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| Line by line, stalk by stalk; orderly laid out. |
The Order of Salvation
Introduction
It is helpful to distinguish the various elements in the Ordo Salutis into DISTINCT and LOGICAL phases
a. Salvation purposed by God... in eternity, before time.
b. Salvation accomplished by Jesus Christ… at the cross.
c. Salvation applied by the Holy Ghost... to each elect personally.
d. Salvation experienced... through faith in Jesus Christ.
e. Salvation consummated… at resurrection and glorification at Christ return.
2. In the salvation purposed or decreed, there are:
- Election by the Father...
- Foreknowledge...
- Predestination by the Father...
- Christ appointed as their Mediator...
- etc etc. See Mt 25:34; John 17:24; Eph 1:4,5,11; 1Pet 1:20; Rev 13:8, 17:8; Acts 2:23
3. In the salvation accomplished by Jesus Christ:
a. Incarnation, the eternal Word made flesh, Son of God was born. John 1:1,13;
- The Son of God was born first, then sent officially at water baptism. Gal 4:4, Mt 3:17.
- Perfect sinless life of obedience to all the laws of God secured the righteousness needed for the justification of His people under condemnation of sin and death. No righteousness, no justification!
- Substitutionary death to bear away the righteous wrath of God, secured forgiveness of sins. Rm 5:18.
- Christ lived the life we must live, and died the death we deserve to die. He is a perfect substitute for both, in securing our righteousness which we do no have, and suffered the wrath that we deserved, and secured the forgiveness that we need.
- Christ resurrection unto power and glory… vindication of all that He claimed and taught.
b. LEGAL justification: all the sins of all the elect that God the Father has given to Christ, were imputed to Christ, and Christ suffered for them fully; Christ righteousness was imputed to each and every one of them – all whose names had been written in the Book of Life before the foundation of the world. All the names of those that are given to Christ by the Father had been written in the Book of Life. Phi 4:3, Rev 13:8, 17:8.
- (I know many will jump and rave at this... let me just remind you that the condemnation of sin in Adam's sin was EVEN SO imputed to all he represented at the fall.) Rom 5:18.
c. Justification by the faith/righteousness/blood of Christ is different from Justification by grace and is different from Justification by believing in Jesus Christ. Take note of the distinction, and the context.
- There is vast difference between the faith OF Christ (the faithfulness of Christ which secured our redemption, Rom 3:22-24) and a man’s faith IN Christ (a man’s act of believing and resting in Christ)
- By faith of Christ: Rm 3:22, Gal 2:16,17, 3:22. Ph 3:9…. By God’s free grace: Rm 3:24, Eph 2:8-9, Rm 8:30, Tit 3:7. By faith in Christ: Gal 3:26, Col 1:4, 2:5, John 3:15,16, Jam 2:24.
- Both faith in Christ, and works of righteousness are EVIDENCES of salvation, they evidence salvation.
- Justification by the righteousness/blood/faith of speaks of the legal basis of justification.
- Justification by God’s free grace declares the manner the righteousness of Christ is applied to us.
- Justification by the believer's faith in Jesus Christ declares the means to experience the blessings of justification.
4. In the salvation applied to individual by the Holy Spirit:
a. It is HERE that sinners become PERSONALLY and VITALLY affected. What was LEGAL for the whole elect is APPLIED to each individual personally. How is it applied to spiritually dead sinners?
- Before salvation is applied upon an elect personally, he is dead in trespasses and sins. He is in enmity against God. He is ungodly. He is a child of wrath. He is a rebel, etc. Eph 2:ff
- In such condition, the sinners are absolutely passive when acted upon by God's gracious and powerful act of applying eternal salvation to them. They are utterly unable to aid or cooperate or assist in the application of the accomplished salvation to them personally.
- In fact, in their native state of sin and death, they are in active enmity and rebellion against God.
b. When salvation is applied, God freely and effectually calls a sinner who is by nature in the state of SIN and DEATH to that state of GRACE and SALVATION… Rom 5:18. Eph 2:8-9
- Salvation applied brings a sinner from a state of condemnation of death to that of justification of life.
- It must be applied FREELY, without man meeting any condition – if there were any condition imposed that sinners must meet, it would be disastrous, for none could ever be met. None would ever be saved.
- In the OT, the application is based prospectively (looking forward) on the work Christ will do; in the NT it is based retrospectively (looking back) on the work Christ has done. There is only one SAME basis.
c. In effectually calling a sinner out of the state of sin and death to that of grace and salvation, God by His free and sovereign grace and power must execute these gracious acts - in these exact NUMBER and LOGICAL ORDER – justification, regeneration, adoption, Spirit of adoption.
- Justification to remove the condemnation... by APPLYING the righteousness of Christ to the individual elect personally. This JUSTIFICATION BY GOD'S GRACE gives divine warrant/basis for the Holy Spirit to regenerate an elect dead in trespasses and sins. Rm 5:18
- Regeneration to remove spiritual deadness, and bring the justified to eternal life, communion with God.
- Adoption of the regenerated to remove the alienation, and bring him into the family of God...
- And the giving of the Spirit of adoption to dwell in the child of God, who works all the saving graces in them. John 1:12-13, Rm 8:15, Gal 4:6
d. All these, i.e. justification by grace, regeneration, adoption, and the bestowal of the Holy Spirit to dwell in the child of God happen in that LOGICAL ORDER, but chronologically, they are simultaneous.
- Effectual calling out of the state of sin and death to that of grace and salvation is an instantaneous and gracious act by God’s free grace FREE, and involves all the above distinct divine acts.
- One who is effectually called by God to grace and salvation is fully and perfectly FITTED for eternal glory... Nothing more is needed for eternal glory. Eternal salvation is by grace ALONE… plus nothing!
- God the Spirit sovereignly applies eternal salvation to each and every one whom He gave to His Son, and for whom Christ died to redeem. Eternal salvation is by grace ALONE… plus nothing!
- This is ETERNAL SALVATION... by God's free grace PLUS nothing. Grace alone means grace alone, and not grace alone plus something. Eternal salvation is by grace ALONE… plus nothing!
5. In salvation experienced and evidenced by the gospel ministry:
a. One who is effectually called is enabled/capacitated by the Holy Spirit working in him the manifold graces of salvation, including the grace of faith and repentance, works of righteousness, fear of God. Behold Cornelius, the Ethiopian eunuch, the devout Jews on the day of Pentecost, etc. etc. who were converted. Effectual call to grace and salvation makes conversion possible! Gal 5:22, Eph 5:9
b. When such a one is reached with the gospel ministry, he is able to respond to the gospel call to repentance and faith. The gospel truth is ALREADY true of him... God has freely applied salvation to him. When he believes, his faith evidences the salvation that has been applied to him by God's free and sovereign grace.
- The gospel ministry is the means appointed by God to gather His children He has begotten into the churches of Jesus Christ. They are sheep, they needed to be gathered into the sheepfold, and be nourished, and taught to live godly, soberly and righteously. They are harvest of the Lord. Feed them… gather them in.
- When he believes, his experiences in a most personal way the love of God in Christ for him...
c. The gospel ministry is absolutely important for his well-being as a child of God. The gospel ministry plays absolutely no role in his being as a child of God. The gospel ministry instructs and informs and edifies and nourishes a child of God. It bring temporal salvations. Phi 2:12 – work out your own salvation.
- The gospel ministry does not play any role in giving eternal life to a sinner... But it is absolutely needful for their well-being, for their temporal salvation here and now in this life on earth.
- Each of God's children by His free and sovereign grace, experiences and evidences a VASTLY different degree of benefits from the gospel ministry. Some have none... others have little... still others have husk feed to them... some are well nourished under faithful gospel ministry... More or less, each and everyone of them are fitted for eternal glory by God's free and sovereign grace.
6. In salvation glorified/consummated
a. You fill in the blank... if you can... it is too wonderful for me too express it in words.
This is the only order of salvation I have learned from the Scriptures.
This is not to deny that men have come up with many DIS-orders.
This is just my feeble understanding.
If you have better ideas... set it before me and we can consider them.
