A. Distinguish Between Justification and Sanctification.
1. Justification is God’s action of declaring a believer righteous. It is a legal analogy taken from the courtroom.
2. Sanctification is an analogy taken from the religious world of the temple. In sanctification God sets the believer apart as “sacred” to Himself and His purposes. From this comes the concept of making the believer (positionally, progressively and perfectly) righteous..
B. Distinguish Between Being a Christian and Being a Good Christian.
The difference is analogous to the difference in the relationships of marriage — between being married and being a good husband/wife. One is a relationship brought about in a point of time; the other is a life-long working out the results and implications of that relationship. One is a question that can be answered with confidence and assurance. The other is a question that is answered with hope and attempt and growth.
C. Distinguish Between Positional Truth and Experiential Truth.
Positional truth has to do with our standing in the mind of the eternal God in Heaven. Experiential truth relates to what I experience and how I live here and now on earth. God sees the person in His Son as perfect and accepted (Eph. 1:4-6). Daily we are to bring our lives and life-styles into conformity with that high calling (Eph. 1:18-20; 4:1). The classic illustration of this is the story of the twelve year old prince who upon the death of his father suddenly becomes a king, but experientially he is still a twelve year old boy. It will take months and even years for him to learn all his duties, the protocol of court, and become mature in his judgments. He must learn to bring his daily practice up to his high position.
D. Distinguish Between Security and Assurance.
Security is what we have objectively in Christ who promises that we shall never be plucked from His and the Father’s hands (John 10:27-29). Assurance is our internal confidence of our safety and security
E. Distinguish Between Relationship and Fellowship.
Relationship has to do with our eternal salvation and can never be broken or forfeited. Fellowship has to do with our day-by-day entering into the blessings of that relationship, and may be broken by willful, unrepentant disobedience to God.
F. Distinguish Between the Different Types of Forgiveness.
1. Social forgiveness
The forgiveness of a person by a society or a group within a society (John 8:1-11).
2. Church forgiveness
The forgiveness by a church body (2 Cor. 2:5-8). Forgiveness assumes that the offending person has admitted guilt and appropriate confrontation and discipline have been applied.
3. Eternal forgiveness
The forgiveness once for all of all the believer’s sins. This is positional, eternal, unalterable (Eph. 1:7; John 5:24) and conditional only on faith.
4. Personal forgiveness
The forgiveness of one human person of another (Eph. 4:12).
a. Vertical Forgiveness (Mark 11:25-26). An unconditional act of the will releasing the offending person from payment, vengeance and retaliation.
b. Horizontal Forgiveness (Luke 17:3-4). The formal forgiveness on the condition of his repentance (Matt 18:21-22).
1) Not desiring his hurt.
2) Not holding it against him.
3) Not talking about it to others.
4) Not letting my mind dwell on it.
5. Paternal forgiveness
The temporal, experiential and conditional forgiveness by the Father of His children and the restoring of fellowship (Matt. 6:12, 14-15; 18:2-35). It is conditioned on our confession (1 John 1:9) and our forgiveness of those who sin against us.
