The Application of Salvation

As it turns out, its easier and kinder to ask Jeremy about what he's studying when he's not studying.

Today is Saturday, so let's see if Jeremy can sum up excerpts from Bavinck's Reformed Dogmatics: Holy Spirit, Church and New Creation Volume 4.

First off, Jeremy tells me, the theology of salvation has historically been broken up into two streams of thought...

1. the history of salvation: Christ's incarnation, death, resurrection and exaltation, and
2. the order of salvation: how the salvation of Christ is applied to a believer's life---i.e. when is a believer saved? Does it start with the believer's faith or with Christ's work of regeneration? 

In the order of salvation, its critical---essential---that we affirm according to Scripture that regeneration precedes faith. Regeneration is being "born again" or born of God.

If we confuse this order and believe that faith---or human decision to follow God---comes first, then our salvation is not through God, it is through oneself. As we go about life, we could just as easily decide not to have faith. Our salvation is unsure.

When Nicodemus (a Pharisee and member of the Jewish ruling council) came to Jesus in John 3:3-8 and asked the pinpoint question, "How can a man be born when he is old?" Jesus said to him:

I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.

Likewise Paul reminded the Church in Ephesus in Ephesians 2:

But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in our transgressions...  

It is by grace you have been saved, through faith---and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God---not by works, so that no one can boast.

God does the work. He is the Savior. When Jesus says, "I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand" (John 10:28), we can believe and trust Him confidently.

What is more, as we grow in faith and understanding God's power to save, we can give Him the proper credit and glory for what He has done.