The ordo salutis (Latin for “order of salvation”) refers to the way Scripture describes the logical sequence by which God applies the benefits of Christ’s redemption to individuals. These benefits include effectual calling, regeneration, faith, justification, adoption, sanctification, and glorification.
It’s important to understand that this is not a timeline. The ordo salutis is not a checklist of events that unfold over minutes, days, or weeks. It's not as though someone is regenerated on Monday, justified on Tuesday, adopted on Wednesday, and indwelt by the Spirit a week later.
Rather, these saving acts occur simultaneously and inseparably in real time—at the moment we are united to Christ.
He opens our eyes—and we see.
He unstops our ears—and we hear.
He gives us a new heart—and we believe.
And in that moment, the Holy Spirit unites us to Christ through regeneration, granting us faith by which we rest in Him.
All of salvation’s benefits—regeneration, justification, adoption, and indwelling—are applied together in the believer’s union with Christ.
So Why Have an Order at All?
Because while these blessings come together, they do not come in confusion.
There is a logical order—some benefits are the cause, others the effect.
Regeneration precedes faith, because the spiritually dead cannot believe.
Faith precedes justification, because we are justified through faith.
Justification precedes adoption, because only the righteous are welcomed as sons.
Even though all these benefits are experienced at once in time, the ordo salutis helps us distinguish which realities flow from which, so we don't confuse the root with the fruit.
It’s like flipping a light switch: the current flows, the bulb glows, and the room is lit—all in an instant. But even in that moment, the power precedes the light, and the light precedes the illumination of the room. Distinct, yet inseparable.
In Summary
The ordo salutis shows us the logical flow of salvation—not a timeline, but a theological structure.
The Holy Spirit unites us to Christ by regeneration, producing faith in the heart.
By faith, we receive Christ and all His benefits—justification, adoption, and the indwelling Spirit.
These are distinct blessings, but they arrive together in the moment of our union with Christ.
We do not believe in order to be born again. We are born again by the Spirit—and so we believe.
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References and Supporting Citations
Regeneration Precedes Faith
John 3:3, 5, 8 – "Unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God… The wind blows where it wishes..."
John 6:63, 65 – “It is the Spirit who gives life… No one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.”
1 Corinthians 2:14 – “The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God… he is not able to understand them…”
1 John 5:1 – “Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God…”
Ezekiel 36:26–27 – “I will give you a new heart… and cause you to walk in my statutes.”
Titus 3:5 – “He saved us… by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit.”
John 1:12–13 – “…who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.”
Faith as the Instrument of Justification
Romans 5:1 – “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith…”
Galatians 2:16 – “…we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ…”
Ephesians 2:8–9 – “By grace you have been saved through faith… and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God…”
Logical (Not Temporal) Order of Salvation
Romans 8:30 – “Those whom he predestined he also called… justified… glorified.”
Acts 16:14 – “The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul.”
Confessional Support
Westminster Confession of Faith
WCF 10.1 – “All those whom God hath predestinated unto life, and those only, He is pleased… to call… enlightening their minds spiritually and savingly to understand the things of God, taking away their heart of stone, and giving them a heart of flesh...”
WCF 11.2 – “Faith… is the alone instrument of justification… yet it is not alone in the person justified, but is ever accompanied with all other saving graces…”
WCF 13.1 – “They, who are once effectually called, and regenerated… having a new heart and a new spirit created in them, are further sanctified…”
Westminster Larger Catechism
Q.67 – What is effectual calling?
“It is the work of God's almighty power and grace, whereby... He doth... renew their wills, and by His power determineth them to that which is good…”