What About Lordship Salvation?

I have heard good preachers use the terminolgy "Accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior". It used to be "accept Jesus as your personal Savior." However, there is a vast difference between receiving Him as our Savior and as our Lord and Savior. Luke 2:11 says: "For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord." To those who are lost, He must be their Savior before He can be their Lord. What did Jesus say in Luke 6:46? "And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?" Therefore, if one must vow to surrender his life to Christ as a condition of salvation and not as a result of it, then he has effectively brought works into his salvation. Making a vow was a component of the Law. "When thou shalt vow a vow unto the LORD your God, thou shalt not slack to pay it: for the LORD thy God will surely require it of thee; and it would be sin in thee." Jesus Christ rendered the necessary obedience to make our salvation possible. "For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righetous." (Romans 5:19). Salvation is by grace alone through faith without any regard to works--past or future. "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God" Not of works, lest any man should boast." (John 6:28) The Jews asked Jesus: What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?" Jesus answered them: "This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent." (v. 29) Faith is all that's necessary for salvation. Our two best examples are the publican in Luke 18 and the thief on the cross. Do you see in either of their prayers, "I now ask you to take control of my life" that sinners are told to pray today? No. The publican "would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven" and prayed "God be merciful to me a sinner." He felt his helplessness and his unworthiness! What about the thief? What could he promise? Nothing. He was dying! He implored, "Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom." He only wanted to even be a thought in Jesus' mind when He came to reign. He realized that he deserved his punishment. Am I advocating antinomianism, or living just like you want to after salvation? Absolutely not! "What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? (Romans 6:1,2) I am not denying the Lordship of Christ over the believer (the one already saved); there must be a change of the heart of the lost about sin (repentance): but works does not enter into the mind of the sinner coming to God for salvation.

Preachers and Quotes

When ABA preachers preach (especially when other ABA preachers are present, in seminary and in some type of associational meeting) they often quote from a "famous Preacher" (not ABA). The quote will almost always include a reference to universal church. IMO, a sermon may be great the rest of the way, but sours on me by a universal church quote. Watch for it in seminary chapel services, revival services, etc. Note: This post was the week before the pastor and missionary conference. Some I consider excellent preachers have been caught in this trap. Why would anyone defend using universal church heresy quotes in a MB sermon? Why have others not realized it or do not talk about it? When MB are fed a steady diet of universal church quotes, some will pick up the lingo even if they profess not to believe universal church. Example are: the Church; the rapture of the church; the American church; the Western church. When a preacher quotes someone, he is tarred by their beliefs. Who do MB quote? Mathew Henry, who couldn't find a NT church with a Bible, both hand and a flashlight. Many other names could be given. When a preacher uses a universal church quote, it doesn't make him look better in eyes of sound, solid MB.

How Far Is Too Far?

"For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God." (Romans 6:10)

Here is another situation that concerns me: churches receiving members from other churches. It is the policy of some brethren when questioning a prospective member from a Southern Baptist church to only go so far as to ask: what church baptized you? It is common knowledge that many (if not a majority) of SB churches practice open communion and it is a growing practice of these churches to receive a person's baptism as long as they are immersed and satisfied, no matter what denomination baptized them. Other brethren will say "When in doubt, I rebaptize." Even others will say that when a church starts practicing open communion, they have ceased to be a true church and have lost their authority to baptize. Others will say that because scriptural baptism by John the Baptist was the foundation of the church that Jesus established, that alien immersion is the dividing line. My opinion falls at where a church begins to fellowship false churches in union meetings, or open communion, or alien immersion. There is no Biblical consensus on this issue, even in the ABA. Here's the problem: baptism is a type of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We need to know how far is too far because it is serious business to break a type. Just ask Moses. It kept him from being allowed by God to pass into the Promised Land. I'm not saying that we don't need a line, but we must have a clearer line. 2 Timothy 3:16,17: "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works." Would God through Paul in 1 Corinthians 11:2 by implication command us to "keep the ordinances" and not give us the instructions in His word to carry out His commands?

Choking On The Briars

I am posting about something that really concerns me. It's a widely-used saying: "Spit out the briars." One of the reasons I bring attention to this is a conversation on Facebook that I made a comment on. This is the gist of a comment made by one of our dear brethren about another brother who has gone off "the deep end" doctrinally: I respect your views. I don't agree with everything he does, nor does he agree with everything I do. Another dear brother that we know ended the conversation with this to this same fallen brother: "I would enjoy a good conversation as well as fellowship". It's one thing to have a civil conversation (which we all need to be reminded to do at least from time to time), being respectful of the person, and even to pray for a brother who has fallen that he will return to the truth, but it's quite another issue to say that you respect their views. It's also one thing to hang out with a person: you can hang out with anyone and even be their friend, but having fellowship means we hold things in common. When someone leaves the truth on salvation or the church, you can't have the same fellowship that you once had. I wish our older brethren that I have the deepest respect for would quit giving this admonition to "spit out the briars" and would only recommend writers who are at the minimum sound Baptists if they are not ABA. I'm afraid our younger brethren may read after too many emerging church authors and may wind up choking on the briars because some of these guys are way out in left field.

Preachers and Preaching

Why are there so many preachers and yet so many churches without pastors? In AR in the state assoc. minute book, the list of preachers is longer than the list of pastors. Could it be preachers are doing other things and considering their ministry a secondary thing? As I understand the call to preach, it includes a desire (burden) to pastor a church. 1 Tim. 3:1. 34 years ago when I started preaching, preachers still believed it was the greatest honor in the world to pastor a church. When young preachers got calls to go preach, they didn't worry how far, how many were attending or how much they would get, they were ready to go preach. Where has such a love for preaching gone? I'm sure all are not that way, but it seems more and more announce a call and find it too much sacrifice to interrupt their good time schedules to go preach. God's Word reminds us all to preach in season and out of season. Preach the Word. Prepare to preach. Go preach. The call of God requires nothing less.

US News and World Report

1 Tim. 4:1, 2 details this exact time in human history as accurately as only the inpsired Word of God can do. "Doctrines of devils" and "speaking lies in hypocrisy" has reached such filthy depths I could never have imagined in the Special Collector's Edition of the US News and World Report on newstands in December 2009. Its false information gives rise to skepticism and casts despicable lies against the Word of God, the writers of the books of the Bible and the contents of the books. P. 19 refers to a book of dastardly words about the life of Jesus Christ in such pornographic terms that I am amazed such could be printed by any magazine wishing to retain its readers. For such horrible lies, innuendoes and false accusations against the very person of the Lord Jesus Christ, I will never purchase another copy of this magazine EVER. I wish I could rally enough support from godly people in the US that they could be boycotted to the point they get into such financial disarray they have to go out of business.

Doctrinal Statements

A doctrinal statement should be limited to doctrine. When practices are included in the list as doctrines, they become a tool used to force the churches in line with the practice in the doctrinal statement or be out of fellowship or thrown out of fellowship of the association. When either occurs, the association infringes upon the sovereignty of the local church. What are the weirdest things you have ever seen in a doctrinal statement of ABA churches in a local association or state association?