Now again, for those on the tapes
and the CDs, we're having the second part of our study on the
ordo salutis, or the order of salvation. We're reading Romans
8 and verse 30. We see it lined up here, how
God works and how God ordains one thing and then another. Notice the verse, please. Moreover,
whom he did predestinate he also called, and whom he called them
he also justified, and whom he justified them he also glorified. Now, let's go back and first
of all state our premise and subject in our study. Our premise is, our study concerns
the fact, number one, and number two, that the application of
salvation proceeds according to a divine order. Not just a divine order, but
also a certain order is followed as God makes application of the
great salvation. That there are discernible and
clearly distinguishable works that make up the totality or
the whole work that we call salvation or the work of God. So much so,
I believe, that they are actually capable of being considered individually. Each and every one of them are
capable of having an individual study up on them. So let us say
it like this, and that is that the Scripture describes the so
great salvation from two standpoints are from two aspects. First of all, we recognize that
Scripture speaks of it as all-comprehensive. That is, in its fullness and
in its totality. By the use of such all-inclusive
terms and words as salvation, as saved, redeemed, or delivered. These may at times be used to
denote the entire process of our so great salvation and of
the saving work of God, covering all things from regeneration
to glorification. But then, B, let us also focus
in and recognize that it uses also less inclusive terms, terms
and words such as regeneration, calling, conversion, justification,
sanctification, perseverance, and of course, glorification. Even though each one of these
is related to and closely connected to all of the others, yet are
they not one and the same thing per se. Each one must be experienced
in their proper order. Each one must be experienced
as a part of the whole. Each one of them has its function. Each one of them has its meaning
in regard to overall salvation. And so, as one said, take taste
in a certain order. They occur in an orderly fashion
as God is applying them unto the elect. And this is according
to the divine wisdom of the Almighty God. So, with that in mind, let's
make a few general statements there. We move along. Regeneration
precedes conversion. It goes before conversion. We'll see that it is the ground. Faith precedes repentance. Conversion
precedes the experience or knowledge of justification, though they
are reversed in fact. Justification precedes sanctification. A man or a woman must feel themselves
justified in order to properly sanctify themselves before the
Lord, and sanctification precedes or at least is part and partial
of perseverance, the perseverance of the saints, and perseverance
precedes glorification, which is the crowning jewel in the
great salvation. And the order must not be reversed,
for people, I believe, can do themselves much harm by confusing
or by reversing these various works of God and not putting
them in their proper order. I'll give you an example, an
example from Pentecost and Pentecostalism and the higher lifers and such
like, who seem to put sanctification in the place or the stead of
justification. In other words, they seek to
be justified by their sanctification. They seem to try to sanctify
themselves into justification. But true sanctification grows
out of the knowledge and the assurance that one is justified
in the sight of God, that our sins are put away, they are remembered
against us no more, and that righteousness is imputed unto
them who are believers. Now, in part one of our study,
we contended that regeneration is the opening or the beginning
work of God as he begins to apply salvation, as far as the internal
work of God in the elect is concerned. And that for two reasons we mentioned. Number one, because of man's
state by nature, what he is. dead in trespasses and in sin. And secondly, because election,
predestination, adoption are subjectively realized as the
fruits of regeneration, effectual calling, justification, conversion
through the agency of Christ's atoning death. For Christ's death
is the thing that ties together those things ordained before
the world and worked in us in time. But the work is not finished,
nor does it cease with regeneration. This is not something that God
does and no more, or goes no further, or carries no further
along. This is but the first great part
of the work of God in the application of redemption. Conversion is
to follow. Conversion follows upon regeneration. In fact, we can divide the subjective
experience of the elect sinner into two headings were we to
desire. Number one, regeneration. Number
two, conversion. And under these come those things
that God works in us. But these are the two outstanding
experiences of all of the elect in their being saved by the eternal
God. They each bear their respective
fruits in the elect. Plus, they have a definite order.
and they have a definite order and bear their respective fruits
because of that order. And that is, regeneration is
the only proper ground of conversion, it's impossible to convert an
unregenerate man. We could say regeneration is
the cause, conversion is the effect or is the fruit. There are some profitable comparisons
that we might make between these two great works of God, regeneration
and conversion. Here are a few quickly and then
we go on our way. Number one, regeneration is the
impartation of new and spiritual life. Conversion is the bringing
forth or the calling forth or the issuing forth in the experience
of that life. Number two, regeneration is the
forerunner and conversion follows as a fruit of that. Number three,
regeneration is a sovereign, independent work of the Holy
Spirit. while conversion is by the work
of the Spirit, by the word of the gospel and the word of truth. Number four, regeneration occurs
in the subconscious. One is not one is not cognizant
of the fact when they are first regenerated. But conversion is
a conscious turning unto God in belief and in faith. Number five, in regeneration,
therefore, the sinner is passive. He does nothing to set in motion
his regeneration. But in conversion, and divine
calling, he then acts and reacts under the influence of the Spirit
of Truth and the Word of God. 6. Regeneration is that that
gives rise unto faith, and conversion draws it forth that it might
spy out that it might espouse the Lord Jesus Christ. 7. Regeneration is an instantaneous
act of God or work of God, and conversion is more of a process. 8. Regeneration is a part from
means. It is a direct work of God, directly
worked by the Holy Spirit in the elect center, while conversion
is by what we call means. That is, it is by and through
the hearing of the preaching of the Word of God, the hearing
of God's Word, being convicted by that Word, being illuminated
by the Spirit of God so that one believes that Word and believes
in the Lord Jesus Christ. So with that in behind us, Let
us consider two illustrations or examples. Pardon me if I repeat
something from an earlier study. Number one is the case again
of the world created in Genesis chapter one. God created the
heavens and the earth directly. At first and for some time, it
was without form and void, It was unenergized. It was not yet
ready for the habitation of man or of vegetation. Still unformed
and unshaped. And then the Spirit moved. I think the Hebrew word is brooded. The Holy Spirit brooded upon
it and God formed it in all of its part. And He caused it to
pass into another phase and caused it to be habitable to man and
to bring forth its fruit. Secondly, I'd like to refer briefly
to the case of Lazarus. Dead, buried, and on the fourth
day. And our Lord bringing him from
the grave. Surely, there were two stages
in the resurrection of Lazarus. One, of course, was his being
restored to life. And the second was him responding
to the call of God to come forth out of the grave, giving life
and then stirring it forth into activity. His resurrection, then
the activity of that life. The second, the result of the
first, or we might say He was quickened, He was made alive,
and God called Him out of that grave and out of the place of
death. Now, in working toward the further
order, let us, if we might, use two heads or divisions in order
to try to determine what it is that belongs to each one of them. Again, let me speak of regeneration. This work in time at God's pleasure,
as we have said, begins to manifest itself. It is out of the new
disposition and life that God has implanted that faith arises
that faith comes into or has its being. However, true saving
faith is probably preceded by such things as the beginning
of illumination. Picture a light, dim, brighter,
brighter, brighter, and then glowing. The consciousness comes
then to us that we become aware that we are a sinner and are
sinful in the sight of God. Out of that begins to come a
conviction that one is a sinner. And along with that comes a fear
of judgment at the hands of God, or punishment, an unsettled mind
then begins to trouble us perhaps for a time in our life. Maybe we will be gripped by the
thought and the fear of our death and falling into the hands of
the living God. Secondly, there is that work
of conversion. This work includes repentance
and faith. turning from sin, turning unto
God and unto Christ, believing on Christ to the saving of our
soul, espousing Christ as He is, presented unto us and held
forth unto us in the glorious gospel. Then conversion issues
into a subjective justification. That is, we come to believe that
we are justified through the blood and death of our Lord and
Savior Jesus Christ. What it is, we come to the knowledge
of it by and through faith and the gospel. And then B, there
is a lifetime practice of sanctification. Under this we might list the
mortification of sin, as Paul calls it. C, there is perseverance. the perseverance of the saint,
the following of the Lord, a practice of serving God, growing in grace,
and following after His way. And finally, there comes or will
come glorification, perhaps out of death. These things follow
and are fruits of conversion which itself is a fruit of regeneration. Now let us go back and consider
one aspect that we have not mentioned so far in our study. That is effectual calling. the effectual call of God. Now, where do we place this effectual
call in the order of salvation? Does it belong to or is it even
a part of regeneration, as some theologians could say, or is
it a part? And does it belong to a part
of conversion, or is it what brings the two together? Having been regenerated, then
effectually called, conversion therefore being the result. Now that God effectually calls,
is a truth set out for us in the scripture, that God calls
some and they come. Let's put those two things together.
God calls some and they come. is a frequent message of the
Scripture. All that the Lord giveth me shall
come to me, said our blessed Lord. That none come apart from
an effectual call is also the truth of the Scripture. No man
can come to me except it be given unto him of my Father." Thus
our Christian experience is expressed sometimes by calling in the Scripture. Ye are the called of Jesus Christ. Being called. In the Scripture
we are called the called. Those who are the called according
unto His purpose. Thus, this becomes the second
great necessity. Not only must God regenerate,
not only must He birth us again, not only must He quicken us,
not only must He make us alive, but God must also effectually
call us for us to experience the salvation of grace. And this is an inward, irresistible
call of the Spirit of grace. Let's call it a supernatural
drawing. God's drawing supernaturally. And its result is always the
conversion of the person or the person coming to, espousing,
and believing on the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, as to the nature
and manner of effectual calling, some theologians, some commentators,
as I mentioned, have made it a part of the regeneration. Effectual call, a part of regeneration. Some even put it before regeneration
as to order, saying that regeneration, then, is effected by the effectual
call. And yet, when God called Lazarus
forth from the grave, it was evident that he had need to first
be made alive. Otherwise, calling then becomes
regeneration. And by such a view, regeneration,
as the new birth, loses its identity and becomes something else altogether. Now if the effectual call be
one and the same and no different from regeneration, or if it precedes
it, then it presents this problem that the effectual call seems
directed to the moral and mental state of the person that is being
called. calling is addressed to the renewed
reasoning and understanding that is given in regeneration, to
the enlightened mind, the mind that took its enlightenment from
that work of regeneration. Otherwise, the same passivity
is attributed to the sinner in calling as in regeneration. We may believe that the passivity
which is present and evident in regeneration is made ready
by regeneration to be consciously called and to come and to hear
and to believe upon the Lord. For the call is addressed to
the senses. The call is addressed to the
reason, to the intellect, and to the understanding, which were
renewed in the act of regeneration. For the call is addressed again,
let us say, to the reasonable senses of the individual. Now, we can admit two sorts of
calls, and many have done this. A, an outward call, as some call
it, an oral call sent forth by the preacher or by the Christian
witness. This is outward only. It is in
word only, as we read in 1 Thessalonians 1 and verse 5, that to some the
word or the gospel came in word only, not in power and demonstration. We set forth Christ in the gospel,
but unregenerate sinners do not have eyes to see him or ears
to hear his voice in the gospel. But then, B, there is an inward,
irresistible call. This is heard and is responded
to by the elect and illuminated sinner. Abraham Booth said this,
quote, in performing this work of heavenly mercy, the eternal
spirit is the grand agent and evangelical truth the honored
instrument Think of that, I think that is a great statement. The
new disposition which was implanted in regeneration is then called
forth into exercise in effectual calling. For the character of
the elect person is not substantially changed until the effectual call
issues forth into conversion. For you see that we are elect
has not yet altered our natures, else would we always have been
holy since we have always been elect. But new life is implanted. in regeneration. A great and
internal work of God is done. And I want to quote from one
of my authors that I like on this particular subject, a man
by the name of Louis Burkhoff, and he put it this way, and I
quote, effectual calling. draws out the new life and points
it in a Godward direction. It secures the exercise of the
new disposition and brings the new life forth into action Now
there are two results of the effectual call of God. Because only the elect and regenerate
are effectually called. Let me say, it is not an offer,
it is not an invite. It is a divine summons from the
Almighty God. And the two things that happen
then in effectual calling are A. The called come. They come. They are called and
they come. There is the coming of all who
are called. All the Father giveth me shall
come to me. There is no such thing as the
regenerate elect refusing or failing to come to Christ when
called by God. For he calls whom he will, and
they come. Mark 3, verse 13. He called unto
him whom he will, and they came. It's what that Scripture said.
Listen to Psalm 65 and verse 4. Blessed is the one whom thou
choosest and causes to approach unto thee. There's both of them.
Blessed is the one chosen and caused to approach unto thee. They come, but be they are converted,
all who are effectually called. They not only come, but they
are converted. Having been regenerate, having
been effectually called, It is impossible, therefore, for them
to remain unconverted. And this, too, is a necessary
part of the saving process. For our Lord said, Except ye
be converted, ye shall be in an awful state. Matthew 18 and
verse 3. Conversion is the turning of
the person, the heart, and the life unto God. It is a real change
from our former ways brought about by the inward work of the
Holy Spirit, namely regeneration and effectual calling. Conversion
sets the mind and the heart and the life upon God and upon Christ,
for it consists in a heartfelt embrace of Christ. By faith, he is embraced in conversion. Its essence, it might be called,
is saving faith in Christ. For God makes them willing in
the day of His power, Psalm 110 and verse 3, and He enables them,
or us, to believe by grace, Acts 18 and verse 27. Having received
a new heart and a new disposition and a new life, they therefore
do believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as He is proclaimed and
declared in the gospel. They at one and the same time
turn away from their former sinful way of life and turn unto Christ. They do not turn to nothing,
but they turn unto the Lord Jesus Christ. This they do through
grace and by faith, for faith being the gift of God that they
might believe. They believe therefore on Christ
by faith, Do they bow then to the Lordship of Christ as their
Lord and as their Master? Now, with conversion comes the
knowledge of two great blessings. Number one, that we are justified
through Christ's death and blood. And number two, that we are the
sons and daughters and heirs of God. This is declared to us
in the gospel. Though both of them are from
eternity, according to Ephesians 1, 5, predestinated to the adoption
of sons. Romans 8, 28-30, you know well.
Whom he did foreknow, he did predestinate. Whom he did predestinate,
he did call, and so forth and so on. So therefore, he has a
blessedness bearing upon his mind when the work of God is
carried on in mind and conscience, and it brings that one who has
been regenerated and called and converted to a settled peace
of mind before God, that we are justified by His death and that
we are His children. Upon our believing upon Christ
and being converted, We hear in the gospel that we are justified,
not because or since we believe, but because God will from eternity
our justification, which knowledge is communicated to us in the
gospel and is received by faith. Justification involves the idea
of right or of righteousness. the declaring or the pronouncing
of one as right and just and innocent before the law of God. It's the opposite of condemnation,
which is the use of the law to pronounce guilty in condemnation. Justification, therefore, is
a forensic verdict based upon the law the person is under in
the eye of God. There are two great aspects to
our pardon or our justification, which lies with justification.
And again, to quote from Abraham Booth, as he put it, the way
of a sinner's acceptance before God. Two ways, let us note it.