The Other Salutis Explained

This term wasn't on my original list of soteriological terms to define, but the idea of this salutis came up in the comments on this post, so I've decided to briefly explain it.

Pactum salutis. This term refers to an agreement (or pact, or covenant) made eternally between the persons of the Godhead to save people. The statement that Christ was ordained before the foundation of the world as the One who would redeem people (1 Peter 1) points to a pactum salutis. Most commonly, the pactum salutis is thought of as the equivalent of the covenant of redemption. Some, however, see the pactum salutis as something broader than that, and see the covenant of redemption as part of the pactum salutis. And yes, when we speak of a pactum salutis we are entering the area of the eternal decrees of God: something made certain by a counsel of the persons of the Trinity before creation existed.

The term is primarily a reformed one, although there are certainly other theological systems that would include a redemption pact made before creation, even though there would be disagreement as to the exact details of what was decided in this eternal counsel of the Godhead. Open theism would be a theological system that would reject a pactum salutis, because an open theistic system sees the presence of sin in creation as something that God couldn't foresee with certainty, and some open theists even maintain that God was surpised when Adam sinned.