Justification is an instantaneous legal act of God in which he (1) thinks of our sins as forgiven and Christ’s righteousness as belonging to us, and (2) declares us to be righteous in his sight (Galatians 2:16).
- Adoption is an act of God whereby he makes us members of his family (John 1:12).
- Sanctification is a progressive work of God and man that makes us more and more free from sin and like Christ in our actual lives (Romans 6:11-14)
- The baptism of the Holy Spirit refers to the activity of the Holy Spirit at the beginning of the Christian life when he gives us new spiritual life and cleanses us and gives a clear break with the power and love of sin (1 Corinthians 12:13).
- The filling of the Holy Spirit can occur repeatedly in a Christian’s life and produces increased sanctification, increased power, and effectiveness in ministry (1 Corinthians 12:31).
- The perseverance of the saints means that all those who are truly born again will be kept by God’s power and will persevere as Christians until the end of their lives, and that only those who persevere until the end have been truly born again (John 10:27-39).
- Death is the final outcome of living in a fallen world, is not a punishment for Christians, and is used by God to complete our sanctification (1 Corinthians 15:54-55).
- In the intermediate state between death and resurrection there is a separation of body and soul. The souls of believers go immediately into God’s presence (2 Corinthians 5:8) and the souls of unbelievers go immediately to eternal punishment (Luke 16:24-26), but the bodies of both remain on earth.
- Glorification is the final step in the application of redemption. It will happen when Christ returns and raises from the dead the bodies of all believers for all time who have died, reunites them with their souls, and changes the bodies of all believers who remain alive, thereby giving all believers at the same time perfect resurrection bodies like his own (1 Corinthians 15:12-58).
- Union with Christ is a phase used to summarize several relationships between believers and Christ, through which Christians receive every benefit of salvation (Ephesians 1:4). It includes the following aspects: (1) We are in Christ; (2) Christ is in us; (3) We are like Christ; (4) We are with Christ.
*Resources Added From Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology
The Doctrine of the Application of Redemption – Part 1 – Common Grace & Salvation
The Doctrine of the Application of Redemption – Part 2 – Conversion, Sanctification, and Death
