# What salvation is (Soteriology)

God has a two-step approach to salvation:

1. We are given a thorough-enough [understanding of our sin](theology-sins.md) through the Hebrew Law ([Romans 3](https://biblehub.com/romans/3.htm)).
    - The Law indicates we've all sinned more than we realize.
    - This Law also indicates that we are woefully incapable in any individual or political sense to fulfill it.
    - The conclusion, if we are willing to believe it, is that we are utterly condemned by God in one way or another.
    - This condemnation is only redeemable through a sacrifice that pays for our sins.
2. Jesus, as God, chose to become the moral sacrifice for all our sins ([Romans 5:6-6:13](https://biblehub.com/romans/5.htm)).
3. When we persevere to the end (meaning [death](hardship-death.md)), we will be saved (Matthew 24:13, Mark 13:13, Luke 21:19, Galatians 6:9, 2 Timothy 2:12, Revelation 2:10).
   - God will certainly assist in this perseverance (Hebrews 10:36)
   - There is more to this, such as giving us authority (Revelation 2:26) and a permanent relationship with Him, but that's [a different discussion](theology-godandman.md).
   - Even while the idea of salvation is very straightforward, [the Gospel itself is highly controversial](https://theologos.site/gospel/).

We are also, in response to that, responsible to strive to not sin again, assisted by the Holy Spirit (Romans 6).

- However, even then, God's grace is sufficient to cover all sins when we repent (Romans 8:1, 1 John 1:9).
- This grace includes the [habitual](https://adequate.life/habits/) sins we will invariably fall into as long as our bodies are still programmed to them.

## Conflicts regarding salvation

However, we are guaranteed to keep sinning as long as we are on this earth (1 John 1:8).

Theology has expanded the views on the subject into a series of philosophical states as a type of order of salvation ("ordo salutis"):

1. Justification: God's [legal](theology-sins.md) status about our salvation (i.e., declared righteous such as in Romans 5:1).
   - Depending on denomination, this is usually framed as either having happened as a fulfillment of the Law before time began, or when Christ died.
2. Regeneration: God's work to [build His elect into what He wants them to be](theology-godandman-humanity.md) (i.e., being turned into something new like in John 3:3-7, 2 Corinthians 5:7, 1 John 5:1-6).
   - This can be applied to either individuals or the Church as a polity, depending on the denomination.
3. Adoption: God has made believers into His adopted children (i.e., John 1:12, Ephesians 1:5, Galatians 4:4-7).
   - The view here is very personal, since it is each individual's active relationship to a true Father (i.e., Romans 8:15).
4. Sanctification: God sets believers apart for a spiritual [purpose](purpose.md) (e.g., 1 Corinthians 1:30, Hebrews 12:14).
   - Sanctification, plainly, is the most difficult and divisive concept, and each denomination has *very* different forms for its scope and influence.
   - Roman Catholics assert a type of "corporate sanctification" within their polity.
   - Eastern Orthodox adds to Roman Catholics by asserting "theosis/deification", where man develops some qualities of God in the process.
   - Protestants are much more complex:
     - Methodists/Wesleyan demarcate 3 forms of sanctification:
       1. Initial: First sanctification upon justification.
       2. Progressive: continuing to walk with God.
       3. Entire: a state of total sanctification that can be attained in this life (see [Second work theology](people-conflicts-christian-3_near.md)).
     - Lutherans state it as beginning when justification happens, with 2 components:
       1. Inner renewal from the Holy Spirit.
       2. Living out that inner renewal through a life of good works.
     - Baptists/Reformed assert it happens progressively for believers throughout their lives, usually implying that separation can't be complete in this life.
     - Anabaptists imply [decisions](mind-decisions.md) on our end have a more active role in creating sanctification.
     - Anglicans distinguish sanctification and justification, but don't really clarify it too much.
     - Quakers and Pentecostals don't really believe in an initial sanctification as much as progressive or complete.
5. Glorification: A final state that believers understand as [postmortem](hardship-death.md) or when [Jesus returns](theology-end.md) (e.g., Romans 8:30, Colossians 3:4, Philippians 3:20-21, 1 John 3:2).
   - This represents the end of the process that our lives (and God's work) has led up to, and Christians must believe this if they want to have any hope (1 Corinthians 15:19).
   - The timing on this is a hotly debated topic, since [we simply don't know what will happen](theology-end.md)

We have an interim [unknown](unknown.md) historical period in our flow towards salvation ("historia salutis").

1. A person is born under the Law.
2. That person later confesses Christ.
   - This ranges in discussion from some type of [private or public repentance](spiritual-exercises-evangelism.md) over to some type of water baptism, denomination-dependent.
3. That person lives the rest of their life.
   - It can range from a righteous, fruit-bearing life to a pure selfishness.
4. After that person dies, they will attain salvation if they persevere to the end.
   - This *could* mean an individual who bears very few spiritual works may still scrape into heaven ([1 Corinthians 3:10-15](https://biblehub.com/1_corinthians/3.htm)).

In that historical void, the [predestination](theology-predestination.md) debate is a closely connected but separate discussion.

- This discussion holds a tremendous amount of sway here because it determines how God frames His decisions, and therefore determines how salvation works.

Further than all of this, other debates have raged about [many lesser idiosyncrasies](people-conflicts-christian-1_dumb.md), as well as [Second Work theology](people-conflicts-christian-3_near.md).

## Issues with losing salvation

There is a very clear problem, however, in the presence of these Scriptures with respect to "historia salutis" above:

1. A person is born under the Law.
2. That person later repents and confesses Christ in some way.
3. That person lives the rest of their life in unrepentant [sin](theology-sins.md).
4. After that person dies, will they attain salvation?
   - Were they simply a "struggling Christian" who didn't bear fruit, or were they never believers in the first place?
   - This becomes much more difficult when we add personal [bias](mind-bias.md) to it (i.e., "a person like this is doomed to hell" versus "our deacon Tim is on his way to hell").

We are forced to believe one of two things:

1. The unrepetant person lost their salvation (a popular view among Wesleyan/Methodist denominations).
2. The unrepentant person was never saved to begin with (the mainstream view of most Christian denominations).

This issue somewhat misdirects the attention to an [emotional appeal](mind-feelings.md).

- God knows our hearts (Proverbs 21:2), and knows why we do things.
  - Jesus makes it *very* clear that we should do things for His sake, and not for others' approval (Matthew 6:6-25).

However, whatever form this takes, those who have "never been saved to begin with" can all do the following:

1. Affect their faith with the decisions:
   - Make a shipwreck of it (1 Timothy 1:19)
   - Depart from it (1 Timothy 4:1)
   - Wander away from it (1 Timothy 6:10)
   - Swerve from it (1 Timothy 6:21)
   - Abandon it (1 Timothy 5:12)
   - Nullify their faith through a lack of love (1 Corinthians 13:2)
   - Make it dead by not having any works with it (James 2:17, James 2:26)
2. Affect the truth with their decisions:
   - Drift away from it (Hebrews 2:1)
   - Wander from it (James 5:19-20)
   - Swerve from it and upset others' faith (2 Timothy 2:18)
3. Fall from grace (Galatians 5:4) or fail to obtain it (Hebrews 12:15)
   - Forsake the right way (2 Peter 2:15)
   - Fall away, where it's impossible for them to be restored to repentance (Hebrews 6:4-6)
   - Commit a sin leading to death (1 John 5:16)
   - Receive the grace of God in vain (2 Corinthians 6:1)
4. Shrink back (Hebrews 10:38)
   - Ashamed of Christ before others, and being rejected by the Father in turn (Mark 8:38, Luke 9:26)
5. Desert God and turn to a different gospel (Galatians 1:6)
   - Turn back and no longer walk with Jesus (John 6:66)
   - Stop abiding in the teaching of Christ (2 John 1:9)
   - Face destruction as a consequence of following false prophets or destructive teachings (2 Peter 2:1-3)
   - Looking back after starting the work and becoming unfit for God's kingdom (Luke 9:62)
   - Receive temporary joy, but fall away in times of testing (Luke 8:13)
6. Have an unbelieving heart that leads them to turn away from God (Hebrews 3:12)
   - Become entangled and overcome *after* escaping the world's corruption (2 Peter 2:20-21)
   - Become deceived and fall under judgment due to sinful conduct (1 Corinthians 6:9-10, Galatians 5:19-21)
   - Get led astray and becomehardened by the deceitfulness of sin, even after coming to know the truth (Hebrews 3:13-14)
7. Not receive forgiveness by the Father (Matthew 6:14-15)
   - Receive condemnation for not walking in the Spirit (Romans 8:1, Romans 8:13)
   - Fail to endure and be denied by Christ (2 Timothy 2:12-13)
8. Failing to bear fruit, and cut down like an unfruitful tree (Luke 13:6-9)
   - Get removed from the root of Christ (Romans 11:17-21)
   - Get cut off for not continuing in His kindness (Romans 11:20-22)
9. Having no relationship with Christ:
   - Perform miracles, but still rejected by Jesus (Matthew 7:21-23)
   - Get spewed out by Jesus for being lukewarm (Revelation 3:15-17)
10. Receive a “part” with unbelievers by living in opposition to Christ’s teachings (Luke 12:46)
    - Face the same punishment as hypocrites (unbelievers) if unfaithful (Matthew 24:48-51)
    - Get thrown in with unbelievers (Luke 12:46)
    - Get taken out of the book of life (Revelation 22:19)
    - Find oneself outside among the unrepentant sinners (Revelation 21:8, Revelation 22:15)
11. Be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin (Hebrews 3:12-14)
    - Be carried away with the error of lawless people and lose their stability (2 Peter 3:17)
    - Become defiled and lose their inheritance through acts of immorality (Ephesians 5:5-6)
    - Deliberately keep sinning to where they no longer have a sacrifice for sins (Hebrews 10:26-27)
12. Fail to reach God's promise of entering into His rest (Hebrews 4:1)
    - This fall can be by disobedience (Hebrews 4:11)
    - Fall asleep spiritually and not remain prepared for Christ’s return (Matthew 25:1-13)
    - Have one’s “lampstand removed” (position of light/witness) due to unrepentance (Revelation 2:5)
13. Lose their reward and inheritance in God’s kingdom due to idolatry, sexual immorality, etc. (Colossians 3:5-6)

The most philosophically sound place to set the idea is through a "both-and" approach:

1. We have been saved, since Jesus died on the cross before we were born, as well as God's [predestination of the elect](theology-predestination.md).
2. We are being saved, since He is regenerating and sanctifying us (2 Corinthians 2:15).
3. We will be saved, since [He will come back and make everything new](theology-end.md).
   - As far as finding complete closure, the easiest place is to understand that the process won't be finished until the end, *after* we [die](hardship-death.md).

Either way, it is why we should fearfully and soberly sort out our salvation that God is working in us (Philippians 2:12).

In many ways, God uses the presence of so-called "believers" in the presence of actual believers for a distinctive reason (Matthew 13:24-30).

- He designs it so that a false believer [will have no excuse](https://theologos.site/narcissism/).
- Even with [false teachers](https://theologos.site/false/), He has already appointed them in positions of influence for a grander purpose.