Lordship Salvation? The Oft Misunderstood Label

Lordship Salvation? What John Piper Explains About this Misleading Label

I'm not sure when I saved this letter to my bookmarks, but I just happened upon it and read through. I think it is good. It is troubling to me how many people seem to think that because at a particular point in time they acknowledged God, or perhaps walked down the aisle at a church to 'be saved', they are right with God despite openly engaging in unrepentant sin. The Bible is clear about true believers bearing fruit, being distressed over sin, responding a certain way when confronted with sin (repentant and demonstrating we are changing directions...). This notion of being saved but Christ not being Lord?? It was interesting to read what some people say about their conversion. We do no one any favors by buying into their being saved when they make lifestyle choices that disobey God, don't honor Him with their time/talents/finances, speak in a way that doesn't bring honor to Him, have no desire to worship Him... likewise, it is sad to think there are people who think that Christ isn't Lord from the moment they believe. He IS Lord whether we think so or not. Our obedience or disobedience doesn't change His position. He is Lord over the life of every true believer, to their blessing or not...

Grace Alone

In listening to Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones' first two sermons on Romans (www.mljtrust.org) I have been bolstered in my faith mightily. The reminder in his poignant voice that faith is by grace alone, and no work of man, is encouraging as I seek to solidify my sharing the truth with others.

Men died throughout history for the straight-forward Biblical belief that grace is not administered through a sacrament like communion, nor is it granted through avoiding certain foods or performing certain acts of sacrifice on our part. God is fully responsible for our salvation. He grants it as a gift to us as we believe in the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ to cleanse us from all sin, as the Bible says.

With this in mind, we must ask the question: does it matter if a person believes in transubstantiation with communion? What is the doctrine associated with this belief? It is a practice which says Christ is being sacrificed for the taker, again and again...that grace is passed to the recipient through the sacrifice. But is this right?? NO! May it never be! Christ died for our sins, once and for all. The Scriptures attest to this truth. He is not re-sacrificed in the church service for us, nor is He bodily dying as we take communion. He has died, has risen, and has come again. Now He is seated at the right hand of the Father in Heaven.

A wrong understanding of this is to have a wrong understanding of salvation, which has eternal significance. We must be clear in the absolute love and mercy God showed in sending His one and only Son to pay the price for us. "It is finished." Christ said.

Standing true on doctrine is not hair splitting, nor is it unkind. We who have the truth are obliged to love God and mankind enough to proclaim how a man is delivered from this present darkness and put in a new position of reconciliation to the Creator God. In this current age of adding psychology to faith and promoting radical lifestyle changes, the work of God is often complicated erroneously. Salvation becomes a murky mix of works and some sort of belief, and thus we see born again believers weakened in their own faith and incompetent to share the Gospel--the Good News of the Bible.

I am seeing afresh how powerful the Solas of the reformation were and are. Here is a worthwhile read about them.

Ephesians 2:8-9

For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.

Keep the faith, the simple pure word of God,

Ann

Why Testimonies Aren't Necessary

I was listening to an excellent sermon by D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones today while cleaning the garage out (after school). It has given me much to think about. (I actually listened to 2 sermons but they've blended together a bit). Namely, the point was 'what is the church' and 'what does it really mean to be a Christian'? The sermons were so different from what you hear today in much of the mainstream. Christianity isn't about adding some 'fix' to our lives or doing any sort of 'add on'. It is living utterly to the devotion of God, whatever that ends up meaning for us. We don't make all our choices, devoid of God, and then tack Him on to what we've already decided. No, that is not the life of a true follower of God. Another point that has given me tons to ponder is that our personal testimony is not really helpful or relevant. Not that our experiences aren't real or things God uses in our lives, but salvation has nothing to do with them. If we base our 'sharing Christ' with what He has done for us, we move something completely holy in to the realm of psychology. Eve the cults can talk about how Jesus has made their life better. But what also of this--we share how He helped us through our cancer, or a death, or financial hardship...we say how those things turned us to Christ. But what does that do for a person who 'has it all'? Their life isn't lacking, they are perfectly content in the world's eyes.

We need to stay true to the truth--which is that of us fall short of God's standard, and what is unique and real about Jesus Christ is that He not only died for our sins, but he rose from the dead. And no matter what is going on in our lives, we are sinners in need of reconciliation with a Savior. Living for God may not change your circumstances, or if it does, it may change them for the worse, but that doesn't make it untrue that Christ is the One to seek and save.

I know I've been guilty of trying to turn people on to Jesus because of the peace He brought in to my life, and that has been true, He brought a peace I'd never known. There is a still that comes from knowing we are right with God. But that is not the point or reason to be saved-- to be reconciled to God through His one and only begotten Son.

We need to tell people the whole truth--they are sinners, bound for an eternal separation from God in Hell, but there is One who bore the penalty for that sin and rose again showing He conquered death. This change of heart is called regeneration, when we turn to the only Savior or men, the man Jesus Christ. And it won't happen by putting on a Jesus jacket. It must be from the inside of our being.

God's Provision

The Lord is faithful, a very present help in trouble. He provides the answers we need at just the right time. Do not fear when He has called you to a difficult ministry. Remember Jesus Christ and what He has done for you. Where would you be if someone did not tell you the truth, in love? We are all sinners, we all fall short of the glory of God, but praise be to God for His indescribable gift of mercy toward us. We can be forgiven and birthed in to God's family, with the assurance we will spend eternity in Heaven. It isn't baptism, or serving at church, or tithing or any other good work that saves us, it is acknowledging we are a sinner in need of Christ's forgiveness. We can come to God because of Jesus, and Jesus alone saves us from the penalty of our sin.

The Damning Power of False Religion

My hope is that someone in the Catholic faith will watch this and consider what it says because I love Catholics and long to see them assured of Heaven and set free from a works-based religion. John MacArthur preaches from the Word; he is someone I consider sound and worth paying attention to.

Catholics erroneously think every Christian sect is a 'religion', full of doctrines and rules handed down by men. This is not so. Many Christians do their best to follow Scripture, the only source of inerrant, unchanging truth from God. Please don't put your eternal security in what any religion (ie man leading a belief system) teaches; go to the Word of God and see what it says.

It is possible to know 100% that you will spend eternity in Heaven with God. It is possible to know you are forgiven of your sin, past, present and future. These realities bring great peace. 

The Damning Power of False Religion

The Real Kodachrome

While this song has continued to ring in my ears even though I don't listen to secular music, or even the radio much (and then it's talk radio), it makes me thankful that there is One who can make an aspect of our existence much better than any film. We can have real, lasting change based on convictions...even though sometimes it would seem that having no firm lines is easier. Albeit, in all areas of life, we can't be dogmatic.

A relationship with the Lord will give a perspective on eternity that surpasses the misery of life here on earth, and the gospel is rightly "the good news". We can be free from sin, free from the turmoil of this worldly culture....free from the wisdom of men, which I find more laborious to deal with than many things. So while Kodachrome added brilliant colors to photographs, it wasn't change that could seep in to the people in the pictures. That sort of surface change is all we get from trying to also change our perspective on the world to be one with no absolutes.

Remember along with me-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pLsDxvAErTU