Most in Christendom today would not argue the fact that salvation or their relationship with Christ is the most important aspect to consider. In fact, what one believes about their salvation actually affects everything.  If one is unsure about salvation, undoubtedly there are many other uncertainties as well.  The purpose of this article is to establish the blessed assurance of our salvation established through the examining of the Word of God.

 Let us begin by considering the question of, when did our salvation occur?  Most will designate some point in time and identify some personal action that we did that made it happen.  For example, some might say, “It was the day I invited Jesus into my heart and made Him my Lord and Savior”. Perhaps some may say it was when I publicly confessed Christ by water baptism”.  Note that each of these examples give the implication that we had input into our salvation and if this is one’s viewpoint, then it is no wonder that many have doubts about their salvation.  The belief that one had something to do with obtaining salvation, would make one also believe that certainly one could have something to do with losing it.  Let us now answer the question posed in the opening of this paragraph of when did our salvation occur.  The answer is, our salvation occurred in eternity.  “Yeah right”, some may be saying to themselves. “This could not be possible since, I was not around in eternity”.  In response to this, let it be stated “salvation is based exclusively on the sovereignty of God”.  With this said, we must now look into the essence of what sovereignty is.

 Sovereignty of God denotes that He has supreme power over all things, thus He has absolute authority to execute His will, plan and purpose without challenge, opposition or questions from anyone outside of Himself. If one were to do a search for the word sovereign in the Bible, this word is not found. However, the Word of God bears out that He indeed possesses absolute authority over all things (Psalms 33:8-11, 103:19; Proverbs 21:1; Isaiah 46:10; Romans 9:21-22).  Note that Sovereignty is a distinct attribute of God, He is preeminent and above all creation, everything created is subordinate to Him.  All things are determined based on what pleases Him and everything occurring is in accordance to what he has determined or willed (Ephesians 1:5, 9, 11).

 With the principles of sovereignty defined, let us again reiterate that salvation is exclusively based on the sovereignty of God. You may be asking yourself,” are you implying that one has no input into their salvation?”  Yes, that is indeed what I am saying.  One now asked, wait one minute, “what about my free will?’  To this, I refer you to the article Salvation: Sovereignty of God versus Man’s Free Will.

Many who reside in America have unfortunately taken the principles of democracy and applied it to their salvation, in the sense that because the majority teaches that we work along with God to affect our salvation, this must be the truth.  They even go so far as to say that it would not be fair for God to choose only some unto salvation. To this I reply, God is not Democratic,  He is Theocratic or Sovereign, which means that He being God, has absolute authority to do whatsoever pleases Him and no matter what He does, it is correct.

There are three viewpoints in theology generally taken in regards to how salvation is obtained.  Let us briefly examine these three viewpoints:

 1. Monergism-This word comes from two root words, mono meaning one and the word erg, - a unit of work (we get the common word energy) This position teaches that salvation is entirely the work of God.  Humankind does nothing to effectuate his salvation, It is based solely on God’s sovereign choice, made in eternity, man is saved wholly and unconditionally by God's grace (unmerited favor) (Eph 2:8-9).   

 2. Synergism-This word also comes from two root words, syn means together with and the word erg, a unit of work, (to work together with).  This position teaches that salvation is cooperation between God and man, in other words man works with God to effectuate salvation.  This  nullifies the sovereignty of God in salvation, replacing it with mankind’s free will.  There are scriptures in the bible which when misinterpreted have allowed some to validate this doctrine of synergism, however if proper exegesis (interpretation of the bible in light of grammar syntax and context) are used, this doctrine is proved to be erroneous.  See chart Sovereignty of God versus Man’s Free Will

 3. Pelagianism was derived from fifth century heresy. This doctrine teaches that man is not born with a sinful nature, is not totally corrupt and can be saved totally apart from God by acts of his own will. Of course, this viewpoint is ludicrous and very antithetical to the Word of God, for the Bible teaches that man is in a state of immorality, a reprobate (Rom 1:28). He is totally void of the capacity of good in and of himself.  Originally being created in the likeness of God, man was in a state of goodness, however because of sin, man is  now under the judgment of God, which is death, for the wages of sin is death (Romans 3:23). Death in essence is separation, both physical and natural, a cut-off from divine life.  In this state, man is void of any capability to interact with God; his state of sinfulness renders him spiritually dead, (Ephesians 2:1).  Romans 3:9-18 gives a vivid illustration of mankind’s state; for there are none righteous, none that understands, none that seeks after God and none that does good.

   God’s entire eternal plan of salvation is recorded in Romans 8:29-30. This is often referred to as the golden chain of salvation.

29. For whom He foreknew, he also foreordained as conformed ones to the image of His Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

30. And whom He foreordained, these He also called: and whom he called, these He also justified: and whom he justified, these he also glorified. Greek Translation

God’s sequential plan of salvation was accomplished sometime in the past as evidenced by the tenses of all five verbs in these verses (aorist tense).

Foreknowledge> Foreordained (Predestined)> Called> Justified>Glorified

Eph 1:4 explains these actions occurred before the foundation of the world or in eternity.

Many of us refer to the incident occurring in time wherein our salvation was manifested unto us as our spiritual birthday or perceive this as being when salvation was received. In actuality when considering the essence of salvation/ deliverance, we were delivered at the point when God’s plan of salvation was implemented.  Scripture bearing out that this was before the creation of time (Ephesians 1:4). Very few realize that God created “time”, it is only an increment of space designed for the implementation of His will, plan and purpose.   Unfortunately often we limit our thinking to the sphere of time and base everything around this, however because we are spiritual beings in Christ, we must look at salvation from the eternal plane.  

 First, in God’s sequential plan of salvation is the Greek word prog-in-oce'-ko The prefix pro in Greek is equivalent to the prefix pre in English, ginoceko means to know thus is rendered foreknowledge. Meaning, that God knew beforehand or took prior recognition of those whom He chose in Christ.  I can’t read your mind, but perhaps some reading this may be thinking,” of course God knew before hand, He is omniscience. God knew beforehand who would choose Him, but utilizing Greek grammar, we note that this verb is in the aorist tense (past completed action), indicative mood (fact) and active voice, which denotes that the subject of the sentence is producing or performing the action upon the direct object.  The direct object is those who were foreknown. 

Second in God’s sequential plan of salvation was pro-or-id'-zo the Greek word translated foreordination/predestination meaning to set the limit in advance or set the boundaries beforehand. Many believe this merely to mean that our final destination is pre determined, however a boundary is not simply the beginning and ending point, but everything in between. 

Third in God’s sequential plan of salvation is, the Greek word ka-le-ho, rendered called.  The word called in this passage refers to your name being called out, a bid to come or a summons.  It was by the design of God that through the preaching of the gospel of the finished work of Jesus Christ, this call would go forth (1 Cor 1:18-26).  Each of us was personally called.  What makes those of us who do answer the summons, do so?  The answer is, the sovereign eternal plan of God which is according to His own purpose. (2 Tim 1:9; 2 Thess 2:13-14)

Mankind has no ability to come unto salvation, except the Father draws him, or more literally put, unless he is dragged (John 6:44).  For there is no ability in and of ourselves for we are dead.  What actions or response can a dead man make?  The answer is none, because it is God that makes us alive, initiating and completing the work of salvation (Ephesians 2:1).

 Fourth is the Greek word dik-ah-yo'-o  • rendered justified Those who were called were then justified; a legal term. which means to render one righteous. Righteousness is an attribute possessed only by God, His standard of perfection.  It is an absolute term, not relative, for either one is righteous or one is unrighteous. There are no degrees or percentages.  The bible teaches that there is none righteous (Rom 3:10).  All mankind are sinners, God’s law haven been broken (Rom 3:22; 5:12). Therefore the righteousness of God has been offended and. this was not something that God could simply overlook.  The penalty for sin was set, which is death (Romans 6:23).  The justice of God had to be appeased, but mankind in his totally depraved state lacked the righteousness that God required.  There was nothing that man could do within himself that could satisfy God, not  even the deeds of the law could not bring about justification, it  merely gave the knowledge of sin (Romans :20-21,28).  Justification is a righteous standing before God, not based upon anything that mankind does, it is through the faithfulness of Jesus Christ and our position in Him (Phil 3:9). Justification was accomplished in eternity,  even though the implementation of the redemptive cross work of Christ was manifested in time, the bible teaches us that the Lamb was slain from the foundation of the world. Jesus made the required payment (his blood) and we have been declared righteous (justified). There is no word righeousfied in the English language, but that is what we are.

 The finale to God's plan is the Greek word dox-ad'-zo rendered to make glorious, full of glory or glorification. The same power that was working in Christ when He was raised from the dead and was set on the right hand, far above all, in the heavenlies, will also be shown forth in us. God having chose us in love, in eternity in Christ (Ephesians 1:3-5). Christ is head over all and we are the church, his body, the fullness of Him.  We are the children of God, heirs of God and joint heirs of Christ. Therefore we will be glorified and reign with Him as the elect being, blessed with all spiritual blessings in the heavenlies in Christ.

  Romans chapter 8: 29-30  has given us insight into God's plan of salvation, and the illumination of what God has accomplished for us in eternity .  This should bring about the realization of who is ultimately in control of all things.  Many Christians erroneously believe that salvation and even the course of their lives are directed by decisions they make.  They do not believe that God has orchestrated all things, working everything ultimately towards the fulfillment of His purpose.

  Knowing what God has done for us in eternity can bring peace in our daily lives.   Applying the doctrine of the Sovereignty God can eliminate apprehension and despair.  The key to this however is the knowledge. Many of God's elect do not have an understanding of exactly what they possess as members of the Body of Christ.  Thank God, that Old Testament scripture found in Hosea does not apply to us" my people perish for lack of knowledge". For we are sealed until the day of redemption (Ephesians 4:30).  Understanding that God has initiated and completed everything pertaining to us in eternity, even before He created us, probably blows our finite minds. To think that God saved us before He made us is awesome.  What people believe about their salvation will transcend into what they believe about life in general.  Many do not really comprehend what salvation is.  They view it as a temporary state, almost like being on probation.  You probably have heard someone say in reference to heaven, 'if I can just make it in".  Salvation is not iffy, it is a done deal.  It must be realized, that to be saved means to be delivered.  We were delivered from eternal separation from God (death/hell) and we were delivered unto a son- ship relationship with God (adoption).    We have this blessed assurance because; we had absolutely nothing to do with our salvation.  If man believes that he has something to do with obtaining his salvation, then certainly he will believe that he can have something to do with losing it. However, it was God that saved and sealed us, placing us in Christ before the foundation of the world.  Therefore nothing can separate us from this position (Rom 8:35-39).  It is from this position that we recognize that we are not haphazardly wandering through life, that circumstances don't just happen and then God responds to them, but rather, it is He the Sovereign One that is in control of all things.   God is implementing His plan/purpose, which will culminate in the manifestation of His glory.

 Just as God has ordained every detail of our salvation, He has also ordained every detail of our lives.  Many who are placed into this glorious position, do not know that the benefits of salvation can be enjoyed in the here and now. We are positioned in Him, Jesus Christ, the creator of all things (Colossians 1:16), the one seated at the right hand of the Father (Col 2:3).  If we would just look at everything from the elevated plane of who we are in Christ, building our hope (earnest expectation) on things eternal we would have a different perspective on life.   But because we, place most of our focus on the temporal things (temporary) we find ourselves on an emotional rollercoaster, sometimes up and sometimes down, often leveled to the ground, all based on the circumstances and situations around us. Letting the hardships of life act as our barometer, thus we often look at the pressures of life and allow them to gauge our attitudes.  Even believing that based on what is going on, maybe God is paying us back for something or angry with us. Many are taught and so believe that it is not the will of God that any should be sick, poor or any tragedy befall them.   This is hard to believe, because all one has to do is open the bible.  There they will find numerous examples, which demonstrate the error in this.  Was not the Apostle Paul poor even hungry at times. Was not he beaten and left for dead. Did he not have an ailment in his body, that he prayed to the Lord not only one time but 3 times to have the condition removed.  But, God had a purpose for it was the will of the Lord.  Paul wrote “Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.”  2 Cor 12:10 KJV Paul said, that he was joyful in tribulations.

The bible teaches that it is the will of God that we should thank Him not only in all things (1 Thess 5:18), but for all things (Eph 5:20).   You mean we should thank Him if we lose our job, thank Him if we become sick and thank Him if someone in our family disappoints us?  The answer is yes, yes and yes.  One may ask, how can I possibly thank Him for those “bad things?"  The answer is “for we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to his purpose (Rom 8:28).”

So" bad things" are dependent upon whose perspective we are looking at.  God's will or our will.  Most times, we consider things bad or tragic if they do not work out the way we intended, instead of considering that it is God who is working things out according to His purpose. The reason why we are able to give thanks in all things is because God's plan is being worked out ultimately for good.

If our focus is on Him, and we looked at the world around us, based on the sovereignty of God, we could, rest in Him.   Situations like the event that happened on 9/11 would not alarm us.  It would allow one to stand at a loved ones deathbed, and feel the peace of God, for it is known that God's plan is being worked out It allows to rejoice in hope, because we know that, ultimately death is not the end, it is the beginning of eternity, where the manifestation of our glorification will occur.  Knowing that God is working all for good according to His purpose.  It would allow one's business, financial stability and worldly possessions to disappear before them, yet remain full of joy, and say, “As long as nothing happens to Jesus, everything is all right".   Being falsely accused and ridiculed, even by the judicial system, yet know that God is working all for good according to His purpose.  It would: allow one to receive a serious medical diagnosis, with a poor prognosis, yet say, " If it is the will of the Lord, He can heal me, but if not, His will be done.”  God is working all for good according to His purpose.

 There are no ifs with God, He sets the boundaries. His will is always done.  He directs our lives according to His will.  Situations, which appear tragic to us, are all a part of His purpose.  I heard a brother testify about the passing of his wife, leaving him to raise a very young son alone. After moving to a new state, one Sunday, the Lord directed him to go find a church. He said he was walking down the street looking for a church and a church van was coming down the street.  He flagged it down, the van stopped and the driver picked up the man and his son.  He went on to say that” since becoming a part of that ministry, God has shown him about His sovereignty. This brother could say,” if my wife had not of died, or if I had not moved here from another state or if I had not decided to go to church that Sunday, I would not have wound up at your church.  This is incorrect; it was the sovereign plan of God for all of these events to occur.

 The bible teaches us we are to glory when we are under pressure. For God has a purpose in it all. Our tribulations or pressures are not for punitive purposes.  They are all working towards the eternal purpose of God.  Unto His Glory

And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; and patience, experience; and experience, hope: Rom 5:3-4 KJV

 Knowledge of the Sovereignty of God will certainly bring peace, not only when it comes to eternity, but in our daily lives as well.  Knowing that God  has set the course for each of us  from start to finish from eternity to eternity should lead each of us to daily confess,." I am not stressing because I have been predestined.

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