Study 107 – The Doctrine of Salvation

Part 8 of 12

From Study 96

8) Legal and Vital Aspects of Salvation. The legal part of salvation deals with what Christ did for us as
believers. The vital part of salvation deals with what Christ did in us. Christ's sacrificial death makes
possible a proper legal relation to God. The vital relationship with God is possible because of His
indwelling power of His spirit. What Christ did for us is external, objective, positional; what Christ
does in us is internal, subjective, personal. The legal aspect of salvation concerns Christ's sacrificial
death and justification by faith.

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These two terms; Legal and Vital are just two different ways of saying what happens to us in the
salvation process. The first term, legal, is about what Christ did for us and the term vital is really about
what happens in us when we have Christ in us. When we decide to believe the whole gospel message
then Jesus, by his spirit, works both inwardly and outwardly to make us like himself.

Our change in the legal position before God is called justification and this legal standing must
come before our transformation. In other words we must be in Christ as a saved person so he can work
in us. If we were to show this step as it relates to the process of salvation it would look like this;

1-hear the Gospel message 2-accept the truth of the Gospel 3-public baptism

– At step 3 you are legally justified by God on account of the work of Christ.
– Also at the 3rd step of baptism you receive the power of Christ's spirit in you to continue to be
changed for the duration of your natural life.
– If you do not continue to stay with Christ but separate, or unplug the power cord, then
Christ is no longer bringing change to your inner and outer life. One must remain in him so
he remains in you.
– Failure to plug back into Christ to allow him to continue to work with, and in, you will
result in your loss of salvation. Believers tend to fluctuate in their relationship with Christ
but if they should die before they are once again actively cooperating with Christ to bring
change then they will lose their salvation. The salvation they gained at #3 is
CONDITIONAL. The idea of 'Once Saved Always Saved' is not Biblical. (Studies 24, 25,
26) John 15

Justification precedes transformation.

As John 15 outlined for us we must freely choose to remain plugged in. Our change comes from
remaining on the 'vine' so we are not ultimately pruned from it by God...the gardener.

Because nobody knows when they will die it would be in one's

best interest to remain, and continue to remain, on the vine.
 What is vital to understand here is that there is an inner work going on in us. This internal work
of Christ is transformational. We literally are changed in our motivations and conduct towards Christ
and also other people. We will begin to see things in a different light, as the saying goes. It is a
transformation from a grumpy Mr. Scrouge to a happy and joyful Mr. Scrouge.

This inner change is mentioned by Paul when he wrote to the Romans.

Roman 12:1,2
Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy
sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. 2 And do not be conformed to
this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of
God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

Our personal interaction with God is transformed as we renew our mind and begin to
understand what God wants for us. IMHO, it is at this point where we really can sense the very
presence of God working in us on a special level. Only He knows us and our inner thoughts and begins
to work with us on a VERY personal level. It is also at this point when we realize that there aren't many
'hapy coincidences' in our lives but as we reflect on them we come to realize that God is working on
our behalf. He is working on very personal issues that only you would know about.

Romans 12:1,2 – One God Translation by Anthony Buzzard

1So I encourage you, my brothers and sisters, because of God’s compassion for you, to
dedicate your entire selves as a living offering, which is holy and pleasing to God. This is the
way to worship in the service of the saving Gospel of the Kingdom. 2Do not be squeezed into the mold
of this wicked world-system; instead be transformed by the spiritual renewal of your mind so that you
can discover what God’s will truly is — good, pleasing, and complete.

There is much, much more that can be said about this vital aspect of our relationship with God
but I will leave it at this for now.