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.
15 comments:
Kev,
Great post. I especially liked when you said: "the Gospel as preached by the Apostles 1 Cor 15:11". Yes, all the apostle preached the same Gospel set forth "as of first importance" in 1 Corinthians 15:3-5. I am going to add a link to your blog from FGFS.
JP
Hey Jonathan, thanks! TCC holds that the complete Gospel of Grace is found in 1 Cor 15:1-11.
For a long time I completely missed the implications of verse 11. But it is now most dear to me.
Blessya!
Kev
Kev:
I appreciate this article that serves as a reminder of the need to contend for the faith once delivered (Jude 3) in regard to the Lordship message that frustrates grace (Gal. 2:21).
Even though you have the original of my book, I trust you will find it an effective tool in the debate over and resistance of Lordship Salvation.
I’ll have more for you later this morning, but let me add a note of thanks for your preserving this thread from contamination by the Crossless heresy and its advocates. The last thing we need is to be erroneously connected to the Hodges, Wilkin, and GES extremist faction of the Free Grace movement. That is a serious misnomer that robs any who are connected to GES of any credibility in the LS discussions.
A great deal has been done to expose, refute and isolate the reductionist assault on the Person and work of Jesus Christ by the Hodges, Wilkin, GES faction of the Free Grace movement.
In 2006, during my debates with key LS advocates, it was a distraction having Crossless advocates and their glaring heresy interfering with my refuting the errors of LS. It took several weeks to help LS advocates understand that I reject the egregious errors coming from Hodges and Wilkin. Addressing LS without a connection to the heresy of the Crossless gospel frees us from the legitimate heretical targets of Zane Hodges that LS advocates have zeroed in on for nearly two decades to hinder our defense of the Gospel.
Keeping a clear distinction away from the Crossless/Deityless faction of the Free Grace movement is important as we engage the errors of Lordship Salvation.
I wrote an article that defines the fracture in the Free Grace movement. Your guests may want to read, Is RE-DEFINED Free Grace Theology- Free Grace Theology?
Kind regards,
Lou
Hi Lou,
Yup the fire to get back at what I consider the "real" threat in Christendom has been burning in me for a while.
The thing the Lordship Advocates have over the CG Group is that they have a much more consistent hermeneutic. Their arguments are much stronger and more logical. It comes down to proof-texting and re-contextualizing Scripture (just like every error I've ever seen - especially mine) but they do it with such a overwhelming "umph!" that unless one is fairly well studied what they say can seem like the Truth.
This is the real danger. I honestly believe most anyone in Christ can see the error the CG Group promotes. I'm sure some are just plain deceived but to anyone who has read any real amount of Scripture one must wonder if they are just being willfully disobedient.
Kev
Kev:
IMO, the bad behavior that some Crossless advocates exhibit indicates to me some level of "willful disobedience."
Lou
Kev:
At his blog, Free Grace Free Speech, Jon Perreault, just published a thoroughly documented proof that the only thing “consistent” about the Grace Evangelical Society’s “ReDefined” Free Grace theology of the Crossless gospel is that it is “consistently” wrong and a radical departure from the biblical plan of salvation.
The title, Consistent Free Grace Evangelism?
Attempts are being made to legitimize the Crossless interpretation of the Gospel as an acceptable “nuance of doctrine.” The egregious errors of the new interpretation of the Gospel by Zane Hodges are so numerous it is preposterous to suggest that the Crossless gospel is anything other than a radical departure from the biblical plan of salvation.
The teaching of Hodges, which insists the lost man does not need to know, understand or believe in the Person and /or finished work of Jesus Christ is heresy of the first order. Sadly, some have been deceived and have gone on to perpetuate these heretical views.
The deity and finished work of Jesus Christ, according to some GES men must be “put on the back burner” in an evangelistic setting if the lost man objects to any of these truths. This is a practical denial of the truths Crossless advocates claim to hold dear and insist they preach consistently.
Another friend wrote, “What do you have left with all of this removed from the ‘kerugma’ of the Gospel? Practically nothing!”
The refining process of the GES has been “consistent,” in that it has consistently “ReDefined” the Gospel down to a Crossless & Deityless, non-saving proposition.
Calls for unity around the heresy of the Crossless gospel can only be accepted at the expense of treason against the Lord Jesus Christ and His Word, which forbids such unholy alliances.
LM
Kev:
You closed with,
“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.”
I could not agree more.
Such good work from JM on areas like the charismatic and church growth movements, but desperately wrong on the Gospel.
I am very happy you used the word "requirement," because that is what the greatest controversy and error is over.
LS requires from the lost man an upfront commitment to submission and surrender in “exchange” for the gift of eternal life. Those things, “good works” (Eph. 2:10) belong to, and are meant for the born again disciple of Christ. They are not conditions that mandate a commitment to for the reception of the gift of eternal life.
Lou
You know I'm not one to enjoy coming under titles or associating with groups of people under a title... we have one Banner and He is The Christ. His Name above all.
But time and time again when I hear people talk about the error of "free grace" I want to ask them "How much should grace cost?"
Is not salvation free? If it were not free how could it be "by grace"? ]
I would say that I am a believer in "free grace" simply because there can be no other kind of grace.
It grieves me that a Brother in the Lord can talk about salvation being "of the Lord" and "free" and "by Grace through faith" "apart from works" and then put such a burden on the sinner seeking salvation?
Who ever calls on the Lord will be saved. That's what MY Bible says. My Bible also says that one can't call on the Lord without believing in Him. So there we have it.. repentant faith.. I need help the Lord who died for Me can help me in that He has paid the price for me and risen from the dead.
God Bless,
Kev
Kev:
As for titles, I don't put much stock in that. As for me I just try to stand where the Bible stands whether or not that stand associates me with a particular group or not.
LM
Kev:
I want to provide your guests with an example from the two opposite extreme interpretations of the Gospel.
This first is from the reductionist interpretation that is known as the Crossless gospel from the GES’s ReDefined Free Grace Theology.
In the latest copy of the Grace Evangelical Society’s Grace In Focus news letter an article by Bob Wilkin appears. It is titled Scavenger Hunt Salvation Without a List. Dr. Wilkin states:
“To be born again, eternally saved, all one needs to do is believe that Jesus Christ guarantees everlasting life to all who simply believe in Him for it..(passage list)..What about the virgin birth, the Trinity, Jesus’ bodily resurrection, Jesus’ post-resurrection appearances, Jesus' substitutionary death on the cross, Jesus' sinless life, Jesus’ miracles, the indwelling ministry of the Holy Spirit, the convicting work of the Holy Spirit, the hypostatic union, and on son? Knowing these things certainly makes it easier to believe in Jesus for eternal life. But does it follow that we must believe these things to be saved? No.”
This second (three-part) example is from John MacArthur’s, The Gospel According to Jesus. These are examples of adding to the Gospel, which frustrates grace (Gal. 2:21).
“That is the kind of response the Lord Jesus called for: wholehearted commitment. A desire for him at any cost. Unconditional surrender. A full exchange of self for the Savior. It is the only response that will open the gates of the kingdom. Seen through the eyes of this world, it is as high a price as anyone can pay. But from a kingdom perspective, it is really no sacrifice at all.” (TGATJ: Revised & Expanded, p. 148. )
“The gospel Jesus proclaimed was a call to discipleship, a call to follow Him in submissive obedience. . . . Forsaking oneself for Christ’s sake is not an optional step of discipleship subsequent to conversion; it is the sine qua non of saving faith.” (TGATJ: Revised & Expanded, pp. 27, 142.)
“Let me say again unequivocally that Jesus’ summons to deny self and follow him was an invitation to salvation, not . . . a second step of faith following salvation. . . . Those who are not willing to lose their lives for Christ are not worthy of Him. . . . He wants disciples willing to forsake everything. This calls for full-scale self-denial--even willingness to die for His sake if necessary”. (TGATJ: Revised & Expanded, pp. 221, 226.)
LM
Hio Lou,
John's new revision of TGATJ should be here at my house Monday or Tuesday. I look forward to reviewing it.
I especially can't wait to look at what he has to say on the issue of a Christian being a "slave" as I believe Jonathan brought up in email. Especially in light of the Lord's words in [b]John 8:35[/b] "And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever."
I don't know where that will lead of if there'e even anything to it. But it's the first thing I thought of when I read Jonathan's comment.
The Gospel is precious, and we must must must always preach "according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God which was committed to (our) trust."
MacArthur's book arrived today. I'm 11 pages in.. and I'm already shocked at the strawman and ad hominem approach to the book.
I'm going to have to have an open mind, and I'm going to have to try to see what he's meaning, even beyond what he's saying, if I'm going to be able to be respectful in my response to this work...
Kev
Kev:
It is important that we have ourselves staked out as NOT at all part of the GES faction of the FG movement.
That will do much to disarm LS men of many of their straw men and and give them none of the usual ripe targets Hodges and Wilkin present to them.
LM
Factions? Movements? The very fact that they or we or whoever constitutes a faction or a movement makes the whole discussion all wrong, and a divergence from the Gospels. "In vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men." (Matthew 15:9) The first time someone who called him or herself Christian tried to interpret or explain what Jesus really meant or what the Gospels intended to tell us, the Ecclesia went astray. Then we got hierarchies and doctrines and persecution of heresies (although the persecutors were just as heretical as the persecuted). With all respect to those who write books - it is good to share our insights with each other - none of them are authoritative. Neither is a flat recitation from the Bible. John Wycliffe wrote that man has no earthly overlord but Jesus, and that means Truth is ultimately between me, God (expressed and made manifest through Jesus) and the Bible made known to me by the Holy Spirit. Anyone who says, as Athanasius did, "what I say is true and if you don't believe it you cannot be saved" is wrong. There is only One who knows the truth and the whole truth, and he is merciful to those of us who do not.
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