Grace Evangelical Society

P.O. Box 1308, Denton, TX 76202
  • About
    • Home
    • Beliefs
    • Staff
    • Board of Directors
  • Resources
    • Grace in Focus Magazine
    • Grace in Focus Radio
    • Free eBooks
    • Journal of the GES
    • Book Reviews
    • Partners in Grace Newsletter
    • Audio Messages
    • Videos
    • Blog
    • Su Gracia Gratuita (Spanish Blog)
    • Graça sem limites (Portuguese Blog)
    • Email Subscription
    • Bookstore
    • Online Tracts
  • Store
    • Main Page
    • On Sale
    • Return Policy
    • Your Cart
    • Your Account
  • Events
  • Connect
    • Contact Us
    • Free Grace Church and Bible Study Tracker
    • Free Grace Jobs
    • Ministry Links
  • Donate
    • One Time Donation
    • Monthly Donation
    • Your Account
  • Search
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
Home
→
Journal Articles
→
Book Reviews
→
Lordship Salvation and the Gospel of the Grace of God

Lordship Salvation and the Gospel of the Grace of God

Posted in Book Reviews

Lordship Salvation and the Gospel of the Grace of God. By Joel Finck. Rapid City , SD : Grace Bible Church , 1998. 83 pp. Paper. No price.

The Free Grace movement is housed under a pretty big tent. Finck represents Free Grace believers, who are sometimes referred to as Ultra-Dispensationalists. (Finck actually calls himself a mid-Acts Dispensationalist.)

In a nutshell the author suggests that the gospel for today is found exclusively in Paul’s epistles. He feels that Lordship Salvation more or less correctly understands the gospel by which OT people and people in the early stages of Acts were regenerated. The problem with Lordship Salvation is that they are caught up in the way of justification in another dispensation.

Thus verses in the four Gospels, Hebrews, James, 1-2 Peter, Jude, 1-3 John, and Revelation are all out of consideration for how one is born again in this age. Finck does a good job of explaining how he understands a representative number of texts.

Within Paul’s epistles, Finck typically adopts the positions advocated by Zane Hodges, Jody Dillow, myself, and other Free Grace writers. I was pleasantly surprised to see that he adopts a new view of 1 Cor 15:2, one that I’ve held for some time but have not published yet. He suggests the salvation mentioned there is experiential salvation, that is, being spiritually healthy (pp. 36-37).

Those seeking in-depth exegesis will not find it in this book. Neither will they find any interaction with Lordship Salvation writers. However, those seeking a clear and easy to follow defense of the Free Grace position from an irenic Ultra-Dispensationalist will love this book.

One other thing I liked about this book is that the author doesn’t duck the tough questions. He suggests, for example, that OT saints weren’t eternally secure until they died, and that they didn’t actually get eternal life until they died, that is, if they died still in faith (pp. 73, 79).

Hopefully readers can overlook the fact that four times (by my count) he mistakenly uses the term Armenians when he means Arminians (pp. 70-71).

I will warn the reader, however, that it is disturbing to see a Free Grace person argue that what we must do to have eternal life is not found in the Gospel of John (pp. 17-18, 75-76). This book is not for the person who is new to the faith. Personally I feel if we abandon the primacy of the Gospel of John in anchoring our view of what one must do to have eternal life, then our movement is in trouble. I appreciate the fact that others like Finck disagree. And I’m glad they are in our camp. But I hope the majority position in our camp continues to be that John’s Gospel is the place to start when determining your view of the saving message. And I also hope we continue to hold that justification has always been by grace through faith apart from works.

This is a fascinating book. I highly recommend it.

Robert N. Wilkin
Editor
Journal of the Grace Evangelical Society
Irving , TX

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Google+
  • LinkedIn
  • StumbleUpon
Bob Wilkin

by Bob Wilkin

Bob Wilkin is Executive Director of Grace Evangelical Society and co-host of Grace in Focus Radio. He lives in Highland Village, TX with his wife, Sharon. His latest book is Turn and Live: The Power of Repentance.

Cart

Recently Added

January 22, 2021

Atrapando y limpiando el pez

Siempre estoy atento en capturar ilustraciones simples de las verdades bíblicas fácilmente entendibles para la mayoría de las personas. Aquí está una: Escuché a un...
January 22, 2021

Is Repentance Necessary for Baptism?

Welcome to Grace in Focus radio. In todays episode, Bob and Shawn will be discussing repentance and its role in baptism. The guys will be...
January 22, 2021

The New Testament Understanding of Following Jesus

A friend sent me some comments and asks my thoughts: Interested in your opinion. I am trying to craft a reasonable response to the “follow Jesus...

Grace in Focus Radio

All Episodes

Listen to Stitcher

Listen on Spotify

Grace In Focus Magazine

Grace In Focus is sent to subscribers in the United States free of charge.

Subscribe for Free

The primary source of Grace Evangelical Society's funding is through charitable contributions. GES uses all contributions and proceeds from the sales of our resources to further the gospel of grace in the United States and abroad.

Donate

Bookstore Specials

  • Here Walks My Enemy: The Story of Luis (Hardcover) $13.95 $5.00
  • Turn and Live: The Power of Repentance $15.00 $7.00
  • Here Walks My Enemy: The Story of Luis (Paperback) $6.95 $3.95
  • Beyond Doubt: How to Be Sure of Your Salvation $15.00 $7.00
  • Luke: The Life of Imitating Jesus - Volume 1 $8.95 $2.50
Grace Evangelical Society
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

(940) 270-8827 / ges@faithalone.org

4851 S I-35E Suite 203, Corinth, TX 76210
P.O. Box 1308, Denton, TX 76202

Tweets by GESwebmaster