Christian View of Salvation
Christian salvation concepts are varied and complicated by certain theological concepts, traditional beliefs, and dogmas. Because all such scripture can be vague, and thus must be interpreted, even reference to the scriptural sayings of Jesus presents interpretational issues. For example, Jesus is claimed to have said "nonone comes to the Father but through me," which is a commonly cited example to support the claim of Christian religious exclusivism. But an alternative view of the passage may simply be that Christianity illuminates a personal relationship with God, not that Christianity is a requirement for salvation.
This variance in Christian soteriology equates to a range from exclusive salvation concepts to universal reconciliation concepts. Counterintuitively, Christian exclusivism is the dominant doctrine, even while many (if not most) Christians may identify themselves with rather universalist beliefs.
Complicating the issue is the common Christian interpretation that Jesus and God are "one person" in the Trinity. The association of Jesus as God rather than simply Jesus as the Son of God presents the difficult interpretation that rejecting Jesus means in fact rejecting God. This traditional concept is further complicated by particular Christian denominational claims to be more correct in belief (cf. one true faith, religious exclusivism). Hence, interpretation, anti-rejectionism, and religious exclusivism together have historical given rise to dominant doctrinal concepts which assert that Christians are exclusively saved while others are condemned.
Typically, such doctrines are deferential to the concept of revelation, essentially claiming that "all will be revealed (in Heaven)" and that among these revelations is the truth of Jesus' life and mission. Prominent denominations make the claim that salvation is attached to Earthly belief in Jesus, and a large number of Christian denominations offer the condemnatory assertion that non-Christians are condemned to hell.
A moderated variant of this concept typically asserts that revelation is followed by non-Christians being given "a chance" (presumably "by God") to "convert" to Christianity in Heaven (cf. "dispensationalism"). While dispensationalism is dominant among Catholics and Protestants, Universalists are critical of special salvation concepts, and assert that there is in fact no 'religion in Heaven,' and thus there is no issue of "conversion," or "dispensation," aside from punishment for crime and sin. Other Christian doctrines outright reject any chance of salvation for non-Christians, but the degree to which these concepts are in fact held by Christians is debated. A universalist interpretation simply states that "all will be revealed" and that "all will know the truth"—asserting the truth of Jesus' person, mission, and even divinity, but rejecting the concept that salvation would be attached to Earthly belief or knowledge in Jesus. Universalists argue that salvation cannot be conditional on the belief in and reverence for Jesus, as this would be like claiming that God's love is limited to Christians only. In spite of their different views on salvation, universalists typically agree with 'mainstream' Christians in that belief in Jesus as the Son of God provides people with concepts that facilitate an illuminated relationship with God (cf. anonymous Christian).
Critics of universalist concepts assert that belief in Jesus would mean nothing if it did not mean salvation. Universalists instead assert that God does not destroy (let alone punish) trillions of sentient beings (cf. children of God) for their lack of proper tradition or belief alone. They further argue that there is plenty of time in the eternal life for everyone (including Christians) to eventually understand and accept the truth as God tells it, and not just as man has written it.
Issues within Christian salvation
The Problem of Paul, (a corrolary to the Problem of David), is a theological problem in which the question of Paul's salvation is discussed. Paul was a sicarii who converted from Judaism to Christianity and became an important apostle and writer of several epistles. As a sicarii, Paul had committed several politically motivated murders, hence 'the problem' deals with whether or not Paul was saved; either partly (saved from hell and destroyed), or completely saved (in Heaven). Christians widely assert that Paul was saved in Heaven, and was thus completely absolved of murder. The evidence for this is Paul's own account of his conversion as a divine act, thus alluding to his attaining worthiness in the sight of God. Dissenting viewpoints express difficulty accepting the view that God would give total absolution to a murderer, regardless of his motivation, repentance, contrition, atonement or even service as an apostle.
Salvation-related passages in the Christian Scriptures
The New International Version of the New Testament contains 138 verses that with the words "salvation" (45), "save" (41) or "saved" (52). The following are some of the New Testament passages most cited in this regard:
• Belief in 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). "Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name given under heaven by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12).
• God's love: "God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). "But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved" (Ephesians 2:4-5). "When the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior…" (Titus 3:4-6).
• Sin separates humanity from God. "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). "Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned—" (Romans 5:12).
• God gives eternal life because Jesus Christ atoned for our sin: "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Romans 6:23).
• Saved (from sin) by asking Him for forgiveness just as we forgive others: "if you forgive others when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins (Matthew 6:14-15).
• Confession and believing: "If you declare with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved" (Romans 10:9-10). "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved" (Romans 10:13).
• Baptism: "Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned" (Mark 16:16). "…all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death. We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life" (Romans 6:3-5).
• Must be born again: "Jesus replied, 'Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born again…Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit'" (John 3:3-5).
• What must we do to be saved?: "Peter replied, 'Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit'" (Acts 2:38).
• Saved by God's grace, not by works: "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast" (Ephesians 2:8-9). "He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life (Titus 3:5-7).
• Salvation and works: "You see that people are justified by what they do and not by faith alone" (James 2:24). This verse and the surrounding passage is disputed, centering primarily on the meaning of the word justified.
• Judged by works: "And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and everyone was judged according to what they had done." (Revelation 20:12-13). All Protestants do not agree with this type of interpretation of this verse. Some believe there will be the judgment all unsaved people go through called the "white throne judgment" (Revelation 20:10-15), but for all those who are saved they will appear before the “judgment seat of Christ” (2 Cor. 5:9-10). In that judgment, believers will get rewards based on what they have done, whether they are good or bad. If they are not saved, Christ will proclaim, "Depart from me, I never knew ye," and they will be thrown into hell. They do not believe eternal life is a reward that is going to be given out in consequence of works done (1 Cor. 3:11-14). Others understand it in the same way as the "Saved by Works" verses, in the sense that those who will not have done good proved they were not saved, because their works did not correspond to their 'saved' status. See also Romans 2:6.
• Salvation as already achieved: "When the kindness of God our Saviour, and his love towards man, appeared, not by works done in righteousness, which we did ourselves, but according to his mercy he saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, which he poured out upon us richly, through Jesus Christ our Saviour; that, being justified by his grace, we might be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life" (Titus 3:4-7).
• Salvation as an on-going process: "To us who are being saved, (the word of the cross) is the power of God" (1 Cor. 1:18). The original text of this passage in Greek has present-tense σῳζομένοις (being saved), not perfect-tense σεσῳσμένοις (having been saved) or past-tense (aorist-tense) σῳθεῖσιν (saved); ambiguous translations such as "us which are saved" (KJV) obscure this.
• Salvation as yet to be obtained: "Since, therefore, we are now justified by (Christ's) blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God" (Romans 5:9).
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