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| Salvation in Christianity |
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| General concepts |
| Particular concepts |
| Punishment |
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Soteriology is the theological doctrine of salvation as effected by Jesus Christ. It is derived from the Greek sōtērion "salvation" (from sōtēr "savior, preserver") + logos (word)].
Description
Christian soteriology is the study of how God ends the separation people have from him due to sin by reconciling them with himself. Many Christians believe they receive the forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation bought by Jesus through his innocent suffering, death, and resurrection from the dead three days later. Christian soteriology examines how an individual is saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, and reconciled to the Triune God.. Mankind is saved from both physical and spiritual destruction as a result of one's guilt of sin and the resulting condemnation,
The different soteriologies found within the Christian tradition can be grouped into distinct schools:
- Orthodox Christianity and Catholic:
- Justification,
- the Church,
- Sacraments, and
- freedom of will
- Arminianism,
- Calvinism's predestination, and
- Lutheran doctrine
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According to the 66 books which compose the Canon of Scripture:
1) Salvation belongs to the Lord and is available to God's adopted sons and daughters:
Eph 1:5 Having predestined us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will.
Gal 4:4-5 But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.
Rom 8:17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.
John 1:12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.
1 Peter 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you.
Heb 2:10 In bringing many sons to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the author of their salvation perfect through suffering.
Titus 3:7 That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. c.f. Jer 14:9, Rom 8:15, Gal. 4:6, Psalms 103:13
2) Salvation is by the grace of God on man:
Rom 3:24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.
Rom 5:2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
Rom 5:17-19 For if by one man's offense death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ. Therefore as by the offense of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.
Rom 8:30 Moreover whom he did predestine, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.
Eph 1:7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace.
Eph 2:7-10 That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God--not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
3) Salvation is through faith in Jesus Christ:
Acts 4:10-12 It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. He is 'the stone you builders rejected, which has become the capstone.' Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.
2 Cor. 5:19-20 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
Rom 3:22-23 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference. Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.
4) Salvation is free and not obtained by works:
Titus 3:4-7 But after that the kindness and love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior; that being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
Rom 3:24-28 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God. Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith. Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.
Gal. 2:16 Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified. (cf. Eph. 2:8-10, Titus 3:15 above)
Soteriology in other religions
Islamic soteriology focuses on how humans can repent of and atone for their sins so as not to occupy a state of loss.
Sikhism advocates the pursuit of salvation through disciplined, personal meditation on the name and message of God, meant to bring one into union with God.
In Vedic (Hinduism) religion, individual salvation is not --- as is often alleged --- pursued to the neglect of collective well-being. "The principle on which the Vedic religion is founded," observes the Sage of Kanchi "is that a man must not live for himself alone but serve all mankind." Well, varna dharma in its true form is a system according to which the collective welfare of society is ensured. Hinduism, which teaches that we are caught in a cycle of death and rebirth called saṃsāra, contains a slightly different sort of soteriology devoted to the attainment of transcendent moksha, meaning liberation. For some this liberation is also seen as a state of closeness to Brahman.
Jainism emphasizes penance and asceticism meant to lead to a liberation and ascendance of the soul. Buddhism is in a real sense devoted primarily to soteriology, i.e. liberation from suffering, ignorance, rebirth. Epicureanism is primarily concerned with temperance and simple life as a means to the absence of pain or freedom from anxiety (αταραξία) and Stoicism is concerned with the cultivation of virtues such as fortitude and detachment to improve spiritual well-being. Shinto and Tenrikyo similarly emphasize working for a good life by cultivating virtue or virtuous behavior, and many practitioners of Judaism also emphasize morality in this life over concern with the afterlife. In Falun Dafa (Chinese: 法輪大法) salvation refers to cultivation practice, or xiu lian, a process of giving up human attachments and assimilating to the Buddha Fa(佛 Fǒ, 法 Fǎ), or the fundamental characteristic of the universe, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance (真 zhen, 善 shan, 忍 ren).
See also
References
- "soteriology." The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, 2004. 12 Jul. 2009.
- "soteriology", definition from the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary
- Rom. 5:10-11
- I John 1:9 and Acts 2:38
- Rom. 8:11 and Gal. 2:20
- Rom. 5:9-10 and 1 Thess. 5:9
- Romans 6:3-5
- Eph. 2:8-10
- Romans 6:23