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For other uses, see Salvation (disambiguation).
In theology, salvation can mean three related things:
The theological study of salvation is called Soteriology and also covers the means by which salvation is effected or achieved, and its results or effects.
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Salvation is a 13th century English word c.1225, originally contributed to the Christian sense, from O.Fr. salvaciun, from L.L. salvationem (nom. salvatio, a Church L. translation of Gk. soteria), noun of action from salvare "to save" (see save) [1], meaning deliverance from Gk. soter saviour + -logy, Soteriology.
Soteriology is the study of salvation. Soter, meaning saviour, and logos meaning word, reason or principle. Many religions give emphasis to salvation of one form or another, and as such have their own soteriologies. Some soteriologies are primarily concerned with relationships to, or unity with, gods; others more strongly emphasize the cultivation of knowledge or virtue. Soteriologies also differ in what sort of salvation they promise.
Christian soteriology focuses on how Jesus Christ saves people from their sins, reconciling them with the Triune God. 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. Hinduism, which teaches that we are caught in a cycle of death and rebirth called samsara, 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 (traditional 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).
The New Testament contains 138 verses that, in English translation, use the words "salvation" (45), "save" (41) or "saved" (52). The following are some of the New Testament passages most cited in this regard. Interpretation of them varies.
In some nine verses, the Book of Ecclesiasticus or Wisdom of Sirach (considered by Orthodox and Catholics to be Scriptural), while not using the words "save" or "salvation", places a heavy emphasis on the importance of almsgiving, saying that performing this act can atone for sin, eg. Sir 3:30, "Water extinguishes a blazing fire: so almsgiving atones for sin." Similarly, sin is spoken of as being atoned for by sacrifice, as in Leviticus 16:30 - "On this day atonement shall be made for you, to cleanse you; from all your sins you shall be clean before the Lord."
Sometimes it is necessary to make a distinction between temporal and eternal salvation when considering the scriptures which use the term "salvation." This can be especially important within the Christian faith.
Roman Catholics believeIn his Apostolic Letter Fidei Depositum of 11 October 1992, Pope John Paul II declared: "The Catechism of the Catholic Church, which I approved June 25th last and the publication of which I today order by virtue of my Apostolic Authority, is a statement of the Church\'s faith and of catholic doctrine, attested to or illumined by Sacred Scripture, the Apostolic Tradition, and the Church\'s Magisterium. I declare it to be a sure norm for teaching the faith."Fidei Depositum, 3 "Man stands in need of salvation from God,"CCC 1949 and "Divine help comes to him in Christ through the law that guides him and the grace that sustains him."CCC 1949 It was for our salvation that "God loved us and sent his Son to be the expiation for our sins; the Father has sent his Son as the Savior of the world, and he was revealed to take away sins."CCC 456-457 "By his death (Jesus, the Son of God) has conquered death, and so opened the possibility of salvation to all men."CCC 1019
Jesus has provided the Church with "the fullness of the means of salvation which [the Father] has willed: correct and complete confession of faith, full sacramental life, and ordained ministry in apostolic succession".CCC 830 Baptism is necessary for salvation.CCC 1256-1257, 1277 And the sacrament of Penance is necessary for salvation for those who have fallen after Baptism, just as Baptism is necessary for salvation for those who have not yet been reborn."CCC 980 But these are not the only sacraments of importance for salvation: "The Church affirms that for believers the sacraments of the New Covenant are necessary for salvation."CCC 1129 This holds especially for the Eucharist: ".Every time this mystery is celebrated, the work of our redemption is carried on and we break the one bread that provides the medicine of immortality, the antidote for death, and the food that makes us live for ever in Jesus Christ."CCC 1405
At the same time, however, the Roman Catholic Church teaches that through the graces Jesus won for humanity by sacrificing himself on the cross, salvation is possible even for those outside the visible boundaries of the Church. Christians and even non-Christians, if in life they respond positively to the grace and truth that God reveals to them through the mercy of Christ may be saved. This may include awareness of an obligation to become part of the Catholic Church. In such cases, "they could not be saved who, knowing that the Catholic Church was founded as necessary by God through Christ, would refuse either to enter it, or to remain in it."Lumen gentium, 14 Catholics believe that people, even those who are not explicitly Christian, have the moral law written in their hearts, according to Jeremiah 31:33 (prophecy of new covenant): "I will write my law on their hearts." St. Justin wrote that those who have not accepted Christ but follow the moral law of their hearts (logos) follow God, because it is God who has written the moral law in each person\'s heart. Though he may not explicitly recognize it, he has the spirit of Christ. According to Fr. William Most\'s article for EWTN (the primary Catholic television network), those who have the spirit of Christ belong to the body of Christ. He writes, "Those who follow the Spirit of Christ, the Logos who writes the law on their hearts, are Christians, are members of Christ, are members of His Church. They may lack indeed external adherence; they may never have heard of the Church. But yet, in the substantial sense, without formal adherence, they do belong to Christ, to His Church."
Eastern Christianity was much less influenced by Augustine, and even less so by either Calvin or Arminius. Consequently, it doesn\'t just have different answers, but asks different questions; it generally views salvation in less legalistic terms (grace, punishment, and so on) and in more medical terms (sickness, healing etc.), and with less exacting precision. Instead, it views salvation more along the lines of theosis, a seeking to become holy or draw closer to God, a concept that has been developed over the centuries by many different Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and Eastern Catholic Christians. It also stresses Jesus\' teaching about forgiveness in Matthew 6:14-15: "For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." See also Sermon on the Mount.
The Longer Catechism of the Orthodox, Catholic, Eastern Church, known also as The Catechism of St. Philaret [3] includes the questions and answers: "155. To save men from what did (the Son of God) come upon earth? From sin, the curse, and death." "208. How does the death of Jesus Christ upon the cross deliver us from sin, the curse, and death? That we may the more readily believe this mystery, the Word of God teaches us of it, so much as we may be able to receive, by the comparison of Jesus Christ with Adam. Adam is by nature the head of all mankind, which is one with him by natural descent from him. Jesus Christ, in whom the Godhead is united with manhood, graciously made himself the new almighty Head of men, whom he unites to himself through faith. Therefore as in Adam we had fallen under sin, the curse, and death, so we are delivered from sin, the curse, and death in Jesus Christ. His voluntary suffering and death on the cross for us, being of infinite value and merit, as the death of one sinless, God and man in one person, is both a perfect satisfaction to the justice of God, which had condemned us for sin to death, and a fund of infinite merit, which has obtained him the right, without prejudice to justice, to give us sinners pardon of our sins, and grace to have victory over sin and death.
Orthodox theology teaches prevenient grace, meaning that God makes the first movement toward man, and that salvation is impossible from our own will alone. However, man is endowed with free will, and an individual can either accept or reject the grace of God. Thus an individual must cooperate with God\'s grace in order to be saved, though he can claim no credit of his own, as any progress he makes is possible only by the grace of God.
Broadly speaking, Protestants hold to the five solas of the Reformation, which declare salvation to be by faith alone through grace alone in Christ alone. Some Protestants understand this to mean that God saves solely by grace and that works follow as a necessary consequence of saving grace (see Lordship salvation), while others believe that salvation is rigidly by faith alone without any reference to works whatsoever (see Free Grace theology), while still others believe that salvation is by faith alone but that that salvation can be forfeited if it is not accompanied by continued faith and the works that naturally follow from it.
Calvinists, who adhere to Lordship salvation, further understand the doctrines of salvation to include the five points of Calvinism, the last four of which contrast sharply with Arminianism. In the Calvinist system, all people are born sinful (see original sin), but salvation is appointed for the elect before the foundation of the world. The entire process of being born again (or regeneration) is performed solely by the Holy Spirit prior to the person exercising faith, and, indeed, the doctrine of total inability says that faith is impossible apart from such divine intervention. All the elect necessarily persevere in faith because God keeps them from falling away. Thus, the Calvinist system is called monergism because God alone acts to bring about salvation.
Like Calvinists, Arminians agree that all people are born sinful and are in need of salvation that only comes in the way described by the five solas. However, they argue that each person can successfully resist God\'s offer of salvation and that a person can lose his or her salvation if one does not maintain it by continued faith in Jesus. Arminians distinguish between loss of faith and sin and believe that sin alone cannot result in the loss of salvation. However, John Wesley taught that that continued backsliding could inevitably lead to loss of faith, and consequently salvation, if left uncorrected.
The Arminian emphasis on free will, or more properly, free choice is important in salvation. If one has free choice, each individual can choose to accept or reject the gift of salvation. The fact that an individual is baptized or associates with other Christians does not mean that he or she has accepted salvation.
Those in the Reformed Protestant camp frequently attach the label Semipelagianism to Arminian ideas.[citation needed] Many Arminians disagree with this generalization and consider it a libel against Jacobus Arminius, John Wesley, and the many other Arminians who maintain original sin and total depravity.[citation needed]
Universalists agree with both Calvinists and Arminians that men are born in sin and in need of salvation. They also believe that one is saved by Jesus Christ. However, they emphasize that judgment in hell upon sinners is of limited duration, and that God uses judgment to bring sinners to repentance.[4].
Within the emerging church and various branches of liberal or progressive Christianity, there are a number of different views on the meaning of salvation. This is largely related to post-modern views on Christianity as a dialogue rather than a set of doctrines. Salvation can mean a salvific personal and/or social deliverance from the effects of structural (social) or personal sins. In this context, salvation could mean anything from participation in a glorious afterlife--which is generally a less-commonly held belief in these circles--to a kind of liberation similar to that in Hinduism or Buddhism, to the repair of interpersonal relationships, to societal deliverance into a future perfect world (ie. the New Jerusalem or the Reign of God), and even to such concepts as gay liberation, women\'s liberation, the raising up of the oppressed and marginalized, or the equal distribution of goods. Any or all of these views are likely to be held and debated within the emerging church.
The Christian Science textbook defines "Salvation" as follows: "Life, Truth and Love understood and demonstrated as supreme over all; sin, sickness, and death destroyed." (Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures p. 593, by Mary Baker Eddy.)
In the New Church salvation is seen as the process of spiritual rebirth, rather than an instantaneous event. Christ is not seen as an atoning sacrifice to appease an angry Father, but is seen as Jehovah, God Himself, come to subdue the Hells, make His Human Divine, and redeem people\'s freedom to believe in Him and follow the path of salvation He has laid out. This path is seen in the model of His life on earth. It is still believed that a person is saved by Divine grace, but that one has the choice and must stop doing evil actions in order to receive this grace.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints defines the term salvation in two distinct ways, based on the teachings of their modern-day prophet Joseph Smith, as recorded in the Doctrine and Covenants. The general Christian belief that salvation means returning to the presence of God and Jesus Christ is similar to the way the word is used in the Book of Mormon, wherein the prophet Amulek teaches that through the "great and last sacrifice" of the Son of God, "he shall bring salvation to all those who shall believe on his name; ... to bring about the bowels of mercy, which overpowereth justice, and bringeth about means unto men that they may have faith unto repentance. And thus mercy can satisfy the demands of justice, and encircles them in the arms of safety, while he that exercises no faith unto repentance is exposed to the whole law of the demands of justice;" (Alma 34:14-16)
See also: Churches of Christ, Church of Christ
Churches of Christ adopt the standard Protestant notions that humans are lost in sin but can be redeemed because Jesus Christ, the Son of God, offered himself as the atoning sacrifice. However, the means of salvation that these churches practice relies heavily on the role played by the doctrine of baptism. Churches of Christ generally reject original sin, Calvinism, and Arminianism. The Salvation of babies and children is assured by God\'s grace. Once believers reach an age of accountability, they must believe in the Lord with all their heart (Acts 16:31), repent of all sin (Acts 2:38), confess their faith in Christ (Rom. 10:9), and be buried in Believer\'s baptism (Acts 2:38; Col. 2:12; Gal. 3:26-27). Churches differ on whether or not this plan constitutes a salvific work, a sign of faith, or a free gift of God\'s grace, and because they are strongly congregational, there is no statement of uniformity on this matter.
Rabbinic Judaism teaches that "Every Jew has a share in the world to come (the afterlife)" (TB Sanhedrin 90a), and also that "the righteous people of other (non-Jewish) nations...", those who follow the elementary morals embodied in the Seven Noahide Laws, "...have a share in the world to come" (Tos. Sanhedrin 13, TB ibid. 105a). Although a person who sins may be punished either in this world or the next, punishment in the next world is in most cases limited in duration to 12 months (Mish. Eiduyot 2:10). Complete loss of a share in the afterlife (or, alternatively, eternal punishment; TB Rosh Hashanah 17a) is imposed for only a small number of very serious sins, most of which have to do with heresy. Even then a person can regain his share in the world to come through repentance and atonement. E. P. Sanders describes this overall view of salvation as "covenantal nomism".
Some Jewish denominations disagree with Rabbinic Judaism regarding the nature or importance of the afterlife. For them, the "world to come" may not be a significant focus of religious thought, since they emphasize that Judaism concentrates on the here and now.
See also Jewish Encyclopedia: Salvation, Christianity and Judaism, Jewish principles of faith.
In the Qur\'an, God (Allah in Arabic), states (2:62): Surely, those who believe, those who are Jewish, the Christians, and the converts; anyone who (1) believes in GOD, and (2) believes in the Last Day, and (3) leads a righteous life, will receive their recompense from their Lord. They have nothing to fear, nor will they grieve. [5]
According to all the traditional schools of jurisprudence, faith (Iman) ensures salvation. There are however differing views concerning the formal constituents of the act of faith. "For the Asharis it is centred on internal taṣdīḳ[internal judgment of veracity], for the Māturīdī-Ḥanafīs on the expressed profession of faith and the adherence of the heart, for the Muʿtazilīs on the performance of the \'prescribed duties\', for the Ḥanbalīs and the Wahhābīs on the profession of faith and the performance of the basic duties." Encyclopedia of Islam, Iman article The common denominator of these various opinions is summed up in bearing witness that God is the Lord, L. Gardet states.
There are traditions in which Muhammad stated that "No one shall enter hell who has an atom of faith in his heart" or that "Hell will not welcome anyone who has in his heart an atom of faith" however these passages are interpreted in different ways. Those who consider performance as an integral part of faith such as Ḵh̲ārid̲j̲īs, consider anyone who does a grave sin to be out of faith, while the majority of Sunnis who view works as merely the perfecting the faith, hold that a believing sinner will be punished with a temporary stay in hell. Still there are disagreements over the possibility of a believing sinner being forgiven immediately (e.g As̲h̲ʿarīs) and in full rather than undergoing temporary punishment. (e.g. Māturīdīs)
Muslims also believe that those who have heard the messages of a prophet of God (Moses, Jesus or Muhammad) but chosen not to follow will receive eternal damnation in hell.
Adherents of Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism do not believe in salvation in the sense understood by most Westerners. They have no explicit Hell to be saved from or Heaven to be saved to. They believe in reincarnation after death. According to this belief, one\'s works or karma allow one to be reborn as a higher or lower being. If one is evil and has a multitude of bad works, one is likely to be reborn as a lower animal, possibly a worm. If one has a multitude of good works or good karma, one is likely to be reborn as a higher being, perhaps a human with higher status or in a higher caste.
Eventually, however, one is able to escape from the cycle of death and rebirth and achieve salvation through the attainment of the highest spiritual state. This state is called Moksha or Mukti in Hinduism and often called Nirvana in Buddhism. This state is not one of individual happiness, but a merging of oneself with collective existence. In some beliefs, this existence is identified with God.
Salvation is the soul\'s liberation from the cycle of death and rebirth and attainment of the highest spiritual state. It is the ultimate goal of, where even hell and heaven are temporary. This is called Moksha (Sanskrit: मोक्ष, liberation) or Mukti (Sanskrit: मुक्ति, release). Moksha is a final release from one\'s worldly conception of self, the loosening of the shackles of experiential duality and a re-establishment in one\'s own fundamental nature, though the nature is seen as ineffable and beyond sensation. The actual state of salvation is seen differently depending on one\'s beliefs.
In Hinduism, moksha occurs when the individual soul (human mind/spirit) or atman recognizes its identity with the Ground of all being - the Source of all phenomenal existence known as Brahman. The religion recognizes several paths to achieve this state, none of which is exclusive. They are the ways of selfless work (Karma Yoga), of self-dissolving love (Bhakti Yoga), of absolute discernment & knowledge(Jnana Yoga), and of \'royal\' meditative immersion (Raja Yoga).
Liberation, called Nirvana in Buddhism, is seen as an end to suffering, reincarnation and ignorance. The Four Noble Truths outline some of Buddhist soteriology: they describe suffering (dukkha) and its causes, the possibility of its cessation, and the way to its cessation, i.e. the Noble Eightfold Path, which includes morality and meditation. The means of achieving liberation are further developed in other Buddhist teachings. They are expressed in very different terms by Theravada, Mahayana, and Vajrayana Buddhists.
Redemption is a religious concept referring to forgiveness or absolution for past sins and protection from eternal damnation. Redemption is common in many world religions and all Abrahamic Religions, especially in Christianity and Islam. In Christianity redemption is synonymous with salvation.
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