Because God’s salvation is not a simple matter or a matter that can be summarized in a brief way, it is necessary to explain what we mean when we speak of being saved. There are a number of stages involved in God’s full salvation.
For example, in chapter one of Philippians Paul said that he was in prison, and he indicated that the prayer of the saints and the bountiful supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ would be salvation unto him (v. 19). This meant that Paul had not been saved yet, but that he would be saved by the saints’ prayer and the bountiful supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ. Therefore, we can see that it is necessary to explain specifically what we mean when we ask, “Have you been saved?” We need to understand the stages of God’s salvation in full.
I would like to ask each of you whether or not you have been saved, and then I would ask whether you have been saved from the unhappy expression on your wife’s face, and whether you have been saved from all your worries. Therefore, we would say again that God’s salvation is not a simple matter, and it is a salvation in stages. To be saved from God’s condemnation is one thing, but to be saved from Satan’s usurpation is something else. To be saved from environmental botherings is another matter, and to be saved from God’s punishment, from His discipline, is still another matter.
Furthermore, man has three parts, and every part has become fallen. As a tripartite man with a spirit, soul, and body, you need to be saved in every part. Your body needs to be saved out of its fallen condition. Your soul and your spirit likewise need to be saved out of the fall. The two things the fall mainly brought to you are sin and death. Therefore, to be saved you need to be saved from sin, and you need to be saved from death.
How many items we need to be saved from! You need to consider all the things you need to be saved from. You need to be saved from God’s condemnation, which includes saving us from hell, or from the lake of fire; you need to be saved from Satan’s usurpation; and you need to be saved from environmental troubles. You also need to be saved from God’s punishment, His discipline. You need to have your body saved from sin and death, you need to have your soul saved from corruption and death, and you need your spirit saved from death. Even with such a list of items, there are many more things involved in God’s salvation that we have not mentioned yet. God’s salvation is full and all-inclusive. When you try to explain what we have seen of God’s full salvation, it is necessary for you to cover all of the aforementioned points.
God’s salvation is a compositional matter for the salvation of our spirit, our soul, and our body. It is composed with the forgiveness and washing away of sins, then with justification, reconciliation, redemption, regeneration, sanctification, transformation, transfiguration, conformation, and glorification. These items composed together equal salvation. Such a compositional salvation saves us from God’s condemnation and from so many negative things.
First this compositional salvation saves your spirit. To save your spirit is the initial stage of God’s saving by regeneration. Then from this initial stage, God’s compositional salvation goes on to save your soul by sanctification and transformation. Then this compositional salvation goes on to save your body by transfiguration, including conformation and glorification, which makes you no longer different from the Lord. It is necessary to cover all these points to have the vision of God’s full salvation.