So far in this series, we’ve explored Creation, affirming God as our Maker; Providence, confirming His sovereign control; the spiritual realm, revealing angels, demons, and Satan; and sin, exposing our need for a Savior. In this article, we dive into the doctrine of salvation, perhaps the most critical for faith and practice, answering the question, “What must I do to be saved?” This doctrine unveils God’s gracious plan to redeem His people, transforming our hearts and securing our eternal hope.
Romans 8:29-30, often called the “Golden Chain of Salvation,” outlines this divine process: “For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.” This unbreakable chain assures us that God’s saving work, from start to finish, is His doing.
While the New Testament fully reveals salvation through Jesus, the Old Testament lays the groundwork, pointing to the coming Savior. Let’s explore salvation through its Old Testament foreshadowing and the stages of its New Testament fulfillment: election, regeneration, justification, sanctification, and glorification.
Old Testament Foreshadowing of Salvation
The Old Testament weaves a series of promises and pictures that anticipate God’s salvation, preparing His people for the Messiah:
- The Promise of an Offspring: In Genesis 3:15, God curses Satan after the Fall, declaring, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” This “protoevangelium or “first gospel” promises a Savior who, though wounded, will crush Satan, fulfilled in Jesus’ victory on the cross.
- Salvation Through Judgment: In Genesis 6, God judged the world’s wickedness with a flood, sparing Noah’s family in the ark. This foreshadows salvation through Christ, the only refuge from God’s judgment.
- Sin Requires Blood: The Mosaic Law’s sacrificial system, though insufficient to remove sin, pointed to the ultimate sacrifice. Hebrews 10:4 notes that animal blood couldn’t atone, but it anticipated Jesus, the true Lamb of God, whose blood cleanses us (John 1:29).
- The Suffering Servant: Isaiah 53:3-5, written centuries before Christ, describes a servant “pierced for our transgressions” and “crushed for our iniquities,” bearing our sins to bring peace. This vividly portrays Jesus’ sacrificial death.
These Old Testament threads weave a clear picture of God’s redemptive plan, fulfilled in Christ.
The Order of Salvation:
In the New Testament, salvation’s fullness is revealed through Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. The following outlines the order of salvation:
Election: God’s Sovereign Choice
Election is God’s decision, before the world’s foundation, to save His chosen people. Romans 8:33 asks, “Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies.” Ephesians 1:4-5 states, “He chose us in him before the foundation of the world… In love he predestined us for adoption.” Romans 9:10-13 illustrates this with Jacob and Esau, chosen not by works but by God’s purpose. Salvation begins with God’s initiative, not human effort, ensuring His eternal plan prevails.
Regeneration: New Life from God
Regeneration is God’s act of imparting spiritual life, transforming dead hearts into living ones. Ephesians 2:4-5 declares, “God, being rich in mercy… even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ.” 2 Corinthians 5:17 adds, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.” Ezekiel 36:26 prophesied this: “I will give you a new heart… and remove the heart of stone.” Through the Holy Spirit’s effectual call, sinners are enabled to repent and believe. Because of our dead nature (Ephesians 2:1), God’s regeneration precedes faith, granting us the ability to trust Him.
Justification: Declared Righteous
Justification is God’s legal declaration that sinners are not guilty but righteous, imputing Christ’s perfect righteousness to them through faith. Romans 4:2-3 cites Abraham, whose faith was “counted to him as righteousness” before the law. Galatians 2:16 affirms, “A person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ.” Justification involves several aspects:
- Forgiveness of Sins: We’re declared not guilty, completely free from the penalty of sin we deserve.
- Imputation of Christ’s Righteousness: Beyond neutrality, we receive Christ’s righteousness, granting a positive standing before God. This “alien righteousness” comes from Christ, not ourselves, and is final and irreversible.
- Adoption: Justification brings adoption into God’s family. John 1:12 says, “To all who did receive him… he gave the right to become children of God.” Romans 8:15-17 celebrates this, noting we cry “Abba! Father!” as heirs with Christ.
- Union with Christ: Justification further grants union with Christ, uniting us to His death, burial, resurrection, and ascension (Romans 6:5). Through the Holy Spirit, we’re freed from sin’s power and filled with a new identity, no longer slaves to sin but to righteousness. This union ensures our salvation and empowers obedient living.
Sanctification: Growing in Christlikeness
Sanctification is the gradual process that begins after the moment of justification in which the regenerated believer becomes more and more like Christ in their actual lives. Sanctification, unlike justification, is a synergist work of both the individual and the spirit of God.
Philippians 2:12-13 captures this idea well, “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” In this passage we see both the call to work out our own salvation while it is ultimately reliance on the Spirit of God to grow us into maturity.
Glorification: Fully Conformed to Christ
Glorification is the final step of redemption, taking place when Christ returns and raises the bodies of all believers who’ve died, reuniting them with their souls and transforming the bodies of those alive at His second coming.
Philippians 3:20-21 declares, “But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.” This is our ultimate hope: that we will one day be ultimately freed from this body of sin and given a perfect glorified body for all of eternity.
Living in Light of Salvation
These truths—election, regeneration, justification, sanctification, glorification—shape how we live. Here’s some realities these should produce:
Humility and Comfort
Salvation is entirely God’s work, fostering humility. We didn’t earn it, so we can’t boast; we simply thank God for His grace. This also brings comfort: if we can’t earn salvation, we can’t lose it. John 6:37 assures, “Whoever comes to me I will never cast out.” Romans 8:33-35 asks, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?” The answer is no one. The Golden Chain ensures that those God foreknows will be glorified, offering unshakable security.
Evidence of a New Identity
Salvation transforms us, producing visible fruit. 1 John 1:6 warns, “If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie.” 2 Peter 1:10 urges us to “confirm your calling and election” through godly virtues. A true encounter with Christ changes us; unchanged lives question genuine faith. Our actions testify to our union with Christ.
Fuel for Evangelism
God’s sovereignty in salvation drives evangelism. Acts 13:48 recounts, “As many as were appointed to eternal life believed.” God’s election ensures a people ready to respond, so we boldly proclaim the gospel, trusting Him to change hearts. We plant and water; God brings growth (1 Corinthians 3:6).
Embracing God’s Saving Grace
The doctrine of salvation reveals God’s sovereign grace, from choosing us before the foundation of the world to declaring us righteous through Christ. It humbles us, comforts us, transforms us, and compels us to share the gospel. As we press on in this life, let’s rest in the unbreakable chain of salvation, live out our new identity, and proclaim Christ’s saving power, confident that God’s purposes will prevail.
Tethered to Truth 