Dear questioner, thank you for your concern regarding this matter of Lordship salvation.  I am not completely sure of your position, but I gather that you are struggling with whether a believer will bear fruit after being saved, and if he does not, is he really saved?  First let me say that salvation comes by grace alone (Eph. 2:8-10), through faith alone (Gal. 2:16), in Christ alone (Acts 4:12).  Too, I believe the faith exercised in the unbeliever toward Christ for salvation is no different than the faith exercised by a five year in kindergarten when she hears for the first time that 2+2=4. Faith is faith; there is not a special kind of faith given to one person and then another kind given to another. The issue in salvation is whether one believes Christ’s death alone on the cross is sufficient to save the one who trusts in Him. Faith does not save, Jesus saves; faith is merely the means by which we receive that salvation.

Faith as a noun (eòmuòn & pistis) refers to what is believed and often points to a body of teaching (i.e. Hab. 2:4; Acts 14:22; 16:5; Rom. 14:22; Gal. 1:23); whereas, faith as a verb (aòman & pisteuo) refers to the act of believing (John 3:15, 16, 18, 36; 20:31) and means to believe, trust, or have confidence in something or someone . There is also the adjective (aòman & pistos) which describes someone as faithful, reliable, and trustworthy and is used of both God (1 Cor. 1:9; 10:13; Heb. 10:23) and man (Matt. 25:223; Col. 1:7; Heb. 3:5).

A saving knowledge of the finished work of Jesus Christ on behalf of all humanity comes only through the Bible. That is, salvation can only be understood when one accurately understands and believes what the Bible says. Knowledge of the gospel could never be obtained apart from Scripture.

Some have argued that it is necessary to “make Jesus Lord” before one can be saved. This is pure bunk! Jesus is Lord whether anyone recognizes it or not. Nearly 150 times the Bible conditions salvation on faith alone (John 3:16, 18, 36; 20:31; Acts 4:12; 16:31; Gal. 2:16; 3:1-3; Eph. 2:8-9; Tit. 3:5)! Here are a few Principles about the doctrine of faith:

1. Faith demands an object.

2. Faith is exercised with a view to receiving a benefit.

3. The object of faith gets the credit.

Here are three points of the faith of the believer which brings him/her to Christian maturity:

1. Faith understands the Word of God (Romans 10:17).

2. Faith believes the Word of God (Hebrews 4:2).

3. Faith applies the Word of God (Romans 14:23; Hebrews 11:6; James 1:22).

Facts about faith:

1. Claims promises (Romans 8:28; I Corinthians 10:13).

2. Is tested (1 Peter 1:7).

3. Obeys God’s commands (i.e. to love, forgive, grow, etc...) (I Peter 5:6, 7).

4. Overcomes fear (Deuteronomy 31:6-8; Isaiah 41:10-13).

5. Is part of the fruit of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23).

6. Is the only thing that pleases God (Hebrews 11:6).

7. Is the normal Christian function (Romans 1:17).

8. Produces a relaxed mental attitude (Isaiah 26:3; Philippians 4:11).

9. Is backed up by the essence of God (i.e. omniscience, omnipresence, omnipotence, righteousness, justice, love, sovereignty, immutability, veracity, and eternal life).

Having said all this, I would distinguish between faith that leads to salvation, and faith in the Word of God that leads to Christian growth. It is possible for a person to believe in Christ resulting in salvation, and then go negative to God’s Word and thereby not experience Christian growth. Understand, fruit is the product of growth and maturity, which comes over time through the study and application of God’s Word to life (Matt. 4:4; 1 Cor. 2:6-3:4; 2 Tim. 3:16-17; Heb. 5:13-14; 1 Pet. 2:2).

In the James 2 passage, James is talking to believers, about what the world sees in them. The justification there is before men, not before God. The “dead faith” spoken there refers to a useless faith; that is, one which has not grown to maturity. Faith cannot die, it can only be misused, or not used at all. In the James 2 passage, James is talking about believers who claim to know God and who voice these claims to everyone they meet. James is simply trying to get them to act consistently with their words.

Maybe you can sympathize with the believers in James. Have you ever told someone you were a Christian and that you loved the Lord, and then behaved in a non-Christian manner? At that moment, your faith in God’s Word as a believer was non-functional. That is, you may have known the truth (or maybe not, as is often the case with newborn believers), but not lived it before others. This does not mean you are not saved, it simply means that you are not acting like a saved person.

If we spend our lives as fruit inspectors trying to determine who is and is not saved, we will find ourselves in a bit of a quandary because every believer in the Bible demonstrates sin, whether it is Moses hitting a guy so hard he gets a cerebral hemorrhage and dies; or David having sex with Bathsheba and then killing her husband; or Peter denying the Lord three times; or Thomas doubting the resurrection. I could go on and on of believers who have not demonstrated their faith before others and who at times would be considered as acting like an unbeliever.

I hope this has answered your question. If not, then please write me back and I will try again.