Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Catholic
Rethinking Salvation: Exploring The Cosmic Work Of Christ

Rethinking Salvation: Exploring The Cosmic Work Of Christ

Last updated on: August 29, 2025 at 2:38 am by Henry Karlson

0 Comments

Rethinking Salvation: Exploring The Cosmic Work Of Christ 2025-08-29T02:38:58-05:00 Henry Karlson

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Elf: Dog Mosaic / Wikimedia Commons

I have not always been interested in the eschatological fate of animals. When I was growing up, my understanding of salvation was very individualistic. This came from my evangelical background. I believed one had to acknowledge one’s sins, and then ask Jesus for forgiveness via the “Sinner’s Prayer” in order to be saved. Anyone who did not do this would not be saved. I was led to believe this is why Christian evangelization was important, for it revealed the only way to salvation. The irony of this, of course, comes to me now, for the message given before people pray the “Sinner’s Prayer” is that we can do nothing to save ourselves, and yet, we are then told they must say the “Sinner’s Prayer,” which is itself an action on our part. To be sure, this is not to say everything I was taught was wrong; there were elements of truth in what I believed but they were distorted. Nonetheless, what is important from this is that I believed the salvation of souls was the primary focus of the Christian life, and the souls in question were human souls. I did not have any notion as to what God would do with the rest the creation. It wasn’t my concern. It was, at best, left up to God.

When I became Catholic, I began to perceive things differently. I saw salvation in a new light. It was not meant to be so individualistic. It was meant to be communal. There was a personal aspect to salvation, and with it, we find that, far from doing nothing, we are to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling. That is, we must cooperate with grace: grace perfect nature, but only if we let it. Salvation, as I was told, was through grace, but there can be and are many means God uses to have people receive the grace they need: those who are ignorant of the Christian faith are not without means of grace – and no matter how they receive grace, it is always rooted in and comes out of the work of Christ, the Word of God made flesh.

I now know that grace is offered to all. God is at work with the whole of creation. We are not meant not meant to engage it merely as individuals apart from the rest of the world. We are persons with various relationships with others, relationships which can include animals (as seen in the bonds we make with our pets). The more we engage grace and let it work in us, the better our relationship with others should be. Those relationships will allow us to share the grace we have received with others, making us vessel of grace. This is not to say we are the only such instruments. God has many of them, as can be seen in the sacraments. What is key is that the world and all that is in it is touched by grace, and everyone and everything which incorporates grace and becomes transformed by it can become vehicles of grace to others. The world is not rejected by Christ, but rather, is touched by grace. I learned that Christ’s work extended beyond humanity.

Early in my theological studies, I got a sense of cosmic work of Christ, but I would explore it in more depth, and with it, the question of animal salvation (and any other form of life found in creation) later. It was my study of patristics, especially in regards Christology, which completed my theological transformation. Many patristic writers, each in their own way, discussed the cosmic significance of Christ. As I studied the Christological debates this became clearer until I found my understanding of it when I started reading the works of St. Maximos the Confessor (and the theological commentaries surrounding his work). My first engagement with his works was his defense of the two wills (and energies) in Christ, and, finding that work intriguing, I became interested in what else he had to say. At that time, there were only a few works of his available in English, so I supplemented my reading with the scholarly studies on his works which were available. Lars Thunberg’s Microcosm and Mediator: The Theological Anthropology Of Maximus the Confessor became the most important of them. It was that book, more than any other, which opened up my Christological vision, and with it, my understanding of the way humanity related to the rest of creation, including and especially animals. Through the years, as more texts of St. Maximos have been translated, I have picked them up and read them, finding they supplemented my own theological notions. I came to see that humanity has an important role in history, thanks to the incarnation, but we must not believe that our role meant that only humanity matters. God is concerned for all creation, with the preservation and restoration of all the good which sin has harmed and destroyed. The Word of God took on a created nature so that all creation can share in what was accomplished on the cross.

What Maximos (and others) did was give me a new way of thinking, and once I took it on, it influenced the way I saw the cosmos. It helped me see the way humanity is meant to serve as steward over creation, the relationship humans have with animals (and, all other forms of life, and indeed, matter itself) should be one of loving service instead of domination. I do not deny the special, unique role, humanity has been given in salvation history, but I see it similar to, and reflective of, the special role Israel also has in salvation history. God is at work in and with humanity, but God can be found at work in and with others, so that all of creation, all forms of life, are touched by God.

Now I believe that Christianity is meant to take on the cosmic work of Christ and engage it; Christians should look to the world around them as something which is loved by God, something which has its place in the eschaton, and so something which we should look after and protect. Since we are connected with the rest of creation, we have an interdependent relationship with it. Our eschatological destiny is one and the same. Animals can be saved because we can be saved. We can be saved because animals can be saved. The two go together. All dogs can go to heaven because all humanity can go to heaven. We undermine Christ’s work when we ignore the cosmic significance of that work. We undermine Christ’s work when we think humanity’s special place in salvation history means humanity alone can be saved, just as we undermine God’s work in history if we think only Israel mattered to God, and before the incarnation, only the Jews could be holy and be saved.

I have gone a long way from the selfish, individualistic notion of Christianity of my youth. I have also gone beyond seeing Christ’s salvific work as being exclusive to humanity. Now, when I am asked, do dogs (or cats, or fish, or hamsters, or any other pet, or creature in existence) go to heaven, I answer yes, for in the end, all things do as God will be all in all. One of the effects of Christ’s work in the incarnation is to bring about the unity of all things so that they can all find their place in the kingdom of God.

* This Is Another Post From My Personal (Informal) Reflections And Speculations Series

Stay in touch! Like A Little Bit of Nothing on Facebook.
If you liked what you read, please consider sharing it with your friends and family!

N.B.: While I read comments to moderate them, I rarely respond to them. If I don’t respond to your comment directly, don’t assume I am unthankful for it. I appreciate it. But I want readers to feel free to ask questions, and hopefully, dialogue with each other. I have shared what I wanted to say, though some responses will get a brief reply by me, or, if I find it interesting and something I can engage fully, as the foundation for another post. I have had many posts inspired or improved upon thanks to my readers.

Progressive Christian

Previous Post

August 27, 2025

Overcoming the False Self: The Need For Community

Next Post

August 31, 2025 God's Unyielding Love: The Hope Of Salvation For Everyone

Recent Comments

0 | Leave a Comment

"Gosh, did that hit the spot. I have been having great anxiety lately. And I ..."

Mark Wilson

Rejecting Doom: Christian Hope And Human ..."

"Justice and peace are two sides of the same coin. Where there is justice, there ..."

Dr.Cajetan Coelho

Justice First, Charity Beyond It: Serving ..."

"Thank you for your very, very powerful and very, very insightful analysis of the relationship ..."

alwayspuzzled

Justice First, Charity Beyond It: Serving ..."

"Given the amount of lethal malevolence that has prevailed in human history for the past ..."

alwayspuzzled

We Must Value Our Health

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Abortion Abraham abuse Aesthetics AI Aliens Ambrose Ancestors and Everything Andrew Angels Animals Anne Anthony Antisemitism apologetics Apophatic Apostle John Aquinas Artificial Intelligence Asanga Ascension Asceticism Assumption Atheism Attachment Augustine Authority Avarice Balthasar Baptism Beauty Biden birthright citizenship Bishops Black History Books Buddhism Bulgakov Byzantine Calendar C.S. Lewis Calcidius Catholic Catholicism Catholicism Celibacy Charity Chastity children Chrismation Christ Christmas Christology Church Climate Change Common Good Communion Confession Confirmation Conscience Constantine conventions conversion councils Covid Creation Cross Dead Death Death Penalty Debate Deception Demagogues Demons Desert Monks Desert Mothers Desire destruction development Dialogue Dignity Dionsyius Dionysius Discipline Diversity Division Doctor Who doctrine dogma Dormition Dualism Easter Easter Series Ecumenical Councils Ecumenism Education Election Empathy Environment Error Eschatology eschaton Eternity Ethics Eucharist Evangelism Eve Evil evolution Faeries Faith Fear femininity Ficino Florence Florensky Folktale Fools Forgiveness Freedom Future gender Gentile Gentiles Glory Gnostic God gods Good Samaritan Goodness Gospel Government Grace Great Fast Guns Hate healing Health Heaven Hell Hellenism Heresy Hierarchy Hildegard Hinduism History Holiness Holy Spirit Holy Week Hope Horror Human rights humanity Humility hypocrisy ICE icon icons Identification Identity Idol II Nicea Immigration incarnation Individualism Informal Reflections Inklings Intention Inter-Religious Interfaith Internet Interpretation Intrinsic evil Irenaeus Islam Israel Jacob Jerome Jesus Jews John Chrysostom John of Damascus John the Baptist Joseph Judaism justice Justification kenosis Kindnesss Kingdom of God Kingdom of Heaven Law Law of Moses Lazarus Leaf by Niggle Lent Lenten Reflection Liberation Theology Lies Life Listen Literature Liturgy locutions Logic Logos Love Marriage Martyrs Mary Mass Maximos The Confessor Meanness Meditation Mercy Middle Path Migrants Mind Miracles Miriam Morals Moses Movies Music Muslims Myths Names Nationalism Native Americans New Year Nicea Nicholas Nothing Novatian Obedience Occam's Razor Ordination Origen Original Sin Orthodox orthopraxis Pagans Palamas Palm Sunday Paradise Paschaltide Paul Peace Pentecost person Peter piety PKD Plato pluralism Plurality Poem Poetry Poiltics Politics Poor Pope Pope Francis Pope Leo XIV Post Office Prayer Pride Pro-life Prodigal Son propaganda Prophecy Prophets Providence Putin Racism Reading Reason Reflection Refugees Relationships Religion Religion Series Religious Liberty Repent Republicans Rest Resurrection Rich Rites Russia Sacraments Saints Salvation Salvian Santa Science Scripture Self-Giving Sexuality Sibyl Sick Silence Sin Singlehood Social Justice Society Sodom Solovyov Speculations Spiritual Reflection St. Cyril of Alexandria St. Justin Martyr Suffering Sunday of the Paralytic Man Sunday of the Samaritan Woman Superhero Supreme Court Teaching Technology Thanksgiving The Father the Universe Theological Reflection Theology Theosis Theotokos Thomas Timaeus Time Tolerenace Tolkien Tradition Transfiguration Trinity Trump Truth Uncategorized Unity Universities USCCB Value Vatican II Vegetarian Vices Violence Virtue Vocations War Water Welcome Wisdom Womanhood Women Work World View Worship Writing Zacchaeus

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz