” “The church is so significant that Jesus died on the cross for it.” “[Jesus] was willing to die a shameful death on the cross because of the joy he knew would be his afterwards.” “[God] wants his lost children found! . . . [T]he Cross proves that.” “When Jesus stretched his arms out wide on the cross, he was saying, ‘I love you this much!’ . . . . Whenever you feel apathetic about your mission in the world, spend some time thinking about what Jesus did for you on the cross” (Warren, The Purpose Driven Life, pp. 58, 79, 86, 105, 112, 132, 198, 288, 294).

• “Jesus Christ comes to earth, lives a perfect life and dies on the cross for my sin and for yours. It’s all been paid for. Every sin you will ever commit. Even the ones you haven’t even done yet. The ones you haven’t even thought about—next week, next year, ten years from now. They’ve already been paid for. When Jesus Christ died on the cross He stretched out His hands and one of the things He said was ‘It is finished.’ He did not say, ‘I am finished’ because He wasn’t. It wasn’t about that. He came to life three days later. He didn’t say, ‘I am finished.’ It said ‘It is finished.’ The payment for all your sins, the plan of salvation has been paid for” (“What the Passion of Jesus Tells us About God,” Feb. 21-22, 2004 sermon).

• “If it’s not true, if Jesus really wasn’t who He said He was and He really didn’t come and die on the cross for my sins and offer eternal life into heaven and do all of those things, if that’s not true, we ought to close up shop right now and go home and watch something on TV. On the other hand, if Jesus is who He says He is and He died for me and He came down from heaven and died for me with the ultimate sacrifice, then I owe Him my entire life and allegiance. That’s it” (“Sacrificing on Purpose,” Mar. 17, 1996).

• “Everything you’ve ever done wrong, everything you’re ever going to do wrong that you haven’t even thought of yet, has already been paid for on the cross by Jesus Christ. The Bible says, ‘Through the blood of His Son we are set free from our sins. God forgives our failures because of His overflowing grace.’ When Jesus died on the cross for you it showed two things. One, it showed how much your forgiveness cost. It was quite expensive. The highest price you can pay for anything is to give your life for it. And that’s what Jesus did. He gave His blood. He gave His life. It was extremely expensive. Grace is free but it is not cheap. It cost Jesus His life. And He paid for your sins” (Easter message, 2004).

• During recent communion services at Saddleback Church (the weekend of Jan. 12, 2008), Warren heavily stressed the cross of Christ, forcefully declaring: "[The] only reason we grow is because of the cross!" He also stated, "[It's] all about the cross!" He proceeded to also read, the New International Version of Galatians 2:20: "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." Then, as the communion elements were being passed out to the congregation, Warren had senior worship leader, Rick Muchow, lead the people in singing numerous traditional hymns boldly focused on the cross of Christ, the crucifixion, and the Lord's spilt blood for his people. Warren even asked that everyone take care to listen carefully to the sacred hymns. There simply could not have been any more focus given to the cross, as the following hymns were worshipfully sung:

"Alas, and Did My Savior Bleed"
by Isaac Watts ( Hymn # 97 from Lutheran Worship)

Alas! And did my Savior bleed,
And did my sovereign die?
Would he devote that sacred head
For sinners such as I?

Was it for sins that I had done
He groaned upon the tree?
Amazing pity, grace unknown,
And love beyond degree!

Well might the sun in darkness hide
And shut its glories in
When God, the mighty maker, died
For his own creature’s sin.

Thus might I hide my blushing face
While his dear cross appears,
Dissolve my heart in thankfulness,
And melt my eyes to tears.

But tears of grief cannot repay
The debt of love I owe;
Here, Lord, I give myself away:
It’s all that I can do.

* * * *

"When I Survey the Wondrous Cross"
by Isaac Watts (Hymn # 175 from The Lutheran)

When I survey the wondrous cross
On which the Prince of glory died,
My richest gain I count but loss
And pour contempt on all my pride.

Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast
Save in the death of Christ, my God;
All the vain things that harm me most,
I sacrifice them to His blood.

See, from His head, His hands, His feet,
Sorrow and love flow mingled down.
Did e'er such love and sorrow meet
Or thorns compose so rich a crown?

Were the whole realm of nature mine
That were a tribute far too small;
Love so amazing, so divine,
Demands my soul, my life, my all.

* * * *

These crosses at Saddleback are hard to miss, and yet many of Warren's critics have actually gone so far to declare that Saddleback has taken down all crosses!

• “[S]acrifice is the essence of love. Jesus modeled this: ‘Be full of love for others, following the example of Christ who loved you and gave Himself to God as a sacrifice to take away your sins’” (The Purpose Driven Life, pp. 127-128).

• “[We all have a] Sin Nature" (Warren, “Why Do I Do What I Don’t Want To Do,” part 2, Nov. 1, 1998).

• “Jesus died and rose to pay for our sins. . . . It’s his death and resurrection, that’s the most important part. . . . [Jesus] died and resurrected to make us acceptable to God. . . . release us from the judgment. . . . [and] give us eternal life. . . . While we were still sinners. Before I even knew God. Before I even knew I needed God in my life, He died for me” (Easter Message, 2004)

• “Every person, although endowed with the image of God, inherited a disobedient heart from Adam, the very first man. This attitude of disobedience (called sin in the Bible)—unless rectified through Christ—forever keeps man from forming a relationship with his Creator” (Easter Message, 2004).

• “Receive Jesus into your life as your Lord and Savior. Receive his forgiveness for your sins.” “God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us.” “Jesus took all of mankind’s sin and guilt on himself.” “[T]he church is made up of real sinners, including ourselves. . . . Every church could put out a sign ‘No perfect people need apply. This is a place only for those who admit they are sinners, need grace, and want to grow’” (Warren, The Purpose Driven Life, pp. 58, 78-79, 112, 162-163).

• “God’s standard has never changed. Premarital sex is unacceptable to God. It always has been.  It always will be. Living together without getting married is unacceptable to God. It always has been. It always will be. Adultery, having an affair, being unfaithful to somebody you’re married to is unacceptable to God. It always has been and it always will be.  Homosexuality is unacceptable to God. It always has been. It always will be. Pornography is unacceptable to God.  It always has been. It always will be. Every one of those things brings a judgment. If you have been guilty of one or all of these things I’ve just mentioned you’ve come to the right place. This is what Saddleback’s all about. A place for healing, forgiveness, restoration. God says, ‘I want to give you a chance to come clean and start over and make the rest of your life the best of your life. . . . What is the path way back to purity? 1. Repent.  Repent means “to change your mind.” . . . It means I change my mind and say, ‘You were right God. It was wrong. It’s sin.’ I don’t rationalize it. I don’t excuse it. I don’t say everybody’s doing it. I say, ‘It was wrong’” (“Maintaining Moral Purity,” part 8, May 25, 1997).

• “While life on earth offers many choices, eternity only offers two: heaven or hell. Your relationship to God on earth will determine your relationship to him in eternity. . .  [I]f you reject his love, forgiveness, and salvation, you will spend eternity apart from God forever." (The Purpose Driven Life, p. 37).

• “[You should praise God] for the rest of your life because of what Jesus did for you on the cross. God’s Son died for you! . . . Why? So you could be spared from eternity in hell” (The Purpose Driven Life, p.112).

• “[I]f you choose to be separate from God now, you will choose to be separated from God for eternity and that is called ‘Hell.’ You say, ‘Rick, is there a real hell? Is hell a real place?’ Well, of course there is. Jesus talked about it.  Some people say:  ‘Well, I don’t believe in hell.’  Well, that doesn’t make it not real” (Warren, “The Foundation for Happiness: Exploding the Myths That Make us Miserable,” August 21, 1994).

• “[E]very single person in the world needs Jesus Christ. . . . [N]eeds to have a relationship with Him.  If they don’t they will spend eternity in hell” (Warren, C.L.A.S.S. 101, Saddleback Church).

• “[Y]ou were created to last forever.  And you’re going to live forever in one of two places—heaven or hell. God says . . . ‘I’ve done everything possible to get you into heaven including send My Son to die for you.’ To go to hell you have to reject the love of God.  Why would anybody do that?” (Easter Service, 2004)

• “Either: We Suffer Separation in Hell. Or: We Enjoy Celebration in Heaven. That’s the greatest good news ever. That’s also the greatest bad news ever. . . . Whether we believe in it or not—it’s real. We will either suffer separation or enjoy celebration” (Tom Holladay, “What Happens After I Die?,” part 5, May 24, 1992).

 “Do I ever preach repentance? Of course I preach repentance. That’s the basic message of the New Testament—repentance. . . . You ask, ‘How do you preach on a negative passage?’ With a humble, loving attitude—not superior to your hearers. We’re all in the same boat. When you preach on a negative passage you confess, ‘I’ve fallen short here, too.’ Change the pronouns from ‘you’ to 'we’” (Warren, “How to Communicate to Change Lives,” part 1, session 3, 1997).

 “The ultimate paradigm shift is repentance.”  “Repentance is change at the deepest level.”  “[You] don’t change people’s minds. The applied Word of God does.”  “The deepest kind of preaching is preaching for repentance.”  “Repentance is the central theme of the New Testament” (Warren,  “The Purpose of Preaching,” part 2, Preaching Conference, n.d.).

“What is the path way back to purity? 1. Repent.  Repent means ‘to change your mind.’ . . . It means I change my mind and say, ‘You were right God. It was wrong. It’s sin.’ I don’t rationalize it. I don’t excuse it. I don’t say everybody’s doing it. I say, ‘It was wrong’” (Warren, Maintaining Moral Purity, 1997).

“The biblical term for ‘changing your mind’ is ‘repentance’—What do most people think of when I say the word ‘repent’? . . . They think of some kook. But the word ‘repentance’ is a wonderful word—metanoia—which means in Greek ‘to change your mind.’ Repentance is just changing the way we think about something by accepting the way God thinks about it. That’s all repentance is. . . . Changing the way I act is the fruit of repentance. Technically, repentance is not behavioral change. Behavior change is the result of repentance. Repentance does not mean forsaking your sin. Repentance simply means to change your mind. John the Baptist said in Matthew 3:8 (NIV), ‘Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.’ In other words, ‘OK, you’ve changed your mind about God, about life, about sin, about yourself—now let’s see some fruit as a result of it.’ The deepest kind of preaching is preaching for repentance. Because life change happens only after you change somebody’s thinking, then preaching for repentance is preaching for life change. It is the deepest kind of preaching you can preach. Every week I try to communicate God’s Word in such a way that it changes the way people think. The word ‘repentance’ has taken on such a negative image, that I rarely use the word. But I preach it every single week. Repentance is the central message of the New Testament. What did the New Testament preachers preach on? John the Baptist: ‘Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.’ (Matt. 3:2 NIV)  Jesus: ‘Repent and believe in the Gospel.’ (Mark 1:15 NIV) What did Jesus tell his disciples to preach? ‘So they went off and preached repentance.’ (Mark 6:12 NAB) What did Peter preach at Pentecost? ‘Repent and be baptized everyone of you.’ (Acts 2:38 NAB) What did John preach in Revelation? ‘Repent’” (Ministry Toolbox, Issue #246, 2/15/2006).

“The Bible clearly states ‘all have sinned.’ It is my nature to sin, and it is yours too. None of us is untainted. Because of sin, we’ve all hurt ourselves, we’ve all hurt other people, and others have hurt us. This means each of us needs repentance and recovery in order to live our lives the way God intended” (Ministry Toolbox, Issue #212, 6/22/2005). “Repentance—To repent is to change course, to reverse direction. Once confession has been made (and forgiveness received), repentance must be demonstrate. An unequivocal commitment to turn away from the offending behavior must be made. As with confession, the commitment to repent is most effective when made before other members representing the church” (Ministry Toolbox, Issue #209, 6/1/2005).