Salvation

This long post has a lot of views and insights. In addition see:

John 20:30-31; Life in his name through believing

30 Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. 31 But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.

From James Tabor – Washed in the Blood vs. Keeping the Commandments ***

This image of washing of garments in blood is in stark contrast to Isaiah’s image of washing away sins through repentance and righteous actions:  “Come now, let us reason together, says YHVH: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool”( Isaiah 1:18). Indeed, for Isaiah, garments stained with blood are a symbol of vengeance and bloody destruction, not salvation (Isaiah 63:1-6). Many stirring passages in the Hebrew Bible emphasize the free offer of grace and forgiveness, as a father for a son, with no need of “sacrifice,” whether animal or human (Micah 6:7-8; 7:18-20; Psalm 103:11-14).  From his paper Washed in the Blood vs. Keeping the Commandments

From Bart Ehrman: An assignment about the “rich young ruler”.

Do Jesus in Matthew and Paul Agree on the Matter Most Important to Them Both? July 3, 2020.

One of the assignments that I used to give was to have students compare Matthew’s view of salvation with that found in Paul.  Specifically, what is the role of doing what the Law demands and of doing good deeds?  If someone abides by the law and does good deeds for others – will that bring about salvation?

The way I get them to think about those questions is by looking at two passages, one in Matthew and the other in Paul.  The first is Matthew’s version of the “rich young ruler” (he’s actually not a “young ruler” in any of the Gospel accounts; in one he’s young and in another he’s a ruler: but that’s just what the passage is typically called).    According to this passage, how does one receive eternal life? Here’s the passage.

Matth 19:16-22 – 16 Then someone came to him and said, “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?” 17 And he said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.” 18 He said to him, “Which ones?” And Jesus said, “You shall not murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; 19 Honor your father and mother; also, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 20 The young man said to him, “I have kept all these; what do I still lack?” 21 Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be perfect, go, sell your possessions, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.”

[Mark 10:17–19 — As he was setting out on a journey, a man ran up and knelt before him, and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; You shall not defraud; Honor your father and mother.…” [Mark’s verses in brackets were inserted by this web guy.]

OK, so according to Matthew Jesus tells this person that to have eternal life, he needs to keep the commandments (he cites not only some of the ten commandments but the “love command” as well). Note: he answers the question about “eternal life” by telling the man to keep the commandments; if he wants to be even *better* than that, he should accept voluntary abject poverty in order to help others; then he will have even more than eternal life, he’ll be one of the rich folk in heaven.  But just to get there?  Keep the commandments!

Is that what Paul thought and taught?

To complete the exercise I ask them to imagine that twenty years later, this same man (the rich fellow who is told that if he keeps the commandments of the Jewish law he will have eternal life; and that if he gives away his possessions for the poor he’ll be “perfect”) comes up to the apostle Paul and asks him the same question that he asked Jesus (according to Matthew).  Would Paul also tell him that if he keeps the commandments of the Law he will have eternal life?  And that he can be perfect before God living in poverty for the sake of others?  Is that how he can have salvation?   Consider what Paul says in Galatians:

Gal 2: 16, 21 – We know that a person is justified not by the works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ. And we have come to believe in Christ Jesus, so that we might be justified by faith in Christ, and not by doing the works of the law, because no one will be justified by the works of the law….  21 I do not nullify the grace of God; for if justification comes through the law, then Christ died for nothing.

I’m amazed at how many of my students don’t see that there is any tension or discrepancy here.  But I always press hard the question.  If Jesus is right that eternal life comes to those who keep the commandments of the Jewish Law, then how can Paul be right that no one can be made right with God by doing what the Law demands?

On the other hand, the matter is complicated by the fact that Matthew too thinks that Jesus’ death brings salvation; that’s more or less the point of his narrative.  So are Matthew and Paul reconcilable or not?  If it were an easy answer, it would not be a very interesting assignment!

You too may have an opinion.  I just ask one thing: don’t reconcile these two passages to make them say the  same thing without considering the option that in fact they might be saying two very different things.  And don’t assume they are necessarily contradictory without seeing if they may, at heart, be very similar.  THEN make up your mind.

Unusually Important for the Letter to the Romans: Paul’s Models of Salvation by Bart Ehrman – March 23, 2025
  1. In very rough terms, the “judicial” model is principally laid out in Romans 1-4. Sin in this model is an act of transgression, when someone does something opposed to God.  It is understood “judicially” in that it considers sin as a violation of the law (of God).  There is a legal penalty for this illegal activity.  It’s the death sentence.
  2. In very rough terms the “participationist” model can be found mainly in Romans 5-8. …being enslaved to obey a cosmic power alien to God.
  3. …in addition to the judicial and participationist models, Paul has other ways of conceptualizing God’s act of salvation in Christ
    • Sometimes Paul likens salvation to a “reconciliation” in which two people have had a falling out. (see, e.g., Rom 5:10 and 2 Cor 5:18-20)
    • Paul often describes salvation as a “redemption,” in which a person’s life is “purchased” by God through the price of Christ’s blood. (Rom 3:24; 8:23)
    • Paul sometimes portrays Christ’s death as a “sacrifice” that, like the sacrifices of animals in the Jewish Temple, was designed to bring atonement with God. (Rom 3:25)
    • At other times Paul compares salvation to a “rescue” from physical danger, in which a person is confronted with peril and certain death only to be saved by someone who heroically intervenes at the cost of his own life (see Rom. 5:7-8)

Bart and Megan on Paul’s Bizarre Views on Salvation: Exploring the Apostle’s Contradictory Explanations.

The summary below was created by ChatGPT using a transcript from their YouTube interview. This is an expanded presentation of Bart’s view as cited in the outline immediately before this one.

Bart Ehrman explains in the interview that Paul does not present a single, fixed doctrine of salvation but several overlapping “models,” especially in Romans.

• Salvation as Future – Paul never says believers are already “saved.” The term points to the future judgment when Jesus returns and God delivers those who belong to Christ.

• Judicial (or Justification) Model – Drawing on Romans 1–4, Paul depicts God as lawgiver and judge. Humans have broken God’s law and deserve the death penalty. Jesus’ death pays that penalty, like someone paying a court fine. God’s raising Jesus shows the payment is accepted. People share in this benefit by trusting—putting faith in—Christ’s death and resurrection, not just assenting to propositions.

• Participationist Model – From Romans 5–8, Paul also speaks of sin and death as cosmic powers enslaving humanity. Christ’s death breaks those powers. Believers are united with Christ through baptism, which mystically joins them to his death so that sin’s domination is destroyed. They share his victory over death, though their own bodily resurrection awaits Jesus’ return.

• Other Images – Paul sometimes describes salvation as reconciliation (estranged parties restored), or redemption (a ransom that frees a slave). These are additional metaphors, not separate plans. [See details in the third bulleted paragraph down.]

Ehrman stresses that Paul intertwines these perspectives rather than choosing one. Sin is both law-breaking (judicial) and a demonic force (participationist). Christ’s death both pays the penalty and defeats the powers. Faith and baptism belong together in Paul’s mind: anyone who believes will be baptized.

Ehrman also notes historical reception: Protestant traditions long emphasized the judicial “justification by faith” model, partly because it is easier for modern people to grasp, while Paul’s apocalyptic, participationist vision of cosmic powers has been less understood.

Details about Other Images…in addition to the judicial and participationist models, Paul has other ways of conceptualizing God’s act of salvation in Christ

  • Sometimes Paul likens salvation to a “reconciliation” in which two people have had a falling out. (see, e.g., Rom 5:10 and 2 Cor 5:18-20)
  • Paul often describes salvation as a “redemption,” in which a person’s life is “purchased” by God through the price of Christ’s blood. (Rom 3:24; 8:23)
  • Paul sometimes portrays Christ’s death as a “sacrifice” that, like the sacrifices of animals in the Jewish Temple, was designed to bring atonement with God. (Rom 3:25)
  • At other times Paul compares salvation to a “rescue” from physical danger, in which a person is confronted with peril and certain death only to be saved by someone who heroically intervenes at the cost of his own life (see Rom. 5:7-8)

    What does Jesus say? From ChatGPT with edits

    Here are several passages in the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) where Jesus speaks directly about what is necessary for salvation:

    Matthew 7:21 – “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.”

      Matthew 19:16-21 (The “Rich Young” Ruler)

        16 Then someone came to him and said, “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?” 17 And he said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.” 18 He said to him, “Which ones?” And Jesus said, “You shall not murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; 19 Honor your father and mother; also, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 20 The young man said to him, “I have kept all these; what do I still lack?” 21 Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be perfect, go, sell your possessions, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” 

        1. Mark 16:16

        “The one who believes and is baptized will be saved; but the one who does not believe will be condemned.”

        This is part of the longer ending of Mark; i.e. not the original ending. It precedes the following: 17 And these signs will accompany those who believe: by using my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18 they will pick up snakes in their hands, and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

        1. Luke 9:23-24

        Then he said to them all, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will save it.”

        1. Luke 10:25-28 (Preamble to The Parable of the Good Samaritan)

        He said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.” And he said to him, “You have given the right answer; do this, and you will live.”

        11. Luke 18:9-14 The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector

        He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and regarded others with contempt:  “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, was praying thus, ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people: thieves, rogues, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of all my income.’ But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even look up to heaven, but was beating his breast and saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his home justified rather than the other; for all who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who humble themselves will be exalted.”

        What does the writer of John say? A: He echoes Paul.

        Notice in the passages below from John that one must believe in Jesus, and he says nothing about keeping the commandments.

        1. John 3:16

        “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.”

        1. John 5:24

        “Very truly, I tell you, anyone who hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life, and does not come under judgment, but has passed from death to life.”

        1. John 6:47

        “Very truly, I tell you, whoever believes has eternal life.”

        1. John 11:25-26

        Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?”

        1. John 14:6

        Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

        These passages highlight various aspects of what Jesus taught as essential for salvation, including faith in Him, love for God and neighbor, obedience to God’s will, and self-denial in following Him.

        From the Hebrew Bible

        Ezekiel 18:5-9 and 30-32

        5 But if a man be just, and do that which is lawful and right, 6 and hath not eaten upon the mountains, neither hath lifted up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, neither hath defiled his neighbor’s wife, neither hath come near to a woman in her impurity, 7 and hath not wronged any, but hath restored to the debtor his pledge, hath taken nought by robbery, hath given his bread to the hungry, and hath covered the naked with a garment; 8 he that hath not given forth upon interest, neither hath taken any increase, that hath withdrawn his hand from iniquity, hath executed true justice between man and man, 9 hath walked in my statutes, and hath kept mine ordinances, to deal truly; he is just, he shall surely live, saith the Lord Jehovah.

        30 Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, saith the Lord Jehovah. Return ye, and turn yourselves from all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not be your ruin. 31 Cast away from you all your transgressions, wherein ye have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will ye die, O house of Israel? 32 For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord Jehovah: wherefore turn yourselves [repent], and live.

        What Did Paul Say? From ChatGPT 3/29/2025.

        Paul consistently affirms that salvation and reconciliation with God come through Jesus Christ, but he also emphasizes faith, grace, and righteousness as essential aspects of the way to God. Here are key passages where Paul addresses the path to the Father:

        1. Salvation Is Through Christ Alone
        • 1 Timothy 2:5 (NRSV)
          “For there is one God; there is also one mediator between God and humankind, Christ Jesus, himself human.”
          • Paul clearly states that Jesus is the only mediator between humanity and God.
        • Romans 5:1-2 (NRSV)
          “Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand.”
          • Paul reinforces that access to God comes through Jesus.
        2. Justification by Faith – Not by Works
        • Galatians 2:16 (NRSV)
          “Yet we know that a person is justified not by the works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ.”
          • Paul argues that salvation is not achieved by following the Mosaic Law but through faith in Jesus.
        • Ephesians 2:8-9 (NRSV)
          “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God—not the result of works, so that no one may boast.”
          • Grace and faith in Christ, not human effort, lead to salvation.
        3. The Role of Love – A Central Theme
        • 1 Corinthians 13:2-3 (NRSV)
          “If I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.”
          • Paul aligns with Jesus’ teaching that love is essential.
        • Romans 13:8-10 (NRSV)
          “Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.”
          • Paul, like Jesus in Matthew 22:37-40, presents love as the fulfillment of God’s law.
        4. The Universal Scope of Salvation – For All Who Believe
        • Romans 10:9-13 (NRSV)
          “If you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”
          • Paul emphasizes faith in Jesus as the way to salvation but also opens it to all who believe.
        • Galatians 3:28 (NRSV)
          “There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.”
          • Paul stresses the inclusivity of Jesus’ way to the Father.

        Does Paul Indicate Other Ways to God?

        No, Paul never suggests another way apart from Jesus. However, his emphasis on faith, grace, and love provides a framework for understanding Jesus as the way. For Paul:

        • Jesus is the mediator to the Father (1 Timothy 2:5).
        • Faith in Jesus, not works, justifies a person (Galatians 2:16).
        • Grace is the foundation of salvation (Ephesians 2:8-9).
        • Love is central to living in alignment with God’s will (1 Corinthians 13:2-3).

        In summary, Paul says the same thing that is later said in John 14:6; i.e. that Jesus is the only way to the Father, while also explaining how that way works—through faith, grace, and love.

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