XI.
LORDSHIP SALVATION
In
Acts 15 (shortly after the church was started) the Council at Jersualem took
place to settle for once and for all the doctrine of salvation. Back
then there arose up certain ones of the sect of the Pharisees which believe in
Christ, but added more than believing for non-Jews (Gentiles) to be saved
(verse 5). To
have eternal life this group said you had to believe on Christ plus be "circumcised
after the manner of Moses" and "keep the law of Moses."
Failure to do so would mean that you are not saved (vv. 1,5).
Peter brought
everything into sharp focus when he described his ministry to the
uncircumcised Gentiles and concluded with with these words: "God
made choice among us, that the Gentiles by my mouth should hear the word
of the gospel, and believe. And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them
witness, giving them the Holy Spirit, even as He did unto us; And put no
difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith. Now therefore
why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither
our fathers nor we were able to bear?" (vv.7-10).
The results
of the meeting with the Apostles and early church leaders was clear - regardless
of gender or race we are all saved the same way and by the same gospel - "...
We believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved,
even as they" (verse 11).
Acts
16 makes it crystal clear - "What
must I do to be saved"?
The Biblical answer is, "Believe on the Lord Jesus
Christ and thou shalt be saved" (Acts 16:31).
Two
Thousands Years later...
The Gospel Debate
Continues.
Certain
groups are still adding requirements to Salvation.
The
escalating area of debate among evangelicals today - is the Lordship Salvation
vs. Free Grace Salvation.
One
side of the debate teaches the sole condition of eternal life is trusting in
Christ as one's Savior, but
the other group teaches that you must do more than that.
THE
LORDSHIP SALVATION AND FREE GRACE SALVATION
|
J. Hampton Keathley III
in the article, Common Assaults on the Gospel gives the
two sides of this debate.
The Lordship Salvation
View:
While there are variations within the lordship
camp, all the lordship salvation proponents seem to believe in three
things:
1. The condition
of eternal life is more than trusting in Christ.
One or more of the following are also conditions
of eternal life: turning from sins, being willing to turn from sins,
total surrender or committing one’s life to Christ, obedience, and
persevering in the faith. Some include baptism in their list of
conditions.
2. The condition of
perseverance.
Another idea that is promoted is if you do not
persevere, then either you were not really saved, or your faith was only
intellectual, or you lost your salvation.
Undoubtedly because of the strong emphasis in
Scripture on faith or believing in Christ for salvation (about 150
passages in all), proponents of the lordship persuasion find themselves
in a quandary. They will often redefine saving faith as consisting of
several aspects which include some form of works as evidence of real
faith. This forces them into a very contradictory position. Note the
contradictory elements in the Doctrinal Statement of a church that
teaches lordship salvation. The statement about faith is prefaced with
the following:
“Although there are several aspects that
saving faith involves, the Scriptures clearly teach that it is not a
work, but is itself solidly based on God’s grace.”
But then faith is defined in such a way that it
includes works. According to the Doctrinal Statement saving faith
includes:
 |
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.
|
Submission to Christ--There must be a
subjection to the person and will of Christ with a desire and
willingness to obey. |
| | |
While new life should result in change or good
works, works in the Christian life like turning from sin are a product
of fellowship with the Savior or the Spirit-filled, Word-filled life.
They are the result of abiding in the vine. Initial faith joins a person
into the vine, but it is abiding that produces the fruit. This is why
Jesus challenged His disciples to abide. Without it, we become
unfruitful.
3. The promises of the Word are
not sufficient for assurance.
For assurance of salvation, one holding to this
position must also look to his works. They say believers cannot have
100% assurance of salvation merely by looking to the promises of the
Word. In fact, many if not most in this doctrinal camp say that 100%
assurance is impossible since no one’s works are perfect and no one
knows if he will persevere.
The Free Grace
Salvation View:
The sole condition for eternal life is personal
faith in Jesus Christ alone as one’s Savior. Christ is enough! This
means faith in the person and finished work of Christ as the God-man who
died for our sins is the sole basis of one’s salvation. None of the
faith plus someone’s add-ons are conditions for eternal life. It is
nonsense to speak of a free gift which costs us something or gives us
something to do to get salvation (Rom. 4:1-6; 11:6).
The promises of the Word of God, based on the
finished work of Christ, are sufficient for assurance of salvation (cf.
John 6:37-40). While one’s works can have confirmatory value and
demonstrate the condition of our walk with the Lord, they are not
essential for assurance. Any believer can have 100% certainty of his
salvation if he will look to the promises of the Word like 1 John
5:11-13.
The Gospel of John is given a great deal of weight
in formulating one’s view of the gospel and how one is saved. Why is
this? Three major reasons: (a) Because of John’s explicit statement
about the purpose of his gospel (20:31), (b) because of his repeated use
of “believe” (found some 98 times), and (c) because of the absence
of any other condition. Not all of the uses of believe in John have
reference to believing unto eternal life, but a large number do.
Finally, because salvation is by grace alone
through the finished work of Christ (Rom. 4:1-5; 5:19; 11:6), free grace
salvationists believe salvation or eternal life can never be lost (Rom.
8:32-39; John 6:37-40; 10:28-29). |
The
real issue remains the same - Grace vs. Works for salvation.
(What "I" can do)
(What "Christ"
has done)
THE
ATTACKS AGAINST FREE GRACE SALVATION:
The
Lordship Salvation attack Free Grace Salvation by saying we teach "easy
believism." Then
they quickly add, "All you got to do is believe in Jesus and live as you
please. The demons believe in Jesus and they're not saved."
When I
hear these comments I feel like, John Stossel (ABC's
20/20) and want to shout - "GIVE ME A BREAK!"
The
Lordship group just doesn't get it. It is all about Grace! It is not about
what "I" can
do. It is all about who Jesus is and what Jesus did
on the cross for all of humanity.
1. Easy Believism -
The
Lordship group just doesn't get it.
Free
Grace believers thinks it is best to phrase it, "Faith Alone in Christ
Alone." Lordship Salvationist will agree that salvation is by faith
in Christ alone, but not admit that salvation is by faith alone in
Christ alone.
In some
ways we do believe in "easy believism," if by that statement you mean
that we believe it is easy for someone to know and have assurance of eternal
salvation.
I John
5:13 - These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of
the Son of God; that you may know that you have eternal life..."
But in
other ways it is the hardest thing for Human Beings to do:
To "just
believe" means that we are saved by grace through faith in Jesus
Christ.
To "just believe"
means there is nothing
you can do to earn your way to Heaven.
To "just believe"
means that you can't clean up your life so you can make yourself presentable to
God.
To "just believe"
means you are not trusting in Christ plus any of the "add-ons" as a
condition for eternal life.
Believe
in Christ plus:
Keep
the Ten Commandments
Give
your money to the church
Live
a good life
Do
good works
Join
a church
Be
Baptize
To "just believe"
means Christ death and
resurrection is enough to pay the price of man's sin.
To "just
believe" means you are trusting in Christ alone for
eternal life.
To
"just believe" is the hardest thing in the world to do. Satan
has blinded the eyes of Humanity into believing the great lie - Believe and
do something more to be saved. When you add "something more"
to faith in Christ it gets you a ticket straight to Hell.
2. Believe
in Jesus and live as you please.
One
thing for sure, this statement can never be said about those who teach
Lordship Salvation, but you will hear it if you present the gospel of
grace. If you ever been accuse of this false accusation you are in the
best of company. As a matter of fact, if you haven't been accuse of it -
you better check your message!
In
Romans Chapter Six the Apostle Paul was answering the false accusation that he
was teaching that you could
believe in Christ and then live as you please. Notice his
answer:
Romans
6:1-2 - "What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may
abound? God forbid.
(For the Lordship group who just doesn't get it, the answer is NO!)
How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?"
If
a person thinks a Christian can live in sin and not be punished for it, he
doesn't know much of the Bible, nor does he understand the working of the Holy
Spirit in the life of a Christian.
God
will discipline every son or daughter who needs it. A believer will not
get away with living as he or she wants too. God disciplines
believers in order to bring about right thinking and right living; he wants to
protect, correct, train and bless us. God begins with warning (Rev 3.19-20),
then proceeds to punishment if the warning is ignored (Heb 12.5-11), and in
certain cases he removes the believer from temporal life—the sin unto death
(Acts 5.1-10; 1 Johnn 5.16).
Hebrews
12: 7- 8 - "...What son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be
without chastisement (discipline), whereof all (believers) are partakers, then
are ye bastards (illegitimate), and not sons."
The
comparison in scripture is that of a Father / son relationship.
The
Author of Hebrews brings it all in focus:
Is
God the perfect Father? YES!
Are there any perfect children who always pleases their Father? NO!
Do some children try to live as they please? YES!
Does God the Father allow His children to live as they please? NO!
THE
PURPOSE OF DIVINE DISCIPLINE IN THE LIFE OF A BELIEVER:
Hebrews
12:1-11
1. It is part of the growing process by which a believer is fitted to
share God's holiness (v.10).
2. It is proof of our relationship with God (vv. 6,8).
3. It produces obedience to the Lord (v.9).
4. It produces the fruit of righteousness in our lives (v.11).
|
Dr. A. Ray Stanford says this about
the chastening of a believer,
"There
is a natural result of sin as well as God's personal chastisement in
your life. Galatians 6:7 says, "Be not deceived; God is
not mocked; for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap."
Notice that God does not add, "Except if he confesses it."
A Christian can do wrong things, but he cannot escape the CONSEQUENCES
of doing wrong things. A person can put his hand into the fire if he
wants to, but he cannot escape getting his hand burned. Some Christians
want to sow wild oats all week long and then pray for CROP FAILURE at
the end of the week!
One could not say how often you could commit the same sin before God
would severely chasten you for it. The Lord uses His discretion in every
instance. You will receive "personalized" attention. People
often want to know "what God will do to them" if they do
"thus and so." Hebrews 12:11 says when God chastens you
it will not be pleasant: "Now no chastening for the present
seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth
the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised
thereby."
A disobedient child is never happy. Continued sin often brings weakness
and sickness into your life. If you refuse to respond to God's dealings
with you, if you refuse to discipline your life, God can even take you
home earlier than He would have otherwise (I
Corinthians 11:30-32).
An example of a Christian taken home by God before his time because of
sin is found in I Cor. 5:1- 5. This person was committing
adultery with his mother (or stepmother). Verse five says this person's
body was destroyed - he was taken home - but please notice that he did
not lose his salvation. In I Corinthians 3:15 we read,
"If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he
himself shall be saved. . . ." Sin in the life of a
Christian will result in a loss of his joy, power, testimony,
fellowship, and reward."
(Dr.
A. Ray Stanford - HANDBOOK OF PERSONAL EVANGELISM - page
35-36).
|
3. The
demons believe in Jesus and they're not saved.
The
Lordship group just doesn't get it. And they will say and use any
scripture out of context to try to prove their false teaching.
James 2:19 - "Thou believest that there
is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble."
Notice
several things from the verse that the
Lordship Salvationist misquotes
and takes out of context:
(1).
Does this verse say
anything at all about demons believing in Jesus Christ for eternal
salvation? NO, because Demons are lost and can never be
saved. Christ died for human
beings, not for demons. Satan and fallen Angels
(demons) are not included
in the salvation of man-kind.
(2). What is
it that the demons believe according to this verse? That
there is only one God. Demons are right in believing that there is one God.
Believing in monotheism does not save anyone, but it is a good start that can
help you in believing in the one that does save - Jesus Christ.
(3). Is the faith of the demons real? YES, demons have real
faith!
Another
verse in the Bible alone with this verse (James 2:19) adds a lot about the
"belief" system of demons.
James 2:19 - "Thou believest
that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and
tremble."
Matthew 8:29 - "And, behold, they (demons) cried out,
saying What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? art thou come
hither to torment us before the time?"
(1). Demons believe in God.
(2). Demons believe in the deity of Jesus.
(3). Demons know that the day is coming when they will be cast into the
lake of fire where they will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
Is the faith of demons real? James 2:19 says it is
very real, - "... the devils (demons) also believe, AND TREMBLE".
The
reason Demons "tremble" is because they do believe!
WHAT
DOES THE BIBLE TEACH ABOUT
REPENTANCE,
FAITH, AND DISCIPLESHIP?
REPENTANCE
Those
who teach Lordship Salvation define repentance as," turning
from one's sins" and/or "a willingness to forsake one's sins."
There
is simply no question about the fact that the Bible teaches repentance.
Repentance is for Christians and unsaved people (Acts 17:30, II Peter 3:9).
|
The Word “Repent”
and some form of the word in English Translations |
|
KJV - repent
(45), repentance (26), repented (32), repentest (1), repenteth
(5), repenting (1), & repentings (1)) |
|
Translations |
Old Testament |
New Testament |
Total Useage |
|
NASB
|
17
|
56
|
73
|
|
ASB
|
42
|
61
|
103
|
|
KJV
|
46
|
65
|
111
|
|
NIV
|
19
|
55
|
74
|
|
NKJV
|
14
|
58
|
72
|
|
|
|
|
|
OLD
TESTAMENT
The
word repent in its various forms is found forty-six times in the Old
Testament (KJV). Twenty-eight times it is God, not man that does the repenting.
In nine other passages the Bible tell of things about which God does not or did
not repent. Thirty-seven times it is God that is repenting or things which
God does not repent. Only nine times is it man repenting in the Old Testament.
Now,
if "repent" means to turn from sin, there is a problem. God is
perfect and has no sin to turn from. But if "repentance" means a
change of mind, then it is consistent with Bible teaching.
For
instance, in Exodus 32:14 the Bible says, "And the LORD repented of the
evil which He thought to do unto His people."
You
have God changing His mind about some things, and in nine passage things which
God says He will not change His mind.
NEW
TESTAMENT
The
word "repentance" in its various forms is found sixty-five times in
the New Testament.
The
question is:
What is the meaning of repentance? Does it mean, "to turn from
sin," that is, to change your conduct and then come to Christ
after you clean your life?
The
answer is, "NO!"
Though
we often hear the expression, "Repent of your sins," it is not
found in the Bible. What the repentance is about is always determined by
the context.
II
TIMOTHY 2:24, 25 - "And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but
be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, in meekness
INSTRUCTING those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will
GIVE them REPENTANCE TO THE ACKNOWLEDGING OF THE TRUTH."
Repentance
is all about acknowledging
to the truth as found in the Bible. It
means to change one’s mind, to
reconsider; to think differently.
Like
other theological terms it must be defined by asking a further question:
What
is it that we are to change our mind, to reconsider and think differently
about?
In
the New Testament it is a change of one’s thinking in respect to God, Sin,
Self, The Lord Jesus Christ, and How To Receive God’s Free Gift Of
Eternal Life.
|
Roy B. Zuck writes:
"Repentance is included in believing. Faith
and repentance are like two sides of a coin. Genuine faith includes
repentance, and genuine repentance includes faith. The Greek word for
repentance (metanoia) means to change one’s mind. But to
change one’s mind about what? About sin, about one’s adequacy to
save himself, about Christ as the only way of salvation, the only One
who can make a person righteous."
|
Repentance
means to change one's mind about whatever is keeping one from trusting Christ
and trust Him as the only means of salvation.
II
CORINTHIANS 7:10 - "For Godly SORROW worketh repentance..."
Repentance is not being sorry for your sins. Sorrow and repentance are not
the same thing. However, Godly sorrow can lead you to repentance.
The
goodness of God can do the same thing for some people as well. ROMANS
2:4 - "...the GOODNESS of God LEADETH thee to repentance."
THE
FACTS TRACT IS WRITTEN TO PRESENT TRUTH IN A WAY THAT HELPS LEAD THE UNSAVED TO REPENT
AND BELIEVE IN CHRIST ALONE FOR ETERNAL LIFE.
1. Repentance and How to Receive God's Gift of Eternal Life.
Acts
8:9-25
Acts
8:22
Repent
from what?
Acts
8:20 - "But Peter said unto him, Thy money perish with thee, because
THOU HAST THOUGHT that the gift of God may be purchased with money."
Verse
21, 22 -"...FOR THY HEART IS NOT RIGHT IN THE SIGHT OF GOD.
REPENT therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the
THOUGHTS of thy heart may be forgiven thee."
The
result of repentance in this passage teaches that "no one" can
buy their way into Heaven. Eternal Life is God's free gift to those who
put their faith (trust) in the Lord Jesus Christ.
2. Repentance about God.
Acts
17:22-31 -
Acts
17:30
-
Repent
about what?
Acts
17:29 - "We ought not to THINK that the GODHEAD is like
unto gold or silver, or stone, graven by art and man’s devise."
The
result of repentance in this passage would lead them to the one and only true
God.
The context shows they needed to change their mind about God and see that
He is not a graven image made of gold, silver, or stone but that He is the
living and true God who is going to be their Judge.
3. Repentance about Self and Sin.
Romans
3:10, 23
-
Luke
5:31, 32
-
Luke
13:1-5
-
Repent
about what?
Not
seeing yourself as a sinner who needs a Savior.
The context shows they needed to change their mind regarding punishment
and sin. The
result of repentance in this passage would lead them to see that they were
sinners and in need of a Savior.
4. Repentance about the Lord Jesus Christ.
Acts
2:2-42 -
Acts
2:38
-
Repent
about what?
Acts
2:36 -"THEREFORE let ALL the house of Israel KNOW ASSUREDLY, that God
hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both, LORD (God) and CHRIST
(Messiah)."
The
result of repentance in this passage would be to realize that the one they
crucified was God and their long promised Messiah.
BIBLICAL
REPENTANCE
REPENTANCE
is a voluntary and sincere change in the mind of the sinner, causing him to
TRUST in the Savior as a result of "thinking differently about God, sin, one
self, the Lord Jesus Christ and how to receive God’s gift of eternal
life".
Notice
that a change in conduct is not repentance. The changing (improving) of
one’s life is the results and benefits of salvation.
You don’t get better to get saved; you get saved to get better.
Repentance
is not a satisfaction rendered to God, but a condition of the heart necessary
to BELIEVE unto salvation.
Titus
3:5 - "Not by works of righteousness WHICH WE HAVE DONE, but
according to His mercy He SAVED us . . ."
Jeremiah
13:2 - "Can the Ethiopia change his skin, or the leopard
his spots? Then may ye also do good, that are ACCUSTOMED to do
evil."
Isaiah
53:6 - "All we like sheep have gone astray, we have turned
every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on Him the iniquity of us
all."
In
reality, one can begin living better only after he is saved.
II
Corinthians 5:17 - "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a
NEW CREATURE; old things are passed away; behold, all things are
become new."
Ephesians
2:10 - "For we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good
works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in
them."
This
was obvious to John the Baptist. He told people to repent and "bring
forth fruits, meet for repentance" (Matthew 3:8).
In
other words John the Baptist said that one was to repent (that is, change his
mind) and then bring forth fruit (some outward visible manifestation) of that
inward change of mind. Those are two different things, thus, repentance is the
root and the change of one’s life is the fruit.
Those
who preach Lordship Salvation make the fruit part of the root. Reformation
is good in its place, but when you make it repentance and a prerequisite
for salvation, then it is wicked and evil.
FAITH
Those
who teach Lordship Salvation define faith as a commitment of one's life to the
Lordship of Christ. One popular radio teacher actually defines faith in
such a way that it includes obedience!
Obviously, the
New Testament teaches that faith is the means of salvation (John 3:16, Ephesians
2:8).
The
question is what is the meaning of faith?
Many
Bible scholars teach that “faith” has three elements: knowledge,
acceptance, and trust.
A
MORE ACCURATE VIEW OF FAITH IS:
1. Faith Assumes Knowledge about the Lord Jesus Christ.
(Know
the facts)
|
Dr.
Bob Wilkins says,
"Knowledge
is not the same thing as faith. Knowledge (understanding) is a precondition
of faith. Before we can believe in Christ, we must know something about who
He is and what He came to do.
Knowledge is necessary for faith to occur.
However, that is not
the same as saying that it is an element of faith. For example, design
plans are necessary to build a car. Yet that does not mean that the plans
are an element of a car. Elements of a car include tires, axles, engine, drive
train, and the like, but not the plans. The plans are a necessary
precondition to a car.
"
(From an Article by Dr. Bob Wilkins - Grace
Evangelical Society)
|
Knowledge
is not faith, but the more knowledge a persons has about
Jesus Christ the easier it will be for them to trust in Christ alone for
eternal life.
Some Basic Facts to Share with People about Jesus Christ:
1). His
Deity.
Jesus
Christ is God.
John
20:31 - "But these are written, that ye might BELIEVE that Jesus is
the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life
through His name."
2). His Humanity.
Jesus
Christ became a man. A perfect man without sin.
I
John 4:2 - ". . . every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come
in the flesh is of God . . ."
3). His Death.
Jesus
Christ died on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins.
I
Corinthians 15:3 - ". . . that
Christ died for our sins . . ."
4). His
Resurrection.
Jesus
Christ arose from the dead. The resurrection proves God accepted Jesus'
sacrifice for our sins and that He was who He claimed to be, The God - Man.
I
Corinthians 15:4 - ". . . and that He rose again . . ."
The Problem:
Knowledge
(understanding) does not ensure that faith will occur. A person can
understand something and yet not accept it as true.
A
person may know that Jesus Christ lived on earth. That He died on a
cross. They may even know the facts of what the Bible says about the
resurrection, and yet not believe the facts as true.
2. Faith Assumes Acceptance
or Mental Assent (Belief) In The Lord Jesus Christ.
(Recognition
Of Truth - Believe those facts to be true)
II
Timothy 2:25 - "In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if
God peradventure will give them repentance (a
change of mind - one's thinking) to the acknowledging of the truth."
The
most basic English meaning of "Believe" and "Faith"
is "to accept something as being true," "to be convinced of
something," "belief.”
Somewhere
between Knowledge and acceptance, repentance (a
change of mind - one's thinking) takes
place. When
there is both knowledge and acceptance in the truth of what God says about
eternal life, there is belief/faith.
When
a person accepts that the testimony of Jesus Christ is true, they
believe or trust it. That is exactly what the Apostle John
said in I John 5:9-11.
"If
we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for this
is the witness of God which He hath testified of His Son. He that believeth
on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not
God hath made Him a liar; because he believeth not the record that
God gave of His Son. And this is the record, that God hath given to
us eternal life, and this life is in His Son."
To
accept the testimony of God about His Son is to believe it, to
trust it, and to have faith in it.
The Problem:
A
person may believe something and yet not have eternal life.
Two Examples:
1). A person may believe in the wrong information about how to
receive eternal life.
2). A person may believe in some of the right information about
Christ and yet not have eternal life.
"I
believe that Jesus Christ lived and died about 2000 years ago".
You
may even believe in His resurrection! Yet, not trust in Him alone for
eternal life.
How
could this happen? By believing in Christ, plus adding "good
works" to earn your way to Heaven.
"What
"I"
have done" = Salvation by works. Salvation by works does
not save anyone.
BELIEVING
IN CHRIST, PLUS DOING GOOD WORKS
(To
earn your way to God)
=
DEATH AND HELL
Matthew
7:22-23 - "MANY will say to Me in that day, ("What
' I ' have done" = Salvation by Works) Lord, Lord, have we
not prophesied in thy name, and in thy name cast out devils, and
in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto
them, I NEVER KNEW YOU: depart from Me, ye that work
iniquity."
Verse
21, is another key to understanding what the Lord is saying, "Not
every one that saith unto Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into
the kingdom of Heaven, ( These are the ones who fall for the false doctrine of "Lordship
Salvation) but he that doeth the will of My Father which
is in Heaven."
What
is the "will of the Father"? (Read John 6:26-40)
John
6:40 - "And this is the will of Him that sent Me, that every
one which seeth the Son, and believeth on Him, may have
everlasting life: and I will raise him up at last day."
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Larry
Moyer raises a concern about the common uses of the English word
"believe." He points out that in the course of a week, you
may hear these comments:
"I believe it's going to rain."
"I believe I'll be able to come."
"I don't believe it makes any difference."
"I believe I gave him the wrong address."
Then
he says, "For that reason, to mention "believing"
in connection with Christ may convey little more than "speculation." However, the
Biblical use of the word "believe" deals with certainty."
(Dr. R. Larry Moyer -
FREE AND CLEAR - page 34).
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Dr. Richard A. Seymour
says,
"Since believing in
Christ is the only condition for salvation, according to God's Word, it
is important to know what the Bible means by "believe."
If I say to you, "Do
you believe in George Washington?" You would naturally say, "Yes."
What
would I mean by the question? I would mean, do you believe that he
lived, and that he was the first President of the United States of
America... in other words, the historical facts about him. But then, if
I asked you the question, "Do you believe in your parents?" Your
answer may be yes or no, because by asking this question I would mean do
you trust your parents . . . do you have faith in them. The
same word "believe" is used in both questions, but in different
ways.
The
Biblical word believe is a word that means to trust in, rely upon, to
depend upon or to believe, like believing someone's word. So, when
God says, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be
saved," He does not mean to just believe that Christ existed. Neither
does He mean for us to only believe certain doctrines about Christ, e.g. that
He was born of a virgin, that He was God in the flesh, that He died
for the sins of the world, or that He's coming again.
Believing
about Christ is one thing . . . believing in Him is another. To
believe in Him is to trust Him alone for our salvation . . . it is
to depend upon Him to get us to Heaven . . . it is to believe Him, that
He will do what He promised to do - give us eternal life." -
(Dr. Richard A. Seymour -
THE
GIFT OF GOD - pages 4-5).
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3. Faith
Is Trusting In The Lord Jesus Christ To Save You.
The
Word, "Trust" is the Best English Word that Conveys the Greek
Meaning of the Words Translated "Believe" and "Faith" in our
English Translations of the Bible.
(Reliance
On Truth - Rely upon those facts.)
The
New Testament words "believe" and "faith" means trust.
The word trust, means "reliance on" or "dependence
on." It is completely "resting in," and "relying
on," "depending on," Christ to save you.
FAITH is a
voluntary and sincere change in the mind of the sinner, causing him to
completely trust in Christ alone for eternal life.
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Imagine a ship
filled with people crossing the Atlantic. In the middle of the ocean there
is an explosion. The ship is severely damaged and slowly sinking. Most are
dead, and the rest are rushing for the lifeboats. Now suppose one man
doesn't know about the lifeboats, so he does not get aboard. He
doesn't have knowledge, so he is not saved.
Suppose
another man knows about the lifeboat and believes it will save his life, but
he is grief-stricken over seeing his wife killed, so he chooses not to get
aboard and dies with his wife. He has knowledge and mental assent,
but he is not saved.
Others
believe the lifeboats will save them, and they get into the boat.
They are saved by faith, that is, they have knowledge, mental
assent, and trust. However, it is not their faith that saves them
- no matter how much they have. It is the boat. Saving faith trust
Christ, and Christ saves .-
(G.
Michael Cocoris - EVANGELISM: A BIBLICAL APPROACH - page 77).
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To
have eternal life, one must trust the Lord Jesus Christ completely
for salvation. The responsibility is for us to Believe on Christ.
Faith alone in Christ
alone.
DISCIPLESHIP
It
is claimed that the biblical concept of discipleship supports the Lordship
Salvation position. According to this view "Disciple" is a
synonym for "Christian." That is absurd. Salvation and
discipleship are two different things. We are justified freely (Romans 3:24). The
requirement for discipleship, is costly (Luke 14:25-35
).
If
discipleship is required for salvation, one must be baptized in order to be
saved. Matthew
28:19 and 20 tells us how to make a disciple and part of the process is baptism.
Salvation
concerns the sinner’s acceptance of the free gift of eternal life and the
forgiveness of sins through faith alone.
“For
by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: It is the GIFT
of God: not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8,9).
“But
to him that worketh not, but believeth on Him that justifieth the ungodly, his
faith is counted for righteousness” (Romans 4:5).
Discipleship
concerns the believer’s response to the grace received by offering himself to
God as a living sacrifice.
“I
beseech you therefore brethren (speaking
to Christians), by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living
sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service”
(Romans 12:1).
In
salvation, Christ paid the price; in discipleship, the believer pays the price.
Therefore, salvation is free, but discipleship is costly.”
The
difference is the same as in the doctrine of justification and sanctification.
Justification is through faith alone in Christ alone, while
sanctification (progressive) is through a life of obedience to the Lord Jesus
Christ.
Justification
is God's act of grace by which He pardons a sinner and accepts him as righteous
on account of the atoning work of Jesus Christ on the Cross. Remission of sin,
absolution from guilt, and freedom from punishment are part of justification.
Progressive
sanctification takes place in the daily walk of the believer.
The word sanctification means “to be set apart.” The Holy Spirit is
attempting to make the believer holy (set apart) and spiritual. Our goal is to
be Christ-like. The believer is constantly being set apart when he utilizes the
means of grace (Bible Study and prayer) in his life.
Discipleship
is taking our new life to the next level
of
spiritual growth and maturity.
A believer praises the Lord in good times, the disciple at all times.
The Holy Spirit resides in the believer, but shines through the disciple.
A believer loves God with
heart and mind, while a disciple also commits the will.
A believer loves God, but
the disciple also loves others.
A believer lives in hope,
but for the disciple, God's hope is certain.
A believer seeks
forgiveness for sin, but the disciple also determines not to walk that path
again.
A believer has faith in
God but the disciple's faith is also tempered in the fire of testing.
A believer loves the
Lord, but the disciple's love is also unconditional.
The believer serves the
Lord in strength, but the disciple is made perfect through weakness.
God is part of the
believer's life, but the central focus of the disciple.
A believer forgives, but
the disciple also forgets.
A believer communicates
with God at their own conveniences, but the disciple is open to the Lord at
all times
(Author
unknown).
THE
RICH YOUNG RULER
The
conversation between Jesus Christ and the rich young ruler is often used as an
argument for Lordship Salvation. Those using this passage contend that the
rich young ruler wanted to know what he had to do to inherit eternal life and
Jesus in essence told him to give up everything.
A
more careful analysis of the conversation reveals that Christ first asked him,
"Why callest thou Me good? There is none good but one and that is
God." In other words, Jesus asked him, "Are
you recognizing that I am God?"
The young man did not answer.
Having
try the godward approach, Christ turned to the manward approach saying, "Thou
knowest the commandments." He did not say "do the
commandments" He simply said "you know them."
Christ
was using the law lawfully (compare 1 Timothy 1:8 and 9), to teach the
young man that he was a sinner. When
the young man claimed that he had kept the commandments from his youth then
Jesus told him to sell what he had. Christ was not telling him he had to
sell what he had in order to be saved. He told him that to get him to see
that he was a sinner and he needed to trust something other than his money.
After
the young man walked away, Jesus told the disciples "how hard it
is for those who trust in riches to enter the kingdom of God"
(compare Mark 10:24). In
other words, Christ told the rich young ruler to give away all his goods
because he was trusting them. The young man needed to stop trusting his
money so he could transfer his trust to Christ.
If
anything hinders you from trusting Christ, get rid of it so you can trust
Him (compare Matthew 5:29-30).
What
must I do to be saved?
Is
Lordship Salvation the answer? NO.
The
biblical answer is "believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou
shalt be saved" (Acts 16:31).
"Faith
Alone In Christ Alone"
That
is the good news we are to preach, that others may come to know the gift of
eternal life. Don't confuse the issue and thus mislead unbelievers. Make
the message clear and plain that people may be saved by grace through
faith.
