The Seventh Doctrine of The Salvation Army attempts to break down and explain what happens when one experiences salvation. It states:
We believe that repentance towards God, faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, and regeneration by the Holy Spirit are necessary to salvation.
A Trinitarian Dilemma
When I first read this particular doctrine, even before I went through my deconstruction process, I thought this was somewhat of a forced statement. It seems as if the writer was try to force a Trinitarian view on salvation, attempting to state that one needs to be saved by all three aspects of the Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. It reminds me of trying to do a family picture with my kids. Everyone is needed, but it seems forced and not everyone is happy with the result.
(My three sons in a failed attempt at a family portrait. It also happens to be my favorite.)
I really like the idea of the Trinity, but at the same time, I have a hard time trying to figure out just what each person of the Trinity has to do in this process of salvation. Also, why is it that the Father has to be the one to whom forgiveness is sought? Why can't it be the Holy Ghost or Jesus?
I've got to have faith . . .
What is this nebulous idea of "faith/belief" in Jesus? Believe what? That Jesus lived? Interesting fact: In German, there is no differentiation between the words "faith" and "belief." It's the same word, "der Glaube." In English, we tend to put nuances on them, but in actuality, "faith" comes to us via the French/Latin route. "Belief" is Germanic and they both mean the same thing.
Once as a Salvation Army officer, I had some young people from the United States come to visit. When they arrived, I gave them a brief rundown of what to expect as far as trying to minister in Germany. There were important things to know, like: You have to shake everyone's hand when entering a room, or else someone might be offended. Verses in a German Bible are numbered differently, especially in the Psalms, and certain books of the Bible are in totally different places than in English Bibles. I reminded them to never use plays on words or acronyms, because they rarely worked in translation and, most importantly:
THERE IS NO DIFFERENCE IN GERMAN BETWEEN FAITH AND BELIEF.
I think they broke every single guideline I gave them.
One sweet girl was speaking before our congregation. She couldn't speak German, so I translated for her. She wanted to talk about three things that were important in her spiritual life. I don't remember what the first one was, but the second and third were "faith" and "belief." I sighed and explained to my congregation what she was trying to imply.
Regeneration?
What is being regenerated? It is our life? I can understand that this process involves the Holy Spirit, but is it something that I must participate in as well? How active do I need to be, if at all? If I am being regenerated, the word itself assumes that I am going back to a state I was previously in. If I am tainted by original sin since birth (which I don't believe in), how can I be regenerated? It's a bad word choice.
Are we like some lizard that loses its tail and then it's regenerated?
I just think this doctrine is badly worded.
What does salvation entail?
Maybe this is the more pertinent question.
Looking at the Bible, there was no one answer for that, either. The writer of Ephesians (who most likely wasn't Paul, but wrote in his style), said: "You are saved by God's grace because of your faith. This salvation is God's gift. It's not something you possessed. It's not something you did that you can be proud of" (Ephesians 2:8,9 CEB).
However, in James 2:14, the writer states, "My brothers and sisters, what good is it if people say they have faith but do nothing to show it? Claiming to have faith can't save anyone, can it?" This seems to be in direct contradiction to the doctrine. Having faith by itself is no good. It won't save you.
Then Jesus said to his own disciples after his resurrection: "If you forgive anyone's sins, they are forgiven; if you don't forgive them, they aren't forgiven" (John 20:23 CEB). This seems to imply that salvation is dependent on us forgiving other people or other people forgiving us.
And, perhaps most controversial, it doesn't seem that we need to do anything for it, as long as someone else believes in Jesus. When Paul and Silas were in prison, the prison warden asked what he needed to do to be saved, they replied to him: "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved - you and your entire household" (Act 16:31 CEB). The prison warden's family didn't need to do anything. They were saved by the faith of the warden.
At one point, we are told it's a free gift of God. (See the passage above from Ephesians.) In another part of the Bible, we are told to "work out our salvation with fear and trembling" (Philippians 2:12).
It's enough to drive one crazy trying to figure it out.
Looking at the Bible, there was no one answer for that, either. The writer of Ephesians (who most likely wasn't Paul, but wrote in his style), said: "You are saved by God's grace because of your faith. This salvation is God's gift. It's not something you possessed. It's not something you did that you can be proud of" (Ephesians 2:8,9 CEB).
However, in James 2:14, the writer states, "My brothers and sisters, what good is it if people say they have faith but do nothing to show it? Claiming to have faith can't save anyone, can it?" This seems to be in direct contradiction to the doctrine. Having faith by itself is no good. It won't save you.
Then Jesus said to his own disciples after his resurrection: "If you forgive anyone's sins, they are forgiven; if you don't forgive them, they aren't forgiven" (John 20:23 CEB). This seems to imply that salvation is dependent on us forgiving other people or other people forgiving us.
And, perhaps most controversial, it doesn't seem that we need to do anything for it, as long as someone else believes in Jesus. When Paul and Silas were in prison, the prison warden asked what he needed to do to be saved, they replied to him: "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved - you and your entire household" (Act 16:31 CEB). The prison warden's family didn't need to do anything. They were saved by the faith of the warden.
At one point, we are told it's a free gift of God. (See the passage above from Ephesians.) In another part of the Bible, we are told to "work out our salvation with fear and trembling" (Philippians 2:12).
It's enough to drive one crazy trying to figure it out.
What then?
Some people might assume that I am deliberately trying to confuse things. I'm not. I even had someone decry me as a "false teacher" due to my post from the previous doctrine. These are genuine questions I have and am nowhere nearer to an answer. Is salvation a process or a gift, or both? Am I saved by proxy, by faith, or by deeds?
What if the answer is "all of the above?"
It's the terminology that gets in the way. "Salvation." "Regeneration." "Faith/Belief."
We need a new language to describe what is going on here.
Jesus said that the greatest thing we could do was to love God by loving others. This "salvation" is then a healing process: a process of love. Sometimes it's instantaneous. Sometimes it takes repeated efforts, patience, and discretion.
Salvation is a healing of wrongs done to us and to others.
Some experience healing through faith. Some experience healing through penance. Some experience healing through the faith of others. What matters is that it involves love.
If I were to reword this doctrine, I would say:
I believe that I experience salvation through the love of God, expressed by my love and the love of others.
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