Friday, August 28, 2026

What's the Difference Between Lordship Salvation and Free Grace?

I've been explaining what "Lordship Salvation" is to my wife, and we've been watching some of Dr. Charlie Bing's videos on YouTube about it. After watching a 10-minute clip of Dr. Bing's sermon titled "Why Lordship Faith Misses the Mark for Salvation,"1 my wife gave the following analysis of Lordship Salvation: "It seems like it's always tied into something that you have to do in order to be accepted by God." I think she really hit the nail on the head! She went on to add: "If we could have saved ourselves then we don't need Jesus."

I told my wife it reminds me of something my Dad often says: "There are only two religions in the world: Do and Done."2 I'd say that Lordship Salvation is a "Do" religion (that is, you have to do endless things like submit everything, commit everything, forsake everything, promise everything, prove to people that you're good enough, and the list goes on and on), whereas Free Grace says it's all been done by Jesus on the cross (John 19:30; cf. Psa. 22:31: "He has done it!") – simply receive it as a free gift! The difference between Lordship Salvation and Free Grace is the difference between Do vs. Done!

The Example of the Thief on the Cross

Luke 23:39-43
"A thief on a cross can believe. What did the thief on the cross promise Jesus when he said, 'Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom'? And Jesus replied, 'Today you will be with Me in paradise.' Could the thief walk an aisle? No, his feet were fastened to a cross. Could he raise his hand? No, his hands were tied or nailed to the cross. Could he be baptized? No, the cross would have floated. Did he promise Jesus anything? No. Did Jesus demand anything of him? No. Salvation by grace through faith means there is hope for a dying man, for someone who can do nothing for himself." 3


References:

1 Charlie Bing, "Why Lordship Faith Misses the Mark for Salvation" (GES Conference, 1999), YouTube.

2 Dr. J. Vernon McGee affirms: "There are only two kinds of religion in the world....You can list every 'ism,' every cult, every religion...under one category. They all say, 'Do, do, do.' Only Christianity says, 'Done.' Christ has done it all." (McGee, On Eagles' Wings, p. 7.) Dr. H. A. Ironside made a similar statement. In his book The Only Two Religions, he writes: "There are only two religions in the world: The TRUE and the FALSE. All phases of false religion are alike. They all say: 'Something in my hand I bring.' The only difference between them being as to what the 'something' is. The TRUE religion says: 'Nothing in my hand I bring.'" (H. A. Ironside, The Only Two Religions, p. 5, emphasis his.)

3 Charlie Bing, "Why Lordship Faith Misses the Mark for Salvation," Journal of the Grace Evangelical Society (Spring 1999): p. 32. For more information, see my article "'Lordship Salvation' Is Heresy, Says J. Vernon McGee," FGFS (November 27, 2019). 

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9 comments:

  1. Jonathan PerreaultAugust 28, 2026 9:03 AM

    I also want to add that my wife refers to Lordship Salvation as "Sign-Up-To-Do-The-Impossible-Salvation." How fitting!

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    1. AnonymousAugust 30, 2026 7:48 AM

      I love your wife's astute description – "Sign-Up-To-Do-The-Impossible-Salvation". I will help her propagate it ;)

      Delete
    2. Jonathan PerreaultSeptember 23, 2026 10:12 AM

      Sounds good, thanks!

      Delete
  2. AnonymousAugust 30, 2026 8:14 AM

    I saw that Charlie Bing's sermon was delivered at the GES 1996 conference. So it appears that GES as an institution has evolved over time – or rather, the differences between GES and other free grace groups have became more apparent since that time.

    Can you provide some resources that shed light on this?

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    1. Todd WoodburnAugust 30, 2026 11:02 AM

      From what I understand, The GES split over the teachings of Zane Hodges as they shifted over the years, and Bing and a few others formed the FGA. I don’t know all the specifics, but I believe Zane started preaching that if you aren’t assured of your salvation, you aren’t saved.

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  3. Jonathan PerreaultAugust 31, 2026 8:46 AM

    Here are some of the best resources I've found showing how the Grace Evangelical Society (GES) has evolved/devolved over time. Note that the following resources are not necessarily listed in order of importance, but rather in a way that prioritizes direct documentary evidence—the clear "before-and-after" proof of GES's altered doctrinal baseline. Under this lens, primary textual evidence and direct line-by-line analyses move to the forefront, followed by institutional responses, comprehensive historical studies, and broader commentary:

    1) "Grace Evangelical Society’s Reductionist Affirmation of Belief," In Defense of the Gospel (November 28, 2008)

    2) "GES Gospel: Lybrand Open Letter" by Fred Lybrand (April 2009)

    3) "Free Grace Alliance Announces an Open Break from the Grace Evangelical Society and its 'Crossless' Gospel," In Defense of the Gospel (April 7, 2009)

    4) "The Free Grace Fracture" by Bob Nyberg (October 2007)

    5) "What is the 'Crossless' Gospel, Part 1" by Lou Martuneac (Voice of the Evangelists, May 2008)

    6) The Heresy of the Grace Evangelical Society (Regula Fidei Press, 2021) by Ken Wilson

    7) "The Gospel Paul Preached: A Church Age Model of Evangelistic Content" by George Meisinger (2009)

    8) "Christ's Resurrection: Part of the Saving Message?" by Philip M. Evans (Part 1 & 2)

    9) "FGA and GES Differences" by Roger Fankhauser (gracelife.org)

    10) "The Free Grace Alliance Within the Free Grace Movement" by Charlie Bing (GraceLife, May 2010)

    11) "Ralph Yankee Arnold Refutes The Crossless Gospel: Free Grace Alliance vs Grace Evangelical Society" (YouTube)

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    1. AnonymousSeptember 01, 2026 3:15 AM

      Thanks Todd and Jonathan for your replies.

      So it seems to me the dissension between the Free Grace Alliance and the Grace Evangelical Society is primarily over the meaning of "repentance" and what does it mean to "believe in Jesus".

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  4. AnonymousSeptember 01, 2026 4:36 AM

    BTW you guys might want to check out Eli Brayley's testimony and articles –

    It touches on the exact theological issues at the heart of both the FGA vs. GES and Free Grace vs. Lordship Salvation controversies:

    1) His two-part testimony:
    – https://timothyministry.blogspot.com/2010/05/about-eli.html
    – https://timothyministry.blogspot.com/2013/01/my-experience-in-revivalism.html

    2) Articles and videos:
    – https://tinyurl.com/3hkyrtn7
    – https://tinyurl.com/96uudkkm
    – https://tinyurl.com/y3v8r3m2


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    1. Jonathan PerreaultSeptember 23, 2026 10:20 AM

      Thanks for sharing those links. I especially like the article you linked to by Eli Brayley titled "The Great Meaning of Metanoia" (https://tinyurl.com/3hkyrtn7). That article is super helpful!

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