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Salvation

This is the fifth post in a series going through the book, "By Faith, Not By Sight." Find previous posts at the links below:
#1 (Intro)  #2  #3  #4

Have you ever thought about salvation, the work of Jesus as being accomplished and being applied? Another wordy way of putting it; all of what Jesus did in history; being born of a virgin, living a sinless, perfect life in complete obedience to His Father, being crucified, dying and receiving the Father's wrath earned by taking into Himself the sin saved sinners, being raised from the dead and ascending to the right hand of His Father in heaven; all of that actually happening on the timeline of history and it being applied to you at the moment of conversion; salvation accomplished by Jesus and applied to you. This is referred to in Dr. Gaffin's book in a nifty shorthand way as historia salutis (salvation accomplished in history) and ordo salutis (salvation applied to the believer). If you haven't heard of these terms or thought about salvation in these categories, you just did and I think it will prove helpful as we move forward (unless you quit reading).

In the previous two posts we saw how the New Perspective on Paul people (say that out loud and over-pronounce the "p's", it's kind of fun, but back away from the computer screen or have tissue at-the-ready) want to say that Paul didn't write about how individuals receive salvation or at least not in the way many Reformed and Confessional Christians do today. Dr. Gaffin will make the point that Paul most certainly does think this way...but how? Is NT Wright correct in how he understands Paul's use of the word justification? If not, what place does God's declaration of a sinner being justified have? In salvation accomplished by Jesus? In salvation applied to a saved sinner? These are the questions that occupied Dr. Gaffin as he wrote his book and they are the questions that will occupy us.

I know we are doing a good bit of introductory stuff, (we aren't past page 4 of "By Faith, Not By Sight"!). This is because I am writing this blog series assuming this issue and everything related is absolutely brand new to the reader. So if you are a weathered theological veteran, I won't blame if you want to move on (and would be grateful for any constructive criticism you can send me way).

For the rest of us; two more books that Dr. Gaffin recommends as he, and we move forward, I linked for you here and here. Great, great, great resources and both profoundly relevant to what we are thinking about together.

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