“Lordship Salvation” is Redundant
You are going through a cafeteria line…you take a big portion of mac and cheese, accept a burger, but pass on the salad and the mushroom soup. After all, you are there to take what you want.
You can’t do that with Jesus. You can’t take a big portion of “Jesus the Savior” or “Jesus the friend of sinners” or, gag, “Jesus my homeboy.”
You can’t divide a person, even when the person is a Person.
Read this from Acts 16:
25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. 26 Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the jail were shaken, and immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone’s chains came loose. 27 When the jailer woke up and saw the doors of the prison standing open, he drew his sword and was going to kill himself, since he thought the prisoners had escaped.
28 But Paul called out in a loud voice, “Don’t harm yourself, because we’re all here!”
29 The jailer called for lights, rushed in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. 30 He escorted them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
31 They said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.” 32 And they spoke the word of the Lord to him along with everyone in his house.”
The Holy Spirit had Luke pen “Lord Jesus,” not “Savior Jesus,” not “Jesus.”
We are responsible for what we know.
When I was converted in a Texas jail cell, I had just been introduced to the gospel. I was 26, and had never been in church except for weddings and funerals. I had no idea who Jesus was other than a curse word.
When I trusted Christ I did not know there was a trinity. I didn’t know the difference between a charismaniac and a king-jimmie-only baptist. I did not know about a concept called “Lordship Salvation,” nor of Zane Hodges etc rebuke of that concept.
All I knew is that I was in a hopeless condition, not because of drugs; but because of sin. I obeyed the Spirit’s tugging by surrendering to the fact that I wasn’t the boss, God is, was, and always will be the Boss.
There was no repeat after me prayer; there was no altar call. There was a lost sinner and an incredibly loving God.
In a sense, I was “all in.”
Ephesians 2.8,9 are wonderful, true verses.
So is Ephesians 2.10.
We are created for “good works.”
Grace works. Faith works.
If there ain’t no fruit, it’s because there is no shoot; because there is no root.
When you share the gospel (you are, are you not?); don’t simply describe the love and sacrifice of Jesus.
Don’t just offer a chance to “accept Jesus as your Savior and ask Him into your heart.”
Reading the Word can spoil a lot of “evangelism” trainings and “evangelism” methodology (music softly playing, blood and guts story, every head bowed….)
In reading the Gospels you find that Jesus always made it easier to say “no than to say “yes.”
Go and do thou likewise.