(MiG Tournament) Exclusivism is Sound Christian Doctrine

I'd like to begin by thanking Man-is-Good for persevering in his management of this very long, drawn out tournament and Logic_on_Rails for patiently working to find a resolution we'd both enjoy debating.I will argue that exclusivism is the preferred doctrine to accept given that it is (a) best supported by scripture and (b) a more philosophically tenable position.Biblical SupportThe subject of salvation is often described in trivialities, usually summarized as "faith in Jesus Christ." While such a description adequately describes the ontology of salvation, it usually leads to many questions regarding the methodology of salvation. Salvation is composes of many pieces, and theologians often refer to this as the Order of Salvation. [1] They are as follows: Election (God's choice of people to be saved) The gospel call (proclaiming the message of the gospel) Regeneration (being born again) Conversion (faith and repentance) Justification (right legal standing) Adoption (membership in God's family) Sanctification (right conduct of life) Perseverance (remaining a Christian) Death (going to be with the Lord) Glorification (receiving a resurrection body) I contend that the above Order of Salvation is doctrinal and irreducible. There is no scriptural warrant to remove any of the above steps. Since all steps are required, and since those steps include faith specifically in Jesus Christ, it follows that exclusivism is proper doctrine. In particular, the steps of the gospel call, conversion, and justification require faith in Jesus. Exclusivism, as we will find, is inescapable.Election. Salvation begins with God's election at the beginning of time of those who He will save. (Rom. 8:28-20; 9:11-13; Eph. 1:4-6; 1 Thess. 1:4-5; Rev. 13:7-8) His choice is not based on foreknowledge of our performance or faith, for that would contradict the notion of justification by faith alone. (2 Tim. 1-9) His choice is, therefore, unconditional.The gospel call. Election occurs before our time, so the gospel call is the first point in time in which God acts on his election. He "summons" us to Him through the human proclamation of the gospel. (1 Cor. 1:9; 2 Thess. 2:14;) Moreover, the gospel call cannot be skipped. Jesus says, "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him." (John 6:44)Regeneration. Jesus said to Nicodemus, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God." (John 3:3) Jesus teaches that all people are blind to the kingdom of God. This is our default position. So, although we might have heard the gospel message, we are not yet able to receive it. We need to be born again into a new kind of creature, and that is not something we have can even remotely do.Conversion. Up to this point, salvation has all been God's doing. It is with a new spirit that we are now able to see the truth of the gospel message and respond to God's call, which we demonstrate through faith and repentance. Conversion entails both. (2 Cor. 7:9-10; Heb. 6:1; Luke 24:46-47; Acts 2:37-38; 3:19; 5:31; 17:30; Rom. 2:4) Repentance is a critical piece of salvation, but repentance requires knowledge of one's need for salvation, approval of the means to salvation, and trust in the promise of salvation. If one does not repent, then one or more of these attributes is missing, which begs a very serious question: without the gospel of Christ, how does one repent and enter into salvation in the first place? How do you turn away from sin and towards righteousness without knowledge of either one?Justification. Conversion demonstrates our renewed spirits, but it does not erase our guilt for both the sins of our past and the sins that we will yet commit in our future. This is where Jesus' death on the cross fits into the picture. Salvation necessitates right legal standing with God. This is done by imputing Jesus' righteousness upon us. We are told that this justification comes through faith. (Romans 4:1-5:21) That is why it comes after Conversion in the order. Opponents to exclusivism risk putting the cart before the horse. Justification is not merely a get-out-of-jail-free card, but the result of putting one's faith firmly in God's special plan for redemption.Adoption. With justification comes the privilege of being adopted into God's family, and as such we become heirs to his inheritance, which is eternal life and communion with God. Again, salvation is not merely an escape from Hell, it is relationship with God. How does one enter into God's family without knowing what it really means?Sanctification. As children of God, we are not yet perfect and will continue to sin throughout this lifetime. However, we will grow increasingly into the image of Christ. Our steady spiritual maturity is a sign of the salvific work of God in our life and is cause for worship since it brings us security in our salvation. Knowledge of Christ is imperative in order to grow more Christ-like.Perseverance. While some Christians do denounce the faith, never to return, those elected by God will never become un-elected. Though the salvation process will undoubtedly manifest differently from saint to saint, God's choice in his elect will be realized.Death. Death is the believer's transition into the final stage of salvation, and is not a punishment for the believer, as it brings the saint into unity with Christ himself. Upon death, the saved enter immediately into the presence of God while the unbeliever enters immediately into Hell.Glorification. The final stage of God's salvific order is to resurrect us into new physical bodies. While Heaven will be glorious, the Bible promises a brand new earth. Eternity will not be an endless church service. We will have perfect physical bodies. There will be recreation without danger, science without limits, and work without toil. It will be familiar yet grander, for we will all be like Christ. This promise brings us hope, and without specific knowledge of the cross, this hope is elusive.The purpose of this mini-sermon is to show how Christ is integrated into the plan of salvation. Copious amounts of scripture point to Jesus as the only way or the Cross as the only means. To accept any alternative to exclusivism is to risk sweeping all this explicit teaching under the rug.It also shows how salvation isn't simplistic or arbitrary, which is how we end up with contrary doctrines to being with. Salvation is intricate. It's a gigantic plan involving thousands of years of God's sovereign, active work. Once the scope of salvation is fully appreciated, it becomes that much more difficult to argue for anything other than exclusivism.Philosophical SupportExclusivism is further proven by the impossibility of the contrary. If one accepts that salvation can occur without profession of faith in Christ, then Jesus' command to "make disciples of all the nations" is both misleading and moot. Evangelism becomes categorically optional, and being a Christian becomes a matter of taste over necessity. If evangelism is not necessary then the gospel message itself is not necessary.ConclusionExclusivism will always be a tough pill to swallow, but intellectually honest exegesis can reach no other conclusion. Jesus isn't merely a tool to carry out God's election. Jesus said, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (John 14:6, emphasis mine) In fact, when you examine the entire process of salvation, it becomes increasingly clear that exclusivism poses no real problem in terms of limited salvation. After all, if both inclusivism and exclusivism result in the salvation of some and not all, then why does God the Almighty even need to operate under the notion inclusivism? He is surely capable of sending the gospel call to those he has chosen.Sources Grudem, Wayne. Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2000. p. 670