The Reformation Answers Lordship Salvation:
Marissa Namirr and Joy Dudley
In 1994 John MacArthur (Grace Community Church, Los Angeles, CA) released an updated version of The Gospel According to Jesus. Grace to You, the website run by John's right-hand man, Phil Johnson posted an adaptation of a portion of the book enumerating the teachings that compile Lordship Salvation. Here is a link to the GTY post entitled "Lordship Salvation": https://www.gty.org/library/articles/DD07/lordship-salvation?fbclid=IwAR3s7arY-OZCo7LCwDX2nyvw9ez-wVy_0SYYTbJpnHmcPuVY4P8S_zPGayI. In this piece we are addressing the content of the GTY article on the "distinctives" of LS. We are *not addressing the whole content of John MacArthur's doctrine, teaching, ministry or character.
Because Lordship Salvation is often confused for Reformed Theology in the Evangelical, Baptist, and Calvinistic communities, Joy and I are going to review this post, answering some of MacArthur's assertions from Reformation pastors, teachers, Confessions and Catechisms. The heart of this controversy is the heart of the Christian religion: The Gospel. If we get that wrong, we have no salvation. For, as the Apostle wrote, "The Gospel is the power of God unto salvation...". Confusion of the Gospel with any additions or distortion is not sufficient and not orthodox. (Note the definition of "orthodox," here: https://heidelblog.net/2021/07/what-is-orthodoxy/ )
So, let's dive in.
Straight out of the gate MacArthur states, “The gospel that Jesus proclaimed was a call to discipleship, a call to follow him in submissive obedience, not just a plea to make a decision or pray a prayer. Jesus’ message liberated people from the bondage of their sin while it confronted and condemned hypocrisy. It was an offer of eternal life and forgiveness for repentant sinners, but at the same time it was a rebuke to outwardly religious people whose lives were devoid of true righteousness. It put sinners on notice that they must turn from sin and embrace God’s righteousness.”
Pause at the first sentence – because herein lies the heart of the problem. The first sentence is a classic example of law/gospel confusion. Much of what Jesus proclaimed in the Gospels was not the Gospel but the Law. In preaching the Law in all of its brutality and strength, Jesus sought to elevate the Law so that people would realize that they cannot keep it. The Gospel is not a call to discipleship, but a very specific and joyful announcement of what Christ has done objectively for sinners.
“For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for oursins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures” I Corinthians 15:3-4
On the other hand, the Law is not a simple proclamation. It is demand, command, and imperative for life requiring personal, perfect, perpetual obedience with the thunderings and threat of cursing and death to those who violate it.
Listen to the Reformation Theologian, Caspar Olevianus, co-author of the Heidelberg Catechism distinguish Law from Gospel:
"The law is a doctrine that God has implanted in human nature and has repeated and renewed in His commandments. In it He holds before us, as if in a manuscript, what it is we are and are not to do, namely, obey Him perfectly both inwardly and outwardly. He also promises eternal life on the condition that I keep the law perfectly my whole life long. On the other hand, He threatens eternal damnation if I do not keep every provision of the law my whole life long but violate it in one or more of its parts. As God says in Deuteronomy 27[:26] and Galatians 3[:10], “Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law, to do them.” And once the law has been violated, it has no promise that by the help of the law, that is, by works of the law, our sins might be forgiven. Rather, the sentence of condemnation is imposed upon us.
The gospel or good news, however, is a doctrine of which even the wisest knew nothing by nature but which is revealed from heaven. In it God does not demand but rather offers and gives us the righteousness that the law requires. This righteousness is the perfect obedience of the suffering and death of Jesus Christ, through which all sin and damnation, made manifest by the law, is pardoned and washed away (Rom. 5; Gal. 3). Furthermore, God does not give us forgiveness of sins in the gospel on the condition that we keep the law. Rather, even though we never have kept it nor will ever be able to keep it perfectly, He still has forgiven our sins and given us eternal life as an unmerited gift through faith in Jesus Christ. John 1[:17] says, 'the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth come through Jesus Christ.' And Romans 8[:3, 4]: 'What for the law was impossible in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and condemned sin in the flesh through sin, that the righteousness required by the law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.' Finally, Galatians 3:[12–14]: 'The law is not of faith but 'The man who does it shall live by it.’ Christ, however, redeemed us from the curse of the law when He became a curse for us (for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree’), that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus and we thus might receive the promised Spirit through faith.”
As we see, the Gospel is not the Law and the Law is not the Gospel. While we would agree that the Gospel is for sinners, we would disagree on his charaterization of the Gospel and his assertion that repentance is part of it. The Gospel is Christ's work *for us and *outside of us. Repentance is commanded and something that we do by the grace of God in Christ, in the power of the Spirit. When MacArthur here speaks of the Gospel as a command or something we are obligated to do, he is confusing the categories of Law and Gospel in a way that is foreign to the Apostle and Reformation thinkers.
On to the next point MacArthur makes in this post: “Our Lord’s words about eternal life were invariably accompanied by warnings to those who might be tempted to take salvation lightly. He taught that the cost of following him is high, that the way is narrow and few find it. He said many who call him Lord will be forbidden from entering the kingdom of heaven (cf. Matt. 7:13-23).”
Again, we have to refer back to the definitions of Law and Gospel. The words of eternal life are Gospel and do not contain warnings, but promise, hope, joy, comfort, consolation, absolution, assurance... Grace and peace.
In reading the warning passages in Scripture, it is very important to consider context and audience. It is also important to consider what Jesus was saying when preaching the sermon on the mount in consideration of what the rest of Scripture teaches about the nature of salvation.
The way is narrow because Jesus says in John 10: 7 – “Truly truly I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture”
John 14:6 “I am the way the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father but through me”
Acts 4:12 – “There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
Scriptures testify that Jesus himself is the narrow way. He is the gate. No one can come to the Father except by Him. Many times Matthew 7:13-14 is not really explained in the context of what scripture says about salvation. When listening to sermons that ascribed to Lordship Teaching they seemed to imply that the difference between the narrow way and broad way was a difference in behavior or commitment to Christ. This passage is not referring to only a certain amount of Christians who were most committed to Christ that somehow got through the narrow way, but a choice. Either go the way of the Pharisees – seeking obedience to the law to justify yourself before God, or heed what Christ says about the Kingdom. The Sermon on the Mount’s purpose was to elevate the Law to the point where all can see that they are unable to keep it perfectly. Christ is Himself the fulfillment of the Law and the covenant dispenser of the blessings of the Kingdom. He alone fulfilled the requirements to enter the Kingdom by virtue of His life, death, and resurrection and dispenses the Kingdom blessings on His subjects (sanctification). The Beatitudes are indicative statements, not goals to attain. For more on the topic of warning passages, reference R. Scott Clark, Church Historian, here: https://heidelblog.net/2012/10/how-should-we-view-the-warning-passages/
MacArthur goes on..."Present-day evangelicalism, by and large, ignores these warnings. The prevailing view of what constitutes saving faith continues to grow broader and more shallow, while the portrayal of Christ in preaching and witnessing becomes fuzzy. Anyone who claims to be a Christian can find evangelicals willing to accept a profession of faith, whether or not the person’s behavior shows any evidence of commitment to Christ. In this way, faith has become merely an intellectual exercise. Instead of calling men and women to surrender to Christ, modern evangelism asks them only to accept some basic facts about Him."
Let's address this claim. While we do not disagree that a large number in the evangelical world forgets or ignores the Law and its threats and warnings, it is equally true that Christians generally tend to forget and ignore the promises that find their Yes and Amen! in Christ, alone. The Apostle Paul and Reformation theologians make much of the Gospel.
1 Corinthians 2:2 I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.
I Cor 15:3 For I passed on to you as most important what I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures
And Scottish Presbyterian, Robert Murray Mcheyne: "For every look at self, take ten looks at Christ."
This emphasis is lacking among MacArthur's Lordship distinctives. The evangelical world, including those who subscribe to MacArthur's Lordship Salvation, would be wise to return to Reformed tradition. Week after week in our liturgies we are reminded of two words: Law and Gospel. After the reading of the Law, lawfully pronounced (as noted above), we confess our sins, seek forgiveness, and are provided with absolution and comfort. There is no ignorance or shortage of Law or Gospel in our Reformed communities.
MacArthur is right to surmise that present-day evangelicalism does ignore the warnings. Much of present day evangelicalism is biblically illiterate. Lordship might rightly diagnose the problem, however, the remedy that is given is just as destructive and soul-crushing as the issue. It is true that saving faith is more than an intellectual exercise, but it is also not a call for men and women to surrender to Christ. According to the historical, reformation tradition – saving faith consists of three parts: knowledge, assent, and trust. An example of these components can be found in Heidelberg Q&A 21 – What is true faith? “True faith is not only a sure knowledge whereby I hold for truth all that God has revealed to us in His Word, but also a hearty trust, which the Holy Spirit works in me by the Gospel, that not only to others, but to me also, the forgiveness of sins, everlasting righteousness, and salvation are freely given by God, merely of grace, only for the sake of Christ’s merits”
Worth noting here, MacArthur's assertion is "Instead of calling men and women to surrender to Christ, modern evangelism asks them only to accept some basic facts about Him." He adds a fourth element to this definition by saying it also includes a determination of the will to obey. MacArthur writes, “repentance is a critical element of genuine faith” The Gospel According to Jesus). And in the same book, he states: "Faith obeys. Unbelief rebels. The direction of one's life should reveal whether that person is a believer or an unbeliever. There is no middle ground. Merely knowing and affirming facts apart from obedience to the truth is not believing in the biblical sense." As my friend and pastor, John Fonville, rightly points out, "the idea of “surrender” isn’t taught by any of the Reformed confessions but came out of the higher life theology." Reformed teachers agree that the received Gospel does indeed have as fruit, works of obedience, repentance, good works, but they do not confuse or enmesh faith with that fruit. Implying that obedience is a part of faith contradicts sola fide. Per Michael Horton, Reformed theologian and scholar,"...the classical evangelical definition of saving faith encompasses three elements: knowledge (an intellectual grasp of the facts), assent (the conclusion that these facts are true), and trust (the conviction that these true facts are true in my case and for my salvation)." It is also noteworthy that Horton makes no allusion to surrender, rather to ways of grasping the truth of the Gospel.
The Westminster Shorter Catechism defines faith this way: "Faith in Jesus Christ is a saving grace, whereby we receive and rest upon him alone for salvation, as he is offered to us in the gospel." (WSC 86)
More broadly, the Westminster Confession states, "Those whom God effectually calleth he also freely justifieth; not by infusing into them, but by pardoning their sins, and by accounting and accepting their persons as righteous; *not for anything wrought in them, or done by them, but for Christ’s sake alone; not by imputing faith itself, the act of believing, or any other evangelical obedience, to them as their righteousness; but by imputing the obedience and satisfaction of Christ unto them, they receiving and resting on him and his righteousness by faith; which faith they have not of themselves; it is the gift of God." (XI.i) [Emphasis our's]
And Westminster Larger Catechism Q. 73. How does faith justify a sinner in the sight of God?
A. Faith justifies a sinner in the sight of God, *not because of those other graces which do always accompany it, or of good works that are the fruits of it, nor as if the grace of faith, or any act thereof, were imputed to him for his justification; but only as it is an instrument by which he receives and applies Christ and his righteousness. [Emphasis our's]
Leading into MacArthur's enumeration of the distinctives of Lordship Salvation, he claims: "This shallow understanding of salvation and the gospel (ignorning warnings), known as “easy-believism,” stands in stark contrast to what the Bible teaches. To put it simply, the gospel call to faith presupposes that sinners must repent of their sin and yield to Christ’s authority. This, in a nutshell, is what is commonly referred to as lordship salvation."
This is another example of confusing saving faith with its fruit. Sinners who believe the Gospel do repent and yield to Christ’s authority. The issue is that the Gospel announcement of forgiveness of sins is what motivates them to do so. Adding the fruit of saving faith to the definition of saving faith and incorporating these elements into the Gospel is to rob sinners of the joy and comfort of knowing God’s pardoning favor in Christ. It confuses the Law and Gospel and sets believers on a trajectory of either self-righteous hypocrisy or endless despair.
Graeme Goldsworthy, Biblical Theologian and Reformation Anglican exhorts preachers of the Gospel well. "It cannot be stressed too much that to confuse the gospel with certain important things that go hand in hand with it is to invite theological, hermeneutical and spiritual confusion. Such ingredients of preaching and teaching that we might want to link with the gospel would include the need for the gospel (sin and judgment), the means of receiving the benefits of the gospel (faith and repentance), the results or fruit of the gospel (regeneration, conversion, sanctification, glorification) and the results of rejecting it (wrath, judgment, hell). These, however we define and proclaim them, are not in themselves the gospel. If something is not what God did in and through the historical Jesus two thousand years ago, it is not the gospel. "
To state the obvious, Reformed teaching, which emphasizes and *distinguishes Law and Gospel has never needed the system known as Lordship Salvation. Reformation Theology has categories for Gospel, faith, repentance, and Christ's offices, to which we not only "surrender," but from which we benefit and in which we rejoice. These offices are clearly defined in Heidelberg 31: http://www.heidelberg-catechism.com/en/lords-days/12.html
The Reformers picture for us, not merely a Lord Who demands submission, subjection, surrender, obedience and loyalty, but a Shepherd-King who gently and lovingly reveals our redemption, intercedes for us, "governs us by his Word and Spirit, and who defends and preserves us in the redemption obtained for us." This Shepherd-King allures his subjects with a gentle and lowly call, "Come to me all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest."
Now, let's turn to several distinctives that compose Lordship Salvation according to MacArthur per the article in review:
"First, Scripture teaches that the *gospel calls sinners to faith joined in oneness with repentance (Acts 2:38; 17:30; 20:21; 2 Pet. 3:9). Repentance is a turning from sin (Acts 3:19; Luke 24:47) that consists not of a human work but of a divinely bestowed grace (Acts 11:18; 2 Tim. 2:25). It is a change of heart, but genuine repentance will effect a change of behavior as well (Luke 3:8; Acts 26:18-20)..." [Emphasis our's]
Refer back to the difference between Law and Gospel. The Gospel issues no demands but proclaims the good news of Christ's redemption for us, and outside of us. The Gospel is not repentance, and faith is not ONE with repentance, as MacArthur here claims. The Reformers clearly distinguish Gospel, Law, faith and obedience, validating that, in the life of the believer each cause and effect are inevitable realities, but are not synonymous ideas that blur together.
Faith is the instrument by which we receive Christ alone for salvation. Faith is not confused with it's fruit. Refer to Westminster Larger Catechism: Q. 72. What is justifying faith? A. Justifying faith is a saving grace, wrought in the heart of a sinner by the Spirit and Word of God, whereby he, being convinced of his sin and misery, and of the disability in himself and all other creatures to recover him out of his lost condition, not only assenteth to the truth of the promise of the gospel, but receiveth and resteth upon Christ and his righteousness, therein held forth, for pardon of sin, and for the accepting and accounting of his person righteous in the sight of God for salvation. And Q. 73. How doth faith justify a sinner in the sight of God? A. Faith justifies a sinner in the sight of God, *not because of those other graces which do always accompany it, or of good works that are the fruits of it, nor as if the grace of faith, or any act thereof, were imputed to him for his justification; but only as it is an instrument by which he receiveth and applieth Christ and his righteousness.
Repentance is a different matter. Repentance unto life is not faith, rather "is a saving grace, whereby a sinner, out of a true sense of his sin, and apprehension of the mercy of God in Christ, doth, with grief and hatred of his sin, turn from it unto God, with full purpose of, and endeavour after, new obedience." (Westminster Shorter Catechism). This is a grace that is worked in and produced by the believer as a result of the regeneration of the Holy Spirit. It is a response to the Gospel, not the Gospel itself.
Directly following MacArthur's first point, the GTY blog highlights a quote:
"…faith has become merely an
intellectual exercise. Instead of
calling men and women to surrender
to Christ, modern evangelism
asks them only to accept some
basic facts about Him."
Here MacArthur asserts: ""…faith has become merely an intellectual exercise." Listen to Reformed Presbyterian Theologian, John Gresham Machen's famous quote that came to mind. "“What I need first of all is not exhortation, but a gospel, not directions for saving myself but knowledge of how God has saved me. Have you any good news? That is the question that I ask of you. I know your exhortations will not help me. But if anything has been done to save me, will you not tell me the facts?” Refer back to the Heidelberg Catechism to define Faith. It involves belief, assent, and trust in certain objective facts: the reality of salvation provided and purchased by Another at a point in world history. Sola fide receives and rests in Christ alone, not Christ plus our surrender.
MacArthur further teaches: "Instead of calling men and women to *surrender to Christ, modern evangelism asks them only to accept some basic facts about Him." [Emphasis our's] Note Machen, again as he speaks of surrender: "It is the same old story, my friends - the same old story of the natural man. Men are trying today, as they have always been trying, to save themselves - to save themselves by their own act of surrender, by the excellence of their own faith, by mystic experiences of their own lives. But it is all in vain. Not that way is peace with God to be obtained. It is obtained only in the old, old way - by attention to something that was done once for all long ago, and by acceptance of the living Savior who there, once for all, brought redemption for our sin. Oh, that men would turn for salvation from their own experience to the cross of Christ; oh, that they would turn from the phenomena of religion to the living God!"
"Second, Scripture teaches that salvation is all God’s work. Those who believe are saved utterly apart from any effort on their own (Titus 3:5). Even faith is a gift of God, not a work of man (Eph. 2:1-5, 8). Real faith therefore cannot be defective or short-lived but endures forever (Phil. 1:6; cf. Heb. 11)..."
MacAurthur's second point warrants no significant argument aside from the fact that he has redefined faith to be one with repentance, adding to knowledge, assent, and trust the ideas of repentance and surrender, as demonstrated above.
"Third, Scripture teaches that the object of faith is Christ Himself, not a creed or a promise (John 3:16). Faith therefore involves personal commitment to Christ (2 Cor. 5:15). In other words, all true believers follow Jesus (John 10:27-28)..."
His third point is troubling, again as he redefines faith: He states here, "Faith therefore involves personal commitment" Faith does not include personal commitment. Faith receives and rests in Christ alone. Note how faith is historically defined by above. Personal commitment flows from so great a salvation that includes justification and sanctification. This is no mere matter of semantics. When we change the meaning of words, we change the way of salvation. Paul labors with the Galatians to clarify that works are not faith and faith is not works. Read it. Review the way our Catechisms define faith, conversion, and repentance.
"Fourth, Scripture teaches that real faith inevitably produces a changed life (2 Cor. 5:17). Salvation includes a transformation of the inner person (Gal. 2:20). The nature of the Christian is new and different (Rom. 6:6). The unbroken pattern of sin and enmity with God will not continue when a person is born again (1 John 3:9-10). Those with genuine faith follow Christ (John 10:27), love their brothers (1 John 3:14), obey God’s commandments (1 John 2:3; John 15:14), do the will of God (Matt. 12:50), abide in God’s Word (John 8:31), keep God’s Word (John 17:6), do good works (Eph. 2:10), and continue in the faith (Col. 1:21-23; Heb. 3:14)..."
Reformation teaching informs us that Salvation involves transformation: WSC Question 35 - What is sanctification? Answer 35.) Sanctification is the work of God's free grace,(1) whereby we are renewed in the whole man after the image of God,(2) and are enabled more and more to die unto sin, and live unto righteousness.(3) (1) II Thess. 2:13. (2) Eph. 4:23-24. (3) Rom. 6:4, 6. It defines fruit-bearing as inevitable, not something to be tested or teased out to the exclusion of union with Christ. Consider what Orthodox Presbyterian, Reformed teacher, JV Fesko says about union with Christ: "So many people think that their sanctification, their spiritual transformation and conformation to the holy image of Christ, is simply a matter of trying harder, of pulling as hard as they can on their moral bootstraps—resolving to be holier. However, one thing that should be clear is that Jesus clearly tells us that the only way we will produce fruit is if we abide in Him: “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). No argument as to the fact that in our salvation we are transformed, but we are clear that it is in union with Christ that this transformation takes place.
So, we're in agreement that the Christian life is a transformed life, but Reformation teaching goes further than MacArthur delineates here. We believe and confess that the Christian, while a new creation is also Simul Justus et Peccator. At once justified and sinners. For the Christian, every day is a Romans 7 kind of day. The normal Christian life is not onward and upward, but more often one step forward, two steps back. It's a struggle that will not completely end in victory until we are translated at the Consummation. We do not suffer from over-realized eschatology. We affirm that we are utterly dependent, sinful creatures who boast in nothing but Christ and Him crucified. ...Not even our love for God. But MacArthur's distinctives of Lordship Salvation deliniated in this article make no mention of this reality.
"Fifth, Scripture teaches that God’s gift of eternal life includes all that pertains to life and godliness (2 Pet. 1:3; Rom. 8:32), not just a ticket to heaven. In contrast, according to easy-believism, only the judicial aspects of salvation (e.g., justification, adoption, and positional sanctification) are guaranteed for believers in this life; practical sanctification and growth in grace require a post-conversion act of dedication."
Reformed Theology teaches us that God’s gift of eternal life includes all that pertains to life and godliness, not just a ticket to heaven. It also teaches us that justification, adoption and sanctification are the gifts of God's grace, inevitable and guaranteed in the whole package of salvation. See WSC 32-35. https://www.opc.org/sc.html
"Sixth, Scripture teaches that Jesus is Lord of all, and *the faith He demands involves unconditional surrender (Rom. 6:17-18; 10:9-10). In other words, Christ does not bestow eternal life on those whose hearts remain set against Him (James 4:6). Surrender to Jesus’ lordship is not an addendum to the biblical terms of salvation; the summons to submission is at the heart of the gospel invitation throughout Scripture. In contrast, easy-believism teaches that submission to Christ’s supreme authority is not germane to the saving transaction." [Emphasis our's]
Refer to our earlier point on the Reformed understanding as Christ as Shepherd-King. "Reformation theology teaches Gospel, faith, repentance, our relationship to the Triune God, Christ's offices, to which we do not merely "surrender" but from which we benefit and in which we rejoice, are clearly pronounced in Heidelberg 31: http://www.heidelberg-catechism.com/en/lords-days/12.html The Reformers picture for us, not merely a Lord Who demands submission, subjection, surrender, obedience and loyalty, but a Shepherd-King who tenderly and lovingly reveals our redemption... Refer back to Heidelberg 21. Demanding of faith is foreign language in the Covenant of Grace. MacArthur here states that "the faith He demands involves unconditional surrender" but Reformation thought states that what is required in the Covenant of Grace is provided. Reference Richard Sibbes, English Reformation thinker: "God knoweth we have nothing of ourselves, therefore in the covenant of grace He requireth no more than He giveth, and giveth what He requireth, and accepteth what He giveth." And again from Heidelberg Catechism co-author, Zacharius Ursinus: "In it [the Gospel] God does not demand but rather offers and gives us the righteousness that the law requires." [Emphasis our's]
"Eighth, Scripture teaches that behavior is an important test of faith. Obedience is evidence that one’s faith is real (1 John 2:3). On the other hand, the person who remains utterly unwilling to obey Christ does not evidence true faith (1 John 2:4)..."
We do not believe that 1 John issues tests of faith, but that the natural effects of salvation by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone are listed there. We also believe and confess that I John was written so that the "little children," accepted in the Beloved, not sin, but if anyone sins, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous, who is the propitiation for our sins, and the sins of the whole world. The point of the Epistle is not to scare the Christian into submission or whip him into shape, but to describe the inevitable result of union with Christ. See John 15:5. Reference John Fonville, Reformation Anglican as he details Lordship Salvation and counters with Reformed thought in this podcast episode: http://theologygals.com/2017/10/lordship-salvation-with-pastor-john-fonville-theology-gals-episode-35/
MacArthur's last point in the post is this: "This issue is not a trivial one. In fact, how could any issue be more important? The gospel that is presented to unbelievers has eternal ramifications. If it is the true gospel, it can direct men and women into the everlasting kingdom. If it is a corrupted message, it can give unsaved people false hope while consigning them to eternal damnation. This is not merely a matter for theologians to discuss and debate and speculate about. This is an issue that every single pastor and layperson must understand in order that the gospel may be rightly proclaimed to all the nations."
To this, we heartily agree. It is only said of the Gospel, that it is the power of God unto salvation. This is never, ever said of the Law, nor is it said of the fruit, obedience, repentance we produce. Where we differ from John MacArthur, is in defining Law, Gospel, Faith and Repentance. This is no secondary matter, but the essential of the faith not to be trifled with, but to be taught, exposited, and proclaimed with the greatest care and concern for the eternal souls of our neighbors.
As stated in the Gospel Gal blog post, "Church Homelessness," we believe "The Gospel is a joyful proclamation. It's the good news that is heralded by one who is sent to declare that a great war is ended (Isaiah 40). The news was that Jesus Christ, the Eternal Word, the Second Person of the Trinity, The Promised One, The Son of Eve, Abraham, David, and Mary, the Only Begotten of the Father, Whose mission it was to save His people from their sins," lived in personal, perpetual perfect obedience to the Father in our place, died the death that we deserved for our disobedience, was buried in a tomb to show He was really dead, and rose again to verify the satisfaction of the Father with His sacrifice, He ever lives to make intercession for us, and He is coming again in glory to complete our promised salvation and redemption, vindicating us before all of His and our enemies."
Reformation theology affirms that repentance, good works, loving obedience, gratitude, production of good fruit are all the natural results of salvation. We deny that any of the above is the ground of our assurance or is synonymous with faith or the Gospel. John MacArthur's version of Lordship Salvation as it is enumerated in the GTY post we've here discussed, confuses categories and redefine's historically defined terms. In so doing it leads the reader, to look inward, rather than to fix his gaze on the beauty and finality of Christ's work for us.
We believe, as the Belgic Confession Article 22 states: "...the Holy Ghost kindleth in our hearts an upright faith, which embraces Jesus Christ, with all his merits, appropriates him, and seeks nothing more besides him. ...either that all things, which are requisite to our salvation, are not in Jesus Christ, or if all things are in him, that then those who possess Jesus Christ through faith, have complete salvation in him. Therefore, for any to assert, that Christ is not sufficient, but that something more is required besides him, would be too gross a blasphemy: for hence it would follow, that Christ was but half a Savior. Therefore we justly say with Paul, that we are justified by faith alone, or by faith without works. However, to speak more clearly, we do not mean, that faith itself justifies us, for it is only an instrument with which we embrace Christ our Righteousness. But Jesus Christ, imputing to us all his merits and so many holy works which he has done for us, and in our stead, is our Righteousness. And faith is an instrument that keeps us in communion with him in all his benefits, which, when become ours, are more than sufficient to acquit us of our sins. ~Belgic Confession
In conclusion, we will refer to the GTY post, "A 15-Year Retrospective on the Lordship Controversy." "..as the Reformers said, while faith alone justifies, the faith that justifies is never alone. Genuine faith inevitably produces good works. The works are the fruit, not the root, of faith. And justification is therefore complete at the very inception of faith, before faith ever produces a single work. It is not a process like sanctification."
We're in complete agreement with this statement taken at face value. However, as demonstrated, MacArthur redefines faith to include specific works which are distinguished from one another in Reformation thinking. John MacArthur is not Reformed, but here appeals to Reformed thought. The whole Lordship controversy was birthed from two dispensational schools of thought: Lordship and No-Lordship (Easy-believe-ism). Neither of these categories falls under the heading of Reformation theology. Reformation theology, as demonstrated has a robust theology that clearly distinguishes and defines the doctrines which Dispensational teaching confuses and distorts.
John MacArthur and other Lordship teachers and proponents would do well to return to Reformation theology. In Reformation teaching, as demonstrated in this Gospel Gal piece, the believer finds rest in Christ's finished work and is motivated for a life marked by godliness in response. The Triune God Who has brought us from death to life does not fail to provide all that composes salvation. For all of his beloved, justified and still sinful people, He provides every spiritual blessing from election, to regeneration, to justification, to sanctification, to glorification. Thanks be to God for the infinite riches He has made ours' in Christ Jesus our Prophet, Priest and King.
Additional resources:
"The Gospel According To Jesus, Grace, Salvation, And Sanctification"
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Marissa Namirr is Gospel Gal. She created the blog in 2017 and Church Chats with Gospel Gal podcast in 2020. She is a member of a Reformation Anglican church in Northern Florida. Her passion is helping other weary sinners find rest and peace in Christ.
Joy Dudley is co-host of Church Chats with Gospel Gal podcast, a contributor to Gospel Gal blog, and a member of a URCNA church in Southern California. She loves pointing people to the kindness, love, and sufficiency of Christ in their day to day lives.
