This is one teaching that will rob you of your assurance and confidence in Christ. Why? Because there is an “initial” salvation that gets you in the door – forgiveness of your sins, but you need to haul yourself to the next level by your surrender. The act of surrender also needs to be a surrender in itself because “you” aren’t supposed to do anything. Only “Christ” can. This becomes such a mess of spiritual pulse-taking to check if you are sufficiently dead to yourself. It then produces an underlying fear that never goes away because if you don’t reach the next level, your acceptance into the kingdom is at stake.

Whenever someone implies that there are multiple tiers to salvation, I get suspicious. It’s mainly due to a “once bitten twice shy” reaction to the deeper life/early Keswick theology which informed 40 years of my Christian life. This is one teaching that will rob you of your assurance and confidence in Christ. Why? Because there is an “initial” salvation that gets you in the door – forgiveness of your sins, but you need to haul yourself to the next level by your surrender. The act of surrender also needs to be a surrender in itself because “you” aren’t supposed to do anything. Only “Christ” can. This becomes such a mess of spiritual pulse-taking to check if you are sufficiently dead to yourself. It then produces an underlying fear that never goes away because if you don’t reach the next level, your acceptance into the kingdom is at stake. This particular twist is courtesy of the partial rapture teachings of D.M. Panton, and G.H. Lang.

Here’s a taste from W.E. Boardman and Robert Pearsall Smith, husband of the author of The Christian’s Secret of a Happy Life. These are quotes from B.B. Warfield’s Perfectionism.

W.E. Boardman: “‘Behold I stand at the door and knock.” Each one has to open. A very little latch will keep a door fast, – a rusty lock will keep it very fast. You must undo the fastenings. It is not his way to force the door.” This sounds like the familiar teaching of the Pelagianizers: Christ is dependent in His actions on our pleasure, and works – can work – only when we release him for working. Theodore Monod on the next page puts the general action at its height. “Believing, we shall have lifethrough the Lord Jesus. How much life? Precisely as much as we trust Him for. Christ is to each one what each one expects Him to be: if nothing be expected, He is nothing; if little, little; if much, much; if everything, everything.” If this be true, then it is not Christ who regulates our activities and so secures our sanctification; but we who regulate His activities, and so secure our own sanctification. Christ is merely the instrument at our disposal by means of which we may sanctify ourselves – and we may use Him at our will, little or much, inefficiently or efficiently, according to our choice.” [1]

Robert Pearsall Smith –  “Once the chief need of our souls was pardon of our sins; we trusted Christ for it and got it. Now, says he [Smith], substitute pardon, “purity of heart,” “holiness,” being “filled with the Spirit,” wholehearted “love to God and your neighbor,” and “righteousness,” Trust Christ for them and you shall have them all, in their completeness, here and now. Here is a doctrine of salvation, not by faith, but by faiths. Not content with dividing salvation into two halves, each of which is to be obtained by its own special act of faith, Mr. Smith pulverizes it into numerous distinct particles each of which is to be sought and acquired by its own separate act of faith. The principle he lays down is that we are to trust Christ for whatever our soul feels the need of, in each several instance, separately, and thus pile on faith on faith. In this way, we make our way through the Christian life by repeated acts of believing. Not only so, but it is to us in each several instance precisely according to our faith. “Full faith gives the full deliverance; partial faith the partial victory. So much faith, so much deliverance, no more, no less!” It is our faith, then which regulates our grace; and that means that it is we and not God who save.” [2]

This may seem mind-boggling, but I know the appeal all too well. Deep down we affirm that salvation must be all of God and not ourselves. But rather than having a big view of an almighty God who will complete the good work He started, we elevate our ability to resist Him in a sort of faux-humility. This diminishes Christ’s work and burdens believers with what they cannot do. The power of the Triune God in saving mankind is reduced to nothing more than a spiritual version of electricity and magnetism, “forces which lie at our disposal for us to use as we list.” [3] But for all the talk of getting myself out of the way so Christ can do it in me, I am the one calling the shots. I am the one controlling the on/off switch that releases His power. This will lead to two possible outcomes. One will be spiritual pride in the guise of self-denial. The other will be living under the weight and fear of trying to do what only God can do.

Given this, I think it is wise to be suspicious of anything that smacks of tiered salvation. Being a Berean may prove that my suspicions were wrong. But what if they are right? Isn’t it better to know for sure?

1. Perfectionism, B.B. Warfield, Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Company, 1958, pg. 246. Italics are original.
2. Ibid. 272-273.
3. Ibid.  246.

Persis Lorenti is an ordinary Christian. You can find her at Tried With Fire and Out of the Ordinary. This article appeared on her blog and is used with permission.