SPECIAL TOPIC: GREEK VERB TENSES USED FOR SALVATION
Salvation is not a product, but a daily relationship with God in Christ. It is not finished when one trusts Christ; it has only begun (an example may be a gate and then a road, cf. Matt. 7:13-14)! It is not a fire insurance policy, nor a ticket to heaven, but a life of growing Christlikeness (cf. Rom. 8:28-29; 2 Cor. 3:18; 7:1; Gal. 4:19; Eph. 1:4; 4:13; 1 Thess. 3:13; 4:3,7; 5:23; 1 Pet. 1:15; see SPECIAL TOPIC: CHRISTIAN GROWTH). We have a proverbial saying in America that says the longer a couple lives together, the more they begin to look alike. This is the goal of salvation (see SPECIAL TOPIC: SALVATION [NT])! Salvation is an initial response followed by a daily response throughout life (see SPECIAL TOPIC: COVENANT ). All of the Greek VERB TENSES are used to describe NT spiritual salvation.
SALVATION AS A COMPLETED ACTION (AORIST)
● Acts 15:11; 16:31
● Romans 8:24
● 2 Timothy 1:9
● Titus 3:5
● Romans 13:11 (combines the AORIST with a future orientation)
SALVATION AS A STATE OF BEING BROUGHT ABOUT BY A PREVIOUS ACT (PERFECT)
● Ephesians 2:5,8
SALVATION AS A CONTINUING PROCESS THROUGH LIFE (PRESENT)
● 1 Corinthians 1:18; 15:2
● 2 Corinthians 2:15
● Philippians 2:12
● 1 Peter 3:21
SALVATION AS A FUTURE CONSUMMATION (FUTURE in VERB TENSE or context)
● Romans 5:9,10; 10:9,13
● 1 Corinthians 3:15; 5:5
● Philippians 1:28
● 1 Thessalonians 5:8-9
● Hebrews 1:14; 9:28
● 1 Peter 1:5
Therefore, NT salvation begins with an initial faith decision (cf. John 1:12; 3:16; Rom. 10:9-13), but this must issue in lifestyle faith (cf. Rom. 8:29; Gal. 2:19-20; Eph. 1:4; 2:10), which will one day be consummated in sight (cf. 1 John 3:2). This final state is called glorification (cf. Rom. 8:28-30). This process can be illustrated as
For a good discussion of this threefold aspect of salvation, see Dale Moody, The Word of Truth, pp. 311-313.
SPECIAL TOPIC: FAITH, BELIEVE, OR TRUST
Copyright © 2014 Bible Lessons International