Salvation Theology Fundamentals

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
Click play to hear audio

Every Christian should know the basic fundamentals of Salvation. This includes not just HOW to be saved but WHAT Salvation is Biblically.

Too often Christians are well educated in their profession, hobby or popular culture while woefully ignorant about the one thing they would say is the MOST important topic of all.

Here are some basics EVERY Christian should know and be able to explain. Please print this out and put it in your Bible to have it handy when the need arise:

Theology of Salvation Summarized

There are five terms that summarize salvation:

  1. Justification – God declaring a repentant sinner righteous; Rom. 5:1; 8:33
    1. Romans 5:1 (NKJV)  1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
    1. Romans 8:33 (NKJV)  33 Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies.
  2. Redemption – obtaining by paying a ransom price; Luke 1:68; Gal. 3:13; Heb. 9:12
    1. Luke 1:68 (NKJV)  68 “Blessed is the Lord God of Israel, For He has visited and redeemed His people,
    1. Galatians 3:13 (NKJV)  13 Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”),
    1. Hebrews 9:12 (NKJV)  12 Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.
  3. Forgiveness – God no longer needs to punish your sins and casts them away;
    1. Psalm 103:10–14 (NKJV)  10 He has not dealt with us according to our sins, Nor punished us according to our iniquities.   11 For as the heavens are high above the earth, So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him;   12 As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us.   13 As a father pities his children, So the LORD pities those who fear Him.   14 For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust.
    1. Ephesians 1:7 (NKJV)  7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace
  4. Reconciliation – bringing together through a third party two opposing parties who were formerly enemies; 2 Cor. 5:18–20
    1. 2 Corinthians 5:18–20 (NKJV)  18 Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation,   19 that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.   20 Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God.
  5. Adoption – wherein the believing sinner enjoys all the privileges and responsibilities of adult sonhood; Gal. 4:4–5; Rom. 8:15–23; Eph. 1:5
    1. Galatians 4:4–5 (NKJV)  4 But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law,   5 to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.
    1. Romans 8:15–23 (NKJV)  15 For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.”   16 The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,   17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.   18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.   19 For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God.   20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope;   21 because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.   22 For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now.   23 Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body.
    1. Ephesians 1:5 (NKJV)  5 having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will,

Justification, the sinner stands before God as the accused and is declared righteous.

Redemption, the sinner stands before God as a slave and is granted freedom by a ransom.

Forgiveness, the sinner stands before God as a debtor, and the debt,
having been paid, is forgotten.

Reconciliation, the sinner stands before God as an enemy and becomes a friend.

  • Peace with God is made.
  • In reconciliation, the sinner stands before God as an enemy
    and is led to peace as a friend.

Sonship (adoption), the sinner stands before God as a stranger and is made a son.

Consider salvation:

  • We stood before God as the accused, and He declared us righteous.
  • We stood before God as a slave, and He granted us freedom.
  • We stood before God as a debtor, and He forgot our debt.
  • We stood before God as an enemy, and He made us a friend.
  • We stood before God as a stranger, and He called us His son.

That sums up salvation.

  • Forgiveness deals with the fruit (of our lives – sin). He forgives our sin.
  • Redemption deals with the root condition of our nature. As slaves to sin, He frees us; we are no longer slaves to sin. He buys us out of slavery.
  • Reconciliation deals with our condition, we become His friends with God. We experience fellowship. Relationship restored
  • Sonship (Adoption) deals with our position; we become heirs and joint heirs, adopted, part of God’s family for all eternity; adopted which is the most secure family member