Bible Question:
Put the following events in order of occurance. Which one precedes the other. And which event comes first, second, etc. etc. Repentance Regeneration Salvation Faith Holy Spirit's convicting the sinner I put the above events in random order, not the order I personally believe they occur. New Creature |
Bible Answer: This is my opinion on the matter: The Spirit must convict someone before they can have faith. It says that we are called to grace, not that we wandered into it. So conviction comes first. Salvation comes by grace through faith, so faith must come next. You can't have the grace if you don't have the faith. If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. So faith gives you grace, and grace gives you salvation. Until you know that you have been living contrary to God, there is no way to repent. You have to know what's wrong before you can fix it. So I would say that repentance comes next. Now that you have the mind of Christ, you know what needs to be corrected. Faith to grace, grace to salvation, and salvation to a spirit of repentance. See what I call "the pyramid." (it's just a phrase myself and some friends like to use for it). 2 Peter 1:2-11 Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust. Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who lacks these qualities is blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins. Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble; for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you. Faith Virtue Knowledge Self Control Patience Godliness Brotherly Kindness Love These are the natural stepping stones of the Christian walk. Theo-Minor |