The Beginning of Salvation: Subjective Aspects

Deep Dive into Christian Theology by Millard J. Erickson - The Beginning of Salvation: Subjective AspectsThe beginning of Christian salvation involves three interconnected steps: effectual calling, conversion, and regeneration. These are subjective aspects, focusing on an individual's inward spiritual transformation.Effectual calling is God's initial, special, and effective work with the elect. Because human nature is spiritually dead and unable to believe on its own, God intervenes through the Holy Spirit's illumination and conviction, enabling and ensuring a positive response of repentance and faith. This divine initiative makes conversion both possible and certain.Conversion is the human response to this effectual calling, marking the first step of the Christian life. It's a single act with two inseparable aspects: repentance and faith. Repentance is the negative aspect, signifying a turning away from sin rooted in godly sorrow for offending God, accompanied by a genuine desire to abandon that sin. It's a prerequisite for salvation and argues against "cheap grace". Faith is the positive aspect, laying hold of Christ's promises and work. It involves both "believing that" (intellectual assent to truths about God) and "believing in" (personal trust and commitment to Christ). Both repentance and faith, though humanly exercised, are ultimately gifts from God, enabled by the Holy Spirit and the Father's drawing.Regeneration is "completely God's doing," the "other side of conversion". It is God's instantaneous, supernatural transformation of believers, giving them new spiritual vitality and direction when they accept Christ. It represents a complete reversal of natural sinful tendencies and a restoration of human nature to its original intended state. While instantaneous, it is the beginning of a lifelong process of spiritual growth called sanctification.The logical order is effectual calling, then conversion, and then regeneration. While conversion and regeneration occur simultaneously in time, God's effectual calling enables the human response of repentance and faith, and as a result of this conversion, God then regenerates the individual. This sequence resolves the theological debate by showing that God's prior work makes the human response certain, leading to new life.Reformed Theologian GPT: https://chat.openai.com/g/g-XXwzX1gnv-reformed-theologianhttps://buymeacoffee.com/edi2730