“Salvation is the work of the Father, Son, and Spirit on our behalf.

The Father knew those who

would be saved even before He made the world. He sent the Son to become one of us, to give

His life to pay the penalty for our sins, and to be raised from the dead to give us assurance of

eternal life. Believers receive the Holy Spirit as a deposit, a down payment, a seal, and as the

firstfruits of our inheritance (Romans. 8:23). The Spirit is not our inheritance; He is the beginning

of an indescribable inheritance yet to come (Ephesians. 1:14).” (Holsteen and Svigel)

It is a commonly held understanding that in order to attain eternal life in Heaven man must seek

salvation. Being that is the only means by which mankind can be emancipated from a life of sin

and disobedience to God that goes against his true nature. Since the fall of Adam, all mankind

were subjected to and declared sinners in danger of eternal spiritual death because of their

sinful nature. Salvation only occurs because God's love wills it and brings it to pass and

depends on what God has done through Jesus Christ due to both the Godhead and the

manhood of Christ being involved in the process. Christ was personally innocent, and in His

death, Christ made himself one with sinners; by taking on the burden of their sins. The ultimate

success of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ was a triumph over Satan and sin and every force of

evil that existed in man. Because Christ wins this victory, He secured eternal life for all mankind,

and He brought about the offering of salvation powerfully, but also legally.

The doctrine of salvation contains various aspects. An overview of salvation can be broken

down into six parts; conversion, justification, atonement, grace, redemption, and sanctification.

At the time of creation, God created mankind in order that we grow, develop, and live for His

glory and honor. But because of the fall from grace in the Garden of Eden, Adam, who was

fashioned in the image of God, deviated and spoiled the promise of life without sin. As a result

of Adam’s fall from grace, all mankind was alienated from God and has had to be redeemed

from the condemnation of death. The Scriptures show us that God placing has allowed humans

the ability to decide their destiny. “I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I
have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life” (Deuteronomy

30:19. Holy Bible: NIV).

The elemental significance for the need for mankind to be converted back from a sinful nature is

found in the Scriptures which teaches that all men are lost in sin and are in need of salvation. “If

our Gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost" (2 Corinthians 4:3. Holy Bible: KJV). Therefore,

if any man does not choose salvation after it has been offered to him, he will remain lost and

unsaved, because “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost" (Luke

19:10. Holy Bible: NIV). “Salvation in its theological sense denotes, negatively, deliverance from

sin, death, and divine wrath and, positively, the bestowal of far-ranging spiritual blessings both

temporal and eternal.” (Demarest and Feinberg)

Salvation, from the time of the Old Testament, has been based on a provisional promise that

was most often described as a way of deliverance, danger, or bondage. In the New Testament,

however, salvation was a gift promised to those who personally “respond to the invitation from

Christ Himself” (Grudem) which was only offered because of God’s intervention. The need of

salvation is the need to be reconciled back to the God; otherwise, we shall receive the judgment

and wrath as irredeemable sinners. The Apostle Paul declared in Romans 5:15; 1 Corinthians

1:4 and in 2 Corinthians 9:14, that by grace God sent Jesus Christ to the world to be the way to

freedom of salvation to those who were of a sinful nature.

Justification in relation to salvation is the “legal declaration by God” (Grudem) in which God

declares us righteous in the eyes of God. Our righteousness is based completely on the

sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross, and as a result, we can spend eternity in the presence of

God. Throughout human history, many have asked the question Job asked in Job 9:2: "How

should a man be just with God?" God's justification of a sinner does not make him sinless or

innocent; rather, being justified by God is to be declared the righteous because of the sinner's

new relationship with Jesus Christ. The saved sinner has a new position or standing in the eyes

of God, whereby God views and declares a "justified" man as being "just as if he had never
sinned." Justification is not by works but is available to all who believe in Jesus Christ. It is

consistent with God's Law as the Scripture declares in Romans 3:28-31. “For we maintain that

an individual is justified by faith distinctly apart from works of the Law [the observance of which

has nothing to do with justification, that is, being declared free of the guilt of sin and made

acceptable to God]. Or is God the God of Jews only? Is He not also the God of Gentiles [who

were not given the Law]? Yes, of Gentiles also, since indeed it is one [and the same] God who

will justify the circumcised by faith [which began with Abraham] and the uncircumcised through

[their newly acquired] faith. Do we then nullify the Law by this faith [making the Law of no effect,

overthrowing it]? Certainly not! On the contrary, we confirm and establish and uphold the Law

[since it convicts us all of sin, pointing to the need for salvation].” (Romans 3:28-31. Holy Bible:

Amplified Version). Justification cannot be obtained by works alone. Humans are sinful by

nature, therefore are incapable of producing any works that are acceptable to God. If we can be

justified by works, it would mean that we would need to keep in perfect obedience to every point

of the Law. But it is impossible for our human nature to uphold every aspect of the Law.

"Propitiation means the turning away of wrath by an offering. In relation to soteriology,

propitiation means placating or satisfying the wrath of God by the atoning sacrifice of Christ."

(Ryrie). When Adam and Eve ate of the forbidden fruit in Gen 3:6, something unexpected

happened. In the verse that follows, Moses writes, “the eyes of both of them were opened, and

they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for

themselves.” From the very beginning with the Genesis account, God, instead of carrying out

the promise of death, which had been the settlement for eating of the forbidden tree, He

pronounced that they would no longer have eternal life and that they would eventually die for

their sin. (Gen 2:16). God’s word did not fail, however, while they did not die immediately, they

did suffer spiritual death, which was the inheritance of the rest of mankind, due to the entrance

of sin into the earth realm (Rom 5:12). Without question, “the sentence of death began to be

worked out in their lives on the day they sinned.” (Grudem. Pg. 516) Nevertheless, the question
must be asked: what motive can be given for the fact that man does not immediately receive the

ultimate consequences of his sinful nature? The Apostle Paul partially answers this question

when he writes in Romans 3:25-26 “Whom God displayed publicly [before the eyes of the world]

as a [life-giving] [a]sacrifice of atonement and reconciliation (propitiation) by His blood [to be

received] through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness [which demands punishment

for sin], because in His forbearance [His deliberate restraint] He passed over the sins previously

committed [before Jesus’ crucifixion]. It was to demonstrate His righteousness at the present

time, so that He would be just and the One who justifies those who have faith in Jesus [and rely

confidently on Him as Savior].” (Holy Bible: AMP) Here, the Apostle Paul introduces the atoning

work of Christ as a just, necessary consequence of God’s choice to withhold His wrath and not

immediately bring full punishment for mankind’s previous sins. He was not saying that God was

under any obligation to save or redeem sinners. Instead, the Apostle Paul is saying in other

words, that it was because God chose to withhold His judgment over Adam and Eve and chose

instead to pass over their transgression that He had to demonstrate that He was still perfectly

just and righteous. Therefore, He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, as a sacrifice, to atone for the sins

for those who would receive Christ by faith, and profess Him their Lord and Savior.

In Mark 10:45 the servant concept is very clear: “For the Son of man also came not to be

served, but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.” This verse emphasizes the

voluntary character of the death—He “came to give.” He willfully chose to engage in this deed

because Jesus Christ knew that His life was the payment required to pay the penalty for

mankind’s redemption and reconciliation back to God.

In respect to salvation, Grace, which is the unmerited favor and consideration of God, is a

critical aspect to all that God has done to fulfill the salvation of man. Even as Grace includes

everything that God has done to bring about the salvation of man, it sets aside the works done

in the attempt to attain salvation (Rom. 4:4; 11:6). The only way to achieve salvation by works

would require a life of perfect obedience to divine law. Salvation by grace, however, closes the
divide between our imperfect state and God’s divine law “My dear children, I write this to you so

that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus

Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also

for the sins of the whole world.” (1 John 2:1-2. Holy Bible: NIV). The presence and reality of sin

are evidence of the necessity for the grace of God. Since we have all sinned, (Rom. 3:10, 23),

we all are subject to eternal death, which is the punishment for or the wages of sin (Ezek. 18:20;

Rom. 6:23; Rev. 21:8).

Redemption, in the biblical sense, is a word that means "purchase" or "ransom." Historically,

used to connote to the purchase of one's freedom. "I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from

under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from slavery to them, and I will

redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great acts of judgment" (Exodus 6:6. Holy Bible:

KJV). The definition of redemption in the New Testament follows the same proposal; to

purchase mankind out of bondage to sin. A forgiven man is a righteous man in his relation to

God and the Law, but he is under a moral obligation to proceed from that point to be righteous

in heart

and life. The benefits of redemption in Christ are the supernatural gifts, which were once lost to

us because we were sinners, mainly grace (John 1:14-16) and salvation (1 Corinthians 15:22)

are restored.

The final step in completing soul's salvation is sanctification. Sanctification refers to the total

transformation of the inner character. The Scriptures in Hebrews 12:14 declares that it is our

duty to make every effort to live a holy and sanctified life; otherwise we will be prohibited from

entering Heaven. “Work at living in peace with everyone, and work at living a holy life, for those

who are not holy will not see the Lord.” (Holy Bible: NIV). Holiness or sanctification mirrors the

character and being of Jesus Christ, from whom we receive our salvation. “He has saved us and

called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done, but because of his own purpose

and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time.” 2 Timothy 1:9
(Holy Bible: NIV) The promises of God are convincing enough for us to seek after holiness and

to renounce our sinful nature, both carnal and spiritual. If we place our trust and faith in God,

then we must also pursue holiness by the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Ultimately, salvation is a choice. “Sin is not a creation of God, but a negation of God. It’s not a

neutral tool God uses to accomplish His will but a force that acts against His revealed, moral

will; He exercises His sovereignty to reverse its effects and redeem those who suffer because of

it. Similarly, death isn’t a friend of either sinner or saint. Scripture calls death “the last enemy” (1

Cor. 15:26).” (Holsteen and Svigel). Failing to choose salvation, or without accepting the

regenerating and sanctifying power of the Holy Spirit, can we expect to receive the benefits

made available to us as sinners by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. “The faith that saves, Christian

existentialists assert, is the act of believing with deep inner passion and radical engagement; it

is the faith that gives itself to a life of costly discipleship. Faith commits to the ultimate paradox

that Jesus Christ bridged the chasm between the infinite God and sinners. It makes a

courageous commitment, in defiance of all reason, to the One who demands that a choice be

made between living according to God’s requirements or one’s own pleasure. The result of this

costly decision is Christ’s presence in the heart and the personal realization of authentic

existence—namely, the elimination of anxiety (Angst), the forgiveness of sins, the realization of

one’s full potential, and the transformation of life.” (Demarest. Pg. 33)
Works Cited:

Holsteen, Nathan D, and Michael J Svigel. Exploring Christian Theology. 1st ed. Bloomington,
Minnesota: Bethany House Publishing, 2015. Print.

The Cross in the New Testament (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.,
1965), pp. 364-93; cf. V. Taylor’s list.

The Atonement in NT Teaching. pp. 50-51; G. C. Berkouwer, The Work of Christ, trans.
Cornelius Lambregtse (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1965), pp. 253

Luke 19:10 - Holy Bible: New International Version. Print.

Demarest, Bruce, and John S. Feinberg. The Cross And Salvation: The Doctrine Of Salvation.
Wheaton, Illinois: Good News Publishers, 1997. Print.

Grudem, Wayne A. Systematic Theology. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan, 2000. Print.

Romans 3:28-31. Holy Bible: Amplified Version. Print.

Ryrie, Charles Caldwell. Basic Theology: A Popular Systematic Guide To Understanding Biblical
Truth. Chicago, Ill.: Moody Press, 1999. Print.

1 John 2:1-2. Holy Bible: New International Version. Print.

Demarest, Bruce. Foundations Of Evangelical Theology The Cross And Salvation The Doctrine
Of Salvation. Wheaton, Illinois: Crossway Books A Publishing Ministry Of Good News
Publishers. Print.