The earliest Christian understanding of salvation begins with Paul's diagnosis of universal sinfulness — Jews and Gentiles alike stand under sin, with the law serving only to expose transgression rather than to justify. Justification comes through faith in Christ apart from works of the law, available equally to the circumcised and uncircumcised, as Abraham's righteousness was credited by faith before any ritual. Salvation is received through confession of Christ as Lord and belief in his resurrection; God's sovereign mercy determines who receives it — "it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy." Chrysostom and Augustine extend this to ongoing forgiveness: salvation is not only an initial declaration but a lifelong reliance on Christ's atonement, sustained by post-baptismal repentance and grace.
"A man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law" (Romans 3:28); "If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved" (Romans 10:9) — Paul's foundational statements that justification is by faith alone apart from works of the law, and that salvation is received through personal confession and belief in the resurrection.
"It is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy. For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew my power in thee... Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth" — sovereign election as the ultimate ground of salvation, not human will or effort.
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