Does Calling God's Work Evil Cause Loss of Salvation
The question of whether calling God's work evil causes a loss of salvation touches on the theological concepts of good works, repentance, and the nature of salvation itself. Christian theology generally emphasizes that salvation is not earned through human works but is a gift of God's grace [8, 10, 14]. Therefore, the issue is less about whether a specific act or statement, such as calling God's work evil, directly "causes" a loss of salvation, and more about what such an act reveals about one's spiritual state.
Good works are understood as the result of salvation, not its cause [10]. As the Westminster Confession of Faith states, God "effectually call[s]" individuals out of sin to grace and salvation, renewing their wills [12]. John Calvin similarly argues that the "efficient cause of our eternal salvation" is the "free love of the Father," with faith as the instrumental cause [11]. If salvation is by grace through faith, then a person's works, whether good or seemingly evil, do not determine salvation [1, 8]. However, the absence of good works, or the presence of actions that contradict faith, can be seen as evidence that one's faith is "false and dead" [7].
Repentance is a crucial element in the Christian understanding of salvation. The Bible teaches that "godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death" [3, 4]. Calvin describes repentance as a "special gift of God" [6]. If an individual were to call God's work evil, it would suggest a lack of godly sorrow and repentance, indicating a spiritual condition that is contrary to salvation. Such an attitude might be akin to "speaking wickedly for God's defense" or "talking deceitfully for his cause," as Job's friends were challenged [2].
While some traditions, like certain Methodist/Wesleyan interpretations, discuss the possibility of "suffering loss" if one preaches doctrines that do not proceed from heaven, this loss is often understood in terms of one's labor being found useless rather than a complete loss of salvation itself, provided the "proper foundation" of faith is retained [5, 13]. The focus remains on the nature of one's faith and whether it is genuine, rather than on individual actions as direct determinants of salvation. Thomas Aquinas, in discussing predestination, noted that some believed prayers and good deeds were superfluous because the predestined would attain salvation regardless, but he countered that such a view goes "against all the warnings of Holy Scripture, exhorting us to prayer and other good works" [9]. This suggests that while salvation is secure for the elect, the actions and attitudes of believers are still significant and reflective of their spiritual state.
Sources
- Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Works, Good — The old objection against the doctrine of salvation by grace, that it does away with the necessity of good works, and lowers the sense of their importance (Rom. 6), although it has been answered a thousand times, is still alleged by many. They say if men are not saved by works, then works are not necessary. If the most moral of men are saved in the same way as the very chief of sinners, then good works are of no moment. And more than this, if the grace of God is most clearly displayed in the salvation of the vilest of men, then the worse men are the bet”
- Job “Job 13:7 (Geneva1599) — Will ye speake wickedly for Gods defence, and talke deceitfully for his cause?”
- King James Version “[KJV] 2 Corinthians 7:10 — For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.”
- II Corinthians “II Corinthians 7:10 (LITV) — For the grief according to God works repentance to salvation, not to be regretted. But the grief of the world works out death.”
- 1 Corinthians (Methodist/Wesleyan) “Adam Clarke on 1 Corinthians 3:15: If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss - If he have preached the necessity of incorporating the law with the Gospel, or proclaimed as a doctrine of God any thing which did not proceed from heaven, he shall suffer loss - all his time and labor will be found to be uselessly employed and spent. Some refer the loss to the work, not to the man; and understand the passage thus: If any man's work be burned, It shall suffer loss - much shall be taken away from it; nothing shall he left but the measure of truth and uprightness which it may have contai”
- CCEL (Reformed) “John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, section 58: being previously enamored of righteousness. This view, as it is the simplest of all, seemed to me also to accord best with Scripture truth. 21. Moreover, that repentance is a special gift of God, I trust is too well understood from the above doctrine to require any lengthened discourse. Hence the Church 321 321 French, “L’Eglise primitive du temps des Apostres;”—the primitive Church of the Apostles’ time. extols the goodness of God, and looks on in wonder, saying, “Then has God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life,” ( ”
- CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 3, section 34: by faith alone, and hast become a child of God, and since Christ and the Holy Ghost through that faith dwell in thy heart, so are good works necessary, not to obtain salvation (which thou already hast as a matter of grace, without works, through faith alone on the Lord Jesus Christ), but to hold fast your salvation, that it be not lost, and also because if thou dost not produce good works, it is an evidence that thy faith is false and dead, a mere pretence or opinion.” Amsdorf, the chief representative 240 of the extremists in this contro”
- CCEL (Reformed) “John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, section 69: ( Isaiah 61:3 ). Our soul, therefore, will not be duly purified until it ceases to have any confidence, or feel any exultation in works. Foolish men are puffed up to this false and lying confidence by the erroneous idea that the cause of their salvation is in works. 17. But if we attend to the four kinds of causes which philosophers bring under our view in regard to effects, we shall find that not one of them is applicable to works as a cause of salvation. The efficient cause of our eternal salvation the Scripture uniformly proclai”
- theology (Catholic (Scholastic)) “Aquinas, Summa Theologica, First Part (Prima Pars), Of Predestination, Art. 8: Article: Whether predestination can be furthered by the prayers of the saints? I answer that, Concerning this question, there were different errors. Some, regarding the certainty of divine predestination, said that prayers were superfluous, as also anything else done to attain salvation; because whether these things were done or not, the predestined would attain, and the reprobate would not attain, eternal salvation. But against this opinion are all the warnings of Holy Scripture, exhorting us to prayer and other go”
- Ephesians (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Ephesians 2:10: 2:10 He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us: Good works are the result, not the cause, of salvation. God’s Spirit, working through a transformed heart, produces a good life (Gal 5:22-23).”
- CCEL (Reformed) “John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, section 69: Scripture dissuades us from all confidence in works. Fifth answer, showing that we have no ground of boasting. 17. Sixth answer, showing, in regard to four different classes, that works have no part in procuring our salvation. 1. The efficient cause is the free love of the Father. 2. The material cause is Christ acquiring righteousness for us. 3. The instrumental cause is faith. 4. The final cause the display of the divine justice and praise of the divine goodness. 18. A second objection, founded on the glorying of saints. An answe”
- Westminster Confession of Faith (Reformed) “Westminster Confession of Faith (Reformed, 1646), CHAPTER 10: CHAPTER 10 Of Effectual Calling 1. All those whom God hath predestinated unto life, and those only, he is pleased, in his appointed and accepted time, effectually to call, by his Word and Spirit, out of that state of sin and death, in which they are by nature, to grace and salvation, by Jesus Christ; enlightening their minds spiritually and savingly to understand the things of God, taking away their heart of stone, and giving unto them a heart of flesh; renewing their wills, and, by his almighty power, determining them to that which”
- CCEL (Reformed) “John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, section 60: It has now been proved, that Paul has no idea of any other fire than the trial of the Holy Spirit. But how are those who suffer the loss of their works saved by fire? This it will not be difficult to understand, if we consider of what kind of persons he speaks. For he designates them builders of the Church, who, retaining the proper foundation, build different materials upon it; that is, who, not abandoning the principal and necessary articles of faith, err in minor and less perilous matters, mingling their own fictions with the wo”
- Titus (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Titus 3:5: Not by works of righteousness which we have done,.... The great instance of the kindness and love of God our Saviour is salvation; which the apostle denies that it is brought about by any works, even the best works of men; for "works of righteousness" are works done according to a righteous law, and in obedience to it; and in a righteous manner, from right principles of grace, in faith, and with a view to the glory of God; or otherwise they are not righteous actions, or works of righteousness; wherefore not works before, but after conversion, are here meant; for works b”