Saturday, September 30, 2006

It's Not Your Kingdom

Some call it Lordship Salvation, and that, I think, is an apt description. But I call it "salvation salvation". The faith that saves receives Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. To think that one could receive the free gift of righteousness and be forgiven of his sins, yet not submit to the lordship of Jesus Christ, is to hold to a notion that is not found in Scripture. God forgives; yes, but He does so only on His terms, and He does not entertain counter-offers. There is no option to say, "I'll take the free gift of forgiveness and eternal life, thank you very much," yet decline the command of the Lord when He says, "Follow Me." You want admission to the kingdom? Good, admission is free. But you have to submit to the King.

The apostle Peter, in his first epistle, exhorts believers to holy conduct (1 Peter 1: 14-16), then explains that "...you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ" (1 Peter 1: 18-19 NASB). How can we be redeemed from our previous futile way of living and yet continue in that same lifestyle? We are called to a new life, a holy life (v.15). We are declared righteous as a free gift (Romans 3: 24) and are born again to a new life (Romans 6:4). We are saved by grace through faith (Ephesians 2: 8,9) and we become a new creation of God, created for the good works He prepared for us to walk in (Ephesians 2: 10).

This does not mean that Christians don't sin and it absolutely does not mean that we must (or even can) do anything to earn salvation. It doesn't mean that one must set things in order before calling on the Lord for salvation, or that a believer cannot stumble badly even though he has received salvation.

It does mean that the believer has been transferred from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light (Colossians 1: 13) and we now serve a new Master, the Lord Jesus Christ.