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Can you please explain lordship salvation and whether you feel it is a valid doctrine? If I understand it correctly and it is valid, it pretty much eliminates any “deathbed conversions.”

How do you define “free grace” theology and do you believe it is biblical? I believe Lordship Salvation is unbiblical as I understand it but the other side of the spectrum is “free grace” and I am unclear on how it lines up with scripture as it is defined by its proponents. I fully believe that God’s grace is given to us freely irrespective of our merit but I don’t want to label myself as “free grace” if that means I am one who thinks I can live any way I want because that is not the case. Does this make sense?

Re: Lordship. You have said, “We’re saved because of what we believe not because of how we behave, so regardless of our behavior, once we’re His we’re always His.” Will not what we believe by definition affect how we live?

In the parable of the Sower (Matt. 13) I find most people think the third soil represents an unsaved person but I certainly prefer your interpretation (that he is saved), I’m just not sure about its accuracy. I stand firmly against Lordship salvation but often wonder how people can say they believe, and yet live in a way that doesn’t reflect it.

I was bothered by an article I read about the rapture. It said, “…by not committing your life to Jesus and by declining to follow Him, you have left Him with no choice but to leave you behind.” It seems like the author is saying that even if we ask Jesus to forgive us and believe on Him, if we don’t then commit our lives to Jesus, we will not be taken in the rapture. The author then goes on to say “The sin decontamination process is very simple – you simply ask Jesus Christ, the Son of God, for it. First, admit your sinful state. Next, ask Jesus to forgive you of your wrongdoings. Finally, make Jesus Christ Lord of your life by surrendering your will to Him.”

This sounds an awful lot like Lordship salvation. I agree with the first two parts, but the surrendering part does not sound like Biblical salvation to me. Am I correct in believing that the committing part follows the salvation, and does not contribute to it? Or is committing to Jesus also a requirement?

I always thought that I was saved as a child but now I’m not sure. You see, I went to Sunday school as a kid and knew the Bible stories and some songs. Somewhere around the age of 10 I started having nightmares. I would wake up terrified and go into my parents room and crawl into their bed. Finally my mom put her foot down and told me I couldn’t do that anymore. The next night I woke up terrified, went to their room and stood in the doorway wondering what I was going to do. I heard a voice say, “Why don’t you ask Jesus?” so I quietly sang a song I knew that went, “Come into my heart, Lord Jesus. Come in to stay, come in I pray. Come into my heart Lord Jesus.” I was immediately filled with peace and I experienced something like a white light inside me.

Then, as a teenager and much to my regret, I went my own way and lived my own life only turning back to His Lordship many years later. True, many times I saw His hand in my life during that time and I never stopped believing in Him.

So was I saved then? I didn’t ask Him to be my Savior. I didn’t ask for forgiveness of my sins or even acknowledge them. My experience was amazing and something I remember clear as day but I don’t want to rely on my experience as evidence of anything. I am saved now for sure so I’m not worried. But I guess I’m not sure exactly when I was saved.

I continue to be blessed by your site. Every day or so, I check out your new postings. I can only imagine the commitment on your part to keep this going. Bless you!!!

Your posting about the exchange between Peter and the Lord sparked a question about the Holy Spirit. I was raised Quaker and, as a young adult, sat under the teaching of an Episcopal church that was in renewal (charismatic – don’t like using that “tag” because immediate opinions are made). Quakers hold to a “second work of grace” or sanctification and the Episcopal church taught the Baptism of the Holy Spirit.

Since that time, I question some of the teaching about the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, but I can’t help but observe that those who adhere to that teaching lead a more dynamic spiritual life than those who don’t. I believe it has to do with the idea that the spiritual man can and should expect the power of the Holy Spirit to work in our lives. I’ll admit that some of the “goings on” in the charismatic realm has more to do with human endeavor than originating with the Spirit, but there is something working there. The church that my husband and I currently attend believes that you receive the Holy Spirit at conversion. Period. They are good people that mostly love the Lord and work very hard in church activities, but the dynamics are missing.

What do you make of the teaching of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit and the resulting dynamic lives of those who adhere to that teaching?

I have failed miserably over the years as a Christian. As Jesus said Anyone who wants to follow Him must deny himself and pick up his cross. I know I do not measure up. Maybe here and there I’ve really tried to do the Lord’s will but then I fail again. I used to work as an Lpn in a hospital. I’m disabled now. I didn’t confront my co workers and ask them did they know Jesus as their Savior because I didn’t want to make waves. Is this being ashamed of the Lord? If it is, will He tell me to depart from Him? I more then anything want to be like Jesus now. But now I am house bound. I only see my husband and son. I have just made an effort to start a web site telling people that God’s gift of Salvation is Free because this Lordship Salvation disturbs me terribly. I want other Christians to realize that our salvation is a free gift and can’t be earned by anything we do but I am still terribly afraid I haven’t denied myself enough. I haven’t picked up my cross when I should have. I am very upset and all I can do is beg the Lord’s forgiveness for being such a poor witness during my life as a Christian. Please let me know what you think about what I’ve written and thank you again for your help.