Preface to: Lordship Salvation: Forgotten Truth or a False Doctrine?

In May 2010, at The Church for God’s Glory Conference, Dr. Kevin Bauder divulged details of merger discussions between Central Baptist Seminary and the Faith Baptist Bible College. I published and you may read my transcription of Dr. Bauder’s remarks on the merger talks at The Merger of Central Seminary & Faith Baptist Bible College: “Lordship Salvation” is Big Question #2

My commentary on his remarks included:

I. In regard to the Lordship Salvation question Dr. Bauder said, “So, what we are trying to do with Faith [Baptist Bible College] is to get past some labels…”



Dr. Bauder seems to want to brush aside the label “Lordship Salvation.” He should not be so hasty to do so. The label “Lordship Salvation” has a definite, definable theology attached to it and that label is accepted by some of Lordship Salvation’s most high-profile advocates.

II. Dr. Bauder said, “Question number two: How do we negotiate some of the differences between us that are minor differences, really in the big scheme of things, very small differences, but are nevertheless among us the sort of differences that can constitute land mines.”

He was referring to Lordship Salvation. IMO, the Lordship Salvation debate is no small matter. The Gospel IS the “big scheme of things” in the New Testament church. There is a vast chasm, major differences between the theology of Lordship Salvation and the one true Gospel of the Bible, which is salvation by grace through faith (Eph. 2:8-9).

III. Dr. Bauder identified “Lordship Salvation” as “big question number two.” The big question in any discussion of Lordship Salvation is Lordship’s requirements FOR salvation, which is where the heart of the debate and controversy resides.

Beginning Monday I will post the first installment from a two part series titled, Lordship Salvation: Forgotten Truth or a False Doctrine? The series first appeared in Faith Baptist Theological Seminary’s Faith Pulpit, March 1989 and was written by Manfred E. Kober, Th.D. Part one of the series opens with this paragraph excerpt,

If you were Satan, which doctrine would you want to undermine? Which area of theology would you pervert, to prevent people from being saved? An individual may be wrong about the doctrine of the church or deny the millennial kingdom and yet doubtless be gloriously redeemed. However, if a person is wrong on the doctrine of salvation, specifically, the prerequisites for salvation, he misses the very heart of the gospel.

I trust you will find this series as compelling a polemic today as it was 21 years ago in the effort to expose and resist the spread of Lordship Salvation.


LM