Salvation and Grace Notes

The Need for Salvation through Grace

Most people desire change in their lives, envisioning salvation in various terms.
Salvation is conceived politically, socially, and personally.
Christianity offers a well-defined problem (humanity's ills) and a clear solution (salvation through Jesus).

Getting Christian Salvation in View

Understanding the Christian vision of salvation provides insight into life's major questions.
It's crucial to grasp the complete picture of Christian salvation, addressing both the problem and its resolution.

More Than a Moment

Salvation is more than a one-time event; it encompasses past, present, and future.
Some traditions emphasize conversion, while others focus on progressive holiness through sacraments.
Salvation involves what God has done, is doing, and will do.
Complete Christian salvation lies in the future, rooted in eternity past and extending into eternity future.

Salvation According to the Bible

Old Testament: God's liberation of Israel from Egypt (Exod 14:13), national salvation, individual salvation (Ps 51:12), and global salvation (Isa 65:17–25).
New Testament: Personal and global salvation are emphasized over national salvation. Jesus offers individual salvation (Mark 5:34; John 20:31). Revelation highlights salvation for believing Israel and world renewal (Revelation 21–22).
Different aspects of salvation are emphasized in different sections of Scripture, contributing to a robust vision.

Ordering Up Salvation

The order of salvation is the logical sequence through which God works out our salvation.
Paul's letter to the Romans (Rom 8:29–30) suggests an order: foreknowledge, predestination, calling, justification, glorification.
The Bible uses analogies to reveal what Jesus's life, death, and resurrection provide.
Major aspects of salvation: election, calling, conversion, regeneration, justification, adoption, sanctification, union with Christ, perseverance, and glorification.

It’s All About Grace

Christian salvation is understood in the context of grace, defined as a superior showing undeserved favor to an inferior.
Early Christians believed this communicated what God had done in Jesus Christ.
Many believe salvation is earned through works, but Ephesians 2:8–9 states it is by grace through faith.
The concept of grace is simple but receiving it is difficult, especially in a world lacking unconditional acceptance.
Christian salvation means God loves and shows favor knowing who we are.
God is far more gracious than any person who has shown us grace.

Everyday Implications

Realize the various conceptions of salvation and articulate the Christian vision against competing visions.
Understand that Christian salvation can be organized rationally.
Christian salvation rests upon God’s grace, requiring a Christian to receive God’s unconditional acceptance.

Election

Salvation is often thought to begin with conscious acceptance of Jesus, but the Bible indicates it begins before the creation of the world (Eph 1:4).
This concept is called election, which has practical implications for Christians.

Election in the Bible

Election is clearly taught in the Bible, using terms like predestination, foreknowledge, and election.
Old Testament examples: Abraham (Gen 12:1–3) and the nation of Israel (Deut 7:6–8).
Abraham was chosen to bring universal blessings, and Israel was chosen to be a light to the world.
The election of Israel provided privileges like covenants, the Mosaic Law, the temple, and the promise of a future Messiah, but did not guarantee personal salvation for all ethnic Israelites (Rom 9:1–13).
New Testament focus: election in Jesus Christ. Christians participate in salvation through their election in Christ (Eph 1:3–12).
Paul's language suggests election comforted him and led to praise. It reassured him that God will ultimately work everything according to His will.
Romans 8:28–30 states that all things work for good for those who love God because God is in control through election, foreknowledge, and predestination.

What’s the Debate about Election?

The debate concerns the basis upon which God elects, not whether God elects at all.
Two main perspectives: unconditional election and conditional election.
Unconditional election: God chooses individuals for salvation without considering their actions.
Conditional election: God chooses based on something found in the individual, such as foreseen faith.
The Bible points toward unconditional election, as seen in Romans 9:11, referencing God's election of Jacob based on God’s prerogative, not Jacob’s works.

Making Sense of Election

Election should not confound Christians or suggest unfairness. The New Testament uses election without implying a divine conspiracy.
Affirmation of election should not deny genuine free will. God has given humanity a real opportunity to choose.
Human free will can be misrepresented as absolute, but humans still make morally accountable decisions within their limitations.
One resolution involves examining presuppositions about God’s relationship with time. God may stand outside of time, diminishing the contradiction between divine choice and human decision.
Christians should affirm both that election is biblical and that a right understanding affirms human freedom.

Why Does It Matter?

Election assures us that salvation is primarily God's work, not solely our own.
In life's chaos, Christians can find comfort in knowing God is in control (Philippians 1:6).
Election should be a source of comfort and joy, not trouble.

Hearing the Call

Before conversion, awareness of sin and the need for salvation is necessary, often called the moment of conviction or the gospel call.
There is a general call to all when the gospel is preached and a specific call to certain individuals for particular tasks.
Christianity affirms a God who reveals Himself, calling people to various things (Gen 1:5, Exod 31:2; Isa 6:1–13).
The gospel call is a unique moment when God calls a person to personal faith in Jesus (Acts 2:39; Rom 8:30; 1 Cor 1:9), though it can be disregarded (Mark 9:13; Luke 5:32).
Understanding the gospel call suggests God moves first in salvation, yet we also move toward Him.
1 Corinthians 2:14 indicates that apart from the Holy Spirit, a person cannot understand their need for God.
Theologians resolve this tension through prevenient grace (grace offered to all) or God personally offering salvation.
There are no biblical texts that clearly affirm a type of grace given to all that nullifies the effects of original sin. Instead, the Holy Spirit offers the gift of salvation to persons.

Carefully Listening to God’s Voice

Hearing God’s voice is an act of His love and grace, not something we achieve ourselves.
The application of this should comfort us and warn us not to take lightly the moments when God speaks.
Hebrews 2:1–3a; 3:15 emphasizes paying attention to what we have heard and not hardening our hearts.
Rejection of God’s voice lessens spiritual sensitivity and diminishes our ability to hear God in the future.
We should respond like Samuel: “Speak, for Your servant is listening” (1 Sam 3:10).

Everyday Implications

The doctrine of election is biblical and should provide comfort to the Christian.
The doctrine of gospel call should cause us to appreciate God’s grace in making salvation possible.

Conversion

Conversion is a key aspect of salvation, marking the experiential beginning of one's faith journey. Testimonies vary, reflecting diverse circumstances and emotions.
True conversion requires repentance from sin and faith in Jesus.

Repentance from Sin

Both the Old and New Testaments address repentance.
Old Testament: repentance as "turning or returning to God" (1 Kgs 8:35; Neh 9:35; Isa 59:20; Ps 51:13; Jer 4:1; Hos 14:1; Mal 3:7).
Old Testament prophets warned against false repentance—performing rituals without genuine change of heart.
New Testament: repentance as changing one’s mindset (Acts 2:37–38). Mind and heart turn from sin toward God.
True repentance encompasses intellect, emotions, and behavior. It is necessary for initial conversion and continued Christian growth.

Faith in Jesus

Both the Old and New Testaments emphasize faith, with the Old Testament highlighting faithfulness and the New Testament emphasizing initial faith in Jesus.
Faith is expressed in various dimensions. John 20:30–31 calls for saving faith in Jesus, believing He is the Messiah and Son of God, leading to abundant life.
Paul affirms that confessing “Jesus is Lord” and believing in His resurrection leads to salvation (Rom 10:9–13).
Genuine initial faith grows into faithfulness, producing a continuing faith in Jesus. James 2:14–18 shows that genuine faith results in faithful actions.
Hebrews 11:1–40 demonstrates that faith motivated the faithful in the Old Testament, providing motivation to live faithfully before God.
Becoming a Christian involves genuine repentance and faith in Jesus.

New Life in Christ

Regeneration is closely related to conversion, defined as spiritual birth brought forth by the Holy Spirit at conversion.
It is an unconscious transformation that brings spiritual life.
Regeneration moves a person from spiritual death to life, giving new desires because of the Holy Spirit.
John 3:1–10 narrates Jesus’s conversation with Nicodemus, emphasizing the necessity of being born again of water and Spirit to see the kingdom of God.
Old Testament prophets Jeremiah and Ezekiel (Jer 24:7; Ezek 36:26) foresaw a day when God would give His people a new heart to follow Him.
Regeneration is expressed through analogies like re-creation (2 Cor 5:17), spiritual resurrection (Col 2:13), circumcision of the heart (Col 2:11), washing (1 Cor 6:11), and new birth (John 1:13).
Regeneration is important because the Holy Spirit aids the changing of one’s identity, providing the spiritual life necessary for a heart change.

Everyday Implications

Repentance is necessary for conversion and Christian growth; Christians must learn to practice it.
Faith is necessary for conversion; genuine faith grows into faithfulness. Christians should grow their faith in God.
Conversion is a conscious decision to follow Jesus; Christians should remember this moment.
Regeneration is the moment the Holy Spirit gives spiritual life; rely on the Spirit to follow God’s commands.

Justification and Sanctification

Guilt is a strong human emotion, often negotiated through acts of charity. People feel guilty before God and try to lessen it through good deeds.
Guilt can be subjective or objective (as the Bible states, Rom 3:9–20).

Justified before God

The Bible both affirms our guilt and offers a solution: justification, where God credits a person with the righteousness earned by Christ.
Justification is not earned but granted by God’s grace. Romans 3:21–26 explains justification through faith in Jesus Christ.
Justification is expressed in judicial language; Jesus offers a verdict of right standing before Him on the basis of His work.
The Old Testament Law revealed God's righteous character but couldn't change hearts. Only Jesus has met God’s righteous requirements.
Those who believe in Jesus achieve right standing before God.
Justification is given freely on the basis of grace; God gives what we don't deserve.
Theological term redemption means to buy back. Sin enslaves every person apart from God's grace; God buys us back through Jesus’s death.
Jesus’s death was our propitiation, satisfying God’s judgment.
God, in His love, decided not to pour out judgment upon us; instead, Jesus laid down His life and takes our judgment (2 Cor 5:21).
On the cross, God's judgment and love converge.

The Debate over Justification

The doctrine of justification is a point of disagreement between Protestants and Catholics.
Martin Luther discovered justification by faith, speaking of it in forensic categories and contrasting it with works-based approaches.
Catholic theology teaches that justification should be understood as progressive, imparted through the sacraments.
Ancient Judaism was not solely works-based; some saw justification as a gift of grace with works as signs.
The main point: we have right standing before God due to Jesus’s death for us.
Progressive justification seems to minimize the once-for-all significance of Jesus’s death; the historic Protestant position seems best.

Right with God

Justification reveals how Jesus’s death gives us right standing before God.
Our acceptance before God is on the basis of God’s work, not our own, giving us confidence to live without fear of failure.

Into God’s Family

Adoption communicates a higher level of intimacy with God than justification (John 1:11–12).
We see God as our Father, Jesus as our brother, and all Christians as brothers and sisters.
God as a good heavenly Father will provide for us (Matt 6:25–34) and discipline us (Heb 12:7–11).
God calls us to deep intimacy in prayer (Gal 4:6–7) and allows us to be heirs of all that God possesses (Rom 8:17).

Be Holy

Christians should be concerned with growing in their faith, making a plan that includes daily Bible reading, prayer, church attendance, and serving in a ministry.
Sanctification means “to be holy or set apart,” discussed in three ways:
- Positional sanctification: being holy before God because you have trusted in Jesus.
- Progressive sanctification: experientially becoming more set apart to God, changing character and behavior.
- Future sanctification (glorification): final realization of ultimate salvation.

The Holy Spirit

The agent of holiness is the Holy Spirit, whose role is to make us holy.
Holiness is not achieved through personal effort but produced as we allow the Holy Spirit to control our thoughts and lives.

Paths toward Holiness

Holiness is primarily an event or a process?
- Pentecostal sanctification affirms holiness begins primarily as an event associated with the baptism of the Holy Spirit, often associated with speaking in tongues. Growth in Christian maturity occurs after this experience.
- The book of Acts describes the transformation of Jesus’s disciples, which Pentecostals see as normative.
- The book of Acts describes how the disciples of Jesus emerged from fearful disciples to powerful apostles. Clearly, there was a radical transformation in Jesus’s disciples that Pentecostals among others see as normative for personal holiness in the life of the Christian today.
- Others read Acts not as a normative pattern, but as communicating the role of the Holy Spirit after Jesus’s earthly ministry.
- At His ascension, Jesus sent the Holy Spirit. The coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost is not a normative event but was a definitive event within God's unfolding plan.
- All believers now possess the Holy Spirit and have access to His power and presence.
- The Christian's concern is keeping in step with the Spirit rather than re-creating the Acts 2 experience. Holiness should primarily be conceived as a process of gradual holiness, not as a definitive event.
- Events after conversion can deepen understanding of the person and power of the Holy Spirit.

Disciplines for Christian Living

Sanctification is achieved when one is aware of the presence of the Holy Spirit and orders one’s life to participate in activities that enhance Christian growth.
Spiritual disciplines order one's life to achieve spiritual maturity, including study and meditation of the Bible, fasting and prayer, service in ministry, confession of sins, and corporate worship.
These progress holiness because your manner of life is encouraging growth and maturity.
A spiritual assessment is important to accurately see progress and areas for growth, asking the Holy Spirit for guidance to set forth a path for spiritual growth.

United with Christ

The Christian is united with Christ. Believers are chosen, regenerated, justified, sanctified, and glorified in Christ (Eph 1:4; Eph 2:4–5; 1 Cor 1:30; John 15:4–5; Col 3:4).
Union with Christ speaks to the entirety of Christian salvation.
John 15:4–8 calls followers to remain in Him, producing much fruit through relational obedience.
The abiding life occurs through appropriating Jesus’s word, understood through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Christians learn and get to know Jesus, pointing them to the person who can be known and experienced.
Relational obedience should happen in the life of the church where we encounter other Christ followers and become a Christlike community.

Everyday Implications

Christians have right standing before God on the basis of Jesus’s work, not their own.
A daily pursuit of holiness should be the desire of every Christian, maintaining a dynamic relationship with the Holy Spirit.
Christians are united with Christ and can daily experience His blessings through abiding in Him.