Lord of the Saved: Getting to the Heart of the Lordship Debate

by Kenneth L. Gentry Jr.

Book by Gentry, Kenneth L.

Genres: Theology

104 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 1992

About the author

Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr. is a Reformed theologian, and an ordained minister in the Reformed Presbyterian Church General Assembly (RPCGA). He is particularly known for his support for and publication on the topics of orthodox preterism and postmillennialism in Christian eschatology, as well as for theonomy and six day creation. He holds that each of these theological distinctives are logical and theological extensions of his foundational theology, which is Calvinistic and Reformed.

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Reviews

[John Boyne · Rating 3 out of 5]

The question as to whether Jesus is Lord of one's life is an unfortunately, and unnecessary debate, taking place today among Evangelicals. You can't make Jesus into something he already is. Jesus is Lord, and to say anything else is simply unbiblical. Yet, the modern notion of easy believism needs to be combated and rejected by the church. This book provides a brief summary view of the Lordship debate while providing full support to the Lordship side of the argument. I appreciated the word study in Greek and Hebrew to key words in the debate, showing in Scripture where and how to interpret passages that make Christ out as Lord. The purpose of this is to refute the nonlordship side of the debate. The reason why the book gets only 3 stars is due to the overemphasis that the Lordship side gives in discipleship, obedience, and devotion. None of those things are wrong, but they are often taken to an extreme. Discipleship isn't the Gospel, but a key aspect of the Christian life and Sanctification. Lordship proponents often place obedience and submission on such a pedestal that it ends up overshadowing the Gospel message of substitutionary atonement. The book quotes John MacArthur as saying, "The word disciple is used consistently as a synonym for believer... the call to Christian discipleship explicitly demands... total dedication." When I read that I think of the Apostle Paul in Romans 7 where he explicitly confesses that he often goes against God's law, meaning he struggles with total dedication. So, accordingly to MacArthur, does that mean Paul should question whether he is a believer or not? The Christian life is marked by failure after failure, for sin still resides in the heart and we can't follow the first and second great commandments as given by Christ. That is why the Gospel gives rest to the weary soul, where Christ stands in our place and meets the demands of the law on our behalf. May we all embrace that truth!

[Steven H · Rating 5 out of 5]

A DEFENSE OF "LORDSHIP THEOLOGY"

Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr. (born 1950) is a Reformed theologian, and an ordained minister in the Reformed Presbyterian Church General Assembly, who is well-known for his views on Theonomy and the "Partial Preterist" view of eschatology.

He wrote in the Preface to this 1992 book, "This book is an expanded and updated version of a lengthy article I wrote in 1976, entitled, 'The Great Option: A Study of the Lordship Controversy.' ... Today, owing largely to John F. MacArthur's 'The Gospel According to Jesus: What Is Authentic Faith?', the issue has become a raging volcano... I pray that this small book might be helpful in this important debate and that it would encourage a greater fear of God among those would preach the gospel in its purity."

He opines, "Lordship doctrine has fallen on hard times, having been largely forgotten by the majority of evangelical churches... It is largely associated with Reformed or Calvinistic theology, though not exclusively, for (Homer A.) Kent, (John) MacArthur, and (Henry) Thiessen are dispensationalists." (Pg. 8)

He suggests, "The reason we may expect submission to the Lord and fruitful living among the truly redeemed is that God has wrought a fundamental change within them. True belief is not an unaided act or a mere addition to an unchanged life. Salvation involves a radical change within a person's life produced from above." (Pg. 27) He also argues, "Even though... one cannot find the term [repentance] in (the gospel of) John, this in no way weakens the demand for calling men to repentance for salvation." (Pg. 44) He laments, "The current trend is to preach Jesus Christ 'at the lowest price,' confusing free grace with freedom to disregard the rightful demands of Christ's Lordship. Such is the natural consequence of nonlordship theology." (Pg. 92)

Gentry's book will be of interest to anyone interested in this issue, and the ongoing debate.

[Joshua Jenkins · Rating 3 out of 5]

Years ago, as a new youth pastor, I found myself a closet Calvinist at a Southern Baptist Church. There was a parent speaking to me about their teenager and stated “I know [teenager x] has accepted Christ as Savior, but [teenager x] needs to accept Christ as Lord.” I did not know where to begin.

While I was not yet born or much too young to be around for the Lordship debates in the late 70s to early 90s, the effects are still present in certain parts of the SBC.

To me, the debate has always been baffling. At the heart of the matter is a total misunderstanding of what conversion is - a monergistic miraculous act of taking one’s heart of stone and replacing it with a heart of flesh by our Sovereign God. And also a total misunderstand of the person of Christ and the fact that he came to establish his KINGDOM. Unfortunately those things were not touched on well in this book. Thus the 3 stars.

[Travis Daggett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

A clear and concise defence of the Gospel, the necessity of Christ's Lordship and the place of repentance. Repentance is not a work which earns salvation

[Matthew Rawlings · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an invaluable little work to help those with the easy believism nonsense that continues to plague the church.

[John Biglin]

I'm juggling several books at once.