Easy-Beleivism vs. Lordship Gospel
Think back to the time the gospel was presented to you. Do
you still remember the message? Was it a call to full repentance and lordship
of Christ over your life or was it a call to Christ as the saviour of all? Your
answer may be very revealing to how you see your relationship with and to the
Gospel. It determines your current positional relationship with the Triune God
and how you compel others to embrace a positional relationship with the gospel
you share. This subject is a controversial matter, but it’s a fundamental
issue, for it ultimately determines how we present Christ to a lost world and
has eternal implications.
Looking at the church today through the eyes of a biblical
orthodox understanding of the Gospel, we see it preach a feeble and weak gospel
that presents Christ as saviour only. There may be a call to repentance, but
the repentance is defined by a turning away from sin, which it partly is, but it
lacks a serious call to a life fully surrendered to Christ. This watered down
form of gospel preaching is called ‘’easy-beleivism’’ which is surrounded by
radical advocates of the Free-Grace movement.
Hence in this blog, I’d like to compare easy-beleivism to
the Lordship Gospel, which is very much against the teachings of the free-grace
movement. But before I start, it must be pointed out, that both perspectives
agree on the following truths: (1)
Christ's death purchased eternal salvation; (2) the saved are justified by
grace through faith in Christ alone; (3) sinners cannot earn divine favour; (4)
God requires no preparatory works or pre-salvation reformation; (5) eternal
life is a gift of God; (6) believers are saved before their faith ever produces
any righteous works; and (7) Christians can and do sin, sometimes horribly.
Easy-Beleivism
"Easy believism" is the notion that nothing more is necessary
for salvation than an intellectual acknowledgment of God's work on the cross,
accompanied by a verbal appeal to be saved. This is known as ascentia (opposite
of faducia), a mental assent of the fact or existence of God and the
Gospel. Easy beleivism preaches a gospel with the following terminology:
‘’Accept Jesus as personal Saviour,’’ ‘’ask Jesus into your heart,’’ ‘’invite Jesus
into your life,’’ ‘’make a decision for Christ,’’ and ‘’just give Him a try.’’
This is generally followed by an alter call which leads to a sinner’s prayer.
The new convert is assured that because they have recited a prayer, signed on a
dotted line, walked an aisle or had some other experience, they are saved.
Further soteriological perspectives advocated within
easy-beleivism are as follows:
- Repentance is simply a change of mind about Christ. In the context of the gospel invitation, repentance is just a synonym for faith. No turning from sin is required for salvation.
- The whole of salvation, including faith, is a gift of God. But faith might not last. A true Christian can completely cease believing.
- Saving faith is simply being convinced or giving credence to the truth of the gospel. It is confidence that Christ can remove guilt and give eternal life, BUT it is not a personal commitment to Him.
- Some spiritual fruit is inevitable in every Christian's experience. The fruit, however, might not be visible to others.
- Only the judicial aspects of salvation—such as justification, adoption, imputed righteousness, and positional sanctification—are guaranteed for believers in this life. Practical sanctification and growth in grace require a post-conversion act of dedication.
- Submission to Christ's supreme authority as Lord is not germane to the saving transaction. Neither dedication nor willingness to be dedicated to Christ are issues in salvation. The news that Christ died for our sins and rose from the dead is the complete gospel. Nothing else must be believed for salvation.
- Disobedience and prolonged sin are no reason to doubt the reality of one's faith.
With that all been said, its not surprising then that many
in this movement tend to suffer from a lot of doubt in their salvation but are
told its satanic and should be dismissed and that questioning your faith is
challenging the integrity of God’s word.
Lordship Gospel
The Lordship Gospel states, that the Gospel 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. 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. Matthew 7:13-23)’’ (John MacArthur). To put it simply, the
gospel call to faith presupposes that sinners must repent of their sin and
yield to Christ's authority.
The following are nine distinctive of a biblical
understanding of salvation and the gospel. This is taken directly from an
article by John MacArthur, who I think states this much clearer than I could:
- 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 (Ephesians 2:1-5, 8). Real faith therefore cannot be defective or short-lived but endures forever (Philippians 1:6; cf. Hebrews 11). In contrast, easy-believism teaches that faith might not last and that a true Christian can completely cease believing.
- 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 Corinthians 5:15). In other words, all true believers follow Jesus (John 10:27-28). In contrast, easy-believism teaches that saving faith is simply being convinced or giving credence to the truth of the gospel and does not include a personal commitment to the person of Christ.
- Scripture teaches that real faith inevitably produces a changed life (2 Corinthians 5:17). Salvation includes a transformation of the inner person (Galatians 2:20). The nature of the Christian is new and different (Romans 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 (Matthew 12:50), abide in God's Word (John 8:31), keep God's Word (John 17:6), do good works (Ephesians 2:10), and continue in the faith (Colossians 1:21-23; Hebrews 3:14). In contrast, easy-believism teaches that although some spiritual fruit is inevitable, that fruit might not be visible to others and Christians can even lapse into a state of permanent spiritual barrenness.
- Scripture teaches that God's gift of eternal life includes all that pertains to life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3; Romans 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.
- Scripture teaches that Jesus is Lord of all, and the faith He demands involves unconditional surrender (Romans 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.
- Scripture teaches that those who truly believe will love Christ (1 Peter 1:8-9; Romans 8:28-30; 1 Corinthians 16:22). They will therefore long to obey Him (John 14:15, 23). In contrast, easy-believism teaches that Christians may fall into a state of lifelong carnality.
- Scripture teaches that behaviour 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). In contrast, easy-believism teaches that disobedience and prolonged sin are no reason to doubt the reality of one's faith.
- Scripture teaches that genuine believers may stumble and fall, but they will persevere in the faith (1 Corinthians 1:8). Those who later turn completely away from the Lord show that they were never truly born again (1 John 2:19). In contrast, easy-believism teaches that a true believer may utterly forsake Christ and come to the point of not believing.
Concluding thought
Clearly, both camps proclaim a reliance on Christ alone for
salvation, however the deep dividing line, is what happens next. Are we just to
believe and live off grace to the day comes when we will die? Or are we to
repent and forsake all and follow Jesus, making him Lord and master of our
lives, knowing that the cost is high and the suffering plenty? Biblically, the Lordship
Gospel is orthodoxy, leading to prober doxology, which effects our everyday
praxis. It reveals to the world around us, that Christ is Lord of all, and that
every knee will bow and confess his lordship.
Due to space in this blog (not wanting to make it an article
format), there is a lot more that could be mentioned not mentioned, hence, if
you wish to dig deeper, I recommend the following links:
If you prefer a book, then John MacArthurs, ''The Gospel according to Jesus: What is Authentic Faith,'' is a great resource. Link here:
Furthermore, if you the type who likes to listen instead of read, then here is a link:
Sean Chalmers de Villiers is the editor of Christo Semper Blog. He has a B.A. In Theology and Pastoral Studies From the University of Wales. He lives in Keuruu, Central Finland, with his wife and two kids.
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