The doctrine of salvation is also known as soteriology .
Christ came to earth to save people from the penalty of sin.
People are like lost sheep, and Christ is the Good Shepherd who calls them back
to the security of life with him. “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save
what was lost” (Luke 19:10 NIV).
1. Saved by Grace Through Faith
We saved when we are born of the Spirit (see John 3:5-7). Apart
from faith in Christ, we are spiritually dead. When we believe in Jesus, we
receive the Holy Spirit, which regenerates our spirit. So through faith, we are
spiritually born again. John 3:5 says that in
order to enter the kingdom of God, one must be born of the Spirit
and of water.
Ryrie summarizes various interpretations of the meaning of “water”
in John 3:5. If this means water baptism, it seems to contradict other
Scripture (John 3:16; Ephesians 2:8,9).This is discussed in more detail in the
module “Pastoral Ministry” under the topic of baptism. Possible meanings of
“water” in John 3:5 include:
1. One’s physical birth (compare with John 3:6—”flesh gives birth
to flesh, but the Sprit gives birth to spirit” (NIV).
2. The word of God (see Ephesians 5:26; John 15:3).
3. Repentance as signified in the baptism by John the Baptist
4. Water is a synonym for the Holy Spirit, so John 3:5 may be
translated “by water, even the Spirit.”12 See Titus 3:4,5.
In summary, we don’t believe that water baptism is required for
salvation. Although the meaning of the word “water” in John 3:5 is not certain,
it is clear from other Scripture that faith in Christ is all that is necessary
for salvation (for example, see John 3:16).
Scripture teaches that we baptize disciples in water. Baptism in
Biblical accounts was by immersion. So we also baptize by immersion.If a
candidate for baptism is a child, the child should be old enough to understand
his commitment to follow Christ. Soon after the believer’s profession of faith
in Christ, the believer should be baptized.
Salvation is by the grace of God (see Titus 3:4,5). Grace means
“unmerited favor.” So salvation is a free gift. We cannot earn salvation,
because we are by nature sinners. All our efforts fall short of the perfect
life that God wants for us. Only by faith in Christ, the Mediator between God
and man, do we receive salvation. We are saved in order to do good works. So we
are saved by grace through faith, in order to do good works: “8For it is by
grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is
the gift of God— 9not by works, so that no one can boast. 10For we are God’s
workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in
advance for us to do.” (Ephesians 2:8-10 NIV).
Salvation is through faith. Saving faith involves a change of
heart—a commitment to trust and follow Christ. See “Assurance of Eternal Life”
in the module “Call to Missions.” If we are saved, we want to do good works and
we will do good works (see James 2:14-24).
Faith is placing our hope in God and in his promises. Our faith is
evidence of the change that the Holy Spirit makes in our lives (see Hebrew
11:1). For a synopsis of heroes of the faith, see Hebrews 11. Even prior to the
incarnation of Christ, people came to God through faith. They believed in the
unseen God. God sent prophets to teach the people how to be forgiven of sin.
Faith is a gift from God, so we should pray for God to increase
our faith (see Romans 12:3). Material riches tend to diminish our faith. Rich
people tend to trust in wealth rather than trusting in God. God has chosen
those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith (see James
2:5). Often, the poorest people respond more readily to the Gospel. So those of
us who are poor can consider ourselves blessed if our poverty moves us to be
rich in faith.
When we believe in Christ and receive him as our Lord, we are
adopted as sons of God or children of God (see John 1:11,12). Stringfellow
writes that such adoption is greater than legal adoption. When parents legally
adopt a child, they assume responsibility for the care of the child, but they
cannot give the child their genetic qualities. But when God adopts us, we are
made new by the power of the Holy Spirit.13 So after salvation, we are not the same.
Notice that we become adopted sons of God, but we are not equal to the unique
or only begotten Son of God. Christ is always superior to us. (For details and for free course
visit <www.missionstraining.org>)
