Overview
Welcome to Lifecycles Revealed, Part 1, the beginning of your discovery of the Lifecycles album which is based on the doctrine of salvation. The key elements of your discovery experience in Part 1 are:
† Specific Greek words associated with salvation.
† Biblical scripture associated with salvation.
† The major concepts and their order within the doctrine of salvation.
† A working definition of salvation.
Mind Prep
† The bad news: Within his own plan, man is hopelessly destined for eternal death.
Throughout time, humanity will be trapped in a perpetual lifecycle of sin and total depravity.
† The good news: Within God's plan, man is hopefully destined for eternal life.
Salvation is God's plan to rescue those who ask to be freed from the trap through a profession of faith in His Son, Jesus Christ.
Greek
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= soteria (literal Greek)
a. deliverance, preservation, and safety
b. the present possession of all true Christians
c. the sum of benefits and blessings which Christians, redeemed from all earthly ills, will enjoy after the visible return of Christ from heaven in the consummated and eternal kingdom of God.
Scripture
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† 2 Timothy 2:10 (ESV): "Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory."
Scripture
(continued)
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† 2 Corinthians 5:18-6:2 (NET): "And all these things are from God who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and who has given us the ministry of reconciliation. [5:19] In other words, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting people's trespasses against them, and he has given us the message of reconciliation… [6:2] For he says, "I heard you at the acceptable time, and in the day of salvation I helped you."
Scripture
(continued)
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† Acts 13:39-47 (NET): "and by this one everyone who believes is justified from everything from which the law of Moses could not justify you…[47] For this is what the Lord has commanded us: 'I have made you a light for the Gentiles, to bring salvation to the ends of the earth.'"
Scripture
(continued)
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† 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14 (NET): "But we ought to thank God always for you, brothers and sisters loved by the Lord, because God chose you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth. [14] He called you to this salvation through our gospel, so that you may possess the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ."
Major Concepts
Election
In addition to highlighting , the biblical references also introduce major concepts associated with soteria/salvation.
† 2 Timothy 2:10 introduces the first major concept of the doctrine of salvation--Election--with a derivative word, "elect".
"Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory."
Major Concepts
Reconciliation
† 2 Corinthians 5:18-6:2 emphasizes the second major concept of the doctrine of salvation--Reconciliation--which involves the sacrifice of Jesus Christ as the only means of reconciling man to God.
"And all these things are from God who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and who has given us the ministry of reconciliation. [5:19] In other words, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting people's trespasses against them, and he has given us the message of reconciliation… [6:2] For he says, "I heard you at the acceptable time, and in the day of salvation I helped you."
Major Concepts
Justification
† Acts 13:39-47 references the third major concept of the doctrine of salvation--Justification--and the premise that man is justified only by his faith, not his works or adherence to the Law.
"and by this one everyone who believes is justified from everything from which the law of Moses could not justify you…[47] For this is what the Lord has commanded us: 'I have made you a light for the Gentiles, to bring salvation to the ends of the earth.'"
Major Concepts
Sanctification & Glorification
† 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14 introduces the fourth and fifth major concepts of the doctrine of salvation--Sanctification and Glorification and also references Election with the word "chose", which is the same Greek word meaning "to elect". A key point here is that God elected his chosen ones from the beginning of time, though His plan still involves Spiritual development during our sanctification period until His appointed time for "glory".
"But we ought to thank God always for you, brothers and sisters loved by the Lord, because God chose you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth. [14] He called you to this salvation through our gospel, so that you may possess the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ."
Major Concepts
Summary
While it's true that the doctrine of salvation is comprised of additional concepts--some of which actually have their own separate doctrine and may be arguably categorized as "major"--the concepts of election, reconciliation, justification, sanctification, and glorification effectively summarize and address the full salvation process. Accordingly, Romans 8:29-30 is presented here to summarize and demonstrate the progressive, evolutionary nature of salvation in referencing or inferring our five major concepts.
"…those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. [30] And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; and those he justified, he also glorified."
Order of Salvation
In general, we tend to think of salvation--that is, "being saved"--as a one-time event. This mindset can hinder us from realizing all of the blessings election, reconciliation, justification, sanctification, and glorification offer.
The timeline below illustrates the eternal, progressive process of salvation--past, present, and future--and, hopefully, will provide a visual means throughout these lessons of appreciating God's full work in salvation in addition to His immediate, one-time act of grace and provision of eternal life with Him.
Order of Salvation
(continued)
Note that justification and sanctification on the salvation timeline are relative to when you have or when you will become a believer. If you're currently not a believer, you can receive His salvation right now. If you hear His calling and feel compelled to act now, please click/press here to learn how to enjoy the "present" blessing of His salvation, and return here to continue learning about salvation "past" and "future".
Definition
Given the biblical, historical, and doctrinal context, we can define salvation as a process in which people are brought into a right relationship with God.
Wrap Up & Quiz
You can continue to Part 2 using the sliding left menu, or refresh your mind with the quiz below. Hopefully, your discovery time has provided a fundamental foundation of salvation and encouraged you to explore this doctrine further in this discovery unit and beyond. Whether you're a believer or non-believer, you should now have a keen awareness of the following take-aways:
† Be assured of a permanent place in Heaven through a profession of faith.
† Be blessed to understand and appreciate the full breadth of your salvation.
† Be prepared to help others understand and appreciate salvation.
