Salvation-Three Views

1. The first question we should consider is how and why can I be saved?

We were created to have a relationship with God. Because of the sin of Adam and our own sins, we are separated from that needed relationship. (1Corinthians 15:21-22 NIV  For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man.  (22)  For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.  John 3:36 GNB  Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever disobeys the Son will not have life, but will remain under God's punishment [of death].)

How can this problem be resolved?  Jesus took our sin upon Himself. (2Cointhians 5:21  God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.). Jesus died in our place (Romans 5:8:  But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.).  Jesus took the punishment we deserve and satisfied God’s sentencing all humans to death because of the inherited sin of Adam.

Three days later, Jesus rose from the dead, proving His victory over sin and death (Romans 6:4-5 GNB  By our baptism, then, we were buried with him and shared his death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from death by the glorious power of the Father, so also we might live a new life.  (5)  For since we have become one with him in dying as he did, in the same way we shall be one with him by being raised to life as he was.) 

Why did God permit Jesus to give his human life for us? Because God loves us.  Jesus himself answered that question saying: “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13).  Jesus died so that we could live. If we place our faith in Jesus, trusting in His death as the payment for our sins, all of our sins are forgiven and washed away. We will then have access to a fulfilling life.  We will know our true best friend and good shepherd Jesus in a new and fulfilling way. We will know that we will have life after we die—a resurrected life for an eternity with Jesus!  “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

2.  What are the three aspects of Salvation?

A  Justified

JUSTIFICATION is the act whereby God declares a sinner righteous on the basis of faith. In other words, the righteousness of Christ is placed on the believer’s account thus making him—a sinner—legally righteous. This is the believer’s standing before God, i.e. he is “not guilty” (because Christ took all his guilt on the cross) and “righteous” (because Christ gave him His own righteousness as a gift of grace). (2Co 5:17 NIV  Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!)  Through justification the penalty of sin has been eternally eliminated. However, our journey as Christians and our battle against sin is just beginning.

B  Present Sanctification

SANCTIFICATION is the process whereby God through the Holy Spirit transforms the believer into the image and likeness of Christ. It is the progressive outworking of the new life [new creation] that was planted at the moment of regeneration, i.e. the new birth. [Born Again] This is the cooperative work of the Holy Spirit and the believer. God’s sanctifying work in our lives begins the moment we are justified and He continues to sanctify us until His work is completed when we enter into GLORY with Him.

C  Future Glorification

Glorification is when we will be free from the presence of sin within us. It’s the fulfillment of our salvation or the end of our Christian life when we’re going to leave this earth and we’re going to be in a glorified body in the presence of Christ. (1 Corinthians 15:51-52;  1 Thessalonians 4:16-17)  Our present indistinct faith will be sight.  One day we will see and know all things in Christ.  (1 Corinthians 13:12)

3.  What are the principle views of salvation prevalent today?

A.  Pluralistic Salvation:  This is the popular view that all religions lead to the same God and all ways lead to heaven.  Pluralists challenge the older view that Christ or Christianity must be seen at the center of religions. The pluralistic contention is that although religions have different outward forms, all have the same source namely God.  This view is also called theo-centrism.

B.  Christian Inclusive Salvation:  This doctrine of Salvation is a form of Pluralism with the exception that Jesus Christ is still at its center.  It is only through Jesus that one can be saved. (John 4:6)  However, other non-Christian faiths are considered as being a way to prepare people for the Gospel of Jesus.  It is believed that there will be forgiveness after death during judgement based upon the Words of Jesus at Mat 12:32 NIV : “Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.”  It appears that in the “age to come” there will be a process of bringing people to Christ.  However, anyone not in Christ will not escape paying for the evil they have done. (Romans 12:19)  They will reap what they have sown.  (Galatians 6:7)  Even so, all punishments will be for serious, unforgiven sins in this life and are limited in duration.  A person will not be punished beyond what the sin deserves according to some specified standard.  (Luke 12:45-48 NIV  But suppose the servant says to himself, 'My master is taking a long time in coming,' and he then begins to beat the menservants and maidservants and to eat and drink and get drunk.  (46)  The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the unbelievers.  (47)  That servant who knows his master's will and does not get ready or does not do what his master wants will be beaten with many blows.  (48)  But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.)

 C.  Christian Exclusive Salvation:  Religious exclusivism, or exclusivity, is the doctrine or belief that only one particular religion or belief system is true.  This is in contrast to religious pluralism, which believes that all religions provide valid responses to the existence of God.  A number of Christian denominations assert that they alone represent the one true church – the church to which Jesus gave his authority in the Great Commission.  Jehovah’s Witnesses would be found among this group if you recognize them as being Christian.  The are other significant exclusivist Religious views as follows:

1.  Christian Predestination:  This view is associated with the teachings of John Calvin.  Presbyterian and Reformed congregations today affirm their association with Calvin’s views.  Predestination, in theology, is the doctrine that all events have been willed by God, usually with reference to the eventual fate of the individual soul.  (Romans 8:28-30; Ephesians 1:4-5)  In five point Calvinism a summation of their beliefs can be remembered using the acronym TULIP:

T - Stands for Total Depravity:  The belief in total depravity takes the view that sinfulness pervades all areas of life and human existence. This means people, because of their depraved state, are incapable of independently choosing God.  Humans have no freewill.

U - Stands for Unconditional Election:  This Calvinist view says God chooses who will be saved. The saved people are called the Elect. God picks them based not on their personal character or merit, but out of his kindness and sovereign will.  Those not chosen are the damned, and they are predestined for an eternity in hell.

L - Stands for Limited Atonement:  Limited atonement is the view that Jesus Christ died only for the sins of the Elect.  Those who teach "Four Point Calvinism" believe Christ died not for just the Elect but for the entire world. Jokingly, some who identify with this tradition call themselves Noel Christians.  (No L or TUIP i.e.  4 point Calvinists)

I - Stands for Irresistible Grace:  Irresistible grace is the belief that God brings his Elect to salvation through an internal call by the Holy Spirit which they are powerless to resist.

P - Stands for Perseverance of the Saints:  Calvinism teaches that the Elect cannot lose their salvation.

2.  Christian Arminianism:  This is a teaching that arose in opposition to Calvinism in the late 1500’s.  In essence, the Armenians maintained that God gives indispensable help in salvation, but that ultimately it is the free will of man which decides the issue.  The Armenian movement is most prevalent in the Methodist Church along with other evangelical churches today.  In congregationalist churches it is often unclear which view is held because the subject seldom comes up.  In fact, it probably doesn’t make any difference what you believe regarding the subject of predestination.  Like Calvinism, Armenian’s came up with their own 5 points of salvation.  These are in brief:

 (1) that the divine decree of predestination is conditional, not absolute;

(2) that the Atonement is not limited but is available to everyone;

(3) that man cannot of himself exercise a saving faith, but requires God's help to attain this faith.

(4) that though the grace of God is a necessary condition to help human effort accept salvation, it does not act irresistibly in man.  A person can refuse to heed the call.

(5) that saved believers are able to resist sin but are not beyond the possibility of falling from grace and become unsaved again.

3.  The Catholic Church:  There are many reasons the Roman Catholic Church (RCC) claims it is the only true Church of Jesus Christ.   Jesus prayed for unity of believers and unity begins with understanding. The understanding of the Church’s beliefs is essential in working toward that unity.  The modern RCC claims to have been authorized by Jesus and therefore has the authority to rule over all who claim to be Christian today.  (Mat 16:18-19 NIV  And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.  (19)  I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."

4.  What questions about freewill and a Reformed view of salvation arise?

A Christian Reformed (CR) view says It is impossible for us to fully understand the relationship between God’s sovereignty and humanity’s free will and responsibility. Only God truly knows how they work together in His plan of salvation.   We are not involved individually.  We have no freewill.

Scripture is clear that God knows who will be saved (Romans 8:29-30; 1 Peter 1:2). Ephesians 1:4 tells us that God did more than know us; He chose us “before the creation of the world.” The Bible repeatedly describes believers as the “chosen” (Romans 8:33; 11:5; Ephesians 1:11; Colossians 3:12; 1 Thessalonians 1:4; 1 Peter 2:9) and the “elect” (Matthew 24:22, 31; Mark 13:20, 27; Romans 11:7; 2 Timothy 2:10; Titus 1:1; 1 Peter 1:1). The fact that believers are predestined (Romans 8:29–30; Ephesians 1:5, 11) and elected (Romans 11:28; 2 Peter 1:10) for salvation is clear.

The Bible also says that we need to receive Christ as Savior.  We need to believe in Jesus Christ and we will be saved (John 3:16; Romans 10:9–10). Belief is a command (John 14:11). God knows who will be saved, God chooses who will be saved, and we must choose Christ in order to be saved.  How these three facts actually work together may be impossible for a finite mind to comprehend (Romans 11:33–36).  The CR says these are not questions we need answers to.   Our responsibility is to take the gospel to the whole world (Matthew 28:18–20; Acts 1:8). We should leave the foreknowledge, election, and predestination up to God and simply be obedient in sharing the gospel.

An argument against the CR view is a more existential explanation saying that because God wants everyone to be saved ( 2Peter 3:9),  the Holy Spirit is working in every person’s heart to save them. But the Holy Spirit will not work coercively.  A coerced love is not a genuine love.  For this reason, the Bible warns us not to resist the Holy Spirit (e.g. Acts 7:51; Eph 4:30). It is the Holy Spirit that will bring us to the point where we CAN believe, but never to a point where we MUST believe. So, if we DO believe, it is all credited to God’s grace, working through the Spirit.  However, if we refuse of our own freewill, it’s our own fault.

5.  How may God’s view of time and freewill be involved in our salvation?

We know from Isaiah 46:9-10 God knows the “end from the beginning.”  ( Isa 46:9-10 NIV  Remember the former things, those of long ago; I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me.  (10)  I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.)

How does He know the future?  I used to think that it was because God is really smart and can figure out what we are going to do before we do it.  That is called “Determinism” which is defined as “the doctrine that all events, including human action, are ultimately determined by causes external to the will.  Some philosophers have taken determinism to imply that individual human beings have no free will and cannot be held morally responsible for their actions.  Determinism, as described, must not be the answer.  We are responsible for our actions. (Galatians 6:7-8)

 A more plausible explanation, in my opinion, that is also scientifically supported, is the concept of “Middle Knowledge” (MK) which is also called Molinism.   It is the brain child of a 16th-century Jesuit, Luis de Molina.   Molinism is a system of thought that seeks to reconcile the sovereignty of God and the free will of man.   Simply speaking, though the subject is far more complicated than this, MK is a timeless event “before the founding of the world” when God is planning His creation, the results of which, are found in the Bible from start to finish.  All this is supposed to be happening in God’s mind whatever that means.  The difference is that when God thinks about the events of human history, they are actually happening in His mind.  All the actors, like us, are there enacting our life’s journey of our own free will.  However, there is no time as we know it in God’s MK.  Without time passing, everything happens at once.  This fact places all these events beyond our ability to remember them.  Nevertheless, when God “actualized,” in time, the events that happened in His mind, our present reality is the result.  As an aside, some people relate déjà vu to being vague snippets of future events in our life.  I don’t know about that but the conversation we are having right now has already happened in God’s mind.  Nevertheless, our actions then, as well as now, are motivated by our own free will. 

The strongest Scriptural support for middle knowledge comes from the use of counterfactuals in the Bible. Counterfactuals are “if-then” statements about situations or choices.  For example, Jesus explicitly says, twice, that under different circumstances certain people would have made a different free will choice of whether or not to repent. (Matthew 11:21–23; Matthew 13:15.)  (Note:  Matthew 11:20-21 NIV  Then Jesus began to denounce the cities in which most of his miracles had been performed, because they did not repent.  (21)  Woe to you, Korazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! If the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.)  If different choices by the same people were possible under different circumstances,  then they must have freewill. 

My personal favorite counterfactual is taken from 1 Samuel.  Saul discovers that David is camped out near the city of Keilah.  David learns that Saul is going to invade the city and capture David.  Note what 1 Samuel 23:9-13 NIV says:  “When David learned that Saul was plotting against him, he said to Abiathar the priest, "Bring the ephod."  (10)  David said, "O LORD, God of Israel, your servant has heard definitely that Saul plans to come to Keilah and destroy the town on account of me.  (11)  Will the citizens of Keilah surrender me to him? Will Saul come down, as your servant has heard? O LORD, God of Israel, tell your servant." And the LORD said, "He will."  (12)  Again David asked, "Will the citizens of Keilah surrender me and my men to Saul?" And the LORD said, "They will."  (13)  So David and his men, about six hundred in number, left Keilah and kept moving from place to place. When Saul was told that David had escaped from Keilah, he did not go there.”

The point to be made here is that when God told David that Saul would attack and the city of Keilah would deliver him up, those were infallible facts that would actually happen.  How did God know that?  In MK God apparently allowed that counterfactual (if statement) to play out as if David had not left the city.  Therefore, all the events foretold would have happened as God predicted.  Once David decided to leave the city, none of the events happened because God did not “actualize” those events in time.  They were erased from reality.  However, if David did not have advanced God-given knowledge of future events, he may have decided to stay in Keilah.  Thank God he didn’t. 

To sum up with regard to the subject of Predestination, when God finally actualizes in time the reality of human existence, all the events that happened in MK are predestined to occur in reality.  Once actualized they will not change.  That is the basis for saying God predestined certain people to be chosen “from before the founding of the world.” 

Note that the MK view of time is supported by some scientists like Einstein and others.  The idea that the past, present, and the future are all real is a necessary reality according to Einstein’s equations describing the relationship between space and time.   This is an interesting subject that we will not investigate here.  I just mention it to establish that MK is not just a fantastic and meaningless speculation.  Remember, Luis de Molina proposed this possibility based solely on Scripture.  It is truly amazing, in my opinion, that hundreds of years later, science has provided a basis supporting his concept of MK.

6.  What is the true gospel?

The true gospel is the good news that God saves sinners.  Man is by nature sinful and separated from God, with no hope of remedying that situation. But God has provided the means of man’s redemption in the death, burial, and resurrection of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

The word gospel literally means “good news.” But to truly comprehend how good this news is, we must first understand the bad news. As a result of the fall of man in the garden of Eden (Genesis 3:6), every part of man—his mind, will, emotions, and flesh—have been corrupted by sin.  (Romans 3:10-12).  A sinful person has no desire to come to God, and, in fact, his mind is hostile toward God.  When humans are controlled by their sinful human nature, they do not and cannot seek God (Romans 8:6-7). God has declared that such a man’s sin dooms him to be separated from God where he pays the penalty for sinning against a holy and righteous God. This would be bad news, indeed, if there were no remedy.

But good news of the gospel says that God, in His mercy, has provided that remedy in the form of a substitute for us—Jesus Christ—who came to pay the penalty for our sin by His sacrifice on the cross. This is the essence of the gospel. In 1 Corinthians 15:2–4, Paul explains the elements of the gospel—the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ on our behalf.  Our old nature died with Christ on the cross and was buried with Him. Then we were resurrected with Him to a new life when we were baptized. (Romans 6:4–8). Paul tells us to “hold firmly” to this true gospel, the only one that saves. Believing in any other gospel is to believe in vain. In Romans 1:16–17, Paul also declares that the true gospel is the “power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes.” This is the true Gospel.