Discussion Points: Salvation

Religious Studies: OCR A Level, topic 3.7.3

Analysing Christian Theories About Salvation

Can there be other means of salvation if Jesus is the ‘truth’?

All of the religions could be wrong, but they cannot all be right.
There are fundamental disagreements between religions e.g. Christianity claims that Jesus is the son of God, Jews and Muslims disagree.
The message of Christianity is undermined and diluted if belief in Jesus Christ is not necessary for salvation.

Passages from the Bible support the position that Christianity is the only means of salvation.
In John 14:6, it states ‘Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”’

A pluralist might respond that Christ is ‘a truth’ rather than ‘the truth’.
It is not compatible with an all-loving and forgiving God that only those who believe in the Christian message are saved. Some people have more opportunities than others to access the Christian message. It is unfair to punish those who are unable to access it.

William Lane Craig argues that God possesses ‘middle knowledge’.
This knowledge enables God to know if people would have believed in the Christian message if they had a chance to hear it.

Would an omnibenevolent God deny any person salvation?

God has made salvation available to everyone. If people do not wish to accept the message of Christianity, then they cannot blame God for the consequences of their action.

As humans are born with original sin, no one deserves salvation.
For Augustine, it is only through God’s love that a select few will reach salvation.

If Jesus died on the cross for no reason, then the message of Christianity is pointless. There is no imperative to follow any religion if all people receive salvation whether they believe or not.

A loving God would not force someone to be saved.
Human beings have to be free to decide if they want to follow Christianity, another religion or none at all.

John Hick argues that the afterlife provides humans with the opportunity to develop their spiritual journey towards God. This is called universal salvation.

Pluralists argue that God has revealed himself in different ways to different people across different cultures.
Each religion provides a different means of understanding God, the divine or the ultimate reality.

Here are arguments for and against the idea that all good people will achieve salvation.

Some Biblical passages suggest that Christian faith alone is required for salvation.
In John 3:16-18, it states ‘For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life’.
Many passages in the Bible teach that God will judge people on the basis of their actions rather than faith in God.
The Parable of the Sheep and the Goats shows the Son of Man judging people on their treatment of the sick and vulnerable.

Original sin means that all human beings will fall short of achieving salvation through good works. The grace of God means that all those who have Christian faith will be forgiven of sin.

There are many examples of people who have dedicated, even sacrificed, their lives for moral causes. Many of these people may not be Christian and it would be unfair for these people to be refused salvation.

Some Biblical passages suggest that faith and good deeds are both necessary.
Abraham is considered righteous because of his willingness to sacrifice his son for God based on faith and trust in God.

The core message of Christianity is that Christians need to believe in who or what for salvation?
What counter-argument might pluralists have to the argument that Christianity is the only means of salvation?
Arguments that an all-loving God would NOT deny any human salvation.
What principle or teaching do some Christians use to argue that humanity cannot achieve salvation through doing good?