Waldensians affirm the Reformation principle of salvation by grace through faith alone (sola fide). Salvation is understood as God's gracious gift, received through personal faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Justification — the declaration of the sinner as righteous before God — is by faith, not by works or merit. Regeneration, sanctification, and final glorification are all aspects of the one redemptive work of God.

The Waldensian Confession of 1655 and the Confession of La Chanforan (1532) both emphasize that salvation is the work of God's grace and cannot be achieved through human effort or ecclesiastical mediation. True faith necessarily produces good works and moral transformation, but salvation itself is never conditioned on works. The Waldensian tradition rejects any notion that salvation can be purchased through indulgences or earned through sacramental participation.

This commitment to grace-based salvation places Waldensians squarely within the Reformed Protestant tradition and distinguishes them from Roman Catholicism. The Waldensian emphasis on personal faith and the work of the Holy Spirit reflects their continuity with the broader Reformed heritage.