Soteriology 101: What the Classicists neglect to emphasize

Highlights from our Deep Dive (Inductive Bible Study) on the Doctrine of Salvation according to St. Paul in the Book of Romans chapters 1 to 8a:

Salvation has 3 basic aspects (NOT stages NOT phases, meaning they are ONE package, it's all or nothing): Justification, Sanctification and Glorification

1. JUSTIFICATION: Freedom from the Penalty of Sin. (Romans 3 to 5)

2. SANCTIFICATION: Freedom from the Power of Sin (Romans 6-8a)

3.GLORIFICATION: Freedom from the Presence of Sin (Romans 8 [we have not finished this])

JUSTIFICATION:  Freedom from the Penalty of Sin. (Romans 3 to 5)

 True JUSTICATION involves the following:

* The idiomatic definition of Justification is Just-as-if-I NEVER SINNED. Pretty close but nice to remember.

* We are justified by faith BUT our saving faith HAS TO BE THE SAME FAITH AS ABRAHAM who was willing to give his most precious possession (his only son, Isaac) when the Lord required it. If our faith holds anything back from God, we are not truly saved and just pretending to be Christians.

* We need to acknowledge or accept Christ as our Lord and Master. Otherwise, we have no right to ask forgiveness, no right to accept Him as our Savior.

* We obtain the righteousness of God, so we are POSITIONALLY PERFECT in the sight of God for He can only accept perfect creations into his kingdom.

* We obtain POSITIONAL (or Legal) Forgiveness of all our sins like when a Judge declares someone acquitted or forgiven. However, there is NO PRACTICAL forgiveness of our sins while we are not in heaven: There will ALWAYS be CONSEQUENCES, disciplining or at times, even judgment. These are motivated by God’s love and to make us fear God. That is why we need to live holy lives with a perfect heart. Since man is NOT naturally perfect, the ONLY way he can become perfect in God’s sight is to be FORGIVEN.

* We are born again: God gives us a new life as the Spirit makes his home in our hearts. Paul declared in 2 Corinthians 5:17 that we are “a new creation in Christ”.

* Our old self HAS BEEN CRUCIFIED with Christ. Our old self has died! (Romans 6:2-4) Note that prior to discussing SANCTIFICATION (Christian growth) he makes the assumption that we KNOW that our old self has died. Paul means that SANCTIFICATION IS IMPOSSIBLE if we do not accept that our old self has died! Paul also strongly implies that if we have not considered death, we might just be pretending to be Christians!

SANCTIFICATION: Freedom from the Power of Sin (Romans 6-8a)

Sanctification involves the following and has to be studied with the book of James which is our sermon series delivered by Pastor Tiffany

* Paul says we are justified by FAITH. On the other hand, James (the Lord’s blood brother and first bishop of the Jerusalem church) says that we are justified by WORKS!

* This does NOT mean that we are justified by faith and works. There is nothing we can do to merit salvation. However, our lives need to PROVE that our FAITH is NOT dead (James 2). So, we are saved by FAITH PROVEN BY WORKS.

* Justification without Sanctification is NOT true salvation. Sanctification is not a stage nor a phase of salvation but part of the whole package. Without sanctification we are just pretending to be Christians.

* Even Christ says that a tree is known by its fruit and you will know them by their fruit (whether they are truly saved or not) Matthew 7:15-23 and 12:33-37

 * Sanctification is VERY SIMPLE yet QUITE DIFFICULT: We just need to keep the old self DEAD!  The only ant that is not attracted to sugar is a DEAD ant! Likewise, we have to reckon ourselves dead to sin so that we are not attracted to the flesh, the world and the devil in order for sanctification and Christian growth to take place without hindrance.

* The book of Hebrews especially chapters 5:11-6:8 and 10:226-31 even states that anyone who is not maturing in Christ is in danger of losing salvation permanently. In fact, Paul himself in Romans 11:17-24 that God will not hesitated to "spare" us or "break us off from the olive tree" like he did to the unbelieving Jews (v.21)!

* Before salvation our free will was controlled by the old self, so we had no choice and sin was our master. Even the good that we do was motivated by selfish or self-centered motives. We did not do anything that did not benefit us.  After salvation we are free to choose our master, either sin or the flesh leading to death or obedience to God which leads to righteousness (Romans 6)

* The carnal Christian is more miserable than the non-Christian (Romans 7). Is that a curse or blessing? It is a blessing because it is God's assurance that he loves us and does not intend to lose us again to sin. (Hebrews 12:5-11)

GLORIFICATION: Freedom from the Presence of Sin (Romans 8)

We deviate from the traditional/classical definition of Glorification here. Why? In the same way that Jesus Christ Himself defined eternal life in John 17:2,3 as KNOWING GOD and KNOWING JESUS personally (instead of a long life without end), we define Glorification as Living in the (Exclusive Control AND POWER of the Holy)  Spirit based on Romans 8:5,6,9,10, 13,28-30 (in v.17 and v.30 glorified is in the past aorist tense), 31-38. Based on such a biblically-based defintion:

* Since eternal life is Knowing God and Jesus personally, we do not have to wait till we die to enjoy our eternal life. We can start living and enjoying it now. Death will just be a physical transition.

* Since Glorification is living under the exclusive control AND POWER of the Holy Spirit, we do not have to wait till we die to experience glorification. We can choose to start living it now. Death will just be a physical transition.  Remember the dead ant? So should be a person dead to sin.

* We demonstrate that we can naturally follow the greatest commandment to love God fully and our neighbor as ourselves. That is what Wesleyans call "perfect love" or holiness.

* We prove our saving faith by our transformation and good works as our culture becomes the Kingdom culture described by Christ in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5, 6, & 7)

* VERY IMPORTANT: In the same way that no man has the right to claim Jesus as his Savior if he has not yet acknowledged that Jesus Christ is Lord: no man has the right nor the right faith to be filled with the Holy Spirit of God if they have not yet first DIED to SIN and the OLD SELF!!!

* Once we have made living in the Spirit our way of life we continually delight in the Lord and all of God's promises come with His 100% guarantee including Romans 8:28 "all things work together for good", Psalm 37:4 "he will give you the desires of your heart", John 15:7 'ask whatever you WISH, and it will be DONE for you", Matthew 7:7 "Ask and it shall be given you" and hundreds of other 100% guaranteed promises!

* This is the spiritual condition that guarantees answered prayer because "the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words" Romans 8:26-27
*VERY IMPORTANT: verse 19 states that " creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God". The sons of God have not yet been revealed! What this means we need to finish well. We may be Christians but we could lose it all, meaning we lose our salvation. Only the end will reveal who kept the faith and persevered. Match this with James 5:19-20 "My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins." declaring that if we are not able to bring back a lost brother, he may face eternal death!
* Verse 13 states that any Christian who lives according to the flesh WILL DIE! This is in no way referring to physical death but something more dire.
* Verse 17 declares that we are "fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him."  The suffering referred to is not only suffering for what we believe but suffering by practicing Kingdom culture according to the Sermon on the Mount like turning the other cheek, walking the extra mile, loving our enemies, seeking the Kingdom of God and his righteousness at all costs, laying our treasures in heave, etc. for THIS ARE NOT AT ALL EASY without total submission and surrender to the care and power of the Holy Spirit.