What does the term 'soteriology' mean?

• A. The doctrine of salvation
• B. The history of sin
• C. The nature of God
• D. The end times

Answer: (A)

Soteriology is the study of salvation—how people are saved, what salvation means, and the means by which it comes. It asks what it takes for a person to be reconciled with God, the roles of grace, faith, and the life, death, and resurrection of a savior, and what the outcome of salvation is (such as forgiveness, new life, and eternal relationship with God). That focus on how salvation is obtained and understood is why the option describing salvation as a doctrine best matches the term.

The other topics point to different areas: eschatology deals with the end times and final things, theology proper (the nature of God) focuses on God's attributes and being, and discussions about the history of sin would address sin itself rather than its remedy.