First let me say that no one gets saved by asking Jesus into their hearts. No prayer of faith will save you. No one gets saved by accepting Jesus as Saviour. There simply is no scripture to support such teachings. Bottom line much of the church is confused as to how to get saved and consequently I believe that the church today is made up largely of lost people. People who are mentioned in Mat. 7:21-23. Much like our nation who is confused by the liberal political agenda the church is confused by a liberal spiritual agenda.
I believe that the confusion comes when we omit from or add to scripture. While there are several passages calling us to repentance there is no NT passage that says we are to repent of sin to be saved yet many people teach and preach this is what we must do when scripture does not teach that. Also there is no passage that says if we accept Jesus as Saviour we will be saved. A many a persons have wanted Jesus as Saviour but are not ready for God's rule. They NEVER get saved. While repentance is necessary we need to learn what repentance is necessary for salvation, and to do that we simply need to allow scripture to speak for itself.
In Acts 20:21 it tells us what this repentance is. It is repentance toward God. It is not as much about what we are turning from, but Who we are turning to and how. Many people are willing to give up, or turn from certain things if they can get into heaven when they die. It is a mentality of "I don't smoke, I don't chew, and I don't go with girls that do." The problem is that they still do not want God to have His Sovereign place in their lives as He demands. Turning from sin does not allow Him His Sovereign place. However turning to Him as our Sovereign will be seen in the turning from sin. Turning from sin is the result of salvation, not the avenue to it.
Our practice of sin is nothing but the evidence that we do not want God to rule over us and that we really do not trust what He says is best for us. In other words we do not trust (faith) Him. We love darkness more then light. Jesus said why call Me Lord and do not do what I say?
Once we acknowledge from our heart that we are ready to get right with God regardless what it will cost us we are in a state of repentance. We are then faced with the gospel. We are to take that heart of repentance and place it on the Lord Jesus Christ, who has been given all authority, which is faith. At that point we are born again forevermore. What follows is the turning from sin (repentance of sin). It is the result of salvation and part of the sanctification process. The turning from sin is the evidence of the repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, not the avenue to Him.
As for this being Lordship Salvation if we are not Lordship salvationists we are not saved. Christ is Lord and no place in scripture says that we can be saved by confessing, receiving, or accepting Him as Saviour. We confess Him as Lord. That confession has to be true in our hearts and live and not just on our lips to be a true confession and will be seen in how we live. God is not looking for acknowledgement of truth, but a full heart surrender to it which is seen in the life walk of the believer. We do not get a Saviour when we do not want His rule (Lordship) over us as our God and Master (Lord).
For anyone to suggest repentance is not needed for salvation and a person can be saved and remain in rebellion in heart rebellion to God's authority/rule over them could not be any more false. It is like saying that God forces people into heaven who do not want Him. It takes both repentance and faith. I would add this. We do not get saved by doing nothing. We have to come to repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ or we will not be saved.
I believe that the confusion comes when we omit from or add to scripture. While there are several passages calling us to repentance there is no NT passage that says we are to repent of sin to be saved yet many people teach and preach this is what we must do when scripture does not teach that. Also there is no passage that says if we accept Jesus as Saviour we will be saved. A many a persons have wanted Jesus as Saviour but are not ready for God's rule. They NEVER get saved. While repentance is necessary we need to learn what repentance is necessary for salvation, and to do that we simply need to allow scripture to speak for itself.
In Acts 20:21 it tells us what this repentance is. It is repentance toward God. It is not as much about what we are turning from, but Who we are turning to and how. Many people are willing to give up, or turn from certain things if they can get into heaven when they die. It is a mentality of "I don't smoke, I don't chew, and I don't go with girls that do." The problem is that they still do not want God to have His Sovereign place in their lives as He demands. Turning from sin does not allow Him His Sovereign place. However turning to Him as our Sovereign will be seen in the turning from sin. Turning from sin is the result of salvation, not the avenue to it.
Our practice of sin is nothing but the evidence that we do not want God to rule over us and that we really do not trust what He says is best for us. In other words we do not trust (faith) Him. We love darkness more then light. Jesus said why call Me Lord and do not do what I say?
Once we acknowledge from our heart that we are ready to get right with God regardless what it will cost us we are in a state of repentance. We are then faced with the gospel. We are to take that heart of repentance and place it on the Lord Jesus Christ, who has been given all authority, which is faith. At that point we are born again forevermore. What follows is the turning from sin (repentance of sin). It is the result of salvation and part of the sanctification process. The turning from sin is the evidence of the repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, not the avenue to Him.
As for this being Lordship Salvation if we are not Lordship salvationists we are not saved. Christ is Lord and no place in scripture says that we can be saved by confessing, receiving, or accepting Him as Saviour. We confess Him as Lord. That confession has to be true in our hearts and live and not just on our lips to be a true confession and will be seen in how we live. God is not looking for acknowledgement of truth, but a full heart surrender to it which is seen in the life walk of the believer. We do not get a Saviour when we do not want His rule (Lordship) over us as our God and Master (Lord).
For anyone to suggest repentance is not needed for salvation and a person can be saved and remain in rebellion in heart rebellion to God's authority/rule over them could not be any more false. It is like saying that God forces people into heaven who do not want Him. It takes both repentance and faith. I would add this. We do not get saved by doing nothing. We have to come to repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ or we will not be saved.