When it comes to the subject of salvation, there are many different viewpoints, even within Christianity. All thoughts have been carefully thought out, but all appear to have their flaws. The following essays examines the exclusivist, particularist, inclusivist and relativist positions as well as my own view on the matter.

EXCLUSIVIST

The exclusivist viewpoint says that there is only one way to enlightenment. In many cases this is through a ‘chosen people’ but in other cases it is enlightenment through a certain venue. In Christianity, this venue would be salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. In general, this viewpoint denies general revelation, the idea that God manifests His truth through all creation, and justifies good in the world—and other religions—as a demonic manipulation of true salvation; keeping just enough reality to blind it’s followers from real truth.

PARTICULARIST

The particularist viewpoint also maintains that salvation is only through Christ, however it acknowledges general revelation as the reinforcement of that truth; basically that knowledge of God and His plan can be found apart from Christ, but the knowledge does not lead to salvation. Epistemological particularism says that you must know what you know before you can know how you know it. General revelation tells man about God. Once a man knows Christ as Lord and savior—what—then he sees how he knows it through general revelation.

INCLUSIVIST

Inclusivism says that Christ can be seen in all the world through general revelation, including in other religions. Inclusivists believe in anonymous Christianity, the idea that man can find Christ in the world through general revelation and express faith in Him, without ever hearing the Bible or a formal presentation of Christ. It should be noted that by this model, salvation is still through Jesus Christ alone, but that He can be found apart from the Bible and the church.

RELATIVIST

Relativism is insanity in that it is illogical to believe in it. Even within Christianity, there are relativists who find it difficult to believe in the damnation of good people, so they deduce that there must be multiple pathways to enlightenment, according to many religions. This viewpoint denies that salvation is only found through Jesus Christ, which is biblically inaccurate. Since Christianity is based on the Bible, it is illogical to believe anything as truth which is in contradiction to God’s word.

MY VIEW

I tend to believe in various elements of the first three views. Unlike the relativist, I believe that Jesus Christ is the only way to salvation, no exceptions. Like the exclusivist, I believe that religion is a demonic manipulation of the truth, designed to fulfill a need for God, while denying salvation. However, like the particularist and the inclusivist, I believe in general revelation as well. I believe also in anonymous Christianity, as I believe God’s word is clear that all men will be judged according to the motives of their heart (1 Corinthians 4.5). This means that if a man’s motive is pure, so much as he is unable to utter the name of Christ for lack of knowledge, he will yet be saved in eternity.

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But in the following instructions I do not commend you, because when you come together it is not for the better but for the worse. For, in the first place, when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you. And I believe it in part, for there must be factions among you in order that those who are genuine among you may be recognized. When you come together, it is not the Lord’s supper that you eat. For in eating, each one goes ahead with his own meal. One goes hungry, another gets drunk. What! Do you not have houses to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I commend you in this? No, I will not.

(vv. 17-22).

When the church comes together, it is not good. There are divisions or factions among the believers. These factions exist so that the genuine will be apparent. The word for genuine is dokimoi. It translates literally as ‘pleasing and acceptable.’ This is in reference to the two types of believers: those who are pleasing and acceptable because they are being sanctified and those who are carnal because they are not being sanctified.

When he says that they do not eat the Lord’s supper when they come together, he does not mean that they are not partaking in the practice of communion, but that what they are doing is not the Lord’s supper at all. They were certainly attempting to partake in the Lord’s supper, but were unable to do so properly because of the factions.

The ‘problem’ in the practice was that all the food and wine was gone before everyone could take communion. They were defiling the sacrament of communion and preventing others from taking place in it. The solution is simple. Communion is not about getting something to eat and drink. It is about far more, as addressed in the following passage.

For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

(vv. 23-26)

This is the practice of communion. Jesus gave us this practice on the night before He went to the cross. The bread represents the body or the flesh of Christ. When we break bread in the assembly, we are to remember the body of Christ and that it was broken for us, on account of our transgressions. The cup symbolizes the blood of Christ. It is the new covenant. No longer is atonement by sacrifice, but through the remembrance of the perfect sin payment made at the cross. As we partake in the cup in the assembly, we are to remember that Jesus’ sacrifice, the spilling of His blood, is what brought us atonement and ultimately salvation.

The last verse is interesting. We will not take communion in heaven. It is not that we won’t necessarily recall the former life and will not be grateful for the sacrifice that Jesus made; rather this practice is done in order that we would proclaim His death. As we will have been made righteous, there will be no point in proclaiming His death in heaven, we will only proclaim His life.

Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged. But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world.

(vv. 27-32)

This section is simply challenging us to do some serious self reflection before we gather to partake in communion. I do believe that disobedience results in discipline, even unto death, if we refuse to repent. I don’t, however, see many getting sick and dying as a direct result of their sin—partaking in communion without repentance. But, God tends to discipline everyone a little different and in most cases differently than in biblical times, so the principle applies. Anyone who refuses to confess and repent before the Lord prior to taking communion, eats and drinks discipline upon themselves, even unto death.

So then, my brothers, when you come together to eat, wait for one another— if anyone is hungry, let him eat at home—so that when you come together it will not be for judgment. About the other things I will give directions when I come.

(vv. 33,34)

This is about preparation. Eat at home and then wait for your brothers to do communion together, so that there is no temptation for sin. This way we are free from judgment. It’s apparent that Paul has other concerns in their practices, but they are not, I guess important enough to be addressed in this context.

In the end, I think this whole passage, where it does provide us with a guideline for taking communion—The Lord’s Supper—it is more about dying to self. Isaac Watts put it beautifully, “O the wonderful cross! O the wonderful cross, bids me come and die and find that I may truly live. O the wonderful cross! All who gather here by grace draw near and bless your name” (The Wonderful Cross). The cross bids us to come to it and to die—to come to Christ and to let go of our old selfish, worldly ways. And all who gather there at the cross, all who gather under Christ are drawn to Him by Grace to praise Him. This is what communion is about. It is grace drawing those who follow Christ together to remember the cross and to praise God for what He has done for us at the cross.

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Perhaps one of the most complicated Christian doctrines to wrap your mind around is the doctrine of Christ’s humanity and divinity. Simply put, can Christ be be both fully man and fully God at the same time? Many Christian cults challenge either Jesus’ divinity or His humanity, simply because it is illogical to them, but the Bible says that He is both. There are three major aspects of this discussion: Jesus Christ’s humanity, His divinity and the balance between the two.

Jesus Christ is fully man. He was born of the virgin Mary (Matt 1.16). He hungered (Matt 4.2).  He felt emotion (Matt 26.38). He got angry (John 2.15). He died (Luke 23.46). He exhibited all the characteristics of man, but there is a far greater reason to understand that Jesus was fully man. If He was not really man, but simply God in ‘disguise’ He would not have been capable of death, and therefore not able to provide atonement for sins.

Most will not attempt to refute that Jesus was fully man, but plenty will try to say that He is not fully God. It is common for people to believe that Jesus was a prophet or that He was simply a man, who was given the power to live a perfect life. Still others believe that He was just a good man and that He wasn’t actually perfect. But, Jesus said that God gave Him all things, and not only that, but it is only the Father who knows Him and only through Jesus that anyone can know the Father (Matt 11.27). The word used for ‘know’ in the Greek often means to understand and to perceive. It is far more than knowledge, it is complete understanding of God that Jesus has. If he were not God Himself, He could not know God, nor could He know His plan, for it is “The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God” (1 Cor 2.10), not any imperfect man.

There is a daunting question here. How is Jesus fully man and fully God at the same time? And that answer will come in eternity. There are numerous theories on the matter, but it is unimportant. The important thing to understand is that Jesus is God and that he humbled himself to become flesh and blood, fully man, so that He could die on the cross, as a perfect sacrifice, providing atonement for all mankind, whom would choose Him. Jesus made himself to be who he claimed to be, so that through faith, we might be saved.

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Rebirth and repentance are often considered the components of conversion to Christianity. Where it may be true that they are components, only rebirth is part of the process of salvation. Repentance is actually a fruit of salvation.

REBIRTH

Rebirth is exactly what it sounds like. It is being born again. Jesus spent quite some time talking to Nicodemus about rebirth. He made it clear that rebirth is a spiritual rebirth (John 3). Spiritual rebirth is this: “For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God” (1 Peter 1.23). As men we are born spiritually dead. When we die, we will not go to heaven because we do not have the Spirit of God within us. Spiritual birth takes place when the spirit of man become alive through the Spirit of God. It is this rebirth which marks the moment of salvation.

REPENTANCE

Repentance is completely different. Repentance means to change directions or to turn your back on sin. It is the product of rebirth. When you are born again spiritually and receive the Spirit of God, you become convicted of sins and in this way, God brings about repentance in you. We see this in 2 Peter, “The Lord is not slow about His promise…not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3.9). God is looking for life change which comes as a result of rebirth. Repentance results in righteousness and that is what God desires from us.

CONCLUSION

John Calvin said, “when they hear the gospel they are not able to repent and put their faith in Christ. In order to repent and believe, people must be born again” (mainstreambaptists.org). Simply hearing the gospel will not bring about repentance. Before man can repent, he must be reborn by accepting Jesus Christ as savior. It is only at this point when God will begin to bring about repentance in an individual. Even though repentance is not salvic, it is none the less important. “Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves” (2 Corinthians 13.5). If we examine ourselves and are lacking in repentance, than there may be no rebirth and therefore no salvation.

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CLASSIC THEORY

Classic Atonement Theory is based on the concept that Jesus’ death on the cross ended the war in the heavenly realms; that Christ’s sacrifice accomplished reconciliation to God through blood payment. This system is accurate, except that many who believe in Classic Atonement Theory believe that the blood payment had been paid to Satan, when in fact it had been made to God Himself. It is God who placed the curse upon man and God who is going to stand as judge over us, therefore, it is God who requires payment.

It’s almost like some place Satan on equal ground, or above God. Satan is no different than any other creation in that he will pay eternally for His sins. This is shown in the book of Revelation, “…the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur…[where he] will be tormented day and night for ever and ever” (v. 20.10).

SATISFACTION THEORY

Of any of the major atonement theories, I find this to be the most accurate, although it is not without fault. It is not unlike Classic Atonement Theory in that it recognizes that payment must be made. In this case, the payment must be made in order to satisfy the wrath of a vengeful God. However, in this model, it takes an infinitely perfect sacrifice to make payment for all mankind; all being the keyword. “For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God” (1 Peter 3.18). Christ did not just die for the finite amount of people who would choose Him, but for all mankind, so that all have the opportunity to follow Him.

Most of the problems with this theory have to do with detachment of the members of the trinity. The theory is sound and biblical, so long as it is understood that Jesus is God, not a separate entity who came to earth to satisfy a God who is only vengeful. Remember, “God [The Father] so loved the world that He gave His only Son[Jesus Christ] that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3.16).

MORAL INFLUENCE THEORY

In my opinion, this theory is completely bogus. It puts the power of salvation onto man. It basically says that we are saved through repentance; in essence that through we can become righteous. God wants us to come to Him as we are. We are not to repent and then be saved; we repent as a product of our salvation. Remember, “by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2.8). All we do is accept Christ’s gift and we are saved. It is then because we believe and have faith that we would repent and follow.

There is another flaw with this theory. If we are saved through repentance, and we know from experience that repentance can be abandoned, then it is only logical that a moral theorist believes they can lose their salvation. And that is unbiblical, for we have been given to Jesus by the Father and He “is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of [the] Father’s hand” (John 10.29).

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