In religion, salvation refers to being saved from an undesirable state or condition. In Western religions, this state is typically one in which an individual faces the prospect of eternal torment in hell. In Eastern religions, this state is typically one in which an individual faces earthly suffering during endless cycles of death and reincarnation.
Christian Views of Salvation
New Testament passages
Christians look to the New Testament as a prime source of their understanding of salvation. Many relevant texts are found in the Epistle to the Romans, which contains the most comprehensive theological statement by Saint Paul of Tarsus on the question. Because of this, some Protestant Christian denominations have called these texts the Romans road.
New Testament passages concerning salvation include:
Belief in Jesus:
"For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him shall not perish but have everlasting life." (John 3:16) "And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved." (Acts 4:12 The Holy Bible, New American Standard Version ISBN 0-7369-0018-7)
God's Love:
"But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8) "God, being rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace have ye been saved)." (Ephesians 2:4-5) "When the kindness of God our Saviour, and his love toward man, appeared ..." (Titus 3:4)
Sin Separates Mankind from God.
"For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God"(Romans 3:23) "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned." (Romans 5:12)
God gives eternal life because Jesus Christ atoned for our sin:
"For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." (Romans 6:23)
Saved (from sin) by our own forgiveness of others:
"For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." (Matthew 6:14-15)
Confession and Believing:
"That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved." — "For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." (Romans 10:9-10) "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." (Romans 10:13)
Saved at Baptism:
"Which sometime were disobedient, when once the long-suffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water. The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ: 1 Peter 3:20-21; "Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:" (Romans 6:3-5)
Saved by God's Grace:
"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9)
Saved by Works:
"Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only." (James 2:24), see also Epistle of James. This passage is disputed as the meaning of the word justified. Protestants argue here the word justified is not used as "To make righteous" but to be "shown already righteous". This is meant in the sense that a person's good behaviour proves they have been saved, as God is "sanctifying" them, making them a better person, after having saved them. Catholics do not separate justification from sanctification. The Council of Trent (Catholic), while anathemizing any who would say that man can, before God, be justified by the works he does by human strength alone, without the divine grace merited by Jesus Christ (canon 1 of its Decree on justification), declared that the justice granted to Christians is preserved and increased by good works, and accordingly these are more than just the fruit and sign of justification obtained (canon 24).
Judged by Works:
"And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works." (Revelations 20:12-13). All Protestants do not agree with this type of interpretation of this verse. Some believe there will be the judgment all unsaved people go through called the "white throne judgment" (Revelation 20:10-15), but for all those who are saved they will appear before the “judgment seat of Christ” (2 Corinthians 5:9-10). In that judgment, believers will get rewards based on what they have done, whether they are good or bad. If they are not saved, Christ will proclaim,"Depart from me, I never knew ye," and they will be thrown into hell. They do not believe eternal life is a reward that is going to be given out in consequence of works done. Others understand it in the same way as the "Saved by Works" verses, in the sense that those who will not have done good proved they were not saved, because their works did not correspond to their 'saved' status. See also Romans 2:6.
Salvation as Already Achieved:
"When the kindness of God our Saviour, and his love towards man, appeared, not by works done in righteousness, which we did ourselves, but according to his mercy he saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, which he poured out upon us richly, through Jesus Christ our Saviour; that, being justified by his grace, we might be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life" (Titus 3:4-7).
Salvation as an On-going Process:
"To us who are being saved, (the word of the cross) is the power of God" (1 Corinthians 1:18). The original text of this passage in Greek has present-tense σῳζομένοις (being saved), not perfect-tense σεσῳσμένοις (having been saved) or past-tense (aorist-tense) σῳθεῖσιν (saved); ambiguous translations such as "us which are saved" (KJV) cover up this fact.
Salvation as yet to be Obtained:
"Since, therefore, we are now justified by (Christ's) blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God" (Romans 5:9).
Other passages
The book of Ecclesiasticus or Wisdom of Sirach, considered to be Scriptural by Orthodox and Catholics, places a heavy emphasis in numerous verses on the importance of giving alms to the poor, saying that performing this act can atone for sin and lead to salvation; eg. Sir. 3:30, "Water extinguishes a blazing fire: so almsgiving atones for sin."
Catholicism
In his Apostolic Letter Fidei Depositum of 11 October 1992, Pope John Paul II declared: "The Catechism of the Catholic Church, which I approved June 25th last and the publication of which I today order by virtue of my Apostolic Authority, is a statement of the Church's faith and of catholic doctrine, attested to or illumined by Sacred Scripture, the Apostolic Tradition, and the Church's Magisterium. I declare it to be a sure norm for teaching the faith."
Catholics believe "Man stands in need of salvation from God," and "Divine help comes to him in Christ through the law that guides him and the grace that sustains him." It was for our salvation that "God loved us and sent his Son to be the expiation for our sins; the Father has sent his Son as the Savior of the world, and he was revealed to take away sins." "By his death (Jesus, the Son of God) has conquered death, and so opened the possibility of salvation to all men."
Jesus has provided the Church with "the fullness of the means of salvation which [the Father] has willed: correct and complete confession of faith, full sacramental life, and ordained ministry in apostolic succession". Baptism is necessary for salvation. And the sacrament of Penance is necessary for salvation for those who have fallen after Baptism, just as Baptism is necessary for salvation for those who have not yet been reborn." But these are not the only sacraments of importance for salvation: "The Church affirms that for believers the sacraments of the New Covenant are necessary for salvation." This holds especially for the Eucharist: ".Every time this mystery is celebrated, the work of our redemption is carried on and we break the one bread that provides the medicine of immortality, the antidote for death, and the food that makes us live for ever in Jesus Christ."
However, because of the freedom with which he is endowed, man can refuse God's offer of salvation in Christ, what the Catechism of the Catholic Church calls "God's plan of love"
The Catholic Church thus teaches that salvation to eternal life is God's will for all people, and that God grants it as a free gift, a grace, through the sacrifice of Christ. Man cannot, in the strict sense, merit anything from God. It is God who justifies, that is, who frees from sin by a free gift of holiness (sanctifying grace, also known as habitual or deifying grace). Man can accept the gift God gives. Man can also refuse the gift. Human cooperation is needed, in line with a new capacity to adhere to the divine will that God provides. The faith of a Christian is not without works, otherwise it would be dead. In this sense, "by works a man is justified, and not by faith alone," and eternal life is, at one and the same time, grace and the reward given by God for good works and merits. Faith, and subsequently works, are a result of God's grace - thus, it is only because of grace that the believer can be said to "merit" salvation.
The Catholic Church teaches that through the graces Jesus won for humanity by sacrificing himself on the cross, salvation is possible even for those outside the visible boundaries of the Church. Christians and even non-Christians, if in life they respond positively to the grace and truth that God reveals to them through the mercy of Christ may be saved. This may include awareness of an obligation to become part of the Catholic Church. In such cases, "they could not be saved who, knowing that the Catholic Church was founded as necessary by God through Christ, would refuse either to enter it, or to remain in it."
Eastern Christianity
Eastern Christianity was much less influenced by Augustine, and even less so by either Calvin or Arminius. Consequently, it doesn't just have different answers, but asks different questions; it generally views salvation in less legalistic terms (grace, punishment, and so on) and in more medical terms (sickness, healing etc.), and with less exacting precision. Instead, it views salvation more along the lines of theosis, a seeking to become holy or draw closer to God, a concept that has been developed over the centuries by many different Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and Eastern Catholic Christians. It also stresses the teaching about forgiveness in Matthew 6:14-15: "For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." See also Sermon on the Mount.
The Longer Catechism of the Orthodox, Catholic, Eastern Church, known also as The Catechism of St. Philaret includes the questions and answers: "155. To save men from what did (the Son of God) come upon earth? From sin, the curse, and death." "208. How does the death of Jesus Christ upon the cross deliver us from sin, the curse, and death? That we may the more readily believe this mystery, the Word of God teaches us of it, so much as we may be able to receive, by the comparison of Jesus Christ with Adam. Adam is by nature the head of all mankind, which is one with him by natural descent from him. Jesus Christ, in whom the Godhead is united with manhood, graciously made himself the new almighty Head of men, whom he unites to himself through faith. Therefore as in Adam we had fallen under sin, the curse, and death, so we are delivered from sin, the curse, and death in Jesus Christ. His voluntary suffering and death on the cross for us, being of infinite value and merit, as the death of one sinless, God and man in one person, is both a perfect satisfaction to the justice of God, which had condemned us for sin to death, and a fund of infinite merit, which has obtained him the right, without prejudice to justice, to give us sinners pardon of our sins, and grace to have victory over sin and death."
Protestantism
Protestants generally agree that salvation is not something that a person can attain on their own, but rather is the gift of God which people freely receive and accept. A fundamental split exists between those who follow the teachings of John Calvin and those who follow the teachings of Jacobus Arminius. In regard to salvation, Calvin denied the existence of free will, while Arminius affirmed the freedom of the will.
Calvinism
According to Calvinistic teaching, all individuals are born sinners and are in need of salvation. Theologically restated, individuals are born with original sin. Original sin is not a committed sin. Rather it is a state one is born in, like one's physical mortality. An individual may be born in perfect health, and take diligent care of his health. However, such efforts will not prevent his death. Note that an individual cannot exercise "free will," and choose to be immortal, as death is inevitable. In a similar way, an individual cannot by himself, maintain moral relations with others indefinitely.
Because all individuals are sinners, they are deserving of eternal damnation in Hell. Hell is not an unnatural punishment. If one put all sinners together for eternity, hell would break out, as sinners' ability to get along with each other would deteriorate over time. According to the Bible, the earth was full of evil in the days of Noah, when people reportedly lived hundreds of years.
To solve this problem, God sent his Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross and provide for human salvation. "For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him shall not perish but have everlasting life." (John 3:16)
Because he won salvation for humankind by his death on the cross, Jesus offers salvation to all who will receive it. The major benefit of salvation is eternal life in heaven. To gain this salvation, one simply has to personally accept it from Jesus.
Salvation is free to all who will receive it, but it does have an implicit cost. By accepting salvation, one places oneself in debt to Jesus. One can faithfully serve Jesus and work to be of great benefit to him. However, one can never repay him for the value of one's salvation nor can any good works that you do come anywhere near repaying the debt . The Holy Spirit or "Helper" enters the beliver's heart at the moment of being saved and He gradually works with the individual to change the selfishness, greed, lust and untrustworthiness which come from Original Sin to make the believer a far better person and more like Jesus. The believer also loves Jesus for dying for Him and saving him from sin and wants to do christian works, help other people and tell others about Him. This gradual process of perfecting is the lasting and glorious effect of salvation, but Believers can never be perfect in this world. Some regard accepting salvation as foolishness, perhaps because of this what they perceive as servitude to Jesus. However "His yoke is easy and His burden light" and Jesus will never make anyone do anything. What happens is that a believer will want to live in accordance with the precepts laid down in the Gospels, win others to Christ and eventually go to heaven when they die, satisfied and content with their life.
Jesus won salvation for humankind by dying on the cross for human sins. Humans first accepted salvation on the day of Pentecost, some 50 days after his resurrection. It is important to note that Old Testament believers like Abraham and Moses as well as early New Testament believers like John the Baptist, who died before Jesus, were not explicitly saved. However, they lived in the hope of Christ, and believed He would come and save them. Therefore it is safe to conclude that Old Testament saints are saved. (See Hebrews 11)
Protestants who follow Calvin accept salvation as permanent as it is given "without repentance." (Rom 11:29)
Arminianism
Like Calvinists, Arminians agree that individuals are born sinners and in need of salvation. They also agree that one is saved by accepting Jesus Christ's gift of salvation. However, they argue that the believer has free will and that one can lose one's salvation if one does not maintain it by continued faith in Jesus. Arminians distinguish between loss of faith and sin and believe that sin alone cannot result in the loss of salvation. However, John Wesley taught that that continued backsliding could inevitably lead to loss of faith, and consequently salvation, if left uncorrected.
Arminian belief suggests an emphasis on maintaining faith by outward signs such as through communion with fellow believers. In that sense, it is similar to Catholicism in that Catholics do not overtly recognize the salvation of any who are not in communion with the Catholic Church. Arminianism may lend respectability to faithful churchgoers who have not accepted salvation while disparaging some who have but who have "lost their faith" by disagreeing with church leadership.
The Arminian emphasis of free will, or more properly, free choice is important in salvation. If one has free choice, it is important for each individual to choose to accept the gift of salvation. The fact that an individual is baptized or associates with saved people does not mean that he has accepted salvation. Calvin wrote of predestination as though some groups were predestined to be saved while others were not. Such belief implies that being part of an allegedly predestined group saves one.
Free choice is also an important Protestant concept in establishing the authority of the believer. It allows one to decide on one's own what the Scriptures say. One does not have to accept what the Pope or Calvin or another church authority says.
Universalism
Another point of view, universal salvation, has existed throughout the history of Christianity and became popular in the United States with the rise of rationalism and modernism in the late 1800s. This movement was considered to be a reaction to the spread of Calvinism. Universalism holds that all people, regardless of creed or belief, will eventually be saved and go to heaven, and is the central theme of Universalism and Unitarianism. Those who criticize universal salvation as heretical claim that universalism is unbiblical and implies that all religions are equally valid, and that there are paths to salvation other than through the grace of Christ. This is an accurate description of some universalist beliefs, but not all. Other forms of Christian universalism do hold that Christianity is the only completely true religion, and that salvation comes only through Christ. They simply believe that Christ's death and resurrection redeemed all people, regardless of their beliefs. Religious pluralists, however, sometimes criticize this view as being patronizing toward non-Christians.
Christian Science and Salvation
The Christian Science textbook defines "Salvation" as follows: "Life, Truth and Love understood and demonstrated as supreme over all; sin, sickness, and death destroyed." (Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures p. 593, by Mary Baker Eddy.)
New Church
In the New Church salvation is seen as the process of spiritual rebirth, rather than an instantaneous event. Christ is not seen as an atoning sacrifice to appease an angry Father, but is seen as Jehovah, God Himself, come to subdue the Hells, make His Human Divine, and redeem people's freedom to believe in Him and follow the path of salvation He has laid out. This path is seen in the model of His life on earth. It is still believed that a person is saved by Divine grace, but that one has the choice and must stop doing evil actions in order to receive this grace.
"He who would be saved, must confess his sins, and do repentance. To confess sins is to know evils, to see them in oneself, to acknowledge them, to make oneself guilty and condemn oneself on account of them. Done before God, this is to confess sins. To do repentance is to desist from sins after one has thus confessed them and from a humble heart has sought forgiveness, and then to live a new life according to the precepts of charity and faith, He who merely acknowledges generally that he is a sinner, making himself guilty of all evils, without examining himself,--that is without seeing his sins,--makes a confession but not the confession of repentance. Inasmuch as he does not know his evils, he lives as before" (The New Jerusalem and Its Heavenly Doctrine, para. 159-162).
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints defines the term salvation in two distinct ways, based on the teachings of their modern-day prophet Joseph Smith, as recorded in the Doctrine and Covenants. The general Christian belief that salvation means returning to the presence of God and Jesus Christ is similar to the way the word is used in the Book of Mormon, wherein the prophet Amulek teaches that through the "great and last sacrifice" of the Son of God, "he shall bring salvation to all those who shall believe on his name; ... to bring about the bowels of mercy, which overpowereth justice, and bringeth about means unto men that they may have faith unto repentance. And thus mercy can satisfy the demands of justice, and encircles them in the arms of safety, while he that exercises no faith unto repentance is exposed to the whole law of the demands of justice;" (Alma 34:14-16) Amulek teaches that the garments of the righteous "should be made white through the blood of the Lamb," and teaches the importance of sincere prayer, service to others, and thanksgiving as aspects of preparing to meet God and be saved. (Alma 34:32,38,39) The Book of Mormon prophet Nephi teaches the importance of following the example of Jesus Christ by being baptized, receiving the baptism of fire by the Holy Ghost, and pressing "forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life." (2 Nephi 31:13,16,20)
Joseph Smith describes a vision of the degrees of glory in Doctrine and Covenants 76, wherein he sees that those who have done good works, comprising many of mankind who lay claim to the mercy of Jesus Christ, will receive higher glories in eternity than those who committed murder or did not repent of other major sins during this life. This latter group will suffer anguish and torment because they did not avail themselves of Christ's atonement, but they will eventually be redeemed from the torment of hell after they fully repent and call upon Christ to save them; yet, such salvation is to a lesser glory than they might otherwise have received, comparative to the brightness of stars versus the brightness of the moon or of the sun. (D & C 76:71-112)
Judaism
The Christian concept of salvation is not a Jewish concept, as it implies that people are born condemned (original sin), an idea that Jews reject. Rabbinic Judaism teaches that "Every Jew has a share in the world to come (the afterlife)" (TB Sanhedrin 90a), and also that "the righteous people of other (non-Jewish) nations...", those who follow the elementary morals embodied in the Seven Noahide Laws, "...have a share in the world to come" (Tos. Sanhedrin 13, TB ibid. 105a). Although a person who sins may be punished either in this world or the next, punishment in the next world is in most cases limited in duration to 12 months (Mish. Eiduyot 2:10). Complete loss of a share in the afterlife (or, alternatively, eternal punishment; TB Rosh Hashanah 17a) is imposed for only a small number of very serious sins, most of which have to do with heresy. Even then a person can regain his share in the world to come through repentance and atonement. E. P. Sanders describes this overall view of salvation as "covenantal nomism".
Some Jewish denominations disagree with Rabbinic Judaism regarding the nature or importance of the afterlife. For them, the "world to come" may not be a significant focus of religious thought, since they emphasize that Judaism concentrates on the here and now.
See also Jewish Encyclopedia: Salvation, Judaism and Christianity, Jewish principles of faith.
Islam
In Islam, the concept of salvation is fairly simple. Islam holds every human responsible for his own deeds.
Quran gives the purpose of creation as:
"Blessed is He (Allah) in Whose hand is the Sovereignty, and He is Able to do all things. Who hath created life and death that He may try you, which of you is best in conduct; and He is the Mighty, Forgiving." (67: 1-2)
Quran declares salvation in the obedience of the contemporary prophet. Islam completes the concept of creation of life and death by the concept of final judgement. According to Islam the deeds of every human being are recorded and will be weighed on day of judgement for compliance with the will of Allah.
"...Those who obey Allah and His Apostle will be admitted to Gardens with rivers flowing beneath to abide therein (for ever) and that will be the Supreme achievement. But those who disobey Allah and His Apostle and transgress His limits will be admitted to a fire to abide therein: and they shall have a humiliating punishment." (4:13-14)
Quran further says that prophets (including Abraham and Jesus) have nothing to do with what other human beings do except that they were messengers of Allah:
"Those are a people who have passed away; theirs is that which they earned and yours that which ye earn. And ye will not be asked of what they used to do." (2:141)
Eastern Religions
Adherents of Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism do not believe in salvation in the sense understood by most Westerners. They have no explicit Hell to be saved from or Heaven to be saved to. They believe in reincarnation after death. According to this belief, one's works or karma allow one to be reborn as a higher or lower being. If one is evil and has a multitude of bad works, one is likely to be reborn as a lower animal, possibly a worm. If one has a multitude of good works or good karma, one is likely to be reborn as a higher being, perhaps a human with higher status or in a higher caste.
Eventually, however, one is able to escape from the cycle of death and rebirth and achieve salvation through the attainment of the highest spiritual state. This state is called Moksha or Mukti in Hinduism and often called Nirvana in Buddhism. This state is not one of individual happiness, but a merging of oneself with collective existence. In some beliefs, this existence is identified with God.
Hinduism
Salvation is the soul's liberation from the cycle of death and rebirth and attainment of the highest spiritual state. It is the ultimate goal of, where even hell and heaven are temporary. This is called Moksha (Sanskrit: मोक्ष, liberation) or Mukti (Sanskrit: मुक्ति, release). Moksha is a final release from one's worldly conception of self, the loosening of the shackles of experiential duality and a re-establishment in one's own fundamental nature, though the nature is seen as ineffable and beyond sensation. The actual state of salvation is seen differently depending on one's beliefs.
- In Advaita, a monistic philosophy, which comprises most forms of Shaivism and some forms of Vaishnavism, it is oneness with Brahman, without form or being, something that essentially is without manifestation.
- In dualist Hinduism, as found mostly in different forms of Vaishnavism, it is union or close association with God.
In Hinduism, moksha occurs when the individual soul (human mind/spirit) or atman recognizes its identity with the Ground of all being - the Source of all phenomenal existence known as Brahman. The religion recognizes several paths to achieve this state, none of which is exclusive. They are the ways of selfless work (Karma Yoga), of self-dissolving love (Bhakti Yoga), of absolute discernment & knowledge(Jnana Yoga), and of 'royal' meditative immersion (Raja Yoga).
Buddhism
The Four Noble Truths outline the essentials of Buddhist soteriology. Suffering (dukkha) is treated as a disease, which can be cured by understanding its causes and by following the Eightfold Path. Like Hinduism, liberation (called Nirvana in Buddhism) is seen as an end not only to suffering, but to the cycle of reincarnation and the end of ignorance. The Eightfold Path includes morality and meditation. The means of achieving liberation are further developed in other Buddhist teachings. They are expressed in very different terms by Theravada, Mahayana, and Vajrayana Buddhists.
Shinto
Shinto, the state religion of Japan from 1868 to 1945, shares many beliefs with Buddhism, but has a different perspective. Buddhism emphasizes the afterlife and ending the cycle of rebirths; Shinto emphasizes this life and finding happiness within it. It is common for people who practice Shinto in life to have a Buddhist funeral.
Redemption
Redemption is a religious concept referring to forgiveness or absolution for past sins and protection from eternal damnation. Redemption is common in many world religions and all Abrahamic Religions, especially in Christianity and Islam. In Christianity redemption is synonymous with salvation.
