Or aren’t you aware that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? We therefore were buried with Him through baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with Him like this in His death, we will certainly also be united with Him in His resurrection. — Romans 6:3–5 (BSB)
But when the time had fully come, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive our adoption as sons. — Galatians 4:4–5 (BSB)
He saved us, not by the righteous deeds we had done, but according to His mercy, through the washing of new birth and renewal by the Holy Spirit. This is the Spirit He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior. — Titus 3:5–6 (BSB)
Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit.” — John 3:5 (BSB)
Through the death and resurrection of Jesus, we are united with Him in both His suffering and victory. Romans 6 teaches that through baptism we are buried with Christ and raised with Him to new life. Baptism, rightly understood and received in faith, is not merely symbolic—it is a means of grace by which we are incorporated into Christ’s body and begin to walk in the life of the Spirit. In the words of the Book of Common Prayer: “Seeing now that this child is regenerate, and grafted into the body of Christ’s Church…” (Holy Baptism, 1662 BCP).
This union with Christ brings about adoption. Galatians 4:4–5 reminds us that God has sent His Son so that we might become His sons and daughters. This is not a metaphor but a real spiritual status—we become members of God’s household and heirs with Christ. The Holy Spirit confirms this reality in our hearts, bearing witness that we are children of God and empowering us to live holy lives.
Salvation also includes sanctification—the ongoing renewal of our lives by the Spirit. Titus 3:5–6 speaks of the “washing of new birth and renewal by the Holy Spirit,” emphasizing that salvation is both an event and a process. Conservative Anglicans affirm the necessity of continuing in repentance, prayer, sacraments, and Scripture as the means by which the Spirit works in us to conform us to Christ. As the Thirty-Nine Articles teach, “they who are effectually called… are justified freely… and made partakers of the divine nature” (Article XVII).
Ultimately, God saves us into a people—the Church. Our salvation is personal but never private; it is lived out in the community of faith. Here, we are fed by Word and Sacrament, encouraged by fellowship, and sent forth in mission. As the Homily on Salvation in the Anglican formularies declares, “Justification is not the end of our journey but the beginning of a godly life.” God’s salvation is complete: it redeems the soul, transforms the life, and prepares us for glory.
Irenaeus emphasizes the incarnational nature of salvation: God saves by assuming our nature and transforming it through union with Himself.
St. Cyril of Jerusalem (c. 313–386 AD) taught: “You were led by the hand to the holy pool of divine baptism… and there you died and were born again; and that saving water became both your grave and your mother.” — Catechetical Lectures, 20.4
Cyril highlights how baptism unites us to Christ’s death and resurrection—a central means by which God saves.
St. Athanasius (c. 296–373 AD) explained: “The Word was made man in order that we might be made divine.” — On the Incarnation, 54
This theological truth reflects how salvation is not only rescue from sin, but participation in the life of God.
St. Augustine of Hippo (354–430 AD) wrote: “We are saved by grace, not because we will it, not because we run, but because God has mercy.” — On the Spirit and the Letter, 28
Augustine reaffirms the scriptural teaching that salvation is initiated and sustained by divine grace alone.
St. John Chrysostom (c. 347–407 AD) preached: “Everything comes from Him: even our willing, our running, and all else. Salvation is from the Lord.” — Homily on Romans 1
Chrysostom insists that from beginning to end, salvation is God’s doing, though we are called to respond in faith and obedience.
An Anglican Catechism (Expanded) offers over 350+ Scripture-based answers to the core truths of the Christian faith. Each entry includes biblical texts, theological insight, and reflections from historic and contemporary Anglican voices. Rooted in the classical tradition, it is designed for teaching, discipleship, and spiritual formation.
An Ancient Worship Movement invites readers into the rich, historic worship of the early Church rediscovered through the Anglican tradition. This book calls believers into a deeper, Spirit-filled encounter with Christ through timeless practices.
St. Thomas Church
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St. Thomas Church is a Church planting movement in ancient tradition.
