What is the correct order of the Four Steps in the Plan of Sanctification (Romans 6)?

• A. Know, Reckon, Yield, Obey God's Commandments
• B. Know, Yield, Reckon, Obey
• C. Reckon, Know, Yield, Obey
• D. Know, Obey, Yield, Reckon

Answer: (A)

In Romans 6, sanctification unfolds as a progression from truth to trust to surrender to action. First you know the facts: you’re united with Christ, your old self has been crucified, sin’s power over you is broken, and you now belong to God, alive in Him. This knowledge isn’t just information; it forms the foundation for how you live. Next you reckon or count on that truth—believe it personally and apply it to your life by deciding you are dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. This step is faith-filled assent that translates doctrine into daily mindset. Then you yield—present yourself to God and offer your body as instruments of righteousness, letting the Holy Spirit guide your desires and actions rather than letting sin reign. This surrender is the willingness to be shaped and redirected by God from the inside out. Finally you obey—live out what you’ve embraced in truth and surrender by walking in obedience to God’s commandments, empowered to do what pleases Him.

Keeping that sequence in mind helps: knowledge of the truth anchors trust; trust leads to surrender; surrender enables consistent obedience. The order ensures you’re not attempting obedience from a place of mere effort or knowledge alone, but from a lived reality of who you are in Christ and yielded reliance on the Spirit.