Ordo Salutis: Justification
In our world today, we often hear the victims of horrible crimes declaring, “We want justice, that’s all we want.” This is understandable, as human beings who have been created in the image of God (Gen.1:27), we have a natural desire for justice to be done. When we witness injustice, we are disgusted, we shake our heads in disbelief. We tend to see the retaliation of victims as justified and deserving of accolades rather than punitive action.
Ordo Salutis: Conversion
Conversion is the process in which a sinner turns from sin to God in repentance and faith, as a result of regeneration. Put even more simply, conversion is “the turning of a sinner to God.”
Ordo Salutis: Regeneration
Biblical regeneration is referring to that supernatural work of the Holy Spirit in which the spiritually dead (Ephesians 2:1) elect sinner is brought to spiritual life (Ephesians 2:5). In the process, the totally depraved sinner has their heart of stone replaced with a heart of flesh, so that he is washed, born from above (Titus 3:5) and now able to repent and trust in Christ as a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17). It is important to understand that man is entirely passive in this act.
Ordo Salutis: Election
God’s own divine intervention in this messy, sin-ridden world by the incarnation of the Son was no Plan B. He did not look down into the future and pick the best among us to represent him. If anything, he has chosen some of the worst. He has chosen the fools and the rejects, the abnormal and the too normal. But if we are honest in ourselves, we are all the same. We are not all as bad as we can be, but we are as bad off as we can be.
Salvation from First to Last: A Discussion on the Ordo Salutis
While there remains mystery in the work of salvation, and while our hearts may never fully scan the infinite depth of God’s mercy, he has given us a picture of this magnificent work. God has given us a clear message: good news of salvation through Jesus. This gospel is sufficient to save, even if our understandings fail.
Dismantling Faith: A Discussion on “Deconstructionism”
All my life I have enjoyed taking things apart to see how they work. I have not always been successful at restoring them to their original configuration, but I could at least get them to function again (most of the time). Besides, as any good shade-tree mechanic knows, there are plenty of extra and unnecessary parts that do not make their way into reassembly. We just cannot always tell you what those parts were intended to do or why they didn’t find their way back!
Jesus is Risen Indeed!
The angels testified to this, His followers corroborated this, His closest followers died declaring this, His unbelieving brothers were forever changed by this, and throughout time - the resurrection of Jesus Christ has transformed the hearts of millions upon millions of people from all over the world as they've placed their faith in Him and repented of their sins. He is risen indeed!
Did the Resurrection Really Happen? (Part 1)
What brought about the change from fainthearted, fair-weather friends to bold heralds of the gospel? They saw the resurrected Jesus!
The Crushed Servant of the Lord
The Servant doesn’t bring a sacrifice; He himself is the sacrifice.
Since God is Sovereign, Why Evangelize?
To put it simply, the apparent contradictions between sovereignty and responsibility in the Scriptures are just that—apparent. Both God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility are genuine realities from a biblical standpoint and while seemingly at odds, must be wrestled with as both completely true and bonafide.
Burden or Blessing? The Sovereignty of God in Evangelism
To put it simply - who does the saving? Is the eternal soul of the person on your plane flight held in your hands? Will they be lost forever if you don’t open your mouth? The answer is no. The burden is not on you to save them, however the Lord may bless you with the opportunity to speak the truth of the gospel.
Is Sound Doctrine Important for Life?
Peter does not mean empty facts and figures or theological theory when he encourages the church to “make every effort” to grow in their knowledge. He knows that this is in tandem with living a solid life before the face of God.
Is Sound Doctrine Important for Ministry?
While Calvin’s words can be applied broadly, certainly they can be applied specifically to the life of the Christian minister! Doctrine, rightly understood and rightly lived out in the life of a pastor, brings tremendous blessings to himself and his congregation.