Lordship Salvation

Introduction

Last time we examined Free Grace Theology (FGT) and how, according to this theology, we receive salvation. FGT maintains that we receive it on the basis of belief-in-Christ alone. Significantly, FGT distinguishes between the 'call to believe' and the 'call to follow' (see Free Grace Theology) arguing that for salvation it is only necessary to believe on the Lord Jesus (e.g., Acts 16.31), that is, to answer the 'call to believe'.

Lordship Salvation

In opposition to FGT is Lordship Salvation (LS)¹ which believes that the 'call to follow' Jesus Christ is part and parcel of the 'call to believe' (Matt 28.19-20; Rom 1.5, 16.26; etc). LS is convinced that discipleship is an inherent part of true belief in Christ as Lord.

Hence, one of the major teachings of LS is that being saved-by-grace-through-faith is always followed by works (Eph 2.8-10; Jas 2.17-20). The two (belief, and good works) will inevitably go together because 'faith without works is dead'.² (FGT would say that discipleship is a thoroughly desirable result of belief in Christ but not an automatic one.)

John MacArthur's, The Gospel According To Jesus (1988)³ sparked a major controversy between the two groups. MacArthur spoke about his views here: his major point in his article centres on the nature of saving faith.


Theologically, this is the crux of the disagreement between the two sides with FTG saying that saving faith is 'confessing with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believing in your heart that God has raised him from the dead' (Rom 10.9, 10 also). But, MacArthur for LS counters this notion by saying that saving faith necessarily involves repentance (Acts 2.38; 3.19; 11.18; 17.30; 26.20) obedience to Christ (Matt 7.21;1 Jn 3.23-24).

Repentance

Both camps argue about the meaning of repentance^4,5 with FTG asserting that it simply means to change one's mind about someone or something. One the other hand, the LS group says that repentance is not just changing your opinion about who Jesus Christ is. For in scripture repentance is inextricably connected with sorrow for sin, turning from sin, and a change of life (e.g., see Matt 3.8). Jesus joined repentance with believing the gospel (Mk 1.15): 'repent and believe the gospel'! 

Why was Jesus able to declare to others that Zacchaeus had entered into eternal life (Luke 19.1-8, 9-10)? Jesus knew because of the change in Zacchaeus heart towards the poor, and about his former (presumed) cheating of taxpayers (Luke 19.8). 

LS would argue that it wasn't just that Zacchaeus believed in Jesus as the Messiah but that he showed repentance for his former life by granting restitution to those he had cheated. Jesus confirmed Zacchaeus' new status by saying, 'This day is salvation come to this house'.

Covenantalism

At another level of theology, this squabble can be understood in terms of different views about how the biblical covenants are organised. The LS group tends to adhere to a view usually called 'covenant theology'⁶.

The covenantal view of redemption history holds that the Trinity made 'the covenant of redemption' among themselves purposing to save humanity by the Father sending of the Son, anointed by the Spirit, to die and rise again for sinners. 

Before the Fall into sin, 'the covenant of works' operated; after that, 'the covenant of grace' functioned under both the old and new administrations. Hence, three covenants in all.

The various biblical covenants explicitly referred to such as the Noahic, Abrahamic, Mosaic, Davidic, and New are different administrations of the covenant of grace. This notion is derived from the writings of John Calvin and thus Christian traditions associated with his teaching ('Reformed', Presbyterian, some Anglicans and some Baptists) have continued the Lutheran-Calvinian Reformed teaching of the importance of repentance and obedience in the lives of those claiming to be recipients of God's grace.        

1. Could also be titled, 'discipleship salvation' but as it is commonly called 'Lordship salvation' I will use that title.
2. The answer given by the FGT camp to this citation of James 2 is to say that James is speaking about the judgement of Christians with respect to future rewards (Jas 2.12-13).
3. Two expansions and revisions followed in 1994, and 2008.
4. God is even said to repent (Gen 6.6; Exod 32.14) (which can be understood as language used to accommodate to humans as creatures living in a world of change).
5. The Greek is metanoe-o' which literally translates as 'a change of mind'. However, we should not just accept 'literal' meanings as though they were law. It's far better to examine the way the word is used in the Bible to discover its meaning in context.
6. However, this is by no means a hard and fast rule. John F. MacArthur adheres to LS strongly but is a dispensationalist. I grew up in a movement which accepted and preached LS without question but which was also dispensationalist. 

Uprooting Our Idolatries

To introduce this topic I mention again that idolatry is part of every person's life, every community's life and every nation's life. In fact, the whole human race is involved in a struggle between worship of the living God and worship of dead idols. Worship is natural to the human condition. In the beginning man turned his worship away from God to a god-substitute by changing the truth about God into a lie and resorting to the worship of the creaturely. 

Christians cannot imagine that they are exempt from the ravages of idolatry (see 1 Cor 7.14; Col 3.5; 1 John 5.21). 

Idolatry involves putting our TRUST in something that is created which can never bear the load of our full trust. 

Only the Creator of all things seen and unseen is worthy of our trust.

How can our idolatries be uprooted?

First they are uprooted in principle by the powerful grace of the gospel to effect salvation 'to every one who has faith' (RSV)(Rom 1.16). For in the gospel of salvation is revealed how God 'rightwises' by faith 'first and last' (NIV, 1.17). Idolatry is dealt a mighty blow by the salvation of God as we read in 1 Thess 1.9 where members of a young church are commended for their turning to God from idols to serve 'the living and true God'. The sin of idolatry pervades the OT and also to a lesser extent the NT but more directed to Gentile believers.

The Grace of Repentance

Idolatries can't be completely uprooted in this life but they can be weakened and subverted by the grace of repentance. We repent when we first become Christians (Acts 2.38; 11.18) but repentance is a life-long practice which isn't just about specific sins but also about the idolatries that lie behind our sins.

The first part of repentance is receiving a word from the Lord about the nature of our idolatry. This revelation itself begins to break the power of the idolatry IF we accept it as the word of truth exposing our condition.

We all go to dentists and feel them poking and prodding around in our mouths to see if they can uncover decay. We hope against hope that they won't find the decay--at least, as a younger person that was always my wish--but unless the tooth decay is brought into the light, it will cause pain and suffering in the future.

Sometimes, the Holy Spirit can be likened to the divine dentist probing the health of our spiritual being to see 'if there be some wicked way in me' (Ps 139.23-24).

Second, we allow ourselves to see how our idolatry is ruining our lives before God. It robs us of greater intimacy with God when our hearts are whoring after other gods. We may come into God's manifest presence but our hearts are far from him (Isa 29.13; Mark 7.6).

Third, allow the Lord to give a true lamenting for our sins, a godly sorrow that works repentance (II Cor 7.10). Repentance is typified in the publican in Luke 18 who says while beating his breast, 'God be merciful to me a sinner' (Lu 18.13).

Mother Nature Unleashed???

It's more likely today that newsreaders will intone the sad news that 'mother nature unleashed her power' again in the latest tornado or cyclone or earthquake.

This language fits exactly with living in a post-Christian society of course but perhaps even some Christians are chary of suggesting that an earthquake is a God's demonstration of his power.

And yet the Old Testament is full of such witness (e.g., Ps 60.2; Isa 2.19, 21) and the New Testament too (Matt 28.2; Acts 16.26).

'Mother nature' which is creation, does not operate autonomously but is under the hand of God the creator. How could it be otherwise since creation is His creation?

But then what of the devastation that such acts of God bring about? Deaths, injuries, damage to property, dislocation of populations! No small consequences!

Whatever we come to conclude about the problem of evil we have to reckon with Jesus' words in Luke (13.1-5) who commented that those caught up in two contemporary sufferings that they were not worse sinners than others not so affected.

Jesus did not address the issue of evil but rather challenged his hearers, 'unless you repent you will likewise perish' (v5). These happenings are salutary warnings about our transient state as creatures.

I don't necessarily accept all of John Piper's theology but he writes some good things on this Lukan passage above.