lordship salvation‏

Colossians 2:6

 

Therefore, as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, walk in Him…

 

Promise – received

Purpose – walk

 

Indicative – received

Imperative – walk

 

Repentance – received

Fruit – walk

 

Christ – received

Lord – walk

 

Can we piecemeal Jesus into parts?

Can we nominate Him our Savior without surrendering to Him as Lord?

Will He be pleased to save us even if we don’t listen to Him?

Is He obligated to Lord over those He saves?

Are we obligated to obey the One we allow to save us?

Is it possible for someone to be saved if they do not submit to Jesus?

 

This article by Dr. John Piper is quite exhaustive on the topic.

 

In short:

 

Jesus is Lord.

You do not make Him anything.

 

Jesus is Savior.

Even if you personally aren’t saved by Him.

 

You either receive Jesus or you do not.

There is no Jesus Christ who is not Jesus Christ the Lord.

Thank God that we not only have a Jesus who is the Lord, but also a Jesus who is Christ for us.

 

This one excerpt from the article perhaps puts the best perspective on this particular point:

 

How Do You Preach To Disobedient, Professing Christians?

 

4. You ask, “Could we dare say that they [the unconcerned, apathetic, stingy, uncommitted professing believers] do not have salvation?”

I believe that our unwillingness to take this possibility seriously is one of the things that makes preaching across our country anemic. If you measure by the preaching of Jesus and by the epistles of Paul the way to preach to disobedient, professing Christians it means saying things like: “I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God” (Gal. 5:21; cf.1 Cor. 6:9-10). “Would that you were cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew you out of my mouth” (Rev. 3:15-16). “Strive to enter by the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able” (Luke 13:24). “If you live according to the flesh you will die” (Romans 8:13).

The absence of this kind of preaching—with such urgency to professing believers—is one of the weaknesses of the evangelical pulpit. I am puzzled that you are so hesitant to consider that millions of professing Christians are not saved, when that is what Jesus very strongly suggests was true in his day (Matt. 7:13-14) and will be true at the end of the age—our day (Matt. 24:12-13).

MacArthur is right when he says that Jesus far more often calls people’s false assurance into question than he tries to give security to any willfully disobedient beginner.And yet we seem to have just the opposite concern. We shrink back from calling any one’s assurance into question if they are a professing believer. And we shrink back from telling new believers anything about the demands of Jesus that would cause them to wonder if they are really saved. We are not in sync with Jesus or the epistles at this point.