Soteriology: The Doctrine of Salvation Explained

Today we are going to briefly discuss and cover some of the basic understandings of one of the fancy big words used in various Christian circles ending in “ology”. The word I am referring to is called Soteriology. 

There is a good chance, even if you have called yourself a Christian for many years, that you might have never heard of such a word, used it in a sentence before, or would be able to define it to someone. If this is you, don’t worry, you are in good company. 

I know for a fact, I could count on one hand the number of times I have used this word in conversation with others in the past 20 years and if you caught me on a bad day before I had my morning coffee, I am not sure I would be able to spell it correctly if asked on the spot. But even though you might not be familiar with the word itself, if you are a believer in Jesus Christ, you are very familiar with what this word Soteriology means. 

Soteriology, in its most basic definition, is a term that focuses on the study of salvation.

This study is very important in the Christian world because it helps guard against false teachings about salvation and makes sure a person who puts their faith in the saving works of Jesus Christ fully understands that they are truly saved from God’s wrath toward our sin. 

Its origin comes from a combination of a few Greek words soteria which means salvation. The root word for soteria is soter which means savior. Finally, logia means study and is where we get the suffix of “ology”. Hopefully, you are seeing the word Soteriology as more personal and familiar than you might have originally thought. 

One author helped describe it this way, 

“Soteriology sounds best suited for the halls of academia, but it’s not a discipline reserved only for the seminary classroom. Every wise Christian will pursue a passion for this study so they can understand and rejoice in the assurance of their salvation and be equipped to (more confidently) share the good news of the Gospel with others.” 

To continue my two-fold argument that such a term like soteriology is both important to understand and we might actually be more familiar with its meaning than when we first started reading this short blog, I would like to (again briefly) present just two of the many questions that a deeper understanding and study of such a term helps answer. 

Answering such questions brings both assurances to believers and, perhaps, new life to the skeptic. 

Am I really saved by putting my faith in Jesus or is there something else I have to do? 

To help answer this first question, a study of soteriology would begin by pointing us to verses found in scripture. 

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that on one can boast. - Ephesians 2:8-9 

He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit. - Titus 3:5 

Yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified. - Galatians 2:16 

But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace. - Romans 11:6 

A deeper and better understanding of Biblical soteriology will help each of us truly rest in the comfort, peace, joy, and promised assurance from scripture that tells all of us that salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, and in Jesus Christ alone. 

Is a personal faith in Jesus really the only way to experience salvation? 

To help answer this second question, a study of soteriology would begin by pointing us to verses found in scripture. 

Jesus said to them, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” - John 14:6 

And there is salvation in no one else (Jesus), for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. - Acts 4:12 

For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus. - 1 Timothy 2:5 

And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death – even death on a cross! Therefore, God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. - Philippians 2:8-11 

What the study of soteriology does to help answer an important question like this one is point people directly at Jesus and say to each of us, “yes!” There is so much more to the study of soteriology that helps answer what genuine faith in Jesus looks like from a Biblical perspective but at its core, the answer it gives us is Jesus is the only way. 

There are so many more great questions and conversations that the study of soteriology helps answer but to summarize, one author put it this way, 

“Salvation is a done proposition. Man's responsibility is to accept this by faith, a faith alone in Christ alone. The finished work of Christ includes not only deliverance from the penalty of sin, but also from the power of sin. Faith in Christ for salvation means coming to him as the source of salvation from every aspect of sin through trusting in the accomplished work of Christ. When Christ cried out, “It is finished,” Jesus was affirming the fact of the finished nature of what he had accomplished on the cross for the world.” 

Salvation according to the Bible is not merely a religious experience…. we don’t discover or stumble upon Jesus. Salvation is an EVENT that took place in real documented places in time and in history. It does not, like other religions, depend on a complex set of ethics, ideas and behaviors for its integrity. Instead, its integrity is bound up in the narration of an historical event that took place 2000 years ago in time and history. We are saved BY God, FROM God and FOR God when we trust in this finished work of Christ. We believe it because it is TRUE, not because it is the best option among many. 

A term that once might have sounded confusing or unfamiliar quickly becomes approachable and personal when one realizes it is a term that speaks directly to our hearts. 

It is an understanding that we can grasp because it reminds us that we cannot save ourselves; if it were up to us to try and save ourselves, we would fail miserably. 

It is a concept that causes us to cry out with relief to God saying, “Thank you that you sent your son Jesus!” 

It is a study that calls each of us to reflect on the goodness of God, His grace, mercy, and providence. 

So do not let the word scare you away, it is a word that should ultimately draw you near, to come and see, to experience Jesus!