Lordship

Wednesday, Aug. 27

The concept of free will and election (predestination) is a paradox. Theologians have debated this for centuries. The idea of being free and at the same time a slave is somewhat of a paradox, too. It has led to what is called the “Lordship of Christ” controversy. This has been debated throughout Christian history, and it has been a much debated issue in recent years. The key question is whether or not a person is a Christian if he doesn’t show Christ like traits. To some, a Christian should bear fruit. No fruit—he must not be a Christian. The other side is that becoming a Christian is solely a matter of believing that Jesus paid the price for one’s sin. The debate gets into “works” vs. “grace,” too. If one must DO something to be saved, that’s “works.” The “Lordship” side would say the works are the result of salvation, not a part of it, but lack of works indicates no conversion. In other words, works is the sign of being converted. One can find Scriptures that tend to support each side, so it’s not easy to resolve. I will leave it there. Ideally, being a soldier (or slave) is something that we volunteer to be, not something imposed by a task master. Put another way, we should be so passionately in love with God that we eagerly take the assignment of being slaves. I keep reminding myself that I can’t out give God. The joy and satisfaction as a result of making Him Lord is immeasurably greater than anything we can do in God’s cause. Just to know I’m taking part in a cosmic war that will defeat evil for all eternity is awesome and rewarding enough. But when all is said and done, you need to be a good soldier. Go back and check Peter Kreeft’s description of a soldier. See if you meet the standard. If you’re AWOL or somewhere in between, remember John Mark.