7 Word Pictures of God’s Gift of Salvation

1. Regeneration - (From Death to Life)

A divine act of making a believing sinner a “NEW” person in Christ - imparting new divine life through the gift of the Holy Spirit.

John 3:7 NKJV

Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’

2 Corinthians 5:17 NIV

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!

Titus 3:4–5 NKJV

But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit,

Titus 3:5 NIV

he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit,

The Theological Wordbook Regeneration

TO OVEREMPHASIZE THE IMPORTANCE of this doctrine is impossible, because regeneration or the new birth is the dividing line between heaven and hell. From God’s perspective every individual is either spiritually dead and destined for eternal perdition, or spiritually alive because of His regenerating power and destined for eternal glory

2. Reconciliation - (From Enemy to Friend)

Friendship is made possible by the Cross: All of God’s claims against us were settled through His death.

Romans 5:6–10 NKJV

For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.

Colossians 2:13–14 NIV

When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross.

Colossians 2:13–14 NLT

You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave all our sins. He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross.

3. Propitiation- ( From Wrath to Mercy)

Common religious word in Bible times

Heathen religious rite to win favor of the gods or

Advert the impending Wrath or disfavor of the gods

Propitiation describes the facet of Salvation which takes us out from God’s righteous judgement (Rom1:18) and placed us under the safety of the cross.

1 John 2:2 NKJV

And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.

1 John 4:10 NKJV

In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

1 John 4:10 NIV

This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.

Hebrews 8:12 NKJV

For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.”

Mercy by the Blood

The Theological Wordbook Propitiation

SINCE THE WRATH OF GOD is an integral aspect of His nature, His holy and righteous character must be upheld and His wrath averted if a sinner is to experience salvation and the forgiveness of sins. The biblical meaning of propitiation is that God’s wrath has been turned away from the sinner because of the supreme sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross. The doctrine of propitiation does as much to enhance the concept of the grace of God as any other truth.

4. Sanctification - (A Change of Ownership)

OT Terminology meant to separate an object from the World , declare it belonging to God and dedicate it to God’s own use.

Acts 20:32 NKJV

“So now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified.

Acts 26:18 NKJV

to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.’

1 Corinthians 1:2 NIV

To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be his holy people, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ—their Lord and ours:

The Theological Wordbook Sanctification

SANCTIFICATION REFERS to either the process or the result of being set apart for a specific person or purpose

5. Redemption - ( From Slavery to Freedom)

THE CONCEPT OF DELIVERANCE from some type of bondage on the basis of the payment of a ransom is called redemption. Redemption describes the means by which salvation is achieved

Ephesians 1:7 NKJV

In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace

1 Peter 1:18–19 NKJV

knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.

The Theological Wordbook Redemption

In the vocabulary of the Christian no word can be considered more precious or treasured than “Redeemer,” because it reminds us that our salvation, while free, was paid for by the One who gave Himself for our sins. Fanny J. Crosby expressed this truth beautifully in one of her many hymns. —DKC

Redeemed—How I love to proclaim it!

Redeemed by the blood of the Lamb;

Redeemed by His infinite mercy,

His child, and forever, I am

6. Justification - ( From Guilt to Acquittal )

The Theological Wordbook Justification

JUSTIFICATION IS THE ACT OF GOD by which a sinner who believes in Christ is declared righteous on the basis of what Christ has done for him or her on the cross. While the death of Christ was sufficient to justify all men, it becomes a reality in an individual’s life only when he trusts in Christ as his Savior. Romans 3:28, Galatians 2:16, and 3:24 speak of being “justified by faith,” and Romans 3:24 and Titus 3:7 state that we are justified “by his grace.”

Romans 5:1 NKJV

Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,

Romans 3:28 NKJV

Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law.

Galatians 2:16 NIV

know that a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified.

7. Adoption ( A Change of Families)

Communicates a change of families

We become Sons & Daughters of God

Ephesians 1:5 NLT

God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure.

Romans 8:15–17 NKJV

For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.

Galatians 4:6 NIV

Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.”