HAB-073 and 074 The Boots and the Gospel: Lordship Salvation (Continued)

HAB-073 and 074

The Boots and the Gospel:

Lordship Salvation (Continued)

The Boots

• “Also having put combat boots on your feet, with the equipment of the Gospel, specifically peace (reconciliation)” (expanded trans., Eph. 6:15).

• The equipment for full preparedness in witnessing is the knowledge of Bible doctrine pertinent to salvation, described here as "Lordship Salvation: The Not so Good News of peace.”

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The Boots

• Last week we introduced a new ‘resurrection’ of an old heresy, “Lordship Salvation”.

• Lordship Salvation is an attempt to revive Pelagius’ “Faith plus works” doctrine debated at the beginnings of the Reformation and refuted among Protestants by the scriptural arguments of Luther.

• This new version has the old elements of ‘works’ for righteousness, but has attempted to camouflage it with ‘commitment’ and our old nemesis ‘repentance from sin’.

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The Boots

• Lordship Salvation has been around in some form since the very earliest days of the Church Age, and, in fact, predates the Church Age as it is found in Judaism’s heresies of the Pharisee’s and the other ‘Religious’ Jews throughout history.

• In fact, we can go back to the beginning of Humankind, to find ‘Works Righteousness’ in the Offering of Cain, and even in his parents, Adam and Eve and their “First Church of Fig Leaves.”

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Lordship Salvation: The Not so Good News

• Lordship salvation is the position that conversion involves a turning in the heart from sin and, as a part of faith, a submissive commitment to obey Jesus Christ as Lord.

• It also maintains that progressive sanctification and perseverance must necessarily follow conversion.

• Those of us who hold to the doctrine of perseverance of the saints see this as not only a requirement, but an assured certainty according to the sustaining grace of Christ.

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• The doctrine of lordship salvation has implications for evangelism, assurance, and the pursuit of holiness. The grace of God in salvation not only forgives, but transforms, and a lack of obedience or transformation in a person's life is warrant to doubt that they have been born again. The grounds for assurance include not only the objective promises of God (like John 3:16), but also the internal testimony of the Spirit (Romans 8:16) and holiness the Spirit produces in our lives (1 John 2:3-4,19).

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• The non-lordship salvation position is popularly known by critics as "easy believism", and by adherents as "free grace".

• However, proponents of Lordship salvation frown upon this usage of the term "free grace", as the free grace spoken of the Bible both justifies the sinner and transforms the heart unto obedience.

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The Boots

• Last week we introduced Lordship Salvation in the second hour of our study – Lesson 72, and began an analysis of its content and discrepancies.

• We will not start over with a lengthy review, today, but will pick up the first 2 points in the LS doctrine as presented by one of its current followers:

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• 1. The Nature of Saving Faith.• Faith involves more than just mere assent to

certain historical facts. Even the devil has that kind of faith. You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder. 20 But are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless? (James 2:19-20). Faith that saves is a faith that works. If it doesn’t work in your life, then it doesn’t work in your salvation, either.

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• Does that mean you work your way into God’s good graces or that you someone earn or merit salvation? Not at all. It is God who saves.

• For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works, that no one should boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9).

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• Your salvation comes through faith. • It does not come as a result of your works. • No one will ever be able to boast about their

contribution to the work of their salvation. • But that verse goes on to point out that your

salvation is not an end unto itself. • You were not saved BY good works, but you were

saved FOR good works.

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• For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them (Ephesians 2:10).

• You are God’s workmanship. • He has does the work of creating in you a new life. • The result of being saved is that you will walk in

those good works for which you were created.

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• 2. The Nature of Discipleship.• It has become customary in certain Christian

circles to speak of discipleship as something that, while good and desirable, is not necessary to Christianity. This teaching is one that says sanctification is optional to the Christian life and that there are some who live their entire lives as "carnal Christians" and who never exhibit any of the fruit of the Spirit or any growth in Christ, yet nevertheless are saved.

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• The teaching of the Scriptures is completely antithetical to this view.

• The Scriptures use the term "disciple" as an exact equivalent of the term "Christian."

• This is seen in Act 11:26 where the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.

• What is a disciple? • The term is translated from the Greek word

mathetes, a "learner" and comes from the word manthano, "to learn.".

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• But the idea here is not merely rote learning of fact.

• As we shall see in this passage, the discipleship to which Jesus calls men and women involves a life commitment

• Discipleship involves more than a mere academic knowledge of certain facts.

• It involves a commitment to following Jesus.

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• Now great multitudes were going along with Him; and He turned and said to them, 26 "If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple. 27 Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. (Luke 14:25-27).

• This is a hard passage. If you read this and it does not bother you, you haven’t read it.

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• Do you want to be a disciple of Jesus? You must give Him preeminence. You must recognize His sovereignty and His Lordship. You must give Him your devotion and your love.

• There is an old saying that goes: "Anything that is free is worth what was paid for it." This even applies to our salvation.

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• When Jesus calls a man, He calls Him to give his entire life.

• The issue is one of loyalty and commitment.

• Jesus calls for a level of commitment and loyalty that surpasses any you have for your family and even that which you have for your own life.

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• Counting the Cost: "For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost, to see if he has enough to complete it? 29 Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation, and is not able to finish, all who observe it begin to ridicule him, 30 saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’

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• 31 Or what king, when he sets out to meet another king in battle, will not first sit down and take counsel whether he is strong enough with ten thousand men to encounter the one coming against him with twenty thousand? 32 Or else, while the other is still far away, he sends a delegation and asks terms of peace" (14:28-32).

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• Jesus calls you to recognize Him as the Lord of your life. He wants it all. He refuses to be sectored off to a small portion of your life. He refuses to be a weekend God. And so, He calls for you to count the cost. If you are going to be a Christian, be a real one.

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• At this point, you might be thinking to yourself, "I want to follow Jesus but I’ve asked myself if I have the resources to see this through to the end and I don’t know that I have what it takes."

• There is hope for you. The point is not that you are rich in spiritual resources. The point is that you give up what you have and He provides what you need. You give up that which is producing death in your life and He gives that which is life eternal. You give up that which wars against your soul and in its place He gives that which saves your soul.

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• Jesus wants you to know in advance that the price of discipleship is high.

• He calls you to choose purposefully to follow Him.

• He is not looking for those to follow Him who have the resources to do so, but rather those who after reflection realize that they do not and who are ready to give up their inadequate self-reliance to trust in Him.11-02-08 23H&B-073 and 074


• The issue is not how spiritually strong you are. Rather the issue is whether you will realize and accept your spiritual bankruptcy and will determine to receive and rest solely upon the riches of Christ.

• [and then live a life we decide is good enough to show you are indeed saved]

• [End of Review of Points 1 and 2]

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• Now we will resume at point 3 of the LS Position:• 3. The Evidence of Salvation.• In their zeal to deny that good works are a

requirement for salvation, some have gone to the extreme of also denying that good works are even a valid evidence for salvation. Some even maintain that a person can turn away from God, reject Christ and become an atheist and still be saved as long as they once believed.

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• 1 John 2:19 speaks to this issue of those who turn away from the faith by indicating that "they went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, in order that it might be shown that they all are not of us." One of the signs of a true believer is that he continues to believe and he continues in fellowship with God and His people.

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• If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; 7 but if we walk in the light as He Himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. (1 John 1:6-7).

• The evidence of regeneration seen, not only in what you SAY, but also in how you LIVE. When you say one thing and do another, the obvious conclusion is that you are lying in what you are saying.

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• Jesus said that the test of truth is in its fruit. The test of a true believer is found in how he lives.

• "You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes, nor figs from thistles, are they? 17 Even so, every good tree bears good fruit; but the bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 So then, you will know them by their fruits.

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• If you look at your life and see rotten fruit, then the natural conclusion is that it must stem from the corrupt tree. You cannot continue to see the fruit of an unsaved life and thereby assume that you are saved. The proof is in the fruit. By this is My Father glorified, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples (John 15:8).

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• Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you-- unless indeed you fail the test? (2 Corinthians 13:5).

• Martin Luther once said that "faith alone justifies, but not the faith that is alone. Works are not taken into consideration when the question respects justification. But true faith will no more fail to produce them than the sun can cease to give light.”

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•

• Roman View of Justification

• Faith + Works = Justification

• Protestant View of Justification

• Faith = Justification + Works

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• This is not to say that a Christian never struggles with sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us (1 John 1:8). But the same author who wrote that verse also said that those who have been born of God do not continually sin, because God's seed abides in them; they cannot continually sin, because they have been born of God (1 John 3:9).

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• 4. The Nature of our Relationship with Christ.• The Scriptures liken our new relationship in Christ

to that which takes place in a marriage. • Paula and I were married in 1973. When we stood

before the minister and gave vows to one another, that ceremony culminated with his pronouncement that declared us to be husband and wife. At that point, we were legally husband and wife. We hadn’t had to do anything to merit that relationship or earn it.

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• We both said, "I do" and it was done.• But the implications of that relationship did not stop

there. They only begun. That was only the first step in a life-long relationship. By the same token, we enter into a relationship with Christ through faith and that is the process of justification.

• It is analogous to being declared husband and wife -- we are declared to be righteous on the merits of the righteousness of Christ that has been imputed to us. But that relationship is only a part of the story of our salvation.

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• The other part is known as sanctification. • Here is the point. God does not justify whom He

does not also sanctify. When God does one work, it is a guarantee that He shall also do the other.

• Repentance is a foundational part of the Gospel.• Luke's account of the Great Commission records

Jesus telling the apostles that "repentance for forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in His name to all the nations" (Luke 24:47).

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• Peter followed this advice when he preached repentance at Pentecost (Acts 2:38). And Paul summarized his ministry by explaining that he declared to all people "that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds appropriate to repentance" (Acts 26:19-20).

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• Repentance is more than a changed mind about who Christ is. It includes a change in life-style, a turning from sin to God. John the Baptist made this clear when he said, "Bring forth fruit in keeping with repentance... every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire" (Matthew 3:8-10).

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• Repentance should not be confused with the fruit that it produces.

• The fruit is on the outside; repentance is on the inside.

• But what is on the inside will manifest itself on the outside.

• Where there is real repentance, there will eventually be real fruit.

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• The issue is not how much you do, but rather how much GOD does in salvation.

• The topic of salvation includes more than merely your justification.

• It includes more than just your right standing before God.

• It also includes your sanctification. It is a salvation that changes your life.”

• (End of Article)

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• The following "Question" was asked of John MacArthur Jr., the pastor of Grace Community Church, Sun Valley, California. Copyright 2001 by John MacArthur Jr., All Rights Reserved.

• Question• What is repentance and how does it relate to

salvation?

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• Answer• The meaning of the word repentance has been

twisted in recent years to the point that its biblical meaning is now obscured in the minds of many. The idea that genuine repentance could result in anything but a change of life is completely foreign to Scripture.

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• What does the Bible teach about the relationship between salvation and repentance?

• First, it teaches that repentance is essential to salvation.

• One cannot truly believe unless he repents, and one cannot truly repent unless he believes.

• Repentance and faith are two sides of the same coin (but they are not synonymous terms).

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• Acts 11:18 and 2 Peter 3:9 are two of the many verses that teach that repentance is necessary for salvation.

• Perhaps 2 Timothy 2:25 best sums up the relationship between repentance and saving faith when it speaks of "repentance to the acknowledging of the truth" (see also Acts 20:21).

• Second, the Greek word for repentance, "metanoia," while it means "to have another mind," cannot properly be defined to exclude a sense of hatred of and penitence for sin.

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• The biblical concept of repentance involves far more than merely a casual change of thinking.

• Biblically, a person who repents does not continue willfully in sin.

• Repentance is a turning from sin, and it always results in changed behavior (Luke 3:8).

• While sorrow from sin is not equivalent to repentance, it is certainly an element of scriptural repentance (2 Corinthians 7:10).

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• Finally, despite what is being widely taught today, affirming that repentance and acknowledgement of Jesus' lordship are necessary to salvation does not "add" anything to the requirement of faith for salvation.

• It is not "faith plus repentance" that saves, but rather a repentant faith.

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• The notion that salvation is possible apart from a genuine, heartfelt repentance, which includes a deep hatred of sin, is a relatively new one, neither believed nor taught by the people of God until the twentieth century.

• (End of Article)

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• However, in the early years of the New Testament church, the answer to "What must I do to be saved?" was fairly simple. "So they said, 'Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.'" (Acts 16:31, NKJV), and "that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. " (Romans 10:9, NKJV). Belief in Christ and faith in His promise were enough to save you and assure you of eternal salvation.

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• In time, the rise of legalism, sacerdotalism, and Roman Catholicism, and other heresies were to introduce into Christianity many paganistic works-toward-salvation doctrines, but the true church of regenerate believers would hold solidly to the teachings of the Lord and the Apostles, "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16, NKJV).

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• As the Protestant Reformers separated from the Roman church, their rallying cry was that of Sola Fide, faith Alone!

• The same doctrine has been a cornerstone for conservative Protestant churches ever since that time.

• But what does it really mean to have saving faith? • That is a major question that has arisen in recent

years, and is of eternal importance.

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• Can I just believe in the testimony of the person of Jesus Christ? Will that save me? Must I have faith and submit to His Lordship?

• If I must have faith and become a disciple, doesn't that add works to the salvation plan, making salvation of man and not God?

• Is everyone who says they believe in Jesus Christ eternally saved?

• Must Christ be made Lord of my life?

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• These are not superfluous questions, for indeed, one's eternal salvation and assurance rests on a sound Biblical answer.

• In recent years this has become a major point of disagreement between factions of Evangelical Christians.

• The two major positions have been called Free Grace Salvation, Non-Lordship Salvation or, as its detractors have named it, "Easy Believism" (Belief in Christ is all that is required), and "Lordship Salvation" where one must decide to make Christ the ruling Lord of their life in order to be truly saved.

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• The Lordship Salvation proponents believe that the condition of eternal life is more than trusting in Christ:

• Knowledge of the Facts—Faith must be based on the content of the Word of God.

• Assent to this Knowledge—A person must agree that the facts of Scripture are true.

• Repentance—There must be a turning from sin and turning towards God.

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• Submission to Christ—There must be a subjection to the person and will of Christ with a desire and willingness to obey.(1)

• Lordship proponents are concerned about the word "believe." What does it mean to believe? That Christ is God? That he died, was buried, and arose again? That he is Lord of all? This belief in just the facts cannot save, it is argued, because "even demons believe - and tremble!" it is evident that a simple acknowledgment of the facts of the Gospel is not enough to save.

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• What is the position of Lordship Salvation advocates? What is required for a sinner to be saved and to know that they are saved? Simple faith in Christ is not enough. MacArthur states, "Although I reluctantly used the term 'Lordship Salvation' throughout the book, it was a concession to popular usage. I reject the connotation intended by those who coined the phrase: that a submissive heart is extraneous or supplementary to saving faith, and therefore any call for sinners to surrender to Jesus' Lordship adds to the Biblical terms of salvation."(2)

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• MacArthur has reluctantly been cast into the position of spokesman for the Lordship Salvation position, and he has unfortunately been occasionally misrepresented in the major point he is trying to present - that, as James said, "Faith without works is dead."

• Still, MacArthur and others have erred in their perception and presentation of the Free Grace position. MacArthur says, "[Zane] Hodges is unmistakably arguing for a concept of faith as bare mental assent, seeking support for this concept form the Reformers."(3) It is clear that both sides have engaged in some Straw Man Argumentation.

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• The major argument from the Lordship Salvation camp is that a person must put their faith in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, and then they must express their salvation by adhering to the Lordship of Christ in all matters.

• If a person does not "show" an evidential change of character, and does not put Christ first in their life, then they probably are not saved nor can they really know if they are saved.

• One must rightfully question their own salvation if they are not submitting to the Lordship of Christ.

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• Indeed, one can even think themselves a Christian, but this is illusory.

• (The belief that one can falsely think oneself saved does damage to the witness of the Holy Spirit, which indwells believers. We will examine that point further later on.)

• In the Lordship Salvation position, one must constantly test oneself to see if they are truly in the faith.

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• According to Bock, "MacArthur's charge is that a Gospel that emphasizes only belief without dealing with sin or that separates the presentation of Jesus as Savior from Jesus as Lord is cheap grace.

• It produces many false believers and introduces severe moral malaise into the body of Christ, while falsely offering assurance to many not really saved."(4)

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• Bob DeWaay, Pastor of Twin City Fellowship Church in Minnesota and Editor of the bimonthly Critical Issues Commentary writes in regards to Romans 10:9-10, "Is requiring this confession 'salvation by works?'

• I do not think so. • When I first heard that some were teaching that

one could be saved without Jesus being Lord, I immediately wondered what they would do with this passage.

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• Surely we are not saved by confessing something that is not true and by agreeing to a relationship (Jesus as Lord) that in actuality, we want no part of."(5)

• He also says, "Neither should we think that merely idle confession, of lip service only, is evidence that we are saved."(6)

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• It appears that advocates for Lordship Salvation make at least two major errors: they believe that Free Grace proponents are arguing that all one needs to do is make "mental assent" to the Gospel message or simply pay a "lip service" statement of faith and one can be saved. Also there appears to be a misunderstanding of the meaning of faith, as well as confusion of the terms salvation and sanctification. What is the true position of Free Grace salvation? Is it essentially an "everyday variety of faith," as MacArthur charges?(7)

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• Do Free Grace advocates teach an empty, lip service type of faith, and teach that this is enough to acquire salvation from Christ?

• Must the sinner also claim Christ as Lord at the moment of salvation?

• Proponents of the Faith Alone position believe that any addition to the Gospel message of "believe on the Lord Jesus and you will be saved" is an assault on the Biblical message of salvation by grace alone.

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• The Case for Faith Alone• By assaults we are talking about additions to the

message of FAITH ALONE IN CHRIST ALONE. All believers in the Lord Jesus Christ are responsible to be His representatives. We are ambassadors of Christ who are to give testimony to the person and work of the Savior. When it comes in the message, there is only one message (or Gospel) that we may proclaim and remain faithful to the Bible.

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• Unfortunately, confusion abounds with respect to the content and presentation of the good news of God's grace in the person and work of Christ.(8)

• According to Blauvelt, "An unbeliever, to avail himself of the salvation offered in Christ, must only accept Him as his own personal Savior, believing that His death for sin on the cross was final and sufficient forever. ... Mere verbal assent or mental acquiescence to the fact of Christ's death, without any conviction of personal sin, is inadequate."(9)

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• We can see that the Free Grace position has been misrepresented as cheap grace.

• Is simple faith "dead faith"? • Not according to the Wycliffe Bible Dictionary,

which says, "A proper definition of faith must take into consideration its complexity, for while the exercise of it may be said to be simplicity itself, it involves the whole personality."(10)

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• It goes on to say that "Saving faith, therefore, involves active personal trust, a commitment of oneself to the Lord Jesus Christ. But it is not the amount of faith that saves, it is the object of faith that saves.

• Great faith in the wrong object does not alter man's lost estate one iota. Little faith (so long as it is faith) in the right object [Christ] must result in salvation."(11)

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• Salvation is an instantaneous act of God, a gift given to the sinner who accepts it. One needs only to realize he is lost and in need of saving in order to reach out for the Savior's hand. A person drowning in a storm at sea needs only to reach out in faith for that reaching arm of salvation in the rescue boat. He does not need to make the savior (the one reaching out to save him) the lord of all his affections. Neither does he need to know all that is required to be a follower of the sea rescuer, in order to be rescued.

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• The Faith Alone position believes itself to be the true Biblical teaching of the Lord Jesus Christ and the Apostles. Salvation is based on faith alone. Faith plus anything else is an incorrect and dangerous teaching. Paul corrected the believers in Galatia about the error of adding circumcision to faith. "Faith plus" is not the condition for eternal life. It is inconsistent to speak of a free gift which costs us something or gives us something to do to get salvation (Romans 4:1-6; 11:6).

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• A gift need only be accepted. It is not earned and does not demand a repayment. To demand such would be paying a wage and requiring a service. Faith alone proponents believe that good works and discipleship is something required of the Regenerate: The saved person should be overwhelmed with gratitude to the Savior for his free gift, and realize that following Christ demands discipleship, but it is not required (nor even possible) at the point of salvation to "make Christ Lord" of one's life.

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• The condition for salvation in the Bible is simple faith. Ryrie writes, "Salvation is conditioned solely on faith in Jesus Christ. That faith must be placed in Christ as one's substitute for, and Savior from, sin. But this and only this is the way to be saved."(13) In his footnote on Romans 1:16, Ryrie says, "we receive and experience [salvation] through faith, which is both assent to the truths of the Gospel and genuine confidence in the Savior Himself" (Page 1791).

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• Errors in the Lordship Salvation Position• The belief that one must make Christ Lord in order

to be saved, contains, in this writer's opinion, a vast array of errors. Most of the errors appear to stem from two foundations: a desire to see Christians act like Christians, and, in some passage interpretations, poor exegesis.

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• Perhaps the greatest error in the Lordship Salvation view is the apparent call to discipleship for those who are yet unsaved. If one must believe the Gospel, have faith, and make Christ Lord in order to be saved, this is a condition that must be met by someone who does not yet know what the Lordship of Christ means. This results in a Catch 22 which inevitably leads to eternal death.

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• You must make Christ Lord in order to be saved, but you must first be saved in order to make Christ Lord. As the unregenerate, natural man cannot "receive the things of the Spirit of God" (1Cor 2:14, NKJV) for they are foolishness to him, how can he ever acknowledge the Lordship of Christ?

• As Blauvelt writes, "To require from the unsaved a dedication to His Lordship for their salvation is to make imperative what is only voluntary for believers."(14)

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• This is to confuse accepting the Spirit of salvation with the Christian call to walk in the Spirit. At the moment of salvation, a person receives a new nature as a regenerating work of the Holy Spirit. The person is saved first, by simple faith, and then the Spirit will lead him to respond to the Lordship call of Christ. As Chafer wrote, (Quoted by Blauvelt) ."...no more important obligation rests on the preacher than that of preaching the Lordship of Christ to Christians exclusively, and the Saviorhood of Christ to those who are unsaved."(15) 11-02-08 74H&B-073 and 074


• Another error is in the misapplication of the meaning of the New Testament word Lord. (Greek kurios). Lordship Salvation advocates almost always use the word as is used of a sovereign master—one to whom submission is required. This is an applicable definition for Christians, and is sometimes used in this way. But as Blauvelt suggests, in the New Testament kurios is most often used as "deity." And as Lord, Jesus has authority to dispense salvation to those who believe [he is God]."(16)

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• The Wycliffe Bible Dictionary tells us that kurios is "a Greek adjective meaning 'having authority or power'; used as a noun it means 'lord, master or owner'. It was the exact equivalent of adonai, and also was used in the LXX to translate Yahweh because the rabbis read Adonai in place of the divine name. It is applied in the NT to Jesus as a divine title."(17)

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• So it appears the Lordship Salvation advocates are misapplying the term Lord. It does not refer to Christ in Romans 10:9,10 as "One who must be submitted to" but rather refers to Christ as "The Lord God, Yahweh." Also, the KJV/NKJV rendering of "confess the Lord Jesus" seems a better translation soteriologically than the NIV's "Jesus is Lord" or the NASB's "Jesus as Lord."

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• Blauvelt gives three excellent reasons why Romans 10:9,10 does not mean one must submit to Christ's Lordship in order to be saved:Romans 10 is written primarily to unbelieving Jews. The emphasis is in recognizing that Christ is Lord-Yahweh, and that salvation is subject to this belief. The Greek word for "confess" here means to "speak the same thing" or "agree." To confess Jesus as Lord means to agree that He is God. Salvation is received, it does not include man's giving of anything: Not confession, subjection or anything else.(18)

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• Another error of Lordship Salvation is the implicit legalism of the teaching. Keathley quotes J.I. Packer as saying, ."...free forgiveness in one sense will cost [the forgiven] everything." How so? How can a free gift cost anything? How can an evangelist honestly say to the lost, "Your works count for nothing, you cannot earn salvation. God freely gives salvation to those who come to Him. However, the cost of salvation is great!" This is nonsense and double talk, and exceedingly damaging to evangelism and apologetics.

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• What sets Christianity apart from every other religion is the Free Grace offer. Many have confused the discipleship message in "take up your cross and follow Me" with the salvation message of "He who believes."

• Another problem with Lordship Salvation is the problem of the need for some Biblical knowledge in order to submit to the Lordship of Christ.

• In order to follow a lord or leader, one must have some knowledge of what is required of him.

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• How is a new believer to know what is required at the moment of salvation?

• How much must one know in order to be saved? Certainly a person must know that he is a sinner, and the penalty for sin is death, that Christ has paid that penalty and that those who accept His free offer are saved. But how much Biblical doctrine must a sinner know in order to be saved?

• Must he fully understand the kenosis? The legal ramifications of propitiation?

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• To be sure Lordship should come with growth and study by those who are saved, but it is not a requirement for salvation.

• Another question arises as to how much Lordship is enough? What does it mean to submit to His Lordship? Is 75% submission enough to get one saved? Is 80% required? 66.6%? 100%? Who's to say? If 100 % submission is required for salvation, then there is no one who ever believed in God who is saved, not even David, Abraham or Noah.

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• Lordship proponents counter this by saying, "well, one must be willing to submit to the Lordship of Christ." But this only begs the issue. Again we can ask, how willing? 80%, 90% or 100%? We still have the troubling question of "how much." One can never know for sure if they are submitting enough to Christ under the Lordship Salvation view. This eliminates all security for the believer, which is unthinkable in light of passages like Romans 8 and others.

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• Related to the above, Lordship Salvation leaves all Christians in the ugly and dangerous position of judging others. Surely there are passages which call us to examine ourselves, discipline others in the church, watch out for false believers among us and such, but this involves things like an unrepentant heart, sins leading to death, and false and heretical teachings.

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• Once we begin to look at each other and to question how much Pastor Smith or Mr. Jones is submitting to the Lordship of Christ, we enter very dangerous territory. I am not saying that there should not be standards of Christian living especially for leaders and teachers; what I am saying is that by demanding evidence of Lordship authority over every professed believer's life, those who demand Lordship are actually denying the command of the One that they demand submission to: "Do not judge others."

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• The Lordship view leaves no room for carnal Christians. There is no room for spiritual regression, spiritual retardation, or sins of defiance and worldliness. This is a direct denial of 1Cor 3:3: "For you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men?" (NKJV). Aside from 1Cor 3, this position results in a dismissal of the greatest part of the New Testament, particularly the admonishments to Christians in the various churches who received Paul's epistles.

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Calvinism

• There are two mains camps of theology within Christianity in America today: Arminianism and Calvinism. Calvinism is a system of biblical interpretation taught by John Calvin. Calvin lived in France in the 1500's at the time of Martin Luther who sparked the Reformation.

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Calvinism

• The system of Calvinism adheres to a very high view of scripture and seeks to derive its theological formulations based solely on God’s word. It focuses on God’s sovereignty, stating that God is able and willing by virtue of his omniscience, omnipresence, and omnipotence, to do whatever He desires with His creation.

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Calvinism

• It also maintains that within the Bible are the following teachings: That God, by His sovereign grace predestines people into salvation; that Jesus died only for those predestined; that God regenerates the individual where he is then able and wants to choose God; and that it is impossible for those who are redeemed to lose their salvation.

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Calvinism• Arminianism, on the other hand, maintains that God

predestined, but not in an absolute sense. Rather, He looked into the future to see who would pick him and then He chose them. Jesus died for all peoples' sins who have ever lived and ever will live, not just the Christians. Each person is the one who decides if he wants to be saved or not. And finally, it is possible to lose your salvation (some arminians believe you cannot lose your salvation).

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Calvinism• Basically, Calvinism is known by an acronym:

T.U.L.I.P.• Total Depravity (also known as Total Inability and

Original Sin)• Unconditional Election • Limited Atonement (also known as Particular

Atonement)• Irresistible Grace• Perseverance of the Saints (also known as Once

Saved Always Saved

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Calvinism• Total Depravity: Sin has affected all parts of

man. The heart, emotions, will, mind, and body are all affected by sin. We are completely sinful. We are not as sinful as we could be, but we are completely affected by sin. The doctrine of Total Depravity is derived from scriptures that reveal human character: Man’s heart is evil (Mark 7:21-23) and sick (Jer. 17:9). Man is a slave of sin (Rom. 6:20). He does not seek for God (Rom. 3:10-12).

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Calvinism• He cannot understand spiritual things (1 Cor.

2:14). He is at enmity with God (Eph. 2:15). And, is by nature a child of wrath (Eph. 2:3). The Calvinist asks the question, "In light of the scriptures that declare man’s true nature as being utterly lost and incapable, how is it possible for anyone to choose or desire God?" The answer is, "He cannot. Therefore God must predestine."

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Calvinism

• Calvinism also maintains that because of our fallen nature we are born again not by our own will but God’s will (John 1:12-13); God grants that we believe (Phil. 1:29); faith is the work of God (John 6:28-29); God appoints people to believe (Acts 13:48); and God predestines (Eph. 1:1-11; Rom. 8:29; 9:9-23).

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Calvinism• Unconditional Election: God does not

base His election on anything He sees in the individual. He chooses the elect according to the kind intention of His will (Eph. 1:4-8; Rom. 9:11) without any consideration of merit within the individual. Nor does God look into the future to see who would pick Him. Also, as some are elected into salvation, others are not (Rom. 9:15, 21).

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Calvinism• Limited Atonement: Jesus died only for the

elect. Though Jesus’ sacrifice was sufficient for all, it was not efficacious for all. Jesus only bore the sins of the elect. Support for this position is drawn from such scriptures as Matt. 26:28 where Jesus died for ‘many'; John 10:11, 15 which say that Jesus died for the sheep (not the goats, per Matt. 25:32-33); John 17:9 where Jesus in prayer interceded for the ones given Him, not those of the entire world.

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Calvinism• Acts 20:28 and Eph. 5:25-27 which state that

the Church was purchased by Christ, not all people; and Isaiah 53:12 which is a prophecy of Jesus’ crucifixion where he would bore the sins of many (not all).

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Calvinism• Irresistible Grace: When God calls his elect into

salvation, they cannot resist. God offers to all people the gospel message. This is called the external call. But to the elect, God extends an internal call and it cannot be resisted. This call is by the Holy Spirit who works in the hearts and minds of the elect to bring them to repentance and regeneration whereby they willingly and freely come to God.

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Calvinism• Some of the verses used in support of this teaching

are Romans 9:16 where it says that "it is not of him who wills nor of him who runs, but of God who has mercy"; Philippians 2:12-13 where God is said to be the one working salvation in the individual; John 6:28-29 where faith is declared to be the work of God; Acts 13:48 where God appoints people to believe; and John 1:12-13 where being born again is not by man’s will, but by God’s.

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Calvinism

• Perseverance of the Saints: You cannot lose your salvation. Because the Father has elected, the Son has redeemed, and the Holy Spirit has applied salvation, those thus saved are eternally secure. They are eternally secure in Christ. Some of the verses for this position are John 10:27-28 where Jesus said His sheep will never perish; John 6:47 where salvation is described as everlasting life.

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Calvinism

• Romans 8:1 where it is said we have passed out of judgment; 1 Corinthians 10:13 where God promises to never let us be tempted beyond what we can handle; and Phil. 1:6 where God is the one being faithful to perfect us until the day of Jesus’ return.

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Documents

HAB-073 and 074 The Boots and the Gospel: Lordship Salvation (Continued)