What Happens When We Are Saved?

From the latest article written by Dan Barnes at SBC Voices:

"Have you ever noticed how many ideas in the Christian faith seem more hypothetical than concrete? Things like “fall into the arms of grace” or “just give it to God”. What do those look like really? Are they things that have meat to them, or are they just things we say and have no idea what they really mean? How do you fall into grace, or give something in-material to a spiritual being? There are lots of things that we say are hard to define and pin down, but I think it’s symptomatic of a larger issue. We have tried for two thousand years to define Salvation, but I am not sure we are any closer. Something so foundational to the Christian doctrine, but we can’t agree on what it looks like, how we get it and how we know we have it.

"I want to pose some questions today, things to think about. I am sure for every question there are hundreds of opinions, so here is a chance to share yours. What is Salvation? Pin it down, are we talking substitution atonement, penal substitution, ransom theory? Is the nature of salvation illumination, restoration, satisfaction, victory, justification, something else entirely or a combination?

"What happens when we are saved? Does it happen in a split second, or does it happen over time? Is it a one time thing, or does it reoccur? Are we saved once and for all time, or does it happen daily? I have heard, seen or read theories off all and more, different ideas. I have seen verses thrown at verses and arguments made for every side, when and how does it happen?"

My Response:

This is one thing I appreciate about Reformed theology. “What happens WHEN we are saved?” It’s a poor question because our life is eternal, not temporal.

Eternally, we are saved from Death: our separation from God. This salvation is accomplished by the incarnation of the Son of God who justifies His people through submission to Death even as He has power over Death.

Things eternal are worked out temporally. Our separation from God is temporally represented in our sin and the death of our bodies. It is just that our sin is paid for by death. It is for justice that Christ came as a man, Jesus of Nazareth, who, being God Himself, had no sin and gave His physical life for all sin. His people, being reconciled to God yet living in a world of sin are blessed with His constant presence in the person of the Holy Spirit. So even as His people are eternally justified by this, His people are also each temporally sanctified by the Holy Spirit to grow in the spiritual knowledge of God. That is, God reveals Himself to us temporally not by mere facts but also by our desire for Him. This makes the revelation of God through His inspired scriptures meaningful to us. As such, at some point all those who are alive by the Holy Spirit will realize at once a belief in the facts of Christ, but also a trust in His temporal work on the cross as He demonstrated His submission to death in the justification of our sins. The progression of our growth in this faith throughout our temporal life is called sanctification.

The language we use is typically not this precise, and it doesn’t need to be. Godly wisdom unto saving faith is not contingent on our ability to understand. A baby understands little, but trusts much. Therefore, it isn’t necessary to always express the gospel in difficult language. It is only necessary to speak enough truth at first for faith to resonate in the lives of people who have the Holy Spirit. After saving faith is identified, then more truth and understanding should be taught over time in agreement with the temporal work of the Holy Spirit in continued sanctification in the lives of each of His people.

As for a Baptist distinction, there really should be none. There is only one way we are saved despite our best opinions. It is our incorrect opinions where Truth is absolute that divide us in soteriology. The good news is that our salvation is worked out in the lives of believers not by any opinion or by our flawed understanding, but our mere and genuine trust in God.

Law and Grace in the Christian Life

Skip Cartin at Western Avenue Baptist Church has been preaching through Romans over the past year. This image came to mind recently:

God is like a circle. I know God has been represented as a circle because the line of the circle continues over and over and is kind of analogous to infinity. All metaphors for God are incomplete and using a circle in this way certainly lacks much. However, the circle that I have in mind isn't with regard to God as being infinite in the same way that people often use the circle.

My explanation of this symbol is that the center of God is the center of the circle, here marked by cross hairs. The presence of God radiates out from the center infinitely. The circle itself is the point at which one can be considered to be "in God". Outside of the circle, God is present, but one can be considered not to have company with God there.


We tend to think of this circle as being soteriological. That is, we consider what we must do or have in order to be inside of the circle. As such, most people hang around the circle. Some may stray inward while many remain outside the circle, but most "try to be good" and often wipe their brow, rest some, and plateau when they believe they have "made it" inside the circle.


Theologians may debate precisely where this circle should be placed. Those in between the theoretical circles are held in the sway. Are they in or are they out? Can we consider these to be fellow brothers and sister in Christ? Do they truly have fellowship with God?

Blue and Red hang out near the circle's edge. What could they be saying about Green? Could they be clicking their tongues and commenting on all the evil he does that keeps him out of the circle? Perhaps they are planning how they can get him to come into the circle? What do they tell him to get him to come? It depends on their particular soteriology. they may also look with amazement or disdain at Purple. He's awful far in. Perhaps they think he's to heavenly minded to be of any earthly good. After all, unless one hangs out near the edge of the circle, they may reason, one can't help anyone get in.


The attachment to the circle's edge is purely legal. We want to know whether we are in or out and it's falsely comforting to know what we need to do in order to be "in". That's the law. The problem is that the circle is illusory. We think we can be "in" by doing doing good things. However, if we have any sin at all, entering the circle results in death because God doesn't tolerate sin. What Christ has done has removed this barrier so that we can approach God. The message of grace is to head to the center of God. This is true if you are Purple, Green, Red or Blue:

Now, with the circle becomes not soteriological but merely ecclesiological. It's a matter of how you are going to define the requirements of church membership rather than whether or not you are actually saved.

Just tonight I read Exodus 20 with the kids. We visited Matthew 22:34-40 and tried to find the two greatest commandments in the ten we just read. We talked about the sermons we've hearing lately. But the ten commandments aren't the only thing in Exodus 20. We've just been taking Psalms in order each night and we were on Psalm 91 tonight. I won't paste it here - go read it for yourself. I love it when a message comes together on its own.

After God delivers the decalogue, the Israelites are afraid because of the lightning, smoke and trumpet blasting from the top of the mountain and beg Moses to have God not do the talking, but to rather come and tell them what He says. They are afraid of God, and rightly so: the revelation of His presence is terrifying. I asked the kids about the sorts of things that make them afraid and we went from there.

But in the Psalm, we have the testimony of the protection of God. We are encouraged as we follow His law of love that we reside in Him and He protects us. He isn't terrifying at all.

So what's the difference? The Israelites were afraid by the physical manifestation of His powerful presence. They had been given the law, but they didn't yet understand His grace. We would be terrified too. Most of us don't understand the grace of God as we ought. May we learn it so we can rejoice with the Psalmist that we can rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

True Leadership

It occurs to me that the people widely regarded as leaders have two things in common. First, they tout the strongest opinions. Second, they have a charisma that inspires others to confidence in their decisions.

People are often confused about opinions. A belief that holds something as true for everyone is not an opinion. For example, there are those whom I tell that "Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life and no one comes to the Father but by Him" who would balk by saying, "Everyone is entitled to their opinion." It's not an opinion, it's a theological doctrine that I may believe whether I prefer to believe or not. If I go diving in shark-infested water, I may believe that my life is in danger. I don't want to believe that my life is in danger, and my belief may be warranted or not. However, my belief that something is true is not opinion. Rather, opinion is preferential. For example, someone may ask, "Do you like the red or the blue better?" If I answer with either one, I have given my opinion.

People who voice opinions the loudest are seen as those with great leadership potential. If a cat needs to be skinned, the goal is to skin the cat. There may be 10 different ways to skin the proverbial cat. Two people approach the cat to be skinned and one person starts to skin it. The other person asserts, "That's no way to skin a cat. You must skin a cat this way!" And then proceeds to skin it some other way. The first person follows the second with the understanding that it doesn't matter how you skin the cat; only that the cat is skinned; and an argument with the bull-headed one is counterproductive. The second person is seen as the leader for no other reason that he had a stronger opinion.

I use "charisma" for lack of a better term. More technically, you would think that this was the spirit of a person. However, while it speaks of the perception of a person by others, it elicits in others a certain confidence. I offer a true story devoid of detail for illustrating this:

In an early meeting planning something one person said, "We should do ABC because XYZ." The other people in the meeting summarily ignored him.

Later in the same meeting, another member spoke up and said, "We should do ABC because XYZ."

The other members turned to him and said, "See. This is why you should be the leader of our group."

If asked, I doubt anyone would realize that they ignored the first man's decisive statement. What was the difference between the two men? One said it first, but the second found himself favored. The difference isn't in the information I gave. In fact the only difference in the actual account that I could tell is in the charisma of the men. In this case, the charisma boils down to a person's mannerisms. If you say "confidence", then that confidence must be communicated behaviorally. If you say, "manner of speech", then you are referring to behavior. If you say, "the look in his eye", you are talking about behavior.

As someone skilled in acting, I know that these are behaviors and can be effected. However, one who does this is disingenuous. I know because I've done this as a leader of men in the Marine Corps. I did it because it was necessary to be a leader in a time of war. In the Body of Christ, leadership should be much different. In physical combat we fight with the sword and wield it with the strength of our bodies. In spiritual combat, we wield truth. However, we set aside our strength for God to use His strength in us.

Why do we follow the patterns of leadership established by the world and fail to recognize the patterns of leadership established by God. The kind of leadership carried out not from a position that appears powerful, but one of ultimate power carried out in One dying on a cross. Worldly power would have exhibited itself in the issuing of a command to 12 legions of angels awaiting to free the One from having to die and issue judgment on an unredeemed world.

True leadership did not exercise the power available and withheld that command.

The angels stood silent. The power of the death of the One was evident as a storm brewed, an earthquake disturbed the Passover, the veil was torn and dead men awoke and walked about town. No longer did the charisma of His behavior draw the crowds to His teaching. He drew only scorn to His lifeless body.

The One hung limp.

The True Leader did not escape death. He went through it..He defeated it yet not by power, but by His relationship with the Father as the Creator and bought the people who would follow Him with His own sacrifice.

Who do you look to for leadership?