The Great Doctrine of Salvation

What is the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word salvation?

Most likely your mind automatically goes to the moment you trusted Jesus as your Savior, but the truth is the term “salvation” itself is very ambiguous and can refer to physical salvation OR in a spiritual sense.

For the purpose of our study we will be looking at the most important, to us at least, spiritual salvation.

Salvation is...

A Broad Term

It may be viewed in light of three tenses:

Past - Jesus ha saved you from the penalty of sin

Acts 16:31 “31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.”

Ephesians 2:1 “1 And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;”

Present - We are being saved from the power of sin

Philippians 1:19 “19 For I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer, and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ,”

Philippians 2:12 “12 Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.”

Romans 6:1-13.

Future - We will be saved from the presence of sin

1 John 3:1–2 “1 Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. 2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.”

Revelation 4:4 “4 And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold.”

Salvation is arguably the most important doctrine in Christianity and one of the most contested. Tonight we will conclude our study by examining various views on salvation:

Self-salvation

This view of salvation is employed by any and all who believe they can work for their salvation and would include - JW’s and LDS

However, we know these views contradict the Bible, note the following verses:

Ephesians 2:8–9 “8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.”

Romans 3:23 “23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;”

Hold on to that last one becasue we return as we look at the most widespread view of salvation....

Sacerdotalism

This word finds its root in the word “sacrament” and is held by the Roman Catholic Church.

This view states that salvation is through the church and the ministry of the priests. And, may we add, through these alone.

This is the reason the Catholic church ruled supreme through the dark ages and why its member so fear(ed) excommunication. If members are not in good standing with the church when they die, they have no hope of salvation.

Compare these teachings to what the following verses say:

1 Timothy 2:5 KJV (WS)

5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;

Hebrews 1:3 KJV (WS)

3 Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;

Hebrews 7:25 KJV (WS)

25 Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.

Sacerdotalism is a version of works based salvation. The next view of salvation is...

Universalism

This view wrongly claims that all individual will eventually be saved and completely ignores all teachings on hell for unbelievers.

Matthew 7:13–14 “13 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: 14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.”

Jude 13 KJV (WS)

13 Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever.

Revelation 14:10–11 “10 The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: 11 And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.”

This view is in line with the New Age movement of pantheism, where essentially all is God and God is all. This may be the view of people such as Oprah Winfrey who teach “all paths lead to God.”

Another view we will discuss in detail is that of...

Calvinism

Its most basic definition is “salvation by grace through faith” and with that we have no issues, however, it has been taken to “ extremes” and in certain circles it mimics fatalism - all paths are predetermined and nothing can change them.

This is seen in the false teaching that Jesus did not die for everyone’s sins, only the elect and thus His atonement was limited in its scope to include only those who are among the elect. Further the “hyper-Calvinist” will suggest that God’s foreknowledge is causative and your actions are predetermined by God. I struggle with this because a lot of our actions are sinful actions, and if God has predetermined my actions, then God is the author of sin. This leaves us with...

The Bible’s View of Salvation

The Bible teaches that...

Salvation is in deed by grace through faith - Ephesians 2:8–9 “8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.”

Also that Jesus died for ALL mankind

John 3:16 “16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

1 John 2:2 “2 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.”

ANYONE who will call on Him for forgiveness will be saved - Romans 10:13 “13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

That is it for tonight’s study, but believe me we are just getting started! There is so much more to what the Bible teaches about salvation than we can fit into one Bible study.