salvation- A Reformed's views

[Waiting for the Verdict]

I am trying to get a general sense of the major Christian intellectual traditions definition of salvation. How would you define it? Who would it apply to? Is salvation a beleif in Christ as a literal historical figure, beleif in the spirit of his teachings, etc. Do human beings have any involvement in this process (I realize this last point may be a dumb one to bring up on a Reformed forum). Anyways appreciate your thoughts.

[Jon_]

Salvation is the process by which God reconciles his elect to himself. This reconciliation is transacted through faith on the part of the believer in Christ as Savior. This faith is effected by God himself and not the believer. Unregenerate man is incapable of exercising salvific faith of his own nature, so God must instill it within man before it may be exercised. He accomplishes this through rebirth: the regeneration of the Holy Spirit. Once the believer is born-again, he is able to believe unto Christ and receive atonement for his transgressions. He is then sealed by the Holy Spirit and by the promise of the Lord, and his once-exercised faith is persevered of God until such time as our Savior should return to claim his bride.

Soli Deo Gloria

Jon

[CoffeeSwirls]

That's a tough act to follow, Jon!

Salvation is multi-faceted. A Christian has been saved, is saved, and continues to be saved all through the power of God. It is because of what He has done for us, not what we have done for Him, that causes us to be saved.

Romans 8:30 (ESV)
And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.

If we held the power of Salvation, we would be gods ourselves, which I hear murmerings of. There are pastors at churches who have elevated the power of man to such a degree that everything will one day be in our power. Personally, I believe that a major reason we have sanctification is to train us to lean not on our own understanding, but to rely on Him, for it is by His provision that we will live eternally.

Those He calls, He prepares in His ways and in His time. We do have an involvement, but before our choice (to believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, the only name by which we may be saved) comes God's choice. The belief that we are the covenant makers and God will take what He can get from us is an underlying error in the theology of Arminianism. They will stress that they were saved when they acted and God reacted by granting them salvation. Pride is the underlying sin.

If pride is a sin, and if it can be shown that we are prideful in our choice to proclaim whether or not God can choose us, I can't think of any other way to word this. A spade is a spade.

[rnmomof7]

I got this from a pastor some time ago.. I love the way it is put



In the Old Reformed conception, Salvation is tri-partitite:


* Salvation from the Penalty of Sin -- Justification.
* Salvation from the Power of Sin -- Sanctification
* Salvation from the Presence of Sin -- Glorification.
Let me recapitulate the five elements we have noted in the New Testament definition of propitiation:

a. It saves us from God's wrath.
b. God Himself provided it.
c. It is not something Christ did, but Christ Himself in what He did.
d. It must affirm both the love and the righteousness of God.
e. It must have the power to make sinners righteous.

[Imblessed]

I got this from a pastor some time ago.. I love the way it is put



In the Old Reformed conception, Salvation is tri-partitite:


* Salvation from the Penalty of Sin -- Justification.
* Salvation from the Power of Sin -- Sanctification
* Salvation from the Presence of Sin -- Glorification.


I like that alot! Simple, easy to remember, and accurate! :clap: