Soteriology

Salvation explained

We are made righteous by faith apart from the deeds of the law, however that doesn't make void the law (Romans 3: 28, 31). The law cannot save us, it only defines sin (if there were no law, there would be no sin), and because all have sinned, it only condemns us to death (Romans 3:20, Romans 4:15, 1 John 3:4, Romans 5:11-12, Romans 6:23). It is through the grace and merits of Jesus that we are not only saved from the penalty of sin, but also from the slavery of sin, for grace is not meant to give us licence to sin (Romans 8:3, Ephesians 2:8-9, Romans 6:14-15).

We may be willing to keep God's law, yet we are carnal by nature, but fortunately through Christ we can be dead to sin and live unto God (Romans 7:14. Romans 8:7, Romans 6:5-6, 11). The strength of the law is sin (sin being the sting of death to the soul), but fortunately through the death of Jesus we are freed from this (Ezekiel 18:4, 1 Corinthians 15:56, Romans 7:4-6). Baptism is meant to represent burying ourselves with Him who died and being raised into newness of life (Romans 6:3; if anything commemorates the resurrection of Jesus Christ, this is it). In Christ we are a new creation, and in this process our carnal works of darkness are cast away to be replaced with Christ's character as an armor of light (2 Corinthians 5:17, Romans 13:12-13, Colossians 3, Galatians 5:16-27).

We aren't given a spirit of bondage again to fear, but the Spirit of adoption in which we call unto God as our father in prayer through which we can ask for perseverance and victory in life's spiritual battles (Romans 8:15-27, Ephesians 6:10-18, 2 Corinthians 10:3-5). God wants to keep us sanctified, this is a work of a life time (1 Thessalonians 5:17-23). Prayer, reading scripture, spiritual songs, fellowship and sharing Jesus with others are the essentials nourishing our new life (Philippians 4:6, 2 Timothy 3:16, Colossians 3:16, Hebrews 10:25, Mark 16:15).

Also see Early Methodism and The Adventists