I think it is time for us to address a critical
issue. According to Acts 2:36
Jesus is “Lord and Christ [Messiah, Savior]”. We hear a lot about the doctrine
of “Lordship Salvation”. Some say it is Biblical while others say it is false.
The truth is that there is one definition that includes things like “making
Jesus your Lord,” as well as wearing certain clothes, having a certain length
of hair, reading a certain translation of the Bible, and more. Truth is that
this is a false doctrine based on legalism. We know that there is no way we can
work our way to Heaven. There is no way we can ever deserve salvation. There is
another definition of “Lordship Salvation” that is based on surrender to Jesus
and obedience to Him. This doctrine is Biblical. My complaint is that because
of these confusing definitions there are many people who, as soon as you
mention Jesus being Lord, they begin to shout that you are teaching salvation
based on works.
We really need to get to
what the Bible says concerning all this. According to Ephesians 2:8-9 we are saved solely by the grace of God. So
we can throw out the idea of working our way to Heaven. But what does salvation
by grace look like? Well, according to Jesus it looks like this: You surrender
to Him (Mark 8:34). You
follow Him (Luke 9:62). You
obey Him (Luke 6:46). I have
even heard it said that you can’t tell a sinner to “repent”. They say you have
to “get saved” before you repent. But Jesus said “Repent and believe the
Gospel” (Mark 1:15). How can
there be salvation without repentance? They say repentance is a “work” and
according to Ephesians 2:8-9
we are not saved by works.
Well first let me show
the flaw in that argument: If I’m driving down the road with nowhere in
particular to go, and I am following a dump truck, say we come to a fork in the
road. The dump truck turns to the left. Ahead of the dump truck I see a church
bus turning to the right. I have a choice to make. I can follow the dump truck
or the church bus. Either way I am not “working” but I am continuing to drive
which is what I was doing anyway. So repentance is not a work it is just
choosing which path you are going to follow. I think some of the critics chose to
just keep going straight and they hit a tree and got brain damage.
Second: The “works” that
Paul refers to are works of the Old Covenant. These are works like doing the
proper sacrifices and keeping the set feasts and so on. These “works” are not “good
deeds” or “random acts of kindness”. Those are things a true Christian should
be doing. We are saved in order that we will do good works (Ephesians 2:10). John the
Baptist said that we need to do “works worthy of repentance” (Luke 3:8).
Those works can’t save us
but they are evidence that we are saved. James said that “faith without works
is dead” (James 2:20). And
Paul said we should “work out [our] own salvation with fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12). So what does
it take to be a Christian? Faith! And if you have that kind of faith it will
result in good works. Remember Jesus said that “you will know them by their
fruit” (Matthew 7:20).
What it all boils down to
is this: You can’t make Jesus your Lord. You don’t have the authority. But
thank the Father that He already did it for you. If He isn’t your Lord and
Savior then He isn’t your anything. So receive Him for who He really is. Repent
and believe.
God bless you. Rev. W. S.
Caplinger
