Point of View

EDITOR'S NOTE: This article is part of an occasional series of commentaries examining and explaining the Baptist Faith & Message 2000, the Southern Baptist Convention's confession of faith.

Salvation expresses the theme of the Scriptures. The Bible reveals the person of salvation, the people of salvation, and the plan of salvation. Salvation is a comprehensive biblical term for the benefits the believer receives through Christ. By His grace, God rescues a believer from spiritual danger associated with the principle and penalty of sin, brings the believer into a right relationship with Him, and bestows positive blessings.

The Baptist Faith & Message first summarizes the general concept of salvation then provides an exposition of four major aspects of salvation: regeneration, justification, sanctification, and glorification. In this article, I focus on the general concept.

First, the BF&M affirms the abundance of salvation. A study of the biblical terms for salvation reveals the abundance of God's action on our behalf. The Hebrew term for salvation is "yasha" and has the connotation "to be roomy or broad" in contrast to narrowness or oppression. When physical enemies oppressed the people, God provided roominess by defeating the oppressor. The Hebrew term depicts the enemy "sin" as that which restricts, pressures, and constrains a believer. The Hebrew concept of salvation pictures freedom.

The Greek term for salvation is "soteria" and has the connotation of "preservation from danger." The New Testament provides a rich listing of the dangers from which God delivers a believer: sin (Matt. 1:21), condemnation (John 3:17), death (Lk. 6:9), the wrath of God (Rom. 5:9), and the ultimate danger of an eternity without the blessings of God.

Second, the BF&M expresses the costly nature of our salvation-the redemption of the whole man. The concept of redemption derives from the background of the marketplace, particularly the slave market. Redemption involved the payment of a purchase price. In the New Testament, the death of Christ on behalf of sinners functions as the redemption price. Christ liberated believers from slavery to the mastery of sin through the payment of the purchase price of His blood death. The New Testament does not discuss the question by many in the early church, "To whom did Jesus pay the ransom?" The New Testament strongly affirms that our salvation, while free to us, cost Jesus all.

Salvation is a broader concept than the mere salvation of the soul. The height of Christian salvation correlates with the depth of humanity's condition apart from Christ. The fallen nature of humanity affects the totality of human nature-physical, mental, and volitional. The BF&M affirms that Christ provided redemption for the whole man-physical, mental, and the will. Thus, in the experience of salvation the mind is renewed (Rom. 12:2), the will liberated from slavery to sin (Rom. 6:17) and ultimately the body resurrected (1 Cor. 15:35-44).

Third, the BF&M teaches a blood-bought salvation. Blood depicts the principle of life (Lev. 17:11). The sacrifices of animals portrayed the principle of life for life. The worshiper killed the animal in exchange for his life. According to the New Testament, the blood of Jesus provides propitiation (Rom. 3:25), justification (Rom. 5:9), reconciliation with God (Col. 1:20), cleanses our defiled conscience (Heb. 9:14), forgiveness (Heb. 9:22), and establishment of the new covenant (Mk. 14:24).

Fourth, the BF&M proclaims the uniqueness of salvation in Christ alone. The 2000 BF&M revision committee added the key sentence, "There is no salvation apart from personal faith in Jesus Christ as Lord." Twenty-first century American culture emphasizes the virtues of religious pluralism, universalism, and inclusivism. Religious pluralism teaches that all religions lead to God. Religious pluralism is possible only by denying core Christian truths such as the Trinity, incarnation of Jesus, and atonement. Religious pluralism ignores the conflicting truth claims of various world religions. Universalism entails the denial of human freedom-"God" saves all humanity regardless of a human response. Inclusivism teaches that Jesus is the only way of salvation but affirms that some individuals receive salvation without an explicit knowledge of salvation. Inclusivists claim that an individual, who positively responds to general revelation-including God's revelation in other world religions-receives salvation. In contrast, Paul claims that all people reject God's general revelation (Rom. 1:18-20).

Jesus proclaimed Himself as the exclusive way to God. Using the very language of first-century religious pluralism, Jesus claimed to be "the one and only way, the one and only truth, and the one and only life" (John 14:6). The means of salvation is personal trust in the Saving One.

Mark Rathel is associate professor of theology at The Baptist College of Florida in Graceville.