Soteriology is the study of salvation in Christianity. It seeks to understand how sinful humans can be reconciled to a holy God. The topic encompasses such questions as:
What is salvation?
In Christianity, salvation refers to the deliverance from sin and its consequences. Humans are affected by sin at birth and require salvation in order to have a right relationship with God. The Bible teaches that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). As a result, humans face God’s judgment and wrath (Romans 1:18; 2:5). Salvation offers the remedy to this dire situation. Through Christ, sin is forgiven and the relationship between God and humans is restored.
Salvation encompasses more than just an afterlife in heaven. It also brings spiritual transformation in the present life. The Bible uses various images to depict this salvation: justification (being declared legally righteous before God), redemption (being purchased from slavery to sin), reconciliation (restoration of relationship with God), regeneration (being born again with new spiritual life), adoption (becoming part of God’s family) and sanctification (being made holy). This salvation is made possible by Christ’s atoning death on the cross and victorious resurrection.
Why do humans need salvation?
According to the Bible, God created humans to be in perfect communion with Him. However, the first humans rebelled against God and brought sin into the world (Genesis 3). The effects of the Fall were catastrophic and far-reaching:
– Humans became enslaved to sin and incapable of pleasing God (Romans 6:6, 8:8).
– All humans inherited a sinful nature from Adam, the first man (Romans 5:12, 19).
– Sin brought God’s wrath, judgment and condemnation on humankind (Ephesians 2:3).
– Humans face physical death and eternal spiritual death (Romans 6:23).
– Humans are alienated from God and one another (Colossians 1:21).
– The image of God in humans is distorted but not erased entirely (Genesis 9:6; James 3:9).
This bleak picture shows why salvation is necessary. Left in their sins, humans are without hope. They cannot save themselves through good works or religiosity (Ephesians 2:8-9). Only God could bridge the chasm between Himself and fallen humanity.
What does God do for salvation?
Though humans are unworthy of salvation, God provided the way through His grace and love. Motivated by mercy, God sent His Son Jesus into the world to save sinners (John 3:16-17; Romans 5:8; Titus 3:4-7). Salvation is entirely God’s initiative and accomplishment.
The most important event is Christ’s death on the cross and resurrection from the dead. Jesus bore God’s wrath in place of sinners, dying as an atoning sacrifice for their sins (Romans 3:25; Hebrews 9:26-28). His resurrection proved His victory over sin and death, and the acceptance of His sacrifice.
Additionally, God enables people to respond to the gospel through the inner working of the Holy Spirit (John 6:44; Acts 16:14). The Spirit convicts them of sin and draws them to repentance and faith (John 16:8). God gets all the glory in salvation.
What is the human response to salvation?
Though salvation is entirely God’s work, humans still have a role to play. The Bible calls on them to:
Repent – Turn from sin and turn to God (Acts 3:19).
Believe – Trust in Christ alone for salvation (Acts 16:31).
Follow – Submit to Christ as Lord over one’s life (Luke 9:23).
This response involves an intellectual assent to the gospel, as well as a heartfelt trust in Christ. True, saving faith will be evidenced by a changed life (James 2:14-26).
Salvation is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone (Ephesians 2:8-9). Good works play no part in earning salvation. However, they will be present as evidence of true conversion. This is because God’s grace enables and empowers believers for good works (Ephesians 2:10; Philippians 2:12-13).
When does salvation occur?
There is disagreement among Christians on the timing of salvation. Some traditions see salvation as a past event that occurred when a person first believed. Others view it as an ongoing process of growth in holiness. There are also differences related to the doctrine of eternal security – whether salvation can be lost.
Three main views emerge:
1. Justification (past) – A person is saved the moment they place faith in Christ. Justification is a legal declaration of righteousness before God. At that point, the benefits of salvation like adoption and eternal life are guaranteed.
2. Sanctification (present) – Salvation involves growth in Christlikeness by the Spirit’s power throughout life. People must persevere in faith and good works to experience final salvation.
3. Glorification (future) – Salvation will fully occur in the future after death. At that point, believers will be free from sin and made perfect. This completion of salvation is called glorification.
Each view has biblical support. There is merit in seeing that salvation has past, present and future aspects. Justification secures salvation, sanctification applies it practically, and glorification perfects it eternally.
What are the benefits of salvation?
Salvation in Christ brings profound blessings that extend into eternity:
– Forgiveness of sins – Sins are atoned for and guilt is removed (Psalm 103:12; Acts 10:43).
– Righteousness – The perfect righteousness of Christ is credited to believers (Romans 3:22; Philippians 3:9).
– Reconciliation with God – Fellowship with God is restored (Romans 5:10-11; 2 Corinthians 5:18-19).
– Adoption into God’s family – Believers gain all the privileges of sonship (John 1:12; Galatians 4:5-7).
– Regeneration and renewal – They receive new spiritual life and are transformed (Titus 3:5; 2 Corinthians 5:17).
– The indwelling Holy Spirit – The Spirit comes to empower and sanctify believers (Romans 8:9-11; 2 Corinthians 1:21-22).
– Eternal life – Believers have the hope of resurrection and eternal life with God (John 3:16; 1 Peter 1:3-5).
– Glorification – In eternity, believers will be free from sin and made perfect (Romans 8:30; 1 John 3:2).
This salvation brings inestimable blessings and unending joy. It fulfills humanity’s deepest needs for meaning, hope, freedom and relationship.
What about those who never hear the gospel?
One difficult question is the fate of people who never hear the gospel or encounter Christianity. Some possibilities that Christians affirm:
1. Universalism – All will eventually be saved because of God’s love.
2. Inclusivism – Salvation is only through Christ but some may be saved without knowing Him.
3. Conditional immortality – Unbelievers will cease to exist instead of suffering eternally.
4. Agnosticism – It is presumptuous to make definitive claims about others’ salvation.
5. Exclusivism – Knowledge of Christ in this life is necessary for salvation.
Views that emphasize God’s love find it unthinkable that people are condemned due to ignorance. But verses like Acts 4:12 state that “there is salvation in no one else” but Christ. Ultimately, Scripture seems to affirm that knowledge of Christ is normatively necessary. But it is best to avoid judgment since only God knows hearts.
What is the relationship between faith and works?
A longstanding debate concerns faith and works. Paul emphasizes justification by faith alone (Romans 3:28). James says that faith without works is dead and cannot save (James 2:14-26). These seem contradictory but can be reconciled:
1. Salvation is by grace alone through faith alone – Works play no role in earning salvation (Ephesians 2:8-9).
2. Genuine faith will always produce good works – Works are evidence of true conversion (Matthew 3:8; James 2:17).
3. Works done by God’s grace also evidence election – Believers were saved for the purpose of good works (Ephesians 2:10).
4. Justification (being declared righteous) is by faith alone – Works demonstrate righteousness already present by faith.
Thus works have no part in obtaining salvation but they demonstrate that one has truly been saved. They flow from conversion but do not produce it. Faith alone saves, but saving faith is never alone.
What are the different views about perseverance and assurance?
Christians differ on whether salvation can be lost and how believers gain assurance:
1. Eternal security – Once truly saved, always saved. Assurance is based on God’s promises.
2. Conditional security – Salvation can be lost through unrepentant sin. Assurance comes through persevering.
3. Post-conversion perseverance – Genuine believers will persevere by God’s grace. Apostates were never truly saved.
4. Objective assurance – Assurance comes only through Christ’s work, not our changing feelings.
5. Subjective assurance – Assurance is gained by seeing good works and the Spirit’s witness in our lives.
Positions like eternal security emphasize God preserving believers. Others see salvation as dependent on our enduring faith. In reality, both God’s sovereignty and human responsibility are involved. Perseverance is evidence of God’s grace, not human merit. Assurance is grounded in Christ’s work, not ours. But self-examination can aid assurance.
How does the Old Testament depict salvation?
The Old Testament storyline reveals God’s plan of salvation unfolding progressively:
– It begins immediately after the Fall with the promise of acoming redeemer (Genesis 3:15).
– God then forms the nation of Israel, choosing them as His people (Exodus 19:4-6).
– Through the law, temple and sacrifices, Israel could approach God. These foreshadowed Christ’s work (Hebrews 10:1).
– The prophets promised a new covenant where God’s law is written on hearts (Jeremiah 31:31-34).
– Psalms and Proverbs depict salvation as trusting in God’s steadfast love and mercy.
Though accomplished through different means, Old Testament saints were still saved by grace through faith like New Testament believers (Romans 4:1-3). Promised redemption was received by looking forward in hope. With Christ’s coming, salvation was revealed more fully for all nations.
How does the New Testament expand the concept of salvation?
While the essence remains the same, the New Testament provides greater clarity about God’s unfolding plan of salvation:
– It reveals Jesus as the long-awaited Messiah who fulfilled Old Testament promises (Luke 24:27).
– Jesus’ incarnation, life, death and resurrection accomplished redemption for sinners (Romans 3:24-25; 1 Peter 1:18-21).
– By His Spirit, Christ mystically unites believers to Himself (John 15:1-11; Ephesians 1:3-14).
– Salvation extends beyond Israel to all nations (Matthew 28:19; Romans 1:16).
– Justification by faith apart from works features prominently (Galatians 2:15-16).
– There is greater understanding of the Spirit’s identity and work in sanctification (Romans 8; Galatians 5:16-25).
– Salvation is depicted as adoption, redemption, and reconciliation – new familial concepts (Galatians 4:4-7).
The New Testament retains continuity with Old Testament salvation. But Christ’s coming made its accomplishment clearer and more inclusive.
What are the different Protestant views of salvation?
Within Protestantism, various traditions articulate salvation differently:
– Lutheranism – Emphasizes justification as a legal declaration that believers are righteous in Christ. Sanctification is through the means of grace.
– Calvinism – Salvation is wholly the work of God’s sovereign grace. The elect are predestined to salvation by God’s eternal decrees. Perseverance of the saints.
– Arminianism – Election is conditioned on God’s foreknowledge. Salvation can be resisted or lost through unbelief. Emphasizes human free will.
– Evangelicalism – Accepts various Protestant positions. Common emphasis on personal conversion and the need for missionary evangelism.
– Pentecostalism – Justification by faith. Sanctification as empowerment by the Holy Spirit evidenced through spiritual gifts. Generally Arminian.
Despite differences, Protestants affirm salvation is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. Positions diverge on the nature of election, possibility of apostasy, extent of human depravity and means of sanctification.
How do Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox conceptions differ?
Catholicism and Orthodoxy share similarities but have key differences from Protestant views:
– Emphasize the role of the church in dispensing salvation through the sacraments.
– Accept the Apocryphal books which Catholicism considers divinely inspired.
– Affirm baptismal regeneration – baptism is necessary for salvation.
– Believe Christians can merit rewards from God by good works empowered by grace. However, salvation itself is grace-enabled.
– Prayer, alms and penance can help satisfaction for sins in purgatory.
– For Catholics, salvation is dispensed by the authority and instrumentality of the Papacy.
– The Orthodox emphasize mystical participation in God (theosis), seeing salvation as a process of divinization.
Protestants broke from these positions during the Reformation over issues like scriptural authority and justification. Yet there is also much common ground on the core elements of the gospel.
What are the main perspectives on the extent of the atonement?
Did Christ’s death provide redemption sufficient for all or only for the elect? Four main perspectives:
1. Universal salvation – Christ’s death redeems all humanity. All will be saved.
2. Unlimited atonement – Christ’s death is sufficient for all humanity. But salvation must be received by faith.
3. Definite or limited atonement – Christ died to redeem only the elect, not all humanity. His atonement actually secures salvation.
4. Hypothetical universalism – Christ’s death is sufficient to save all, but efficient only for believers, by God’s design.
The extent of the atonement relates to whether God’s election is based on His foreknowledge or unconditional decree. It also ties into disagreements about human free will in responding to the gospel. Positions 2 and 4 have significant support from Scripture and are the most common.
How do cults and world religions teach salvation?
Non-Christian groups have teachings on salvation that differ from biblical Christianity:
– Islam – Right standing before Allah is based on works, including the Five Pillars. There is no substitutionary atonement but rather earning entrance to paradise.
– Mormonism – Exaltation to godhood by obedience to the church and its ordinances, marital relations and secret temple rites. Emphasis on works righteousness.
– Jehovah’s Witnesses – Salvation comes by serving God faithfully as a Witness and striving for moral perfection. Only 144,000 go to heaven. Others hope for paradise on earth.
– Hinduism – Release from karma and samsara through realization of your divine nature via spiritual paths like raja yoga. God is an impersonal force, not personal Savior.
– Buddhism – Achieving nirvana and release from suffering by following the Noble Eightfold Path and realigning your desires. No concept of sin or need for redemption.
– Judaism – Following the Mosaic Law. God requires righteous living, not substitutionary atonement. Jews do not accept the messianic claims about Jesus.
These worldviews lack a Savior who redeems through grace. They evidence humanity’s attempts to earn salvation through moral striving and gnosis.
How will the consummation of salvation occur?
According to Scripture, God’s work of salvation will reach final fulfillment when Christ returns. Key events include:
– Jesus’ second coming in power and glory (Matthew 24:30-31; Philippians 3:20-21).
– Resurrection of the dead – Believers to eternal life, unbelievers to judgment (John 5:28-29; Acts 24:15).
– Final judgment by Christ – Rewards for the righteous, condemnation for the wicked (Matthew 25:31-46; Romans 2:5-10).
– Creation renewed and restored to perfection (Isaiah 65:17-25; Romans 8:18-23).
– Defeat of Satan, death and evil (1 Corinthians 15:24-28, 55-57; Revelation 20:10, 14).
– Believers abide in God’s presence and experience full glorification (Revelation 21:3-4; 22-27).
This consummation is the climax of salvation history. God’s purposes for humankind and creation will be fulfilled. Sin, death and brokenness will be no more.
