Dr. Couch, why are so many saying now that “The Greats,” Spurgeon and Pink (both
five point Calvinists) believed in Lordship Salvation? Are they reading
something into their writings? Were they into Lordship Salvation?
ANSWER: I have a collection of the old Calvinistic writings, including the ones
you mentioned in your question. And you could not come up with Lordship
Salvation from their writings. The term did not come along until John
MacArthur published his book The Gospel According to Jesus.
MacArthur admits why he came up with the saying and this teaching. He
saw so much carnality in churches that he deduced many must not have
claimed Christ as Lord when they made a “profession.” In fact he goes on
and writes that one can not be saved unless he claims Christ as Lord!
His deduction is wrong! Christians can be carnal,
and as Paul says, “walk like mere men.” What MacArthur did (though he
would deny this) was to put an additional requirement upon simple and
basic salvation faith. Over forty times “belief” is mentioned by itself
for salvation in the book of John. What MacArthur was trying to do was
screw the nut down tightly in order to “force” Christians to live a
sanctified life!
I have been accused of not reading his “Gospel According to Jesus” but this is not so. I have over fifty dog-ears on the pages where he is intellectually and biblically misleading the reader.
In their doctrine of Perseverance of the Saints,
the old Puritans and Calvinists wanted to add to the doctrine of Eternal
Security the “near” perfect walk of the saints. For example the old
giant Puritan Baptist John Gill writes in his theology volume:
"By Perseverance God keeps the believer from
sin, not from the indwelling of it in the hearts of believers; nor from
all acts of sin in their conduct; but from the dominion, power, and
tyranny of it; and from a final and total falling away through it."
While there is absolute truth in this statement
it could be interpreted that Christians will never sin “bad,” but only
slightly bad! What Gill wrote is basically true but anyone in the
pastorate knows that the sheep can sin and do terrible things. Paul of
course teaches the same thing: “Brothers (Christian brothers), even if a
man is caught in any trespass (bad, bad sin), you who are spiritual
restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to
yourself, lest you too be tempted” (Gal. 6:1).
Read what MacArthur writes: “Christ is Lord, and
those who refuse him as Lord cannot use him as Savior. Everyone who
receives him must surrender to his authority, for to say we receive
Christ when in fact we reject his right to reign over us is utter
absurdity.
What MacArthur writes is absurd! I have been in
the ministry almost fifty years and I have never seen a new believer in
Christ “refuse, refuse to surrender to his authority, reject” Him as
Lord! We all do that when we rebel and sin! That shows our carnality! I
have never known anyone who consciously “refuses” Christ in the way
MacArthur is claiming.
In his book MacArthur also takes to task Lewis S.
Chafer for pointing out from 1 Corinthians 2-3 that Paul describes two
types of Christians: those who walk spiritual and those who walk carnal.
This is what Paul writes. MacArthur jumps on Chafer for simply quoting
Paul! MacArthur must not believe Christians can walk carnal!
Lordship Salvation will fade away as all error finally does. It is an aberrant position and won’t last!
Thanks for asking,
Dr. Mal Couch
