Christ's saving death
- F09.1 Christ died for our sins and his death saves: consensus from Era I (high)
Two separate measures, shown side by side; neither is combined with the other (confidence-weighted, out of 4; counts show how many of this doctrine's 1 questions each rests on). This doctrine is first-order (tier weight 3). How scoring works · Scripture and tradition · Glossary · Every score with its citation
Closeness to Scripture
Closeness to the fathers
Charts: closeness to the fathers by question, and timeline
- c. 96 Clement of Rome F09.1
- c. 110 Ignatius F09.1
- c. 150 Ep. to Diognetus F09.1
- c. 180 Irenaeus F09.1
- 1547 Trent VI Catholic
- 1646 Westminster Confession Presbyterian
- 1672 Confession of Dositheus Orthodox
F9 · Christ’s saving death
Christ died for our sins (1 Cor 15:3) and his death saves; how it saves is S20 and T6.
Tier: First-order (scoring weight 3). How the tiers were set: theological triage. Method: conventions. Traditions’ sources: confessional sources.
In short
Paul calls it ‘of first importance’ that Christ died for our sins. The earliest fathers say the same: his blood was shed for our salvation, a ransom for sinners. All nine traditions hold this; they differ only on how his death saves, which is a second-order question.
Plan
Question: F09.1: did Christ’s death save? How it saves is S20 and T06. Scripture: Isa 53:5–6; Mark 10:45; Rom 3:25; 5:8–10; 1 Cor 15:3; 2 Cor 5:21; 1 Pet 2:24; 3:18. Fathers: 1 Clement 7; Ignatius, Smyrnaeans 2; Diognetus 9; Irenaeus, Against Heresies V.1.1.
Questions
- F09.1 Did Christ’s death save?
Verdicts and trace
Weighed under the source-proximity principle: Scripture first, then the father eras I–IV.
F09.1 · Did Christ’s death save?
| Question | Verdict | Confidence | Reasoning | Key sources | Scripture (benchmark) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| F09.1 | Christ died for our sins and his death saves: consensus from Era I | High | F09.1.1 · F09.1.3 weighing | clement-of-rome-f09-s1 · ignatius-f09-s1 · diognetus-f09-s1 · irenaeus-f09-s1 | F09.1.4: high |
Post-750 development
Which of this doctrine’s questions each tradition stays closest to, or departs from. Each row links to the tradition’s notes; exact scores and bases are in the reasoning.
| Tradition | Closest to the fathers on | Departs or sharpens on |
|---|---|---|
| Catholic | F09.1 | — |
| Orthodox | F09.1 | — |
| Oriental Orthodox | F09.1 | — |
| Lutheran | F09.1 | — |
| Anglican | F09.1 | — |
| Presbyterian | F09.1 | — |
| Reformed Baptist | F09.1 | — |
| General Baptist | F09.1 | — |
| Anabaptist | F09.1 | — |
Overall verdict
All nine confess that Christ’s death saves. They differ on how (S20, T06), not on whether.
Verification status
Dositheus 8, SC 1660 art. 3 and Dordrecht IV wording are to verify.