Salvation—Two Kinds, Everlasting and Temporal
- Everlasting Salvation. We most often think of this when we see the word in the Scriptures. The verb is saved. This is salvation from the second death, God’s judgment for sin, or salvation from hell (Luke 1.77; John 3.17; Acts 16.31; Ephesians 2.8-9; Titus 3.5).
- Temporal Salvation. We often pray for and see this happen throughout life. This is salvation or deliverance from danger, pressure, people, and the results of sin (Acts 27.20, 31; 1 Corinthians 15.2; James 1:21; 2:14; Luke 1:70-71; Moses wrote of this in Exodus 15:2).
Salvation—Three Tenses, Past, Present, Future
- Past Salvation is from the penalty of sin. This occurred at the moment one believed in Jesus Christ for forgiveness and eternal life (Acts 16:30-31; 1 Corinthians 15:1; Ephesians 2:5-8).
- Present Salvation is from the power of sin. It is a day to day reality for believers who live by faith, by the Word of God, and by the Holy Spirit (Romans 6:14; 7:23-25; 8:2; 1 Corinthians 15:2).
- Future Salvation is when believers are with the Lord and in their resurrection bodies. They shall be saved from the results and presence of sin (Romans 13:11; 1 Corinthians 15:51-57; Philippians 3:20-21; 1 John 3:2; 1 Peter 1.5).
Salvation Unity—Justification, Sanctification, Glorification
- Justification salvation means that God declares the believer in Jesus Christ righteous and qualified for heaven. It occurs at the point of faith in Jesus Christ (Romans 3:24, 5:1; Titus 3:4-7).
- Sanctification salvation means that the believer is set apart for God’s priestly service. The three stages are positional (1 Corinthians 1:2; Acts 26:18), progressive (John 17.17), and ultimate (Philippians 3:21). The Christian life is progressive sanctification.
- Glorification salvation means that the believer will have a glorified resurrection body and share the glories of heaven in the future. In God’s mind it has already happened (Romans 8.30; Ephesians 2:5-6; Philippians 3:21).