Free Grace Gospel Versus Lordship Salvation

John 6:28-29, “Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.”

Contrast: Free Grace Theology vs. Lordship Salvation

Below is a clear, structured contrast between the two systems—doctrinally, exegetically, historically, and pastorally.

1. Definition of Faith

Free Grace Theology

• Faith is persuasion—being convinced that Jesus gives eternal life to the believer (John 3:16; John 5:24; John 6:47).
• Faith contains no inherent commitment, no promise to obey, no pledge of loyalty.
• Faith receives a gift, not a contract.
• Greek: pisteuō means to believe, to be persuaded, never “commit,” “yield,” or “surrender.”
• Salvation is a one-time event, not a lifelong project.

Lordship Salvation

• Faith is redefined as commitment, surrender, whole-life allegiance, or obedient trust.
• Faith includes willingness to follow, obey, forsake sin, submit, and persevere.
• Because works are built into the definition of faith, faith becomes faith + obedience.

Core difference:

• Free Grace makes faith about Christ’s promise.
• Lordship makes faith about the believer’s performance.

2. Salvation vs. Discipleship

Free Grace Theology

• Scripture distinguishes receiving eternal life (John 4:10; Eph. 2:8–9) from following Christ (Luke 9:23–26).
• Salvation = free gift.
• Discipleship = lifelong growth, costly obedience, bearing a cross, perseverance.

Lordship Salvation

• Salvation is discipleship; they collapse both categories.
• Conditions of discipleship become conditions of salvation.
• Demands like self-denial, taking up the cross, forsaking all, and perseverance become requirements to prove one is truly saved.

Core difference:

• Free Grace: Salvation is received; discipleship is lived.
• Lordship: Salvation is proven by discipleship.

3. Assurance of Salvation

Free Grace Theology

• Assurance comes from the promise of Christ alone (John 5:24; 6:47; 10:28–29).
• If Christ gives eternal life, then it is eternally secure.
• The foundation of assurance is God’s Word, not self-examination.

Lordship Salvation

• Assurance is obtained by evaluating one's behavior—fruit, obedience, direction of life, perseverance.
• A believer cannot know infallibly whether he will persevere.
• Therefore he cannot know if he is truly saved until the end.

Core difference:

• Free Grace: Assurance is of the essence of saving faith.
• Lordship: Assurance is the fruit of a life of obedience.

4. View of Apostasy and Sin in Believers

Free Grace Theology

• Believers can fall into sin, even serious sin, even doctrinal error.
• Believers can become spiritually shipwrecked (1 Tim. 1:19), carnal (1 Cor. 3:1–3), or deny Christ (2 Tim. 2:12–13).
• Discipline may include sickness, death, temporal judgment, loss of reward.
• But eternal life remains intact because it depends on Christ, not the believer.

Lordship Salvation

• If someone falls into serious, continual, or unrepentant sin, this proves the person was never saved.
• Perseverance in holiness is required to authenticate conversion.
• Apostates were “never truly regenerate.”

Core difference:

• Free Grace: Apostasy = loss of fellowship and reward.
• Lordship: Apostasy = proof of false conversion.

5. Interpretation of Warning Passages

Free Grace Theology

• New Testament warning passages address believers and relate to:

1. temporal discipline
2. loss of rewards
3. loss of fellowship
4. consequences in the Christian life
5. none threaten eternal condemnation

Lordship Salvation

• Warnings test whether one is a “real Christian” or merely a “professor.”
• Warnings function as salvation filters—measuring whether obedience proves regeneration.

Core difference:

• Free Grace reads warnings as family discipline.
• Lordship reads warnings as heaven-or-hell tests.

6. Rewards and Inheritance

Free Grace Theology

• Rewards are distinct from salvation.
• All believers enter the kingdom (John 3:5).
• Only faithful believers inherit (possess, rule, reign) in the kingdom (2 Tim. 2:12; Rom. 8:17; Rev. 2–3).
• Eternal rewards motivate perseverance and godly living.

Lordship Salvation

• Rewards largely collapse into “heaven itself.”
• Faithfulness becomes proof of salvation, not the basis of reward.
• Inheritance and entering the kingdom are treated as identical.

Core difference:

• Free Grace: Rewards are earned; salvation is gifted.
• Lordship: Rewards are absorbed into salvation.

7. Pastoral Practice & Lived Outcome

Free Grace Theology

• Produces at best:

1. Gratitude
2. Humility
3. Security
4. Motivation from grace
5. Compassion toward struggling believers
6. Focus on Christ, not performance

• At its worst:

1. Some believers drift into careless thinking, but Scripture calls them to sanctification, discipline, and reward—not doubt of salvation.

Lordship Salvation

• Produces at best:

1. Perpetual self-evaluation
2. Fear of being a false convert
3. Anxiety
4. Legalism in many cases
5. Suspicion toward others' salvation
6. Uncertainty about one’s standing with God

• At its worst:

1. Believers live under constant doubt, believing their salvation depends on their perseverance.
2. Core difference:
3. Free Grace produces rest.
4. Lordship produces restlessness.

8. The Middle Ground?

• There is no true middle ground because the systems begin with different definitions:
• If faith includes commitment → salvation requires works.
• If faith receives a gift → salvation is apart from works.

These systems answer different questions:

Lordship asks:
“How do you know you’re really saved?”

Free Grace asks:
“What did Jesus promise to the believer?”

SUMMARY (One Paragraph)

Free Grace Theology teaches that eternal life is a free and irrevocable gift received the moment one believes in Christ’s promise. Salvation and discipleship are distinct; assurance rests solely on God’s Word; and failure, sin, or apostasy—while tragic—cannot undo regeneration. Lordship Salvation treats faith as surrender, obedience, and perseverance, making discipleship the test of salvation, placing assurance on personal performance, and interpreting failure as evidence of false conversion. Free Grace views warnings as discipline; Lordship views them as salvation filters. In essence: Free Grace centers salvation on Christ’s work, while Lordship centers it on the believer’s response.