Every Woman a Theologian by Phylicia Masonheimer

Author:Phylicia Masonheimer
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Published: 2022-12-26T00:00:00+00:00

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SOTERIOLOGY: the study of Christian salvation from sin

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Guilty. It’s a difficult word to acknowledge. You’re probably a better driver than I am and have a lot fewer speeding tickets (it’s not hard to do). I hope you’ve never had to show up in court for reckless driving. It’s not fun. However, the experience of standing before a judge granted me a new perspective on the biblical analogies to civil law in the first century. The Bible frequently uses legal language to describe our salvation and the process by which Jesus bridged the gap between us and God. The Bible’s teaching on salvation is described theologically as soteriology. Scripture uses legal language—guilt, payment, freedom, and judgment—to tell us what salvation does. Legal terminology is used in First and Second Timothy, Galatians, First and Second Corinthians, and Romans to describe how the gap between us and God is closed. God is a judge. Through Christ, we are justified before God.

When we see legal language in the New Testament, we often imagine a criminal act like my speeding. But Paul may have been speaking to a different legal situation: the freeing of a slave. Manumissio vindicta was a simple Roman ceremony Paul was undoubtedly familiar with (he referenced similar themes in First Corinthians). In vindicta, the master and slave would appear before a Roman official accompanied by a Roman citizen. The Roman citizen would touch the slave’s head with a staff and declare him free. The master, who until now was holding the slave, turned the slave around and let him go with the words “hunc hominem liberum volo,” meaning, “I want this man to be free.”1

The fall of humanity in Genesis 3 enslaved humanity to evil. Ever since evil was chosen by Adam, we’ve experienced the pain of a fallen world. We’ve been separated from God’s perfection, unable to dwell with Him the way He intended. As discussed in our last chapter on Christology, Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection were God’s “rescue plan.” Like the slave before the Roman judge, we stand captive to evil, longing for freedom. And like the advocate, the Roman citizen, Jesus stands with staff in hand to appeal for that freedom and release us. To be saved is to be set free!

Soteriology contains three vital elements: justification (a change of identity from sinner to saint), sanctification (the process by which we become like Jesus), and glorification (the final result of Christian life). Christian thought is incredibly diverse, offering multiple perspectives on each of these elements. Salvation theology combines what we’ve learned about the nature of Scripture, God, the universe, and sin to explain God’s ultimate goal: restoring people to Himself.

In the next few pages we will explore:

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