Questions tagged [soteriology]
The study of the mechanisms by which an individual is saved.
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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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Why might have God confined his atonement to only the Israelites?
I am trying to avoid getting struck down as opinion based by asking for POTENTIAL answers here. If you think my question can be rephrased in a non-opinion based way, feel free to edit.
In the Old ...
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What is the Biblical basis for Synergism?
From Wikipedia:
In Christian theology, synergism is the position of those who hold that salvation involves some form of cooperation between divine grace and human freedom. Synergism is upheld by the ...
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What is the Biblical basis for Conditional Election?
From Wikipedia:
In Christian theology, conditional election is the belief that God chooses for eternal salvation those whom he foresees will have faith in Christ. This belief emphasizes the ...
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According to Calvinists, why does God not predestine all to Heaven?
It seems to me that if God chooses not only those who will go to heaven, but those who will go to hell, a Calvinist would hold the position of Universalism, that being that all people will be saved. ...
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What is the biblical basis for NOT believing that everyone has a fair chance to be saved?
In my previous question If everyone has a fair chance to be saved, then how is this reconciled with Romans 10:11-17 & John 6:44?, I laid out two conditions for scoping purposes:
This question is ...
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If everyone has a fair chance to be saved, then how is this reconciled with Romans 10:11-17 & John 6:44?
This question is scoped to Christians who believe that:
humans have libertarian free will (or at least are given temporarily some form of genuine freedom of the will through divine grace in specific ...
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According to Christians who believe that salvation can be lost, what is spiritual rebirth, what is eternal life and can salvation be regained?
According to Christians who believe that salvation can be lost:
What is eternal life? Is eternal life attained now (in this life / before death) or at the resurrection?
What is spiritual rebirth? ...
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How do Christians who believe that eternal life begins now explain the fact that Christians die?
Many Christians believe that eternal life begins now.
For example, in the article The Destiny: Eternal Life, John Piper states:
In believing we have eternal life NOW, not just in the future.
In John ...
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According to Christian mortalists (aka 'Soul sleep' advocates), does eternal life begin now (before death), and if so, does it continue after death?
Many passages seem to suggest that one becomes born again and obtains eternal life on this side of eternity (before death).
For example, regarding eternal life, the Apostle John said:
24 Truly, truly,...
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How defined is the threshold of graveness for mortal sins? (Catholicism)
The Catholic Church has defined criteria for when a sin is a mortal sin:
The sin is grave.
It's committed with full knowledge of the sin and its gravity.
It's committed with deliberate and complete ...
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Are the Five Solas considered "Axioms" or "Theorems" in the logic of salvation in Protestant theology?
It might be utterly reprehensible to apply reason to faith in this way and feel free to VTC this question if it's just not a question. I believe reason can't contradict faith and vice versa, but I'm ...
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Do those who are saved still face judgement? [closed]
Do those who are saved still face judgement?
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Question about Hebrews 10:26
Hebrews 10:26 says:
26 For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, 27 but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a ...
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