1. Essential Doctrine
Soteriology Part 1

2. Definition Soteriology is the study of the doctrine of salvation
Extremely important because it has to do with eternity
To fully understand salvation, we need to know why it exists and what we’re getting saved from
Definition

3. Why Do We Need Salvation?
To answer the big questions, we need to start with certain understandings
1. Sin exists
2. Sin separates us from God
Why Do We Need Salvation?

4. Why does sin separate us from God?
Easy to think that God can do anything and just forgive our sins because He is all powerful
Easy to think that God can just choose to not look at the sin and accept people no matter what
But to understand the separation, we need to understand who God is and who we are.
Why does sin separate us from God?

5. The Nature of God God is perfect. It is His nature
Sin is not just a debt that needs to be paid. Sin is the opposite nature of God.
God’s perfection is not standoffish and pious
1 John 1:5 – God is light and there is no darkness in light
Darkness cannot exist in light, sin cannot exist in perfection
Light does not discriminate against darkness, but in it’s nature, it destroys darkness
Light is pure, has no flaw, does not create shadows (objects create shadows)
Light brings out truth and vibrancy.
The Nature of God

6. We were created in God’s image
We were created in God’s image. If God is pure white light, we are coloured lights
We were of the same perfect nature in the beginning
Adam and Even chose to abandon their perfection, out of free will and selfishness, and took on a sin nature
Sin is like darkness
God is light

7. Man’s sinful nature The nature of sin is like darkness
The very essence of their nature was sin, so it was passed down as an inheritance.
Therefore every person is born into a sin nature, not of choice, but because of inheritance
Sin is hamartia – missing the mark. It means that the slightest miscalculation or mistake is sin.
Perfection, by definition, cannot have any sin in it, past, present, or future
Man’s sinful nature

8. Adam and Eve’s (and now humanity’s) sin nature is in conflict with God (light vs darkness)
God wants to spend time with humanity, but His nature would destroy ours, just like light obliterates darkness
Moses spoke with God regularly but did not see His actual face (fullness of His glory) (Ex 33:20; Ex 33:11)
God’s perfection would kill us
God cannot change His nature, lest He become not perfect
Man cannot change his nature, it is inherited
Conflict of Natures

9. Old Testament (Covenant)
In order for God to spend time with man, He had to somehow show His glory without destroying us
Animal sacrifices would allow the animal to temporarily hide the sin. The sacrifice would take the fullness of God’s glory, and as a result, would cast a shadow
Man would stand in that shadow to see a glimpse of the glory of God
Sacrifices had to be repeated just for shadows of God’s glory
Man could not have intimate and direct contact with God
It was not works that saved man, it was the sacrifices that made a way to glimpse the glory of God
Old Testament (Covenant)

10. God’s nature and our sin nature are in conflict, therefore our nature needs to be fixed
Good deeds and works cannot change our nature. Sin nature just means missing the mark, even a little bit.
Good works does not undo sin
We need to inherit a new nature
Inheritances only come from the same being
Jesus had to come as a man for us to inherit something from Him (Heb 9:15; Phil 2:6)
Being born again means being born into a new inheritance (John 3)
We choose to be adopted into a new family
The Inheritance

11. The Sacrifice Jesus had to die so that we could inherit His new nature
He took our very nature with Him, He became sin for us (2 Cor 5:21)
He didn’t just take our nature and exchange it, He completed the fullness of our sin nature (Rom 6:23) and died
Therefore our old nature is paid off, not just removed
Jesus still remained perfect because He did not change His nature, He took our nature onto Himself
Because Jesus is perfect, His nature is able to overcome our sin nature and the completion of sin – therefore Jesus rose again
Because our sin has been paid off, there can be no accusations
This sacrifice was enough for all of us (Heb 10:12)
The Sacrifice

12. We have an eternal inheritance, qualified by God, not by us (Col 1:12)
We need to believe to become children of God (John 1:12)
Eternal Life