Submit to the Lordship of Christ to be saved?

I just ordered John MacArthur's newest book The Gospel According to Jesus: What Is Authentic Faith? It's his latest iteration of his defense of why he believes what many believe is a false gospel that has become know as "Lordship Salvation." Additionally I've also ordered Lou's In Defense Of The Gospel: Biblical Answers To Lordship Salvation. A work that is currently being revised, but I didn't want to wait any longer.

There are three records of an instance in the NT where the Lord announces the actual forgiveness of a person's sins and proves His authority to do so by healing him.

In Mat 9:2 we read Then behold, they brought to Him a paralytic lying on a bed. When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you.”

Clearly there is no submission to the Lord's "Lordship" there is no "turning from sins" and there is no confession of Jesus as "Lord of his life" in this account. What we see here is the Lord sovereignly forgiving a man his sins because the Lord saw he had faith in Him. The man actually had "repented" he had put his faith in the Lord, as apposed to some other thing.

This event is also recorded in Mark 2:3-5 and Luke 5:18-20 with the same absence of the requirements of Lordship Salvation, but all the same requirements as per the Gospel as preached by the Apostles 1 Cor 15:11

John MacArthur has done some very good work over the years as a teacher of the Church. He has a sharp mind and is very well versed in Scripture. However, he teaches a false gospel. I wish it were not so. I share in his call to holiness, and submission to the Lordship of Christ. But these are not requirements for salvation at all. These are works of the Holy Spirit in the saved believer after they have been saved.

Back, and possibly even caught up!

OK so I've been crazy busy.. away from home... and there's been a healthy lump of laziness added to the mix over the last three weeks. Without checking my commitments TOO closely I think I'm caught up. So I should be back in the fray starting tonight. I understand there are some important conversations happening over the "crossless gospel" that I'll have to get caught up on, but that shouldn't take very long.

FREEDOM!!!!!!!!!!!!

Freedom! Today I have been overtaken by the blessings of the Lord!

Deut 28:1-10

1"Now it shall be, if you diligently obey the LORD your God, being careful to do all His commandments which I command you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth.

2"All these blessings will come upon you and overtake you if you obey the LORD your God:

3"Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the country.

4"Blessed shall be the offspring of your body and the produce of your ground and the offspring of your beasts, the increase of your herd and the young of your flock.

5"Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl.

6"Blessed shall you be when you come in, and blessed shall you be when you go out.

7"The LORD shall cause your enemies who rise up against you to be defeated before you; they will come out against you one way and will flee before you seven ways.

8"The LORD will command the blessing upon you in your barns and in all that you put your hand to, and He will bless you in the land which the LORD your God gives you.

9"The LORD will establish you as a holy people to Himself, as He swore to you, if you keep the commandments of the LORD your God and walk in His ways.

10"So all the peoples of the earth will see that you are called by the name of the LORD, and they will be afraid of you.

Thank you my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Kirk does Open Air in my mom's town!

My friend, and fellow laborer in the spreading of the Gospel Kirk has been seen preaching on the streets of my mom's town, Fredricton NB. Now Kirk might be a bit of a trouble maker, but I love the guy! I wonder if my mom saw him... well I guess I gotta call her to find out.

If you haven't seen someone preach the Gospel using a sketch board, you've GOT to check it out. The deal is they use all kinds of paints (visible and invisible) to tell a story that you find yourself in. Truths about how you think come to mind, and then the Gospel is explained and available to you right there and then. Yup I love the guy!

Repent With Joy

So I just picked up the 4 e-Books from Taste Heaven Now. Is it really possible to "repent with joy"? I believe so. Actually so far I've been amazed at the clarity and sense of the things I've been reading there. I decided it was well worth the $25 to get the books and investigate all the way.

I suggest giving some of the free material he has a read. It's already been beneficial in my life.