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Salvation to
All
by
Cadet Dawn
Marie Paulson
John Wesley, who vastly influenced the doctrine of The Salvation Army,
preached: “God decrees, from everlasting to everlasting, that
all who believe in the Son of His love, shall be conformed to
His image; shall be saved from all inward and outward sin,
into all inward and outward holiness. Accordingly, it is
a plain undeniable fact that all who truly believe in the name
of the Son of God do now ‘receive the end of their faith, the
salvation of their souls” (The Salvation Army Handbook of
Doctrine 140-1). The sixth doctrine of The Salvation
Army reflects Wesleyan theology concerning Christ’s atonement
and salvation for mankind. Because Christ’s death on the
cross made atonement for the sins of all humanity,
Salvationists believe that ‘whosoever will may be saved.’
Whosoever will may be saved.
John Wesley believed Christ to be Christus
Victor—an affirmation that Christ died for everyone, thus
making the benefits of the atonement made on the cross
available to anyone (The Salvation Army Handbook of
Doctrine 140). He further developed a set of
doctrinal beliefs known as Arminian theology. According
to Arminian theology, then, Jesus died for the sins of all
humanity, made atonement for all humanity’s sin, and therefore
‘whosoever’ can be forgiven and reconciled to God through
Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. There is extensive
Scriptural support for this theology. John 3:16-17
reads, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only
begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish
but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son
into the world to condemn the world, but that the world
through Him might be saved (The Nelson Study Bible
NKJV).” God loved the world, so He allowed His
Son to be sacrificed for the world, so that whoever
believed could have everlasting life. And Paul, in
his letter to the church in Corinth, writes, “Now all
things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through
Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation,
that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to
Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has
committed to us the word of reconciliation” (2 Cor.
5:18-19). 1 John 2:2 reads, “And He [Jesus] Himself
is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but
also for the whole world.” And the author of Hebrews
writes, “But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than
the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and
honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for
everyone” (Heb. 2:9). This theme—the idea that
Jesus’ atoning work on the cross was for the whole world—seems
to be consistent amongst the New Testament authors, and those
passages listed above are just a small sampling of what the
New Testament writers had to say about the atonement.
Further evidence to support Arminian theology is found in
Paul’s letter to the Romans: “Yet if your brother is
grieved because of your food, you are no longer walking in
love. Do not destroy with your food the one for whom
Christ died” (Romans 14:15). Paul seems to imply
that Christ died for those that are ‘destroyed,’ alluding to
the fact that there are those that will not be saved who
Christ died for. All this taken into consideration, it
seems that the Biblical support for Arminian theology is
sound. Therefore, this theology (and hence the doctrine
of The Salvation Army) can firmly conclude that ‘whosoever
will may be saved.’
Calvinist (Reform) theology does not coincide with the position
previously stated above. Contrary to Wesleyan theology,
reform theology would argue that the atonement of Christ is
limited to the elect and therefore only the elect can be
saved. This view, called limited atonement or particular
redemption, holds that “Christ died for particular people
(specifically, those who would be saved and whom He came to
redeem), that He foreknew each one of them individually and
had them individually in mind in His atoning work” (Grudem
596). Reform theologians interpret Jesus’ words: “I
am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life
for the sheep” to exclusively refer to the elect.
They believe that the sheep refers to just those that
are chosen, or ‘elected.’ Another key passage Calvinists
use to support their position of limited atonement is
Ephesians 1:3-5: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord
Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing
in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him
before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and
without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to
adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the
good pleasure of His will.” This passage, along with
many others, is used to defend the idea that Jesus only died
for the elect, and to meanwhile refute the idea that He died
for the ‘whosoever.’ Wesleyan theology would argue that
there is no conclusive evidence within Scripture to define the
elect as only those who are chosen by God for eternal life.
Arminian theology would define the elect based on man’s free
will to choose God or not, and thus the elect would be those
that choose to believe God and by faith accept His gift of
salvation through His Son. Thus, Christ still died for
the ‘whosoever’ even though not all mankind will elect to
accept Jesus’ atonement and gift of salvation.
Whosoever will may be saved. It has been firmly established that
the atonement for sins made on the cross was for all humanity.
However, God’s Word makes it clear that He, in His great love
for mankind, has not forced mankind to follow Him.
Rather, God gives man free will to choose Him or not. He
did not make robots, for there is no real love when a person
is forced to love. God allows people to have free will
and make that choice for themselves. Therefore, if a
person wills or desires to follow God and accept His free gift
of salvation, they can do so. God has revealed Himself
to all humanity—“He has put eternity in their hearts”
(Eccl. 3:11b). God has also graciously given special
revelation of Himself through His Word. Furthermore,
Wesley believed that God gave prevenient grace—“grace that
goes before [that] grants man the gracious ability to
respond to the call of the gospel” (Dunning and Greathouse
72). God gives humanity the ability to respond,
He does not force a response; God took the first
initiative but the decision rests on man. Frederick
Norwood said, “It is by grace of God that man turns, but he
turns!” (Harper 48). There is a responsibility on man’s
part to respond to God. Hence, the doctrine of The
Salvation Army states that whosoever wills to be saved may be
saved.
While Arminian doctrine states that man has free will to choose God,
reform theology would argue that man does not have a choice,
rather, that God decided for all humanity even before man was
created—a theological concept known as election. The
Calvinist doctrine on election believes that “election is an
act of God before creation in which He chooses some people to
be saved, not on account of any foreseen merit in them, but
only because of His sovereign good pleasure” (Grudem 670).
This belief implies that if God chooses some people to be
saved, He then ‘chooses’ the rest of the people to suffer in
hell for eternity. A passage essential to the support of
this belief is found in Paul’s letter to the Romans: “And
we know that all things work together to those who love God,
to those who are the called according to His purpose.
For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to
the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among
many brethren. Moreover whom He predestined, these He
also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom
He justified, these He also glorified” (Rom. 8:28-30).
A second key passage in support of the doctrine of election is
Acts 13:48—“Now when the Gentiles heard this, they were
glad and glorified the word of the Lord. And as many as
had been appointed to eternal life believed.”
However, earlier in his letter, Paul writes, “For I am not
ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to
salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and
also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God
is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, ‘The just
shall live by faith’…For since the creation of the world His
invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the
things that are made, even His eternal power and the Godhead,
so that they are without excuse” (Rom. 1:16, 17, 20).
And in his letter to Timothy, he writes that God “desires
all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth”
(1 Tim. 2:4). Paul seems to indicate in these verses
that God desires all men to be saved—not just the elect—and
that salvation, therefore, is for all men. So although
there exists an opposing view, Arminian theology holds to the
belief that salvation is not limited to the elect, rather,
that ‘whosoever will may be saved.’
Whosoever will may be saved. Arminian theology believes that all
can be saved, but that not all will. Scripture is clear
that heaven and hell exist, and therefore it can be concluded
that people may end up in either. In His parable
about the wheat and the tares, Jesus expresses that the tares
will be bound and burned and the wheat will be gathered in the
barn (Matt. 13:24-30). In this parable the wheat is
understood to be Christians, while the tares are understood to
be those people who are wicked and do not accept Jesus as
their Lord and Savior. The wicked, then, are burned
(presumably in hell) while the righteous are gathered in the
barn (presumably heaven). And later in His teaching,
Jesus explained to His listeners about the sheep and the
goats—that the sheep are those He knows and those who will
inherit blessing and the kingdom prepared for them (Matt.
25:34), meanwhile the goats are those He does not know and He
will command them to depart from Him and enter the place of “everlasting
fire prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matt. 25:41).
The Salvation Army doctrine states: “We believe in the
immortality of the soul; in the resurrection of the body; in
the general judgment at the end of the world; in the eternal
happiness of the righteous; and in the endless punishment of
the wicked” (The Salvation Army Handbook of Doctrine
xvi). Although it is the desire for all humanity to be
saved, because mankind is given free will, because heaven and
hell exist, and based on Christ’s teaching, it can be
concluded that not all men and women will choose Him even
though the choice is given to the ‘whosoever.’ 2 Peter
3:9 reads, “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise,
as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not
willing that any should perish but that all should come to
repentance.” Here, in his discussion about the
coming judgment at the end of the age, Peter conveys God’s
desire for all to be saved, meanwhile affirming that not all
will be. Therefore, ‘whosoever will may be saved,’ but
not all will be saved.
Whosoever will may be saved. Salvation refers to “the deliverance
from sin that was made possible by Christ’s death” (Hotle 59).
It is a beautiful reconciliation in relationship with God
given freely by Him. Paul Mickey’s encompassing
definition of salvation reads: “By His [Jesus] death on the
cross the sinless Son propitiated the holy wrath of the
Father, a righteous anger occasioned by sin. By His
resurrection from the dead, the glorified Son raises us to
newness of life. When we appropriate by faith God’s
atoning work in Jesus Christ we are forgiven, justified,
regenerated by His Holy Spirit, and adopted in the family of
God. By His grace He sanctifies His children, purifying
their hearts by faith, renewing them in the image of God, and
enabling them to love God and neighbor with whole heart”
(Mickey 125). As is demonstrated in Mickey’s definition
of salvation, there are many components to a holistic view of
salvation, yet Paul’s familiar words provide a much more
concise definition: “For the wages of sin is death, but the
gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord”
(Rom. 6:23). Through Jesus’ death on the cross,
salvation of mankind was made possible. He took the sins
of the world upon Himself so that the wrath of a holy God was
dispensed on Him rather than on humanity. Therefore,
mankind now can be justified through faith in Jesus Christ and
can be seen by God as righteous because of the righteousness
of Christ. As a result, humanity no longer stands
condemned before God and can receive salvation, being
reconciled back to God. Anyone that desires to be saved
and to spend eternity with God can be.
Foundational to Christian faith is the belief in Jesus Christ and His
atoning death on the cross. Arminian theology (and hence
the doctrine of The Salvation Army) is grounded in the belief
that Christ’s death on the cross atoned for the sins of all
mankind and that through His death, all mankind has been
offered the free gift of salvation. It is recognized,
however, that not all men and women will choose to accept
God’s gift, and therefore, it is believed that though all
can be saved, not all will be saved.
Therefore, ‘whosoever will may be saved.’
Works Cited
Cobb, John B. Grace & Responsibility: A
Wesleyan Theology for Today.
Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1995. Print.
Dunnam, Maxie. Going on to Salvation: A
Study of Wesleyan Beliefs.
Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2008. Print.
Dunning, H. Ray and William M. Greathouse.
An Introduction to Wesleyan Theology.
Kansas City:
Beacon Hill Press, 1989. Print.
Grudem, Wayne. Systematic Theology: An
Introduction to Biblical Doctrine.
Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1994. Print.
Harper, Steve. John Wesley’s Message for
Today. Grand
Rapids: Zondervan, 1983. Print.
Hotle, Dr. Marlin. A Layman’s Guide to
Wesleyan Terminology.
Salem
(OH): Schmul Publishing Co., Inc., 1995. Print.
Maddox, Randy L. Responsible Grace: John
Wesley’s Practical Theology.
Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1994. Print.
Mickey, Paul A. Essentials of Wesleyan
Theology: A Contemporary Affirmation.
Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1980. Print.
The Nelson Study Bible. Earl D.
Radmacher, gen.ed.
Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers,
1997. Print.
Oden, Thomas C. John Wesley’s Scriptural
Christianity: A Plain Exposition of His Teaching on Christian
Doctrine. Grand Rapids, Zondervan,
1994. Print.
The Salvation Army Handbook of Doctrine. London: Salvation Books,
2010. Print.
Steele, David N.
and Curtis C. Thomas. The Five Points of Calvinism:
Defined, Defended, Documented.
Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1963.
Print.
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