''Ordo salutis'' (

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

: "order of salvation") refers to a series of conceptual steps within the Christian doctrine of salvation.

Definition

Ordo salutis has been defined as, "a technical term of

Protestant Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...

dogmatics to designate the consecutive steps in the work of the

Holy Spirit In Judaism, the Holy Spirit is the divine force, quality, and influence of God over the Universe or over his creatures. In Nicene Christianity, the Holy Spirit or Holy Ghost is the third person of the Trinity. In Islam, the Holy Spirit acts as ...

in the appropriation of salvation." Although there is within

Christian theology Christian theology is the theology of Christianity, Christian belief and practice. Such study concentrates primarily upon the texts of the Old Testament and of the New Testament, as well as on Christian tradition. Christian theology, theologian ...

a certain sense in which the phases of salvation are sequential, some elements are understood to occur progressively and others instantaneously. Furthermore, some steps within the "order of salvation" are regarded as objective (or monergistic), performed solely by

God In monotheism, monotheistic thought, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator deity, creator, and principal object of Faith#Religious views, faith.Richard Swinburne, Swinburne, R.G. "God" in Ted Honderich, Honderich, Ted. (ed)''The Ox ...

, while others are considered subjective (or synergistic), involving

human Humans (''Homo sapiens'') are the most abundant and widespread species of primate, characterized by bipedalism and exceptional cognitive skills due to a large and complex brain. This has enabled the development of advanced tools, culture, ...

ity. Christians prior to the

Protestant Reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...

, while not using the exact phrase, sought to order the elements of salvation. The term "''Ordo salutis''" was first used by

Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched th ...

theologians in the mid-1720s.

Different schemes

Criticism and support

Some recent theologians such as

Karl Barth Karl Barth (; ; – ) was a Swiss Calvinist theologian. Barth is best known for his commentary '' The Epistle to the Romans'', his involvement in the Confessing Church, including his authorship (except for a single phrase) of the Barmen Declara ...

, G. Berkouwer and H. Ridderbos have criticised the idea of an "order of salvation." For example, Barth sees the ''ordo salutis'' as running the risk of "psychologizing" salvation and Berkouwer is concerned the ordering does not do justice to the "fullness" of salvation. Another criticism comes from Richard Gaffin who asserts "that

union with Christ In its widest sense, the phrase union with Christ refers to the relationship between the believer and Jesus Christ. In this sense, John Murray says, union with Christ is "the central truth of the whole doctrine of salvation." The expression "in Ch ...

is for Paul the overarching factor within which the various elements of the order of Salvation are to be considered." However, those wishing to sustain an idea of sequential order in salvation appeal to Romans 8:29-30 (

KJV The King James Version (KJV), also the King James Bible (KJB) and the Authorized Version, is an English translation of the Christian Bible for the Church of England, which was commissioned in 1604 and published in 1611, by sponsorship of K ...

); The concept of an ordered sequence of soteriological doctrines was also an important part of the construction of the

Westminster Confession The Westminster Confession of Faith is a Reformed confession of faith. Drawn up by the 1646 Westminster Assembly as part of the Westminster Standards to be a confession of the Church of England, it became and remains the " subordinate standard ...

. In addition, Hendrikus Berkhof observes that Christians cannot avoid thinking "coherently" about the particular elements of salvation.Ferguson, 'Ordo Salutis,' 481.

References

External links

Ordo Salutis in Major Denominations - Reformed Answers
{{Christian theology, collapsed Christian terminology Latin religious words and phrases Salvation in Protestantism Arminianism Lutheran theology Calvinist theology Catholic theology and doctrine