Lordship salvation

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"The Lordship view expressly states the necessity of acknowledging Christ as the Lord and Master of one's life in the act of receiving Him as Savior. These are not two different, sequential acts (or successive steps), but rather one act of pure trusting faith." [1]

Proponents of lordship salvation hold that conversion of genuine believers is so radical, and the results of it are so far-reaching, that the obedience of faith necessarily follows and serves an important, necessary part of the assurance of salvation. Faith and repentance are not merely decisional, but are part of both one's intellect and heart-desires. The faith that saves is distinct from a dead, vain faith, and is accompanied by works that testify to the transforming grace and power of God in the whole work of salvation.

The grace of God in salvation which we trust Christ for not only forgives, but transforms, and a lack of obedience or transformation in one's life is warrant to doubt that one has been born again, or is trusting Christ for all the grace of salvation.

The opposing view to lordship salvation is known as Free Grace (easy believism), but adherents of lordship salvation look down upon their usage of the term, as the free grace spoken of the Bible both justifies the sinner and regenerates the heart unto repentance and sanctification.

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[edit] Faith

There is a crucial difference between saving, living, justifying, sanctifying faith, and vain, dead faith which does not justify the sinner or "cleanse the heart" (Acts 15:9). While proponents of easy believism primarily view faith as only a decision or an assent of the intellect, faith in the Bible is seen as something volitional, intellectual, and emotional. The faith that saves springs forth from a heart that desires and thirsts after the Bread of Life. Indeed, Jesus closely links faith and desire in John 6:

"Jesus answered them, 'This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.' So they said to him, 'Then what sign do you do, that we may see and believe you? What work do you perform? Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.' Jesus then said to them, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.' They said to him, 'Sir, give us this bread always.' Jesus said to them, 'I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe.' " - John 6:29-35

Faith is rooted in the promises of God, and God has promised to do far more than just forgive our sins. To those who trust him, God has promised to give us eternal life--now. He has promised to richly bless those who follow him, and to work in us what is pleasing in his sight. True faith does not embrace one promise of God and reject others. The faith that saves embraces all the known promises of Christ. All sin and disobedience is rooted in a form of unbelief.

See main page: Faith
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[edit] Repentance

See main page: repentance

[edit] The gospel call

When Jesus preached the gospel, he both called men to trust in his promises and to follow him in radical discipleship.

See main page: Gospel call

[edit] Carnality

"Some people have created a separate category called the carnal Christian. By this they imply that a person may receive Christ as Savior and then remain a carnal Christian the rest of their lives. This is a false and dangerous teaching. It provides a convenient excuse for the person who does not want to follow Christ. Such a person, probably not a believer, is lulled into a false sense of security thinking they have eternal life. The Bible knows no third category called 'the carnal Christian.' It presents only two categories of people, Christians and non-Christians, believers and unbelievers, those who have bowed to the Lordship of Christ and those who have not. (See John 3:36; Rom. 6:17-18; 2 Cor. 5:17; Gal. 5:18-24; Eph. 2:1-5; 1 John 1:5-7; 2:3-4)." [1]

[edit] Clarifications

"The Lordship position does not hold that every Christian has great piety and is overwhelmingly successful in battling sin from day one. It does say that the process of sanctification, evidenced by good works, begins immediately even if in very small and slowly growing quantities." -David Heddle

[edit] The First Epistle of John

1 John was largely written to deal with this very issue (how you can know you have eternal life), and thus is the most directly relevant scripture for this issue. John was relentlessly clear in the epistle: "If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth" (1:6). Consider the following passages:

  • "And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. 4 Whoever says 'I know him' but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may be sure that we are in him: whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked." (2:3-6)
  • "Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness. Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling. But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes." (2:9-11)
  • "Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever." (2:15-17)
  • "And now, little children, abide in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not shrink from him in shame at his coming. If you know that he is righteous, you may be sure that everyone who practices righteousness has been born of him." (2:28-29)
  • "Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. You know that he appeared to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him. Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God's seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God. By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother." (3:4-10)
  • "We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death. Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him." (3:14-15)

[edit] Objections

See main page: Easy believism

[edit] Salvation should be distinguished from discipleship

"This lordship teaching fails to distinguish salvation from discipleship and makes requirements for discipleship prerequisites for salvation. Our Lord distinguished the two (Luke 14:16-33). This teaching elevates one of the many aspects of the person of Christ (Master over life) in making it a part of the Gospel. Why not require faith in His kingship? Or in the fact that He is Judge of all, or that He was the Creator? Though my view has been dubbed "easy believism," it is not easy to believe, because what we ask the unsaved person to believe in not easy. We ask that he trust a person who lived two thousand years ago, whom he can only know through the Bible, to forgive his sins. We are asking that he stake his eternal destiny on this. Remember the example of Evangelist Jesus. He did not require the Samaritan woman to set her sinful life in order, or even be willing to, so that she could be saved. He did not set out before her what would be expected by way of changes in her life if she believed. He simply said she needed to know who He is and to ask for the gift of eternal life (John 4:10)." - Charles Ryrie, Basic Theology
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[edit] To require accompanying works is to deny salvation by faith alone

"If good works were necessary to obtain salvation, then why would Paul say that salvation is 'not of works, lest anyone should boast'? And why would he speak of the salvation of the Ephesians as an already accomplished fact, 'You have been saved'? The answers are simple. Good works are not a condition. Faith is the only condition and salvation occurs at the moment of faith. No subsequent sins can change this. Salvation is a done deal at the moment one believes in Christ for eternal life." - Bob Wilkin, Confident in Christ, pg 52.

The real issue is whether works always accompany saving faith, which alone saves. The same Paul who taught justification by faith alone also taught of the works that necessarily result from that faith (cf. Romans 5-8). Paul indeed teaches in Ephesians 2:8-9 salvation by faith apart from works. In this same context, however, it is equally true that Paul speaks of his Christian readers as those who used to walk and live and act one way, but now do so in another:

"And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience--among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind." (2:1-3)

Paul contrasts this past behavior with the new reality of having been made "alive together with Christ" (2:5). Paul goes on to speak of this grace in verse 10, showing that the grace extends not only to forgiveness of sins and a secured future, but also to the workmanship God performs, the result of which is a new way of living (i.e. "walking"):

"For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them."

[edit] All faith is saving faith

"But how can we be sure that we have really believed? Therein lies a problem created by traditions, not by the Word of God. That question is foreign to the biblical gospel. There is no such thing as true faith as opposed to false faith. All faith is faith. If we believe in Christ for eternal life, then we have eternal life and we know we have it, because He guarantees it, 'He who believes in Me has everlasting life' (John 6:47). To doubt that we really believe is to disbelieve Jesus' promise." - Bob Wilkin, Confident in Christ, pg 55.

This notion directly contradicts James 2, which distinguishes living and dead faith:

"So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead." - James 2:17

Paul likewise speaks of a "vain" faith, which is manifested when one does not "hold fast to the word":

"Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you--unless you believed in vain." - 1 Corinthians 15:1-2

No other gospel accentuates belief like John. It is frequently clear and succinct in saying that those who believe will not perish but have eternal life, yet it also speaks of two different kinds of faith.

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[edit] Notes

  1. ↑ Kenneth L. Gentry, The Great Option: A Study of the Lordship Controversy, Baptist Reformation Review (BRR) 5 (Spring), 1976, pp. 49-79

[edit] Resources

  • A Layman's Guide to the Lordship Controversy, by Belcher, Richard ISBN 0925703133
  • Christ the Lord: The Reformation and Lordship Salvation, Michael Horton (editor), Baker, 1992. ISBN 0801043743

[edit] Pro

[edit] Con

  • So Great Salvation, by Charles C. Ryrie (Wheaton: Victor Books), 1989
  • Basic Theology, by Charles C. Ryrie (Moody Publishers), 1999
  • Absolutely Free, by Zane Hodges (Zondervan), 1989
  • Confident in Christ, by Robert N. Wilkin (Grace Evangelical Society), 1999

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

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