“But your iniquities have built barriers between you and your God, and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He does not hear.” — Isaiah 59:2 (BSB)
“As for you, you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you used to walk when you conformed to the ways of this world… we all lived among them at one time in the cravings of our flesh… and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest.” — Ephesians 2:1–3 (BSB)
“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” — Romans 6:23 (BSB)
“Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe has already been condemned, because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.” — John 3:18 (BSB)
Because of sin, we are subject to God’s righteous judgment. The Book of Common Prayer states this soberly in the Litany: “Remember not, Lord, our offenses… spare us, good Lord.” Ephesians 2:3 describes our condition apart from Christ as being “by nature children of wrath.” We are not morally neutral—we are fallen, disordered, and guilty before God. This is why we need salvation: not as self-improvement, but as rescue from death, judgment, and alienation from our Creator.
Yet the good news is that God does not leave us in this condition. The Gospel reveals that “the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life” (Romans 6:23). Salvation is God’s gift, given freely through Jesus Christ, who bore our sin on the cross and rose again to offer new life. It is not earned by works or religious effort, but received by grace through faith. In the Thirty-Nine Articles, Article IX speaks of Original Sin as “the fault and corruption of the Nature of every man,” and Article XI affirms that we are “accounted righteous before God… only for the merit of our Lord.”
Without salvation, we remain condemned. Jesus Himself declared, “Whoever does not believe has already been condemned” (John 3:18). This is not cruel, but just—God honors our choices, and persistent rejection of His mercy leads to separation from Him forever. Salvation, then, is not optional or secondary—it is essential. Anglican theology faithfully preserves this urgency in its call to repent and believe, not merely to improve our lives, but to escape the wrath to come and find true peace with God.
As Bishop J.C. Ryle wrote, “The man who does not realize the weight and penalty of sin will never value the redemption of Christ.” To understand our need for salvation is the beginning of wisdom and the gateway to grace. Recognizing our lostness apart from Christ leads us to cry out for mercy—and it is precisely here that God meets us, not with condemnation, but with the promise of new birth, forgiveness, and everlasting life in His Son.
Irenaeus affirms the depth of our fall in Adam and the corresponding necessity of salvation through Christ.
St. Justin Martyr (c. 100–165 AD) said: “For the human race, which from the beginning had fallen under death and deception, needed someone to redeem them… and this was Christ, sent by God.” — Dialogue with Trypho, 95
Justin emphasizes that humanity was lost and needed a Redeemer to break the power of sin and death.
St. Augustine of Hippo (354–430 AD) wrote: “Man is so fallen that he cannot see the light unless it is given him, nor can he rise unless God raises him.” — Enchiridion on Faith, Hope, and Love, 28
Augustine insists that our need for salvation is total—apart from grace, we are helpless and blind.
St. Athanasius (c. 296–373 AD) taught: “For the transgression of the command brought man under the dominion of corruption, and it was necessary that the Word should come to renew him again to life.” — On the Incarnation, 6
Athanasius links our sinful condition with mortality and decay, which only Christ can reverse.
St. Cyril of Jerusalem (c. 313–386 AD) stated: “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God. We need a Savior—not merely a teacher or prophet, but One who can reconcile us to the Father.” — Catechetical Lectures, 10.2
Cyril affirms the universal guilt of humanity and our absolute need for reconciliation through Christ.
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.
