1. We move now into the "Application of Redemption." Here we concern ourselves with the work of the Holy Spirit who applies the benefits of the work of Christ to us individually. God establishes a living connection between the saving work of Christ and those who are saved by Christ. There is a union between objective soteriology: the redemption accomplished by Christ, and subjective soteriology: the redemption applied by the Holy Spirit.

2. There are several blessings which we are given from Christ by the Holy Spirit. The Bible informs us that God is not a God of confusion who desires that all things be done properly and in an orderly manner (1 Cor 14:33,40). As we study our salvation, we discover that there is an order to the way the Holy Spirit applies the salvation that Jesus has accomplished for us. The Spirit does not unload those blessings all at once like a dump-truck, but He blesses us in an orderly manner.

3. God's orderly bestowal of redeeming grace is called the ordo salutis. Ordo salutis is a Latin phrase meaning "the order of salvation". Berkhof, p.415,416, "The ordo salutis describes the process by which the work of salvation, wrought in Christ, is subjectively realized in the hearts and lives of sinners. It aims at describing in their logical order, and also in the interrelations, the various movements of the Holy Spirit in the application of the work of redemption." We are studying the various blessings of salvation and how they are related to each other. We will see logical relationships, cause and effect relationship, and sequential relationships.

4. Our salvation is entire in our union with Christ, but it is applied and given to us in a series of acts and processes. Each aspect of the ordus salutis can be studied on its own, but all are joined together by the work of the Spirit. We experience some of these blessings at the beginning of our salvation, some through the course of the Christian life, and some await us in the resurrection and eternity. These blessings are given to us according to God's wisdom and grace for the glory of Christ.

5. As pastors, we must not only understand how the Lord has saved us, but we must be able to discern His dealings with others.

i. We need to be discerning in order to distinguish sheep from goats and to wisely shepherd sheep and call goats to become sheep! God saves all kinds of sinners in all kinds of situations. The believers in our churches are all different. But as different as we are, we all share the same salvation. The Spirit applies the same redemption to us in the same orderly manner. We need to be able to recognize what the Spirit is doing in the lives of our people.
ii. We need to be discerning when we listen to preachers and Bible teachers. When I listen to preachers, I am eager to hear their ordu salutis. If the preacher is confused or mistaken in his doctrine of salvation, I am going to be careful as I listen to him.
iii. We need to teach our people what Christ has done for them and what the Spirit does for them and in them. They need to believe, not only in God the Son, but also in God the Holy Spirit. They need to understand "redemption accomplished and applied."

6. There is no single text in the New Testament which presents the ordo salutis intact and complete. We are able, however, to piece together a definite arrangement as we see the relationships of the various blessings of salvation described in several passages.

A. The Relationship between Calling, Justification and Glorification - Rom 8:28-30

1. Rom 8:28-30 And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.

2. This passage gives us the frame in which to hold the ordo salutis. Here Paul gives a panoramic overview of salvation spanning eternity past (foreknow and predestined) through the present (called and justified) on into eternity future (glorified).

3. We have already treated God's foreknowledge and predestination. We now focus on three aspects of salvation which are arranged sequentially: first, (effectual) calling; second, justification; and third, glorification.

4. We are also informed as to the nature of the relationships between these blessings of salvation.

i. In vs 28 we are called according to His purpose. We are called according to God's decretive will. His decree is described as foreknowledge and predestination. When we were called, it was according to the purpose of God who foreknew and predestinated us.
ii. In vs 29 we see a broad panoramic view of God's grace stretching back into eternity past and reaching forward to eternity future. We see both the purpose and the goal of our salvation. God's purpose originates in His foreknowledge, His distinguishing love wherein He, in the freedom of His will and in keeping with His good and wise designs, selects His elect in union with Christ. His goal for our redemption is that we will be fully conformed to Jesus the first born among many brethren.
iii. The acts of foreknowledge and predestination both have the Greek prefix pro, which indicates that they occur before the acts of calling, justification, and glorification. We know that God's foreknowledge and predestinating purpose is essential to God as God, that is, eternal in God. In other words, even before the creation of the world, God purposed our salvation. He knew us in love and predestinated, elected us in union with His Son.
iv. In vs 30 Paul describes a temporal, sequential arrangement to the blessings of calling, justification, and glorification. Paul informs us of the method that God employs to bring about His goal to conform His elect to the image of His Son.

a. First, there is the eternal decree and purpose of God, which we have seen to be election, foreordination, foreknowledge, predestination.
b. After predestination we place calling. Predestination is before calling.
c. Then calling comes before justification.
d. Glorification is placed at the end and is the same thing as being conformed to the image of His Son (vs 29). Full conformity to Christ will happen when we are glorified. That is the goal of our salvation - that Christ will be honored as the firstborn among His brethren.
e. Paul presents us with sequence of blessings. There are blessings which occur before others which then come afterwards. We can also see a logical and causal relation as well. It is logical that God's purpose precedes the goal. We will learn that God's call is "effectual," it effects, or causes certain results in the person who is saved.

v. God's blessings are immense and wonderful. Here we span eternity past, through time, on into eternity future. We see progression, sequence, arrangement, order. Rom 8:28-30 gives us a broad outline, a basic framework in which to build a biblical ordu salutis.

5. So we have the first three points of reference by which to begin to construct the ordo salutis in time, in our experience of salvation. It begins with God's act of calling; after that we see God's act of justifying us; and at the end we see His act of glorifying us. This is a basic skeleton order: (effectual) calling - justification - glorification.

i. We are focusing on our experience of salvation, our experience of being saved by the Spirit.
ii. We must understand that beneath our experience, before our experience, God was and is eternally at work according to His purpose, having foreknown, predestinated, elected, and chosen us in Christ. When we experience salvation, we know, therefore, that the reason why we are being saved is because God willed our salvation, because He set His love on us. "Salvation is of the Lord."

B. The Relationship of Calling and Regeneration

1. In our Confession, regeneration (the new birth), is confessed in chapter 10: "Of Effectual Calling." It is discussed among theologians whether calling comes before regeneration or if regeneration comes before calling. Either way, God is seen as initiating our experience of salvation. The crucial thing to see in order to be protected from Arminianism, is that calling and regeneration precedes faith. Before we can respond in faith, we must be called and be made alive by the sovereign power and grace of God Himself.

2. God's call occurs by the Word of God. He calls us with words, gospel-Bible words. We will study effectual calling in more detail later. Some theologians suggest that we are first regenerated, made alive and then we hear God's gospel-call. I am going to propose that God's call precedes our regeneration. The Word of God gives us life.

3. For our purposes at this point as we build the structure of our ordo salutis, we should note the close relationship between the eternal purpose of God and His calling us.

i. 2Ti 1:8,9 Be not ashamed therefore of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but suffer hardship with the gospel according to the power of God; who saved us, and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before times eternal,
ii. 1Co 1:9 God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

4. Here the Father is emphasized. His love is the foundation of the whole process of salvation. It is the Father who sent His Son to accomplish our salvation. It is the Father who calls us as the Spirit applies salvation to us. Our salvation is rooted in the love of our Father who acts first and saves us through the work of His Son and His Spirit. If we associate God's purpose with the person of the Father, we can see then that we are called according to His purpose and that our calling comes from our Father. He takes the initiative. He moves toward us to save us. He loves us and His love is demonstrated in Jesus and His Spirit.

5. Here then are the building blocks of our ordu salutis. If we agree that calling comes before regeneration, then we have the following arrangement: calling, regeneration, justification, glorification.