“Whoever believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself. Whoever does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has borne concerning his Son. And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life.” John 5:10-13
Salvation is a Structured Process
The Scriptures speak of an outline, or an order, to salvation. First, the Lord possesses foreknowledge of all of those who are saved. Then He calls them to Him in the Christian faith. These chosen have the Law written on their hearts and receive the Holy Spirit by accepting the Gospel and submitting to Jesus. By faith, their salvation (which is an unmerited gift from God) is justified.
Paul outlines this for us very plainly in Romans 8:30:
And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.”
So, looking at this verse, we have at least four tenets in God’s plan for salvation: Predestination, Calling of His Elect, Justification, and Glorification.
Of course, something as vital to Christian belief as salvation is not left to the devices of a single man, nor verse. God is unchanging, so this order of salvation was orchestrated throughout the Bible and spoken by many under Him. Let’s break this down together from the top, piece by piece.
Step 1: Predestination
First, God knows who is saved and who is not, long before they were born. He keeps a record known as “The Book of Life.” This book is the basis of Predestination, where God predetermined, and personally called those who He will save.
Revelation 13:8: And all who dwell on earth will worship it, everyone whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain.
This is a reference to the first mention of the Book of Life, which was in Exodus. Note how the condition for keeping one’s name in the book of life was originally determined on the basis of sin.
Exodus 32: 31 So Moses returned to the Lord and said, “Alas, this people has sinned a great sin. They have made for themselves gods of gold. 32 But now, if you will forgive their sin—but if not, please blot me out of your book that you have written.” 33 But the Lord said to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against me, I will blot out of my book.
A cursory glance at the New Covenant in Jeremiah explains why God had planned on sending Jesus Christ to the world to grant salvation by grace. No mere human was capable of remaining sinless. Given that everyone has sinned, salvation through faith must be elevated above works to consecrate a people for God and a proverbial bride for Christ. This is where election from Jesus Christ comes in.
Ephesians 1:3: 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love 5 he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.
Notice how tightly this passage in Ephesians continues what had God has proclaimed in Jeremiah:
Jeremiah 31: “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, 32 not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the Lord.
33 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 34 And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”
Later, Jesus Himself makes it clear that God has given these chosen people to Him. God chose them, and Jesus gave them salvation so that their place in the Book of Life is justified.
John 10: 25-30: “I already told you,” Jesus replied, “but you did not believe. The works I do in My Father’s name testify on My behalf. But because you are not My sheep, you refuse to believe. My sheep listen to My voice; I know them, and they follow Me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them out of My hand. My Father who has given them to Me is greater than all. No one can snatch them out of My Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.
Jesus’s assertion is clearly maintained in Revelation:
Rev. 21:27: But nothing unclean will ever enter it [the New Jerusalem on the New Earth], nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life”.
Now that we’ve established this book of life and foreknowledge, Romans 8:30 next asserts that Christ calls his Elect to Him for the purpose of receiving salvation. The above mentioned verses from John 10 already testify that His Elect, the sheep, will follow His voice and that He will save them. Where else can we find this?
John 6:37: All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out.
John 17:2-6: Even as You gave Him authority over all flesh, that to all whom You have given Him, He may give eternal life. This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. I glorified You on the earth, having accomplished the work which You have given Me to do.
Now, Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was. “I have manifested Your name to the men whom You gave Me out of the world; they were Yours and You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word.
Even before Jesus’s coming to earth, God still enacted this election. Consider what Paul teaches concerning Isaac’s sons:
Romans 9:10-16: And not only this, but there was Rebekah also, when she had conceived twins by one man, our father Isaac; for though the twins were not yet born and had not done anything good or bad, so that God’s purpose according to His choice would stand, not because of works but because of Him who calls, it was said to her, “The older will serve the younger.”
Just as it is written, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.” What shall we say then? There is no injustice with God, is there? May it never be! For He says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy.
Now think back to our prior passage in Romans about God’s dealings with Ramses II in Exodus:
Romans 9:17: For the Scripture says to Pharaoh: “I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display My power in you, and that My name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” 18 Therefore God has mercy on whom He wants to have mercy , and He hardens whom He wants to harden.
Predestination works both ways: Jacob and Moses were made mighty and loved, Ramses II and Esau (initially) were hated and brought low. Both of these situations serve to glorify God by demonstrating His sovereignty and control. In Romans 11, Paul delves further into the process and ramifications of election, both in choosing those who are saved, and those who are hardened:
2 Do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah, how he appeals to God against Israel? 3 “Lord, they have killed your prophets, they have demolished your altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life.” 4 But what is God’s reply to him? “I have kept for myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” 5 So too at the present time there is a remnant, chosen by grace. 6 But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace.
7 What then? Israel failed to obtain what it was seeking. The elect obtained it, but the rest were hardened, 8 as it is written,
“God gave them a spirit of stupor,
eyes that would not see
and ears that would not hear,
down to this very day.”9 And David says,
“Let their table become a snare and a trap,
a stumbling block and a retribution for them;
10 let their eyes be darkened so that they cannot see,
and bend their backs forever.”
Step 2: Calling the Elect
God knows how all things play out, but men don’t. From their perspective, they are wholly autonomous. The scripture does not state that God controls every action of every man eternally, but it does state that God knows and even orchestrates the paths of His Elect (and others) toward what is pleasing or glorifying to Him. From this, we can deduce that though God is omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent, people still possess a degree of free will unless God impresses on them otherwise.
This is the logical conclusion we can come to when God asks the Israelites to reason with Him, why He agrees with Lucifer to test Job, and why Jesus was able to marvel at the wisdom of the roman centurion who knew that He could heal his daughter with mere words.
For a more concrete example, Paul states that we have been pre-ordained toward good works.
Ephesians 2:10: For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance as our way of life.
Solomon also explains the orchestrating hand of God:
Proverbs 16:9 “The mind of the man plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps.”
So, when Jesus spreads the word, He knows some will follow and that some will not. Those who would are those whose names are written in the Book of Life. Jesus speaks in parables and analogies, declaring at the end: “those with ears, let them hear.”
This why He referred to the Gospel as flesh and blood at Capernaum, only to explain to His disciples immediately after that it was His words that bore the eternal life, not the flesh. It’s why Jesus speaks of following Him as vital to salvation, even alluding to the possibility of salvation being made available to the Gentiles with an allegory of a wedding filling its forsaken seats with everymen instead of honored guests. It’s also why He explicitly states that not every person who hears His word will remain in Him. This is the most apparent in the parable of the sower:
Mark 4:2 And he was teaching them many things in parables, and in his teaching he said to them: 3 “Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow. 4 And as he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it. 5 Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and immediately it sprang up, since it had no depth of soil.
6 And when the sun rose, it was scorched, and since it had no root, it withered away. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain. 8 And other seeds fell into good soil and produced grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.” 9 And he said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
Why did He know there would be people who would at first follow His word and then fall away? Because they were not Elect. Thus, they were never truly saved to begin with. God is perfect, and leaves nothing unfinished.
Philippians 1:3: I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, 4 always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. 6 And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.
Jesus is our Shepherd and will not lose a single sheep. So therefore, those people who followed Jesus’ words for a small while and then fell off the path were never Elected in the first place. They were always going to whither along the path. These people may have received the comfort of the Gospel, but they would not fight for it when matters of the world pulled them away from it. Jesus’s disciples struggled with this parable, just as they did at Capernaum, so Jesus elaborated for them:
Mark 4:13 And he said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables? 14 The sower sows the word. 15 And these are the ones along the path, where the word is sown: when they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word that is sown in them.
16 And these are the ones sown on rocky ground: the ones who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy. 17 And they have no root in themselves, but endure for a while; then, when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away.
18 And others are the ones sown among thorns. They are those who hear the word, 19 but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. 20 But those that were sown on the good soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.”
How does Jesus preface this?
Mark 4:11 And he said to them, “To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside everything is in parables, 12 so that “‘they may indeed see but not perceive, and may indeed hear but not understand, lest they should turn and be forgiven.’”
The words bear the eternal salvation. To reiterate, those who hear and accept are the ones who repent and are the ones who are forgiven. There are plenty people of people who receive the Gospel, but are overwhelmed by worldliness and were able to truly understand, commit, and repent. This is because salvation was meant for the Elect, which is why Jesus refers to them as His flock:
John 10:26 But because you are not My sheep, you refuse to believe. 27 My sheep listen to My voice; I know them, and they follow Me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish.
Step 3: Justification
Justification is God’s declaration that He has pardoned the sins of His elect. This justification comes from hearing and accepting the Gospel, the payment of their sin was the sacrifice Jesus had willing become on their behalf. As we’ve discussed ad nauseum in prior chapters, this was granted by grace alone, without the purchase or merit of “good works” of men.
Romans 3:21 21 But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— 22 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: 23 for fall have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith.
In this passage, which once again, even Peter himself considers scripture, we can draw several pertinent assertions:
- Righteousness in God’s eyes is now established apart from the Law.
- Righteousness is now imparted on the basis on the belief and faith in Jesus Christ.
- This righteousness was imparted as a gift, as all people are incapable of attaining their own salvation through their own righteousness.
- This state righteousness, particularly the forgiveness of sins, was a purchased through Jesus’ sacrifice.
- This purchased righteousness is received by genuine faith in Jesus Christ.
Given that Paul had to contend with the stubbornness of the Jews, Galatians, and the Philippians, he made sure to emphasize this point repeatedly, almost as if it were an extremely important principle to Christian faith that shouldn’t be altered to suit traditions or empower religious hierarchal structures.
Colossians 2:8 See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ.
Human traditions and spiritualism are not important, for Christ is the only foundation. This is why Paul saw fit to warn the Colossians of the man-made philosophy and traditions that could potentially twist this message.
9 For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, 10 and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority. 11 In him you were also circumcised with a circumcision not performed by human hands. Your whole self ruled by the flesh was put off when you were circumcised by Christ, 12 having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead.
3.1: Rationalizing Justification of the Elect Against Roman Catholicism
People are no longer ruled by flesh, but by Christ. Christ alone is head of the church. Much like how Peter and James did not count themselves heads of the church, the current Pope today is no head either, in spite of the Catechism’s claim to the Pope’s supreme and full authority (882). Paul also reiterates that that the Christian is raised from spiritual death through faith, not through a system of sacraments.
13 When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, 14 having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. 15 And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.
God forgave His Elect of all of their sins through the sacrifice of Jesus. Jesus’ work has already been fulfilled, hence why His last words were “it is finished.” (John 19:30) There is nothing new to be added that would be necessary to salvation.
Romans 5:18 Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. 19 For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous.
Notice the emphasis on one man’s obedience granting righteousness to many.
What this means is that continuous sacraments, rites, and works are not needed to cleanse sins in the present or future. God has specifically stated, in His own covenant, that He remembers the sins of His people no longer (Hebrews 8:12).
If the validity of faith is determined by the manifestation of “good works”, then why is the distinction of justification by faith important? Because it is contingent to the Gospel; justification by faith is the fulfillment of the New Covenant that Jesus paid for with His blood. If you believe your own works actually merit you grace and salvation, then by definition that grace is not true grace, but it is favor that comes and goes.
This would relegate God to a petty sin accountant who is constantly tallying up and judging us on a sin by sin basis. He becomes a god who exists in a short sighted and intrinsic state of petty wrath who must constantly be appeased by meager shows of artificial piety by humans, like a pagan god. If this is true, then Jesus died for nothing.
Galatians 2:19: 19 For through the law I died to the law so that I might live to God. 20 I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me. 21 I do not set aside the grace of God. For if righteousness comes through the law, Christ died for nothing.
Just to reiterate, the idea of a god who judges men on a sin-by-sin basis whose graces come and go on a whim was never biblical. Not even in the Old Testament. Even during the sacrificial systems and Mosaic law God was still renowned for His patience and mercy.
Psalms 103:8 The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. 9 He will not always chide, nor will he keep his anger forever. 10 He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. 11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him 12 as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.
This is a powerful refutation of even the very concept of salvation being through Catholic specific sacraments and submission to church clergy. Don’t forget that the thief on the cross was saved before trinitarian baptisms were even established and that Cornelius received the Holy Spirit upon hearing the Gospel from Peter, even before receiving a single sacrament (Acts 10). God is the only rock, Jesus is the only way.
Why would God specifically grant salvation as through grace and faith rather than sacrifice and rites? Because it makes Him the sole justifier and rightfully exalts Him as the only source of objective goodness. This takes the glory of righteousness from humans and gives it all to God.
Romans 3:22 This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.
25 God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— 26 he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.
In case Paul is not enough, here is God explaining His mercy to Israelites:
Isaiah 43:25 You have not bought Me sweet cane with your silver, nor satisfied Me with the fat of your sacrifices. But you have burdened Me with your sins; you have wearied Me with your iniquities. 25 I , yes I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake and remembers your sins no more.
Not to be misunderstood, God very explicitly made sure explain on how He alone redeemed them. He then calls the Israelites to celebrate and return to Him and that through His mercy His glory has been revealed. This brings us to glorification.
Step 4: Glorification
Christians were put on earth to glorify God. By humbling themselves and glorifying God, God will later exalt them in Heaven. Note that the emphasis on glorifying God is to the sole end of glorifying God. The purpose of glorifying God is certainly not to receive exaltations or rewards for oneself, rather it is to the completion of the Christian’s greater prerogative of glorifying Him.
Of utmost importance is that no man, idea, or entity is to be considered good or holy except for God. Reverence and worship are to God alone. Now, I have included a salvo of verses for this from all over the scriptures. Read them all and please give time to ponder the ramifications of what they mean in context.
Isaiah 43:21: The people whom I formed for myself that they might declare my praise.
Isaiah 48:11: For My own sake, My very own sake, I will act; for how can I let Myself be defamed? I will not yield My glory to another.
Luke 4:8: Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and serve Him only.
Psalm 148:13: Let them praise the name of the Lord. For His name alone is exalted. His glory is above earth and heaven.
Romans 16:27: … to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, be the glory forever. Amen.
1 Peter 4:11: Whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
1 Corinthians 7:35: And this I say for your own benefit; not to put a restraint upon you, but to promote what is seemly, and to secure undistracted devotion to the Lord.
The above scriptures make it abundantly clear that no one is to be worshipped, venerated, or glorified but the Triune God. In fact, God formed His people to declare His praises. As a natural consequence to this, if God alone is exalted, then all men are to be humbled.
Matthew 23: 11 The greatest among you shall be your servant. 12 For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted. 13 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven in men’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let in those who wish to enter.
Romans 3:10: As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one.
Mark 10:8 “Why do you call Me good? Jesus replied. “No one is good except God alone.
No man is good, no human is holy. Not Peter, not Mary. Even God’s chosen herald for Jesus, John the Baptist, is considered the least in comparison with those in Heaven, even though in Luke 7, Jesus declares him to be the greatest among those born of women on earth (thus, higher than Mary and Peter). John still does not count himself even worthy to strap Jesus’ sandals, let alone baptize Him. Much in this vein, while in the form of a man, Jesus would not even count Himself good, but continuously glorified God alone.
Samuel 2:2: There is no one holy like the LORD. Indeed, there is no one besides You! And there is no rock like our God.
Isaiah 44:8 Do not tremble or fear. Have I not told you and declared it long ago? You are My witnesses! Is there any God but Me? There is no other Rock; I know not one.”
As the Triune God is the one who forgave His elect of their sins, He is the sole foundation for salvation. Not Peter, not the Catholic Church, not Mary. God alone. Thus, all glory should be counted to God and God alone.
Looking at all these verses as a whole, a pretty clear picture of glorification is established. Throughout the entirety of the Bible not one person was counted as Holy, not one person was good. There were plenty of people who had pleased God by the fruits they bore, but God never pronounced a single one Holy, even those he counted righteousness to. Even in the letters of the apostles, neither John the Baptist, Peter, nor Mary were ever professed as good, Holy, nor integral to salvation.
The verse in Isaiah, where there is no other Rock than God, was boldly spoken by God Himself. Paul stresses in Corinthians the sheer importance of undivided devotion to the Lord and once again reaffirms that there is no other foundation than Jesus Christ. No one is revered but God. In Heaven, there will come a time where God’s elect will be made glorious, and only then they themselves will be exalted.
Philippians 3:20 But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 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. 4 Therefore, my brothers, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm thus in the Lord, my beloved.