Wednesday, June 01, 2011

Denying

When I'm interacting with someone who preaches Lordship Salvation I often get asked how one can be saved while "denying" Christ's lordship. Of course by "lordship" the person means the mastery of Christ over all aspects of one's life.

The conversation often degenerates from there. The person will often use this as the pivot point in the conversation and will stop listening while declaring a philosophical victory.  I have yet to find a single LS advocate who is able and willing to show in the Scriptures where submission to the mastery of Christ over your life is required to become saved in the Scriptures, but even if they would or could very few will continue the conversation after their philosophical victory.

They characterize my clear, and unchanging, statement that the Bible does not require this kind of submission for a person to become saved in the most philosophically offensive way they can manage and then take the distaste of their statement as an indication of victory.

So I would like to ask the three following questions, given that not requiring submission to something is equivalent to denying that thing.

Question 1. Where does the Bible explicitly state that one cannot be saved while denying Christ's mastery over all aspects of one's life?  Ref:http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/explicitly

Question 2. What of the following things may one "deny" and still be saved? Please include an explicit reference in your answers.

Advocate ( 1 John 2:1 )
Almighty ( Rev 1:8 Mt 28:18 )
Alpha and Omega ( Rev 1:8 Rev 22:13 )
Amen ( Rev 3:14 )
Apostle of our Profession ( Heb 3:1 )
Atoning Sacrifice for our Sins ( 1 John 2:2 )
Author of Life ( Acts 3:15 )
Author and Perfecter of our Faith ( Heb 12:2 )
Author of Salvation ( Heb 2:10 )
Beginning and End ( Rev 22:13 )
Blessed and only Ruler ( 1 Tim 6:15 )
Bread of God ( John 6:33 )
Bread of Life ( John 6:35 John 6:48 )
Bridegroom ( Mt 9:15 )
Capstone ( Acts 4:11 1 Pet 2:7 )
Chief Cornerstone ( Eph 2:20 )
Chief Shepherd ( 1 Pet 5:4 )
Christ ( 1 John 2:22 )
Creator ( John 1:3 )
Deliverer ( Rom 11:26 )
Eternal Life ( 1 John 1:2 1 John 5:20)
Gate ( John 10:9 )
Faithful and True ( Rev 19:11 )
Faithful Witness ( Rev 1:5 )
Faithful and True Witness ( Rev 3:14 )
First and Last ( Rev 1:17 Rev 2:8 Rev 22:13 )
Firstborn From the Dead ( Rev 1:5 )
Firstborn over all creation ( Col 1:15 )
Gate ( John 10:9 )
God ( John 1:1 John 20:28 Heb 1:8 Rom 9:5 2 Pet 1:1 1 John 5:20 etc.)
Good Shepherd ( John 10:11 John 10:14 )
Great Shepherd ( Heb 13:20 )
Great High Priest ( Heb 4:14 )
Head of the Church ( Eph 1:22 Eph 4:15 Eph 5:23)
Heir of all things ( Heb 1:2 )
High Priest ( Heb 2:17 )
Holy and True ( Rev 3:7 )
Holy One ( Acts 3:14 )
Hope ( 1 Tim 1:1 )
Hope of Glory ( Col 1:27 )
Horn of Salvation ( Luke 1:69 )
I Am ( John 8:58 )
Image of God ( 2 Cor 4:4 )
Immanuel ( Mt 1:23 )
Judge of the living and the dead ( Acts 10:42 )
King Eternal ( 1 Tim 1:17 )
King of Israel ( John 1:49 )
King of the Jews ( Mt 27:11 )
King of kings ( 1 Tim 6:15 Rev 19:16 )
King of the Ages ( Rev 15:3 )
Lamb (Rev. 13:8)
Lamb of God (John 1:29)
Lamb Without Blemish (1 Pet. 1:19)
Last Adam (1 Cor. 15:45)
Life (John 14:6; Col. 3:4)
Light of the World (John 8:12)
Lion of the Tribe of Judah (Rev. 5:5)
Living One (Rev. 1:18)
Living Stone (1 Pet. 2:4)
Lord (2 Pet. 2:20)
Lord of All (Acts 10:36)
Lord of Glory (1 Cor. 2:8)
Lord of lords (Rev. 19:16)
Man from Heaven (1 Cor. 15:48)
Mediator of the New Covenant (Heb. 9:15)
Mighty God (Isa. 9:6)
Morning Star (Rev. 22:16)
Offspring of David (Rev. 22:16)
Only Begotten Son of God (John 1:18; 1 John 4:9)
Our Great God and Savior (Titus 2:13)
Our Holiness (1 Cor. 1:30)
Our Husband (2 Cor. 11:2)
Our Protection (2 Thess. 3:3)
Our Redemption (1 Cor. 1:30)
Our Righteousness (1 Cor. 1:30)
Our Sacrificed Passover Lamb (1 Cor. 5:7)
Power of God (1 Cor. 1:24)
Precious Cornerstone (1 Pet. 2:6)
Prophet (Acts 3:22)
Rabbi (Mt. 26:25)
Resurrection and Life (John 11:25)
Righteous Branch (Jer. 23:5)
Righteous One (Acts 7:52; 1 John 2:1)
Rock (1 Cor. 10:4)
Root of David (Rev. 5:5; 22:16)
Ruler of God’s Creation (Rev. 3:14)
Ruler of the Kings of the Earth (Rev. 1:5)
Savior (Eph. 5:23; Titus 1:4; 3:6; 2 Pet. 2:20)
Son of David (Lk. 18:39)
Son of God (John 1:49; Heb. 4:14)
Son of Man (Mt. 8:20)
Son of the Most High God (Lk. 1:32)
Source of Eternal Salvation for all who obey him (Heb. 5:9)
The One Mediator (1 Tim. 2:5)
The Stone the builders rejected (Acts 4:11)
True Bread (John 6:32)
True Light (John 1:9)
True Vine (John 15:1)
Truth (John 1:14; 14:6)
Way (John 14:6)
Wisdom of God (1 Cor. 1:24)
Word (John 1:1)
Word of God (Rev. 19:13)

Question 3 is intended to be humorous.

Question 3: If the LS advocate comes to the conclusion that there is no Biblical authority given to allow anyone to "deny" any of these and still be saved, then how long is the ACTUAL LS Gospel then??? Do you schedule weeks or months to present it?

"No Sir! You cannot be saved and deny that Jesus is the Stone that the builders rejected!"   
"But what does that even mean???"  
"Submit!" 

To return to seriousness we could all take up a position called "Bridegroom Salvation" and argue it with all the same arguments that we hear about LS theology...

LS is about philosophy, not Scripture.

3 comments:

Kevl said...

This is basically a repost of an 2007 article - Of All The Twisted Logic

Kev

Jan said...

"No Sir! You cannot be saved and deny that Jesus is the Stone that the builders rejected!"

"But what does that even mean???"

"Submit!"


That was funny!

JanH

Kevl said...

I'm glad SOMEONE got it! hehehe