Dear Neighbor,
Do you have the mind of Christ? The mind of Christ is the Spirit of God. All the things of God are revealed to us through the Spirit. Jesus said that after his departure, the Father will send the Holy Spirit in his name. The disciples knew Jesus as teacher and Lord but he told them that the Holy Spirit would now be their teacher. “He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.” (Jn. 14:26) The human mind is forgetful but the mind of God (the Holy Spirit) is not forgetful. Who can instruct God? (2 Cor 2:16)
Men teach things kind of strange. One thing that men teach is something called the Ordo Salutis. It is a latin term that means “Order of salvation.” The Ordo Salutis is a technical term intended to designate the consecutive steps in the work of the Holy Spirit in the salvation of a human being. The way that our minds work, we think in time; therefore our thought pattern is linear. When we study something like the salvation of a human being we study them as steps on a time line. If you were to type “Ordo Salutis” in an internet search engine, you will find pictures of steps in salvation or a time line with different periods occurring along the way. It is this thinking in terms of steps or in time that I believe is the problem, and the reason that theologians disagree. They primarily disagree on order. However, while the salvation of a human being appears to occur in time, it is not linear, because God exist in eternity. I think it better to think of salvation in terms of a compound, rather than a timeline.
There are five elements that are always present in the life of a saved person and I think it is wrong to try and put them in order, but I can do no other than put them in a list because I write in time. All saved persons: Repent of their sins, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, confess Christ in the world, are regenerated by the Holy Spirit, and are baptized members of the church.
Regarding baptism, there is debate in four areas: To baptize or not to baptize, who should be baptized, when to baptize and the mode of baptism. It is my belief that thinking in terms of order regarding salvation causes the debate regarding baptism. Baptism is not separate from salvation nor is it the cause of salvation. Saved persons are baptized persons; Therefore, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself.” (Acts 2:38-39)
Your Servant for Jesus’ Sake
