A Look at Lordship Salvation (VII)

The moment a man believes Jesus for salvation he has eternal life (Jo. 3:36; 1 Jo. 5:12). Scripture can't be any plainer on that point. At the moment of faith a man passes from death to life (Jo. 5:24). It happens that quickly. There is no waiting period, no trial period, no period of validation. A man is saved the instant he believes (Jo. 3:36). His works have nothing to do with his justification either before or after he believes (Ro. 3:20,24,28; 4:5; 5:1, etc.). He is justified by faith alone, not faith plus faithfulness.

Regrettably, in the minds of many evangelicals and fundamentalists, justification (or salvation) by faith has become a complicated issue. Instead of obtaining life and assurance at the moment of faith (Jo. 6:47; 2 Tim. 1:12), Lordship teachers are now saying men must wait an entire lifetime to see whether they really have what they so plainly trusted Christ for. Having ruled out faith as the basis for saving assurance, they now make a life of deep devotion, unquestionable piety, and an ever-increasing Christlikeness the foundation for assurance. To them, devotion, piety, and Christlikeness are not only a consequence of faith, but faith itself.

What Lordship proponents have done is to redefine faith as a disguised form of works. Faith is a commitment instead of a trust; it's consecration instead of a confidence; it's a perseverance instead of a persuasion. Hence, if during his lifetime a man falters in his profession and expresses a mediocre commitment, he is likely not saved and should fear for the destiny of his soul. Since faith is a radical commitment to serve--and he never radically served (however radical commitment is defined and expressed)--his faith was never genuine because his works were rarely characterized by gold, silver, and precious stones (1 Cor. 3:10-15). Ironically, many today who call themselves Lordship advocates were never saved under the very gospel they now say is the true gospel.

Scripturally speaking, obtaining eternal life isn't a difficult or illusive task. It's not like trying to catch a fistful of smoke. Rather, it's simply taking Christ at His word and, on the bare condition of a repentant faith (Acts 20:21), receiving His salvation. It's not something that evolves. It doesn't develop over time. It's an immediate possession. As far as Scripture is concerned, the instant a man takes Christ he has life (1 Jo. 5:11-13). To make commitment or submission the proof of eternal life undermines Jesus' promise that life commences at faith, not consecration. Lordshipism, however, implies that a believer must pass through a probationary period (a period of deep piety, radical commitment, and exceptional growth) to determine if he has eternal life. But this contradicts Christ's words that, if a man believes, he has eternal life at that moment (Jo. 6:47). Eternal life hinges on faith, not faithfulness. When a man trusts Christ for exactly what he was told to trust Him for, he has eternal life then and there. Works either before or after salvation are meaningless when it comes to the immediate justification of the believer.

Eternal life isn't something earned through commitment; it's received by faith. I think this is brought out nicely in Eph. 2:8-10, where Paul says we are saved "unto good works," not in connection with good works (like radical commitment, for instance). Making discipleship a lifelong validation of saving faith confuses faith and faithfulness and casts the assurance of salvation upon the unstable sands of human perseverance instead of the stable ground of Christ's promises. Moreover, it confuses service and salvation, and it misunderstands justification by faith alone, giving both "faith" and "alone" an entirely new sense.

Since eternal life comes at the moment of faith, when one initially believes, then to believe Christ is to have not only eternal life but the assurance of it. Basing assurance on commitment or submission or anything else is misguided Scripturally and disastrous spiritually. The thief on the cross had life immediately (Lk. 23:39-43). He didn't need a lifetime of radical commitment to validate His faith in Christ's promise to save. The moment he believed he had life (Lk. 23:42,43). The same is true with the woman in Luke 7:36-50. She came to Jesus and received life (Lk. 7:47-50). And she received it apart from works (Lk. 7:50) or even a promise to do them. Again, the same can be said about the woman at the well (Jo. 4:10,14).

In short, when do we know we have eternal life? At the time faith? Or at the end of a life of faithfulness? To the chagrin of Lordship advocates, it's not at the end of a life of faithfulness.