The Role of Christ in Salvation

• God sent his son, Jesus, who was a man, to take on people’s sins and, by dying on the cross, to atone for them.
• Because Jesus was himself innocent, and the Son of God, this act of self-sacrifice was sufficient to take away the sins of mankind. It is an act of atonement (an act that makes amends for wrongdoing).
• Therefore Christians refer to Jesus as their saviour, and his resurrection is seen as proof of his divine nature and also that there is life after death.

There are 3 main theories of Christ's role in salvation:

• The Ransom theory.
• The Substitution theory.
• The Moral Transformation theory.

• ‘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. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.’ [John 3:16-17 NIV]

• ‘He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.’ [2 Timothy 1:9-10 NIV]