Dedication Page
This book is dedicated to Dr. James A. Scudder. My personal pastor who has always stood firm on the importance of the clear gospel and founded the internationally known Grace Conferences. These conferences clearly show the importance of keeping Lordship Salvation and all 5 points of Calvinism out of the ONLY gospel.
Thank you for 45 years of service at the Quentin Road Bible Baptist Church!
Acknowledgement
I'd like to acknowledge the One who made this book possible and the original Author of the gospel of grace. He promised everlasting life to all who believe and made it very clear in His Book why Lordship Salvation cannot be true. He is none other than God Himself, the Lord Jesus Christ.
I would like to acknowledge Dr. Scudder and all the pastors and staff of the Quentin Road Bible Baptist Church. It is the teaching from this ministry that influenced almost everything I wrote in this book. The clear gospel, the reasons why Lordship Salvation and Calvinism cannot be true, and answers to common questions all came from years of learning under their teachings.
I also would like to thank my wife, Lydia, my father-in-law, Pastor Tracy McConnell, and my brother, Andrew, for giving their time and editing this book.
Finally, I would like to thank my cousin, Caleb Kozma, for designing the cover.
Introduction
The point of this book is to answer common questions about the gospel and to give a biblical case against Lordship Salvation, which is destroying the foundation of our fundamental churches - the gospel. Lordship Salvation is simply the belief that when you trust Christ, you automatically start to change because you are a “new creature.” People who advocate this doctrine say that because the Holy Spirit indwells you, you will desire what God desires in your life, and IF YOU DON’T SEE POSITIVE CHANGE IN YOUR LIFE, YOU WERE NEVER SAVED AT ALL!
Hence, they use works, in a not-of-works gospel to determine someone’s genuine belief. This puts people into a very difficult position when trying to accept Christ as their Savior.
They “trust Christ” as their Savior and then try to change their lives. When they have fallen several times to that pesky sin in their life (Proverbs 24:16; Romans 7:15-25), they think that they must not be saved because they don’t see a change in their life. Are they trusting in Christ or their changed lives to save them?
Often when listening to people of this belief witness, you will hear them stress the importance of changing things in your life. Thus subtly, they add works. They claim “Christ did it all,” but in reality they practice “you do your part.” They never once consider that someone who truly believes could possibly do nothing for God and still go to Heaven (Romans 4:5).
They also stress making God "Lord of your life," hence the name Lordship Salvation. They use phrases like “If God is not Lord of all, He is not Lord at all.” This is totally backward thinking. How is an unsaved, spiritually dead person supposed to make God Lord of all? That means an unsaved person must surrender everything to God to become saved. That is works. Salvation is not based on us “making” God Lord. He is Lord of all whether or not you accept Him as Lord.
When you believe Christ died, paid for your sins, and rose again, God saves you! Then, AFTER you have the promise of eternal life, you can surrender all to Christ, which is good, but in no case determines whether or not you’re saved. Salvation and discipliship are clearly two separate things. One is a gift; the other is a battle.
I hope you will read this book with an open mind. God’s Word pricks people’s hearts, so I have included many Scripture verses. Some I have quoted, and some I have just put the reference down for you to read later. Whatever God says in Scripture is much more important than what I have to say about the verses. So please take your time to read the verses I share, and not just glance over them.
I pray you enjoy and learn something great from my book, The Impossible Gospel.
The Security of the Gospel
Before we tackle the subject of errors that have crept into the gospel, we will discuss what the gospel is. It is very simply and clearly written in the Bible. The gospel tells us what is required to go to Heaven. Because God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance (II Peter 3:9, more on that in the second chapter), He wrote down very clearly what is required for us to go to Heaven.
The gospel, which means good news, actually starts with bad news, and the news gets worse before it gets better. Romans 3:23 says, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” Now most people do not have trouble admitting that they have done something wrong. In fact, I can only think of two people I have talked to who have thought they were perfect. But just in case you are like those two people, I will prove to you that you are not perfect.
The book of I John was written to people who were already saved. In I John chapter 1, it deals specifically with the fact that saved people still sin. It also talks about confessing our sin, which I will explain more thoroughly in the third chapter. I John 1:8-10 says, “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.”
Here, John is telling born-again people that if they say they do not sin, they are deceiving themselves. People cannot somehow achieve perfection because we have a sin nature that is in us from the day we are conceived to the day we die.
To prove we are sinners, God gave us His law. He has many, many laws, but we will just look at what we know as the Ten Commandments. Now, I don’t know how many people have told me that they are going to Heaven because they obey the Ten Commandments. Honestly, most of them could not name the Ten Commandments. Here is the list for you so you can see if you have honestly obeyed all Ten Commandments. (Exodus 20)
1. Thou shalt have no other gods before Me.
2. Thou shalt not make nor bow down and worship graven images.
3. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.
4. Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
5. Honor thy father and thy mother.
6. Thou shalt not kill.
7. Thou shalt not commit adultery.
8. Thou shalt not steal.
9. Thou shalt not bear false witness.
10. Thou shalt not covet.
Jesus said that if you have ever lusted after a woman, you have committed adultery in your heart. (Matthew 5:28) If you have ever hated, you have committed murder in your heart. Can you honestly say that you have never lied? I could just ask your parents or teachers and find a different answer. I know that you cannot say you have never coveted. Now, the clincher is in the book of James. James 2:10 says, “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.” Later, James 4:17 says, “Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.”
Enough on that point, I hope you realize you are not perfect. If you don’t, you have no hope. Jesus
