What is the order of salvation?

Q: What is justification?

Justification is God's act of declaring sinners righteous based on Christ's work, not our own merit. When we trust in Jesus, His righteousness is credited to us and our sins to Him. We're declared 'not guilty' before God—a legal standing, not gradual transformation. It's by faith alone in Christ alone.

Q: What is sanctification?

Sanctification is the ongoing process of becoming more like Christ after salvation. While justification is instant (declared righteous), sanctification is gradual (being made holy). The Holy Spirit transforms us as we cooperate through spiritual disciplines. We're already 'saints' (set apart) but still growing in holiness.

Q: What is regeneration in the Bible?

Regeneration is the act of God giving new spiritual life to a person who was spiritually dead. It is the theological term for being 'born again' — a new creation that enables a person to see, understand, and respond to God. Jesus told Nicodemus that no one can enter the kingdom of God without being 'born of water and the Spirit.' Regeneration is God's work, not a human achievement. It precedes or accompanies faith (theologians debate the order) and produces a fundamental change in a person's nature and desires.

Question

What is the order of salvation?

TheoScriptura · Accepted Answer

The order of salvation (ordo salutis) is the theological sequence describing the steps or stages by which God applies salvation to individuals. Based on Romans 8:29-30, it typically includes: foreknowledge, predestination, calling, regeneration, faith, repentance, justification, adoption, sanctification, and glorification. Different traditions arrange these steps differently. Reformed theology places regeneration before faith (God must first give new life for a person to believe). Arminian theology places faith before regeneration (a person must believe, then God regenerates them). All agree the process begins with God and ends in glory.

What is the order of salvation?A Scripture-grounded answer about order of salvation

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