THE DUCK TEST

If you've been exposed to the viewpoint of Lordship salvation, you know that those who advocate it have at least one problem. Lordship salvation, as its proponents define it is, "The gospel call to faith presupposes that sinners must repent of their sin and yield to Christ's authority. That, in one sentence is what Lordship salvation teaches." Another within their camp states, ""The Lordship view expressly states the need to acknowledge Christ as Lord and Master of one's life in the act of receiving Him as Savior."

Lordship salvation front loads commitment, obedience, and surrender as "must-dos" in order to be forgiven and have eternal life. For the lordship salvationist, there must be a deep sorrow for sin and a turning away from one's sins in order to be saved. (Now you can see why a leading spokesman for this viewpoint has said that a child cannot be saved.)

One of their problems is that, depending on who's talking, the "must-do's" for forgiveness of sin keep piling up. One says that James 4:7-10 contains the "must-do's." This means that there are 9 things to do, which include, "be miserable, mourn, weep, and let your joy be turned into gloom." To be saved, you have to become miserable? When others talk, their list may not be 9, but sometimes less, sometimes more.

Another lordship salvationist has written a book calling for a new word. "Faith" isn't good enough because, according to his way of thinking, people will come to the conclusion that the gospel is justification by faith alone. To avoid this "problem," he calls for a new word and a new translation for "faith." What word does he want instead? "Allegiance."

Therefore, John 3:16 would read, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever professes allegiance to Him should not perish but have everlasting life."

You ask, "What does he mean by '"allegiance?" Now, we're getting into it; that's a good question. He says that allegiance involves three aspects: mental affirmation that the gospel is true; swearing loyalty to Jesus alone as the cosmic Lord; enacted loyalty through obedience to Jesus as King. (Can a child understand all this?)

Now, let's go back to John 3:16 and put all that in verse: ""For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes the gospel to be true, swears loyalty to Jesus alone as the cosmic Lord, and enacts this loyalty through obedience to Jesus as King shall not perish but have everlasting life." (I like John's word better: "believes.")

So, now, with the new word, we wind up with works as "must-do's" for salvation in addition to faith in Christ. That's what he's saying in the third aspect of "allegiance."

The author is showing the classic confusion of mixing discipleship (allegiance to Christ) into the gospel of faith alone in Christ alone. Allegiance is a good thing--for following Jesus AFTER salvation, but that's a different issue than faith alone in Christ alone for salvation. By his own definition, allegiance is works. One lordship author may call it "submission," another may call it "allegiance," but it can't pass James Whitcomb Riley's duck test: if it looks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it is a duck.

It's works.