Question: What does the term 'soteriology' mean?

    All true Christians were transformed by the HS at one time in their lives. The study of the work of the Holy Spirit in the plan of salvation is incorporated as part of a larger study called soteriology.

Defined: Soteriology is 'The communication of the blessing of salvation to the sinner, his restoration to divine favor and to a life of intimate communion with God.' (Berkhof)
     Of importance is that special work of the Holy Spirit in the plan of salvation, often called 'ordo salutis'. This term was made popular by Jakob Karpov, a Lutheran , in 1737.

Defined: ordo salutis:

Question: What does the term 'ordo salutis' mean?

    The process by which the work of salvation wrought in Christ, is subjectively realized in the hearts and lives of sinners. It aims at describing their logical order , their inter-relatedness and the various movements of the Holy Spirit in the application of the work of redemption. The emphasis is not on what man does in appropriating the grace of God but on what God does in applying it.' (Berkhof)

Biblical authority

    The ordo salutis does not lie in an all inclusive placement in the Scriptures. Rather, the Scriptures as a whole, point to it's Biblical foundation . However, Rom. 8:29-30 is perhaps the closest to a complete listing in one place in the Bible.

Read Rom. 8:29-30

    Included there are the terms 'called' , 'justified', and 'glorified', which are basic to any order of salvation. These three , called, justified and glorified , are the foundation for my personal theory of the components and chronology of the ordo salutis. But before I give you my order, I'd like to spend some time looking at and discussing yours.

ACTION: Place in order from what happens first to last in ones salvation,  the component parts of the Ordo Salutis as you understand it..

QUESTION: What importance, if any, does understanding the Ordo Slautis have on our evangelistic efforts?

DEFINITION OF TERMS
EFFECTUAL CALL:
     'Because all are lost in sin, spiritually blind and unable to believe, God intervenes between His eternal decision and the individuals conversion.'
     'God works in a particularly effective way with the elect, enabling them to respond in repentance and faith and rendering it certain that they will.' (Erickson)
     'God summoning men by His Word and laying hold of them by His power to play a part in and enjoy the benefits of His gracious redemptive purposes.' (J.I. Paker)

GREEK: kaleo 'to summon, invite' (Mt. 2:7; 22:3-9)
    kaletoi 'called' (Mt. 22:4) They are the recipients of God's summons.
    eklektoi 'chosen, elect' larger group of those choses.

     It is the work of the Holy Spirit of illumination which enables the sinner to understand the true meaning of the Gospel. (2 Cor. 3,4) As the god of this world has blinded all humanity. To respond with faith and repentance their eyes must be opened. (2 Cor. 4:6; 4:4; 3:14-15; 1 Cor. 1:18)

    Lewis Sperry Chafer wrote: 'No soul can be saved apart from this enlightenment, for no other power is sufficient to break through the blindness which Satan has imposed n the minds of those who are lost.'

    Unless unbelievers are given particular insight through the Holy Spirit, they are not capable of properly understanding the Gospel message.

QUESTION: What does efficacious mean?

Effectual: The divine Word of God is creative (Genesis: Creation).  God's Word causes to exist that which is declared by God. Therefore: those who are called will actually be saved, (Rom. 8:30) The calling is from God the Father and He can not be refused. (Rom. 8:30) (Acts 13:48)
     1. Believing is the consequence of God's decree and not the cause of it.
     2. The call of God is to eternal life. Not just the possibility of eternal life.

    The Effectual Call, the illumination of the Holy Spirit, is the Holy Spirit's first work in the life of the elect. It takes place by the secret operation/work of the HS who unites us to Christ according to God's gracious purposes in election.

         -Universal Call of the Gospel is the offering of grace in the Gospel given to all individuals w/o distinction. This is true and must be maintained.
        -Matt. 22:14 'many are called but few are chosen' 'called' = presented with the choice to believe. The 'many' are those other than Israel to whom the Gospel will be presented. Form this 'many' diversity, some, few will be chosen.
         -The term 'called' is most often used in the NT in reference to Salvation and is not     universal but effectual. (Rom. 8:30, 1 Cor. 1:9, 2 Peter 1:20)

    Man is brought under conviction of sin, enlightened in the knowledge of Christ and persuaded and enabled to embrace Christ. this enabling presupposes the change in ones nature: regeneration.

Related texts: Rom. 6:16-18, 8:2, 30; 11:7, Eph. 1:10-11, 17-19; 2:1-9, 2 Thess. 2:13-14, 2 Cor. 3:3,6; 2 Tim. 1:9-10, 19; Acts 26:18; 1 Cor. 2:10,12,14; Ezek. 36:26-27, 11:19; Phil. 2:13; Deut. 30:6; Jn 5:25, 6:44-45,37; Titus 3:4-5

REGENERATION:
Question: What does the term 'regeneration'  mean?

Definition: 'Is the subjective change in the soul of man by the grace of God.' (Hodges)
     -It is referred to in Scripture as the 'new birth', 'a resurrection', 'a new life' and 'a new creature'.
     -It is a spiritual resurrection and is the work of the Holy Spirit (John 3:6) in the life of the individual.
     -It involves a whole reversal of the persons natural tendencies. (Gal. 5:24-25)
     -It is instantaneous (2 Cor. 5:17).

Read: John 3:3

     Some see this as the prerequisite for faith and repentance. The idea is that you must be reborn from above BEFORE you can have faith and see the truth of God's Word.

    Regeneration is necessary to first quicken that which is dead for in death we can do NOTHING. Before we can have faith, repent we must be made alive in Christ. The soul now has the freedom to choose Christ and life since it is no longer in bondage to sin and death. It is making the unwilling, willing and is not based on the cooperation of the individual.

Relevant texts: 2 Cor. 3:17; Phil. 2:23; PS. 110:3Jn. 3:32,5-7; 1 Jn. 5:18; Eph. 2:1,5,10; Ezek. 11:19; Ps. 51:10; Eph 4:23; Heb. 7:10

SIDEBAR: Arminians teach that conversion is prior to regeneration. One repents and believes and then God saves and transforms.
     Acts 16:30; Acts 2:38 seems to be the pattern of Scripture. That God regenerates those who repent and believe. But this seems inconsistent with the depravity of man and the fact that he is dead to ANY spiritual truth. Luther said that original sin makes us totally corrupt in will and desire and power. We have lost our ability to judge rightly toward God, he judges nothing rightly concerning God. By nature then, man is lost and condemned and helplessly living in Satans kingdom, spiritually separated from God.

    For me, regeneration, being born again, being quickened from the dead is prior to conversion.

REPENTANCE:
Question: What does the term 'repentance'  mean?

Definition: Is the abandonment of sin. It is our turning away from sin.
     -It involves both regret and to think differently, to change one's mind.
     -It is a feeling of godly sorrow for the evil we have done.
     -It is man's recognition of his sinful nature as a result of the work of the Holy Spirit in his    life.

Relevant texts: Acts 2:38; Matt. 4:17; Lk. 24:46-47; Acts 17:30

FAITH:
Question: What does the term 'faith' mean?

Definition: Involves our turning to God. It is laying hold of the promises of God in Christ.
     -It is through faith that we receive the grace of God.
     -It involves both 'to believe what someone says as true' and 'a personal trust as distinct  from mere credence or belief'.
     -It is a laying hold of the promises of God and the work of Christ for oneself.
     -It is the vehicle whereby we receive the grace of God..the baptism of the HS
     -It is always based in the person of Jesus Christ

Revenant texts: Heb. 11; Mk. 1:15, 5:36; Lk. 8:50; Matt. 9:28, 18:6;  Acts 10:53, 19:4; Jn. 2:11; Phil. 1:29; Gal. 2:16; 1 Pet. 1:8; 1 Jn. 5:10; Jn 3:16,18,36; Jn 6:35,40; 7:37-39; 11:25-26

CONVERSION:
Question: What does the term 'conversion' mean?

Definition: Faith and Repentance together form the conversion experience. They are two parts of one act, the negative (repentance from sin) and the positive (turning to God).
     -Conversion is our response to the Effectual Call of God based on the reception of a new heart by God.
     -There does not seem to be any Biblical support for a specified norm as to the duration or length of time necessary to be
      converted.
     -It is a voluntary act

     The Effectual Call and Conversion are the result of the work done by the Holy Spirit. The Effectual Call and Conversion are both prior to and necessary for Justification.
     It is dangerous to read a strict chronological order to conversion as to whether faith  precedes repentance or the other way around.

Relevant texts: Ps 51:13; Matt. 13:15, 18:3; Jn 12:40; Acts 3:19, 15:3, 28:27

JUSTIFICATION:
Question: What does the term 'justification' mean?

Definition: 'Is an act of God's grace wherein He pardons all our sins and accepts us as righteous in His sight, because of the righteousness of Christ imputed to us and received by faith alone.' (Hodges)
     -It is an immediate act.
     -It takes place in heaven before God and changes our relationship to God.
     -It is the restoration of the individual to a state of righteousness.
     -It is making us 'just as if we had never sinned"
     -It is declaring us righteous in Christ.
     -It is the imputation of Christ's righteousness to us and is apart from any work of man.

Revelant texts: Rom. 2:4; 8:33; Lk 13:3; Acts 2:38; 3:19; 11:18; 2 Cor. 7:10; Isa. 55:6-7; 1 Cor. 1:2; 6:11; 2 Cor. 5:21

SANCTIFICATION:
Question: What does the term 'sanctification' mean?

Definition: 'The work of God's grace whereby we are renewed in the whole man after the image of God, and are enabled more and more to die to sin and live to righteousness.' (Hodges)
     -It is both immediate (positional) and progressive (practical).
     -It involves both God, through the Holy Spirit (1 Thess. 5:23) and the individual.  (Phil. 2:12-13).
     -It is the process where our moral condition is brought into conformity with his new status    or position before God.
     -We will never be practically perfect until we are in heaven . (1 John 1:8-10; Rom. 7)
     -It is being set apart to God, to be declared holy.

Revenant texts: Acts 20:32; 1 Cor. 1:2; 2 Thess. 2:13; Heb. 2:11; 3:1; 10:10; 1 Peter 1:2; Jn. 17:17,19; Rom. 6:1-22; 2 Cor. 3:187; 1 Thess. 4:3-4: 5:23

ADOPTION:
Question: What does the term 'adoption' mean?

Definition: This is the transfer of one who is alienated and hostile to God to one who has found acceptance and favor before God. This is done by God's adoption of the Regenerated/Sanctified individual as His sons and daughters.
     -It involves a change of status and condition. We become God's children (John 1:12) and we become favored by God. We share the same rights and privileges as Christ because of His substitutionary death for us.

    Adoption has three phases:
        Past: Eph. 1:4-5 We were chosen and predestined to adoption as sons from the foundation of the  world.
        Present: 1 John 3:2 We are now called sons of God.
        Future: Rom. 8:23 Our adoption will be complete when we are in heaven w/ God.

GLORIFICATION:
Question: What does the term 'glorification' mean?

Definition: Is the final stage of salvation. (Rom. 8:29-30) There are two parts of this Glorification, the first is the Glorification of the Soul. It is eschatological in nature and is the promise of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer. (Eph. 1:13-14)
     -It includes the full and complete vindication of the believer.
     -It also includes the moral and spiritual perfecting of the believer and the fullness of knowledge for the believer. (Erickson).

    There is also the Glorification of the Body which will take place simultaneously with the Glorification of the Soul. This includes the resurrection of the physical body. (Phil 3:20-21, 2 Cor. 5:1-5).

UNION WITH CHRIST:
QUESTION: When are individuals united with Christ?

    Like Sanctification, Union with Christ is both immediate at the time of the baptism of the Holy Spirit and progressive beginning with the Effectual Call to individuals by God.
     Anytime God's grace is showered upon us, we have some limited Union with Christ. Therefore I believe that Union with Christ includes the whole of the salvation experience.
         -It is judicial: When God judges us before the Law, he sees not us but Christ and His perfect obedience to the Law. We are seen as being in Christ. and Therefore just.
         -It is spiritual. We are united with Christ by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
         - It is vital. In that the life of Christ actually flows through us by the Holy Spirit renewing    our nature to be continually more like Him.

Relevant texts:Gal. 2:20; Jn. 15:4-5; Col. 1:27; 2 Cor. 5:17; Eph. 1:3-4; Eph. 2:10; 1 Cor. 1:4-5; 1 Thess. 4:16;
1 Cor. 15:22

QUESTION: What have you learned from studying the HS's work in salvation?
                       What questions do you have concerning the Ordo Salutis?

Summary: There are those who would disagree with my ordo salutis. God's elect will be saved. My job is to proclaim the Gospel. I will let God be concerned with the order. My responsibility is just to witness, it is His to save.