Ordination Questions for Soteriology (Salvation)

These questions have been compiled from 10 ordinations within Baptist Church in West Michigan. I trust these will help you prepare for ordination and appreciate the Truth of God and His Word!

Ordination #1

1.         Define “salvation.”

2.         What is the Biblical basis of salvation?

3.         What was the purchase price of salvation?

4.         How does a person receive salvation?

5.         Define: Imputation, Justification, Reconciliation, Redemption, Regeneration, Sanctification, Adoption, Glorification

6.         What is repentance, and what part does it play in salvation?

7.         What is conversation, and to whom does it apply? Luke 22:32

8.         What is meant by “elect according to the foreknowledge of God”?

9.         What is predestination, and to whom does it apply?

10.   Explain Acts 2:38

11.   Explain eternal security in the light of Hebrews 6:4ff.

12.   What are the five points of “Calvinism” and which do you accept? Give Biblical proofs.

13.   How important is the blood of Christ?

14.   Explain 1 Peter 3:21.

15.   Explain 2 Corinthians 5:21.

16.   What does it mean to be “dead in trespasses and sins”?

17.         Does Isaiah 53:5 mean that physical healing is in the atonement?

18.         How would you lead a person to Christ? What verses?

19.         Reconcile sovereignty and personal responsibility.

20.         Does a man naturally seek God? Romans 3:10

21.         Give N.T. proof that infants are not lost.

22.         Must a person pray to be saved?

23.         Can a person be saved and not know it?

24.         What was the purpose of the book of Galatians?

25.         What verses would you use for assurance of salvation?

26.   How would you deal with a person who said he had sinned too greatly to ever be saved?

27.   What about the sincere heathen who have never heard about the Lord Jesus?

28.   Was the plan of salvation an emergency measure?

29.   What about the eternality and literalness of hell?

Ordination #2

1. Please present the gospel, what is the minimum?What do we have to believe to be saved?

2. Reconcile that we have all the responsibility and none of the responsibility toward Salvation

3. If we are morally depraved (Dead in our sin) do we have a free will?

4. Define biblical freedom.

5. Does our freedom not only affect our future but also how we respond to Christ now?

6. Two men, both depraved, both sinners, one trusts Christ and the other does not? What is the difference?

7. No man comes to the father except the Father draw him, does this play into your view? (Election)

8. Explain your view in your paper about the free will of God.

9. How would you explain the word “foreknew”? Was God’s Choice based on the person’s free will/choice? Were we chosen before the foundation of the world? Are we called to believe or understand?

10. What is apostasy?

11. How do you practically counsel someone who accepted Christ and now they want nothing to do with it? Where does it say that we are sealed unto salvation? (Hint: Eph 1:13)

12. Contrast between assurance and security. Can someone we secure in Christ and not have assurance? Hint: Connection: Heb 12 – who the Lord Loves he chastens? Why does the Lord discipline us?

Ordination #3

1. Modernistic view of salvation – please explain if this is really what you mean?

2. What is the value of the text that calls man to repent and believe?

3. How does “repenting and believing” work out your view of reach God’s favor and HS awakes faith?

4. Free will is sinful until God opens our eyes?

5. “Work of Christ” paragraph, please define the active obedience of Christ?

6. Define and Explain: Repentance and Foreknowledge?

7. Share the gospel with me within 60 seconds?

8. Who have you share the gospel with?

9. Sanctification: when a christian is sinning, he ceases to be spiritual?

10. Would you categorize the human race in three ways? unsaved, spiritual saved and unspiritual saved?

11. Please define and explain the doctrine of perseverance? (In light of previous question)

12. Please define and explain: Union with Christ?

13. Salvation in Old Testament – Is it the same in both New and Old testaments?

14. What is object of Faith in the Old Testament?

Ordination #4

1. You state, “regeneration comes before justification” is this what you believe?

2. What if I am not elect, can I try to get saved?

3. How is it possible that you don’t believe in “Free will” in this age?

4. With a strong view on the Sovereignty of God, how to you do the work of the evangelist?

5. Clarify the new and old natures that are within us as believers?

6. What is the golden chain? Can this link break?

7. Atonement: what do you do with infants when they die?

8. Follow up: So, infants have a place in God’s salvific plan?

9. Imagine you are talking to a mom, and she says, “I know my son trusted Christ but now he is an adult and is not persevering in the faith,” how would you respond?

10. As you think about Salvation, what are some of the disconnections that someone who professes might have or are holding them back from being a true follower of Christ?

11. What happened to Joshua Harris? Give us your opinion??

12. People are getting eaten up alive in our Association: How do you protect yourself?

Ordination #5

- How are you being proactive in doing the work of an evangelist?

- When was the last time you shared the Gospel with an unbeliever?

- Do you teach the balance between responsibility of God and the will of man, because you seem very Calvinistic?

- Because of the fall and behavior of man, how do you connect the dots of between the fall and the atonement? How the atonement addresses the two-fold need for personal sin and indwelling sin?

- What is the Mosaic Law in light of Salvation and does that have a function today?

- Can we join our Roman Catholic family and friends in their walk with Faith? Is there a difference?

- Is their view of imputation different from yours?

- Thoughts on the New Perspective on Paul.

- Repentance: How do you explain repentance to be clear.

- Does repentance require penance or perfection in this life?

- Early salvation but the lack of fruit in an individual life – What is an indicator of faith in Christ?

- Talk about the Warning text in Hebrews 6 in light of eternal security?

- Can someone be a believer and apostatizes?

Ordination #6

1. Explain the gospel in 45 seconds

2. Individual struggling with assurance of Salvation, how do you encourage them?

3. Talk about repentance and its importance.

Ordination #7

1. You list four key areas of salvation, why did you pick only these four? So why is our legal problem so high on your list?

2. Do you address the design of the atonement? Especially to those who can’t believe, ie Babies going to heaven?

3. Please work through how Salvation works logically.

4. How do you deal with a funeral where people are only good people?

5. Talk about what eternal life is? Both what it is like and what it is. So, when does eternal life begin?

6. Do the work of an evangelist? What are ways that you are proactive and intentional in interacting with unsaved people?

7. What is the difference between everlasting life and eternal life? (talk to your pastor)

8. What is the difference between everlasting damnation and eternal damnation? (Talk to your pastor)

9. Principle identity? Saint or sinner

Ordination #8

1. Is there an order in the decrees of God or salvation?

2. Is our repentance needed in order to be saved?

3. What is "quickening?"

4. What comes first: quickening or faith?

5. "God gave humanity free choice." Please explain how this works.

6. Does man have free choice prior to salvation?

7. Briefly explain Roman 10:9-10 in regards to election.

8. Teen comes with sinful addiction with no hope. Where do you give hope from God's Word?

9. How do you make sense of a believer who has no signs of regeneration? How do you deal with it?

10. Qualifications that we use to determine salvation.

Ordination #9

·       Does complete glorification happen at death? What does that mean? Would you need to remove the word completely from your Doctrinal Statement?

·       Address the issue of infant baptism? How would you refute that? What is your understanding of the Christian Reformed view? What was the pattern of baptism in the book of Acts?

·       What phrases to you avoid when it come to how to be saved, especially when working with kids?

·       Is repentance a necessary part of the salvation experience?

·       Did Christ die for those He foreknew or for the whole world? Limited or Unlimited atonement?

·       How do you understand Acts 16:31- the Philippian jailer and his household?

Ordination #10

·       Do you believe God chose you based on foreknowledge?

·       Are you a dirty rotten sinner? What is the goal of predestination?

·       What is the gospel? How would you go about leading someone to Jesus? How does a person respond to the gospel?

·       What is propitiation and why is it important that we have a proper understanding of God’s wrath?

·       How do we make sense of a person who gave profession of faith but has departed from the faith and gives no evidence of regeration?

·       Does a person have the ability to choose apart from God turning on the switch or quickening them?

·       Do you believe that man has free will?

·       Can you give us a summary of what God does and what man does in this whole process of salvation?

·       Do you believe that God chose those who would be saved before the foundation of the world? Do you believe that all who call upon the name of The Lord will be saved? Do you understand how those things come together?

·       How did an OT person get saved - as it relates to the Holy Spirit? How was Abraham saved? What did he do?