Humanity, Sin and Salvation

DOCTRINAL STATEMENT

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SECTION 2 – HUMANITY, SIN, AND SALVATION

Doctrines that define mankind’s problem, God’s solution, and the full scope of redemptive grace.

• 2.1 – The Nature and Fall of Man
• 2.2 – Salvation by Grace Through Faith
• 2.3 – Justification, Sanctification, and Glorification
• 2.4 – Assurance and Security of Salvation
• 2.5 – Heaven and Hell
• 2.6 – Election, Free Will, and Predestination

2.1 – The Nature and Fall of Man

Human beings were created by God in His likeness, with a rational mind, moral awareness, and spiritual capacity—male and female, exalted above the rest of creation and given dominion over it (Gen 1:26–28; Ps 8:4–6). Man was formed from the dust of the ground, and God breathed into him the breath of life (Gen 2:7). Humanity was made to glorify God, walk in fellowship with Him, and exercise stewardship over the earth (Isa 43:7; Gen 2:15).

Adam and Eve were created without sin, but with the capacity to choose obedience or rebellion (Eccl 7:29; Gen 2:16–17). Through their willful disobedience in the garden, sin entered the world, and death through sin (Gen 3:1–6; Rom 5:12). This act of disobedience brought about spiritual separation from God, the curse upon creation, and the corruption of human nature (Rom 8:20–21; Gen 3:16–19).

As a result of Adam’s transgression, all people are born in sin and are spiritually dead, incapable of pleasing God or saving themselves (Ps 51:5; Rom 3:10–18; Eph 2:1–3). Sin is not only an inherited condition but also an active rebellion, expressed in thoughts, words, and deeds contrary to God’s will (Isa 53:6; Mark 7:21–23).

Every person stands guilty before a holy God and deserving of eternal judgment (Rom 6:23; Heb 9:27). No amount of moral effort, religious activity, or personal sincerity can remove guilt or restore fellowship with God (Titus 3:5; Isa 64:6). Redemption is therefore entirely dependent upon divine grace, rooted in the saving work of Jesus Christ alone (Rom 5:18–19; Eph 2:8–9).

2.2 – Salvation by Grace Through Faith

Salvation is a gift of God’s grace, received through faith in Jesus Christ alone, apart from works, merit, or human effort (Eph 2:8–9; Titus 3:5; Rom 3:28). It is rooted in the eternal purpose of God, accomplished by the finished work of Christ, and applied by the regenerating power of the Holy Spirit (2 Tim 1:9; John 19:30; John 3:5–8).

The gospel is the power of God unto salvation for all who believe (Rom 1:16). Jesus Christ bore the full penalty of sin on the cross, making full atonement and reconciling sinners to God (Isa 53:5–6; 1 Pet 2:24; 2 Cor 5:18–21). His resurrection declares His victory over sin and death, and guarantees the believer’s justification and eternal life (Rom 4:25; 1 Cor 15:20–22).

Salvation involves repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 20:21). It is not a cooperative effort between man and God, but a divine rescue of those who are spiritually dead and helpless (Eph 2:1–5; Rom 5:6). Faith itself is a gift, and not a work that contributes to salvation (Phil 1:29; John 6:44, 65).

There is no salvation apart from Jesus Christ. He is the way, the truth, and the life, and no one comes to the Father but through Him (John 14:6; Acts 4:12). All other paths lead to destruction (Matt 7:13–14).

The moment a person truly believes in Christ, they are justified, forgiven, born again, and sealed by the Holy Spirit (Rom 5:1; John 3:3; Eph 1:13–14). This salvation is personal, permanent, and transformative—bringing new desires and a growing pattern of obedience, worship, and spiritual maturity as the fruit of genuine faith (2 Cor 5:17; Gal 5:22–23; Phil 1:6).

2.3 – Justification, Sanctification, and Glorification

Salvation is a comprehensive work of God that unfolds in three distinct but inseparable stages: justification, sanctification, and glorification (Rom 8:29–30). These are not independent events, but the unified outworking of God’s saving grace from beginning to end.

Justification is the once-for-all legal declaration that the sinner is made righteous in God’s sight by faith in Jesus Christ (Rom 5:1; Gal 2:16). This righteousness is not earned, but received through the imputation of Christ’s righteousness, credited to the believer apart from works (2 Cor 5:21; Phil 3:9). The justified person is fully forgiven, declared righteous, and reconciled to God forever (Rom 3:24–26; Col 1:21–22).

Sanctification is the ongoing, Spirit-empowered work by which the believer is progressively conformed to the image of Christ (2 Cor 3:18; Rom 6:19). Unlike justification, which is immediate and complete, sanctification is a lifelong process that involves spiritual growth, increasing obedience, and continual dependence on the grace of God (John 17:17; Heb 10:14; 1 Thess 4:3). The believer does not sanctify himself, but walks by the Spirit in submission to the will of God (Gal 5:16–17; Rom 6:4).

Glorification is the final and future completion of salvation, in which the believer is fully and forever freed from sin, death, and decay (Rom 8:23; 1 Cor 15:50–53). At the appointed time of Christ’s return for His people, the saints will be raised in incorruptible resurrection bodies, perfected in holiness, and united with Him in eternal glory (Phil 3:20–21; 1 John 3:2). This resurrection and glorification will occur each in his own turn: Christ the first fruits, and after that, those who are Christ’s at His coming (1 Cor 15:23). In accordance with God’s redemptive timeline, all who belong to Him will be glorified (Rev 20:4–6).

God is the author and perfecter of faith, and He will bring to completion every stage of His redemptive work (Heb 12:2). Those who are justified will certainly be glorified (Rom 8:30; Heb 7:25).

2.4 – Assurance and Security of Salvation

Those who have truly trusted in Jesus Christ for salvation are eternally secure in Him and can have full assurance of their right standing before God—not because of their performance, but because of God’s promise, power, and preserving grace (John 10:28–29; Rom 8:38–39; Jude 24–25).

Salvation is not maintained by human effort. Just as it is received by grace through faith, it is preserved by the faithfulness of God, who has begun a good work and will carry it to completion (Phil 1:6; 1 Thess 5:23–24). Believers are sealed by the Holy Spirit for the day of redemption, and no one can snatch them out of Christ’s hand (Eph 1:13–14; Eph 4:30; John 10:28).

Assurance of salvation is grounded in the objective truth of the gospel, the finished work of Christ, and the promises of God’s Word, not in emotional experience or fluctuating spiritual performance (1 John 5:11–13; Heb 6:17–19). However, the presence of spiritual fruit, love for God, conviction of sin, and perseverance in the faith are marks of genuine conversion and serve to strengthen assurance (2 Cor 13:5; 1 John 3:14–19; Heb 3:14).

Believers may struggle with doubt or stumble into sin, but God remains faithful. He disciplines His children for their good (Heb 12:6–11), restores the repentant (1 John 1:9), and will not lose a single one whom the Father has given to the Son (John 6:39).

The true believer’s security rests in the unchanging character of God, the sufficiency of Christ’s atonement, and the ongoing ministry of the Holy Spirit. He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it (1 Thess 5:24).

2.5 – Heaven and Hell

Every human being will exist eternally, either in the presence of God or under His final judgment (Dan 12:2; Matt 25:46; John 5:28–29). The Bible teaches the reality of both heaven and hell as literal and conscious postmortem states, with the Lake of Fire as the final and everlasting destination of all who reject God.

Heaven is the dwelling place of God and the eternal home of those who are redeemed in Christ (John 14:2–3; Phil 3:20; Rev 21:1–4). It is a place of unbroken fellowship with God, perfect holiness, unending joy, and the full realization of the believer’s hope (Ps 16:11; Rev 22:3–5). Those who have been justified by faith will be with the Lord forever, glorified in His presence and free from all suffering, sorrow, and sin (1 Thess 4:17; Rev 21:4).

Hell (Hades) is a place of conscious torment, where the souls of the unredeemed are held until the final judgment (Luke 16:22–26). It is not eternal, but will be emptied at the Great White Throne Judgment, after which those who are not found in the Book of Life will be cast into the Lake of Fire (Rev 20:13–15). Hell itself will be thrown into the Lake of Fire, never to exist again (Rev 20:14).

The Lake of Fire is the final and eternal destination for the devil, his angels, and all who die in their sins without Christ. It is described as a place of outer darkness, unquenchable fire, and weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matt 13:41–42; Mark 9:43–48). Those who reject the gospel will be separated from the presence of the Lord and will suffer eternal punishment (2 Thess 1:8–9; Matt 25:46; Rev 20:10, 15).

These final destinies are not symbolic, reversible, or annihilating. The souls of believers enter God’s presence immediately upon death (2 Cor 5:8; Luke 23:43), while the unsaved await judgment in conscious torment (Luke 16:22–26). At the resurrection, body and soul will be reunited for both the righteous and the wicked—one to everlasting life, the other to everlasting judgment (John 5:28–29; Dan 12:2).

God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked (Ezek 33:11), but has provided the only way of escape through the gospel of Jesus Christ (John 3:16–18). Eternal destinies are fixed at death, and there is no second chance beyond the grave (Heb 9:27).

2.6 – Election, Free Will, and Predestination

God, in His sovereign wisdom, purposed before the foundation of the world to redeem a people for Himself through Jesus Christ (Eph 1:4–5; 2 Tim 1:9). This redemptive plan was not based on foreseen merit or works, but was initiated by His grace, rooted in His love, and accomplished according to His eternal purpose (Rom 9:10–16; Eph 1:11).

God’s desire is that none should perish, but that all should come to repentance (2 Pet 3:9; Ezek 18:23). The saving grace of God has appeared to all men (Titus 2:11), and Christ is the true Light who gives light to every man (John 1:9). The gospel is a sincere and universal offer of salvation—“whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

Yet man is spiritually dead and incapable of coming to Christ apart from the drawing of the Father and the work of the Holy Spirit (John 6:44; 1 Cor 2:14; Rom 3:11). Salvation is always initiated by God’s grace—never by human effort—so that no one may boast (Eph 2:8–9).

Election is the divine choosing of individuals for salvation based on God’s foreknowledge of those who would respond in belief (Rom 8:29; 1 Pet 1:1–2; Matt 22:1–14). The gospel call goes out to many, but only those who respond in belief are counted among the chosen (Matt 22:14). This election does not undermine the responsibility of man, but magnifies the mercy and wisdom of God.

Predestination is God’s predetermined plan to conform every true believer to the image of His Son and bring them to eternal glory (Rom 8:29–30; Eph 1:11). Those whom He foreknew, He predestined, called, justified, and glorified—each in their own turn (1 Cor 15:23; Rom 8:30). This is the believer’s unshakable hope.

God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility are not in conflict. While God initiates and completes salvation, man is accountable to respond in faith to the truth (Acts 17:30; Josh 24:15). No one is condemned apart from their own unbelief and rejection of the Spirit’s witness to Christ (John 3:18–19; John 12:48). This is why blasphemy against the Holy Spirit—persistently rejecting His testimony of Jesus—is unforgivable (Matt 12:31–32).

Salvation originates with God and is offered freely to all, but only those who respond in faith are saved, sealed, and brought to glory (John 1:12; Rom 10:9–10; Eph 1:13–14). This is not the result of chance or merit, but the outworking of God’s foreknown purpose and redemptive plan in Christ (Rom 8:29–30; Eph 1:11). Every step of salvation—from calling to glorification—is ordered by the wisdom of God and accomplished according to His will (Phil 1:6; John 6:37–39).