The Completion of Salvation

Deep Dive into Christian Theology by Millard J. Erickson - The Completion of SalvationThe completion of Christian salvation is understood through two key doctrines: perseverance and glorification. Perseverance addresses whether a genuinely saved believer will remain in faith throughout their life, emphasizing God's enabling power and the believer's active demonstration of Christ-likeness. This doctrine is crucial for a believer's security and motivation.The Calvinist view on perseverance asserts that true believers cannot totally or finally fall away from grace and are eternally secure, supported by biblical promises of indestructible salvation, God's persistent love, and Christ's direct assurances that His sheep will never perish. Conversely, the Arminian view contends that falling away from faith is possible, citing numerous biblical warnings against apostasy and exhortations to continue in faith, along with biblical and experiential examples of individuals who appeared to have lost their salvation. They also emphasize the concept of human freedom.A proposed resolution suggests that while genuine believers logically can fall away, God's grace ensures they will not. The warnings and commands in Scripture are viewed as the very means God uses to ensure perseverance, motivating believers to remain committed without removing their freedom. Alleged cases of apostasy are often reinterpreted as temporary backsliding or individuals who were never truly regenerate. This perspective provides assurance of permanent salvation while still encouraging active faith.Glorification is the final stage of salvation, representing the perfecting of the Christian life where all limitations are removed. It is multidimensional, encompassing the perfecting of the believer's spiritual nature (moral flawlessness, fullness of knowledge), the transformation of their physical bodies at the resurrection to be like Christ's glorious body (incorruptible, powerful, spiritual), and the renewal of the entire creation into a new heaven and new earth. Glorification offers profound hope, encouragement, and joy, promising complete perfection and an end to all suffering in an eternal, divinely glorious environment.Reformed Theologian GPT: https://chat.openai.com/g/g-XXwzX1gnv-reformed-theologianhttps://buymeacoffee.com/edi2730