I
am aware that heated arguments are going on about Lordship Salvation and Free
Grace or easy believism, as critics call it. Here,
I have no intention to take part in the debate. And
I see no end to this debate till the coming of our Lord.
Usually
it is not my intention to present any debatable topic and take any one side of
the debate. I
always focus on practical Christian living. I
am concerned about the common man struggling under sin and satan. I
prefer to talk to them about a practical way out, which is Jesus the only solution
to all their problems.
So
here too, I am not presenting any theological debate or I am not taking any
part in this great discussion going on among eminent theologians. I
respect all of them, and I have a mind for either side.
In
this message we intend to understand repentance, salvation, born again
experience, eternal life, Kingdom of God and the Lordship of Jesus Christ for a
down to earth practical Christian life.
Though
we are not joining either side of the debate let us try to understand what is
Lordship Salvation and Free Grace or easy-believism.
Theologians
on both sides believe that a person is saved only by Grace through faith.
Grace
is free and no work is attached to it.
When
we attach any work with grace, it becomes unbiblical.
We
are saved by grace through faith only.
Again
no work is considered to qualify salvation.
Faith
in Christ is the only one requirement of salvation.
Then
where should we fit repentance and Lordship of Jesus?
This
is the point of debate among the theologians.
The
doctrine of Lordship Salvation teaches that submitting to Christ as Lord goes
hand-in-hand with trusting in Christ as Savior.
Lordship
Salvation demands repentance and the acceptance of Jesus as the Lord of our
life to qualify for salvation.
That
is, only if a person repent from sins and accept Jesus as the Lord of his life,
he will be saved by grace through faith.
The
advocates of Free Grace argues that this concept of Lordship Salvation sabotage
the concept of grace and faith.
Grace
is freely given to the unmerited man and faith in Christ need no additional
items.
Adding
something extra is unbiblical.
So
no repentance and acceptance of the Lordship is necessary for salvation.
Actually
they are arguing about the exact time of repentance and Lordship in salvation.
How
much seconds should be there before or after the salvation for repentance and
Lordship?
This
is the point of debate.
One
argues that all must happen simultaneously and the other argues that there is
plenty of time for repentance and Lordship after salvation.
The
debate is going on and will go on …..
Lordship
of Jesus
In
this message we are not trying to settle any issue.
We
are intending to study the importance and necessity of the Lordship of Jesus in
the life of a born again Christian.
We
are talking about the practical Christian life.
To
proceed further, let us accustom ourselves with two terms: Redemption and Salvation.
Let
us learn about Redemption, because redemption precedes salvation.
Salvation
is possible where a redemptive price is already paid.
What is
Redemption?
Redemption
is defined as: To be set free
from captivity or slavery.
Redemption refers to the price that you
have to pay to get back what is yours, but has been lost.
The
English word "redemption"
means 'repurchase' or 'buy back'.
That
means something that had been yours has fallen into the authority of another
person, and now you are paying a price for it and buys it back.
In
the Jewish Torah the term referred to
the ransom of slaves.
It
is the price paid to buy back or free a slave.
In
Christian theology, redemption is an
element of salvation that broadly means the deliverance from sin.
Redemption
is what achieved through the atonement offered by Christ.
The
death of Jesus paid the price of a ransom, releasing man from the bondage of
sin and death.
So
redemption is simply the price God paid to get us back for His purpose.
Since
we could never pay the price of redemption, God offered up His own Son unto
death for us all.
The
precious blood of Jesus is paid as a price for our redemption.
1 Peter 1:18-19
18 knowing that you were not redeemed with
corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by
tradition from your fathers,
19 but
with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without
spot.
(NKJV)
What is
Salvation?
Salvation
simply is deliverance from danger or suffering.
Salvation
is to deliver or protect.
A
definition of the Christian doctrine of salvation would be:
“The deliverance, by the grace of God, from
eternal punishment for sin which is granted to those who accept it by faith in
the Lord Jesus.”
Biblical salvation refers to our
deliverance from the consequence of sin and therefore involves the removal of
sin.
The
word “salvation” concerns an eternal, spiritual deliverance.
Salvation
is available in Jesus alone and is dependent on God alone for provision, assurance,
and security.
Redemption
and Salvation
Now
let us see the relation between redemption and salvation.
Actually,
“redemption” is just the beginning, the first part of our “salvation”.
Redemption
is what God accomplished for our offenses on the cross.
The
case of man is that he sold himself into the slavery of satan.
And
so he is unable to ransom himself and regain freedom.
It
is here God intervened and paid the ransom price.
When
this accomplishment of ransom is applied to our offenses it becomes the
forgiveness of our sins.
Ephesians 1:7 In Him we have redemption through His blood,
the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace. (NKJV)
Salvation refers to a person being saved
before God.
Salvation
includes being forgiven of his sins, being spared from perdition (the abode of
satan), being regenerated and
having the eternal life.
And
the sins are forgiven through the atonement of Christ.
The
crucifixion of Christ is the ransom paid for our redemption from sin and satan.
This
is the close relationship between redemption and salvation.
Our
point is that in salvation there is redemption and in redemption there is
forgiveness of sins.
Romans 5:10 For if when we
were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more,
having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. (NKJV)
Romans 3:24
“Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption which is in
Christ Jesus.”
Jesus and
the Kingdom of God
Jesus
equated salvation with entering into the Kingdom of God.
Matthew 19: 24,25
24
"And again I say to you, it is
easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to
enter the kingdom of God."
25
When His disciples heard it, they were
greatly astonished, saying, "Who then can be saved?"
(NKJV)
Jesus
spoke about the entry into the Kingdom of God
Disciples
exclaimed then who can be saved.
Jesus
spoke and disciples understood that the entry into the Kingdom of God and
salvation are one and the same happening.
An
entry into the Kingdom of God happens when a person is saved.
Salvation
is the legal document for the inheritance to the Kingdom.
We
need no other proof to enter or inherit the Kingdom.
Jesus started His ministry
by announcing the Kingdom of God.
Matthew 4:17 From that
time Jesus began to preach and to say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven
is at hand." (NKJV)
Jesus
was announcing the purpose of His ministry.
He
came to declare the Kingdom of God; He came to inaugurate the Kingdom of God.
He
declared that the Kingdom of God is at hand and later that the Kingdom is among
the people and within those who believed in Him.
By
this announcement he inaugurated the Kingdom.
This
inauguration is an invitation for all to join the Kingdom.
When Jesus announced the Kingdom in the above
passage the ransom was not fully paid.
Jesus
came to pay the ransom and surly He will do it.
So
the ransom price is ready.
The
spiritual situation when Jesus spoke the above words may be surmised like this:
·
The audience of Jesus was not yet
ransomed in deed.
·
They were in sin and thus under the
slavery of satan.
·
Jesus is there to pay the ransom
price by His death on the cross.
·
His audience had nothing to do for
the payment of the ransom, except to accept in faith the atonement of Jesus.
·
Still, Jesus suggested one condition:
Repent.
Let us read
one important passage about salvation here:
John 3:16 "For
God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever
believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. (NKJV)
The verse
tells two things:
·
God gave His son as a ransom price
·
Faith
in Jesus is a must to the eternal life.
Let
us note that God did not give Jesus as a Rabbi, Guru, philosopher, preacher, or
a miracle healer.
God did give
Jesus as a ransom price for the redemption of our sins.
And whatever
we achieve through Jesus is only by faith in Him.
That
means that we cannot think about salvation without thinking about sin.
Redemption
from sin is salvation.
Repentance
We
all agree that repentance is giving up our sins.
When
should we repent?
Is
it before salvation or after salvation?
Is
it before we say the salvation prayer or at any other convenient time?
Remember,
Jesus started his ministry by exhorting people to repent:
Matthew 4:17 From that
time Jesus began to preach and to say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven
is at hand." (NKJV)
There
is another narration of a classic incident during the ministry of Jesus that
explains how salvation happens.
The
incident is recorded by John in chapter 3.
One
night a Pharisee and a ruler
of the Jews, Nicodemus, came to Jesus for a secret meeting.
To
him Jesus spoke the following words.
John 3: 3 Jesus
answered and said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of
God."
What did Jesus mean?
Is the Kingdom of God a different experience that can be achieved through different methods than salvation?
Jesus surely was talking about salvation.
For Jesus Kingdom of God and salvation was one and the same experience.
Jesus never posed himself as a hair splitting philosopher.
Jesus spoke in common man’s language and style to convey His message and achieve his aim.
This conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus was about eternal life.
And redemption and salvation are also about eternal life.
During the same conversation with Nicodemus Jesus refers to His death on the cross.
John
3: 14 & 15
14 "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in
the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up,
15 "that
whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.
The conversation goes on to the famous declaration by Jesus:
John 3:16 "For
God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever
believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. (NKJV)
What shall we surmise?
Jesus
came to declare the Kingdom of God
Jesus
used the Kingdom of God synonymous with salvation
Salvation,
repentance, faith and born-again experience are ways to enter the Kingdom of
God.
Entry
into the Kingdom of God is eternal life.
Everything
happens through Jesus alone.
What is
Kingdom?
Now
let us move to another subtitle: the Kingdom of God?
Kingdom
of Heaven or Kingdom of God was the theme of Jesus’ message.
Jesus
has repeated this theme again and again and has spoken synonymously with
salvation and born again experience.
Jesus
came to restore the Kingdom of God.
Now
what is a Kingdom?
A
kingdom must have 4 elements:
1.
A King
2.
A domain or sphere of authority
3.
Citizens
4.
Laws
It
is common knowledge that all Kingdoms demand a faithful allegiance to the
Kingdom and the King.
That
means all citizens in the Kingdom must accept and surrender to the Lordship of
the King.
The
Kingdom is actually the Lordship of the King.
The
Kingdom of our Lord is not a physical Kingdom; it is spiritual.
That
means the Lordship of our Lord is spiritual.
All
who enter the Kingdom enters into the Lordship of Jesus.
And
Jesus is exhorting people to repent so that they can enter into the Kingdom.
Repentance
is necessary for entering into the Kingdom
In
other words, the Kingdom of God is at hand.
But
an unrepentant heart keeps the people away from the Kingdom.
And
Jesus is exhorting the people to repent so that they can enter the Kingdom of
God.
That
is the importance of repentance in entering the Kingdom.
Again
when Jesus speaks about entering into the Kingdom of God, He is referring to
the present plight of the people.
They are out
of the Kingdom of God.
So
there must happen a change; they have to shift their allegiance to another
King.
That
means, they have to reject the Kingdom of darkness and accept the Kingdom of
God.
That simply
means, they have to reject forever the lordship of satan and accept the
Lordship of the King of the Kingdom of God.
This
is the born again experience.
Born Again
Let
us study one more phrase: Born Again
What
is the meaning of “born again”?
How
can we “born again” without a physical death?
This
was the question raised by Nicodemus to Jesus.
Jesus
explained to Him that born again is a spiritual experience.
And
that it happens when you believe in Him.
John
3: 14 & 15
14 "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in
the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up,
15 "that
whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.
That means,
Jesus explained the born again experience as:
·
A rebirth
·
A spiritual experience
·
A
faith in His death
Now
the question of rebirth comes.
What that
means?
Surly it
means to die and born again
None
can be born again without going through death.
Since born
again is a spiritual experience, the death and birth here are also spiritual
experiences.
One
has to die to the present life and born to a new life.
It
is death to the kingdom of satan and his lordship and birth into the Kingdom of
Jesus and into His Lordship.
Conclusion
Let
me conclude this message.
Let
us just put whatever we have been discussing in a sensible order.
Salvation,
Kingdom of God and born again experience are synonymous happenings.
What
we receive after all these happenings is eternal life.
Faith
in Jesus is the only way to enter the Kingdom of God.
Faith
in Jesus is the born again experience.
It
is death to the kingdom of darkness and birth into the Kingdom of God.
It
is rejecting the lordship of one king and surrendering to the Lordship of
Jesus.
Thus,
we conclude that salvation is surrendering to
the Lordship of Jesus.
Before
we wind up let me make the statement once again:
This
whole message is intended for a practical Christian life. This is not a treatise
against or in favour of any debated theological arguments.
_______________
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