The Doctrine of Salvation

Module 11 | How Does

a Person “Get Saved”?
 Proposition #1:
The most important feature of our
doctrine of salvation is its consis-
tency across both testaments. We
believe salvation to be an unchanging
story with compelling developments.
 Proposition #2:
At stake in our description of how to
be saved is the character of the
person of God. For in defining
salvation we are at once describing
what God wants, and what he is like.
“God cannot forgive sin out of mercy
alone, apart from the repayment of the
honor stolen from him.”
Anselm of Canterbury (1033-1109)
Cur Deus Homo
[“Why God Became Man”]
“Although God’s punishment of sin does serve as a
deterrent against further sinning and as a warning to
those who observe it, this is not the primary reason
why God punishes sin. The primary reason is that
God’s righteousness demands it, so that he might be
glorified in the universe that he has created.”
Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology
“God being God, he not only may act to preserve his
own honor, he must do so. He cannot simply disregard
it. Thus, he cannot merely forgive or remit sin without
punishing it. Nor is it enough for us to restore to God
his due. There must be additional reparation. Only with
some form of added compensation can the things that
have been disturbed by sin be restored to equilibrium.
Sin left unpunished would leave God’s economy out of
order.”
Millard Erickson, Christian Theology
“Moral offense entails a moral debt that must be paid.
Therefore those who sin against God owe him either
their own punishment, or some restitution or
satisfaction for their transgression of his law. God’s
justice demands such payment, but human beings
cannot make satisfaction since they are guilty and are
deserving of God’s punishment.”
Evangelical Convictions: A Theological Exposition of the
Statement of Faith of the Evangelical Free Church of America
 Can God ‘just forgive’?
God’s character is such that he can treat mercifully
those whom he so chooses (Exodus 33:19; Romans
9:15). There is no external demand upon God’s
character in regard to his willingness or ability to
forgive. The ability to forgive without payment, in
fact, is treated as an honorable act in the Bible (Luke
7:43), and thus it seems odd that we would claim
that God cannot do such a virtuous act.
 Can God ‘just forgive’?
God must do what he said he would do, which
includes the forgiveness of sins for those in covenant
(Pss. 116:5; 145:17) and the non-forgiveness of
those who remain outside the covenant (Exod 23:21;
Deut 29:20; Josh 24:19; 2 Kgs 24:4; Isa 22:14; Jer
5:27; Lam 3:42; Hos 1:6). This is why OT saints
could delight in being treated “according to God’s
righteousness” (2 Sam. 22:21, 25; 1 Kings 8:32; 2
 Can God ‘just forgive’?
Chron. 6:23; Pss. 7:8, 17; 18:20, 24; 35:24; 48:10;
Dan. 9:16) and why Paul could warn the Athenian
pagans of God’s righteousness ending in judgment
(Acts 17:31).
So yes, God can forgive. He can even “just
forgive.”
 Proposition #3:
Defining faith as loyalty makes sense
when considering how we are made.
God graciously has given us the
ability to be in relationship to others,
and to even need it.
 Proposition #3:
Defining faith as loyalty makes sense
when considering how we are made.
God graciously has given us the
ability to be in relationship to others,
and to even need it.
 Proposition #4:
“Being loyal” still poses questions:
Can we just say “Be loyal to the right
god?” How is loyalty defined? Is
there a plan or a set number of steps
which can guarantee salvation?
 Proposition #5:
Paul’s Romans has sometimes been
used to set out a “plan” of salvation.
There are several problems with this
approach, especially as we consider
the audience to whom Paul wrote.
 Romans 3:23: “All have sinned and
1
fall short of the glory of God.”

Romans 6:23: “The

2
wages of sin is death.”

Romans 5:8: “While we were

3
still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Romans 10:9-10: “If you confess with your mouth

4 ‘Jesus is Lord!’ and believe in your heart that God
has raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”
 Romans 3:23: “All have sinned and
1
fall short of the glory of God.”

Romans 6:23: “The

2
wages of sin is death.”

Romans 5:8: “While we were

3
still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Romans 10:9-10: “If you confess with your mouth

4 ‘Jesus is Lord!’ and believe in your heart that God
has raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”
 Romans 3:23: “All have sinned and
1
fall short of the glory of God.”

Romans 6:23: “The

2
wages of sin is death.”

Romans 5:8: “While we were

3
still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Romans 10:9-10: “If you confess with your mouth

4 ‘Jesus is Lord!’ and believe in your heart that God
has raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”
 Romans 3:23: “All have sinned and
1
fall short of the glory of God.”

Romans 6:23: “The

2
wages of sin is death.”

Romans 5:8: “While we were

3
still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Romans 10:9-10: “If you confess with your mouth

4 ‘Jesus is Lord!’ and believe in your heart that God
has raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”
 Romans 3:23: “All have sinned and
1
fall short of the glory of God.”

Romans 6:23: “The

2
wages of sin is death.”

Romans 5:8: “While we were

3
still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Romans 10:9-10: “If you confess with your mouth

4 ‘Jesus is Lord!’ and believe in your heart that God
has raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”
 Romans 3:23: “All have sinned and
1
fall short of the glory of God.”

Romans 6:23: “The

2
wages of sin is death.”

Romans 5:8: “While we were

3
still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Romans 10:9-10: “If you confess with your mouth

4 ‘Jesus is Lord!’ and believe in your heart that God
has raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”
 Romans 3:23: “All have sinned and
1
fall short of the glory of God.”

Romans 6:23: “The

2
wages of sin is death.”

Romans 5:8: “While we were

3
still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Romans 10:9-10: “If you confess with your mouth

4 ‘Jesus is Lord!’ and believe in your heart that God
has raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”
 Romans 3:23: “All have sinned and
1
fall short of the glory of God.”

Romans 6:23: “The

2
wages of sin is death.”

Romans 5:8: “While we were

3
still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Romans 10:9-10: “If you confess with your mouth

4 ‘Jesus is Lord!’ and believe in your heart that God
has raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”
 Romans 3:23: “All have sinned and
1
fall short of the glory of God.”

Romans 6:23: “The

2
wages of sin is death.”

Romans 5:8: “While we were

3
still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Romans 10:9-10: “If you confess with your mouth

4 ‘Jesus is Lord!’ and believe in your heart that God
has raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”
 Romans 3:23: “All have sinned and
1
fall short of the glory of God.”

Romans 6:23: “The

2
wages of sin is death.”

Romans 5:8: “While we were

3
still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Romans 10:9-10: “If you confess with your mouth

4 ‘Jesus is Lord!’ and believe in your heart that God
has raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”
 Proposition #6:
The presuppositions which lie behind
the Romans Road are many, with
almost all of them foreign to the
biblical story. We owe it to our
listener to be open about our logic.
1) God demands my sinlessness.
2) I have sinned.
3) The punishment for my sin is hell.
4) This punishment cannot be forgiven, but
5) must be served by either me or
6) an innocent substitute.
7) Since Jesus was sinless,
8) he qualifies as this innocent substitute for me and
9) for all other guilty people since
10) his physical death counts as eternal punishment. Thus
11) God never forgives us because
12) he chooses instead to punish Jesus
13) as our substitute.
In this way God’s demand for sinlessness is met.
1) God demands my sinlessness.
2) I have sinned.
3) The punishment for my sin is hell.
4) This punishment cannot be forgiven, but
5) must be served by either me or
6) an innocent substitute.
7) Since Jesus was sinless,
8) he qualifies as this innocent substitute for me and
9) for all other guilty people since
10) his physical death counts as eternal punishment. Thus
11) God never forgives us because
12) he chooses instead to punish Jesus
13) as our substitute.
In this way God’s demand for sinlessness is met.
1) God demands my sinlessness.
2) I have sinned.
3) The punishment for my sin is hell.
4) This punishment cannot be forgiven, but
5) must be served by either me or
6) an innocent substitute.
7) Since Jesus was sinless,
8) he qualifies as this innocent substitute for me and
9) for all other guilty people since
10) his physical death counts as eternal punishment. Thus
11) God never forgives us because
12) he chooses instead to punish Jesus
13) as our substitute.
In this way God’s demand for sinlessness is met.
1) God demands my sinlessness.
2) I have sinned.
3) The punishment for my sin is hell.
4) This punishment cannot be forgiven, but
5) must be served by either me or
6) an innocent substitute.
7) Since Jesus was sinless,
8) he qualifies as this innocent substitute for me and
9) for all other guilty people since
10) his physical death counts as eternal punishment. Thus
11) God never forgives us because
12) he chooses instead to punish Jesus
13) as our substitute.
In this way God’s demand for sinlessness is met.
1) God demands my sinlessness.
2) I have sinned.
3) The punishment for my sin is hell.
4) This punishment cannot be forgiven, but
5) must be served by either me or
6) an innocent substitute.
7) Since Jesus was sinless,
8) he qualifies as this innocent substitute for me and
9) for all other guilty people since
10) his physical death counts as eternal punishment. Thus
11) God never forgives us because
12) he chooses instead to punish Jesus
13) as our substitute.
In this way God’s demand for sinlessness is met.
1) God demands my sinlessness.
2) I have sinned.
3) The punishment for my sin is hell.
4) This punishment cannot be forgiven, but
5) must be served by either me or
6) an innocent substitute.
7) Since Jesus was sinless,
8) he qualifies as this innocent substitute for me and
9) for all other guilty people since
10) his physical death counts as eternal punishment. Thus
11) God never forgives us because
12) he chooses instead to punish Jesus
13) as our substitute.
In this way God’s demand for sinlessness is met.
1) God demands my sinlessness.
2) I have sinned.
3) The punishment for my sin is hell.
4) This punishment cannot be forgiven, but
5) must be served by either me or
6) an innocent substitute.
7) Since Jesus was sinless,
8) he qualifies as this innocent substitute for me and
9) for all other guilty people since
10) his physical death counts as eternal punishment. Thus
11) God never forgives us because
12) he chooses instead to punish Jesus
13) as our substitute.
In this way God’s demand for sinlessness is met.
1) God demands my sinlessness.
2) I have sinned.
3) The punishment for my sin is hell.
4) This punishment cannot be forgiven, but
5) must be served by either me or
6) an innocent substitute.
7) Since Jesus was sinless,
8) he qualifies as this innocent substitute for me and
9) for all other guilty people since
10) his physical death counts as eternal punishment. Thus
11) God never forgives us because
12) he chooses instead to punish Jesus
13) as our substitute.
In this way God’s demand for sinlessness is met.
1) God demands my sinlessness.
2) I have sinned.
3) The punishment for my sin is hell.
4) This punishment cannot be forgiven, but
5) must be served by either me or
6) an innocent substitute.
7) Since Jesus was sinless,
8) he qualifies as this innocent substitute for me and
9) for all other guilty people since
10) his physical death counts as eternal punishment. Thus
11) God never forgives us because
12) he chooses instead to punish Jesus
13) as our substitute.
In this way God’s demand for sinlessness is met.
1) God demands my sinlessness.
2) I have sinned.
3) The punishment for my sin is hell.
4) This punishment cannot be forgiven, but
5) must be served by either me or
6) an innocent substitute.
7) Since Jesus was sinless,
8) he qualifies as this innocent substitute for me and
9) for all other guilty people since
10) his physical death counts as eternal punishment. Thus
11) God never forgives us because
12) he chooses instead to punish Jesus
13) as our substitute.
In this way God’s demand for sinlessness is met.
1) God demands my sinlessness.
2) I have sinned.
3) The punishment for my sin is hell.
4) This punishment cannot be forgiven, but
5) must be served by either me or
6) an innocent substitute.
7) Since Jesus was sinless,
8) he qualifies as this innocent substitute for me and
9) for all other guilty people since
10) his physical death counts as eternal punishment. Thus
11) God never forgives us because
12) he chooses instead to punish Jesus
13) as our substitute.
In this way God’s demand for sinlessness is met.
1) God demands my sinlessness.
2) I have sinned.
3) The punishment for my sin is hell.
4) This punishment cannot be forgiven, but
5) must be served by either me or
6) an innocent substitute.
7) Since Jesus was sinless,
8) he qualifies as this innocent substitute for me and
9) for all other guilty people since
10) his physical death counts as eternal punishment. Thus
11) God never forgives us because
12) he chooses instead to punish Jesus
13) as our substitute.
In this way God’s demand for sinlessness is met.
1) God demands my sinlessness.
2) I have sinned.
3) The punishment for my sin is hell.
4) This punishment cannot be forgiven, but
5) must be served by either me or
6) an innocent substitute.
7) Since Jesus was sinless,
8) he qualifies as this innocent substitute for me and
9) for all other guilty people since
10) his physical death counts as eternal punishment. Thus
11) God never forgives us because
12) he chooses instead to punish Jesus
13) as our substitute.
In this way God’s demand for sinlessness is met.
1) God demands my sinlessness.
2) I have sinned.
3) The punishment for my sin is hell.
4) This punishment cannot be forgiven, but
5) must be served by either me or
6) an innocent substitute.
7) Since Jesus was sinless,
8) he qualifies as this innocent substitute for me and
9) for all other guilty people since
10) his physical death counts as eternal punishment. Thus
11) God never forgives us because
12) he chooses instead to punish Jesus
13) as our substitute.
In this way God’s demand for sinlessness is met.
 n a n y of
Ca
h e s e b e
t
i b lica lly
b
e n d e d ?
def
 What went wrong?
“In the Medieval period, it was thought that when
Jesus ascended into heaven, the Son of God had
taken the price paid for our sins and deposited it in a
kind of heavenly bank, where his sacrifice constitu-
ted a kind of lump sum of grace that believers could
draw on by using the so-called means of grace that
were administered by the church and its priests.
Christ had satisfied the demands of the Father’s
 What went wrong?
“justice, so there was enough grace to go around to
wipe away every sin, but this store of merit kept in
heaven had to be drawn on in order to be effective in
wiping away the misdeeds of everyday sinners. The
Reformation shifted the attention from those sins to
their underlying cause, the broken relationship that
cuts us off from God, and emphasized Christ’s
present mediatorial work at the right hand of the
 What went wrong?
“Father, where he continues to plead for mercy and
forgiveness to be shown to us. To put it another way,
when the Father looks at us directly, he sees only
sinfulness and rebellion against him, but when he
looks at us through the prism of Jesus, he sees that
we are covered and protected by his righteousness
and forgives us for that reason. Our actual sins no
longer count because they stem from our inherent
 What went wrong?
“sinfulness, which has been redeemed by the
sacrifice of Christ, who has restored us to the right
relationship with God the Father.”
Gerald Bray, “Sin in Historical Theology,”
in Fallen: A Theology of Sin
 Proposition #7:
A better way of describing salvation
would be to observe in the Bible how
a person who is right with God
challenges a person who is not right
with God to be right with God.
The eight sermons in Acts each have the same framing story:
Acts 2:22-36:
Acts 3:12-26
Acts 4:8-12:
Acts 5:29-32:
Acts 7:2-56:
Acts 10:34-43:
Acts 13:17-41:
Acts 17:22-31:
Acts 2:22-36:
Acts 3:12-26
Acts 4:8-12:
Acts 5:29-32:
Acts 7:2-56:
Acts 10:34-43:
Acts 13:17-41:
Acts 17:22-31:
1 “God sent Jesus”

2
1
3 Text

5
1 “God sent Jesus”

2 “We killed him”

1
3 Text

4 2

5
1 “God sent Jesus”

2 “We killed him”

1 3
3 “He ascended” Text

4 2

5
1 “God sent Jesus” 4

2 “We killed him”

1 3
3 “He ascended” Text

4 “He rules everyone”

2

5
1 “God sent Jesus” 4

2 “We killed him”

1 3
3 “He ascended” Text

4 “He rules everyone”

2 5
5 “Worship him”
What did a person do to
become “saved” in the 4
Bible? Similar to what they
would have done while
Jesus was still living, a 1 3
person would place their Text

loyalty in the God of Israel

while simultaneously 2
believing what this God 5
had done with and through
Jesus Christ.
Allegiance to both Father
and Son would have been 4
purposely packed into such
a phrase as “believe on the
Lord Jesus Christ and you 1 3
will be saved” (Acts 16:31) Text

since it was God who had

exalted Jesus and had 2
“given him the name which 5
is above every name”
(Philippians 2:9).
 Proposition #8:
The meaning of atonement may help
in explaining salvation, depending on
one’s audience. In no case should
“accepting atonement” be offered as
the means of getting saved.
If someone wants to hear the biblical story of sacred space, we notice that the idea of
atonement is a parenthetical thought within the larger doctrine of salvation:
1) Ancient culture presumed my ritual cleanness when approaching my deity.
2) I have become unclean by being in this world.
3) The consequence for my uncleanness is lack of access to the deity.
4) This consequence can be “forgiven” or “healed” through
5) time and/or
6) the ritual of sacrifice.
7) Jesus’ death was compared to an atoning sacrifice for my uncleanness
9) as well as for all other unclean people since
10) his physical death signified final cleansing for everyone. Thus
11) God completely cleanses us because
12) he gave Jesus to us
13) to be our atoning sacrifice.
In this way I can consider myself as having access to God through Jesus Christ.
If someone wants to hear the biblical story of sacred space, we notice that the idea of
atonement is a parenthetical thought within the larger doctrine of salvation:
1) Ancient culture presumed my ritual cleanness when approaching my deity.
2) I have become unclean by being in this world.
3) The consequence for my uncleanness is lack of access to the deity.
4) This consequence can be “forgiven” or “healed” through
5) time and/or
6) the ritual of sacrifice.
7) Jesus’ death was compared to an atoning sacrifice for my uncleanness
9) as well as for all other unclean people since
10) his physical death signified final cleansing for everyone. Thus
11) God completely cleanses us because
12) he gave Jesus to us
13) to be our atoning sacrifice.
In this way I can consider myself as having cultic access to God through Jesus Christ.
 Proposition #9:
And it is in the “getting” that we
should be careful in describing the
“moment” one is saved. Biblical faith
is less a one-time slap shot and more
like a loving and faithful marriage.
 Proposition #10:
What role do created gods play in our
salvation? We suspect that disloyal
spirits remain active in their desire to
attract human worship away from
Yahweh and toward themselves.
Dear Wormwood,
I wonder you should ask me whether it is essential to keep the
patient in ignorance of your own existence. That question, at
least for the present phase of the struggle, has been answered for
us by the High Command. Our policy, for the moment, is to
conceal ourselves. Of course this has not always been so. We are
really faced with a cruel dilemma. When the humans disbelieve
in our existence we lose all the pleasing results of direct
terrorism and we make no magicians. On the other hand, when
they believe in us, we cannot make them materialists and
skeptics. At least, not yet. I have great hopes that we will learn
in due time how to emotionalize and mythologize their science
to such an extent that what is, in effect, a belief in us (though not
under that name) will creep in while the human mind remains
closed to belief in the Enemy. If we can produce our perfect
work—the Materialist Magician, the man, not using, but
veritably worshipping, what he vaguely calls ‘Forces’ while
denying the existence of ‘spirits’—then the end of the war will
be in sight.
C. S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters (Letter 7)
Dear Wormwood,
I wonder you should ask me whether it is essential to keep the
patient in ignorance of your own existence. That question, at
least for the present phase of the struggle, has been answered for
us by the High Command. Our policy, for the moment, is to
conceal ourselves. Of course this has not always been so. We are
really faced with a cruel dilemma. When the humans disbelieve
in our existence we lose all the pleasing results of direct
terrorism and we make no magicians. On the other hand, when
they believe in us, we cannot make them materialists and
skeptics. At least, not yet. I have great hopes that we will learn
Dear Wormwood,
I wonder you should ask me whether it is essential to keep the
patient in ignorance of your own existence. That question, at
least for the present phase of the struggle, has been answered for
us by the High Command. Our policy, for the moment, is to
conceal ourselves. Of course this has not always been so. We are
really faced with a cruel dilemma. When the humans disbelieve
in our existence we lose all the pleasing results of direct
terrorism and we make no magicians. On the other hand, when
they believe in us, we cannot make them materialists and
skeptics. At least, not yet. I have great hopes that we will learn
in due time how to emotionalize and mythologize their science
to such an extent that what is, in effect, a belief in us (though not
under that name) will creep in while the human mind remains
closed to belief in the Enemy. If we can produce our perfect
work—the Materialist Magician, the man, not using, but
veritably worshipping, what he vaguely calls ‘Forces’ while
denying the existence of ‘spirits’—then the end of the war will
be in sight.
C. S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters (Letter 7)