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Soteriology - The Doctrine of Salvation
SOTERIOLOGY OUTLINE FOR CHAPTER VI SOTERIOLOGY II. Faith. V. Sanctification. VI. Adoption. VII. Redemption. VIII. Prayer. Chapter VI I. REPENTANCE A. Citation. “In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness
of Judaea, and saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand”
(Matt. 3:1, 2). “Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for
the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matt. 4: 17). Paul testified
“both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God,
and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ” (Acts 20:21). “As
many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent”
(Rev. 3:19). See also Mark 6:12; Luke 24:47; Acts 2:38; 11:18; 26:20;
II Peter 3:9. B. Explanation. 4. It Is a Change of Mind. The literal meaning of repentance is “after-thought”
or “reconsideration.” By “change of mind” we do
not mean a “change of opinion”; a “change of mind”
is the substitution of a new mind for the old. It is new in character.
True repentance is a change of mind which will lead to a change of action,
but let us be warned that it is possible to have a change of action
without a change of mind. A good example of repentance is found in Mathew
21:28, 29: C. Manifestation. 1. Change in the Intellect. 2. Change of Feeling. 3. Change of Will. 4. Change of Action. D. Condition. 1. Through the Goodness of God. “Despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?” (Rom. 2:4). See also II Peter 3:9. 2. Through the Gospel of God. “Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their hearts, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? Then Peter said unto them, Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for [because of] the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. . . . Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls” (Acts 2:37, 38, 41). 3. Through the Scriptural Teaching. “The servant of the Lord
must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient,
in meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure
will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth” (II
Tim. 2:24, 25). E. Definition. Repentance is the work of God which results in a change of mind in
respect to man’s relationship to God. It is neither sorrow nor
penance, though penitent sorrow may lead to a change of mind. Repentance
is always an element of saving faith. A. Citation. “The gospel of Christ ... is the power of God unto salvation to
every one that believeth. . . . For therein is the righteousness of
God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, the just shall live
by faith” (Rom. 1:17). “We conclude that a man is justified
by faith without the deeds of the law” (Rom. 3:28). See also Matthew
9:22; Acts 26:18; Romans 4:5; II Corinthians 5:7; Ephesians 2:8; Hebrews
11:6; James 5:15; I Peter 1:5. A good definition of faith is: confidence in others; reliance upon testimony. True faith is composed of the following: 1. Knowledge. One must be informed before he can have faith. This
is true in the things of man, as it is in Christ. It is impossible to
have faith in Christ without the Word. “Faith cometh by hearing,
and hearing by the word of God” (Rom. 10:17). Sometimes we may
ask for more faith, but this is out of order. To increase one’s
faith, one has only to read more of the Word of God. Before a person
can have faith, he must know it exists. 4. Recumbency. This means to wholly rely upon Christ. When one lies upon the bed, he fully relaxes upon it and rests. When we put our trust in Him, we should rely upon Him and rest. C. Donation. 1. By God the Father. “I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith” (Rom. 12:3). 2. By God the Son. Jesus is “the author and finisher of our faith;
who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising
the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God”
(Heb. 12:2). D. Centralization. The object of faith is Christ, and He alone. The end of faith is salvation. “By grace are ye saved through
faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works,
lest any man should boast” (Eph. 2:8, 9). A. Citation. “Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. . . . Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God” (John 3:3, 5). We are “born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever” (I Peter 1:23). “Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God” (I John 3:9). See also I John 2:29; 5:4, 18. B. Explanation. 1. It Is Not Reformation. Some people think that by turning over a
new leaf one becomes a child of God. Some men quit drinking because
of a bad heart, not because they know it is sin against God. One could
cease from all sin; yet this is not regeneration. 3. It Is Not Confirmation. Some churches, as they administer a certain ritual of the church, claim that the participants (usually children of twelve or thirteen years of age) receive the Holy Spirit with the anointing of oil. This is a false doctrine. One does not receive the Holy Spirit by any act of man, but upon receiving Christ as Saviour. 4. It Is Not Water Baptism. There is no saving faith in all the water
of the world. Someone may ask, then, “Why are we commanded to be
baptized?” It is the answer of a good conscience toward God (I
Peter 3:21b). It is an ordinance depicting the death, burial and resurrection
of Christ, and nothing more. 7. It Is the New Birth. “If any man is in Christ, there is a
new creation: the old things are passed away; behold, they are become
new” (II Cor. 5:17, R.V.). “If ye know that he is righteous,
ye know that every one that doeth righteousness is born of him”
(I John 2:29). Ye must be born again. It is a necessity declared by the Lord Himself. 1. As Seen in the Depravity of Man. “That which is born of the flesh is flesh: and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit” (John 3:6). The words, “Ye must be born again,” are better translated, “Ye must be born from above.” Man must have a birth from above if he is to live some day in the heavens above. 2. As Seen in the Universality of Man. There is not a man anywhere
but who has to be born again. “All have sinned, and come short
of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23). 1. The Divine Work. The process of becoming a child of God is not by natural generation. Man cannot regenerate himself. It is not a matter of the human will, but of God. “As many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God” (John 1:12, 13). Practically speaking, we had nothing to do with our first birth, and we can have nothing to do with the second birth. 2. The Human Element. While it is God who regenerates the believing sinner, yet there is one part that man plays; he must believe! “By grace are ye saved”; yes, but “through faith.” “No man cometh unto the Father but by me.” Yes, Jesus is the way, but the sinner must come! The sinner must receive Christ by his own faith. This is the human part. God does the rest. IV. JUSTIFICATION A. Citation. We are “justified by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 3:24). “The righteousness of Christ shall be imputed to us, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification” (Rom. 4:24,25). “Being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom. 5:1). “Such [thieves, covetous, drunkards, and the like] were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God” (I Cor. 6:11). See also Romans 3:26; 5:9; Galatians 2:16, 17; Titus 3:7. B. Explanation. To justify is “to reckon, to declare, or to show righteous.”
To justify does not mean to make righteous. God declares the believer
to be righteous; He does not make him righteous. Justification is a
legal term: a good standing. In a human law court, a guilty person may be pardoned, the crime forgiven but not paid. In God’s law court this is not so. All sins must be paid for, and the sinner punished. Three things are incorporated in God’s justification. 1. Forgiveness. “He, whom God raised again, saw no corruption. Be it known you, therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: and by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses” (Acts 13:37-39). A Christian is not a pardoned criminal; he is a righteous man. God declares him so. He is one who has paid for his sins by another, his substitute, the Lord Jesus Christ. God never pardons apart from Christ. 2. Imputation. “Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth
not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile” (Ps. 32:2).
“Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin”
(Rom. 4:8). “Until the law sin was in the world: but sin is no
imputed when there is no law” (Rom. 5:13). 3. Fellowship. “One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all” (Eph. 4:6). This is the fellowship of God and the believer as Father and Son. Remember, God is Father only of His children, not of unbelievers. C. Condition. 1. Negative. 2. Positive. 1. Abraham (Rom. 4:1-5). E. Manifestation. 1. In Works. “Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect? And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God” (Jas. 2:21-23). The evidence of salvation is gratitude, which is good works. Many times the good works are very, very weak, but God accepts the will that is behind them. 2. In Experience. “Being justified by faith, we have peace with
God through our Lord Jesus Christ: by whom also we have access by faith
into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of
God. And not only so, but we glory in tribulation also: knowing that
tribulation worketh patience; and patience, experience; and experience,
hope: and hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad
in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us” (Rom. 5:1-5). This is one phase of salvation which is very much confused today. The Bible student will be surprised at what God has to say about sanctification. Much is said about experience, and we believe in experience; but let us be cautious and let the Word of God interpret our experience, rather than our experience interpret the Word of God. A. Citation. “This is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should
abstain from fornication. . . . For God hath not called us unto uncleanness,
but unto holiness” (I Thess. 4:3, 7). “Unto the church of
God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus,
called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name
of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours: Grace be unto you and
peace” (I Cor. 1:2). “Both he that sanctifieth and they that
are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to
call them brethren” (Heb. 2:11). “Follow peace with all men,
and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord” (Heb. 12:14).
See also I Peter 1:2; John 17:17; Exodus 13:2; Jeremiah 2:3; Ephesians
1:1. The words “sanctification, holiness, and saints” all
come from the same root. 1. It Is Not a Betterment of the Flesh. Never does it say in Scripture
that the work of the Holy Spirit is to improve the old nature. The natural
man cannot understand the Holy Spirit. How could the natural man be
improved by the Spirit? This is hard to say, but nevertheless, it is
true, that the flesh of the believer is no better than the flesh of
the sinner. The Scriptures say, “Mortify the deeds of the flesh.” 4. It Is Not a Second Blessing. In II Corinthians 1:15 Paul speaks
of wanting to give the Church a second benefit, not a second blessing.
This epistle was written to people who were already sanctified (I Cor.
1:2 and 6:11). Again we emphasize that the words “holiness,” “sanctification,” and “saint” all come from the same word meaning “set apart,” “separation.” The word “sanctify” in Exodus 13:2, and the word “holiness” in Psalm 29:2, and the word “saints” of Psalm 34:9 are the same word. The word “sanctify” of John 17:17, and the word “saint” of Philippians 1:1, and the word “holiness” of Hebrews 12:10 are all from the same word. Sanctification, being set apart, is spoken of in three ways: This is our present state of sanctification. A saint never grows up
to sanctification, but grows in sanctification. Every believer is a
saint; however, some believers do not act like saints. The living Christian
still has the flesh in him and obeys it at times. Then God, by Jesus
Christ, through the Holy Spirit, metes out chastisement. See John 17:17;
I Thessalonians 4:3; Hebrews 12:10; II Corinthians 3:18. 1. The Divine Side. D. Definition. 1. Sanctification is the work of Christ for the believer, which sets him apart for God. 2. Sanctification is that work of God in the believer, through the Spirit and the Word, which changes him into the image of Christ progressively. 3. Sanctification is the work of God which perfects the believer in the likeness of Christ by His appearing in glory. VI. ADOPTION A. Citation. “Not only they [the whole creation], but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body (Rom. 8:23). There are four other places in the New Testament where the word “adoption” is mentioned: Romans 8:15; 9:4; Galatians 4:4, 5; Ephesians 1:5. B. Explanation. The English word “adoption” has an entirely different meaning
than the Greek word or the Oriental custom. The English word means to
take a person from another family and make him legally one’s own
son or daughter. The Greek word, however, means “placing as a son.” C. Origination. “He hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will” (Eph. 1:4, 5). D. Consummation. We are now only the children of God. “Ye are all sons of God,
through faith, in Christ Jesus” (Gal. 3:26, R. V.). We will become
sons of God at the day appointed by the Father. At that time He will
openly present us as the sons of God. We do not look like sons of God
now, but some day the world will be able to recognize us as the sons
of God. This will take place at the second coming of Christ. “Not
only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit,
even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption to
wit, the redemption of our body” (Rom. 8:23). 1. Delivered From a Slavish Fear of God. “Ye have not received
the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit
of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father” (Rom. 8:15). The Bible is full of redemption. It is God’s character to save.
He can destroy, but He loves to save. The theme of the Bible is Jesus
Christ. The message of the Word is redemption. “If thy brother be waxen poor, and hath sold away some of his
possession, and if any of his kin come to redeem it, then shall he redeem
that which his brother sold...And if a sojourner or stranger wax rich
by thee, and thy brother that dwelleth by him wax poor, and sell himself
unto the stranger or sojourner by thee, or to the stock of the stranger’s
family: after that he is sold he may be redeemed again; one of his brethren
may redeem him” (Lev. 25:25, 47, 48). “Zion shall be redeemed
with judgment, and her converts with righteousness” (Is. 1:27).
“In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness
of sin, according to the riches of his grace” (Eph. 1:7). See also
Nehemiah 5:8; Colossians 1:4; Galatians 3:13; I Corinthians 1:30; Romans
8:23. There are four Hebrew words in the Old Testament that pertain to redemption,
and all mean “to set free.” The word “goel” is used
two ways: first, the One who redeems; second, the act of redeeming.
The “goel” was always a near kinsman. While the word “redemption”
means “to set free,” it incorporates the meaning “to
buy back, to purchase.” 1. Redemption Declared. In Israel a man could not be a slave forever against his will. After becoming a slave, he could be set free by redemption through a near kinsman, or by waiting for the Sabbatical year or the year of Jubilee, when all slaves were set free. Should he love his master, however, and not care to be set free under any circumstances, he could go to his master, who in turn would bore a hole in his ear and make him a bondslave for life (Ex. 21:6). Paul said that he was a bondslave of Jesus Christ - a bondslave for life. He was bought by blood, bound by love. The Christian should have his ear bored, figuratively speaking, yea, his hands, his all. He should recognize that he is crucified with Christ. VIII. PRAYER Prayer is the essential element of Christian character which is lacking in most believers today. One reason for this is that prayer is misunderstood. Prayer is mostly thought of as asking and receiving. It is that; however, it is much more. We fail to see the value of prayer as communion with our God (Is. 43:21, 22; 64:6,7 R.V.; Zeph. 1:46; Dan. 9:13,14 with Hos.7:13, 14; 8:13, 14). A. Affirmation. 1. It Is Sin to Neglect Prayer. “As for me, God forbid that I
should sin against the LORD in ceasing to pray for you: but I will teach
you the good and the right way” (I Sam. 12:23). 3. It Is Commanded by God. “Pray without ceasing” (I Thess.
5:17). “Continue steadfastly in prayer, watching therein with thanksgiving”
(Col. 4:2, R.V. ). 1. Abraham Prays for Sodom (Gen. 18). C. Explanation. 1. Presbyterian Catechism. “Prayer is the offering up of our
desires to God, for things agreeable to His will in the name of Christ
with confession of our sins and thankful acknowledgment of his mercy.” D. Stimulation. 1. Abundant Testimony of Christians Proves That God Answers Prayer. 2. Universality of Phrases in Scripture: Whosoever, Whatsoever, Whensoever. 9. The Abundant Ability of God. “Now unto him that is able to
do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to
the power that worketh in us, unto him be glory” (Eph. 3:20). 1. Abraham Interceding for Sodom (Gen. 18:22, 23; 19:29). 2. Prayer of Abraham’s Servant (Gen. 24:12). 6. Elijah Praying for Fire and Water (I Kings 18:25-41; James 5:17, 18). 7. Nehemiah’s Prayer for Jerusalem (Neh. 2:4). 8. Joshua’s Prayer for Discernment (Josh. 7:7-9). 15. Habakkuk’s Prayer of Praise (Hab. 3). 17. The Malefactor’s Prayer for Forgiveness (Luke 23: 42, 43). 1. As to the Posture of the Body. There is much supposition concerning
the posture of the body while in prayer. Some contend that prayer is
not prayer unless one is on his knees, believing it to be blasphemous
to pray while walking, and the like. According to the following Scriptures
there is no set rule as to the position of the body in prayer: G. Conditions. What will it take to get our prayers answered? The Christian is one
who asks to receive. The following truths guarantee answers to prayer. 2. Earnestness. “I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find: knock, and it shall be opened unto you” (Luke 11:9). Ask: Matthew 7:7; seek: James 5:17; knock: Acts 12:5. 3. Definiteness. “If ye then, being evil, know how to give good
gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in
heaven give good gifts to them that ask him” (Matt. 7:11). 5. Faith. “I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when
ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them”
(Mark 11:24). 6. Through Unbelief. “Let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive anything of the Lord” (Jas. 1:6, 7). 7. Through Cherished Sin. “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me” (Ps. 66:18). 8. Through Failure to Ask. “Ye have not, because ye ask not”
(Jas. 4:2c). Some find a conflict with the above verse and Matthew 6:8:
“Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what
things ye have need of, before ye ask him.” They reason that if
the Father knows what we have need of, why then should they pray? This
has hurt the prayer life of many Christians. It should not. It is true
that our Father knows everything we have need of; if He didn’t
He would not be God. His knowledge, however, is not a guarantee that
we shall have the needed things: “Ye have not, because ye ask not.”
Yes, the Father knows what we need, but we have to pray for it. We are
warned, nevertheless, that we cannot fool God and ask for things we
do not need. “There is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (I Tim. 2:5). “In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him” (Eph. 3:12). See also John 16:24-26, “Through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father” (Eph. 2:18). This is the Scriptural formula for the presentation of prayers: To the Father, through the Son, by the Spirit. Prayers should contain the following: 1. Adoration. 2. Thanksgiving. 3. Confession. 4. Supplication. 5. Intercession. |
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