Absolutely Free!: A Biblical Reply to Lordship Salvation

As someone who militantly clung to Lordship Salvation for the last 10 years, I reasoned that reading the objections to John MacArthur's "The Gospel According to Jesus" would strengthen my case. Little did I know that this would effectively dismantle the very foundations of my views. There were several times in which I had to put the book down out of frustration. Other times, I had to search the scripture references that Hodges provided to make sure they were actually in the Bible, and finally, I began to realize that the teachers in which I've idolized for so long are just as fallible as I am. This book will most definitely reveal the holes in your L.S. theology that you didn't even know existed.

I am extremely thankful for Hodges' book which finds itself within the quagmire and confusion of the message of the 'gospel' today. I will not waste space after many good and fairly-argued reviews have already been written. What is important though, and needed for better focus, is to comment on how clearly these negative reviews show the weakness of the FG view on integrating justification and sanctification as a whole, though many have (and continually) misrepresent the FG view altogether. MacArthur essentially asks the questions, 'How are we to deal with the sin issue?' He essentially answers it as a Puritan would have, 'Great remorse, with confession, with mortification, with a turning from sin, a change of lifestyle, and a direct resolve to make Jesus Lord in every facet of life.' I think its fair to say here that MacArthur has progressively fallen in line with Puritan views on this question as time has passed. It seems the publishing of his book, 'The Gospel According to Jesus' was, in essence, a turning point in how he saw 'the gospel', at least in print. Other books he had written before this book were not as consistent and clear, but his views since then have remained the same (as shown in his 'Faith Works', 'Hard to Believe', etc.). Hodges and Ryrie wrote to respond to MacArthur, though each in a slightly different manner. I feel both responses are needed and fairly accurate. Overall, Hodges does proceed in the completely opposite direction, and yes, this might be (at times) expressively too far. Yet, the book's purpose and context must always be kept in mind. Its a reply to MacArthur's book and it's position on the question 'How are we to deal with the sin issue?' If the context is consistently kept in view I believe the value of the work is clear. However, the problem of the FG view, in my opinion, is that it never has moved past this context (a reply Lordship Salvation) allowing it's response to this view become essentially it's response to every issue, becoming an almost polarized view not only from MacArthur, but to essentially everything else. The problem lies not in Hodges' explanation of eternal life, faith as the only condition, etc., but in his explanation of how justification/sanctification interrelate. I think his theology on sanctification, though he's certainly not barren on the issue (see his 'Six Secrets of the Christian Life'), must certainly be more emphasized for an evenness to appear with his understanding of justification/eternal life (Rom. 5:18). There is a reworking which needs to take place in the manner of expression and coherance. Overall, the book is an excellent response to LS. However, I still have some problems agreeing with his views on the 'Great Banquet table', the 'Outer Darkness', etc. I think his views here are not convincing, and they could be developments coming from his already formulated notions on the relation of faith and works. I feel there's too much discontinuity here at times outside t

Zane Hodges' book, "Absolutely Free! A Biblical Reply to Lordship Salvation," has given me a newfound confidence and trust in the finished work of Christ. Hodges' book is a reply to John MacArthur's book, "The Gospel According to Jesus." Hodges' book, compared to another MacArthur book on a similar subject ("Hard to Believe: The High Cost and Infinite Value of Following Jesus"), was truly a work of grace. Even in refuting MacArthur's arguments, Hodges showed considerable grace, refusing to engage in ad hominem attacks, a tactic far too frequent in Christian polemic works. Honestly, my only complaint with the book is that it's an old work. But it answers the LS advocates honestly and openly, without resorting to rhetoric, even in 2007. Reading MacArthur left me more confused than settled, but reading AF! made the topic of salvation clear to me. I am convinced, praise God!, that I am justified by faith alone apart from any works. The free grace position (so despised and maligned as the "no-lordship" or "cheap grace" position) at least tries to be consistent in its declaration that faith alone in Christ alone justifies and saves. Am I glad to finally leave the sinking sand and quagmire of lordship salvation (Neo-Puritanism), and to stand indeed on the promises of Christ, my Rock who is immovable and unshakeable! And more important than Hodges' book is Jesus Christ's clear promise that "whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:16b).

I love this book. As someone who once promoted lordship salvation, this book is especially comforting. I had absolutely no assurance of my salvation back when I held the view of lordship advocates, and since realizing that salvation is really by faith alone, I no longer doubt my salvation. I glanced at the introduction to MacArthur's book "Saved Without A Doubt", and it is understandable to me why some in his congregation who are pretty solid Christians would doubt their salvation. I feel for the man who wrote the letter to MacArthur that was quoted at the beginning of his book; I know what he is going through. Anyone who holds to lordship salvation and thinks they can have assurance of their own salvation is kidding theirself...or either they do not understand how utterly wicked their own sins are in God's eyes. This book was very comforting to me, and in addition to helping me have assurance of my own salvation, it has encouraged me to be more of a soul winner, since the gospel is even simpler than I had imagined. Hodges' arguments are very scriptural and his exegesis is superb. I wholeheartedly recommend this book.

Hodges argues very clearly and simply the case for the absolute freeness of the gift of salvation. He argues for a simple faith that needs no qualifiers, no contingencies, no long drawn out explanations of what faith is, what precedes it, what follows it, or what accompanies it. In short, he argues for a true faith alone. Though well argued, many others just cannot say "faith alone" and leave it at that - they must qualify it somehow. He argues that "free" means just that - free. He argues that a "gift" is just that - a gift, not something that we have a coupon book for that we must keep on making payments for the rest of our lives. This is one author who has let his yes be yes and his no be no, and for his integrity of conviction has suffered being called "Raca" by many professing believers. There are no offers of salvation in the Bible that took 200 pages of text to deliver and understand before they could be received. Nor do any of the offers require the recipient of the offer to have thorough knowledge of a complicated theology that had not been invented yet. They didn't even have to read a copy of John or Romans (if they existed yet). They were asked to believe, and in that split second they either believed or they didn't. Hodges argues for a faith that is just that - faith (no qualifiers).The teaching is rather simple as he leaves the more technical debate for the endnotes. This allows the reader to simply grasp the ideas while at the same time knowing that they can be backed up with solid exegesis."Absolutely Free," along with "The Gospel Under Siege" and "Grace in Eclipse" by the same author form a sort of mini commentary filled with verse by verse interpretation. Numerous difficult passages in the New Testament are expounded and the student will grow greatly in his knowledge by reading them. However you must read all three of them to get the full picture of Hodges' theology as each book is focused on a particular topic. After reading all three you will notice that the same themes repeat themselves throughout his writing.If the concept of "faith alone" is true and correct, then Hodges' theology comes very close to defining it without changing its basic meaning. If we do not agree with Hodges, then perhaps "faith alone" is not the correct term for what we truly believe. We should not deceive ourselves. There are many books out there that do spend 200 pages of text trying to explain why "faith alone" really means faith plus something else. Hodges book just doesn't do that, so should we fault him for that? The book is both easy to read and to understand. In fact, it was an absolute joy to read.

This work by Hodges is primarily topical, and as such lacks the "meat" that many may be looking for in the "Lordship Salvation" debate. It is firmly rooted in biblical study, but for those searching for a more exegetical approach, see the commentaries on James and the Epistles of John, and The Gospel Under Siege, by the same author.This volume deals with concepts such as faith, discipleship, and repentance, which seem to have been confused and mishandled. Hodges' clarity of these subjects is extremely refreshing. This book seems to be the author's venue for tackling these issues in a topical manner. Absolutely Free is a wonderful introduction to a fresh and inspiring way to understand the free message of the gospel.