The process of salvation, often termed the ordo salutis, frequently stirs debates over the sequence of events. Recently, I engaged with a Provisionist perspective that proposed a specific order: enslaved to sin ➡️ faith ➡️ becoming sons of God ➡️ Spirit-indwelled and baptized into Christ. While this view suggests a chronological order, a closer look reveals that sonship and the reception of the Spirit may occur simultaneously. Examining this idea in Galatians and Romans, we’ll explore if Scripture implies a temporal sequence or a unified act of salvation.

1. The Provisionist Argument and My Initial Question: The Provisionist perspective cites Galatians 3:27-29 and 4:6 to argue that faith precedes sonship, and sonship precedes receiving the Spirit. They interpret the phrase “because you are sons” as a sequence where sonship causes the Spirit’s indwelling. Thomas Schreiner critiques this perspective, suggesting that “it is mistaken…to derive a chronological order from what Paul says here. The main point…is that believers are sons and heirs.” He argues that Paul’s intent is not to establish a sequence but to affirm believers’ identity and relationship with God, which the Spirit’s presence confirms and authenticates (Schreiner, Galatians, Kindle Locations 8550-8559).

2. Questioning the Chronological Reading of Scripture: My response challenged this assumption of sequence. Scripture does not always present salvation as a strictly sequential process, particularly regarding sonship and the Spirit. The phrase “because you are sons” in Galatians 4:6 may indicate the reason for sending the Spirit rather than a temporal sequence. Douglas Moo notes, “The initial hoti (because) is most naturally taken in a causal sense,” implying that the Spirit’s sending is due to believers’ sonship rather than suggesting that sonship must come first in time. Moo adds that the context emphasizes believers’ sonship and inheritance, and the Spirit’s role as confirming this identity (Moo, Galatians, Kindle Locations 7088-7096).

3. The Provisionist’s Temporal Analogy and the Complexity of Salvation: The Provisionist countered by offering an analogy: “Because you are a man, I gifted you bourbon,” implying that identity precedes the gift. While understandable, this analogy may oversimplify the complex relationship between sonship and the Spirit in salvation. Schreiner points out that Paul is not emphasizing strict order but the “reason” for the Spirit’s indwelling (Schreiner, Galatians, Kindle Locations 8550-8559). David deSilva observes, “The ‘sequence’ of sonship and Spirit in various texts in Paul is probably dictated more by rhetorical than theological concerns” (deSilva, The Letter to the Galatians, pp. 356-358). Paul’s language suggests theological unity rather than a step-by-step progression.

4. Addressing the Temporal Sequence with Romans 8: Romans 8 complicates the sequential reading further. In Romans 8:9, Paul states that belonging to Christ requires having the Spirit. If sonship precedes the Spirit, as the Provisionist view implies, a tension arises: how could sonship (belonging) exist without the Spirit? DeSilva notes that “Paul’s aim is to stabilize the Galatians by assuring them of their relationship with God through the Spirit” (deSilva, The Letter to the Galatians, p. 358). Romans 8 suggests that receiving the Spirit and becoming sons are closely intertwined. Timothy George agrees, noting that “receiving the Spirit and being a son or daughter of God are so intimately connected that the chronological priority of one or the other aspect is impossible to establish” (George, Galatians: The Christian Standard Commentary, p. 337).

5. The Unifying Work of Sonship and the Spirit in Salvation: Paul’s use of “Abba, Father” in Galatians 4:6 emphasizes the Spirit’s role in securing believers’ status as sons. This familial language underscores the depth of the relationship between God and the believer, an intimacy granted through union with Christ. Moo observes, “The Spirit whom God gives is defined by and experienced in terms of God’s Son, Jesus Christ,” meaning the Spirit’s presence marks the believer’s adoption into God’s family (Moo, Galatians, Kindle Locations 7118-7139). Schreiner adds that Paul’s language in Romans 8 parallels Galatians 4:6, showing that the Spirit testifies to the believer’s sonship, not as a separate event, but as part of a unified experience of salvation (Schreiner, Galatians, Kindle Locations 8550-8559).

Paul’s discussion in Galatians 4:6, read alongside Romans 8, supports the idea that sonship and the Spirit’s reception are simultaneous elements of salvation. Moo argues that Paul’s point is not a sequence but a “logical interdependence” between sonship and the Spirit. By focusing on the relationship between these aspects, Paul affirms the unity of the believer’s identity as a child of God, confirmed by the Spirit. Rather than enforcing a temporal order, Paul’s language presents salvation as a holistic transformation where believers are fully adopted and indwelt by the Spirit