Journal: Journal of the Grace Evangelical Society
Volume: JOTGES 33:64 (Spring 2020)
Article: Dallas Theological Seminary On Salvation: A Survey Of Some Popular Professors Between 1965–1990
Author: Shawn C. Lazar

JOTGES 33:64 (Spring 2020) p. 59

Dallas Theological Seminary On Salvation: A Survey Of Some Popular Professors Between 1965–1990

Shawn Lazar

Associate Editor
Journal of the Grace Evangelical Society

I. Introduction

What did Dallas Theological Seminary (hereafter, DTS) professors teach about eternal salvation (i.e., regeneration) to the general public? To answer that question this article will survey books written by four DTS professors and published by mainstream presses between the years 1965 and 1990.The authors are John Walvoord, J. Dwight Pentecost, Charles Ryrie, and Zane Hodges. This article will ask the following four questions: according to the author, 1) What is the saving message? 2) What is the condition of salvation? 3) What is the definition of faith? And 4) Is Lordship Salvation correct?

II. John Walvoord

John Walvoord (1910–2002) was professor of systematic theology and a long-time president at DTS (1952–1986). During that period, he wrote several books, but I will mainly draw on three: The Revelation of Jesus Christ; Jesus Christ Our Lord; and What We Believe.

A. The Saving Message

What do you need to believe to be saved? Walvoord is not entirely clear on the content of the saving message. For one, a person must believe he is a sinner: “Before a person can intelligently believe in

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Christ, he has to be aware of the guilt of his sin.”1 He must also know that only the righteousness of God will save him: “What the sinner needs to learn is that nothing short of the righteousness of God will allow him to be saved.”2 And he must also know that while he is condemned for his sin, only one sin in particular prevents him from being saved:

An unsaved person needs to realize that while he is a sinner, as all men are sinners, this constitutes only a part of his condemnation before God. The one sin that prevents him from entering into grace and favor with God is the sin of unbelief. Accordingly, he must realize that salvation is by faith alone. He also needs instruction on the matter of righteousness.3

Moreover, he must know that both sin and Satan were judged on the cross, allowing for salvation by faith:

The three aspects of the Spirit’s convicting the unsaved are (1) that a person seeking salvation must understand the nature of sin in contrast to the righteousness of God, (2) that God provides a righteousness which is by faith and is not earned or deserved, (3) that G...