Salvation in Three Stages
In a recent post, I suggested that debates between “once-saved-always-saved” and “salvation is a process” proponents are practically unnecessary.
Why? Because “salvation” in the Bible can be considered to have two sections.
1. "Judicial redemption": once-and-for-all, secure; concerns how God "saves" or delivers people from hell and condemnation (the penalties of sin)
2. "Organic Salvation": the process by which God dispenses Himself as life into the believers for their transformation; begins upon the regeneration of redeemed, justified believers and continues as they fully grow, mature and develop into a corporate kingdom, Body, dwelling place and bride of Christ that is the same as God in life, nature and expression to be one with Him for eternity in the new heavens and earth
In the Bible, "salvation" can also be considered to occur in three distinct (but interrelated) stages.
Salvation in the Triune God is simultaneously "once-and-for-all" and "a process," because some aspects of salvation have happened (in the past), some are happening (in the present), and others have yet to happen (in the future).
Within the following LJ-cuts, I've listed many the items of salvation related to each of the three stages, with numerous verse references. The verses will indicate that God's full plan of salvation encompasses many different things we are "saved" from and "saved" into, both as individuals and collectively as the church.
1. The Initial stage-Has happened (and continues to have effects upon us in the present)
-Predestination (Rom. 8:29, Eph. 1:5, 11; Titus 1:2; 1 Pet. 1:2)
-Redemption (Eph. 1:7; Gal. 3:13; Rom. 3:24; Mark 14:36; Col. 1:14; Titus 2:14; 1 Peter 1:18-19; Heb. 9:12)
-Propitiation (Rom. 3:25; Heb. 2:17; 1 John 2:2, 4:10)
-Blood-washing (Heb. 9:14; Heb. 9:22; Heb. 9:12; Matt. 26:28; Eph. 1:7; 1 Peter 1:2, 18-19; Acts 20:28; 1 John 1:7; Heb. 12:24; Rev. 12:11; Heb. 13:12; Heb. 10:29; John 6:53, 54; 1 Cor. 10:16)
-Forgiveness of sins (Luke 24:47; Acts 2:38, 5:31, 10:43, 13:38, 26:18; Eph. 1:7, 4:32; Heb. 9:22; Col. 1:14, 2:13; 1 John 2:12; 1 John 1:9)
-Being Washed (Acts 22:16; 1 Cor. 6:11)
-Justification (Objective, Imputed; Subjective, Infused) (Rom. 3:24, 26; Romans 5:1; 9, 18; Romans 8:30; 1 Cor. 6:11; Titus 3:7; Rom. 4:11, 25)
-Reconciliation (Rom. 5:10; Eph. 2:16, 18; Col. 1:20, 22; 2 Cor. 5:20)
-Sanctification (Outward, positional) (2 Thess. 2:13; 1 Peter 1:2)
-Sealing of the Spirit of the promise (Eph. 1:13, 4:30)
-Regeneration (John 1:12-13; 3:3, 5, 6; Gal. 3:2; Titus 3:5; 1 Pet. 1:3, 23; 1 John 2:29)
-Receiving God’s eternal salvation (Heb. 5:9)
-Receiving eternal life (John 3:15; Rom. 6:23; 1 John 5:11)
-Becoming God’s children (John 1:12-13; Rom. 8:15-16)
-Not perishing forever (John 10:28-29)
-Saved from God’s condemnation and eternal perdition (John 3:18,16)
2. The Progressing Stage-Is happening presently (such as sanctification and transformation)
-Freedom from committing sins (Rom. 6:6-7, 18, 22; 8:2)
-Renewing (Rom. 12:2; 2 Cor. 4:16; Eph. 4:23; Col. 3:10; Titus 3:5)
-Transformation (Rom. 12:2; 2 Cor. 3:16-18; Eph. 4:23)
-Sanctification (Inward, dispositional) (Rom. 6:19; Rom. 6:22; Rom. 15:16; 1 Cor. 1:30; 1 Thess. 5:23; 2 Thess. 2:13; Heb. 2:11; Heb. 12:10, 14; Eph. 5:26; John 17:17)
-Growth in the divine life (1 Cor. 3:6-7; Eph. 2:21; Eph. 4:15-16; Col. 2:19; 1 Pet. 2:2; 2 Pet. 3:18;)
-Maturing in life (1 Cor. 2:6; Eph. 4:13; Phil. 3:15; Col. 1:28; Heb. 5:14; Heb. 6:1; Rev. 14:14)
-Building up in life (Eph. 2:22; Eph. 4:12, 16; Col. 2:17; 1 Pet. 2:5)
3. The Completing stage-Has yet to happen (but the hope of which ought to shape our living today)
-Redemption (Transfiguration) of our bodies (Luke 21:28; Rom. 8:23; 1 Cor. 1:30; 1 Cor. 15:51-53; Eph. 1:14, 4:30; Phil. 3:21; 1 John 3:2;)
-Conformation (Rom. 8:29; Phil. 3:10)
-Glorification (Rom. 8:17, 21, 30; Col. 1:27; Col. 3:4; 1 Thess. 2:12; 2 Thess. 1:10; Heb. 2:10; 1 Pet. 5:10
-Inheritance of God’s kingdom (Acts 14:22; 1 Cor. 6:9-10; 15:50; Gal. 5:21; Eph. 5:5; 1 Thess. 2:12; 2 Thess. 1:5; 2 Tim. 4:18; Heb. 12:28; James 2:5; 2 Pet. 1:11)
-Participation in Christ’s Kingship (2 Tim. 2:12; Rev. 2:26-27; Rev. 12:5; Rev. 20:4-5)
-The topmost enjoyment of the Lord (Matt. 25:21, 23)
The verses are given to provide a comprehensive (but by no means exhaustive!) picture of "salvation." (Read them, you!)
This is important, because it is not merely an abstract, doctrinal matter. It is relevant to Christian experience.
Emphasizing “once-saved-always-saved” or “salvation is a process” to either extreme can be deeply damaging to the inner life of a Christian.
On one extreme, many dear believers testify “I’m saved (once and for all)!” They mean they are securely saved from hell and condemnation (as opposed to "saved" from further matters) because they are justified freely by grace through faith. And they may be 100% correct.
But then they may go on to consider justification as the be all and end all of salvation rather than its bare minimum. They may consider cooperating with God's inward operation to be “saved” from other matters (such as: committing sins, the world, their rebellion self-will, the self, the old man, the anxieties of this age and the lust of the flesh, independence, an unrenewed mind and heart, and everything else that does not match the image of Christ) as some kind nice-but-unnecessary afterthought, not really what God is after. They can become stupefied and spoiled from realizing that the point of salvation is not “getting into heaven instead of hell,” or of having this assurance. (Rather, the end of salvation is the complete maturation of the kingdom, Body, dwelling place and bride that is saturated, permeated and one with Christ for the enlarged and expanded expression of God in the new heavens and new earth for His satisfaction and to the ultimate shame and destruction of His enemy.) They may become completely unaware that they might suffer shame, disciplinary chastisement and loss of reward at the judgment seat of Christ (1 Cor. 3:13-15; Rom. 14:10-12, 2 Cor. 5:10, Matt. 16:27; Rev. 22:12) for not walking worthily of their calling by progressing in organic salvation.
On the other extreme, dear believers may be reduced to agnosticism and even despair about anyone’s eternal destiny. Any assurance of “salvation” is considered "arrogance" and the "sin of presumption" rather than the inner living witness of the Holy Spirit (did Paul arrogantly commit the sin of presumption in 2 Tim. 4:7-8?). The carnal will of the flesh is deemed stronger than the Father’s selection, choosing and predestination, even in persons whose true regenerate nature in the new creation is guarded by the divine love and power and indwelt the Holy Spirit (Rom. 8:16, 37-39; John 10:28-29;1 Pet. 1:5; 2 Tim. 1:12). Believers are reduced to pitiful beggars begging for scraps of salvation from earth, rather than seated with God in Christ in the heavenlies (Eph. 2:5-10) to be happy inheritors of all that He is.
I believe the truth has always been between the two extremes. If we continue to debate whether "salvation" is either "once-and-for-all" or "a process" in the same old, tired way, it might indicate that we are under the influence of some kind of traditional religious concept rather than an open Bible and the Spirit's revelation.
What do you think?