Salvation and Atonement - Doctrine in Twelve Weeks
A Study on Salvation and Atonement - Leader Guide and Handout
Consider beginning your study with a devotional reading of Romans 8:28-30 and 2 Corinthians 5:21, reflecting on God's sovereign plan of salvation and Christ's sacrificial work on our behalf.
The atoning work of Jesus Christ stands as the most profound event in human history. While we can never fully comprehend its depths, Scripture provides us with various perspectives to help us understand both what Christ accomplished and how this salvation unfolds in believers' lives. This session explores these vital truths, helping us grasp more fully the wonder of what God has done through Jesus Christ.
The Unfolding of Salvation
Ask a participant to read Romans 8:28-30. Guide the discussion toward understanding how salvation, while a singular work of God, unfolds through various aspects in believers' lives. Consider reading some of the additional Scripture references to show how these concepts appear throughout God's Word.
Leader Note: While Christians may differ in their understanding of certain aspects of salvation's unfolding (particularly regarding foreknowledge and predestination), focus the discussion on what unites us: God's sovereign grace in bringing about our salvation from beginning to end.
The Bible presents salvation as both an immediate reality and an unfolding process in believers' lives. While salvation is completely secured through Christ's finished work on the cross, Scripture describes various aspects of how this salvation is realized in our experience. Romans 8:28-30 provides one of the clearest biblical sequences of this process, showing how God works from His eternal perspective through to our final glorification in five elements. Each element reveals a different facet of God's wonderful work of salvation:
Foreknowledge speaks of God's intimate, personal knowledge of those who will be saved. This goes beyond a mere awareness of future events to indicate a special relationship of love and purpose (Matthew 7:23, 1 Corinthians 8:3, 2 Timothy 2:19). Just as God knew Jeremiah before forming him in the womb (Jeremiah 1:5), He knows His people with perfect understanding and purpose.
Predestination points to God's eternal purpose that believers be conformed to Christ's image. This goes beyond simple destination to indicate the very purpose and goal of salvation - that we might be transformed into the likeness of Jesus (Ephesians 1:4-5, 1 Corinthians 2:7). This destiny shapes not only our future but also our present experience of salvation.
The divine calling represents God's effective work in drawing people to salvation. This calling goes forth through the gospel but is made effective by the Holy Spirit's work in opening hearts to respond in faith (1 Thessalonians 2:12, 2 Timothy 1:9, John 6:44). It is God's gracious initiative in bringing us to Himself.
Justification describes God declaring believers righteous through Christ's work. This legal declaration changes our standing before God, from condemned to righteous, on the basis of not our own merit but Christ's perfect righteousness credited to us through faith (Romans 3:24, 5:1, Galatians 2:16).
Glorification represents the final transformation of believers into Christ's likeness. While we experience progressive transformation now, glorification points to our final state when we will be fully conformed to Christ's image (Philippians 3:21, 1 John 3:2, Romans 8:18).
This progression helps us understand both God's sovereign work and our experience of salvation. Each element reveals different facets of how God brings about our salvation, from His eternal purpose to its final fulfillment. Notice that Paul speaks of all these elements in the past tense, suggesting their certainty in God's plan. While we experience these aspects of salvation in time, from God's eternal perspective, they are accomplished facts for those who are in Christ. This understanding encourages believers by showing both the security of our salvation (as it rests in God's eternal purpose) and its transformative power in our present experience. It reminds us that salvation is entirely God's work while acknowledging our real experience of it unfolding in our lives.
Aspects of Christ's Atonement
Invite study participants to read Mark 10:45, Colossians 2:13-15, and 2 Corinthians 5:21, and discuss the specific aspects of Christ’s atonement. Discuss how the different ways in which Scripture presents Christ's atoning work complement each other to help us grasp the full significance of Christ’s work.
The New Testament uses various images and concepts to help us understand Christ's atoning work. Each perspective highlights different aspects of what Jesus accomplished through His death and resurrection. These different views are complementary rather than competing, helping us grasp the rich fullness of Christ's sacrifice. Three significant Biblical perspectives on the atonement are especially worth reflecting on.
The Ransom perspective emphasizes Christ's work in purchasing our freedom from bondage to sin. Just as ancient slavery could be ended through payment of a ransom, Christ's death serves as the price that sets us free from our enslavement to sin (Matthew 20:28, 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, 1 Timothy 2:5-6). This freedom, however, isn't autonomy but rather liberation to serve our true Master, finding our genuine freedom in submission to Christ (Romans 6:15-18, Galatians 5:1).
The Christus Victor (Christ the Victor) perspective highlights Christ's triumph over the powers of evil. Through His death and resurrection, Jesus decisively defeated Satan, sin, and death (Colossians 2:13-15, Hebrews 2:14-15). This victory, prophesied in Genesis 3:15, assures believers of their own ultimate triumph through Christ (1 Corinthians 15:54-57, Romans 8:37). The powers that once held humanity captive have been decisively overthrown through Christ's work.
The Substitutionary perspective explains how Christ's death atones for our sin. In taking our place, Jesus bore the punishment our sins deserved, satisfying divine justice and making possible our reconciliation with God (Isaiah 53:5-6, 2 Corinthians 5:21, 1 Peter 2:24). As our substitute, Christ accomplishes what we could never achieve for ourselves through His perfect life and sacrificial death — peace with God through the forgiveness of sins.
Each of these perspectives depicts different aspects of the same glorious truth: through His death and resurrection, Jesus has accomplished everything necessary for our salvation. Together, they help us appreciate the comprehensive nature of Christ's work — freeing us from bondage, defeating the powers that enslave us, and reconciling us to God.
Conversation Starters:
How might understanding salvation as both complete and unfolding help you in your daily life as a Christian?
How does understanding these various aspects of salvation and atonement deepen your appreciation for what Christ has accomplished?
Which aspect of Christ's atoning work most powerfully speaks to your own experience of salvation? Why?
How might these truths shape our worship and our witness to others?
In what ways have you experienced the progressive unfolding of salvation in your own life?
Consider closing with a prayer of thanksgiving for Christ's complete and perfect work of salvation, asking the Holy Spirit to help us live more fully in light of these truths.
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