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Is Biblical Salvation a Process then or Not?

Discussion in 'Baptist Theology & Bible Study' started by Yeshua1, Jan 5, 2015.

  1. Yeshua1

    Yeshua1 Well-Known Member
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    We do know that a sinner is Justified freely by grace alone, received thru faith alone when they receive Jesus Christ, but doesn't the Bible also teach that salvation is more than just that event, as its a process continuing until final glorification?
     
    #1 Yeshua1, Jan 5, 2015
    Last edited by a moderator: Jan 7, 2015
  2. Marooncat79

    Marooncat79 Well-Known Member
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    "Salvation" rests in the doctrine of justification. Justification is in the aorist tense in Greek and is used to denote a 1-time act wherein the results are seeing throughout eternity ie there is a punctiliar point in time where we as believers are "justified". Justification is the act whereby God looks at the sinner in mercy and says "because of your faith in my Son (the Lord Jesus Christ), I pronounce you justified/forgiven/made right with God".

    It is because of "justification" that believers cannot "lose" their salvation-how can we become "unjustified" since Justification results in a pardon of the guilty party. Justifucation is seen in the Bible as a 1-time act.

    In the NT, we are told that we are a "new creation in Christ Jesus". The word new (nuos) means totally new with nothing of the old self present ie our hearts are totally new think of the heart of stone has now become a heart of flesh

    After justification, the believer is the involved in the process of sanctification which is also referred to as the "christian walk"; it is here that we are come boldy before the throne of grace to receive mercy (Hebrews) and we are to repent of our sins daily that we might walk holy, humbly and in love until death.

    Glorification is when we get to heaven and we are made completely new including the body where there will be nothing left of our sinful mortal self.
     
  3. Yeshua1

    Yeshua1 Well-Known Member
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    True, but what we call salvation in the NT sense involves all of that, while we tend to focus on just the intial stage of it!
     
  4. Marooncat79

    Marooncat79 Well-Known Member
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    Some churches do so, no doubt, but not all.

    If that is your church, then you need to decide if that is what you want to live with or not.

    The purpose of the church is not necessarily to do evangelism, although the preaching of the Gospel does call sinners to repentance-which ultimately is all of us.

    The purpose of the church is to glorify God through worship, and secondarily to build up the Saints of God
     
  5. Yeshua1

    Yeshua1 Well-Known Member
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    And to make us disciples of Christ!
     
  6. OldRegular

    OldRegular Well-Known Member

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    2 Pe 3:18. But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.
     
  7. DHK

    DHK <b>Moderator</b>

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    Salvation is a one time event. That event takes place at the time of justification.
    There are some that define salvation to be a lifelong process. In that definition they include: the event of salvation + sanctification + glorification.
    I presume this would be because the Bible commands us to:
    "Work out our own salvation."
    "We wait for the redemption of our bodies."

    The first command refers to sanctification and the second refers to glorification--both separate events. It only confuses people to insert this definition into a discussion when most view it as an event. Sanctification is a process, and we wait to be glorified.
     
  8. Revmitchell

    Revmitchell Well-Known Member
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    Who focuses on just the intial stage? Stage of what?


    Salvation is a stage of redemption. Salvation does not have stages. It is error to conflate salvation with sanctification.
     
  9. The Biblicist

    The Biblicist Well-Known Member
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    Salvation is a term used broadly in the New Testament for the salvation of the spirit, soul and body from eternity past to eternity future.

    However, in regard to the salvation of our spirit "what is born of Spirit is spirit" that is a completed action "saved" (Eph. 2:1,5;8) inclusive of conversion/justification in a cause and effect order.

    In regard to our soul/life, salvation is progressive and present tense or incompleted action by the sanctification of the Word (Jn. 17:17) and is not completed until we either depart for heaven at physical death or when this corruption puts on incorruption at the rapture.

    In regard to the body, salvation is future tense and the hope of salvation as pictorially expressed in baptism by the body coming up out of the water as the hope of resurrection or glorification of the body.

    So your problem is that you are attempting to use a very broad term "salvation" to describe various aspects of salvation which are more narrow in regard to their salvation application.
     
  10. Van

    Van Well-Known Member
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    Close but no cigar

    The above view is very traditional and well within the mainstream of Christian thought. However, in my opinion is is slightly off the mark.

    1) Salvation includes justification, and does indeed rest of the finished work of Christ.

    2) Salvation is understood to involve three parts,
    (1) positional sanctification where God transfers us out of the realm of darkness into the kingdom of His Son. This is a one-time event with continuing effect, those transferred will always (eternally) be "in Christ."
    (2) Progressive sanctification where we strive to become more Christ like and serve Christ as ambassadors. It is in this part of salvation where we earn rewards, or not, and this loss is sometimes referred to in scripture as "loss" of salvation. The people who suffer this "loss" still enter heaven but as one escaping from a fire, bringing little or no rewards with them. On the other hand, those that are faithful servants enter heaven "abundantly."
    (3) Ultimate sanctification where we are clothed in glorified bodies and meet Christ in the air, our adoption when Christ returns.​

    3) Justification occurs when the person transferred undergoes the circumcision of Christ where his or her sin burden is removed, thus made holy, blameless and perfect, faultless.

    4) You are spot on, we can never loss our "salvation" because we do not have the power to become unjustified, un born anew, un made alive, un made holy and blameless, and so forth with all of these "one time acts" done monergistically by God.

    5) When we arise in Christ, we are indeed a new creation created for good works (the reward earning phase of our salvation).

    6) As we strive to become more Christ like, this includes confessing our sins, and our renewed effort to return and stay on the path of righteousness. If we say, that we have not sinned, we are not "in Christ" for our indwelt Holy Spirit will bring our short-comings to mind.

    7) Glorification spiritually occurred when we arose in Christ a new creation, and will occur physically when we clothed in glorified bodies and Christ's second coming.
     
    #10 Van, Jan 7, 2015
    Last edited by a moderator: Jan 7, 2015
  11. Baptist4life

    Baptist4life Well-Known Member
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    :applause::applause::applause:
     
  12. Getting it Right

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    No, it doesn't teach that. Instantly upon confession / profession / belief / trust in Jesus as Savior, one is saved for eternity. The Holy Spirit takes up residence.

    :jesus:
     
  13. OldRegular

    OldRegular Well-Known Member

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    Very well said! However I would also say that Salvation includes a number of acts of Grace: Pardon, Justification, Union with Jesus Christ, Adoption, Positional Sanctification, and finally Glorification. Personal Sanctification as you state is a process, consistent with 2 Peter 3:18.
     
    #13 OldRegular, Jan 7, 2015
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  14. convicted1

    convicted1 Guest

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    :applause::thumbs::thumbsup::wavey:
     
  15. The Biblicist

    The Biblicist Well-Known Member
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    I think if the Biblical view of regeneration is carefully studied that most of these "acts of grace" are inseparably involved with regeneration.

    For example, take spiritual union. Spiritual death is separation of your spirit from the Spirit of God who is life. Hence, quickening is nothing more or less than being brought into spiritual union with God removing spiritual separation = death. Moreover, this spiritual union is indwelling as union cannot continue or exist apart from indwelling. Moreover, this spiritual union is partaking of the moral nature of God, thus God writing the law upon the tables of our hearts (2 Cor. 3:3). Moreover, this quickening, indwelling Spirit is the "Spirit of adoption."

    For example, take Justification. Justification IS remission of sins and imputed righteousness (Rom. 4:6-8) received by faith which faith IS the substance and hope spoken into existence within the darkened heart (2 Cor. 4:6) by God's creative word of command (Rom. 10:17 "rhema" James 1:18; 1 Pet. 1;23,25) as the "light of knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ" or divine revelation (Mt. 16:16-17; Gal. 1:15-16) or the effectual call (Rom. 8:30; 1 Cor. 1:26-30).

    Progressive sanctification is simply the working out of the righteousness and holiness of the new creation/regeneration by the power of the Spirit (Col. 3:10; Eph. 4:24).

    Regeneration is the recreation of the moral image of God (Eph. 4:24; Col. 3:10; Tit. 3:5) within us or the regeneration of our spirit, called the "inward man" or the "new" man because it is creation in righteousness and true holiness in the image of God or bringing us into actual spiritual union so that we partake of the moral nature of God (2 Pet. 1:4).

    Repentance is God turning or changing our mind from unbelief to belief, and changing our emotional make up from the love of darkness to love of light, and our will from resistance to submission to God's revealed will. And what he turns or changes is being turned and changed and is thus something granted by God "unto life" (Acts 11:17). Thus, the change is regeneration by the power of God, while the experience of being changed is conversion.
     
    #15 The Biblicist, Jan 11, 2015
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  16. Yeshua1

    Yeshua1 Well-Known Member
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    I am not advocating for a salvation like say the SDA< where it is conditional based upon how we behave after salvation, nor for saying that we must live as an extreme LS affirms, but that we are saved by God ay a fixed point in time here on earth, but also involved in the process of Romans 8 describes for us!
     
  17. Yeshua1

    Yeshua1 Well-Known Member
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    That is what I meant here by the OP...
     
  18. percho

    percho Well-Known Member
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    Is, "salvation," something we inherit being an heir, see Heb 1:14

    Being Jesus the Son of God is said to have been appointed heir of all things, Heb 1:2 and we are said to be joint heirs with Jesus Rom. 8:17; Did Jesus actually inherit salvation as we will, he being the preeminent one? See Col.1:18 and Hebrews 2:10

    Has he, as heir of all things, inherited salvation and if yes, when?

    Just what is salvation?
     
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