Stanley M. Horton, a respected Pentecostal theologian and long-time Assemblies of God scholar, teaches that salvation is entirely God’s work of grace, received by faith in Jesus Christ, and then lived out through a transformed life empowered by the Holy Spirit.
Horton emphasizes that salvation begins with God’s initiative, not human effort. Humanity is lost because of sin and incapable of saving itself. Only through the atoning death and resurrection of Jesus Christ can a person be reconciled to God. Horton consistently points to passages such as Ephesians 2:8–9 to show that salvation is a gift of grace, not something earned by works or religious performance.
At the same time, Horton teaches that salvation requires a personal response of faith. Repentance and faith are inseparable in his theology. Repentance involves a genuine turning away from sin, while faith involves trusting fully in Christ’s finished work on the cross. Horton stresses that saving faith is not merely intellectual agreement, but a heart-level trust that results in a changed life.
Horton also affirms that salvation brings regeneration, meaning the believer is made new by the work of the Holy Spirit. This new birth is more than forgiveness; it is a real inward transformation. He teaches that the Holy Spirit applies Christ’s saving work to the believer, producing new desires, a new direction, and the ability to live a holy life.
Unlike some traditions that separate salvation from ongoing obedience, Horton teaches that a saved life will bear fruit. Good works do not save, but they naturally flow from genuine faith. He frequently emphasizes that believers are called to live in obedience to Christ, not to maintain salvation through works, but as evidence of a living relationship with God.
As a Pentecostal theologian, Horton also highlights that salvation places the believer into a continuing relationship with God, not merely a one-time event. While he strongly affirms assurance of salvation through faith in Christ, he also teaches that believers must continue in faith and avoid willful, persistent sin. Salvation can be forfeited, he argues, not through momentary failure, but through deliberate rejection of faith in Christ.
In summary, Stanley M. Horton teaches that salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, grounded in the finished work of Jesus Christ, brought to life by the Holy Spirit, and expressed through a transformed and obedient life. Salvation is both a decisive moment of new birth and an ongoing walk of faith that continues until the believer stands complete in Christ.
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