Eternal Salvation vs Temporal Salvation
QUESTION
I know you’ve written that Primitive Baptists are one of the few groups that look at Matthew 7 as being about discipleship. How do you discern between when the bible is talking about discipleship and when it is talking about eternal salvation?
ANSWER
One way to recognize that the bible is addressing temporal salvation (i.e., matters of discipleship) is when it speaks about a salvation or deliverance that is a function of something that YOU must do. If eternal salvation is by the sovereign, monergistic grace of God, that is, based entirely on what God does and not by works of righteousness which we have done (Titus 3:5), then any “salvation” or “deliverance” that requires our actions MUST be temporal in nature. To say that eternal salvation is monergistic, while affirming that men must also DO certain things as well in order for eternal salvation to transpire, is a bald, logical contradiction. Admittedly, it is one that is regularly promoted by so-called “sovereign grace” ministers and laymen alike, but the fact that they ignore this issue does not remove this glaring problem from their doctrine.
Another way is to note that a number of passages that speak of salvation are addressed to believers – those who are already born again and in possession of eternal life (Acts 2:40). Failure to look at the context of passages, particularly in light of the established fact of monergistic eternal salvation, is why many end up promoting contradictions in their doctrine of salvation. I have heard many say that, “eternal salvation is not an ‘either/or’ arrangement, it is a ‘both/and’ arrangement; God does it all AND you must also do some things.” One wonders, if “God does it all” then what remains for us to do? And if something remains to be done, did God really do it ALL? How this arrangement can be considered “monergistic salvation by sovereign grace” remains a mystery, but it is commonly promoted by some of the most popular ministers under the “sovereign grace” banner in our day. I’ve heard many Lordship Salvationists recognize this dilemma and attempt to compensate for it by invoking absolute predestination. Without belaboring the point, that approach is riddled with logical problems as well. It is a word game intend to sweep the willing and evidently synergistic acts of men under the rug of monergistic decrees in order to avoid the accusation of synergism.
All of this confusion is avoided by recognizing a few biblical precepts:
Eternal salvation is a work of God alone with no participatory involvement from man (Titus 3:5)
Not every salvation taught in the bible is eternal salvation (Acts 2:40, I Timothy 2:15).
Any salvation that requires man’s willing and active participation is therefore temporal in nature.
The explanatory power of these truths cannot be overestimated. Search the scriptures to see if these things are so.
- Elder Daniel Samons