Lou Martuneac
New Member
In an attempt to negate the works based message of Lordship Salvation Reformed Baptist (RB) shared this quote from John MacArthur,
Second, the extra-biblical views that faith and repentance are gifts give to man after he has been regenerated prior to and part from personal faith in Christ are in the quote, but not defined for the reader.
Third, please note carefully the closing portion, “…no turning from sin is required FOR SALVATION.” That gives any objective reader proof-positive that LS, as MacArthur defines it, requires the lost man to “turn from sin” FOR salvation, i.e. to be born again.
I will always agree that genuine repentance should result in a change of behavior. I have no argument with the teachers of Lordship salvation on this point. I will never agree, because the Bible does not agree that “a change of behavior is required for salvation.”
If any LS advocate tries to shift the debate back to what should be the natural results of salvation after I have clarified this is a non-issue, you can mark it down he is trying to evade eth obvious problems with LS’s “change of behavior” view of repentance FOR salvation, which is how MacArthur clearly defines his position.
At this point let’s examine another sample of John MacArthur’s definition of repentance.
MacArthur says repentance is, “turning from sin...to forsake sin,” and have the “intention to obey.” In Lordship’s definition of repentance MacArthur equates the “intention to obey” God, which is intending to do good works, as co-equal with believing in Him.
What becomes clear is that Lordship’s view of repentance as JM defines it has at least as much to do with changing behavior as it does with changing the mind. When you read more of MacArthur’s writing you find that the change of behavior takes a far more prominent role in LS’s definition of repentance unto eternal life than changing the mind and believing. A change of behavior is given the preeminent position in Lordship’s definition of repentance.
This is a classic example of Lordship Salvation conditioning salvation on the promise to perform. The Scriptures are forced into compliance with Lordship’s change of behavior interpretation of repentance. LS’s repentance is man-centered; it is calling on the lost man’s commitment to change his behavior FOR salvation. This is works!
Later in the sermon MacArthur writes,
LS advocates have conditioned salvation on behavior and believing. The Bible teaches salvation by believing in Jesus and His finished work on the cross (John 3:16; Rom. 10:9-10, 13). Nowhere in Scripture is salvation conditioned on a change of behavior, unless as MacArthur attempts to do, the Scriptures are redefined.
LM
Please continue to Appendix 1, 2 & 3.
First, I am on record rejecting the obvious errors of the so-called “Easy-Believism.” I have written extensively against the heretical “Crossless” Gospel originated by Zane Hodges and perpetuated through the Grace Evangelical Society. I am convinced that the Crossless gospel is a reductionist, non-saving message that is a radical a departure from biblical orthodoxy as far as one can go in the opposite direction of Lordship Salvation.“Repentance is a turning from sin (Acts 3:19; Luke 24:47) that consists not of a human work but of a divinely bestowed grace (Acts 11:18; 2 Tim. 2:25). It is a change of heart, but genuine repentance will effect a change of behavior as well (Luke 3:8; Acts 26:18-20). In contrast, easy-believism teaches that repentance is simply a synonym for faith and that no turning from sin is required for salvation.”
Second, the extra-biblical views that faith and repentance are gifts give to man after he has been regenerated prior to and part from personal faith in Christ are in the quote, but not defined for the reader.
Third, please note carefully the closing portion, “…no turning from sin is required FOR SALVATION.” That gives any objective reader proof-positive that LS, as MacArthur defines it, requires the lost man to “turn from sin” FOR salvation, i.e. to be born again.
I will always agree that genuine repentance should result in a change of behavior. I have no argument with the teachers of Lordship salvation on this point. I will never agree, because the Bible does not agree that “a change of behavior is required for salvation.”
If any LS advocate tries to shift the debate back to what should be the natural results of salvation after I have clarified this is a non-issue, you can mark it down he is trying to evade eth obvious problems with LS’s “change of behavior” view of repentance FOR salvation, which is how MacArthur clearly defines his position.
At this point let’s examine another sample of John MacArthur’s definition of repentance.
Note that MacArthur is arguing against an unidentified man’s position on repentance. MacArthur argues that to “change the mind” does not fully define repentance as he (JM) defines it. Make no mistake about it; MacArthur is speaking of the gospel call FOR salvation. So, what additional elements do we find in JM's definition of repentance FOR salvation, i.e. to be born again?“And what you have to understand is they redefine repentance. And what they say is that repentance means to change your mind about who Jesus is, nothing more. Repentance is a change of mind about who Christ is, has nothing to do with turning from sin, has nothing to do with abandoning self-rule. It is utterly devoid of the recognition of personal guilt. It has no element of intention to obey God. It has no element of an intention or a desire for true righteousness. It's just to change your mind about who Jesus is…The gospel call of Jesus was a call to forsake sin as much as it was a summons to believe in Him. It was a call to turn from sin.” (John MacArthur: The Lordship of Christ, Part 3 of a 4 part sermon series.)
MacArthur says repentance is, “turning from sin...to forsake sin,” and have the “intention to obey.” In Lordship’s definition of repentance MacArthur equates the “intention to obey” God, which is intending to do good works, as co-equal with believing in Him.
What becomes clear is that Lordship’s view of repentance as JM defines it has at least as much to do with changing behavior as it does with changing the mind. When you read more of MacArthur’s writing you find that the change of behavior takes a far more prominent role in LS’s definition of repentance unto eternal life than changing the mind and believing. A change of behavior is given the preeminent position in Lordship’s definition of repentance.
This is a classic example of Lordship Salvation conditioning salvation on the promise to perform. The Scriptures are forced into compliance with Lordship’s change of behavior interpretation of repentance. LS’s repentance is man-centered; it is calling on the lost man’s commitment to change his behavior FOR salvation. This is works!
Later in the sermon MacArthur writes,
Incredibly and what helps to understand how LS becomes antithetical to Scripture, MacArthur starts by using an acceptable definition of repentance from the Greek, “afterthought or a change of mind.” Then MacArthur wants to force additional meaning into the metanoeo that is not there. This is an example of how LS advocates either force into (or extract from) the Scriptures whatever they must to support their interpretation of the Gospel. This is an abuse of Scripture!“Now the Greek word is metanoeo and, you know, it comes from two words, meta, after and noeo, to understand, and it means an afterthought. So if you just took those words and put them together it would mean an afterthought or a change of mind. And some of these people who want to say repentance is nothing more than changing your mind about who Jesus is say, you see, that’s what meta noeo means. But listen, folks, that is something that you see often done with Greek words that’s so unfair. Not every word is necessarily the sum of its separate parts. Because meta means this and noeo means this, when you put them together it doesn't necessarily mean what those two parts mean. Often it does, often it doesn't.”
LS advocates have conditioned salvation on behavior and believing. The Bible teaches salvation by believing in Jesus and His finished work on the cross (John 3:16; Rom. 10:9-10, 13). Nowhere in Scripture is salvation conditioned on a change of behavior, unless as MacArthur attempts to do, the Scriptures are redefined.
LM
Please continue to Appendix 1, 2 & 3.
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