Who Is Responsible for a Believer's Salvation?

By Mike Ratliff

30 And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption (1 Corinthians 1:30 ESV)

There are so many who want to attack the teachings I post with their extra-biblical arguments, which are mostly based in tradition. There are many topics where the numbers of those doing this drop drastically, but when it comes to the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ and how it relates to what is hot in the visible church “right now” like “missional” stuff my spam bucket seems to fill up fast.

The Bible clearly shows us that God is sovereign, completely sovereign, in salvation, not the person. Let us ask some questions and then answer them scripturally. I will ask a few questions then list the answers by linking to scripture so you can go there and prayerfully read it yourself.

“Did God sovereignly elect us and save us? Or did He act in accord with what He knew we would do? In other words, “Who makes the first move?”

God wills                                                  John 1:12-13; Eph. 1:5, 11
God draws                                                John 6:44
God grants                                                John 6:65
God calls                                                   1 Thess. 2:12; 2Thess. 2:14; 2Tim. 1:9; 1Pet. 2:9
God appoints                                           Acts 13:48; 1 Thess. 5:9
God predestines                                      Rom. 8:29; Eph. 1:5, 11
God prepares                                           Rom. 9:23
God causes                                               1 Cor. 1:30
God chooses                                            1 Thess. 1:4; 2 Thess. 2:13; Eph. 1:4
God purposes                                          Eph. 1:11
God delivers and transfers                   Col. 1:13
God saves                                                 2 Tim. 1:9; Titus 3:5
God makes us alive                               Eph. 2:5
God pours out His Spirit                     Titus 3:6
God brings us forth                               James 1:18
God justifies                                            Rom. 8:30; Titus 3:7
God sanctifies                                         1 Thess. 5:23
God glorifies                                           Rom. 8:3

The passages above summarize what Sacred Scripture teaches about God’s role in salvation. If you have taken an honest look at these passages then you have seen that God is the ‘first cause’ or imitator of a believer’s salvation.

Soli Deo Gloria!