Soteriology

Theology of salvation. Theological reflection on the meaning of salvation in Christ and how we may share salvation by faith. Salvation is eternal life in the fullness of God's love. In Christ, we are redeemed from sin and death and restored to right relationship with God. We are made righteous and justified in Christ, despite the inadequacy of our works for salvation. Salvation is deliverance from anything that threatens to prevent fulfillment and enjoyment of our relationship with God. Through the Spirit, especially in the life and sacraments of the church, we may share in Christ's life, death, and resurrection. We may participate in a saving process of sanctification by which the saving life of Christ becomes increasingly our own reality. This process is completed and revealed in Christ, and it is begun in us through faith in him. Completed union with God is the end of this saving process. In Christ, we come to be at one with God. Although this saving process is not yet completed, we look with hope for its fulfillment in the final coming of the kingdom of God. The Episcopal theologian William Porcher DuBose wrote The Soteriology of the New Testament (1892), which is a significant presentation of soteriology. See Atonement; see Heaven; see Redeemer; see Righteousness.