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.
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.
posted by herewegoagain at 7:22 PM
4 Comments:
I like your term "salvation salvation" because expands on the term Lordship Salvation in a way that both supports it and explains it. Since you took the liberty of changing that familiar term, it reminded me of another term I would like to change. Many people speak of "working out your salvation". Now that is a perfectly good term and I understand that it has nothing at all to do with being saved by works or even keeping your salvation by works. I wonder, however, how many new Christians (or, even old Christians like me) are confused by that wording. I like to refer to it as "living out your salvattion". That probably didn't originate in my mind. I might have read it somewhere, but it says even more to me because working is something we do just part of the day and then we rest; living is something we do 24/7.
The exhortation to "work out your own salvation with fear and trembling." comes from Philippians 2:12, and harmonizes with verse 13: "For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do (NASB: work) of His good pleasure." Thus, the sovereign in-working of God produces the out-working of the believer's obedience. See also Philippians 1:6.
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This article also addresses Philippians 2:12 and the doctrine of the Perseverance of the Saints in general.
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