ElderHawk2008
How do you interpret the various orders of salvation? What are the…
How do you interpret the various orders of salvation? What are the benefits of outlining an order of salvation, and what are its liabilities?
CHAPTER
22 What Is Salvation?
The Gospel of John tells of a man named Nicodemus, who came to see Jesus by night. Scripture describes Nicodemus as a leader of the Jews, perhaps a member of the Sanhedrin, which was the highest leadership in Jerusalem and presided over by the high priest. John does not state why Nicodemus came during the night, but interpreters have speculated. Was he afraid to be seen with Jesus? After all, it was dangerous for anyone to be affiliated with Jesus, regardless of one’s status. Being a leader of the Jews would make his audience with Jesus especially risky. Was Nicodemus there at night because he had a busy administrative or personal schedule? Alternatively, was it merely a spur of the moment decision on his part? We may never know the reason; however, does it really matter? What mattered most is that Nicodemus came to Jesus at all. Certainly, Jesus welcomed him, though he challenged Nicodemus as well. In the context of their discussion, some of the most memorable words of Jesus were spoken. They are as meaningful to us today as they were for Nicodemus. Nicodemus began his encounter with Jesus by complimenting the godliness of Jesus’s teachings. Jesus responded with words that were both perplexing and challenging. He said, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above” (John 3:3). These words are more famously known through the King James Version of Scripture, published in 1611. It says, “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3 KJV, italics added). In addition to translations that say people must be “born again,” other variations of the text say that people must be “born anew.” Regardless of the precise wording or translation, Nicodemus was taken aback by Jesus’s words. He did not understand what it meant to be born again. In response, Jesus chided Nicodemus somewhat and, in a roundabout way, other religious leaders who seemed too intellectually dense or spiritually stiff-necked to comprehend, much less accept, his words. Jesus continued: “Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do 251 not be astonished that I said to you, ‘You must be born from above.’ The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, 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 3:5-8). Apparently, Jesus says that salvation comes through both the water of baptism and the Spirit. He describes spiritual matters, which Nicodemus has difficulty understanding. Although no details are given about the end of his conversation with Jesus that night, Nicodemus was deeply affected by Jesus’s words. Later, when Jesus was being discussed by the Pharisees, it was Nicodemus who bravely argued on Jesus’s behalf, despite the groundswell among the leaders of the Jews to crucify Jesus (John 7:50-51). Near the end of the story of the encounter between Jesus and Nicodemus, John writes the following words, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life” (3:16). This verse embodies the gospelthe “good news”of Jesus’s life and ministry. They are the words of salvation, of eternal life. To be sure, there is a great deal more to salvation than being “born again,” but it is a great place to start a discussion of the richness of God’s redemption for humanity.
The Order of Salvation
In Scripture, those who were converted by the good news of Christianity were predominantly adults, as is evidenced by Nicodemus. During the time of the apostolic churchthe church recorded in Scripturemost conversions to Christianity seem to be instantaneous rather than gradual. We need to be careful, however, about making first-century experiences of salvation normative for all time. In fact, even as we study Scripture, we note a variety of conversion experiences. Rather than provide a fixed ordo salutis, or “order of salvation,” Scripture describes a variety of experiences, uniquely reflecting the gracious work of God for salvation in the lives of individuals as well as groups of individuals. The variety does not seem to exhaust the possible ways people become Christians. On the contrary, it suggests that God works in many wondrous ways in the lives of people, dealing with their salvation in ways specific to them. Certainly it is God’s will that all be saved, regardless of particularities in the way it occurs (1 Tim. 2:4).
Developments in the Christian Understanding of Salvation
Until midway through the second millennium, Christians did not focus on a so-called order of salvation (ordo salutis). There was general agreement about how salvation occurred. Of course, there were differences of opinion. But even after the schism between the Catholic and Orthodox churches, their view of salvation remained largely the same. It was not until after the Protestant Reformation that significant differences arose among Christians regarding the order of salvation. In fact, some of the more pronounced differences are found among the Protestants. I will summarize some of the key issues.
Saving Faith
Throughout church history, Christians have made numerous distinctions with regard to faith. It may refer to historical faith, temporary faith, miraculous faith, saving faith, growing faith, legal faith, or evangelical faith. Faith may also be paired with other theological virtues, such as faith informed by love, which emphasizes faith that is animated and instructed by love. However, saving faith is a key Christian belief, especially for the context of our discussion on becoming a Christian. It refers to the true commitment of a Christian. Often, saving faith is analyzed in terms of three components: knowledge, assent, and trust. First, faith includes knowledge (Lat., notitia) about God, Jesus, and the gospel message found in Scripture. Faith is not irrational. It may have nonrational components, since saving faith includes volition as well as intellect. However, faith includes content that is historical and subject to investigation. Second, faith includes assent (Lat., assensus) to that knowledge about God, Jesus, and the gospel. There is a choice, and it is not merely an intellectual one. Demons are said to know about and believe in God, and they shudder because of it (James 2:19). However, they do not choose to accept or appropriate that knowledge for themselves. Third, faith includes trust (Lat., fiducia), or entrusting the whole of one’s life to God, Jesus, and the gospel. Although salvation is a gift from God, it is expected that people choose to accept salvation. Faith is more than an intellectual act, and it is more than a volitional one. It also includes the establishment (or reestablishment) of a relationship with God, which was previously disengaged. This is why salvation is referred to as reconciliation as well as salvation; people are restored to a right relationship with God as well as right legal or moral status.
Faith Development
I have already discussed how God commends people of great faith and chastises those of little or weak faith. However, Christians have not always understood faith in terms of growing or increasing it. After all, are not Christians saved by faith, and cannot faith the size of a mere mustard seed move mountains (Matt. 17:20)? Sometimes faith is thought of in binary categories: either people have faith, or they do not have it. Christians talk about growing spiritually or in Christlikeness, but they do not always talk about this in terms of faith development. Yet in Scripture God seems concerned that Christians grow in faith. Faith development has become a topic of increasing concern among Christians, and a variety of views has arisen with regard to analyzing people’s faith. For example, James Fowler uses behavioral-scientific studies in order to understand better the faith and faith development that people experience. He describes six stages of faith, which reflect patterned operations of knowing and valuing that underlie our consciousness.7 In other words, it is possible to observe patterns people exhibit in how they live out and express their faith. Such patterns can be analyzed and, to a certain extent, promoted. Such studies may aid Christians in their theological as well as spiritual selfunderstanding and growth. The topic of faith development is related to how one goes about being a Christian and, more specifically, to Christian spirituality. Both of these topics will be discussed further in the following chapters.
Repentance and Forgiveness
If God has forgiven Christians for their sins, then they should be willing to forgive others. God calls Christians to forgive others just as God graciously forgave them. The need to forgive others is clearly taught by Jesusfor example, in his presentation of what is called the Lord’s Prayer: “For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you; but if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses” (Matt. 6:9-15). Forgiveness involves excusing or pardoning someone for a sin or offense. From a Christian perspective, God both pardoned and excused people, due to Jesus’s atonement on their behalf. Moreover, God compassionately provided for people’s forgiveness and reconciliation with God, even before people had the chance to repent. So Paul said, “Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must 262 forgive” (Col. 3:13). Forgiving others is so important that Jesus said we were to forgive people “seventy-seven times” for the same transgression, emphasizing the bountiful grace we need to extend to others (Matt. 18:22). If someone asks for forgiveness, then Christians are to forgive that person, no matter how hard it may seem to do so. Just as people cannot merit their forgiveness by God, Christians should forgive others even if those they forgive have not repented. This seems even more difficult to do, yet Scripture admonishes believers to do so for their spiritual well-being as well as for the sake of becoming reconciled with those who have offended them. From God’s perspective, forgiveness has more to do with the forgiver than the one forgiven. Keep in mind that forgiveness of others is not the same as reconciliation with them. God does not promote forgiveness that neglects justice and common sense. Just because you may forgive someone does not mean that you automatically trust him or her. It takes time to become reconciled and for trust to be rebuilt. Likewise, Christians are told to forgive those who may not want to be forgiven, much less want to repent. Although Christians forgive others, that does not exempt offenders from making just restitution or from receiving just punishments. God is a God of righteous justice as well as merciful forgiveness; forgiving others does not automatically absolve offenders from obligations of justice.
Justification
Justification refers to the way in which God has restored a believer to a state of righteousness. Although the New Testament focuses on justification by faith, the Old Testament also affirms it. Of Abraham, it is said, “He believed the LORD; and the LORD reckoned it to him as righteousness” (Gen. 15:6; cf. Hab. 2:4). Throughout the New Testament, Scripture talks about justification by faith. Paul especially emphasizes this way of discussing salvation. He says, “Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom. 5:1), and “Therefore the law was our disciplinarian until Christ came, so that we might be justified by faith” (Gal. 3:24; cf. 1 Cor. 6:11; Phil. 3:9; Heb. 10:38; 11:4). According to legal analogies for salvation found in Scripture, Jesus is a legal substitute for Christiansfor those who believe. Jesus’s righteousness is imputed to them. God now views them “as if” they are righteous, and they are in a position of right standing before God. The righteousness with which God views people is not due to their own merits. On the contrary, salvation comes entirely by the work of God as a gift through Jesus (Eph. 2:8-9). Luther called it “alien righteousness,” since God imputed Jesus’s righteousness on behalf of Christians; they are “both saved and sinner.” From a legal position, Christians stand innocent before the judgment seat of God. Protestant Reformers emphasized justification as a primary way for referring to people’s salvation. Luther and other Reformers stressed the principle of justification by grace through “faith alone.” The legal terminology of justification appealed to the Reformers, since they thought that people were helpless with regard to salvation. Because of sin and its depravity, people could do nothing for their salvation. All they could do was gratefully receive the gift of salvation, which only God provides. Catholics also emphasize justification, affirming that faith demarcates the beginning of people’s salvation in response to God’s gracious offer of it. However, they have a more involved understanding of faith and of how Christians are justified by it. Christians are saved by grace through faith, but the grace by which they are saved is mediated through the church, primarily through faithful participation in the sacraments. The sacraments, like salvation itself, are gifts from God. People cannot earn or merit salvation through good works. Nevertheless, God wants believers to act responsibly in obedience to all of God’s means of grace and commands for the Christian life. Faith may form the basis of justification (Rom. 1:16-17), but it includes good works as well (James 2:14- 17, 24-26). In the Catholic view, Scripture nowhere explicitly says that Christians are justified by “faith alone”; in fact, it says just the opposite. The book of James, which Luther initially wanted to take out of the canon of Scripture, says, “You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone” (2:24). Although Catholics affirm that Christians are saved by grace through faith, they emphasize that the scriptural understanding of faith represents a more complex and dynamic reality than Protestants present in their view of justification by faith alone.
Conclusion
Salvation is the gift of eternal life, graciously offered to people. Of course, the value of salvation involves more than the afterlife. It has value for life here and now, and Christians have much from which to benefit here and now. Still, their blessed hope is for life eternal with God in heaven. People experience salvation in a variety of ways. Some emphasize the instantaneous nature of conversion, while others emphasize its gradual occurrence. Some emphasize various means of grace by which God offers people salvation, while others emphasize that it comes by faith alone. Despite differences of opinion, all agree that salvation occurs only by the love and work of God on our behalf. No one earns or merits their salvation. The fact that God initiates, enables, and completes salvation separates Christianity from other religions of the world that emphasize the necessity of what people do for their enlightenment or self-actualization. True, God expects people to respond in faith, which is their task in salvation. However, salvation ultimately represents a gift of God, secured by Jesus, and brought about in the lives of people through the Holy Spirit. After conversion, salvation is not complete. On the contrary, conversion is the beginning of blessings and challenges for the Christian life. The blessings far outweigh the challenges, yet the challenges contribute to the richness of new life in Jesus. Through the presence and power of the Holy Spirit, amazing things lie in store for Christians. In the next chapter, I will begin to explore the variety of ways that God wants to work in and through the lives of believers.
