Hardy's Corner

Hardy (pictured left) responding to my "Key to the Greatest Commandment" article

"I read your spiritual article with interest.  The verses you cite at the beginning have simple answers as to why they are no threat to eternal security or Sola Gratia. People usually misunderstand them.  For instance, "The devils believe and tremble."  Well guess what.  Devils and humans are two different species.  If Jesus had assumed the form of devils and died a substitutionary death as a devil in order to save devils, then maybe belief would be the condition of their salvation.  But the fact is that God did not see fit to provide any means for the salvation of devils.  So what is true of devils is not necessarily true about humans. 

In the case of humans, the news  is good.  God did indeed make a Way for human beings to be saved, and the sole condition for an individual human is to believe (trust) Him as Savior.  That won't work for a devil, but it works for humans.  >  As for those lost souls who kept crying, "Lord, Lord,"  they would have done better to cry, "Savior, Savior."   Jesus is talking there about "lordship salvationists," i.e., people who think that they are saved for "making Christ Lord," or "commiting their lives," or "laying their all on the altar," or "submitting to His mastery."  This is a false gospel that we hear all the time.  It is simply false and accursed (Galatians 1).  You don't get saved by accepting Christ as Lord. He is already Lord whether you like it or not.  Telling someone to make Christ Lord is like telling a Briton to make Elizabeth Queen.  She is already Queen regardless of whether you accept her or not.  That's not how one gets salvation. 

Salvation is an expensive gift that was purchased at God's expense for human beings (not devils).  The gift is received by simply trusting Him for it; i.e, trusting in what He did for you rather than trusting in what you supposedly do for Him.  When we call Jesus Lord, we are speaking as subjects or servants.  That's legitimate and correct, but that is not the relationship that saves.  If it were, then service would be the path to salvation.  You don't get saved by service. That's performance-based.  When you're drowning and helpless, you don't need someone to serve; what you need is a savior.  After you get rescued, then you can start to consider the subject of service.  But it is a different subject."