Salvation
Salvation is the free gift of God through Jesus Christ in accordance with the New Testament of the Bible.
The recognition of sin
The first step is the fact that mankind is sinful in nature; everyone does things which are contrary to God's will. In God's eyes, stealing a paper clip is just as sinful as stealing a car. The Apostle Paul neatly summed up the condition of man:
- As it is written: There is none righteous, no not one;
- There is none that understands, there is none that seeks after God."
- They are all gone out of the way, they have together become unprofitable, there is none that does good, no, not one."
- Their throat is an open grave, with their tongues they have used deceit, the poison of asps is under their lips;
- whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness;
- their feet are swift to shed blood;
- destruction and misery are in their way,
- and the way of peace they did not know.
- There is no fear of God before their eyes.
- But we know that whatever things the Law says, it says to those who are under the Law; so that every mouth may be stopped and all the world may be under judgment before God,
- because by the works of the Law none of all flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law is the knowledge of sin.
- But now a righteousness of God has been revealed apart from Law, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets;
- even the righteousness of God through the faith of Jesus Christ, toward all and upon all those who believe. For there is no difference,
- for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. (Letter to the Romans, 3:10-23)
A holy and just God will not allow sin in His presence, and on that basis alone mankind is excluded from the Kingdom of Heaven.
The after-effects of sin
If the average man was to die at this moment, he would face judgement.
- It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgement. (Letter to the Hebrews, 9:27)
- Marvel not at this; for the hour is coming, in which all that are in the graves shall hear His voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation. (Gospel of John, 5:28-29)
The man facing judgement would stand before God's throne, where his life would be reviewed.
- And I saw the dead, the small and the great, stand before God. And books were opened, and another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. (Revelation, 20:12)
Every single moment of this man's life would be exposed, from cradle to grave. There would be nothing hidden.
- For there is nothing hidden which shall not be revealed; nor became covered, but that it might come to the light. (Gospel of Mark, 4:22)
- But I say to you that every idle word, whatever men may speak, they shall give account of it in the day of judgment. (Gospel of Matthew, 12:36)
If the man's name was not found in the Book of Life, he is denied entry into God's Kingdom.
- Then He also shall say to those on the left hand, Depart from Me, you cursed, into everlasting fire prepared for the Devil and his angels. (Gospel of Matthew, 25:41)
- And these shall go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into everlasting life. (Gospel of Matthew, 25:46)
- And if anyone was not found having been written in the Book of Life, he was cast into the Lake of Fire. (Revelation, 20:15)
Atonement
According to Christians the key event necessary for salvation is atonement. Atonement can be understood as that act which makes salvation possible. The act of atonement is the Crucifixion of Jesus. There are several theories that try to explain exactly how the the Crucifixion atones. They include the Cristus Victor Theory, the Ransom Theory, and the Satisfaction Theory.
Salvation in Calvinist Thought
In Calvinist theology human beings have no ability to influence whether or not they will be saved. Essentially, because man is totally depraved he is unwilling and unable to do any of the things required to be saved. Not even whether or not to believe or have faith in Jesus is within the power of man. Therefore, if anyone is to be saved, God must save them. In Calvinist soteriology, God saves some people by predestinating them to have faith in Jesus and repent of their sins. This idea is developed out of Martin Luther's theology, notably in Bondage of the Will and his Commenatry on Romans in which he side-steps the issue of predestination but not depravity.
Biblical support comes from many passages, inclusive of these:
Ephesians 1:4-6 (King James Version)
4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:
6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.
Ephesians 1:10-12 (King James Version)
10 That in the dispensation of the fullness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:
11 In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:
12 That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.
The five points of Calvinism are:
Total depravity
Also called "radical depravity" and "total inability", this point means that every person is corrupt and sinful throughout in all of his or her faculties, including the mind and will. Thus, no person is able to do what is truly good in God's eyes, but rather, everyone does evil all the time. As a result of this corruption, man is enslaved to sin, rebellious and hostile toward God, blind to truth, and unable to save himself or even prepare himself for salvation.
Unconditional election
Election means "choice." God's choice from eternity past, of whom he will bring to himself, is not based on foreseen virtue, merit, or faith in the persons he chooses but rather is unconditionally grounded in his own sovereign decision.
Limited atonement
Also called "particular redemption" or "definite atonement", the doctrine of the limited atonement is the teaching that Jesus' atonement was definite and certain in its design and accomplishment. It teaches that the atonement was intended to render complete satisfaction for those and only those whom the Father had chosen before the foundation of the world. Calvinists do not believe that the atonement is limited in its value or power (if the Father had willed it, all the people of all generations could be saved), but rather they believe that the atonement is limited in that it is designed for some and not all.
Irresistible grace
Also known as "effectual grace", this doctrine does not hold that every influence of God's Holy Spirit cannot be resisted but that the Holy Spirit is able to overcome all resistance and make his influence irresistible and effective. Thus, when God sovereignly purposes to save someone, that individual certainly will be saved.
Perseverance of the saints
Also called the "preservation of the saints" or "eternal security," the fifth point teaches that those whom God has called into communion with himself will continue in faith until the end. Those who apparently fall away either never had true faith to begin with or will return. This is slightly different from the "once saved, always saved" view prevalent in some evangelical churches in which, despite apostasy or unrepentant and habitual sin, the individual is truly saved if he or she had truly accepted Christ in the past; in traditional Calvinist teaching, apostasy by such a person may be proof that they never were saved.
Theosis
The Orthodox Church has an understanding of salvation that is different from both Protestants and Roman Catholics. They understand salvation, not so much as having sins forgiven but as becoming like God in a process called Theosis. The idea is ancient, as can be see in New Testament and patristic texts such as these:
"Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust." -- 1 Peter 2:14
"We are not made gods from the beginning; first we are mere humans, then we become gods." --St. Irenaeus of Lyons, Adv Haer III IV:38:4
"Let us become the image of the one whole God, bearing nothing earthly in ourselves, so that we may consort with God and become gods, receiving from God our existence as gods" --St. Maximus the Confessor, On Theology, 7.73
"For the Son of God became man, that we might become God." --St. Athanasius of Alexandria, On The Incarnation.
The Orthodox see the Sacraments (which they call the Holy Mysteries) as the main way a person attains theosis and is saved.