Some Observations About Lordship Salvation

By Pastor Jack Hyles...

Now here are some observations about Lordship Salvation . . .

1. In the final analysis, it is salvation by works, which is in direct contrast to the teaching of the Scriptures. Titus 3:5, "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost." Romans 3:28, "Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law." Romans 4:2, "For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God." Ephesians 2:8, 9, "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." Romans 4-5, "But to him that worketh not, but believeth on Him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness."

2. If one must accept Christ as Lord of his life in order to be saved, it would of necessity remove growth in grace. If one has yielded his life to Christ as Lord at salvation, there would be no babes in Christ, but the simple truth is that there are babes in Christ. I Corinthians 3: 1, "And 1, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ." I Peter 2:2, "As new born babes, desire the sincere milk of the Word, that ye may grow thereby."

3. Lordship salvation necessitates the doctrine of losing one's salvation. If one must make Jesus his Lord in order to be saved, then when he backslides to the position to where Jesus is no longer his Lord, consistency would drive us to believe that he is no longer saved. This would make us doubt the salvation of Peter when he denied the Lord, the salvation of Barnabas when he had contention with Paul, the salvation of Jonah when he left the will of God, etc.

4. Lordship salvation makes no provision for the carnal Christian. None of us takes pleasure in the carnality of a Christian, but the fact remains that there is such a person taught in the Bible. In I Corinthians 3:1 we have the carnal Christian and the spiritual Christian. "And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as babes in Christ." The world is divided between saved and lost. The saved are divided between carnal and spiritual. I do not delight that there carnal Christians, but I must accept the fact that they exist.

5. Lordship salvation removes grace and would nullify the plainest verses in the Bible concerning salvation. John 3:15, "That whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal life." John 3:16, "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." John 3:36, "He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him." John 5:24, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth My word, and believeth on Him that sent Me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life." John 1: 11, 12, "He came unto His own, and His own received Him not. But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name." Ephesians 2:8, 9, "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." All of these verses plainly tell us salvation is by believing; that is, by faith in the finished work of Calvary.

6. Salvation is receiving, not giving. John 1: 12, "But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name." In salvation it is God Who does the giving, not man. Man does the receiving. God gives His Son. John 3:16, "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." God gives eternal life. John 10:28, "And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand." God gives us all things. Romans 8:32, "He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?" To be a believer, one accepts what God has given. To be a disciple, one gives. Salvation comes from the sacrifice of Christ. Discipleship comes from the sacrifice of self. Salvation depends on God's faithfulness. Discipleship depends on my faithfulness. Hence, salvation cannot be lost. Discipleship can be lost.

Occasionally someone will say, "You can be saved if you will give your heart to Jesus." Now I think that people who use this statement are sincere, and many have been saved in response to their appeal, but technically one is saved, not because he gives his heart to Jesus; one is saved because he receives Jesus and His gift of eternal life.

7. Lordship salvation would make salvation a trade or a deal or maybe even a bribe. It would take away the simple reception of Christ for eternal life and would become God giving us something if we give Him something. God would say to us, "You give Me something; I'll give you something. We will trade, and you will be saved." Salvation is not my giving God something and God giving me something; salvation is God giving me something and my receiving it. Romans 6:23 "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."

In order to understand the Lordship of Christ, let us notice the following:

1. The unsaved man is IN the flesh and sin is IN him.

2. He receives Christ. Christ comes IN him. Colossians 1:27, "To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory."

3. When Christ enters, the old man does not leave. Though Christ is in him, so is the old nature. Romans 7:15-17, "For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I. If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good. Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me." There is the new man and there is the old man in the believer. Romans 7:22, 23, "For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: but I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members."

4. The new man needs new environment. Hence, he is IN Christ. 2nd 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 2:6, "And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus." The term "in Christ" or its equivalent is mentioned over 130 times in the New Testament.

5. Now that I am IN Christ, many things are made available to me. Ephesians 1:3, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ." I Corinthians 3:21, "Therefore let no man glory in men. For all things are yours." Romans 8:32, "He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?"

6. Though these things are available to me, they are not forced upon me, though I live where they are. Notice that I am already in Christ, and now that I am in Him, these things are available to me, but I must choose to have them.

One of these things is fellowship with God. Ephesians 2:13, "But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ."

Another is a spiritual walk. 1 John 2:6, "He that saith he abideth in Him ought himself also so to walk, even as He walked."

Another is His approval. Romans 16:10, "Salute Apelles approved in Christ. Salute them which are of Aristobulus' household."

Another is spiritual growth. Colossians 2:7, "Rooted and built up in Him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving."

Another is spiritual maturity. Colossians 1:28, "Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus."

Another is sanctification. 1 Corinthians 1:2, "Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours."

All of these things are available to the believer. All are at his disposal, whereas none were before he came in Christ. When he became a new creature and entered into Christ, these and many other things were made available to him. Now to whatever extent man avails himself of these things that are at his disposal, Christ is his Lord. Naturally, the baby Christian does not avail himself of all the things that are his any more than the babe in the house avails himself to the washing machine or the family car. However, as we avail ourselves more and more of the things that Christ has made for us, we grow in grace and Jesus becomes more the Lord of our lives.

Perhaps the greatest Christian who ever lived was the Apostle Paul. In speaking of himself he said, "O wretched man that I am." He called himself "the chief of sinners." He said the things that he would do, he did not, and the things he would not do, he did. Probably Jesus was Lord of more of Paul's life than any other person who ever lived, but Paul himself said he had not yet apprehended.

In conclusion, notice the vanity and pride involved in one testifying to his salvation who believes in Lordship salvation. He is saying, "I have made Jesus my Lord." That means that Jesus controls his life and he is totally yielded. My, what a statement for a person to make about himself! On the other hand, notice the humility in the person's testimony who says, "I am saved because I received Christ as my Saviour." He is talking about a salvation that he did not merit. He did nothing to receive it except receive it. It was a gift. Whereas, if we had to give something to God to get something in return, he and God made a trade and his salvation is earned.

SOURCE: 'Blue Denim And Lace,' Chapter 11, 'Lordship Salvation'