After being nurtured in a godly Christian home, Joe made a life-changing choice to make Jesus his personal Savior when he was 11 years old. He was immediately baptized by the Children’s Pastor. He continued to attend church and youth services, generally obey his parents, and engage in the basic spiritual practices expected from a kid. However, in his mid-teenage years, he became ensnared in a web of sinful practices. Though he never left the church or Christianity, he definitely drifted from the values he once held dear. After a decade of battling these inner struggles and grappling with periods of regression, Joe’s path took a turn. A powerful encounter with God at a friend’s church prompted him to surrender his life once more, reigniting his commitment. Looking back, Joe found himself contemplating a perplexing question: “Was my initial salvation authentic, or did I just get saved for real?”. I’m sure that many who read this story can relate to it, as this is the story of so many Christians.
The debate between Free Grace and Lordship Salvation is a significant topic within the realm of soteriology—the study of salvation. These two views represent differing beliefs about the relationship between faith, works, and the nature of salvation. While both camps are committed to the essential Christian doctrines, they have divergent interpretations on how these elements interact. Let’s explore the main points of contention in this debate:
Free Grace Theology:
The Free Grace view emphasizes salvation as a free gift of God’s grace, received solely through faith in Jesus Christ. Advocates of Free Grace theology contend that salvation is not contingent on one’s works, behavior, or even a commitment to obedience. Instead, they emphasize that eternal life is granted to those who realize their need for salvation and simply believe in Jesus and His finished work on the cross, apart from any additional requirements. While Free Grace proponents acknowledge the importance of good works as a natural outgrowth of faith, they firmly assert that these works are not necessary for salvation, nor are they grounds to qualify or disqualify someone as a Christian. This view places a strong emphasis on the assurance of salvation based on God’s promise rather than personal performance. Some proponents have coined this assurance as “once saved always saved”. Charles Ryrie states:
“Salvation is not a reward for the righteous, but a gift for the guilty. It is not earned by our efforts, but bestowed by God’s unmerited favor. Our salvation rests not on our performance, but on the finished work of Christ on the cross. This is the essence of Free Grace theology, where God’s love, mercy, and forgiveness are freely given to all who believe, regardless of their past or present shortcomings.”[1]
Zane Hodges, another popular Free Grace teacher, states:
“God’s grace is a boundless ocean, flowing freely to all who will come and drink. Our salvation is not contingent on our own works or efforts; it is a gift that God offers to us without price. The moment we trust in Christ, we are declared righteous, forgiven, and eternally secure. Free Grace theology emphasizes that our salvation is solely a result of God’s unmerited favor, and it is a truth that brings immeasurable comfort and assurance to the believer.”[2]
While Free Grace advocates typically reject any notion of “works as evidence of salvation”, there are those who hint at a correlation between regeneration and a transformed life. Ryrie states,
“Every Christian will bear spiritual fruit. Somewhere, sometime, somehow. Otherwise that person is not a believer.” [3]
Lordship Salvation:
The Lordship Salvation view stresses the lordship of Christ in the salvation experience. Advocates of this view argue that true faith inherently includes a commitment to Christ’s lordship, involving repentance and submission to His authority. They contend that genuine faith is accompanied by regeneration, which necessarily leads to a transformed heart characterized by some level of obedience and good works. They caution against a “cheap grace” that separates faith from discipleship and moral transformation. Popular Lordship advocate, John MacArthur, states:
“Jesus is not only Savior, He is Lord. We are not merely to believe in His existence or His power; we are to trust in Him alone for salvation. The faith that saves is a volitional commitment to Christ, a genuine self-surrender to His authority” [4].
Vernon McGee weighs in:
“Salvation is not a matter of doing anything. It is by grace through faith. Period. A man is justified by faith. Salvation is a gift of God, received by faith. But faith that saves is never alone—it always produces works. James does not argue for a faith that works but for a faith that is genuine.” [5].
While Lordship Salvation advocates assert that regeneration will naturally result in good works, they do not typically demand a specific schedule of such works. John MacArthur agrees that, “A true Christian can still sin, and may even do so frequently…” [6].
The Free Grace view accuses the Lordship view of attaching too much human effort to salvation, while the Lordship view accuses the Free Grace view of not attaching enough of God’s transformative power to salvation. So which of these views is correct? Instead of associating with either view, I would like to take a Biblical journey through key areas of the debate. I believe this will craft a middle ground solution that shares some affinities with both sides.
To Repent or Not to Repent?
One of the points of contention in this debate is whether or not repentance is part of the conversion experience, and, if so, what repentance entails. Some extreme Free Grace advocates claim that repentance is not part of salvation, proposing that the Gospel of John omits repentance from the Gospel equation altogether. However, the New Testament is overwhelmingly clear that repentance is, in fact, required for salvation. Below are categories of Biblical (ESV) texts that make a connection between repentance and salvation:
Repentance leading to salvation
- 2 Corinthians 7:10: “repentance … leads to salvation…”
Repentance leading to other salvific truths: Forgiveness, the Holy Spirit, life, etc.
- Acts 2:38: “Repent … for the forgiveness of your sins and … the Holy Spirit.'”
- Acts 3:19: “Repent … that your sins may be blotted out.”
- Acts 11:18: “… repentance that leads to life.”
- 2 Tim 2:25: “… repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth.”
Repentance coupled with gospel belief
- Mark 1:15: “… repent and believe in the gospel.”
- Acts 20:21: “repentance toward God and of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Given this apparent connection between repentance and salvation, John’s omission of the term “repentance” cannot mean its exclusion, but perhaps its equality or integrality with faith. I prefer integrality over equality, since the “repentance coupled with gospel belief” passages (above) clearly convey repentance as distinct from faith. Therefore, repentance is not identical to faith, but integrally connected to it.
What is Repentance?
What actually is repentance? Free Grace proponents argue that it cannot be a complete turn around of someone’s life, as that would put perfection before salvation, which implies a works-based salvation. The Greek word for “repentance” is “metanoia” (μετάνοια). It carries the meaning of a change of mind, a turning away from one’s former ways or attitudes, and a turning towards a new direction or mindset. It entails a change of one’s inner thoughts, attitudes, and perspectives. Specifically, it includes a change of mind about ourselves, and our sin; and about God, and His requirements for salvation. Below are three aspects of such a change of mind:
1. Recognition of the Problem: Acknowledging that one’s previous beliefs, attitudes, actions, and lifestyle were contrary to God’s standards and principles.
You have to know the bad news before embracing the good news! This is likely accompanied with “a godly sorrow that leads to salvation”, or the feeling of genuine remorse for one’s sins against God and others (2 Cor 7:10). It entails a recognition of the need for forgiveness, reconciliation, and restoration with God. A drowning person cannot reach in desperation for a helping hand unless they first realize they are drowning!
2. Desire for Change: Having a desire to change, to abandon sinful behavior.
This means that we long for a rescue; a rescue from the guilt of our past sins (past salvation); a rescue from the sinful behavior that holds us captive now (present salvation), and a rescue from God’s wrath in the Day of Judgement (future salvation).
3. Desire for God to Make that Change: Making a conscious decision to stop desiring sin as your rescue and to desire God’s rescue instead; to have God rectify your brokenness. This does not entail a complete turnaround of behavior, or even a completely perfect affection or submission. These are developed within our relationship with Jesus. Rather, it is the desperate plea for help – “God, come to my rescue. I need You!!”
What about Core Beliefs for Salvation?
Are there core beliefs that are part of the salvation formula? Below is a list of seven essential beliefs that are associated with salvation:
- God exists (Heb 11:6)
- God rewards those who seek Him (Heb 11:6)
- We have sin (1 Jn 1:8)
- Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God (Jn 20:31)
- Jesus Christ came in the flesh (1 Jn 4:2-3)
- God raised Jesus from the dead (Rom 10:9, c.f. 1 Cor 15:3-5)
- Jesus is Lord (Rom 10:9)
Notice that these core beliefs can be summed up as belief in the “Gospel”. Our gracious God exists, but we sinned against Him. As a result, He sent His Son to come in the flesh as the anointed Messiah, and to die for us. On the third day, He raised Him from the dead, making Him Lord over all. This Gospel is all we need to believe to be saved; to be considered a Christian:
“Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved … For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures…” (1 Cor 15:1-5, ESV)
What about Lordship?
By their label, we can see that Lordship advocates place much emphasis on the level of commitment made to Christ during conversion. This emphasis may come from the infamous salvation verse, Romans 10:9, which states:
Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (Rom 10:9, ESV)
It cannot be denied that, while Paul does not give a specific plumbline of allegiance or submission required for salvation, he minimally requires a confession of Christ’s Lordship. Such a confession is not a work of mental exertion to achieve a required level of moral commitment. It is not about doing anything to earn God’s favor, but rather aligning one’s heart, mind, and speech with the reality of who Jesus is. God made Him to be “both Lord and Christ” by virtue of His resurrection (Acts 2:36). All authority in heaven and earth was given to Him at that moment (Mt 28:18). Paul says it well in Ephesians 1:
“[God] raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church.” (Eph 1:20-22, ESV)
Christ’s victory over death, demonstrated by His resurrection, established His authority and dominion over both the spiritual and physical realms. Romans 10:9 simply stresses the necessity of acknowledging this fact – Christ is now Lord over death, hell, and the grave, and as Lord, He is the only one worthy to bring the rescue I need. Anything beyond this is beyond Paul’s scope.
To be a disciple or not be a disciple?
According to Lordship advocates, the discipleship teachings of Jesus, also known as “hard sayings”, teach a radical commitment required for salvation. Some of these categories include counting the cost (Lk 14:25-33), denying self (Mt 10:34-39), and losing life to gain it (Mt 16:24-26). What do we make of such sayings? Is radical discipleship required for salvation?
According to the great commission of Matthew 28:19-20, discipleship has two aspects: (1) the baptismal conversion experience which immerses us into a master-disciple relationship with Jesus Christ, and (2) the outworking of such a relationship through ongoing training for obedience to Christ’s teachings.
So, yes, there is a sense in which a saved person is, by definition, a disciple. In fact, there are “discipleship” passages that make a direct connection to eternal life:
Jn 12:25 (NIV) Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life.
This life-losing theme, which John explicitly links to “eternal life”, is embedded in the discipleship teachings captured by all three Gospel writers – Matthew (Mt 10:39, 19:29, 16:25), Mark (Mk 8:35), and Luke (Lk 9:24, 17:33). Therefore, the connection between discipleship and salvation cannot be eliminated altogether. However, it must be recognized that Jesus is not speaking of the “eternal life” received at the point of conversion. There are in fact three temporal aspects of salvation in the New Testament: Past (e.g. Eph 2:8-9), present (e.g. Jas 1:21), and future (e.g. Rom 13:11). Jesus is primarily referencing the future aspect in John 12:25. However, this does not preclude the necessity of a life-losing attitude at the point of conversion. I suspect that humility is already integral to the aforementioned aspects of repentance. Since sin is rooted in self-pleasing, abandoning sin as our rescue and redirecting our trust toward God is, in fact, a life-losing attitude. It’s the simple cry of the wretched tax collector – “have mercy on me, a sinner” (Lk 18:13). It’s the simple cry of the guilt-stricken thief, “remember me when you come into your kingdom” (Lk 23:39-43). There is no stated level of commitment, or promise to follow through, but rather a broken spirit simply crying out to Jesus for rescue. The life-losing attitude is the simple realization that the sinner’s life is entirely insufficient to ultimately fulfill, rescue, or redeem. It is an admission of what the sinner is lacking, not what the sinner has to offer.
Lordship teachers may ask too much of the repentance that leads to salvation. They typically add the following two categories beyond the first three:
4. Commitment to Obedience: Determining to live a lifestyle of obedience to God’s commands, aiming to live in accordance with His principles and values.
5. Fruitful Change: Demonstrating the reality of repentance through a transformed life characterized by new actions and behaviors.
These aspects of repentance go beyond a required “change of desire” to a required “change of behavior”. Free Grace advocates rightfully challenge such a notion: How much “commitment to obedience” is enough to know someone is saved? How much “fruitful change” is enough to know someone is saved? Do we only measure outward obedience, or do we also take into account mental adultery (Mt 5:27-28), mental murder (5:21-22, 1 Jn 3:15), and mental theft (Ex 20:17)? Do we only consider big sins, or do we consider the plethora of daily sins – fear, pride, indifference, laziness, greed, gluttony, unkindness, idle and coarse talk, stinginess, unfriendliness, strife, gossip, complaining, etc? Given these concerns, they suggest that these additional “Lordship” aspects of repentance should be reserved for the ongoing sanctification of the believer instead of being touted as prerequisites or quantitative measures of salvation of a new believer’s salvation. Otherwise, we would all be doomed with a lack of assurance.
In response, Lordship advocates agree that salvation is a result of God’s grace entirely through faith. However, they argue that salvation entails regeneration, or new birth, which produces a new nature in the believer. This new nature, with new convictions, necessarily leads to a change in behavior. This provokes a critical question: How much does regeneration necessarily change someone?
What does regeneration really accomplish?
The “single nature” view of regeneration teaches that an individual’s old sinful nature is replaced with a new regenerated nature, resulting in a complete spiritual transformation. A verse allegedly supporting this view is 2 Corinthians 5:17, which states that we are “a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come” (ESV).
Maintaining a single nature view of regeneration is difficult due to the believer’s ongoing struggle with severe sin after regeneration. If regeneration was present before Pentecost, it is shown to be only partially effective by examples like King David’s adultery and Peter’s denial of Jesus. After Pentecost, regeneration is also rendered partially effective by examples like Ananias and Saphira’s dishonesty (Acts 5), Peter’s problem with favoritism (Gal 2:11-14), and John Mark’s abandonment of Paul (Acts 13:13). Beyond those is the example of the Corinthian church, which Paul described as “carnal” (1 Cor 3:1-3) due to its issues with strife, immorality, inconsideration, and ecclesiastical disorder. These examples, combined with the plethora of scriptural warnings and the believer’s real-life struggles with sin question the completeness of our initial transformation. There must be a view that aligns better with such realities. That view is the dual nature view.
The “dual nature” view teaches that regeneration initiates a process of transformation that involves both the new spiritual nature and the old fleshly nature. Instead of replacing our old nature, the new nature brings added abilities, appetites, and a freedom to obey God. Charles Spurgeon eloquently advocates this view in his sermon “The Dual Nature and the Duel Within”:
“the old Adam-nature. It is there from the first. It is born of and with the flesh; and it remains in us after we are born of the Spirit, for the second birth does not destroy in us the products of the first birth … When we are born again there is dropped into our soul the living and incorruptible seed of the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever. It is akin to the divine nature, and cannot sin, because it is born of God: it has no tendency to sin, but all its appetites are heavenward and Christward … It is at deadly enmity with the old nature.” [9]
Galatians 5:16-17 and Romans 7:14-24 highlight the ongoing struggle between the believer’s new spiritual nature and the remnants of the old sinful nature. Reformed theologian, R.C. Sproul, described these passages this way:
“Paul is describing the conflict we face between rival inclinations, those toward the good and those toward the evil … the whole process of sanctification involves this struggle. Paul likens it to warfare, a titanic battle between the spirit and the flesh. The struggle between the spirit and the flesh is the struggle of the regenerate person.” [7]
In this view, sanctification entails a cooperative relationship between God and the believer, where the believer actively submits to God’s life-transforming, although resistible grace. In other words, sanctification is synergistic. Sproul agrees:
“[Sanctification] includes our efforts. We say it is synergistic because both God and we are doing something … But as God works in us, we work as well, pursuing Him in prayer, relying on the means of grace—the preached Word and the sacraments … It’s a process, and one that all too often seems overly plodding, with progress taking years to discern.”[15]
If the dual nature view is correct, one may ask why there exist some scriptures that suggest a full replacement of our nature, such as 2 Corinthians 5:17. Such passages reflect Paul’s tendency to directly address the believer’s new nature, or new man (Eph 4:24, Col 3:10), and thus to “know no man after the flesh” (2 Cor 5:16). This tendency is integral to Paul’s theology of sanctification; a concept we will delve into next.
Check out Part 2 to continue this journey…
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End Notes:
[1]: Charles C. Ryrie, “So Great Salvation: What It Means to Believe in Jesus Christ” (Chicago: Moody Publishers, 1989), 58.
[2]: Zane C. Hodges, “Grace in Eclipse: A Study on Eternal Rewards” (Dallas: Redención Viva, 1985), 23.
[3] Charles Ryrie, So Great Salvation [Wheaton: Victor Books, 1989], p. 45.
[4]: John MacArthur, “The Gospel According to Jesus: What Does Jesus Mean When He Says, ‘Follow Me’?” (Zondervan, 2008), p. 4.
[5]: J. Vernon McGee, “Thru the Bible Commentary, Vol. 5: Proverbs-Matthew” (Thomas Nelson, 1991), p. 328.
[6] MacArthur, John Jr. Saved Without a Doubt: Being Sure of Your Salvation. MacArthur Study Series. NexGen, 1992. Page 78.
[7] Sproul, R.C. “Grace Unknown: The Heart of Reformed Theology.” Baker Books, 1997. Page 134.
[9] Charles Haddon Spurgeon. “The Dual Nature and the Duel Within”. Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit Volume 25. Fuller excerpt below:
“THERE ARE IN ALL BELIEVERS TWO PRINCIPLES … The first life in a Christian in order of time is the old Adam-nature. It is there from the first. It is born of and with the flesh; and it remains in us after we are born of the Spirit, for the second birth does not destroy in us the products of the first birth … Regeneration brings into us a new and higher principle, which is ultimately to destroy the sinful nature, but the old principle still remains … it is enmity against God, and is not reconciled to God, neither, indeed, can be … This old nature lives in our members; that is to say, its nest is the body, and it works through the body. There are certain appetites of ours which are perfectly allowable, nay, even necessary to existence; but they can be very easily pushed to sinful extremes, and then that which is lawful and right becomes a nest for that which is unlawful and wrong … When we are born again there is dropped into our soul the living and incorruptible seed of the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever. It is akin to the divine nature, and cannot sin, because it is born of God: it has no tendency to sin, but all its appetites are heavenward and Christward … It is at deadly enmity with the old nature, which it will in the end destroy; but, as I have said before, it has its work to do, and it is a work which, assisted even by divine strength, will not be accomplished all at once. It is a warfare which, when it seems ended, has often to be renewed, since, after long and victorious campaigns, the routed enemy returns to the field. Now, I would like each Christian to be assured that he has this second principle in him. It may be weak; it may be struggling for an existence; but it is there, my brother. If thou hast believed in Jesus …”
[15] R.C. Sproul. “No Shortcuts to Growth”. October 2021. Found at: https://www.ligonier.org/learn/articles/no-shortcuts-growth
The Middle Ground 