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Lord AND Savior: Just an Observation
As Christians we sometimes forget we are desperate sinners, thus fail to see that we need an ongoing Savior. In light of this, we must never see Jesus as Lord, and not at the same time, as Savior ... even after conversion. The converse is also true since Lord and Savior are inseparably intertwined and come as a package. Seeing Jesus only as Lord (emerging church) leads to moralism and so we judge ourselves by our morals and activism -- where we inevitably compare ourselves to others, and boasting or envy is usually the unintended consequence. Our personal virtue functionally becomes a savior. On ther other hand, if we only view Jesus as Savior (Grace Evangelical Society, Zane Hodges), when we come to faith it leads to antinomianism and a weak, once saved, always saved mentality prevails, which fails to see the necessity of obedience and good works to demonstrate the reality of the gospel at work in us.
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Just a few comments on the once saved always saved. First Abraham was justified by faith apart from works. Abraham believed in the God who justifies the ungodly this is what made him righteous in God's sight. James says faith without works is dead and uses the example of Abraham offering Isaac as an example of faith works. For many years I have seen James used as a safeguard against the free grace of the gospel. If we carefully consider that Abraham was reckoned as a righteous man in the 15th chapter of Genesis and yet that the works that James speaks of did not take place until the 22nd chapter of Genesis. This is almost twenty years after he was reckoned as righteous. References: Romans chapter 4, Genesis chapter 15 & 22 and James Chapter 2.
Posted by: Mark Mortensen | June 26, 2008 10:31 PM
Ironically, the "free grace" people do not believe in free grace. The error underlying no-lordship doctrine is nothing but the heresy of semi-pelagianism, the belief that saving grace cannot be efficacious without the prior cooperation of human free will. The Zane Hodges folks believe we can come to Jesus Christ apart from the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit. So prior to salvation the sinner can make a choice to believe the gospel apart from a work of grace done by the Spirit to change his heart of stone to a heart of flesh that he might believe and obey. On the other hand, the Lordship position see salvation completely of the Lord. That even the VERY DESIRE TO BELIEVE AND OBEY is the work of Christ applied by the Holy Spirit. John 6:63-65 plainly teaches this.
Posted by: John H | June 27, 2008 11:17 AM
Two points -
Might one go further and say that to see Jesus as Lord but not Savior means we have not really seen him properly as Lord; and likewise if we have seen him as Savior but not Lord.
Second, I am struggling to see him also as intimate Friend who abides in me as I abide in Him.
Richard
Posted by: Richard | June 30, 2008 11:27 AM