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| Salvation |
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| General concepts |
| Conditional salvation Divine judgment Last Judgment Eschatology Particular judgment Immortality Soteriology Special salvation Transcendence Universal reconciliation |
| Particular concepts |
| Conditionalism One true faith |
| Punishment |
| Hell · Purgatory Soul death |
| Reward |
| Heaven |
Within religion salvation is the phenomenon of being saved from the undesirable condition of bondage or suffering experienced by the psyche or soul that has arisen as a result of unskillful or immoral actions generically referred to as sins.[1] Salvation may also be called "deliverance" or "redemption" from sin and its effects.[2] Salvation is a concept common to most of the world's great religions and is in many respects the principal goal of religious practice. Depending on the religious tradition, salvation is considered to be caused either by the free will and grace of God (Theistic religion) or by personal responsibility and self-effort (e.g. the sramanic and yogic traditions of India). Religions often emphasize the necessity of both personal effort (e.g. repentance and asceticism) and divine action.
Salvation (in both Eastern and Western religions) is also the phenomenon of being saved from death. In religion, death does not simply refer to the end of biological life but signifies the suffering and degradation within life resulting from the consequences of sin. In Christianity one who has attained salvation is said to experience and inherit eternal life in God or what in Buddhism is called 'deathlessness'.
The theological study of salvation is called soteriology. It concerns itself with the comparative study of how different religious traditions conceive salvation and how they believe it is effected or achieved. In Indian religions, for example, the concept of salvation (which is called moksha) involves being free from an endless process of transmigration of the soul, a belief that is absent from Abrahamic soteriology.
The concept of salvation (as the phenomenon of being saved by divine agency) belongs mostly to Judaism and Christianity and Islam, the major Abrahamic religions. Analogous concepts within Indian religions, such as nirvana and moksha are not exact equivalents to the concept of salvation in as far as they do not depend upon divine agency.[3]
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According to Christian belief, salvation is made possible by the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, which in the context of salvation is referred to as the "atonement".[4] His resurrection vindicates his death and his victory is confirmed by his exaltation to God's throne. For this reason, the New Testament portrays Jesus as the only Saviour of human beings,[Acts 4:12] and the Early Church regarded his salvation as a message for everyone, Gentiles as well as Jews.[Acts 13:47] [5] However, it has been pointed out that in the words of Jesus in [John 4:22] "If there is one theological issue that both Jews and Christians should be able to agree on, it is that "salvation is from the Jews"."[6] It had been expressed in Judaism from the days of Abraham onward that the salvation of all mankind is to come from Israel, i.e. the Jews through their relationship with God. This is the primary sense in which the Jews are "the Chosen People". Christians who believe in the accuracy of the New Testament, would accept that "salvation is from the Jews", since "those are the very words that Jesus spoke to the Samaritan woman at the well".[6]
The Bible presents salvation in the form of a story that describes the outworking of God's eternal plan to deal with the problem of human sin. The story is set against the background of the history of God's people and reaches its climax in the person and work of Christ. The Old Testament part of the story shows that people are sinners by nature, and describes a series of covenants by which God sets people free and makes promises to them. His plan includes the promise of blessing for all nations through Abraham and the redemption of Israel from every form of bondage. God showed his saving power throughout Israel's history, but he also spoke about a Messianic figure who would save all people from the power, guilt, and penalty of sin. This role was fulfilled by Jesus, who will ultimately destroy all the devil's work, including suffering, pain, and death.[1 Jn 3:8]
— Macmillan Dictionary of the Bible.[5]
Salvation is a process that begins when a person first becomes a Christian, continues through that person's life, and is completed when one stands before Christ in judgment. Therefore, according to Catholic apologist James Akin, the faithful Christian can say in faith and hope, "I have been saved; I am being saved; and I will be saved."[7]
Christian salvation concepts are varied and complicated by certain theological concepts, traditional beliefs, and dogmas. Scripture is subject to individual and ecclesiastical interpretations. Therefore, Christian soteriology ranges from exclusive salvation[8]:p.123 to universal reconciliation[9] concepts. While some of the differences are as widespread as Christianity itself, the overwhelming majority agrees that salvation is made possible by the work of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, dying on the cross.
The purpose of salvation is debated (compare purpose of life), but in general most theologians agree that God devised and implemented His plan of salvation because He loves them and regards human beings as His children. Since human existence on Earth is said to be "[given] to sin,"[Jn 8:34] salvation also has connotations that deal with the liberation[10] of human beings from sin, and therefore also the inevitable suffering associated with the punishment of sin—i.e., "the wages of sin is death."[Rom. 6:23]
At the heart of Christian faith is the reality and hope of salvation in Jesus Christ. Christian faith is faith in the God of salvation revealed in Jesus of Nazareth. The Christian tradition has always equated this salvation with the transcendent, eschatological fulfillment of human existence in a life freed from sin, finitude, and mortality and united with the triune God. This is perhaps the non-negotiable item of Christian faith. What has been a matter of debate is the relation between salvation and our activities in the world.
— Anselm Kyongsuk Min[11]:p.79
Different theories of atonement have been proposed for how Christian salvation can be understood. Over the centuries, Christians have held different ideas about how Jesus saved people, and different views still exist within different Christian denominations. The main paradigms of salvation that have been proposed are:[12]
The moral transformation view was the predominant understanding of salvation among Christians during the first three centuries AD,[13][14][15][16][17] and continues to be held by some denominations such as the Eastern Orthodox today. In this view, Jesus saved people from sinfulness through his life and teachings (see the moral influence theory of atonement), thus transforming their character to become righteous. This salvation is seen as undeserved, since God graciously sent Jesus to save people when they were unrighteous and did not in any way deserve such a favour. In the moral transformation paradigm, a person is saved from sinfulness by faithfully following the teachings of Jesus, and the example he set of how to live. Consequently, a person becomes righteous in God's sight, and can expect a positive final judgment by God. Perfection is not required, and mistakes are forgiven after repentance. In this view, Jesus' crucifixion is understood primarily as a martyrdom.[18]
The moral transformation view has been criticised and rejected by many Protestant Christians, for a variety of reasons. Critics believe that the moral transformation view conflicts with various biblical passages (particularly ones by Paul regarding 'faith' and 'works'), underestimates the seriousness of sin and denies the atoning value of Jesus' death.
In the Christus Victor view, people needed salvation from the powers of evil. Jesus achieved salvation for people by defeating the powers of evil, particularly Satan. This view has been dated in writings of the Church Fathers to the 4th centuries AD, although it remained popular for several centuries. Several perspectives on this idea existed, which can be roughly divided into conquest of Satan and rescue from Satan's power. In the conquest of Satan version, writers such as Eusebius of Caesarea depicted Jesus defeating Satan in a great spiritual battle that occurred between his death and resurrection.[19] By winning this battle, Jesus overthrew Satan and saved people from his dominion. The Christus Victor view is not widely held in the West.
The ransom from Satan view entails the idea that Satan had power over people's souls in the afterlife, but that Christ rescued people from his power. Often, the death of Christ plays an important role in this rescue. The view appears to have arisen during the 3rd century,[20] in the writings of Origen and other theologians. In one version of the idea, Satan attempted to take Jesus' soul after he had died, but in doing so over-extended his authority, since Jesus had not sinned. As a consequence, Satan lost his authority completely, and all humanity gained freedom. In another version, God entered into a deal with Satan, offering to trade Jesus' soul in exchange for the souls of all people, but after the trade, God raised Jesus from the dead and left Satan with nothing. Other versions held that Jesus' divinity was masked by his human form, so Satan tried to take Jesus’ soul without realizing that his divinity would destroy Satan's power. Another idea is that Jesus came to teach how not to sin and Satan, in anger with this tried to take his soul. The Ransom from Satan view is also not widely held in the West.
In the 11th century, Anselm of Canterbury rejected the ransom view, and proposed instead the satisfaction view. He depicted God as a feudal lord, whose honour had been offended by the sins of humankind. In this view, people needed salvation from the divine punishment that these offences would bring, since nothing they could do could repay the honour debt. Anselm held that Christ had infinitely honoured God through his life and death that Christ could repay what humanity owed God, thus resolving the offence to God's honour (satisfying it) and doing away with the need for punishment. When Anselm proposed the satisfaction view, it was immediately criticised by Peter Abelard.
In the 16th century, the Protestant Reformers reinterpreted Anselm's satisfaction theory of salvation within a legal paradigm. In the legal system, offences required punishment, and no satisfaction could be given to avert this need. They proposed a theory known as penal substitution, in which Christ takes the penalty of people's sin as their substitute, thus saving people from God's wrath against sin. Penal substitution thus presents Jesus saving people from the divine punishment of their past wrongdoings. However, this salvation is not presented as automatic. Rather, a person must have faith in order to receive this free gift of salvation. In the penal substitution view, salvation is not dependent upon human effort or deeds.
The penal substitution paradigm of salvation is widely held among Protestant Christians, who often consider it central to Christianity. However, it has also be widely critiqued.[21][22][23][24] Advocates of the New Perspective on Paul also argue that many New Testament books by Paul the Apostle used to support the theory of penal substitution should be interpreted differently.
The New International Version of the New Testament contains 138 verses that with the words "salvation" (45), "save" (41) or "saved" (52). The following are some of the New Testament passages most cited in this regard:
A crucial difference between the Catholic and Protestant understanding of salvation is that, unlike Protestantism, Catholicism believes that, after the Fall humanity did not become totally corrupt but was “wounded by sin” (rather than destroyed) and “stands in need of salvation from God. Divine help comes in Christ through the law that guides and the grace that sustains” [28] That divine help, that grace, is a favour, a free and undeserved gift from God which helps us to respond to His invitation to enter relationship.[29]
Catholics profess belief that Christ alone is the Saviour of the human race. Christ is God incarnate, bringing about redemption from sin, for “…all salvation comes through Christ.”[30] Indeed
”…she (the Church) proclaims, and ever must proclaim Christ 'the way, the truth, and the life' (John 14:6), in whom men may find the fullness of religious life, in whom God has reconciled all things to Himself."[31]
For Catholicism, Christ provides the Church with "the fullness of the means of salvation which [the Father] has willed: correct and complete confession of faith, full sacramental life, and ordained ministry in apostolic succession." [32]
To Catholic thinking, this does not mean that only Christians can enter heaven, for "By his death (Jesus, the Son of God) has conquered death, and so opened the possibility of salvation to all ."[33] As Pope John Paul II stated in his encyclical Redemptoris missio
“The universality of salvation means that it is granted not only to those who explicitly believe in Christ and have entered the Church. Since salvation is offered to all, it must be made concretely available to all. But it is clear that today, as in the past, many people do not have an opportunity to come to know or accept the Gospel revelation or to enter the Church. The social and cultural conditions in which they live do not permit this, and frequently they have been brought up in other religious traditions. For such people salvation in Christ is accessible by virtue of a grace which, while having a mysterious relationship to the Church, does not make them formally part of the Church but enlightens them in a way which is accommodated to their spiritual and material situation. This grace comes from Christ; it is the result of his Sacrifice and is communicated by the Holy Spirit. It enables each person to attain salvation through his or her free cooperation.”[34]
This encyclical echoes what the Church solemnly declared in the documents of the Second Vatican Council (1962–1965) and is thus binding on all Catholics. Concerning Jews and Muslims, the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, Lumen Gentium, states:
"In the first place we must recall the people to whom the testament and the promises were given and from whom Christ was born according to the flesh; the Jews On account of their fathers this people remains most dear to God, for God does not repent of the gifts He makes nor of the calls He issues. But the plan of salvation also includes those who acknowledge the Creator. In the first place amongst these there are the Muslims, who, professing to hold the faith of Abraham, along with us adore the one and merciful God, who on the last day will judge humanity" [35]
Paragraph 16 of Lumen Gentium takes a step further and declares:
"Nor is God far distant from those who in shadows and images seek the unknown God, for it is He who gives to all men life and breath and all things, and as Saviour wills that all men be saved. Those also can attain to salvation who through no fault of their own do not know the Gospel of Christ or His Church, yet sincerely seek God and moved by grace strive by their deeds to do His will as it is known to them through the dictates of conscience. Nor does Divine Providence deny the helps necessary for salvation to those who, without blame on their part, have not yet arrived at an explicit knowledge of God and with His grace strive to live a good life. Whatever good or truth is found amongst them is looked upon by the Church as a preparation for the Gospel"[35]
Thus, the Catholic Church clearly teaches that, although Christ is the Saviour of the human race, it is not necessary to know Him personally to be saved. This is because Catholicism believes that the salvation, and reconciliation, of humanity took place when Christ died and rose again, and that this salvation applies to all people whether or not they realise this fact. This in no way means that Catholicism believes that all religions are equal, but merely that not everyone knows of Christ and that even those who do may have had the Gospel presented in such manner as to have turned them away (e.g. by missionaries who were poor examples of the Christian life).
In its Declaration on Religious Freedom, Dignitatis humanae, the same Vatican II also stated:
”This Vatican Council declares that the human person has a right to religious freedom. This freedom means that all men are to be immune from coercion on the part of individuals or of social groups and of any human power, in such wise that no one is to be forced to act in a manner contrary to his own beliefs, whether privately or publicly, whether alone or in association with others, within due limits. The council further declares that the right to religious freedom has its foundation in the very dignity of the human person as this dignity is known through the revealed word of God and by reason itself. This right of the human person to religious freedom is to be recognized in the constitutional law whereby society is governed and thus it is to become a civil right"[36]
Shortly after 1100, Anselm, appointed as archbishop of Canterbury, wrote a classic treatise about atonement. In it he puts forward the "satisfaction theory" of the Atonement in salvation. Man's offense of rebellion against God is one that demands a payment or satisfaction. Fallen man is incapable of making adequate satisfaction. Nevertheless, such is God's love that God will not simply abandon us (at least not all of us) to the consequences of our sins. Anselm wrote,
"This debt was so great that, while none but man must solve the debt, none but God was able to do it; so that he who does it must be both God and man."
The suffering of Christ, the God-man who is God's only son, pays off what human beings owe to God's honor, and we are thereby reconciled to God. So God took human nature upon Himself so that a perfect man might make perfect satisfaction and so restore the human race. Anselm is called the founder of scholasticism, and he is noted as the originator of the ontological argument for the existence of God. His foundational work is seen later in Calvinism and Arminianism.[37]
Eastern Christianity was much less influenced by Augustine. It asks different questions, and it generally views salvation less in legalistic terms (e.g. grace and punishment), more in medical terms (sickness, healing etc.). It views salvation more along the lines of theosis, a seeking to become holy or draw closer to God, a traditional concept of Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and Eastern Catholic Christians. It also stresses teaching about forgiveness.
The Longer Catechism of the Orthodox, Catholic, Eastern Church, known also as The Catechism of St. Philaret [38] includes the questions and answers: "155. To save men from what did (the Son of God) come upon earth? From sin, the curse, and death." "208. How does the death of Jesus Christ upon the cross deliver us from sin, the curse, and death? That we may the more readily believe this mystery, the Word of God teaches us of it, so much as we may be able to receive, by the comparison of Jesus Christ with Adam. Adam is by nature the head of all humanity, which is one with him by natural descent from him. Jesus Christ, in whom the Godhead is united with manhood, graciously made himself the new almighty Head of men, whom he unites to himself through faith. Therefore as in Adam we had fallen under sin, the curse, and death, so we are delivered from sin, the curse, and death in Jesus Christ. His voluntary suffering and death on the cross for us, being of infinite value and merit, as the death of one sinless, God and man in one person, is both a perfect satisfaction to the justice of God, which had condemned us for sin to death, and a fund of infinite merit, which has obtained him the right, without prejudice to justice, to give us sinners pardon of our sins, and grace to have victory over sin and death.
Orthodox theology teaches prevenient grace, meaning that God makes the first movement toward man, and that salvation is impossible from our own will alone. However, man is endowed with free will, and an individual can either accept or reject the grace of God. Thus an individual must cooperate with God's grace to be saved, though he can claim no credit of his own, as any progress he makes is possible only by the grace of God.
Besides, the Orthodox Church supposes that the person has salvation not only by his good deeds, but also by his patient suffering of various griefs, illnesses, misfortunes, failures (Luke 16:19-31, Mark 8:31-38, Romans 6:3-11, Hebrews 12:1-3, Galatians 6:14).[39]
The Protestant Christian perspective on salvation is that no one can merit the grace of God by performing rituals, good works, asceticism or meditation, because grace is the result of one's initiative without any regard whatsoever to any merit in the one towards whom the good is being initiated. To be forgiven and brought back into a personal relationship with God, it is not enough that the grace of God exists as potential solution. It must be claimed personally by the sinful person by their own initiative. The recognition of one’s sinful state, followed by a complete turning away from that sinful lifestyle and attitude, is called repentance. Repentance in the New Testament has a wider meaning than simply regretting the mistakes of the past. "When the Holy Spirit descended at Pentecost, repentance meant to be sorry for rejecting Jesus Christ as Savior,[Acts 2:22-37] accompanied by a subsequent change of mentality. The same change in attitude toward Jesus is required today. This repentance followed by a complete turning toward and believing in the atoning death and sacrifice of Jesus on the cross for one's sins is what results in salvation. Christianity teaches that Jesus is not a mere man, a prophet, a guru or something similar, but the savior of the world, the only "name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved."[Acts 4:12] Only then can the atoning death of Christ become an actual solution for one’s sins.[40]
According to Christian theologian Frank Stagg, salvation is rooted in the grace of God. "For bankrupt sinners with no ground of their own upon which to stand, with nothing of their own upon which to stand, with nothing of their own to hold up to God for [one's] reward, it is their only hope, but it is their sufficient hope."[41]:80
According to the New Testament, this salvation is a gift from God that anyone may receive by exercising faith in Christ and repenting for their sin.[Acts 20:21]
Some of the benefits of this salvation are that people become "new creations in Christ,"[2 Cor 5:17] their sins are forgiven, they receive eternal life and become children of God. They also receive the Holy Spirit, who enables them to live a new life based on God's requirements and to spread the gospel to others.[Acts 1:8] [2:38]
In Christianity, the human problem is sin that causes suffering in this life but may lead to eternal suffering in the next life. According to Christian teachings, God is good, perfect, and just, and so sin by its nature prevents a right relationship with God and provokes God to anger at all humanity who consistently rebel against His law and commandments. Therefore, people who have not accepted salvation cannot enjoy the full benefits of knowing God in this life, such as peace and comfort in times of trouble. They also cannot spend eternity in God's presence, and will consequently suffer the eternal wrath of God's righteous punishment and judgement in a place called Hell.[4]
Christianity claims to offer "good news," and this good news is that it is possible to be saved (attain salvation) from sin and the wrath of God's holy and righteous judgement. The solution, then, is salvation from sin, temporal suffering, and suffering under the eternal wrath of God.
According to Christianity, eternal life is not the annihilation of soul and personhood, but an embodied existence of perfect and eternal communion with God.[40]
In the Protestant view, Jesus took God's justice and wrath upon himself and was crushed in order to conquer death and bring into right standing with God, those who believe and repent.[Is 53:10] [Jn 3:16]
Broadly speaking, Protestants hold to the five solas of the Reformation which declare that salvation is by faith alone in Christ alone through grace alone to the Glory of God alone as told in "Scripture" alone.
Debates about how Christ saves us have tended to divide Protestants into conservatives who defended some form of substitutionary atonement theory and liberals who were more apt to accept a kind of moral influence theory. Both those approaches were about 900 years old. Recently, new accounts of Christ's salvific work have been introduced or reintroduced, and the debates have generally grown angrier, at least from the liberal side. Those who defended substitutionary atonement were always ready to dismiss their opponents as heretics; now some of their opponents complain that a focus on substitutionary atonement leads to violence against women and to child abuse.
— William C. Placher[37]
Calvinists are theologically conservative Protestant Christians whose foundational approach to Christian life and thought somewhat parallel those articulated by John Calvin, a French Protestant Reformer of the 16th century. They adhere to Lordship salvation.[42] They believe in Predestination of the "elect" before the foundation of the world. All of the elect necessarily persevere in faith because God keeps them from falling away. Thus, the Calvinist system is called monergism because God alone acts to bring about salvation. Calvinists further understand the doctrines of salvation to include the five points of Calvinism, typically arranged to form the acrostic "TULIP."[43] All five contrast sharply with Arminianism:[42]
Arminianism is a school of soteriological thought within Protestant Christianity. It is based on the theological ideas of the Dutch Reformed theologian Jacobus Arminius (1560–1609). Like Calvinists, Arminians agree that all people are born sinful and are in need of salvation. Classical Arminians emphasize that God's free grace (or "prevenient grace") enables humans to freely respond to or to reject the salvation offered through Christ. Classical Arminians believe that a person's saving relationship with Christ is conditional upon faith, and thus, a person can sever their saving relationship with Christ through persistent unbelief. Arminians hold the following beliefs:
Universalists agree with both Calvinists and Arminians that everyone is born in sin and in need of salvation. They also believe that one is saved by Jesus Christ. However, they emphasize that judgment in hell upon sinners is of limited duration, and that God uses judgment to bring sinners to repentance.[55]
Western Churches of Christ are strongly anti-Calvinist in their understanding of salvation, and generally present conversion as "obedience to the proclaimed facts of the gospel rather than as the result of an emotional, Spirit-initiated conversion."[56]
Churches of Christ hold the view that humans of accountable age are lost because of their sins.[57] These lost souls can be redeemed because Jesus Christ, the Son of God, offered Himself as the atoning sacrifice.[57] Children too young to understand right from wrong, and make a conscious choice between the two, are believed to be innocent of sin.[57][58] The age when this occurs is generally believed to be around 13.[58]
Churches of Christ generally teach that the process of salvation involves the following steps:[59]
Beginning in the 1960s, many preachers began placing more emphasis on the role of grace in salvation, instead of focusing exclusively implementing all of the New Testament commands and examples.[60] This was not an entirely new approach, as others had actively "affirmed a theology of free and unmerited grace," but it did represent a change of emphasis with grace becoming "a theme that would increasingly define this tradition."[60]
Because of the belief that baptism is a necessary part of salvation, some Baptists hold that the Churches of Christ endorse the doctrine of baptismal regeneration.[61] However, members of the Churches of Christ reject this, arguing that since faith and repentance are necessary, and that the cleansing of sins is by the blood of Christ through the grace of God, baptism is not an inherently redeeming ritual.[61][62][63] One author describes the relationship between faith and baptism this way, "Faith is the reason why a person is a child of God; baptism is the time at which one is incorporated into Christ and so becomes a child of God" (italics are in the source).[64] Baptism is understood as a confessional expression of faith and repentance,[64] rather than a "work" that earns salvation.[64]
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (also known as Mormons) defines the term salvation based on the teachings of their modern-day prophet Joseph Smith, Jr., as recorded in the Doctrine and Covenants and summarized in the Articles of Faith (Latter Day Saints) number four.
"4. We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are: first, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, Repentance; third, Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; fourth, Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost."[65]
The general Christian belief that salvation means returning to the presence of God and Jesus Christ is similar to the way the word is used in the Book of Mormon, wherein the prophet Amulek teaches that through the "great and last sacrifice" of the Son of God, "he shall bring salvation to all those who shall believe on his name; ... to bring about the bowels of mercy, which overpowereth justice, and bringeth about means unto men that they may have faith unto repentance. And thus mercy can satisfy the demands of justice, and encircles them in the arms of safety, while he that exercises no faith unto repentance is exposed to the whole law of the demands of justice;" (Alma 34:14-16)
"Salvation" in Islam refers to the eventual entrance to heaven. The word does not cover the possible entry to hellfire, or the different levels of hellfire and heaven. The Quran teaches that the only thing guaranteeing no salvation is a disbelief in the “One God”; associating others with God,
The above verse is referring to the forgiveness in the hereafter. Those who die believing not in the “One God” do not receive salvation. Those who die believing in the “One God”, but disbelieving in his message (Islam), are left to his will; God might forgive them, or might not. Those who die believing in the “One God” and his message “Islam” receive salvation. Narrated Anas that Mohammad said,
Whoever said "None has the right to be worshipped but Allah" and has in his heart good (faith) equal to the weight of a barley grain will be taken out of Hell. And whoever said, "None has the right to be worshipped but Allah" and has in his heart good (faith) equal to the weight of a wheat grain will be taken out of Hell. And whoever said, "None has the right to be worshipped but Allah" and has in his heart good (faith) equal to the weight of an atom will be taken out of Hell.—Prophet Mohammad Sahih al-Bukhari, 1:2:42
A person who becomes a Muslim must testify that "none has the right to be worshiped but Allah" indicating the belief in the One God, and "Mohammad is Allah's Apostle" indicating the belief in God's message.
Islam teaches that if one wishes to enter heaven, and avoid hellfire completely, one must believe in the "One God", and obey him following his message. There is no other way. The Quran states,
Belief in the “One God”, also known as the Tawheed (التَوْحيدْ) in Arabic, is broken into two parts (or principals):
Tawheedo Al Ruboobeeya is seen to “imply” Tawheedo Al Ilooheeya, because it is seen that that who has the attributes of a God deserves to be worshiped.
Some Muslim scholars break the Tawheed into further parts by breaking Tawheedo Al Ruboobeeya into multiple parts putting emphases on some of the attributes of God that they see being vastly ignored, or forgotten, in their respective times. Many scholars, for example, state a third principle, Tawheedo Al Asma'a (تَوْحيدُ الأَسْماءْ) which explicitly states the belief in the names of God. Other scholars state another principal, Tawheedo Al Hukmee (تَوْحيدُ الحُكْم), which explicitly states the belief in the Governance Attribute of God, emphasizing this attribute which is a part of Tawheed seen to be vastly broken by modern governments of Muslim nations which do not follow the Islamic law.
To avoid hell, one must also avoid sin; belief is not enough; Islam acknowledges the inclination of man towards sin[Quran 3:85][Quran 12:51-53]. A Muslim must think of his sin, seek God's forgiveness and repent. However, this repentance must be sincere, and God's mercy must not be taken as a license to sin further. Islam teaches that God is Merciful, but it also teaches that he is wise. The Quran states:
Allah accept the repentance of those who do evil in ignorance and repent soon afterwards; to them will Allah turn in mercy: For Allah is full of knowledge and wisdom.<17> Of no effect is the repentance of those who continue to do evil, until death faces one of them, and he says, "Now have I repented indeed;" nor of those who die rejecting Faith: for them have We prepared a punishment most grievous.<18> [Quran 4:17]
Islam teaches that every person, including man, woman and prophet, is responsible for his/her own sins. A Muslim must be aware of his sin, and repent. The Quran states,
If ye reject (Allah), Truly Allah hath no need of you; but He liketh not ingratitude from His servants: if ye are grateful, He is pleased with you. No bearer of burdens can bear the burden of another. In the end, to your Lord is your Return, when He will tell you the truth of all that ye did (in this life). for He knoweth well all that is in (men's) hearts. [Quran 39:7]
Al-Agharr al-Muzani, a companion of Mohammad, reported that Ibn 'Umar stated to him that Mohammad said,
O people, seek repentance from Allah. Verily, I seek repentance from Him a hundred times a day.—Prophet Mohammad Sahih Muslim, 35:6523
Sin in Islam is not a state, but an action (a bad deed); Islam teaches that a child who dies young, regardless of the belief of his parents, dies a Muslim; he enters heaven, and does not enter hell. Sahih al-Bukhari, 2:23:467
A Muslim must also think of heaven. The matter is not as simple as entering hellfire or entering heaven. Both hellfire and heaven have levels. A Muslim seeks to enter heaven and aims for the highest level. He does this by increasing his good deeds. In the Quran, whenever those who enter heaven are mentioned, and the virtue of belief is mentioned, it is coupled with the mention of good deeds. Some examples are,
A Muslim does not believe that his good deeds merit him heaven, instead it is God's mercy on the people that lets them into heaven. The levels in heaven (and hell) are only a direct result of God's justice: those who do better, deserve better. Narrated Aisha, that Mohammad said,
"Do good deeds properly, sincerely and moderately, and receive good news because one's good deeds will not make him enter Paradise." They asked, "Even you, O Allah's Apostle?" He said, "Even I, unless and until Allah bestows His pardon and Mercy on me." Sahih al-Bukhari, 8:76:474
Those with belief will eventually enter heaven, but only after they are punished for their sins (those that God did not forgive). God forgives sins but it is not a guarantee. Therefore, a Muslim must keep a balance between fear of God, and hope in his mercy. One who does not have this balance is in danger of losing his belief; one who has absolute hope in God's mercy and no fear of his wrath will end up sinning, believing God will forgive him regardless, and one who has absolute fear of God's wrath and no hope in his mercy will also end up sinning, believing himself entering hellfire regardless.
There are acts of worship that Islam teaches to be mandatory. Islam is built on five principles. Narrated Ibn 'Umar that Muhammad said,
Islam is based on (the following) five (principles):
- To testify that none has the right to be worshipped but Allah and Muhammad is Allah's Apostle.
- To offer the (compulsory congregational) prayers dutifully and perfectly.
- To pay Zakat to poor and needy (i.e. obligatory charity of 2.5% annually of surplus wealth) .
- To perform Hajj. (i.e. Pilgrimage to Mecca)
- To observe fast during the month of Ramadhan. Sahih al-Bukhari, 1:2:7
Not performing the mandatory acts of worship is a sin. See also Shirk. A person who becomes a Muslim must testify that "none has the right to be worshiped but Allah" indicating the belief in the One God, and "Mohammad is Allah's Apostle" indicating the belief in God's message and thereby obeying his commands. The Quran states.
Redemption is a religious concept referring to forgiveness or absolution for past sins or errors and protection from damnation and disgrace, eternal or temporary, generally through sacrifice. Redemption is common in many world religions, including Indic religions and all Abrahamic Religions, especially in Christianity and Islam (المغفرة).
In Judaism, (Hebrew ge'ulah), redemption refers to God redeeming the people of Israel from their various exiles.[66] This includes the final redemption from the present exile.
In Christianity, redemption is synonymous with salvation. The Christian religion, though not the exclusive possessor of the idea of redemption, has given to it a special definiteness and a dominant position. Taken in its widest sense, as deliverance from dangers and ills in general, most religions teach some form of it. It assumes an important position, however, only when the ills in question form part of a great system against which human power is helpless.[67]
Within Hinduism, salvation is considered as a unity with the entire universe. This is obtained through either four paths or a combination of all four: Karma (Loving service) Bhakthi (Accepting a Deity as a manifestation of the supreme) Jnana (Obtaining Knowledge) Yoga (Performing austerities to control the mind)
In some forms of Buddhism, redemption is inherent in the discipline of giving up attachments to desires. Theravada Buddhism teaches that in this quest one can rely on no one and on nothing but oneself: neither gods nor priests, neither church nor sacraments, nor faith nor works are of any avail.[68] Other disciplines are not so desolate, and "each Buddha and Bodhisattwa is a redeemer", assisting the Buddhist in seeking to achieve the redemptive state.[69] The assistance rendered is a form of self-sacrifice on the part of the teachers, who would presumably be able to achieve total detachment from worldly concerns, but have instead chosen to remain engaged in the material world to the degree that this is necessary to assist others in achieving such detachment.[69]
Christian Soteriology
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