Theological Glossary

The act of God by which He receives believers into His family and grants them the full rights and privileges of sons. Adoption is not earned but is a gift of grace flowing from election and accomplished through union with Christ. It is the goal of predestination.

The heretical view that Christians are freed from all moral law because salvation is by grace. Reformed theology rejects this: while believers are not under the law as a means of justification, the moral law remains the standard of sanctification and the expression of God's character.

The theological system named after Jacobus Arminius (1560-1609) which holds that election is conditional (based on foreseen faith), grace is resistible, atonement is universal in intent, and believers can lose their salvation. The Synod of Dort (1618-19) formally rejected these views as contrary to Scripture.

The confidence a believer may have that they are truly elect and saved. In Reformed theology, assurance is grounded not in human feelings or works but in God's promises, the internal witness of the Holy Spirit, and the evidence of a changed life. Because salvation depends on God's sovereign choice, the elect can have unshakeable assurance.

The doctrine that Christ's atoning death was designed by the Father, accomplished by the Son, and applied by the Spirit to the elect specifically. Christ did not merely make salvation possible — He actually saved those whom the Father gave Him. The atonement is unlimited in its value but particular in its design and application.

The theological tradition named after John Calvin (1509-1564) that emphasizes the sovereignty of God in all things, especially salvation. Often summarized by the five points of TULIP, Calvinism is more broadly the whole-Bible theology of the Reformation: sola Scriptura, sola fide, sola gratia, solus Christus, soli Deo gloria.

The view that divine sovereignty and human responsibility are both true and compatible. God ordains all things, and yet human beings make real choices for which they are genuinely responsible. This is not a philosophical compromise — it is what Scripture teaches across hundreds of passages.

The overarching covenant by which God promises salvation to the elect through faith in Christ. After Adam's fall in the covenant of works, God established the covenant of grace — progressively revealed through the Abrahamic, Mosaic, Davidic, and New Covenants, all fulfilled in Christ.

The arrangement God made with Adam in the garden: obedience would bring life, disobedience would bring death. Adam, as the federal head of humanity, broke this covenant, plunging all his descendants into sin and condemnation. This is why salvation by human works is impossible — the covenant of works has been broken.

God's eternal, immutable, and all-comprehensive plan for everything that comes to pass. The decree is singular in God's mind but unfolds in time through creation, providence, and redemption. Nothing happens outside God's decree — yet He is not the author of sin.

See: Atonement (Definite / Limited / Particular). The preferred modern term, emphasizing that the atonement was designed with a definite purpose — to actually save specific people — rather than merely making salvation available to all.

The doctrine that the fall affected every part of human nature — mind, will, affections, body. "Total" does not mean every person is as bad as possible, but that no part of human nature is untouched by sin, and therefore no one can save themselves or even desire to come to God apart from sovereign grace.

The inward, sovereign, irresistible work of the Holy Spirit by which God calls the elect to saving faith. Unlike the general call of the gospel (which goes to all who hear), the effectual call always achieves its purpose — those whom God calls, He justifies.

God's sovereign, eternal, unconditional choice of certain individuals for salvation. Election is not based on foreseen faith or merit but solely on God's good pleasure and sovereign will. It was made before the foundation of the world in Christ.

The assurance that those whom God has truly saved can never be lost. This is grounded not in human perseverance but in God's sovereign keeping power. Distinguished from "once saved, always saved" in that Reformed theology insists the truly elect will persevere in faith and holiness.

Saving faith is itself a gift of God, not a human contribution to salvation. Faith is the instrument by which we receive Christ, but even this instrument is granted by sovereign grace. We believe because God has first regenerated us and given us the ability to believe.

The theological principle that one person can act as the representative of many. Adam was the federal head of all humanity (so his sin is imputed to all), and Christ is the federal head of the elect (so His righteousness is imputed to believers). This is the foundation of both original sin and justification.

In Scripture, divine foreknowledge is not merely God's prior awareness of future events but His prior relational knowledge — His setting His love upon people beforehand. "Those whom He foreknew, He also predestined" (Romans 8:29) refers to relational choosing, not merely cognitive awareness.

The five foundational principles of the Reformation: Sola Scriptura (Scripture alone), Sola Fide (faith alone), Sola Gratia (grace alone), Solus Christus (Christ alone), Soli Deo Gloria (to God alone be the glory). These are not five separate principles but one unified confession that salvation is entirely of God.

The final step in the golden chain of redemption — the complete transformation of believers into the image of Christ at the resurrection. In Romans 8:30, Paul uses the past tense ("glorified") for this future event because it is so certain in God's decree that it can be spoken of as already accomplished.

The unbreakable sequence in Romans 8:29-30: foreknew → predestined → called → justified → glorified. Every link is forged by God. No one falls out between links. Everyone foreknown is glorified. This chain is the ultimate proof that salvation is entirely of God and cannot fail.

God's unmerited favor toward sinners. Grace is not merely an attitude but an active, effective power that accomplishes salvation. In Reformed theology, grace is sovereign (God chooses whom to save), efficacious (it accomplishes its purpose), and irresistible (the elect are unfailingly brought to faith).

The crediting of one person's righteousness or guilt to another's account. In salvation, there is a double imputation: our sin is imputed to Christ on the cross, and His perfect righteousness is imputed to us by faith. This is the heart of justification — not that we are made righteous, but that we are declared righteous in Christ.

The doctrine that when the Holy Spirit works effectually in the elect, His grace cannot ultimately be resisted. This does not mean God drags people against their will, but that He changes their will — giving them new hearts that willingly and joyfully come to Christ. The general call of the gospel can be resisted; the effectual call cannot.

The legal act of God by which He declares sinners righteous on the basis of Christ's imputed righteousness, received through faith alone. Justification is forensic (a courtroom verdict), instantaneous (not a process), and irreversible (those justified will be glorified). It is based entirely on what Christ has done, not on what we do.

The view that regeneration is entirely the work of God alone, without any human cooperation. In the moment of the new birth, God acts and the sinner is passive — just as Lazarus did not cooperate in being raised from the dead. After regeneration, the believer actively repents and believes, but the cause of the new birth is God alone.

The logical sequence of God's saving acts as applied to the individual: election → predestination → effectual calling → regeneration → faith and repentance → justification → adoption → sanctification → perseverance → glorification. The Reformed ordo places regeneration before faith — God makes us alive so that we can believe.

The guilt and corruption inherited by all human beings from Adam's fall. Original sin means that every person is born with a sinful nature — not merely a tendency to sin but an actual state of spiritual death, moral corruption, and alienation from God. This is why regeneration is necessary: we are not sick but dead.

The eternal intra-Trinitarian covenant in which the Father elected a people, the Son agreed to redeem them by His death, and the Holy Spirit agreed to apply that redemption. This is the eternal foundation of the covenant of grace — salvation was planned within the Godhead before the world was made.

The doctrine that all who are truly regenerated will persevere in faith and holiness to the end and can never finally fall away. This is grounded not in human willpower but in God's sovereign keeping power, Christ's intercession, and the sealing of the Holy Spirit.

God's eternal decision to appoint certain individuals to salvation (and, by implication, to pass over others). Predestination is not based on foreseen faith or works but on God's own sovereign will. It is the cause of faith, not the result of it.

An Arminian concept holding that God gives every person enough grace to enable (but not guarantee) a free-will response to the gospel. Reformed theology rejects this as unbiblical: the Bible never describes a universal, non-saving, enabling grace that can be accepted or rejected. The grace God gives to the elect is effectual — it accomplishes its purpose.

God's continuous governance of all created things — sustaining, directing, and disposing all events according to His eternal decree. Providence means that nothing happens by chance. God uses secondary causes (including human choices) to accomplish His sovereign purposes without violating human responsibility.

The sovereign act of the Holy Spirit by which a spiritually dead person is made spiritually alive. Regeneration precedes faith — God gives a new heart (Ezekiel 36:26), and that new heart believes. We do not believe in order to be born again; we are born again in order to believe.

God's sovereign decision to pass over certain individuals, leaving them in their sin and justly condemning them. Reprobation is not the mirror image of election — God actively chooses to save the elect, while He justly passes over the reprobate, leaving them to the consequences of their own sin. This is asymmetric: election is unconditional; reprobation presupposes sin.

The ongoing process by which the Holy Spirit progressively conforms believers to the image of Christ. Unlike justification (which is instantaneous and complete), sanctification is gradual and will not be completed until glorification. It is the work of God, but it involves the active cooperation of the believer.

The absolute, unlimited, supreme authority and control of God over all things — creation, history, human hearts, and salvation. God does not merely observe or react; He ordains, governs, and accomplishes all His purposes. His sovereignty is not one attribute among many — it is the attribute that qualifies all others.

The view that salvation requires the cooperation of both God and man — that God provides grace but the human will must cooperate with or accept that grace. Reformed theology rejects synergism in regeneration: the new birth is monergistic (God alone acts). After regeneration, the believer cooperates in sanctification.

The acronym summarizing the five points of Calvinism as defined at the Synod of Dort (1618-19): Total Depravity, Unconditional Election, Limited (Definite) Atonement, Irresistible Grace, Perseverance of the Saints. These five points are not the entirety of Reformed theology but they form its soteriological core.

The central reality of salvation — believers are "in Christ" and Christ is in them. Every benefit of salvation flows from union with Christ: election (chosen "in Him"), redemption (through His blood), justification (His righteousness credited to us), sanctification (His Spirit dwelling in us), and glorification (sharing His glory). This is the most comprehensive category in soteriology.