I have not read through all of this thread, so I am not sure who is for what here. Therefor I will just give my two cents for what it is worth.
I am totally against Lordship salvation as I understand it. It states that you must believe and then respond in some way like trying to be good
to be saved. We know that doing something is a work,
but so is trying. So if one is not trying to be good and changing their behavior are we saying they are not saved? If that is the case
salvation is not a free gift. As soon as there is anything
and I mean anything that you have to do other than believe and accept,
it is no longer a free gift.
Romans 5:15 But not as the offence, so also is the
free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the
gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.
Romans 5:16 And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the
free gift is of many offences unto justification.
Romans 5:17 For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the
gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)
Romans 5:18 Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the
free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.
Paul makes it
very clear that salvation is a totally
FREE GIFT. It is really very simple to understand though Satan wants us to think like the world. You know like those TV commercials that say to request some product that is FREE and all you have to do is pay for whatever. Then the product is not truly free. Not obeying God does not mean we don't accept him as Lord. You accept your parents, don't you? Are they no longer your parents if you decide not to obey them. No, you can still accept them as your parents. It is a faulty concept to say if you don't obey him, you have not accepted him.
I agree that really the main use of the word LORD in the Bible is
a title of the only true God. Now this you must believe to be saved. If you don't believe that Jesus is the only true God, you have not accepted the Gospel. ALL religions except for Christianity require you to do something either before or after to be saved. This is why I am a Christian today. I had no excuse not to become a Christian before God, because even if Christianity was wrong, there was no risk for me to believed and accepted it. Now after I believed it, I found out it was true.
There are many today that do not accept Christianity because they feel that they cannot live up to being a Christian. That was something I kind of thought to be honest. However
it is FREE! There is nothing you have to live up to! This is a lie that Satan makes people think so they won't get saved in the first place. Sure, there are many things Christians should do,
but not in order to be saved.
One last try. Here is an example of salvation. To be a citizen in the U.S. you must be born here or plage to accept and believe what the U.S. stands for to become one. Once you are a citizen you stay a citizen
even if you break the law! You will get punished if you break the law, but
you are still a citizen.
Again if salvation is FREE and it is, there is absolutely nothing you have to do other than believe and accept.
Romans 11:6 And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.
You cannot mix any and I mean any works with grace!
Goodboy