Is Salvation instantenous or is it a process?

[Edial]

Abrahams believed God and his faith was credited to him as righteousness.
Abraham believes Sarah would bear a child.
She did. Isaac was born.
When Isaac became a "young man" (at least 12) Abraham's faith was tested and after he passed the test Abraham was justified ... 12(?) years later.

Is salvation instantaneous or is it a process?

Some say the process starts way before we even realize there is God.

Thanks,
Ed

 

[Ignatius21]

Abrahams believed God and his faith was credited to him as righteousness. Abraham believes Sarah would bear a child. She did. Isaac was born. When Isaac became a "young man" (at least 12) Abraham's faith was tested and after he passed the test Abraham was justified ... 12(?) years later. Is salvation instantaneous or is it a process? Some say the process starts way before we even realize there is God. Thanks, Ed

Let's consider it by way of analogy.

Is marriage an event, or a process?

 

[Rubiks]

salvation is instantaneous but the fruit of salvation is a process

 

[drstevej]

The word salvation means delivered. To answer the question you must first clarify what type of deliverence you are referencing...

PAST TENSE:
I have been saved (delivered) from the penalty of sin (Justification) ex. Eph. 2:8

PRESENT TENSE:
I am being saved (delivered) from the power of sin (Sanctification) ex. 1 Cor. 1:18

FUTURE TENSE:
I shall be saved (delivered) from the presence of sin (Glorification) ex. Rom. 13:11

 

[Edial]

Let's consider it by way of analogy.

Is marriage an event, or a process?

Marriage is a process ... but is it a good analogy?
If salvation is a process that is initiated by God, doesn't the salvation process take place before the marriage?

 

[favoritetoyisjoy]

I think it's a good analogy but that the answer is both instantaneous and a process.

 

[Edial]

salvation is instantaneous but the fruit of salvation is a process

Then can you explain to me how come when Abraham believed it was credited to him as righteousness and only 12+ years later he was justified?

Was he saved when he first believed?

RO 4:3 What does the Scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness."
​

Was he saved when he was justified 12+ years later?

JAS 2:21 Was not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. ... 24 You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone.
​

Or are these just stepping stones of the whole salvation process of God?

Thanks,
Ed

 

[drstevej]

Salvation in what sense, see post #4.

 

[Steeno7]

We are saved when we believe in Jesus Christ. That He has saved us, continues to save us, and will ultimately save us is not a process, but the Savior being who He is, doing what He does, saving us. It is not that we were only partially saved at regeneration, only one third regenerated, but that we are continually being saved by our Savior.

 

[Edial]

The word salvation means delivered. To answer the question you must first clarify what type of deliverence you are referencing...

PAST TENSE:
I have been saved (delivered) from the penalty of sin (Justification) ex. Eph. 2:8

PRESENT TENSE:
I am being saved (delivered) from the power of sin (Sanctification) ex. 1 Cor. 1:18

FUTURE TENSE:
I shall be saved (delivered) from the presence of sin (Glorification) ex. Rom. 13:11

I knew I would bump into a seminary professor sooner or later.
(I am keeping these definitions).

Let's take the first one - past tense - I have been justified.

Abraham was justified when he offered Isaac.
When he first believed (before Isaac was born) it was credited to him as righteousness.

GE 15:4 Then the word of the LORD came to him: "This man will not be your heir, but a son coming from your own body will be your heir." 5 He took him outside and said, "Look up at the heavens and count the stars--if indeed you can count them." Then he said to him, "So shall your offspring be."
GE 15:6 Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness.
​

When he offered Isaac his "faith was completed" and Scripture was "fulfilled" 12 years later and he was justified.

JAS 2:20 You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? 21 Was not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. 23 And the scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness," and he was called God's friend. 24 You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone.
​

Maybe my better question should be - are we using the words "saved" without fully realizing that there are different meanings to it?

How would you call this 12+ year process?

Thanks,
Ed

 

[Edial]

Salvation in what sense, see post #4.

Just responded ... you made a great point.

 

[Edial]

I think it's a good analogy but that the answer is both instantaneous and a process.

It certainly seems to me to be the case.

It also seems to me that certain denominations differ in their definitions how this process is happening ... yet all they might be doing is just describing the different parts of the same elephant.

Thanks,
Ed

 

[sdowney717]

We are saved when we believe in Jesus Christ. That He has saved us, continues to save us, and will ultimately save us is not a process, but the Savior being who He is, doing what He does, saving us. It is not that we were only partially saved at regeneration, only one third regenerated, but that we are continually being saved by our Savior.

I am glad people are pointing out that we are saved, being saved and will be saved.
Hebrews 9 tells us salvation is also a future event for us. As Does Peter.

27 And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, 28 so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.

A Heavenly Inheritance

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, 5 who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

We will be saved from this world, saved from the wrath to come when He returns. Same Idea is expressed in 2 Thess 1

7 and to give you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, 8 in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.

9 These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, 10 when He comes, in that Day, to be glorified in His saints and to be admired among all those who believe,[a] because our testimony among you was believed.

11 Therefore we also pray always for you that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfill all the good pleasure of His goodness and the work of faith with power

1 Thess 1

10 and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.

 

[Skala]

Salvation and justification are not necessarily synonymous terms, unless you are using it as synonymous

Salvation is multifaceted and stretches from eternity past to eternity future, beginning with foreknowledge and election and ending in glorification. In between is all the stuff like being called, justified, sanctification, etc.

 

[Edial]

We are saved when we believe in Jesus Christ. That He has saved us, continues to save us, and will ultimately save us is not a process, but the Savior being who He is, doing what He does, saving us. It is not that we were only partially saved at regeneration, only one third regenerated, but that we are continually being saved by our Savior.

Would you say then that we might not be using the term "saved" correctly, since (as drsteve pointed out) it has different meanings for different applications?
For example - in English we have only one word for 'love' which is 'love'.
In Greek however - agape love is significantly more different than phileo love.
One means divine love and the latter brotherly love.
Yet in English it is translated 'love' in all cases.

 

[Edial]

I am glad people are pointing out that we are saved, being saved and will be saved.
Hebrews 9 tells us salvation is also a future event for us. As Does Peter.

How do you understand these 2 events?

Before Isaac was born, Abraham was believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness.

12+ years later, when Abraham offered Isaac to God Abraham was justified.

How would you personally use the term 'saved' in Abraham's case?

Was he saved when he believed or was he saved when he offered (was justified)?

Thanks,
Ed

 

[extraordinary]

We are saved when we believe in Jesus Christ. That He has saved us, continues to save us, and will ultimately save us is not a process, but the Savior being who He is, doing what He does, saving us. It is not that we were only partially saved at regeneration, only one third regenerated, but that we are continually being saved by our Savior.

Sorry, but you are missing the fact that ...
God will NOT override man's free will to choose whether or not he will fully co-operate with this whole salvation process.

And you are ignoring the Scripture verses which say that ...
man can choose to fall away from God's grace, etc. and lose his salvation, i.e. eternal life.
.

 

[Edial]

Salvation and justification are not necessarily synonymous terms, unless you are using it as synonymous

Salvation is multifaceted and stretches from eternity past to eternity future, beginning with foreknowledge and election and ending in glorification. In between is all the stuff like being called, justified, sanctification, etc.

This is how I tend to understand it as well.

However, in many cases in the Bible salvation is synonymous with justification - but not in all the cases.

 

[Steeno7]

Would you say then that we might not be using the term "saved" correctly, since (as drsteve pointed out) it has different meanings for different applications?
For example - in English we have only one word for 'love' which is 'love'.
In Greek however - agape love is significantly more different than phileo love.
One means divine love and the latter brotherly love.
Yet in English it is translated 'love' in all cases.

Salvation is being "made safe". And Christ makes us safe from more than just hell.

Salvation is not a one-time static event. Salvation is the dynamic functioning of the Person of Jesus Christ within us, the restorative activity of the Savior. Everything centers in Him. Everything is inherent in Him, His Person and His continuing activity.

 

[Edial]

We are saved when we believe in Jesus Christ. That He has saved us, continues to save us, and will ultimately save us is not a process, but the Savior being who He is, doing what He does, saving us. It is not that we were only partially saved at regeneration, only one third regenerated, but that we are continually being saved by our Savior.

As extraordinary pointed out, IF we are saved when we first believe, wouldn't then justification (which took 12+ years later for Abraham) be redundant?
(Again, I am reminded of the differences in definitions that drsteve pointed out)

Don't you think we should start looking for more precise definitions to what is actually happening in our lives, the salvation process of our Lord, to understand the milestones of our spiritual walk?

Then perhaps the very arguments of losing or not losing salvation would disappear, since both sides of the debate are looking at one of the points while disregarding the forest?

Thanks,
Ed