“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.” | Romans 8:28-30
Christ’s work in our salvation can be understood as Redemption Accomplished and Redemption Applied. Through Christ’s incarnation, life, death, resurrection, ascension, and return, our redemption is accomplished. The accomplishment of our salvation happens through the once and for all History of Salvation – including not only the work of Christ, but also the entire plan of salvation stretching back to creation and the covenant with Abraham. This redemption is applied to the individual believer only through God’s sovereign grace. God’s great salvation is applied to the life of the believer through a process stretching back before our birth, through our faith, and looking ahead to our final place in eternity. This process is called the Order of Salvation.
We’ll begin by laying out the foundations of the creation of humanity, the problem of sin, and the need for salvation. Each week will lay out a theological concept in the Order of Salvation, but rather than a full theology study of the concept, our messages will then move to exposit 1-3 main passages related to that topic. We also want to emphasize the application in the life of the believer: how then should we live?
1. Creation and Fall (creation, sin, common grace) June 8
2. Union with Christ (work of Christ, union, applied by faith) June 15
3. Election (eternal choice in love, and reprobation) June 22
4. Calling (gospel invitation, effective calling) June 29
5. Regeneration (baptism in the Spirit, new birth) July 6
6. Conversion (faith and repentance) July 13
7. Justification (declared and imputed with righteousness) July 20
8. Adoption (welcomed as God’s children) July 27
9. Sanctification (definitive and progressive holiness) August 3
10. Faith & Obedience (daily faith, obedience, good works) August 10
11. Perseverance (enduring faith and assurance) August 17
12. Glorification (death, intermediate state, final glory) August 24
[Note: All definitions found in the beginning of a section are cited from Wayne Grudem’s Systematic Theology.]
1. Creation & Fall (creation, sin, need for salvation, common grace)
“Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.’ So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. And God blessed them. And God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.’” | Genesis 1:26-28
“So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate… I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” | Genesis 3:6, 15
Matthew 5:44-45, Acts 17:24-28
2. Union with Christ (life and work of Christ, union, faith, order of salvation)
“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.” | Romans 8:28-30
“Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.” | Romans 6:3-6
Ephesians 2:1-10, Galatians 2:20
3. Election (eternal choice in love, and reprobation)
“Election is an act of God before creation in which he chooses some people to be saved, not on account of any foreseen merit in them, but only because of his sovereign good pleasure.” “Reprobation is the sovereign decision of God before creation to pass over some person, in sorrow deciding not to save them, and to punish them for their sins, and thereby to manifest his justice.”
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.” | Ephesians 1:3-6
John 6:44, 64-65, Romans 9:14-23, 2 Timothy 2:10, Revelation 13:8
4. Calling (gospel invitation, effective calling)
“Effective calling is an act of God the Father, speaking through the human proclamation of the gospel, in which he summons people to himself in such a way that they respond in saving faith.”
“…we exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you to walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory. And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers.” | 1 Thessalonians 2:12-13
Acts 13:48, 14:6; 2 Thessalonians 2:14; 2 Timothy 1:9
5. Regeneration (baptism in the Spirit, new birth)
“Regeneration is the secret act of God in which he imparts new spiritual life to us.”
“Jesus answered him, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.’ Nicodemus said to him, ‘How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?’ Jesus answered, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.’” | John 3:3-8
Ezekiel 36:26-27, 1 Corinthians 12:13, 1 Peter 1:3, 23-25
6. Conversion (faith & repentance)
“Conversation is our willing response to the gospel call, in which we sincerely repent of sins and place our trust in Christ for salvation.”
“But what does it say? ‘The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart’ (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.” | Romans 10:8-10
Acts 20:21, 2 Corinthians 7:9-10
7. Justification (declared and imputed with righteousness)
“Justification is an instantaneous legal act of God in which…our sins [are forgiven] and Christ’s righteousness…belongs to us and declares us to be righteous in his sight.”
“We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners; yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.” | Galatians 2:15-16
Romans 3:21-26, 4:3-8; 2 Corinthians 5:21
8. Adoption (welcomed as God’s children)
“Adoption is an act of God whereby he makes us members of his family.”
“For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs – heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.” | Romans 8:14-17
John 1:11-12, 8:42-44; Galatians 3:24-26; Ephesians 1:3-6; 1 John 3:1-2
9. Sanctification (definitive and progressive holiness)
“Sanctification is [both definitive and] a progressive work of God and man that makes us more and more free from sin and like Christ in our actual lives.”
“And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.” | Hebrews 10:10-14
1 Corinthians 1:2, 6:11; 2 Corinthians 7:1; Philippians 2:12-13; 1 Thessalonians 4:3-4
10. Faith & Obedience (daily faith, obedience, good works)
“What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe– and shudder! Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works; and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness” – and he was called a friend of God. You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.” | James 2:14-24
John 14:15, 21, Ephesians 2:8-10, James 1:22-25
11. Perseverance (enduring faith and assurance)
“Perseverance of the saints means that all those who are truly born again will be kept by God’s power and will persevere as Christians until the end of their lives.”
“But I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until that day what has been entrusted to me. Follow the pattern of the sound words that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you.” | 2 Timothy 1:12-14
John 6:39-40, 8:31-32, 10:27-29; Philippians 1:6; 1 Peter 1:5; 2 Peter 1:8-10; 1 John 2:19; Revelation 3:5
12. Glorification (death, intermediate state, final glory)
“Glorification is the final step in the application of redemption. It will happen when Christ returns, raises from the dead the bodies of all believers for all time who have died, reunites them with their souls…”
“…that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead… But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.” | Philippians 3:10-11, 20-21
John 6:39-40, 1 Corinthians 15:20-26, 54-55, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-14, Hebrews 2:14-15, Revelation 14:13
0 Comments