Can any give the Ordo Salutis and state its author?

Question

Historic theism anyone?

Answer 1

Romans 8:29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the first-born among many brethren.30 Moreover, whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.
pretty redundant, if God already made up his mind if your going to heaven before you were born why must you adhere to these rules, and if you are not one of the choosen why adhere to these rules, can't figure out who started this, seems to probably be John Wesley or John Calvin, but neither of them go by Romans 8:29-30, each as added some steps to his order of salvation

Answer 2

http://www.nobeliefs.com/exist.htm

Answer 3

good question, no answer

Answer 4

Not sure of the author...

The Ordo Salutis (Order of Salvation)

History of Ordo:

Early Church Fathers: Theology focused mainly on God’s nature and Christ’s person and natures.

Middle Ages: leading feature of theology was linking saving grace to sacraments. Thus, the work of the Spirit was thus enclosed within the administration of the seven sacraments.

Committed to a process of justification through seven sacraments. Preparing oneself for grace and justification. Sacrament of penance replaces the once-for-all sacrament of baptism. Justification is seen in terms of “being made righteous” (not just declared).
[When did that become popular?]

Reformation
Luther : reversal in the order: justification is not on the basis of our own
righteousness, but in God’s provision for it in the gospel.

Calvin: “the theologian of the Holy Spirit” de-sacramentalizing of the application of redemption and corresponding restoration of the role of the Spirit, that is sacraments were subordinated to the joint action of the Word and Spirit. Rome saw the sacraments as being the instrumental causation of the blessings of union with Christ. Reformation teaching emphasized the Holy Spirit brought the individual directly into fellowship with Christ of
which fellowship the sacraments were seen as signs and seals.

Two dividing historical questions for the church
1) ‘How is the Spirit related to the Father and the Son?’
2) ‘How does the Spirit apply the blessings of Christ to the individual?’
[What was the first divide?]

Ordo Salutis seeks to answer the question, “In what ways are the various aspects of the application of redemption (such as justification, regeneration, conversion and sanctification) related to each other?
[Why should we expect some logic in the order of application of redemption? ]


Which Order?

Classic example found in English Puritan William Perkins (1558-1602)
A Golden Chaine traces the causes of all the various aspects of
redemption back to their fountain in the person of Christ and in the
eternal purposes of God.

founded in Romans 8:28-30: “those He predestined, He justified, and glorified.”
This chain model traces back to Calvin’s successor Theodore Beza.

Subsequent discussions over the order assumed this chain-model as the common ground of discussion and lost touch with its Christological and reformed roots. It was rarely questioned whether or not the model of a ‘causal chain’ was either biblical or completely adequate.

Examples:
Arminians: faith-> regeneration
Reformed: regeneration -> faith

Even within the Reformed circles there are disagreements on the ordo-salutis.
Kuyper: justification -> regeneration -> calling. (to preserve grace absolutely)
Hoeksema : regeneration -> calling -> faith -> justification (to preserve depravity)
Murray: calling -> regeneration -> faith…. (purpose of preaching is for regeneration)
WCF: order ?

Criticisms of the Ordo-Salutis

Naïve Criticism: you spend too much time talking about the order of salvation instead of preaching the gospel? Everyone’s presentation of the gospel is affected by their assumptions concerning the ordo-salutis. (hence Billy Graham).

Sinclair suggests that the problem isn’t that there isn’t a logical order, but what its order is derived from. The problem with classical reformed ordo-salutis is that it is derived from the chain-model.

1) The Scriptures will not bear the weight of the ordo salutis

a) Some like Berkouwer have suggested that Romans 8:28-30 (eph 1:4ff) do not intentionally reflect on the order of application of redemption so much as the fullness and riches of blessings of salvation. Paul isn’t analyzing a sequence of events, but bringing out the many perspectives of grace in the application of redemption.
b) If Paul is wanting to give us an order of salvation, why did he leave out sanctification?
c) Barth argues that these elements are not discrete, but facets of the same reality.

2) Discussions of ordo salutis tends to be theologically misfocused
Saying “election causes regeneration causes justification causes glorification” tends to abstract the intimate relationship between Christ and the Spirit of regeneration, between faith and Christ, and between justification and sanctification are found in Christ alone.
a) Gaffin argues in Resurrection and Redemption that the death-resurrection transition in Jesus Christ is described objectively as His justification (1tim3:15), His adoption (rom1:4), His sanctification (rom 6), His glorification(1 cor 15:42-44).

b) Not separatable links where you can have one without the others, but rather we have them all in the risen Christ in the already/not yet dimension of our existence.
c) (concerning heresies) Berkouwer says that when men put a peculiar emphasis on the way, in the order of salvation, the way of faith, conversion, repentance, it became increasingly difficult to appreciate Christ’s “I am the way”.
d) Deism vs. covenantal conception?

3) Ordo Salutis v. Historia Salutis
a) ordo salutis is a different perspective than the objective work of Christ which was central to Luther and Calvin, but many departed from this ideal and tended to psychologize and spiritualize emphasizing the subjective process and its mystical and moral effects in the life of the believer.
b) Preachers began to appeal to the congregation saying “you must be born again and experience a change in your nature”; or getting Christ into you. Rather than preaching the good news of what God has accomplished in Christ, and telling our need to get out of ourselves and into Jesus Christ by faith. [“hence the bible speaks of “believing into Christ”]

4) Ordo Salutis confuses the kinds of elements involved in application

Flattens out the richness of the application of redemption by seeing these outworkings as though they belonged to one plane.
Vos: “It fails to notice that their are different kinds of elements involved in the application of redemption. Some are juridicial/forensic and some are recreative; some to conscious and unconscious.” They need to be understood in their own realms of knowledge.


Resolution

Not whether or not we employ an ordo, but what principle governs us in doing so?

Gaffin points to Calvin’s exposition opening Vol 3 of inst. of union with Christ through His resurrection and gift of the Spirit. Our covenantal union with Christ should dominate our interpretation of the Spirit’s ministry, not the model of ‘series’ or ‘causes’.

This is revealed in the work of the members of the Trinity: God the Father plans and purposes to realize all the benefits of heaven through the incarnation of His Son (He undergoes a sanctification, adoption, salvation, redemption, justification, for us) and the Son in turn applies these benefits to us in the Spirit.

Rather than viewing them as links on a chain, they should be viewed first of all to our Lord Jesus Christ and becomes ours because by God’s grace we are in Christ. (eph 1:3, 1 Cor 1:5, 30 ) : ‘in Christ, all the blessings of redemption are ours’; immediately, simulataneously, and eschatologically.

Union with Christ carries these advantages in our dealing with the ordo-salutis
1) Practically in our ministry of the word, this ensures that we will not separate the blessings of the Gospel from its benefactor. We don’t offer the gospel in the terms of individual blessings, be they “peace, power, and purpose”. What is the good news? It is not justification, regeneration, redemption or conversion. It is the whole person of Jesus Christ into whom we call other to believe. “believe into Jesus”
2) It perserves us from ourselves, in an unhealthy subjectivism, lifting our thoughts from our demirits to the grace that is ours in Jesus Christ.
3) It maintains the already-not/yet eschatological dimension of the Spirit’s application of work of redemption evident in the NT. In stressing all the benefits of what is given to us in Jesus Christ provides the context for how we are to understand that since we are in Jesus Christ, but also in Norman Oklahoma, then that eschatological character of the whole of our Christian life – in this world and yet in Christ – reminds us that our real life is hidden with Christ in God, living between His resurrection and ascension and the consummation of His work when He returns in majesty and glory. We already experience all the benefits; yet we see that each of the benefits looks forward to its consummate point when Christ returns.

Regeneration : not yet (mt 19:28)
Sanctification : Already (1 Cor 6:11, Rom 6:1-14) Not/yet (1 Thes 5:23) progression.
Glorification (2 Cor 4:18, Rom 8:28, I Pet 4:13)
Adoption: Already (gal 4:5) not yet (Rom 8:23)
Justification : Not Yet (2 Cor 5:10) final vindication of the saints
WSC: Q. 38 What benefits do believers receive from Christ at the resurrection?
“At the resurrection, believers …shall be … acquitted in the day of judgment…”