SOME QUESTIONS FOR THE LORDSHIP SALVATIONIST
by Dr. Charlie Bing
Followers of Lordship Salvation insist that a person is
eternally saved not only by believing in Jesus Christ as Savior, but also by
committing completely to Him as the Lord or Master of one's life. Thus salvation also depends on repenting
from all sins and giving subsequent evidence of changed conduct and good
works. Those who do not persevere in
good works and faithfulness till the end of life prove that they were never
really saved to begin with. Adherents
to Lordship Salvation teach that we are saved by "costly grace" which
means they interpret the commands for discipleship (e.g., deny yourself, take
up your cross, follow Jesus, etc.) as the price that must be paid for eternal
life. Here are some key questions for
those who hold to Lordship Salvation, asked in love of course!
How do you know when you've really believed? Since your idea of "genuine faith"
must be proved by works and obedience, how do you know your faith qualifies as
the real thing, since you can always do and obey more? What is it that really saves you anyway,
your faith, or Jesus who is the object of your faith? How can your faith be validated by subjective introspection when
your feelings and experiences fluctuate?
And if the object of your faith, the Lord Jesus Christ, saves you,
shouldn't you validate your faith only by whether it rests in Him?
How do you know when you've thoroughly repented? Since you are not conscious of every sin
(cf. Lev. 4:2; 5:15), what if some sins are overlooked and not repented
of? At what point do you think you've
adequately repented: When your attitude changes about the sin? When you resolve to change your
conduct? When your conduct actually
changes? When you make restitution or
ask for forgiveness? Or when you are
sure that there will be no repetition of the sin? And if repentance is not just a change of attitude but a turning
from sins and a change in conduct, then why does Jesus tell people to "bear
fruits worthy of repentance" (Luke 3:8)?
How do you know when you're completely committed to
Christ's Lordship? How much
commitment is enough to secure your salvation? Is the willingness to commit
enough, or must you actually commit everything? And how would you know what everything involves, especially as an
unbeliever? Since you believe the
commitments required for discipleship are also commitments needed for
salvation, and they are ongoing (e.g., deny yourself, take up your cross daily,
follow Jesus, abide in God's Word, love Christ supremely, etc.), how do you
know when you have fulfilled them?
How can you expect an unbeliever to make spiritual
decisions that reflect spiritual maturity and an understanding of God's will? Aren't you getting the cart before the
horse? If an unbeliever is dead in sin,
how can that unbeliever know and desire what God wants him or her to do and
obey? Isn't knowing and obeying God's
will the essence of the Christian's life after one believes?
Have you remained completely committed to Christ's
lordship? If you haven't,
isn't that an indication that you were never fully committed? And wouldn't that mean you were never really
saved? Or is it an admission to the
reality and power of sin, a reality that would make it impossible for anyone to
make the full commitment demanded by your view of salvation?
Which sins disqualify a person as a true believer? Again, is there a list of certain sins that
prove one is not saved? What about King
David's sins of murder and adultery?
Since he was surely saved, do sins have to be worse than his to prove
one is unsaved? How much sin is a
Christian capable of? Since you
undoubtedly agree that Christians do sin, how much is too much before you deny
he or she is a true Christian? Where do
you draw the line? Why does the Bible
instruct church discipline for Christians who sin?
If salvation depends on your
perseverance in faithfulness and good works, how can you know for sure you are
saved? Though you may be
living faithfully now, how do you know what tests or temptations you will face
tomorrow? If you can not predict the
future, isn't there a chance you could sin and die before you repent? As long as that is possible, how can you say
with certainty that you are a true Christian and that you have any assurance of
eternal life? How could you honestly
give assurance of salvation to anyone who says he or she believes the Gospel?
Where is there room to grow? If your saving faith included obedience,
forsaking all sins, a committed life, and a guarantee of faithfulness, what is
left to do? Why are there so many
ethical demands in the Bible addressed to Christians? Aren't they unnecessary if a godly life is inevitable?
Did the apostle John preach a
false Gospel? Since the Gospel
of John does not mention repentance, or submission, or commitment to Jesus as
Lord as conditions for salvation, but does mention believe as the condition for
salvation 98 times, would you call that "easy believism?" Do you think John was ignorant or irresponsible
(But I know you believe that is impossible since this is God's inspired
Word)? Since his is the only book of
the Bible that claims it was written to tell people how to be saved John 20:31,
shouldn't it determine what you believe about the condition for salvation?
And by the way, isn't your "costly grace" a contradiction in terms? If grace is a free gift to you paid for by Jesus Christ, how can it cost you anything? If you do anything or make any commitments to merit God's grace, doesn't that compromise and cancel it (Rom. 4:4; 11:6; Eph. 2:8-9)? How then can you receive the grace of salvation by any way other than simple faith? ¢
This was taken from “Grace Notes” no. 11, Grace Life Ministries. (Grace Life Ministries, P.O. Box 302, Burleson, TX 76097.)