Journal: Journal of the Grace Evangelical Society
Volume: JOTGES 35:69 (Autumn 2022)
Article: The Role Of Christ In Our Salvation
Author: Robert N. Wilkin

JOTGES 35:69 (Autumn 2022) p. 31

The Role Of Christ In Our Salvation

Bob Wilkin

Executive Director
Grace Evangelical Society

I. Introduction

The doctrine of salvation, also known as soteriology—from the Greek word for salvation, sōtēria—typically is divided into five to ten major categories, including the Person of Christ, the work of Christ, eternal security, the terms of salvation, election, sanctification, and perseverance.

All treatments of soteriology begin with a discussion of the role of Christ in salvation.

Lewis Sperry Chafer, the founder and first president of DTS, has five sections in his volume on soteriology, and the first section is entitled, “The Savior.”1 That section takes up 154 of the 396 pages, or nearly 40%.

Bible.org suggests three sections: the nature of the atonement, the extent of the atonement, and the process of salvation (election, regeneration, conversion, union with Christ, justification, adoption, sanctification, perseverance, glorification).2 The first two of those sections concern the role of Christ in salvation.

In Thiessen’s systematic theology, his first two sections (of ten) on soteriology, after an introductory discussion, are on the Person of Christ and the work of Christ.3

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The Bible certainly centers on Christ, the Messiah, especially in its discussion of soteriology. For example, in John’s Gospel, the only evangelistic book in the Bible (see John 20:30–31), the Lord Jesus repeatedly said that whoever believes in Him will not perish but has everlasting life (e.g., John 3:16; 5:24; 6:35, 37; 11:26). Jesus Himself is the One who guarantees everlasting life to all who believe in Him for it.

In Galatians, in Paul’s defense of his gospel, he begins by talking about the grace of Christ and the gospel of Christ (Gal 1:6–9). Three times in Gal 2:16 Paul says that justification is by faith in Jesus Christ and not by the works of the law.

In Rom 3:21–4:25, Paul’s exposition on justification by faith alone, he repea...