Quaker soteriology varies significantly along evangelical and liberal lines. Evangelical Quakers affirm salvation through the death and resurrection of Christ by grace alone, received through faith—a position reflected in the Richmond Declaration of Faith adopted by evangelical meetings in 1887. They emphasize that the work of the Holy Spirit inwardly transforms the believer into the likeness of Christ.

Liberal and progressive Quakers often approach salvation more broadly as spiritual transformation and transformation of society, without necessarily centering on Christ's atonement as the mechanism. Some emphasize moral development and alignment with divine justice. London Yearly Meeting and other liberal conferences have traditionally allowed this diversity, holding that Quakers should seek direct knowledge of God without requiring assent to particular doctrinal formulas.