Acts Inside Salvation
There are several Biblical terms that identify God’s salvation of man. They are:
Saved
Redemption
Justification
Regeneration
Conversion
Reconciliation
Atonement
The combination of these is what the Christian has received as a result of the works of Christ.
These will be defined in their simplest form:
The term saved means to deliver or protect, to heal, preserve, to make whole. Look at John 3:16-21
The word redemption means to cut away, to sever, to deliver, and to buy back by the original owner. As a result we are not saved in our sins but we are saved from our sins.
The term justification is a legal aspect of God’s salvation. As sinners we are guilty before God and deserving of punishment. God has removed the punishment for sin and has declared us righteous and acceptable before Him because Christ has borne our sin on the cross.
The term Regeneration refers to the new spiritual birth. Adam died physically as a result of his spiritual death, we now have the eternal life of Christ because His Spirit has indwelled and baptized us into His Body. This Body is the universal and true church. You know man can claim a lot of things but there is no way that man can claim this act. We have all heard the term "slain in the spirit," etc. I believe this is man’s way of trying to effect a spiritual birth.
Conversion or repentance means to turn around, sin will no longer reign over you.
Reconciliation is a legal term similar to justification. It means to restore to friendship and fellowship after estrangement. God has reconciled us, but the big question is are we reconciled to Him.
Atonement means to cover or cancel. We spoke about this last week on Adam and Eve, they covered themselves with fig leaves, the first clothing and it did not come from a shopping mall but God covered them with an animal skin causing death and shed blood to acquire the skin.