Ordo Salutis

This is a redo of a post from 2005. I want to link it from the ordo salutis theological term page, but it needed a thorough clean up first.

Ordo salutis (also called order of salvation) refers to the order in which benefits of salvation are applied to those who are being saved. It’s important to keep in mind that the order of an ordo salutis is logical or causal. Some of the benefits are applied in a single instant and cannot be separated time-wise; yet one is the logical cause of the other.

There is disagreement among different groups within Christianity as to the exact order of salvation. Here are some examples of orders of salvation from various sources.

From Systematic Theology by Wayne Grudem:

1. Election (God’s choice of people to be saved)
2. The gospel call (proclaiming the message of the gospel
3. Regeneration (being born again)
4. Conversion (faith and repentence)
5. Justification (right legal standing)
6. Adoption (membership in God’s family)
7. Sanctification (right conduct of life)
8. Perseverance (remaining a Christian)
9. Death (going to be with the Lord)
10. Glorification (receiving a resurrection body)

(This order of salvation graphic from Tim Challies is the same as Grudem’s except that it does not include death.)

From A.A. Hodge:

1. Regeneration
2. Faith
3. Justification

These two lists would be orders of salvation from a reformed or calvinistic perspective, and while they are different in how many steps they include on the list, the order is similar.

An evangelical noncalvinist ordo salutis would be something like this:

1. Prevenient Grace
2. Calling
3. Conversion
4. Regeneration
5. Justification
6. Adoption
7. Sanctification
8. Glorification

In Grudem’s list, items 3-6 would occur at a single point in time, but the logical and causal order would be as given, because regeneration produces conversion, justification is on condition of the faith that comes from regeneration, and it’s justification that paves the way for adoption.

In Hodge’s list, all three items would be instantaneous, but regeneration produces faith and justification is on condition of faith. Once again, it’s logical, not temporal, order.

In the noncalvinistic list, items 3-6 would occur as one event. Notice how similar these are to items 3-6 on Grudem’s list, differing only in the order of items 3 and 4. In a calvinistic system, regeneration is seen as the cause of conversion, and in a noncalvinistic one, conversion is seen as the cause of regeneration.  

Finally, from Romans 8, an ordo salutis given to us in the Bible:

1. Foreknowledge
2. Predestination
3. Calling
4. Justification
5. Glorification