Salvation by Grace through Faith
John Macarthur wrote: "Submission to Jesus Christ as Lord is a non-negotiable element of true salvation". He goes on to equate submission to obedience. While I certainly love his teachings, on this one I think he is wrong. Unfortunately John Macarthur confuses accepting Christ as Lord (God) with a promise to (or actually) forsaking sin. If one had to promise to forsake sin to be saved, then salvation in not solely by grace through faith. It would not be a gift for simple faith by rather earned by a promise. If salvation comes when I actually obey God's command, then salvation is earned and not a gift. Both of these scenarios violate Eph. 2:8-9 and the many other passages in Romans 3-5 and Galatians that clearly state that salvation is a FREE GIFT of God and that the only criteria to receive it is GENUINE faith. No doubt that genuine faith will produce obedience in time, but our salvation is not conditioned on obedience nor the promise of obedience. The Gospel