The Two Surrenders

[John of Japan]

I know I'm going to regret joining this conversation. I've done so before here on the BB. Having said that, here is my point, which has not yet been made. A genuine Lordship Salvation position must insist that when dealing with a sinner, a demand must be made that the sinner not only receives Christ as Savior, but consciously makes Christ Lord of his or her life at the same time. Here is James Kennedy making that exact point in his otherwise good book on soul winning. (Note that he presents this as part of the personal evangelism effort.)

“When Christ comes into a life as Saviour He comes to do something for you: to forgive you and give you eternal life. But, also He comes as Lord. He comes as Master and King. He comes to demand something of you. He says there is a throne room in your heart, and that throne is rightly His. He made you. He redeemed you. He bought you. He says that He wants to take His rightful place on the throne of your life. Are you willing to yield your life, to surrender your life, to Him, out of gratitude for the gift of eternal life?”
D. James Kennedy, Evangelism Explosion (Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers, 1970), 53.

Now, does MacArthur approach it that way? Maybe so, but I've not found it yet. He said, “This is the kind of totally committed response the Lord Jesus called for. A desire for Him at any cost. Absolute surrender. A full exchange of self for the Savior. It is the only response that will open the gates of the kingdom” John F. MacArthur, Jr. The Gospel According to Jesus (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1988), 141. MacArthur is not as explicit as Kennedy, but the doctrine is there. The implication is that one who did not fully surrender at the time of belief in Christ is not really saved.

 

[John of Japan]

Now, if Lordship salvation occurs anywhere in the Bible, it must be in the book of John, because the Apostle declared in ch. 20, "30 And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book: 31 But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name."

Therefore, if LS is anywhere in the NT, it must be in John's Gospel, the book which was written specifically to teach salvation. However, it is not there. The Greek kurios, for "Lord," appears 51 times in the Gospel of John in the Textus Receptus Greek New Testament. (It does not occur in John 20:31.)

a. It is translated as “sir” seven times in the KJV, and not always towards Christ.
b. It is used twenty-six times as a title by someone talking to Christ.
c. It is used five times by Jesus talking about Himself.
d. It is used one time by Thomas in his wonderful declaration.
e. It is used three times by John himself about Christ in his narration.
f. But not one single time is anyone commanded to confess Christ as Lord or saying this must be done for salvation.

Or, if that doesn't do it for you, tell me where in the book of Acts, where salvation is preached over and over, did Peter or Paul ever tell someone to receive Christ as Lord to be saved? Never! Not one single time in the book of the history of apostolic evangelism

 

[Anthony Pritchard]

Now, if Lordship salvation occurs anywhere in the Bible, it must be in the book of John, because the Apostle declared in ch. 20, "30 And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book: 31 But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name."

Therefore, if LS is anywhere in the NT, it must be in John's Gospel, the book which was written specifically to teach salvation. However, it is not there. The Greek kurios, for "Lord," appears 51 times in the Gospel of John in the Textus Receptus Greek New Testament. (It does not occur in John 20:31.)

a. It is translated as “sir” seven times in the KJV, and not always towards Christ.
b. It is used twenty-six times as a title by someone talking to Christ.
c. It is used five times by Jesus talking about Himself.
d. It is used one time by Thomas in his wonderful declaration.
e. It is used three times by John himself about Christ in his narration.
f. But not one single time is anyone commanded to confess Christ as Lord or saying this must be done for salvation.

Or, if that doesn't do it for you, tell me where in the book of Acts, where salvation is preached over and over, did Peter or Paul ever tell someone to receive Christ as Lord to be saved? Never! Not one single time in the book of the history of apostolic evangelism

John, thank you , your two observations actually help clarify the distinction my article is making.

1. Lordship Salvation requires a pre‑conversion surrender of the life.
You noted that a genuine LS position must insist that the sinner consciously yield the life, enthrone Christ, and make an explicit act of surrender at the moment of evangelism. Kennedy’s quotation makes that requirement unmistakable.

That is precisely the point my piece addresses:
LS makes the surrender of obedience a condition for receiving eternal life.
Scripture does not.

The Bible presents surrender, obedience, and yieldedness as fruits of salvation, not prerequisites for it. The sinner is never told to enthrone Christ in order to be saved. He is told to believe on Christ, and salvation produces the transformation.

So your definition of LS is accurate , and it is exactly why LS cannot be reconciled with the biblical order of salvation.

2. Repentance unto salvation is surrender , but not the LS kind.
Repentance in salvation is indeed an initial surrender, but Scripture defines it with precision:

It is the surrender of unbelief, not the surrender of behavior.

It is the surrender of self‑dependence, not the surrender of self‑rule.

It is the surrender of the heart’s direction, not the surrender of the life’s obedience.

Repentance unto life is the sinner’s once‑for‑all turning to Christ.
Sanctification is the believer’s lifelong yielding under Christ.

These are two different surrenders.

LS collapses them.
Scripture never does.

3. Your survey of John’s Gospel confirms the distinction.
You observed that if LS were taught anywhere, it must appear in the book written “that ye might believe… and that believing ye might have life.” And then you noted that:

kurios appears 51 times,

but never once as a commanded condition for receiving eternal life,

never once as part of evangelism,

never once as a requirement for salvation.

That is exactly the issue.

If LS were the biblical gospel, John’s Gospel , the only book written with the stated purpose of explaining how to receive eternal life , would contain at least one command to “receive Christ as Lord,” “surrender your life to Christ,” or “yield the life to Christ as Lord” as a condition of salvation.

But it does not.

Instead, John’s Gospel consistently presents one condition for receiving eternal life:

“Believe.”

“Whosoever believeth.”

“He that believeth hath everlasting life.”

“To them that believe on His name.”

Repentance is present , but always as the turning of the heart toward Christ, never as a pre‑conversion commitment to obey Him.

4. Acts confirms the same pattern.
You asked where Peter or Paul ever told a sinner to “receive Christ as Lord” to be saved.

The answer is the same as yours:
Nowhere.

Acts records apostolic evangelism in detail , Jews, Gentiles, individuals, crowds, jailers, philosophers, idolaters, soldiers, governors. Not once is anyone told to enthrone Christ, surrender the life, or consciously submit to His Lordship as a condition for receiving eternal life.

They are told to:

believe,
repent,
call upon the name of the Lord,
receive the forgiveness of sins.

The transformation of life follows salvation; it does not precede it.

5. The two surrenders remain distinct.
This is the point my article makes:

Repentance unto salvation is the sinner’s surrender of unbelief.

Sanctification is the believer’s surrender of obedience.

LS merges these two categories.
Scripture keeps them separate.

Your observations , both from Kennedy’s definition and from the Gospel of John , actually reinforce the distinction.

 

[John of Japan]

John, thank you , your two observations actually help clarify the distinction my article is making.

1. Lordship Salvation requires a pre‑conversion surrender of the life.
You noted that a genuine LS position must insist that the sinner consciously yield the life, enthrone Christ, and make an explicit act of surrender at the moment of evangelism. Kennedy’s quotation makes that requirement unmistakable.

That is precisely the point my piece addresses:
LS makes the surrender of obedience a condition for receiving eternal life.
Scripture does not.

The Bible presents surrender, obedience, and yieldedness as fruits of salvation, not prerequisites for it. The sinner is never told to enthrone Christ in order to be saved. He is told to believe on Christ, and salvation produces the transformation.

So your definition of LS is accurate , and it is exactly why LS cannot be reconciled with the biblical order of salvation.

2. Repentance unto salvation is surrender , but not the LS kind.
Repentance in salvation is indeed an initial surrender, but Scripture defines it with precision:

It is the surrender of unbelief, not the surrender of behavior.

It is the surrender of self‑dependence, not the surrender of self‑rule.

It is the surrender of the heart’s direction, not the surrender of the life’s obedience.

Repentance unto life is the sinner’s once‑for‑all turning to Christ.
Sanctification is the believer’s lifelong yielding under Christ.

These are two different surrenders.

LS collapses them.
Scripture never does.

3. Your survey of John’s Gospel confirms the distinction.
You observed that if LS were taught anywhere, it must appear in the book written “that ye might believe… and that believing ye might have life.” And then you noted that:

kurios appears 51 times,

but never once as a commanded condition for receiving eternal life,

never once as part of evangelism,

never once as a requirement for salvation.

That is exactly the issue.

If LS were the biblical gospel, John’s Gospel , the only book written with the stated purpose of explaining how to receive eternal life , would contain at least one command to “receive Christ as Lord,” “surrender your life to Christ,” or “yield the life to Christ as Lord” as a condition of salvation.

But it does not.

Instead, John’s Gospel consistently presents one condition for receiving eternal life:

“Believe.”

“Whosoever believeth.”

“He that believeth hath everlasting life.”

“To them that believe on His name.”

Repentance is present , but always as the turning of the heart toward Christ, never as a pre‑conversion commitment to obey Him.

4. Acts confirms the same pattern.
You asked where Peter or Paul ever told a sinner to “receive Christ as Lord” to be saved.

The answer is the same as yours:
Nowhere.

Acts records apostolic evangelism in detail , Jews, Gentiles, individuals, crowds, jailers, philosophers, idolaters, soldiers, governors. Not once is anyone told to enthrone Christ, surrender the life, or consciously submit to His Lordship as a condition for receiving eternal life.

They are told to:

believe,
repent,
call upon the name of the Lord,
receive the forgiveness of sins.

The transformation of life follows salvation; it does not precede it.

5. The two surrenders remain distinct.
This is the point my article makes:

Repentance unto salvation is the sinner’s surrender of unbelief.

Sanctification is the believer’s surrender of obedience.

LS merges these two categories.
Scripture keeps them separate.

Your observations , both from Kennedy’s definition and from the Gospel of John , actually reinforce the distinction.

Good post, though I don't quite follow your characterization of repentance as somehow surrender. The Greek word is clearly a change of mind, which I must add results in a change of action (as all changes of mind do).

 

[Ascetic X]

Many problems arise regarding this attempt to refute lordship salvation.

I do not see how we can believe in Jesus apart from believing He is Lord and Master of our lives, the One we must obey.

Believe in Jesus means more than simply agree that He exists, or is the Messiah and Savior.

Repentance is once-for-all turning to Christ? Turning to Him for what? It means turning to Christ as the One you will follow, obey, imitate, and trust in as Lord, Master, the Person your life will conform to.

So repentance is change of mind, which means change of behavior.

We do not behave our way into salvation, but salvation necessarily results in changed behavior.

Repentance is a change of heart, a surrender. But what @Anthony Pritchard says about this is contradictory.

It is the surrender of unbelief, not the surrender of behavior.

It is the surrender of self‑dependence, not the surrender of self‑rule.

It is the surrender of the heart’s direction, not the surrender of the life’s obedience.

Belief includes behavior, it is not merely mental assent.

Surrendering self-dependence would include surrendering self-rule.

How can the heart’s direction not include the heart’s obedience?

How can you believe someone, but not obey?

“I believe in Jesus, but I do not obey Him” is absurd.

The lordship of Jesus does require time to fully develop, but it has a beginning at the moment of conversion.


Paul includes Jesus as Lord in his description of how to be saved.

Romans 10:9

That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

 

[DaveXR650]

1. Lordship Salvation requires a pre‑conversion surrender of the life.
You noted that a genuine LS position must insist that the sinner consciously yield the life, enthrone Christ, and make an explicit act of surrender at the moment of evangelism. Kennedy’s quotation makes that requirement unmistakable.

The Bible presents surrender, obedience, and yieldedness as fruits of salvation, not prerequisites for it. The sinner is never told to enthrone Christ in order to be saved. He is told to believe on Christ, and salvation produces the transformation.

So just to make sure I understand, you are not saying that it is possible to be saved and then not ever have a changed life - one that involves believing Jesus is Lord - but that your only problem is that some are front loading results of salvation with inevitable changes that must occur in one who is saved.

 

[Anthony Pritchard]

So just to make sure I understand, you are not saying that it is possible to be saved and then not ever have a changed life - one that involves believing Jesus is Lord - but that your only problem is that some are front loading results of salvation with inevitable changes that must occur in one who is saved.

Dave, no, I’m not saying a person can be saved and then go through life with no change at all. What I am saying is that the change is the result of salvation, not the condition of salvation.

Here is the distinction:

1. Salvation involves a once‑for‑all surrender, the surrender of unbelief. This is repentance unto life: the decisive turning of the heart to Christ in faith. It is punctiliar, completed, and never repeated.

2. Sanctification involves a lifelong surrender, the surrender of obedience. This is the believer’s ongoing yielding under Christ as Lord. It is progressive, repeated, and measured across the Christian life.

These are two different surrenders.

And here is the key point:

If there is no sanctifying surrender, then there was no salvation surrender. Not because sanctifying surrender causes salvation, but because sanctifying surrender flows from salvation. The fruit reveals the root.

My concern is simply this: Some people front‑load the results of salvation into the condition of salvation. They take what inevitably follows salvation and make it a requirement for receiving salvation. That is the confusion I’m addressing.

Salvation produces a changed life. But the changed life is not the condition of salvation, it is the consequence of salvation.

That’s the distinction.

 

[John of Japan]

Many problems arise regarding this attempt to refute lordship salvation.

I do not see how we can believe in Jesus apart from believing He is Lord and Master of our lives, the One we must obey.

Believe in Jesus means more than simply agree that He exists, or is the Messiah and Savior.

Repentance is once-for-all turning to Christ? Turning to Him for what? It means turning to Christ as the One you will follow, obey, imitate, and trust in as Lord, Master, the Person your life will conform to.

@John of Japan says, repentance is change of mind, which means change of behavior.

No, that is not what I wrote. First of all, it is not I who says repentance is a change of mind, it is all the lexicons. Metanoia (μετανοία) is "a change of mode of thought and feeling, repentance" (Mounce). I could give many more.

Secondly, I do not say that a change of mind "means change of behavior." Rather, the change of mind produces a change of behavior.

Please understand and quote me correctly.

Also, are you able to refute the points I made from John and Acts? If not, I'm done here. Frankly, I believe they are not refutable.

 

[Anthony Pritchard]

Many problems arise regarding this attempt to refute lordship salvation.

I do not see how we can believe in Jesus apart from believing He is Lord and Master of our lives, the One we must obey.

Believe in Jesus means more than simply agree that He exists, or is the Messiah and Savior.

Repentance is once-for-all turning to Christ? Turning to Him for what? It means turning to Christ as the One you will follow, obey, imitate, and trust in as Lord, Master, the Person your life will conform to.

@John of Japan says, repentance is change of mind, which means change of behavior.

We do not behave our way into salvation, but salvation necessarily results in changed behavior.

Repentance is a change of heart, a surrender. But what @Anthony Pritchard says about this is contradictory.



Belief includes behavior, it is not merely mental assent.

Surrendering self-dependence would include surrendering self-rule.

How can the heart’s direction not include the heart’s obedience?

How can you believe someone, but not obey?

“I believe in Jesus, but I do not obey Him” is absurd.

The lordship of Jesus does require time to fully develop, but it has a beginning at the moment of conversion.


Paul includes Jesus as Lord in his description of how to be saved.

Romans 10:9

That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

Brother, I’m not saying a person can be saved and then go through life with no change. Salvation produces a changed life. The issue is where that change belongs in the biblical order.

Here is the distinction:

1. Salvation involves the surrender of unbelief. This is repentance unto life, the once‑for‑all turning of the heart to Christ. It is not a pledge of future obedience. It is the abandonment of self‑dependence and unbelief.

2. Sanctification involves the surrender of obedience. This is the lifelong yielding of the believer under Christ as Lord. It develops over time. It is the fruit of salvation, not the condition for receiving it.

These two surrenders are different. One is the root, the other is the fruit.

And here is the key point:

If there is no sanctifying surrender, then there was no salvation surrender. Not because sanctifying surrender causes salvation, but because sanctifying surrender flows from salvation. The fruit reveals the root.

So I am not denying obedience. I am locating it where Scripture locates it, after repentance unto salvation, not as salvation.

Obedience and surrender at salvation always produce obedience and surrender after salvation; the first is repentance unto life, the second is sanctification. They are distinct, but they are inseparably connected, the fruit always grows from the root.

That is the distinction I am making.

 

[John of Japan]

Dave, no, I’m not saying a person can be saved and then go through life with no change at all. What I am saying is that the change is the result of salvation, not the condition of salvation.

Good post.

This is the crux of the matter. The LS advocate would lay the responsibility of the change of life on the believer. However, Christ taught regeneration to Nicodemus, being "born again." It is God who does the work of changing the life, not the believer. It is Christ who leads the believer to make Him Lord of their life, something I consciously did when I was 16, and heard it preached, not when I was saved at 4.

 

[DaveXR650]

My concern is simply this: Some people front‑load the results of salvation into the condition of salvation. They take what inevitably follows salvation and make it a requirement for receiving salvation. That is the confusion I’m addressing.

Salvation produces a changed life. But the changed life is not the condition of salvation, it is the consequence of salvation.

That’s the distinction.

Obedience and surrender at salvation always produce obedience and surrender after salvation; the first is repentance unto life, the second is sanctification. They are distinct, but they are inseparably connected, the fruit always grows from the root.

I know that in the case of Paul Washer and John MacArthur this is exactly what their concern was too. I mentioned in an earlier post that some of the prominent Calvinist theologians specifically took MacArthur to task for his unclear presentation of salvation in his attempt to address this but I don't see how anyone can really not see that what MacArthur repeatedly addressed was exactly what your concern is - that being that there is a common evangelical teaching nowadays that living the Christian life and changing behavior is perpetually and always an option. He sited repeated works from the guys who say this as evidence.

I would argue, and can provide references, that in "The Gospel According to Jesus" MacArthur is completely faith only with repentance as a change of mind for initial salvation. And, in his final version he even added a chapter on justification where he further clarified anything that might cause misunderstanding of his case.

Furthermore, there is as I'm sure you know, an ongoing discussion of what saving faith actually is, with many Christians of previous generations especially, putting within "saving faith" at least an intention to obey and a realization that Jesus is Lord, which, if you think about it, how in the world does he have the right to forgive your sins if he's not!

And then, there is the aspect of soteriology where if you are Calvinist enough to believe that the Holy Spirit is driving your attainment of faith in the first place it would be totally absurd for the Spirit to not go on to sanctification and repentance - thus any division is not speaking of a possibility of one without the other, but merely theological definition. And if I understand you right, you would agree with that.

Last of all, if you listen to the famous "Shocking Youth Message" by Paul Washer, which looks a little dated now, you will see for sure that his only problem is with the fact that his young audience thought that they could say a prayer and then continue to live as they wished - forever, and be safe from judgement. I think it is still on Youtube.

 

[Ascetic X]

I know that in the case of Paul Washer and John MacArthur this is exactly what their concern was too. I mentioned in an earlier post that some of the prominent Calvinist theologians specifically took MacArthur to task for his unclear presentation of salvation in his attempt to address this but I don't see how anyone can really not see that what MacArthur repeatedly addressed was exactly what your concern is - that being that there is a common evangelical teaching nowadays that living the Christian life and changing behavior is perpetually and always an option. He sited repeated works from the guys who say this as evidence.


Last of all, if you listen to the famous "Shocking Youth Message" by Paul Washer, which looks a little dated now, you will see for sure that his only problem is with the fact that his young audience thought that they could say a prayer and then continue to live as they wished - forever, and be safe from judgement. I think it is still on Youtube.

 

[Ascetic X]

Lordship of Jesus in our lives is not an option or something that hopefully happens in believers.

To say “just believe in Jesus”, and imply you don’t have to make Him your Lord, this seems to distort the salvation message.


Romans 10:9

If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.



John 14:21

He that hath My commandments and keepeth them, he it is that loveth Me; and he that loveth Me shall be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will manifest Myself to him.


1 John 2:3

By this we can be sure that we have come to know Him: if we keep His commandments.


So, if we do not keep His commandments, we have not come to know Jesus, thus are not saved.

Believe in Jesus — means what?

Believe He died in the cross for our sins.

Believe in Him as Lord of lords and King of kings.

Trust Jesus as what? As our Lord to obey and imitate and honor in our lives.

 

[DaveXR650]

@Ascetic X. Thanks for putting up the link to Washer's video. If pressed for time I suggest people watch minute 9-13 where he introduces and announces what he's talking about.

 

[John of Japan]

About Paul Washer, when he gives his own testimony, he said he "believed" in Christ, but he doesn't say he "made Christ Lord" of his life: Paul Washers Story by Paul Washer | SermonIndex. Granted, there are places in the story where he talks about surrendering to Christ. But in speaking about his salvation experience, he doesn't say he "made Christ Lord" or even that it was a surrender to Christ when he believed. Then he talks about how he changed when he got saved. Theologically this is regeneration. It is the Holy Spirit who changes us when we believe. We don't believe and then somehow change because we are making Christ Lord.

There is the crux of the matter. This the main point missing in the typical discussion. It is the Holy Spirit who regenerates us, not we ourselves. Soul winners need to be filled with the Holy Spirit. If they are, they will not be making a person just "say a prayer" for salvation. They will see the Holy Spirit working in the life of the prospect: tears, emotion, solemness, etc. (Of course these are not what saves, but simply a sometime sign of the Holy Spirit at work. And I've known people to have none of these when they were saved, but simply accept Christ in a matter-of-fact way. My point is, as the hymn says, "All is vain unless the Spirit of the Holy One comes down."

 

[John of Japan]

Lordship of Jesus in our lives is not an option or something that hopefully happens in believers.

To say “just believe in Jesus”, and imply you don’t have to make Him your Lord, this seems to distort the salvation message.

But what does 1 Cor. 15 say the Gospel is?

Romans 10:9

If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

You are misquoting the verse, perhaps from the NASB? It does not say "Jesus is Lord," because that would be the Greek Ιησους ἐστι Κυριος, with the nouns in the nominative case, but the Greek nouns are in the accusative case (κύριον Ἰησοῦν), making them together (Lord Jesus) the object of confession.

John 14:21

He that hath My commandments and keepeth them, he it is that loveth Me; and he that loveth Me shall be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will manifest Myself to him.


1 John 2:3

By this we can be sure that we have come to know Him: if we keep His commandments.


So, if we do not keep His commandments, we have not come to know Jesus, thus are not saved.

Believe in Jesus — means what?

Believe He died in the cross for our sins.

Believe in Him as Lord of lords and King of kings.

Trust Jesus as what? As our Lord to obey and imitate and honor in our lives.

It is regeneration by the Holy Spirit that leads us to obey, and gives us power to do so. This is the problem with many presentations of LS, as with the typical Calvinist discussion of salvation: they leave out the work of the Holy Spirit.

 

[Ascetic X]

Salvation without Jesus as your personal Lord is a delusion.

Lots of verses refer to “the Lord Jesus Christ”. That is who Jesus is. He is Lord, Master, Boss.

More scripture verses refer to Jesus as Lord than to Jesus as Savior.


For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. (Romans 10:12–13)

For to this end Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living. (Romans 14:9)

Yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist. (1 Corinthians 8:6)


Accepting Jesus “in a matter of fact way” sounds superficial, tentative, not authentic or genuine.

We come to Jesus to save us from hell, to forgive our sins, to protect us from future sinning, and to be our Lord to obey.

To merely believe in Jesus as a savior is to neglect His role as Master.


Matthew 7

21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of My Father who is in heaven.

22 Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’

23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; leave Me, you who practice lawlessness.’

 

[Ascetic X]

You are misquoting the verse, perhaps from the NASB? It does not say "Jesus is Lord," because that would be the Greek Ιησους ἐστι Κυριος, with the nouns in the nominative case, but the Greek nouns are in the accusative case (κύριον Ἰησοῦν), making them together (Lord Jesus) the object of confession.

Majority Standard Bible
that if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

World English Bible
that if you will confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

New International Version
If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

New Living Translation
If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

English Standard Version
because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

Berean Standard Bible
that if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

Berean Literal Bible
that if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him out from the dead, you will be saved.

New American Standard Bible
that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;

NASB 1995
that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;

NASB 1977
that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved;

Legacy Standard Bible
that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;

Amplified Bible
because if you acknowledge and confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord [recognizing His power, authority, and majesty as God], and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

Berean Annotated Bible
that if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus (YHWH saves) is Lord {Kyrion}, and believe in your heart that God {Theos} raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

Christian Standard Bible
If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

American Standard Version
because if thou shalt confess with thy mouth Jesus as Lord, and shalt believe in thy heart that God raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

Contemporary English Version
So you will be saved, if you honestly say, "Jesus is Lord," and if you believe with all your heart that God raised him from death.

English Revised Version
because if thou shalt confess with thy mouth Jesus as Lord, and shalt believe in thy heart that God raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved:

GOD'S WORD® Translation
If you declare that Jesus is Lord, and believe that God brought him back to life, you will be saved.

Good News Translation
If you confess that Jesus is Lord and believe that God raised him from death, you will be saved.

International Standard Version
If you declare with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

NET Bible
because if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

New Heart English Bible
because, if you acknowledge with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

Weymouth New Testament
that if with your mouth you confess Jesus as Lord and in your heart believe that God brought Him back to life, you shall be saved.

Literal Standard Version
that if you may confess with your mouth that Jesus [is] LORD, and may believe in your heart that God raised Him out of the dead, you will be saved,

Berean Literal Bible
that if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him out from the dead, you will be saved.

Anderson New Testament
that if you will confess with your mouth, that Jesus is Lord, and will believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you shall be saved.

Coverdale Bible of 1535
For yf thou knowlegest Iesus with thy mouth, that he is the LORDE, and beleuest in thine hert, that God hath raysed him vp from the deed, thou shalt be saued.

Tyndale Bible of 1526
For yf thou shalt knowledge wt thy mouth that Iesus is the lorde and shalt beleve with thyn hert that God raysed him up from deeth thou shalt be safe.

​

 

[DaveXR650]

It is regeneration by the Holy Spirit that leads us to obey, and gives us power to do so. This is the problem with many presentations of LS, as with the typical Calvinist discussion of salvation: they leave out the work of the Holy Spirit.

I agree with what you say about regeneration. But in fairness to Calvinists they believe it too, even more so. Here is Mac again in his book "The Gospel According to Jesus" last edition, page 178, in the chapter "The Call to Repentance".

"Nor is repentance merely a human work. It is, like every element of redemption, a sovereignly bestowed gift of God. The early church, recognizing the authenticity of Cornelius's conversion, concluded, 'Well then, God has granted to the Gentiles also the repentance that leads to life.' .... He goes on then says on page 179, "Above all, repentance is not a presalvation attempt to set one's life in order. The call to repentance is not a command to make sin right before turning to Christ in faith. Rather, it is a command to recognize one's lawlessness and hate it, to turn one's back on it and flee to Christ, embracing Him with wholehearted devotion."

The bolded part is done by me to hopefully put to rest some of the charges being made regarding so called "Lordship Salvation". I don't think we are saying anything really different. Is it possible to move from Lordship to legalism? Yes, if men are involved in teaching it. And is it possible for free grace teaching to move into antinomianism? Yes again. That's why we laymen have you guys as preachers and teachers. I would only ask that when you express concerns you wouldn't damage some honest guys who were saying what needed to be said.

What I have noticed is that while I really like Mac and all his books on Lordship Salvation I must admit I am a little uncomfortable with the way he takes Ryrie to task so often in his books. Though a free grace preacher, Ryrie, as far as I know, lived an exemplary life and didn't need anyone to tell him he didn't believe Christ was Lord. I remember it was your grandfather who once said when someone complained to him that "You make salvation seem so easy", he replied "Jesus died on the cross to make it easy". We do have to let the Holy Spirit work and you would of course deal with a person doubting whether God has any right to tell them what to do differently than someone who is convinced they are such a one as God would never want to save. The last person doesn't need to be convinced of the Lordship of Christ except in the sense that he is Lord enough and has the right and authority and desire to save them.

 

[John of Japan]

Majority Standard Bible
that if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

World English Bible
that if you will confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

New International Version
If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

New Living Translation
If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

English Standard Version
because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

Berean Standard Bible
that if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

Berean Literal Bible
that if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him out from the dead, you will be saved.

New American Standard Bible
that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;

NASB 1995
that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;

NASB 1977
that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved;

Legacy Standard Bible
that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;

Amplified Bible
because if you acknowledge and confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord [recognizing His power, authority, and majesty as God], and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

Berean Annotated Bible
that if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus (YHWH saves) is Lord {Kyrion}, and believe in your heart that God {Theos} raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

Christian Standard Bible
If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

American Standard Version
because if thou shalt confess with thy mouth Jesus as Lord, and shalt believe in thy heart that God raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

Contemporary English Version
So you will be saved, if you honestly say, "Jesus is Lord," and if you believe with all your heart that God raised him from death.

English Revised Version
because if thou shalt confess with thy mouth Jesus as Lord, and shalt believe in thy heart that God raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved:

GOD'S WORD® Translation
If you declare that Jesus is Lord, and believe that God brought him back to life, you will be saved.

Good News Translation
If you confess that Jesus is Lord and believe that God raised him from death, you will be saved.

International Standard Version
If you declare with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

NET Bible
because if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

New Heart English Bible
because, if you acknowledge with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

Weymouth New Testament
that if with your mouth you confess Jesus as Lord and in your heart believe that God brought Him back to life, you shall be saved.

Literal Standard Version
that if you may confess with your mouth that Jesus [is] LORD, and may believe in your heart that God raised Him out of the dead, you will be saved,

Berean Literal Bible
that if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him out from the dead, you will be saved.

Anderson New Testament
that if you will confess with your mouth, that Jesus is Lord, and will believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you shall be saved.

Coverdale Bible of 1535
For yf thou knowlegest Iesus with thy mouth, that he is the LORDE, and beleuest in thine hert, that God hath raysed him vp from the deed, thou shalt be saued.

Tyndale Bible of 1526
For yf thou shalt knowledge wt thy mouth that Iesus is the lorde and shalt beleve with thyn hert that God raysed him up from deeth thou shalt be safe.

​

None of these refute my presentation of the Greek grammar. The KJV gets it right: "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved."

And by the way, some of your versions are the same thing, just slightly revised: ASB, NASB, NASB '75, NASB '95, and Legacy are all essentially the same Bible. Same with the Holman and the CSB. Others of these have no standing and authority in Bible translation theory: Amplified, Weymouth, etc.

English translations tend to copy one another without thinking through the grammar. That is what you are showing, that's all.