Ordo Salutis: The Order of Salvation
The order of salvation is not academic. It is the architecture of grace.
What is the Sequence of Salvation?
Most Christians know they are saved, but few can explain how.
That is not a minor gap. It is the difference between a faith that holds under theological pressure and one that collapses the moment someone asks a hard question.
The Ordo Salutis; a Latin term meaning “Order of Salvation,” is the Reformed answer to the question every believer should be able to answer: what exactly did God do, and in what order, to bring a dead sinner to life?
As Ligonier Ministries summarizes: “God calls us, produces regeneration in us, so that we respond with repentance, faith, and obedience.”
Romans 8:29-30 is the foundational text:
Romans 8:29-30 – “For those whom He foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, in order that He might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom He predestined He also called, and those whom He called He also justified, and those whom He justified He also glorified.”
This is what Reformed theologians call the Golden Chain of Salvation; an unbreakable sequence in which no one falls out.
Summary: What is the Sequence of Salvation?
The Ordo Salutis (Order of Salvation) explains exactly what God did, and in what order, to save His elect.
Election - God chose specific individuals before creation
Universal Call - Gospel proclaimed to all
Effectual Call - Spirit’s irresistible work in the elect
Regeneration - God gives spiritual life before faith
Conversion - Faith and repentance as response to regeneration
Justification - God declares the sinner righteous instantly
Adoption - Entrance into God’s family as heirs
Sanctification - Progressive transformation into Christlikeness
Perseverance - God preserves true believers to the end
Glorification - Final resurrection and eradication of sin
Timing: Election in eternity past. External call whenever gospel is preached. Upon the Effectual call, regeneration, conversion, justification, and adoption are instantaneous in salvation. Sanctification and perseverance span the Christian life. Glorification is at resurrection.
The Unbreakable Chain: Romans 8:29-30 guarantees no one falls out. All foreknown are predestined, called, justified, and glorified. The God who chose you before time will certainly glorify you.
The 10 Pillars of the Order of Salvation
1: Election
God’s Eternal Choice Before Creation
Before time began, God chose specific individuals for salvation.
This was not based on foreseen faith or merit; it was based solely on God’s sovereign good pleasure.
Election is the fountain from which every other saving benefit flows.
Key Verses:
Ephesians 1:4-5 – “Even as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us for adoption to Himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of His will.”
2 Thessalonians 2:13 – “God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth.”
2: The Universal Call
The Gospel Proclaimed to All
God commands the gospel to be preached to all people everywhere.
This outward call goes to the elect and non-elect alike.
It is the means God uses to bring His elect to salvation.
Key Verse:
Romans 10:14 – “How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in Him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?”
Matthew 28:19 – “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations.”
3: Effectual Call
The Spirit’s Sovereign Work in the Elect
The universal call goes to all; the effectual call goes only to the elect.
The Holy Spirit works sovereignly in the heart of the elect, making this gospel call irresistible.
God opens the heart; the person willingly responds.
This is not coercion; it is transformation. God changes what the sinner wants.
Key Verses:
Acts 16:14 – “The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul.”
John 6:44 – “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him.”
Romans 8:30 – “And those whom He predestined He also called.”
4: Regeneration
The New Birth Precedes Faith
God imparts spiritual life to the dead sinner before and in order that they might believe.
You do not believe in order to be born again; you are born again in order to believe.
A dead man cannot respond until he is first made alive.
John MacArthur consistently teaches that regeneration is the sovereign work of the Spirit that enables and produces saving faith.
Key Verses:
John 3:3 – “Jesus answered him, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.’”
Ephesians 2:1, 5 – “And you were dead in the trespasses and sins... even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ.”
Ezekiel 36:26 – “And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you.”
1 John 5:1 – “Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God.”
5: Conversion (Faith and Repentance)
The Sinner’s Response Enabled by Grace
Regeneration produces conversion.
Conversion has two inseparable elements: faith and repentance.
They cannot be separated; genuine faith always includes repentance and genuine repentance always produces faith.
Faith is not merely intellectual assent but fiducia; personal trust and commitment to Christ as both Savior and Lord.
Repentance is a radical change of mind about sin, self, and the Savior; turning from sin and turning to Christ.
This is where the Lordship Salvation position flows directly from the Reformed Ordo Salutis. If God regenerates and produces genuine faith, that faith will include submission to Christ’s Lordship.
Key Verses:
Ephesians 2:8-9 – “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”
Mark 1:15 – “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”
Acts 20:21 – “Testifying both to Jews and to Greeks of repentance toward God and of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Acts 3:19 – “Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out.”
John 6:37 – “All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.”
6: Justification
God’s Legal Declaration of Righteousness
Justification is a forensic (legal) act of God.
God declares the sinner righteous on the basis of Christ’s imputed righteousness.
It is not infused righteousness (Rome’s view) but imputed righteousness; Christ’s perfect obedience credited to the believer’s account.
It is instantaneous and complete; not a process but a declaration.
R.C. Sproul emphasized that justification is the article upon which the church stands or falls.
Key Verses:
Romans 5:1 – “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Romans 4:5 – “And to the one who does not work but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness.”
2 Corinthians 5:21 – “For our sake He made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.”
Romans 3:24 – “And are justified by His grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.”
7: Adoption
Entrance Into God’s Family
Justification removes guilt; adoption confers privilege.
God not only declares the sinner not guilty; He receives him as a beloved child and heir.
Adoption flows immediately from justification; all who are justified are simultaneously adopted.
Key Verses:
Romans 8:15-17 – “For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’ The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs; heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ.”
John 1:12 – “But to all who did receive Him, who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God.”
Galatians 4:4-5 – “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.”
8: Sanctification
Progressive Transformation Into Christlikeness
Sanctification is the lifelong process of becoming what we already are in Christ.
It has two aspects:
Definitive Sanctification: The believer is set apart to God at conversion; positionally holy in Christ.
Progressive Sanctification: The believer grows in practical holiness through the Spirit’s ongoing work; increasingly conformed to Christ’s image.
This is where Reformed theology connects directly to Lordship Salvation. True believers will show progressive fruit. The absence of any fruit over a lifetime raises serious questions about the genuineness of conversion.
MacArthur and Sproul both taught that while no believer is perfect, every genuine believer is progressing.
Key Verses:
Philippians 2:12-13 – “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.”
2 Corinthians 3:18 – “And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another.”
1 Thessalonians 4:3 – “For this is the will of God, your sanctification.”
Hebrews 12:14 – “Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.”
9: Perseverance
Preservation by God Through Faith
All who are truly regenerated will persevere to the end.
This is not merely eternal security (you won’t lose your salvation); it is perseverance (you will continue in faith).
God preserves His elect through means; Word, prayer, fellowship, and the ongoing work of the Spirit.
Those who permanently fall away prove they were never genuinely regenerated.
Key Verses:
John 10:28-29 – “I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.”
Philippians 1:6 – “And I am sure of this, that He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”
1 John 2:19 – “They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us.”
Jude 24 – “Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of His glory with great joy.”
10: Glorification
The Final and Complete Salvation
Glorification is the consummation of salvation.
At Christ’s return, the bodies of the elect will be resurrected and transformed; sin will be completely and finally eradicated.
The believer will be fully and permanently conformed to the image of Christ.
This is the only step that is entirely future; it has not yet been experienced.
Key Verses:
Romans 8:30 – “And those whom He justified He also glorified.”
Philippians 3:20-21 – “But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like His glorious body.”
1 John 3:2 – “Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when He appears we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him as He is.”
Romans 8:18 – “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.”
The Timing of Ordo Salutis
The order of salvation unfolds across eternity and time with divine precision.
Election occurred before the foundation of the world.
Ephesians 1:4 declares, “He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him.”
God sovereignly chose His elect in eternity past, not based on foreseen faith or works, but according to His own purpose and grace.
The external call happens whenever and wherever the Gospel is proclaimed. This general call goes out to all who hear, whether elect or not. Most reject it.
The effectual call occurs on God’s sovereign timetable in the life of the elect. This irresistible internal call cannot be thwarted.
2 Timothy 1:9 affirms God “saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of His own purpose and grace, which He gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began.”
Regeneration is instantaneous, occurring at the moment of effectual calling. God births the spiritually dead soul to life.
John 3:8 says, “The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
Conversion—comprising both faith and repentance—immediately follows regeneration. The regenerated heart responds in faith and repentance. You cannot believe until you are born again.
Ephesians 2:8-9 – "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast."
Acts 11:18 – "When they heard these things they fell silent. And they glorified God, saying, 'Then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance that leads to life.'"
Justification occurs simultaneously with faith. The moment you believe, God declares you righteous.
Romans 5:1 proclaims, “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Adoption happens concurrently with justification.
Galatians 3:26 states, “For in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith.”
Sanctification begins immediately at conversion and continues progressively throughout the Christian life.
Philippians 1:6 promises, “He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”
Perseverance spans the entire Christian life. True believers endure to the end because God preserves them.
1 Peter 1:5 assures us we “are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”
Glorification awaits either death or Christ’s return.
Romans 8:30 declares, “Those whom He justified He also glorified.” The verb tense indicates certainty—it’s so sure that Scripture speaks of future glorification in past tense.
This sequence reveals salvation as entirely God’s work from eternity past through eternity future.
We contribute nothing. He accomplishes everything.
The Unbreakable Chain
The Golden Chain of Romans 8:29-30 is the foundation of Reformed assurance.
Everyone in the chain stays in the chain.
All the foreknown are predestined. All the predestined are called. All the called are justified. All the justified are glorified.
Not one is lost between election and glorification.
This is the pastoral power of the Ordo Salutis.
It is not an academic exercise.
It is the assurance that the God who chose you before time, called you in time, regenerated you, justified you, and is sanctifying you; will most certainly glorify you.
As Philippians 1:6 declares: “And I am sure of this, that He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”
To His Glory,
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Perfect! Dead men can’t make themselves undead.
The written law is no longer the law as the Holy Spirit places that law on your heart.
You can do whatever you want which is only to please God. Something freewill types don’t understand.
Freewill types are bonded to written law making them slaves to it. Because if you can choose then you can loose so works of all sorts required.
The Amish and mendonites are the perfect example.