The Ordo Salutis Conference

From a Christian perspective, where did the idea of salvation originate? When I use the term salvation, I mean it from the Biblical use of the word; which refers to lost sinners entering into a saving relationship with their Divine Creator. Hence, who came up with the plan to reconcile sinners? Or, is there a plan at all? If so, how is this spiritual deliverance accomplished, and who is responsible for the implementation, application, and completion of this plan? To dig even a little deeper, who should receive the credit for the achievement of this great act of redemption … if such a feat exists?

These are some of the questions we hope to ask and answer this year at Memorial Heights Baptist Church at our Theology Matters Conference. April 12-14, our church is hosting a conference on the Ordo Salutis. Now, don’t let that Latin phrase fool you, or intimidate you. It simply means the order of salvation. The Christian faith teaches, that God, by His unmerited grace has originated, implemented, and will accomplish this wonderful act of granting eternal life to every single person who savingly trusts in Christ Jesus. The Ordo Salutis teaches there is a logical order and Scriptural sequence to the unfolding of the achievements necessary to complete this gracious act.

Let me list these distinct teachings in the normal arrangement given. But understand, these doctrines are more than just Divine achievements, they are also Biblical truths, clearly taught in Scripture that reveal to us the order of salvation. The Ordo Salutis is as follows; Election, Calling, Regeneration, Conversion, Justification, Adoption, Sanctification, Perseverance and Glorification. When these truths are properly taught and ordered, they reveal that salvation is completely an act of grace, for which God alone deserves glory. 

Let me quickly flesh out and offer a short summary of the Ordo Salutis. First, though this truth is often rejected, the Bible declares that before the dawn of creation, God elected a people to Himself. Of His own Sovereign will, God chose certain individuals to become part of His family and recipients of His grace. Then in the fullness of time, the Lord Jesus Christ came and purchased redemption for these elect individuals. At some point in the life of these undeserving persons, the Holy Spirit comes and in glorious efficacious power calls that sinner out of darkness and into light. The Spirit does this by revealing the Gospel and convicting the stony heart of these elected ones of their sins against God. God’s Spirit then regenerates this person and grants them repentance towards God the Father and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. At that moment, they are converted, justified, and adopted into God’s family. The Spirit will then begin to progressively sanctify this person more and more from who they were, and into the image of Christ. These born-again believers, kept by the power of God, will persevere throughout life until that wonderful, wonderful day, when they will be wholly glorified and the sin nature completely eradicated.

Now, there is a sense in which these doctrines logically unfold in an obligatory order. But like most things, if this subject is pressed too hard, it will distort the truth it is meant to reveal. For example, when the Holy Spirit comes in the day determined by God’s gracious providence and grants spiritual life to a person; at that moment they are instantaneously regenerated, converted, justified, and adopted. There is no space of time between these Divine actions. However, there is a logical order to them. Since the Bible teaches the unsaved are spiritually dead, then of necessity, regeneration precedes faith and repentance.

Someone might suggest, well – isn’t all this a little too much for the average Christian to comprehend, or expected to know? Or shouldn’t a study like this be confined to a seminary classroom, and not the local church? I would pushback against that mindset and insist, the deeper our understanding of theology, the higher our doxology. Or said another way, the more we know about God’s gracious plan of redemption, and the more fully the Chrisitan comprehends what all God has done (is doing, and will do) for them, the loftier our praise.

So, come join us this weekend and learn more about the Order of Salvation. At 7:00PM on Friday night, we will hear more about Election and Calling. On Saturday, at 10:00AM, we will consider Regeneration and Conversion. Saturday afternoon at 2:00PM we will hear sermons on Justification and Adoption. Then finally on Sunday, at 10:00AM, two speakers will address the subjects of Sanctification and Glorification.

Simply stated, this conference is intended to cause all men to marvel at God’s perfect plan of redemption and how He alone is author and finisher of the believer’s faith. When everything is said and done, salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, to the glory of God alone. Christians are Christians, only because God has graciously made them so. And there is a Divine order and Sovereign plan in this wonderful gift of salvation.

“Be a man son, and Preach”

“I want to come home,” the teenager desperately asserted to his father over the phone. With fatherly patience, the man replied, “I know son, but you’ve committed to being there all week, so you’ve got to stay.” With unsettled emotion in his voice the young man plead with his parent, “but dad – you don’t understand, I want to come home now!” Then with even more compassion in his voice the aged father replied, “I know you do son, but here is what I need you to do … be a man son, tough it out and preach.”

Little did he know, (excepting the normal niceties and goodbyes), these were the last words this teenager would ever hear his father say. While he was on his way home from the speaking engagement, the young man’s father unexpectedly passed away. Those final words, “be a man son, and preach” would resonate in the ears of this young evangelist for decades to come.

I share this story with you, as it was publicly shared from the man who lived it, H.B. Charles Jr. You see, HB (as he is affectionately called) was something of a preaching prodigy. He had surrendered to the call to preach as just a young teenager and began pastoring his first church at the age of 17. Growing up in church and with a father who was a preacher and pastor, the young man was well taught in Biblical matters. Very early, it became obvious the youth was remarkably gifted. Quickly he became a much-sought-after speaker at conferences, churches, and particularly at youth events all over the country.

Hence, HB was really no more than just an anxious homesick teenager who had been too far away from home for too long, when he plead with his father that night to let him come home early. Yet, God used the sage counsel of HB Charles Sr. to make a lasting impact on the life and ministry of his son HB Charles Jr. “Be a man son, and preach.”

Interestingly, this situation is actually very similar to one found in the Bible.

In fact, this must have been very much how young Timothy felt when he received his final letter from the Apostle Paul. Understand, the book we know of as 2^nd Timothy was the last epistle (letter) Paul was inspired to write. It was, his last will and testament, if you will. This correspondence was the final time the aged apostle would speak with his “son in the faith,” Timothy. As Paul was sitting in a Roman prison cell awaiting execution, he knew full well his days were numbered. Therefore, in his final words to Timothy, with both pastoral and parental pleadings, Paul urges Timothy – be a man son, and preach.

Throughout this letter, Paul implores young Timothy to press on in the faith. To  keep on keeping on, in spite of all opposition. The weathered missionary warns Timothy he can fully expect persecution, hostility, and resistance. Paul, with apostolic authority, had left Timothy to serve as pastor of the church at Ephesus. And like all other churches, this congregation was a mess. Paul’s counsel to Timothy is man-up, tough it out and preach the Word. He encourages his young ministerial protégé not to turn to earthly ideas or the vain philosophy of men to empower his ministry or change the church; but to fully rely on the Word and Spirit of God to do what men cannot.

Note Paul’s inspired counsel from 2 Timothy 3:14-17; “But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”

Paul wanted Timothy to rely on the Inspired, Inerrant, and all-Sufficient Scripture to save sinners and sanctify saints. The sacred writings, Paul says, can make one wise unto salvation. The Bible, both the Old and New Testaments point lost sinners to the redemptive work of the Messiah. It is by faith in Christ alone that individuals come to a saving relationship with God. Paul knew this. Paul had lived this. Hence, Paul wanted Timothy to preach this. All Scripture, Paul affirms, is breathed-out by God and is profitable – for doctrine, reproof, correction, and training in righteousness. Or simply stated, God’s Word tells us what is right, what is wrong, how to get right and how to stay right.

Folks, there is no other book like the Bible. No other writing can do what the Bible can do or can rightly claim to be the revelation of God Himself. The Apostle writes to Timothy and asserts; the Word of God can save, sanctify, sustain and supply not just your need, but the need of everyone to whom you minister. Oh, how I wish Evangelicalism shared that same belief and conviction today! How quickly, and foolishly do men turn to worldly means to try and accomplish spiritual feats! To be sure, the Apostle would angrily reject the pulpit pragmatists and games and gimmicks gospel efforts so readily employed by immature Evangelicals today. Paul believed, as every Christian should – the Word is sufficient.

After placing the weight of eternity and final judgment on Timothy’s young shoulders, Paul gives this emphatic command – “Preach the Word” (2 Timothy 4:1-2). Timothy, Paul would say, “let others do what they’re going to do … but as for you, preach the Word.” What the people of God need more than anything else is the Word of God. What this world needs more than anything else, is the Word of God! What their culture and the early churches needed, is the same thing every congregation and civilization needs; and that is to hear Scripture clearly explained, expounded, and applied. This was Timothy’s primary duty as pastor and Paul’s primary charge to him. Therefore, his dying declaration is a clarion call to pulpit faithfulness.

The final words of his father in the faith must have echoed in Timothy’s mind throughout his life and ministry. Just as the final words of HB’s father had a lasting impact on him. I can tell you this, these real-life stories, and the encouraging exhortations from them, have helped me press on, when I just wanted to quit and go home.

So, preacher friends – be a man, tough it out and preach. As HB often says; “the Word works, it just doesn’t always work on our timetable!”

(On a personal note: HB has been a ministerial mentor for me and many others … without even knowing it … and I am thankful for his faithful ministry … and him sharing this private story with the world.)
If you’d like to hear one of the most powerful sermons I have ever heard in person … click on the link below.

https://youtu.be/8TkCZWcoJzM?si=jQ08lnKVRgUOGUka

The Gospel is for Everyone

Allow me to begin with a simple truth; the Bible is an amazing book. The more someone honestly and humbly studies Scripture, the more amazed they will become at the beauty, transcendence, and excellence of God’s Word. Frankly, there is no book like the Bible. The providential wisdom of the Holy Spirit’s work of governing men not only to write what they did, but to also arrange their writings in the deliberate manner in which they did – is simply beyond human comprehension or explanation. As our church continues to work our way sequentially through entire books of the Bible, we are learning afresh just how magnificently the inspired authors tied thoughts and ideas together in a way that is above and beyond any intellectual work of men. The Scriptures are inarguably of Divine origin.

Case in point, it was not until we began a verse-by-verse exposition of John’s Gospel that it became abundantly clear, the Apostle’s writings are not just skillfully structured, they are Holy Spirit situated in order to drive home eternal truths. Allow me to give you just one example of what I mean.

In John chapter three we are introduced to Nicodemus, a religious leader of the Jewish Sanhedrin. In John chapter four we are told about a woman that Jesus encountered at Jacob’s well. To put it mildly, these two individuals are about as different as different can be.

Nicodemus was a well-respected, religious male Jew. The unnamed woman at the well was a social outcast and was considered by the Jews of her day to be of impure blood; a “half-bred” as it were, because her family lineage was a mix of Jew and Gentile. Nicodemus hailed from the city of Jerusalem, educated in the law of Moses and by every outward standard, a very moral man. The woman at the well was an uneducated, immoral, five-time divorced female from Samaria, shunned by society because she was living with a man outside the covenant of marriage.

As if these comparisons are not obvious enough, consider this; in John chapter three Nicodemus came to find Jesus. In John chapter four, Jesus came to find this woman (John 4:4). Nicodemus, for whatever reason, came late at night under the cover of darkness to seek out Jesus, in contrast to Jesus who came to the woman at the well in the middle of the day. Then finally, we see that Nicodemus came to ask Jesus questions, but Jesus came to Jacob’s well to ask this woman questions.

Take note dear friends, these two stories are not told back-to-back simply by random coincidence. Instead, this is by Divine design. What John and Jesus and the Holy Spirit would have us learn by these two contrasting real-life narratives is this – Jesus and His Gospel is for everyone. These stories are purposefully arranged to make every reader aware; that no matter who you are, where you are from, how religious you are, how immoral you are, or whether you are looking for answers or looking to be left alone … you need Christ.

Both Nicodemus and this woman at the well, with all their differences, shared the same need – they both needed Jesus and His Gospel. Please hear me dear friend, regardless of whether you are educated or uneducated, male or female, Jew or Gentile – you need Jesus. Whether you are rich or poor, shunned by society or high-society, you need Christ. The Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ is for religious people and irreligious people. The reconciling work of Christ is Good News for every person on the planet no matter who they are or what they have done. This is exactly why the Holy Spirit inspired John to record both these stories and strategically arrange them in the way he did.

Can you not see the unparalleled wisdom of God in teaching deep eternal spiritual truths in the simplest of ways? By paralleling these two very different events of these two very different individuals, we learn one all-important truth – all people everywhere need Jesus. Nicodemus needed to be born-again, so do we. This woman at the well needed soul-satisfying Living Water, so do we. Whether you are someone like this religious man, or someone like this Samaritan woman, we are all looking for satisfaction and fulfillment that in truth, only God can provide. Trust in Him.

As I said in the beginning, the Bible truly is an amazing book.

Read it, learn it, believe it, love it, live it and share it.

Because Jesus and His Gospel is for everyone.

Who is Jesus? – Part Four

Who is Jesus, according to Jesus? Or asked another way, what does Jesus have to say about Himself? I would like us to consider those questions today. Let me remind you, when asking and answering, “who is Jesus?” we have been limiting ourselves to the first chapter of John’s Gospel. So far, we have noted what John the Apostle explained, what John the Baptist proclaimed, and what the first followers of Christ declared about Jesus. In this last article in our series, I would like to us to think on the claims Jesus made of Himself. While still limiting the scope of our inquiry to John’s opening chapter.

In John 1:51 we read these words, “Most assuredly, I say to you, hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.” Candidly, many of us reading that statement do not fully appreciate what Jesus is saying about Himself. Further still, that claim is a little foreign to most of us, and the reference is likely unfamiliar. Therefore, let me give some background information to what Jesus is saying.

All the way back in Genesis chapter 28, we are told about a man named Jacob and a unique dream he had. In this dream, God spoke to Jacob and renewed several covenant commitments made with his grandfather Abraham and his father Isaac. This is the same Jacob who’s named would be changed to Israel, and father 12 sons who would become the 12 tribes of Israel. But years before the birth of his many children, God gave Jacob a night-time glimpse into glory. He dreamed about a ladder that stretched all the way from heaven down to earth. On this ladder, he could see angels ascending and descending between the heavenly realm and earthly. At the top of the ladder Jacob saw the LORD.

When Jacob woke from his dream, he said “Surely Yahweh (the LORD) is in this place. This is the very house of God and the gate of heaven.” So Jacob named that place Bethel, which means – house or dwelling place of God (Genesis 28:16-17).

So, if we go back to John chapter one and the statement that Jesus made, we can discern several claims Jesus is making about Himself. Remember, Jesus told those first followers, “you will see heaven open and the angels ascending and descending on the Son of man.” Make no mistake, those Jews who heard Jesus say this would have instantly connected His claim to that Old Testament event. We may not immediately see that parallel, but those Israelites who heard Jesus that day, absolutely would have. By saying what He did, Jesus is definitively claiming to be the true fulfillment of what Jacob saw hundreds of years earlier.

Hence, the first truth we learn about who Jesus is, from Jesus; is that He is claiming deity. Let me say that again, Christ is claiming to be God. Remember, Jacob said, “surely Yahweh (the LORD) is in this place.” Jesus is telling His hearers; God is in this place – and I AM Him. This is no minor assertion friends. Both the original hearers and us readers are forced to decide whether we are going to believe this claim Jesus is making. Either they (and we) take Jesus at His word, and believe He is Yahweh God incarnate, or we reject this claim and consider Christ a liar and a fraud.

Secondly, Jesus is not only saying He is God, but that in His flesh, He is the dwelling place of God. Let me remind you, Jacob named that place Bethel, which means House of God. Folks, much could be said this time of year about the Christmas Holiday, but this much must be clear – Jesus is Emmanuel, or God with us. Jesus is God robed (housed) in human flesh.

Next, from this ancient vision given to the patriarch we learn; Jesus is the only way to enter heaven. Did you notice, Jacob in his dream said this was the very “gate of heaven.” Regardless of what our pluralistic society teaches us, there are not many ways to heaven, there is only One. Jesus is THE way, THE truth, and THE life; and no one comes to the Father, but by Him (John 14:6). Jesus is not a way, or one of many ways, but He is the only way. Or as Jacob dreamed and Jesus claimed, Christ alone is THE gate of heaven.

Finally, from that Old Testament reference one last truth about who Jesus is can be learned. Let me remind you, in his dream, Jacob saw a ladder that stretched from heaven to earth. By stating this ancient vision was fulfilled in Him, Jesus is declaring that He is the ladder that extends from the heavenly realm down to earth. Think on that dear reader. Jesus is using vivid imagery to make clear what He was doing by condescending to this earth. He came to span the gap between holy God and fallen men. Or, simply stated Jesus is God come down to men and only He can bring men back to God. You can’t get to God without coming to Christ.

In closing, if you want to know who Jesus is, I encourage you to read the first chapter of John. Many people had much to say about who He is and was … including Jesus Himself.

Do you know Him?