Doctrine of Salvation
“For the Son of Man came to seek and save the lost,” we read in Luke 19:10. This statement is absolutely central to Christian faith, and it is a truth that we affirm in the words of the Nicene Creed: “For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven…” But these statements, as central as they are, raise a number of questions upon reflection. What is salvation? What does it mean to be “lost”? And why was it necessary for Jesus to “come” to save the lost? The doctrine of salvation is that area of Christian theology which is devoted to answering such questions.
We have divided the doctrine of salvation into three distinct sections. First is the subject of “sin and suffering,” which is the Christian response to the question: From what do we need to be saved? Second is the theme of “incarnation and atonement,” wherein we reflect on how the Son’s “journey into the far country” (as Barth put it) accomplishes our salvation from sin and suffering. Finally, we turn to the subject of “justification and sanctification,” which focuses on the work of the Holy Spirit in applying the saving work of Christ and our own subjective response to it.
The Doctrine of Salvation includes three subcategories:
