Is Anyone Else Bothered by the Last Line of the Athanasian Creed? (Ep125)

When the Athanasian Creed is read on Trinity Sunday every year, many Protestant Christians struggle with the last line, “Those who have done good will enter into eternal life, but those who have done evil will go into eternal fire.” This implication that salvation is by human works seems to conflict with the teaching that salvation is by grace through faith alone. But for a couple of reasons it’s safe to call this a misunderstanding.

First, this line from the Creed is almost a direct quote of Jesus’ own words in John 5:29: there is coming a day when the day will be raised, “those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment.” Unless we are prepared to say Jesus has bad theology, we’ll need to find a way to incorporate the Creed’s teaching into our theology. And this, as it turns out, is explained in many more places in Scripture. Paul teaches in Ephesians 2:8-9 that we are saved by grace through faith as a gift, but Ephesians 2:10 explains that this salvation is given to us because we are God’s workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works.

In other words, we are saved by grace through faith alone, but that salvation will result in good works, which–on the last day–will be the evidence of whether or not we have been saved by grace.

Hosts: Aaron Mueller and Chuck Rathert

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