Questions tagged [soteriology]
The study of the mechanisms by which an individual is saved.
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Shortcut to Heaven? [closed]
If some cult decided to take the L and massacre as many people as possible each all souls day, then immediately pray for them, do all those victims get into heaven scott free? Can the cult members ...
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Are those who die without someone praying for their souls , compensated?
Month of November is dedicated to the deceased faithful. One of the Mass Intentions of Catholic Church for the month is to pray for those souls who have no one praying for them. That implies that ...
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Is it possible to be a worshiper of the true God without being reached/evangelized?
Upon reflecting on the answers to this question, HOW does the existence of the Universe make those who do not worship God to be "without excuse"?, I noticed that Romans 1:18-20 leaves ...
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How to refute the argument that is is possible to be saved without Jesus and do apologetics for it
I've recently thought of an argument that might undermine Christianity but I'm not sure if I simply reinvented a super old argument that already has a refutation or it's a novel one (probably not), ...
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Is there any biblical basis for believing that Satan will do his uttermost to prevent a sinner from coming to saving faith in Christ Jesus?
Recently our minister preached a sermon based on Luke 9:42:
Even while the boy was coming [to Jesus to be healed], the demon threw him to the ground in a convulsion. But Jesus rebuked the evil ...
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How does imputation work?
When someone believes on Jesus Christ how does Jesus sinless perfect righteousness is transferred to the believer and the believer's sin transferred to Jesus? Like what is the theory or doctrine that ...
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What Are the Way of Repentance and the Way of Eternal Life?
Gaining eternal life through faith in the Lord is the longing of many Christians. But is it true that we can attain the way of eternal life by accepting the Lord’s salvation, repenting and confessing ...
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What scriptural examples exist of people converting to righteousness from overt wickedness on account of a miraculous occurrence (e.g. Paul)?
A brief bit of context (feel free to edit it out if it's not appropriate for the site, but I think it'll help clarify exactly what I'm trying to achieve with this question): I am currently studying ...
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How Did the Earliest Church Define Salvation?
This question came up for me in a discussion of the meaning of "saved" in Acts 15:1.
But certain ones having come down from Judea were teaching the brothers, "Unless you are
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What does it mean to be saved by sanctification and believing the truth? 2 Thessalonians 2:13
My question is for protestant Christians. If salvation is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone, then what does 2 Thessalonians 2:13 mean by saying that people are saved by the ...
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What insights can be derived from the Protoevangelium regarding God's plan of Salvation, specifically in relation to the concept of election?
The Protoevangelium, which can be found in Genesis 3:15, holds significant value in Christian theology as it serves as God's initial proclamation and a prophetic utterance. The concept of Redemption ...
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Was the Resurrection part and parcel of Jesus' Salvific Mission?
In John 19:30, we see Jesus giving up his Spirit on the Cross after saying: " It is finished " . In Contemporary English Version, the words appear as " Everything is done" . So, by ...
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What did the early Church Fathers (pre-Nicea A.D. 325) have to say about faith, baptism and if it is the act of baptism that saves?
This question is asked in response to this recent question: Where does the idea that faith must be a condition for baptism originate from?
I am trying to find evidence from the writings of Clement, ...
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Is there a name for the belief that some individuals would always freely reject salvation no matter the world in which they are created?
When God created the world, He had to accept the fact that some of His creatures would sin and ultimately fail to repent and be saved (I'm assuming that universalism is false, to be clear). For ...
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By what mechanism does Faith lead to Salvation?
As I understand, Evangelical Protestants believe that Jesus took on the sins of humanity through his death, acting as a substitute for the target of the justice of God, and that salvation comes ...
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To be one for whom Christ died, do you have to be elect?
First, to explain where I am coming from with this question. I believe that Jesus prayed "not for the world" "but for them which you have given me" John 17:9,20. Then Romans 8:28-...
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According to Protestants who hold that belief in Trinitarianism is necessary for salvation, what happens to those who assent but don't understand?
It seems some Protestants hold that belief in Trinitarianism is required for salvation. According to those who hold this, is there a distinction between Christians who assent to this and understand ...
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What explanations are there for God's lack of culpability for the sin that was a part of the plan of salvation? [closed]
Acts 2:22-24 NET says:
22 “Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a man
clearly attested to you by God with powerful deeds, wonders, and
miraculous signs that God performed among ...
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Are Protestants with valid baptism Catholics, from a Catholic perspective?
From a Catholic perspective:
The Catholic Church considers Protestant baptisms valid.
Baptism removes all penalty of sin, so whoever is validly baptized is saved.
There is no salvation outside the ...
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If salvation in Christ is not lessened without the perpetual virginity of Mary why must one believe the Dogma or be lost?
No one who knowingly and deliberately rejects the truth will be saved. It doesn’t matter how good of a Muslim, Jew, Baptist, or anything else he may be. If anyone rejects the truth of Christ and his ...
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Can punishment for unintentional sins be reconciled with Christians knowing they have eternal life?
My question isn't so much about reconciling specific Scripture passages as it is about reconciling two teachings supported by Scripture, so I'm asking here rather than on Hermeneutics. I'm wondering ...
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What would be an orthodoxly Christian, biblically based response to a concern that a Christian could die without repenting of a given sin?
What is the fate of those who believe in Jesus Christ but who die without repenting of something they never discovered was sinful? Simon (Acts 8) likely represents an example with which I can ...
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What is apostasy (John 15) in Lutheranism?
In contrast to the Reformed tradition, it it the best of my understating, that Lutherans hold in election unto salvation for all who all in Christ, yet also hold that individuals, because of their own ...
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What is the Catholic Church's position on neglecting works of the law?
The common Catholic apologetic against sola fide is that St. Paul was talking about "Works of the Law", so assuming Catholics don't believe that works of the law save someone why are there ...
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What is the Biblical basis of the view that you must believe in Jesus BEFORE physical death? [duplicate]
It seems a very common belief that you must believe in Jesus / to be saved before physical death in order to have salvation.
However where is this stated in the Bible?
According to this view, why is ...
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Can a sin lead one to hell even under grace? (this is not a Catholic post regarding mortal and venial sin)
I have a belief that all sins mentioned in Galatians 5:19, 1 Corinthians 6:9, Revelations 22:15, and the sins referred to in "those who commit this sin shall not inherit eternal life" are ...
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Martin Luther on the salvation of Christian Soldiers?
I found this quote in the book Martin Luther: Rebel in an Age of Upheaval by Prof. Heinz Schilling.
He made a promise of salvation to Christian soldiers that is
reminiscent of the fundamentalist ...
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What is the biblical basis for Semi-Pelagianism?
Broadly speaking, Semi-Pelagianism is the idea that while we are born sinners, we are capable of seeking God without a supernatural "override" of our nature, such as that of Calvinism's ...
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Seem we have to atone our sins ourselves as per Ezekiel 18?
First of all, the source:
Ezekiel 18:4 (GNT): The life of every person belongs to me, the life of the parent as well as that of the child. The person who sins is the one who will die.
God states ...
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Is there a standard term for all "saved" people?
Is there a standard term within theological literature for the set of people who will receive eternal life?
I've noticed that many Christians use the word "Christians" to refer to this set ...
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Is there a name for the idea that Jesus takes away the sin of the world by causing those who abide in him to sin less and be more righteous?
1 John 3:5-6 is
5 But you know that Christ appeared to take away sins, and in Him there is no sin. 6 No one who remains in Him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has seen Him or known Him.
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How do Catholic scholars explain Gal 2: 21 against the backdrop of Mtt 5: 17-18?
We hear St Paul telling in Gal 2:21 (NRSVCE):
I do not nullify the grace of God; for if justification comes through the law, then Christ died for nothing.
But we see Jesus telling in Mtt 5: 17-18 :
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What is an overview of Christian viewpoints on the afterlife of aborted babies?
What does the afterlife look like for an aborted baby?
What happens to their consciousness (if any)?
What happens to their spirit/soul?
Since these are presumably controversial questions, I'm ...
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What is the Biblical Basis for saying that people determine for themselves whether they will be saved or not?
In trying to understand what the bible says on the topic of who decides whether we go to heaven, I was reading this page on What determines whether you'll go to heaven or hell. I found it to be a bit ...
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Has any trinitarian these days ever come across an argument for proof of the deity of Christ that goes like this:
If X saves, X must be God.
Jesus saves.
Therefore, Jesus must be God.
All the trinitarian books / articles / sermons I’ve ever come across have never attempted such a simplistic way of reasoning ...
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How do Biblical Unitarians rebut the following soteriological syllogism for the deity of Christ?
The argument
If X saves, X must be God.
Jesus saves.
Therefore, Jesus must be God.
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According to Biblical Unitarians, what's wrong with this argument?
Related questions
Has any trinitarian ...
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What is the scriptural basis for the belief that a man is not capable of being the Saviour?
Mike Borden provides a thought-provoking answer to the question According to the Protestant denominations that hold to the doctrine of clarity of scripture, is Trinitarianism clear?.
He says that
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Is there a Catholic “timeline” of Salvation?
This may come off as an odd request - but I’m looking for a catholic roadmap of salvation that gives an order to how one comes to salvation and maintain salvation through the sacraments.
This request ...
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Which denominations teach that people who have not heard the Gospel can be saved through obedience to God?
According to the Catholics, Every man who is ignorant of the Gospel of Christ and of his Church, but seeks the truth and does the will of God in accordance with his understanding of it, can be saved.
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How do Christians who believe that salvation can be lost interpret John 6:37-44 and John 10:11-30?
John 6:37-44 (ESV)
37 All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. 38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who ...
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How do those who believe that salvation cannot be lost interpret Revelation 3:14-22?
Revelation 3:14-22 (ESV):
14 “And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: ‘The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God's creation.
15 “‘I know your works: you are ...
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How do proponents of Perseverance of the Saints have confidence in their salvation?
I was listening to a debate between Trent Horn and James White on the doctrine of the Perseverance of the Saints. In it, Trent Horn presented an argument to demonstrate that those who hold to the ...
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How can God be loving and just whilest creating people for His wrath? I cannot wrap my head around Calvinism!
I just recently left a church that I attended for nearly a decade that is rooted in Calvinist beliefs. I am really struggling with their conception of the Lord and their understanding of the scripture....
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What was the Early Church's (ante-Nicene period) view of the interplay between free will (or lack thereof) and salvation?
Did the Early Church (ante-Nicene period) believe in libertarian free will?
Did the Early Church (ante-Nicene period) believe in determinism?
Did the Early Church (ante-Nicene period) believe that ...
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An Original Source Containing the Sermon of St. Leonard of Port Maurice: The Little Number of Those Who are Saved
This rather famous homily of the eighteenth century Franciscan is rather easy to come by on the internet; for example, see
https://www.saintsbooks.net/books/St.%20Leonard%20of%20Port%20Maurice%20-%...
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How do believers in eternal conscious separation/torment reconcile their belief with Jesus' words at Matthew 10:39?
Matthew 10:39 Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.
Jesus has just warned His disciples of the hardships they will face if they choose to follow ...
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Could Jesus have refused to go to the cross?
Jesus prays to the Father in the Garden of Gethsemane, distressing over the impending cup of wrath to come. The weight of bearing the sins of people and alienation from the Father put him such ...
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How does St Peter's view on salvation reconcile with that of Jesus?
We read in Mt 21:31 :
Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of ...
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Soteriology: How does God save free moral agents?
Gen. 3:1-7 shows that sin was a choice. How does the freedom of choice intersect with saving faith and the work of the Holy Spirit to convict us of sin? This question is for all who believe the Bible ...
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Does the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints postulate a multi-verse?
Latter Day Saints will, on the one hand, assent to a multiplicity of Gods with humans being capable of being exalted to the same level of God as God the Father in the Bible. God the Father may have ...
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