Only in the light of what God has done to restore our fellowship with him do we see the full enormity of our loss. The gravity of our plight and the greatness of God's love are brought home to us by the life, suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. God the Creator is also God the Redeemer, offering salvation to the world. The New Testament speaks of salvation in various ways. Salvation is ultimate or eschatological rescue from sin and its consequences, the final state of safety and glory to which we are brought in both body and soul.
Salvation is also a present reality.
The present reality of salvation is an anticipation and foretaste of salvation in its promised fullness. Always it is clear that the work of redemption has been accomplished by Christ's atoning sacrifice on the cross. Justification is central to the scriptural account of salvation, and its meaning has been much debated between Protestants and Catholics. In justification, God, on the basis of Christ's righteousness alone, declares us to be no longer his rebellious enemies but his forgiven friends, and by virtue of his declaration it is so. The New Testament makes it clear that the gift of justification is received through faith.