Saved By The Trinity - The Son's Role in Salvation

In the last post, we discussed the Father's role in salvation, which was election. In this post we are going to consider the Son's role in salvation. Christ in His work on the cross shed His blood for the elect, in other words He paid for the sins of God's elect. His death secured our salvation!

Saved By The Trinity - The Father's Role in Salvation

So the last post was an introduction to this entire series on each member of the Trinity's role in salvation. It contained a quick reminder and a very important warning. Please make sure that you read the introduction before proceeding to read this article and the articles to come. In this post we are going to be considering the Father's role in salvation which is: election.

A Visual Explanation of the Trinity

This is a chart that explains the Trinity visually. I think it would be beneficial to understand the basic concepts of the Trinity before entering a discussion on their roles in salvation. The Trinity, as Martin-Lloyd Jones describes it, "is the differentiating doctrine of the Christian faith" (This quote is also at the bottom of the chart).

If you read some of the creeds and confessions from throughout church history, you will notice that they do not seek to explain the Trinity. They just affirm what Scripture says and leave it there. We must be careful that we do not seek to go further than what Scripture asserts. 

This is a high and divine mystery! It is something that our finite, human minds cannot comprehend. Job 11:7 comes to mind as we consider this doctrine:

"Can you search out the deep things of God? Can you find out the limits of the Almighty?" 

Courtesy of Tim Challies: http://www.challies.com/resources/visual-theology-the-trinity

Saved By The Trinity - Introduction

I want to devote the next few posts to discussing salvation as a work of the Trinity. Today it is common to think, "I am saved by Christ!" Well, that is partially true. We are saved by Christ, but we are not saved only by Christ; we are saved by the Father and the Holy Spirit as well.

God's Sovereignty and Man's Responsibility: Two Truths That Must be Held Together

A.W. Pink comments on the importance of "preserving the balance of Truth" when discussing the sovereignty of God and the responsibility of man:

"In our Foreword to the second edition (pages 13, 14) we acknowledge the need for preserving the balance of Truth. Two things are beyond dispute: God is sovereign, man is responsible. In this book we have sought to expound the former; in our other works we have frequently pressed the latter. That there is real danger of over-emphasising the one and ignoring the other, we readily admit; yea, history furnishes numerous examples of cases of each. To emphasise the sovereignty of God, without also maintaining the accountability of the creature tends to fatalism; to be so concerned in maintaining the responsibility of man, as to lose sight of the sovereignty of God, is to exalt the creature and dishonor the Creator."

- A.W. Pink, The Sovereignty of God, Baker Books, p. 229

Does Prayer Change Events?

When we speak of the sovereignty of God, we say how He has ordained all things, and nothing can thwart or disrupt His plan. This immediately raises the question: is prayer worthless? I mean, if God is going to work out His plan, and nothing can change His mind, then why pray?

A.W. Pink on the Gospel

A.W. Pink in his book, The Sovereignty of God, makes a very good point regarding the Gospel.  

"Concerning the character and contents of the Gospel the utmost confusion prevails today. The Gospel is not an "offer" to be bandied around by evangelistic peddlers. The Gospel is no mere invitation, but a proclamation, a proclamation concerning Christ; true, whether men believe it or no. No man is asked to believe that Christ died for him in particular. The Gospel, in brief, is this: Christ died for sinners, you are a sinner, believe in Christ, and you shall be saved. In the Gospel, God simply announces the terms upon which men may be saved (namely, repentance and faith) and, indiscriminately, all are commanded to fulfill them."

- A.W. Pink, The Sovereignty of God, Baker Books, p. 209