The Problem With Lordship Salvation Summed Up in One Picture

Someone shared this on social media recently and I thought it appropriate to say a few comments. This picture perfectly illustrates the problem with the Lordship Salvation doctrine.

First of all, it is evident that MacArthur (along with other Lordship salvationists) understands the “narrow gate” (cf. Matthew 7:13–14; Luke 13:24), the one which Jesus tells us we are to STRIVE (literally “agonize”) to enter into, to refer to the path to eternal salvation, and that Jesus is teaching us how “difficult” it is to enter through that gate in order to obtain eternal life. This is a man who also professes to believe in the doctrine of man’s total depravity and inability. One wonders how a spiritually dead sinner, who does not quicken/stir himself up to take hold of the LORD (Isaiah 64:7), is supposed to enter in through the narrow gate to get himself some eternal life.

Secondly, MacArthur is using “becoming a Christian” as a synonym for “being eternally saved”, which points to a consistent error in Lordship theology, namely, failing to rightly divide between eternal salvation and discipleship. Eternal salvation entirely of the LORD, no ifs ands or buts about it. The elect are justified FREELY by God’s grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus (Romans 3:23–25). Their sins have been purged in full (Hebrews 1:3) and the Holy Ghost will monergistically impart eternal life to each of them individually at the appointed time (John 3:8; John 5:25; Titus 3:5).

Contrast this to discipleship, which indeed comes with a high cost ( Luke 14:25–33) and requires us to be willing to lose everything if it means remaining faithful to Christ in this life. These are two totally distinct things. God alone makes a person a child of God (John 1:13), but Christ commissioned His disciples to teach people and make them disciples (Matthew 28:18–20).

Cornelius was a man who feared God, prayed to God, and gave alms to the people, and God recognized his good works and heard his prayers (Acts 10:1–3). The unregenerate do not fear God (Romans 3:18), nor does God accept their works (Proverbs 21:27) or hear their prayers (Proverbs 15:29). Cornelius was already an eternally saved son of God before he heard the Gospel and became a disciple.

Thirdly, eternal salvation was not and is not a “hard thing” for God. There was certainly some sense of “hardship” that the incarnate Son experienced in his humanity (such that he was sweating drops of blood in the garden of Gethsemene), but it did not “cost” God anything, as though he were losing anything, to save His elect. I find this to be an incredibly degrading and sloppy comment on MacArthur’s part.

Fourth, when he adds “and it will cost you the same thing, including yourself”, this is clearly backloading the Gospel with works. Eternal salvation costs the child of God absolutely nothing before, during, or after. It does cost much to be a faithful and profitable servant to Jesus Christ and to remain faithful to him in this life, especially in the face of opposition and persecution. But none of those things have any bearing upon ones eternal salvation.

Sincerely ask yourself: Does what MacArthur says here really sound like good news? Does this really sound like eternal salvation entirely by God’s free and sovereign grace, conditioned upon Christ alone? There is absolutely no Gospel in this, none whatsoever.

May those with ears to hear prayerfully consider these things.