The following "Question" was asked by a member of the congregation at Grace Community Church in Panorama City, California, and "Answered" by their pastor, John MacArthur Jr. It was transcribed from the tape, GC 70-8, titled "Questions and Answers--Part 36."  A copy of the tape can be obtained by writing, Word of Grace, P.O. Box 4000, Panorama City, CA 91412 or by dialing toll free 1-800-55-GRACE. Copyright 2001 by John MacArthur Jr., All Rights Reserved.

Question

Several of us are taking a campus class--it’s in the college department and it’s dealing with part of your manuscript on Lordship Salvation. Part of it was talking about how, I guess, the non-Lordship position was derived from Dispensationalism, and I was having a real tough time following that. Could you explain the connection between those two?

Answer

Well, let me tell you: the non-Lordship position is, to some extent, defended on a dispensational basis. For example, and I just read an article on this, by the way, today, there are those who say, “Yes, we agree that Jesus called people to repent. We believe He called them to obedience. We believe He called them to submission. We believe He called them to discipleship. But that was before the cross, so that was a different dispensation, and what Jesus did in evangelism and what Paul did are two completely different things.”

So sometimes the dispensational grid is used to argue against the Lordship view. They would say that Paul always says, “Believe, believe, believe, believe. Grace, grace, grace, grace.” Jesus always says, “Repent, submit, etc.” So you’ve got Jesus: Old Testament salvation thing, Jews, kingdom; you’ve got Paul: grace, church, new covenant.

Question (continued)

Ok, is that kind of where the idea comes from that up through, say, Acts, chapter 2, that the world was under the law and that after that it was the grace period and then when the millennial kingdom comes, it’ll be the law again? Is that sort of connected?

Answer (continued)

Yes, and Dispensationalism would even go further and say that there might be a return to that kind of evangelism in the millennial kingdom. But, my feeling is you’ve got a major problem if you do that because now what you have are two kinds of what? Salvation. You’ve got Jesus preaching salvation by this means and you’ve got now Paul preaching salvation by this means and now you have really gotten yourself into a problem.

So, in the opening part of the book, we deal with that rather extensively because that is, in fact, one of the arguments that is used. That is not a popular argument used by most of the writers who are writing on this issue today, but it is there and some do hold that view.

But the roots of this debate are really not found so much in Dispensationalism as they are in a very valid and a very well-meaning intent to save grace from being intruded on by works. They’re saying, “Well, if you call men to repent, that’s a work. If you call men to submit to Christ, that’s a work.” And my answer to that is, well, if you call men to believe, that’s a work. I mean, if you’re going to call them to believe, why not say that in their believing, they turn from sin to God? Why not say that in their believing, they submit to Christ? Furthermore, why not even say this: that since salvation is all the work of God, that when God saves somebody, He produces repentance and faith altogether…and submission? So, that’s all we’re saying.

As I said recently, there’s one basic thing that I believe occurs when God saves someone, Ok? And that is this: there’s a change in intent. Did you get that? There’s a dramatic transformation of intent, attitude, desire, and will that results in a change in behavior. There is not necessarily an immediate, momentary, total transformation of behavior. There is a change in intent, desire, will, and attitude.

That can be boiled down to one dominant thought: when a person is saved, they love God. They love God; they love Christ. That’s the new attitude. The new desire: to express that love, to serve the one they love. Once you affirm that salvation makes men love God--Romans 5, “The love of God is”--what?--“shed abroad in our hearts”--once you affirm that salvation makes men love God, then all the rest falls into place. If you love God, you hate what? Sin. If you love God, you submit to the one you love.

So, that solves the whole problem and that’s what we’re trying to say. It isn’t works. It’s that when God saves someone, He gives them a new heart. He takes out the stony heart and gives them a heart of flesh and that heart of flesh loves God. Jesus says that over and again in John’s Gospel where He talks about the fact that “those who know Me, love Me, and love my Father, and We love them.” He tangles us all up in a love bond with God so that when you’re saved, instead of loving self, instead of loving sin, instead of loving the world, the flesh, the devil, you love God! You love Christ! And therefore, you love what is right and you hate what is wrong. You love obedience to Him, you hate disobedience. That’s the intent, desire, will, attitude that is transformed in a person. That’s the root that results in the fruit.

Added to Bible Bulletin Board's "MacArthur’s Questions and Answers" by:

Tony Capoccia
Bible Bulletin Board
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