The Lordship Of Christ
One of the most important and impactful books I have read in the past twenty years is John MacArthur’s The Gospel According to Jesus Christ. I highly recommend this book to all Christians, especially those who may be struggling with their faith and identifying whether they are true believers in Christ. What is true faith and what is the evidence of being born-again? This book centers on the Lordship controversy. Must one believe in Jesus as both Lord and Saviour?
To most of you who have been taught in this church, this question seems foolish to ask. However, this is an extremely sensitive issue among many fundamental Baptists. In their pursuit of high-pressure evangelism and seeking professions, they separate the Lordship of Christ from the belief in Jesus as Saviour. They believe, at least initially, we must not preach Jesus to lost sinners as anything more than Saviour. It is not necessary to have evidence of a changed life as Christ will save them as they are, and they may or may not “make Jesus the Lord of their lives.” To ask more, is to preach a works salvation.
We believe, as MacArthur does, that the Lordship of Christ is not optional. It does not come after profession of faith but is an integral part of saving faith. There is no salvation without it. True salvation is always evidenced by a changed life. This is rejected by these fundamental Baptists because they cannot so easily count a person as a believer and thus it dampens their soul winning numbers. After their salvation, the confessor should “make Jesus the Lord of their lives,” which is a phrase nowhere found in scripture. This phrase is so often used that hardly anyone questions it. Dr. Voddie Bauchman commented, “I didn’t make Jesus my Lord. If you make Him your Lord that means you’re Lord because you told your Lord what to do. You acknowledge Lordship. You don’t bequeath Lordship.”
This is the correct biblical interpretation of this subject. In Peter’s sermon on Pentecost, he preached, “Let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye crucified, both Lord and Christ.” (Acts 2:36). Romans 10:9 says, “If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” There should be no argument that salvation in Christ can be separated from the Lordship of Christ. This is the Bible’s teaching and the centuries old Baptist confession. Our statement of faith reads in Article VIII: “We believe that Repentance and Faith are sacred duties, and also inseparable graces, wrought in our souls by the regenerating Spirit of God; whereby being deeply convinced of our guilt, danger, and helplessness, and of the way of salvation by Christ we turn to God with unfeigned contrition, confession, and supplication for mercy; at the same time heartily receiving the Lord Jesus Christ as our Prophet, Priest, and King, and relying on him alone as the only and all-sufficient Saviour.” Notice that we confess our guilt and the way of salvation by Christ; we turn to God with genuine contrition: AT THE SAME TIME heartily receiving THE LORD JESUS CHRIST as Prophet, Priest and King…” This identifies salvation as belief in the Saviour and acknowledging Him as Lord. There is no separation of these. The Confession also says in Article VII that the evidence of salvation is newness of life. Again, who can dispute this with any biblical text?
The importance of MacArthur’s book is the warning against claims of salvation when no evidence exists. We commonly hear of people who are backslidden, have fallen out of church, and have no desire to serve the Lord or have any sense of His Lordship over their lives. While we do not disagree with the prospect of a backslidden state, we do not believe a true Christian lives in this state for extended periods of time. The problem is not backsliding—the problem is salvation. In Article 17 of the 1689 London Confession of Faith, the confession addresses the perseverance of the saints. Section 3 speaks of backsliding and grievous sins committed at times by believers. Yet it ends with, “they shall renew their repentance and be preserved through faith in Christ to the end.” Baptists did not entertain the possibility of not surrendering to the Lordship of Christ and existing simultaneously in a state of salvation.
This topic is extremely important to our churches today. Paul wrote we must examine ourselves to see if we are in the faith. What is the purpose of this statement if evidence of Lordship makes no difference? Our conclusion is that many fundamental Baptists are fundamentally wrong on the doctrine of salvation. This is a most dangerous position. We must not be guilty of giving passes to the spiritually unfit. The eternal soul is at stake.
Pastor V. Mark Smith