#2 It also sounds like a semantic exercise of insisting good works are “necessary” but avoids using the taboo phrase “faith and works”.
It is more than just a semantic exercises, this leads to paradoxes and a skewed redefinition of faith. Although I may disagree with the faith+works=Salvation idea, there is not necessarily an inherent contradiction or paradox in the idea. Among Lordship Salvationists, there was a quote that went something like “grace is free but it will cost you everything” or accusing Christians of adopting “cheap grace”. Grace is an undeserved gift of God, not a commodity to be bought and sold, whether cheaply or expensively.
It also seems to stem from a confusion between eternal life and discipleship. Looking at the Scripture, they do not appear to be the same (I can go deeper in this if you want).
Jesus cannot be considered a person’s savior (that is, bringer of salvation) without simultaneously being lord of the person’s life
1 Corinthians 12:3
Therefore I tell you that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus be cursed,” and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.
Philippians 2:11
and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
These two verses, along with Roman 10:9, are not about making ‘Jesus the lord of your life’, but more about confessing certain truths/facts about Jesus.
In each of those verses, the Greek word translated as ‘Lord’ is kurios. In the Septuagint, ‘kurios’ is used to translate several Hebrew words for titles of ‘God’. This is not, as best I can tell and the Scripture and context shows, some metaphysical ‘make Jesus the lord of your life’ issue, but an affirmation/confession that Jesus is God (similar to the Petrine Confession in Matthew 16:16 and Martha’s confession in John 11:27).
Now, I agree that using grace as a license to sin, and I confess I have been guilty of this, is in itself wrong and sinful, but simply twisting Scripture and using fear of Hell (which seems to be, at least anecdotally, how LS derives its power: ‘if you’re acting as we think a Christian shouldn’t act, you’re in danger of loss of Salvation and going to Hell’) is not a proper (or I would say even effective) way of dealing with this issue. I don’t see how works stemming from fear of Hell and insecurity are the same as works stemming from faith and love.
As fellow Believers, we should teach people of God’s love and grace; “reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine” (2 Timothy 4:2) and do this often (Hebrew 3:13) and pray for each other (1 Timothy 2:1).
I want to make it clear that Free Grace theology (of which I believe in, read the article [WHAT IS “FREE GRACE” THEOLOGY?](WHAT IS “FREE GRACE” THEOLOGY?) from Grace Evangelical Society for more information), which stands in opposition to Lordship Salvation, is not trying to say that faith should not produce good works.
In fact, Charles Spurgeon, considered almost protortype ‘Free Grace’ theologian, had this to say on sanctification:
Had it been possible for you to have had salvation without sanctification, it would have been a curse to you instead of a blessing. If such a thing were possible, I cannot conceive of a more lamentable condition than for a man to, have the happiness of salvation without the holiness of it; happily, it is not possible. If you could be saved from the consequences of sin, but not from the sin itself, and its power and pollution, it would be no blessing to you.
Charles Caldwell Ryan, a ‘Free Grace’ theologian and premillienial dispensationalists, wrote this in his book
So Great Salvation:
Every Christian will bear spiritual fruit. Somewhere, sometime, somehow. Otherwise that person is not a believer. Every born-again individual will be fruitful. Not to be fruitful is to be faithless, without faith, and therefore without salvation.
Thus, I would put it this way:
‘Bearing fruit’, good works and sancitifcation are a natural outgrowth from faith and belief, but we have to remember that:
- Sanctification is by the Spirit (2 Thessalonians 2:13) and thus we cannot try to, as humans, define what a ‘proper’ sanctification is; believe in the truth and sanctification will occur
- Much like in the ‘Parable of the Ten Talents’ (Matthew 25:14-30), people will produce different amounts of ‘fruit’ at different times and it may not be noticable to others or perhaps even ourselves
I hope this makes sense.
