Chapter 4: The Salvation of Man

Thus we see that God elects, or selects, some men through whom His purposes are worked out for the benefit of mankind, and voluntary co‑operation is required on the part of those elected. But the election of some does not imply the rejection of all others, as Calvin erroneously supposed. Whatever opinions may be held on this high theme, we are reminded in the concluding paragraph of the Article that the important thing for us is to receive the general teaching of Scripture on God’s will that all men should be saved, that His reconciling work in Christ has all creation for its object^[1] and also in our conduct to observe that same will by obedience to His clearly declared commandments.^[2]

Article XVIII

OF OBTAINING ETERNAL SALVATION ONLY BY THE NAME OF CHRIST^[3]

They also are to be had accursed that presume to say, that every man shall be saved by the Law or Sect which he professeth, so that he be diligent to frame his life according to that Law, and the light of Nature. For Holy Scripture doth set out unto us only the Name of Jesus, whereby men must be saved.

The error denounced in this Article is one which Newman regarded as especially insidious and dangerous, because it was fostered by the modern spirit of toleration and laissez-faire, and he devoted his life to combating it. He named it ‘liberalism’ in religion, and defined it as the view that one faith, or any form of the same faith, was as good as another. Such a view is widespread today and leads to the conclusion that religious beliefs must be indifferent, for they have no finality; that they are all relative to the culture in which they obtain, and vary from age to age and from place to place. The important thing, it is suggested, is that a man should be consistent, and behave according to his creed; that is the most that should be expected of him, and would meet God’s demands.

It will be agreed that God’s justice will never ask of anyone a better life than his circumstances permit; but that is not to say that the best under any conditions is the divine ideal for him. For Christianity too, consistency is a primary virtue. But only consistency at the highest level results in character and conduct which correspond to the divine standard for humanity. A good Christian is a better type than a good Jew or Stoic, because his conception of God and reality is truer. In other words, consistency in itself is not sufficient; it must be a consistency in which expression is given to true thinking. This is the point in our Lord’s saying in St. John 3:23-24, about worshipping God ‘in spirit and in truth’. Sincerity (‘in spirit’) in our approach to God must be accompanied by right ideas on His nature and character (‘in truth’) for the kind of worship He desires, and the guide here is the mind of Christ.^[4]

^[1]Cf. 1 Tim. 2:4; 2 Cor. 5:19; Eph. 1:10 f.

^[2]Lk. 10:25-28; Mtt. 7:21, 24 f.

^[3]Composed for the Forty-two Articles. The original Article had ‘They also are to be had accursed and abhorred’, but the latter expression was dropped in 1571.

^[4]Cf. 1 Cor. 2:16; Phil. 2:5.


	The Salvation of Man
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Title Contents Preface Introduction Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Appendix A Appendix B Appendix C Site Search: powered by FreeFind Copyright & Credit	Thus we see that God elects, or selects, some men through whom His purposes are worked out for the benefit of mankind, and voluntary co‑operation is required on the part of those elected. But the election of some does not imply the rejection of all others, as Calvin erroneously supposed. Whatever opinions may be held on this high theme, we are reminded in the concluding paragraph of the Article that the important thing for us is to receive the general teaching of Scripture on God’s will that all men should be saved, that His reconciling work in Christ has all creation for its object^[1] and also in our conduct to observe that same will by obedience to His clearly declared commandments.^[2] Article XVIII OF OBTAINING ETERNAL SALVATION ONLY BY THE NAME OF CHRIST^[3] They also are to be had accursed that presume to say, that every man shall be saved by the Law or Sect which he professeth, so that he be diligent to frame his life according to that Law, and the light of Nature. For Holy Scripture doth set out unto us only the Name of Jesus, whereby men must be saved. The error denounced in this Article is one which Newman regarded as especially insidious and dangerous, because it was fostered by the modern spirit of toleration and laissez-faire, and he devoted his life to combating it. He named it ‘liberalism’ in religion, and defined it as the view that one faith, or any form of the same faith, was as good as another. Such a view is widespread today and leads to the conclusion that religious beliefs must be indifferent, for they have no finality; that they are all relative to the culture in which they obtain, and vary from age to age and from place to place. The important thing, it is suggested, is that a man should be consistent, and behave according to his creed; that is the most that should be expected of him, and would meet God’s demands. It will be agreed that God’s justice will never ask of anyone a better life than his circumstances permit; but that is not to say that the best under any conditions is the divine ideal for him. For Christianity too, consistency is a primary virtue. But only consistency at the highest level results in character and conduct which correspond to the divine standard for humanity. A good Christian is a better type than a good Jew or Stoic, because his conception of God and reality is truer. In other words, consistency in itself is not sufficient; it must be a consistency in which expression is given to true thinking. This is the point in our Lord’s saying in St. John 3:23-24, about worshipping God ‘in spirit and in truth’. Sincerity (‘in spirit’) in our approach to God must be accompanied by right ideas on His nature and character (‘in truth’) for the kind of worship He desires, and the guide here is the mind of Christ.^[4] ^[1]Cf. 1 Tim. 2:4; 2 Cor. 5:19; Eph. 1:10 f. ^[2]Lk. 10:25-28; Mtt. 7:21, 24 f. ^[3]Composed for the Forty-two Articles. The original Article had ‘They also are to be had accursed and abhorred’, but the latter expression was dropped in 1571. ^[4]Cf. 1 Cor. 2:16; Phil. 2:5.
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