Salvation by grace through faith, expressed in committed discipleship
Mennonites affirm salvation by God's grace through faith in Jesus Christ. Forgiveness, justification, and new birth are gifts of God received by faith, not earned by human effort. This is fully consistent with mainstream Protestant soteriology.
A distinctive Mennonite emphasis is that salvation is inseparable from discipleship: genuine faith produces a transformed life of following Jesus in community, nonresistance, and service. Salvation is not merely a forensic transaction but a comprehensive reorientation of life under Christ's lordship. The Schleitheim Confession (1527) and the Mennonite Confession of Faith (1995) both reflect this integration of justification by faith with committed discipleship.
Key Distinctions
- Justification means:
- grace through faith; discipleship and transformed life as evidence
- Election type:
- Arminian — free will; prevenient grace; universal atonement
- Baptismal regeneration:
- believer's baptism as covenant commitment; not automatically regenerating
- Eternal security:
- can fall away — community accountability important
Scripture References
Sources
- Mennonite Confession of Faith (1995), Articles 8–9
- Schleitheim Confession (1527)