Salvation and Mortal Sin
Vincent Maling

"The soul... [will] be rewarded according to what it deserves, being destined to obtain either an inheritance of eternal life and blessedness, if its actions shall have procured this for it, or to be delivered up to eternal fire and punishments, if the guilt of its crimes shall have brought it down to this."
--The Church Father, Origen

Justification through Grace, by Saving Faith

The Bible, at times, can be confusing as to what the requirements for eternal life are. On the topic of Salvation, many questions arise. How are we saved? What is justification? How are we justified? In light of many things, not excluding the recent "Joint Declaration of Justification" bewteen the Catholic and Lutheran churches, the role of a so-called "saving Faith" in salvation must be examined.

The Bible tells us different things about salvation. John 3:16 tells us that "whosoever believe in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." Romans 2:6-7 tells us that God "'will render to each one according to his deeds': eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor, and immortality." Romans 8:24 tells us that "we are saved in this hope". Luke 7:50 tells us "Your faith has saved you." So what is it that we are saved by? Belief? Good Works? Hope? Faith? A combination?

First, we must find out how we are justified. Let us turn to Romans 5:18: "Therefore, as through one man's offense judgement came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man's righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life."

Romans 5:16 tells us that "the free gift which came from many offenses resulted in justification." This "free gift" is clarified in verse 17, which clearly tells us that the free gift is the ultimate grace given by Christ's death on the cross, and that this justification results in eternal life. And so we know that it is Christ's death alone that allows us to be justified, and that that justification gives us eternal life. Acts 13:39 reads as follows: "and by Him everyone who believes is justified from all things which you could not be justified by the law of Moses." 

There are certain Scriptural passages that may indicate a saving faith; that is, a faith that alone can save a soul. These passages are few, and for this reason the Catholic Church has always held that faith (not saving, but intellectual), hope, AND charity are necessary for salvation. But Protestantism often takes these passages and develops ideas about a saving faith; namely, the doctrine of sola fide. A problem comes in with the chaotic division of Protestantism: some sects hold that intellectual faith alone justifies, while others hold that a "saving faith" (a faith that includes hope and charity) justifies. These former are heretical, the latter orthodox. In Catholic theology, this "saving faith"  is what is known as fides formata or "faith formed by charity." The alternative to formed faith is fides informis or "faith unformed by charity." This is the kind of faith described in James 2:19, for example-- the kind of faith which, alone, cannot save. Saving faith is described and characterized in Galatians 5. Here we see a specific reference to "faith working through love" (5:6), and this is the kind of faith that saves. But let's examine further why, historically, the Catholic formula for salvation has not been sola fide. Four worthy and significant reasons exist for the Church's rejection of the use of the general sola fide formula. The first three are cited from James Akin's essay, "Justification by Faith Alone", and the fourth is added by myself:

First, the Romans 14 sense of the term pistis is frankly the more common in the New Testament. It is much harder to think of passages which demand that pistis mean "faith formed by charity" than it is to think of passages which demand that pistis mean "intellectual belief." In fact, even in Galatians 5:6 itself, Paul has to specify that it is faith formed by charity that he is talking about, suggesting that this is not the normal use of the term in his day.

Second, the New Testament regularly (forty-two times in the KJV) speaks of "the faith," meaning a body of theological beliefs (e.g. Jude 3). The connection between pistis and intellectual belief is clearly very strong in this usage.

Third, Catholic theology has focused on the triad of faith, hope, and charity, which Paul lays great stress on and which is found throughout his writings, not just in 1 Corinthians 13:13 (though that is the locus classicus for it), including places where it is not obvious because of the English translation or the division of verses. If in this triad "faith" is taken to mean "formed faith" then hope and charity are collapsed into faith and the triad is flattened. To preserve the distinctiveness of each member of the triad, the Church chose to use the term "faith" in a way that did not include within it the ideas of hope (trust) and charity (love). Only by doing this could the members of the triad be kept from collapsing into one another.

Fourthly, and most simply, the actual phrase, "faith alone" is mentioned only once in the entire Bible, in James 2:24, which reads: "You see then that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone." Thus, the only time that the Bible uses the formula "faith alone," it rejects it.

1. We are justified by a full, living faith (cf. John 3:36).
2. We are justified by faith (Romans 5:1), by charity (good works) (James 2:24), and in hope (Romans 8:24).
3. When the Bible talks about a Saving Faith, this faith = Faith, Hope, and Charital love,  (cf. 1 Corinthians 13:13) because a saving faith is a lived faith.
4. We are saved through justification (Romans 5:18, Acts 3:39, cf. John 3:36)
5. We are saved by grace alone (Ephesians 2:8) through faith, charity, and hope (saving belief).

Justification as a Process

Contrary to common Protestant belief, Biblical justification is actually a process. Catholics make the correct choice in equating Biblical justification with Biblical sanctification, which Protestants separate. We can be justified before the Lord by faith, and continue our justification later by acts of charity. It is right to say, however, that faith is the foundation of this justification. Our charity and hope stream out of our faith. But it is important to remember that we are still justified by the works of charity or acts of hope which stream from our faith. The Coucil of Trent puts it this way: "...we are therefore said to be justified by faith, because faith is the beginning of human salvation, the foundation and root of all justification, without which it is impossible to please God..." The document goes on to describe how our justification can be increased, and defends the fact that it can indeed be increased.

We are told by the apostles that "although our outside self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day." (2 Cor 4:16). The verse means, of course, that while our physical selves continue to get old and worn, our Spiritual selves continue to be reborn and justified before the Lord. Paul commands: "just as you presented the parts of your bodies as slaves for impurity and to lawlessness for lawlessness, so now present them as slaves of righteousness for sanctification." John describes a definite process of justification when he writes, "He that is just, let him be justified still" (Rev 22:11). As it is written: "Be not afraid to be justified even to death" (Sirach 18:22).

Despite the fact that the Bible clearly teaches that justification is a process, Protestants insist upon separating justification from sanctification (the latter of which they say is the process, while the former is a legal declaration.) There is absolutely no Biblical grounds for this. In fact, the Bible usually relates santification to salvation. We are told that God chooses us "for salvation through the sanctification of our spirit and belief in the Truth." Again, in Hebrews 10:10: "we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ". This verse has virtually the exact same meaning as Romans 5:16 and 5:18, except in these verses, the word "justification" is used. Paul addresses his letter to the Corinthians not "to those who are justified" but "to those who are sanctified". Paul ministers to the Gentiles so that they might be sanctified, not justified (Rom 15:16). Biblically, we cannot deny that justification and sanctification are, for all practical purposes, the same thing.

Sanctifying Grace

When we give our lives to Christ and accept Him as personal Saviour and Lord, we receive what is called "sanctifying grace." The Bible tells us that we are saved by Christ's grace alone. This grace is sanctifying grace, which is given to us freely by Christ as a gift, not of our own works. Before conversion to Christ, we are dead in sin (Romans 6:1-14). We cannot merit anything for ourselves. We cannot earn for ourselves this sanctifying grace. This sanctifying grace is a gift given freely by God, not of our own works (Ephesians 2:8). This is not to say, however, that man does absolutely no part in receiving this sanctifying grace. Indeed, man plays a part in in this reception through cooperating with God. The Coucil of Trent calls this phase "the preparation" and canonizes it in this way: "If anyone says that man's free will moved and aroused by God, by assenting to God's call and action, in no way cooperates toward disposing and preparing itself to obtain the grace of justification, that it cannot refuse its assent if it wishes, but that, as something inanimate, it does nothing whatever and is merely passive, let him be anathema." Those who die in a state of sanctifying grace will inherit eternal life. Those who do not, eternal punishment.

John 3:16 tells us that belief is necessary for sanctifying grace. Having already established that faith, hope, and charity are what makes up a true, lived belief, we can simply and assuredly say that faith, hope, and charity are necessary for sanctifying grace. For these reasons, faith, hope, and charoty are called the three theological virtues.

When we become a Christian (conversion) Christ grants these three vital, justifying elements to us. When we accept Christ into our hearts, we are given Faith, that we might believe in Him and all that He has said. We are given hope, that we might look forward to judgement and His coming, and that He will provide for us. And we are given charity, that we might work and serve in God's name.

Faith and hope are usually combined by Protestants. This is perfectly acceptable, as we see in Hewbrews: 11:1. But it is also perfectly acceptable to make the distinction between faith and hope, as the Bible often does as well (Romans 5:1-5, for instance.) For theological purposes, we will make the distinction between faith and hope.

Faith

Faith is the foundation of the three three theological virtues. It is through faith that our works and hope stream out. Our faith in God is constantly mentioned as justifying. Let's take a look at Romans 3:26, for instance: "to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus."

We are justified by faith, simply not by faith alone, as many Protestants claim. The Protestant false doctrine of sola fide (faith alone) is totally unBiblical and often unjustly used against Catholics. Those who believe in justification by faith alone will site verses like Romans 3:28, which tells us: "Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law." They will say that faith (which includes Hope) justifies us and that good works do not. But this is far from the truth. In Romans 3:28, it is "deeds of the law" that we are not justified by, not "good works." Looking at the context of the verse, we find that circumcision is defined as a deed of the law. The ancient Jewish, now worthless and faithless laws, such as circumcision, do not justfiy us. These deeds of the law, which are not good works, and do not come from faith, rather an obediance to human, abolished law, play no part in our justification. That is what the verse is saying. Protestants should realize that although faith justifies us, it is not Biblical to say that only faith justifies us. They should realize that the phrase "faith alone" is used only once in the entire New Testament, in James 2:24, where we are told specifically that we are not justified by faith alone. We simply must remember that unless a Protestant's definition of faith includes active charity, it cannot be a saving Faith in and by itself.

The theme of faith as a justifying element runs throughout the Bible. It is undoubtedly important, and should be ignored by nobody. Certain non-Christian etremists may claim that we are not justified by faith in Christ, but by our own "good" works on this Earth. However, it should be immediately regarded that that idea is ridiculous and heretical according to the Bible and according to the Church. And so it is necessary to state that we are justified by faith, but not by faith alone.

Hope

The Bible often combines Faith with Hope, and rightly so. Faith and hope are intertwined and extremely similar in many ways. Faith is the trust in God as existent and active, as well as the trust in all that He has done. Hope is the trust that God will keep His promises, and that Heaven will exist as a reward for those who have sanctifying grace. Although intertwined, the Bible does, at times, make distinctions between faith and hope. One of the greatest passages to demonstrate this is Romans 5:1-5, which reads as follows:

"Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverence; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not dissapoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us."

While the Bible often speaks of the combination of Faith and Hope, called Faith, as saving and justifying, it also sees fit to portray distinctly hope as justifying and saving. Let us turn to Romans 8:23-25: "Not only that, but we also have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our own body. For we are saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope in what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverence."

Therefore, one must believe that hope is necessary for sanctifying grace and justification, and thereby salvation. It is acceptable if one believes that Faith includes hope, but it is necessary that hope is present in that Faith. It is also acceptable if one makes the distinction between Faith and Hope, so long as both are posessed.

Charity and Merit

Charity is the love for God that fuels our service to Him. The virtue of Love for God can simply be called love, or it can be called charity. The Bible uses the word Love. However, it is important to note that charity is manifested through good works. Therefore, the names for this virtue are charity and love, and the name for its manifestations are good works or works. The Bible makes it explicitly clear that this virtue is necessary for salvation.

James 2:24 reads as follow: "You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith alone." Let us also turn to Romans 2:6,7: "God, who 'will render to each one according to his deeds': eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor, and immortality." You see that here it is by good works that one is granted eternal life. Do not make the mistake of saying that it is by works alone that a man is granted eternal life or justified. The Bible makes it clear that works are not the only justifying element in one's life. They are, however, very important. James tells us that "faith without works is dead." This is because if one does not have charity (works), his faith will give him no advantage in the day of judgement. Love for God, another name for charity, is also described as a necessity for salvation. 1 Corinthians 13:2 tells us that "if I have faith to move mountains, but have not Love, I am nothing." John writes "He that loveth not, abideth in death" (1 John 3:14). John's context defines death as a Spiritual death (e.g. v. 15). We can safely assume that one who has no Charity has no sanctifying grace, and in turn, no salvation.

The works that we do to manifest our charity before God are undeniably invloved in our justification. Besides James 2:24 and Romans 2:6-7, we are told by Paul to "work out our own salvation in fear and trembling" (Phillipians 2:12). Paul reminds us in the next verse, however, that while our works are part of our justification and salvation before God, it is God that works within us. To love God is called the "greatest and the first commandment" in Matthew 22:38. Christ himself teaches that "her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little." (Luke 7:47), clearly indicating the importance of love and works in one's Spiritual life. Our words are an important part of our deeds as well. Christ taught that "by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned." (Luke 12:37). In Christ's great parable of the lambs and goats, we see that it is those who do works that enter heaven, and those who do not that enter hell. (Matthew 25:31-46).

Some have denied that we can merit anything for ourselves. Human work, they say, can win no Spiritual rewards. While certain Biblical texts seem at first to suggest this, there are a huge amount of Biblical texts that oppose it. Paul writes to Timothy is 1 Timothy 6:18-19, "Tell them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous, ready to share, thus accumulating as treasure a good foundation for the future, so as to win the life that is true life." The "life that is true life" obviously refers to eternal life; heaven, and presence with God. Paul is advising Timothy that he should preach the truth, the truth being that humans can attempt to win this very eternal life, through their good works and deeds. The writer of Hebrews commands us: "Strive for peace with everyone, and for that holiness without which no one will see the Lord." (12:14) Here, the author warns Christians that without a certain holiness, they will not see the Lord, i.e. they will not achieve eternal salvation and enter Heaven. And the author makes it aware that we are to strive to attain this holiness, indicating a certain process of merit. This is not to say, however, that God plays no role in our merits. In fact, it is God and His grace alone that allow us to merit anything Spiritual. Phillipians 2:12 (already cited) tells us to work out our own salvation in fear and trembling. But the next verse Paul reminds us that "God is the one who, for His own good purpose, works in you both to desire and to work." Indeed, it is important to remember that while we merit, it God's Grace alone that allows us to do so.

The Council of Trent gracefully explains merit in the following way: "Hence, to those who work well unto the end and trust in God, eternal life is to be offered, both as a grace mercifully promised to the sons of God through Christ Jesus, and as a reward promised by God himself, to be faithfully given to their good works and merits."

In conclusion, charity, which is called love and is manifested through good works, is necessary for sanctifying grace.

Mortal Sin

We have established that sanctifying grace is what justifies us and is the sole requirement for salvation. In order to be in a state of sanctifying grace, one must have Faith, Hope, and Charity.

Rejecting any one of these is rejecting Christ Himself, and results in eternal punishment at judgment. Once Faith and Hope are acquired, through conversion, they cannot be lost. Why? Because if one truly has Faith and Hope in God then He will know that God is his Savior and Lord, and will always believe that God is his Savior and Lord. Charity, however, can be lost. It can be lost through something we Catholics call, "mortal sin." Mortal sin is sin that tears apart our relationship with Christ by eliminating our active charity.

The existence of mortal sins as opposed to non-mortal (venial) sins is identified and described in 1 John 5:16-17. "If anyone sees his brother sinning a sin which does not lead to death, he will ask, and He will give him life for those who commit a sin not leading to death. There is sin leading to death. I do not say that he should pray about that. All unrighteousness is sin, and there is sin not leading to death." The "sin that leads to death" (mortal sin) must be seen as leading to Spiritual death, because it destroys our relationship with God, as is obvious according to the context. If any one dies with mortal sins unforgiven, whether they have faith and hope or not, they will forever perish.

Mortal sin is when we commit a grave sin in full consciousness and under our own, full, free will. It is directly opposing God's law, and thereby God Himself. If we think to ourselves before sinning, "Well, I am going to break God's law. I know I shouldn't, but I am going to anyway.", then we are mortally sinning. By doing this, you are rejecting Christ's work within you, and you are ceasing to follow Him in your actions, resulting in a loss of charity. Pope John Paul II recently stated: "With the whole Tradition of the Church, we call mortal sin the act by which man freely and consciously rejects God, His law, the covenant of Love that God offers, preferring to turn in on himself or to some created and finite reality, something contrary to the divine will." (Summa). In venial sin there is a genuine decision to do this or that action, but there is no decision to become this or that sort of person. A mortal sin, on the other hand, is a choice that effects your very person and character. Whereas you, as a person, would normally not wish to break God's law, you decide to act against God, thereby purposefully and sepcifically rejecting God's law, and changing your own character or person. This change may be temporary, but it is a change nonetheless. Several passages tell us that when we sin willfully, mortally, that we die in our sin. Let us examine Hebrews 10:26-31, Ezekial 18:24, and James 1:14-15:

"For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries. He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses: Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace? For we know him that hath said, "Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense," saith the Lord. And again, "The Lord shall judge his people." It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God." (emphasis added)

"But when the righteous turneth away from his righteousness, and commiteth iniquity, and doeth according to all the abominations that the wicked man doeth, shall he live? All his righteousness that he hath done shall not be mentioned: in his trespass that he hath trespassed, and in his sin that he hath sinned, in them shall he die". (emphasis added)

"Rather, each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire conceives and brings forth sin, and when sin reaches maturity it gives birth to death." (emphasis added)

The writers of Hebrews is very explicit with his words. Notice that he speaks not of any sin, but of sin that is sinned "willfully." This is the essence of the doctrine of mortal sin: mortal sin is the willful turning against God in sin. Notice also that the hypothetical person of the passage has already "received the knowledge of the Truth", that is, he knows that the sin he commits is wrong in the eyes of his God. And when he sins this sin, both willfully and knowingly, he inherits Spiritual death: "there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation."

Again, in Ezekial's writings, we see that the hypothtical sinner is already a Christian, he is "righteous" in the eyes of God. He is saved. He is justified. He is sanctified. And yet when the person turns from his righteousness and commits iniquity, he dies Spiritually. When he actually turns from his righteousness, that is, mortally sins, all of his righteousness before God, every single good work, becomes worthless and unmentioned. Why? Because through his sin he has lost his sanctifying grace, through his sin he becomes unjustified in the eyes of the Lord. This indeed is mortal sin.

And again in the writings of James, we see that not all sin "gives birth to death." It is only when "sin reaches maturity" that it is mortal. Thus, a distinction in the severity of sins is made: mature sin leading to spiritual death (mortal), and immature sin not leading to spiritual death (venial). Here, while the elements of will and knowledge are not explicitly present as in Hebrews and Ezekial, they are there in implicit meaning nonetheless.

Furthermore, mortal sins cannot be forgiven in the same way venial sins are (simple prayer for forgiveness). 1 John 5:16 tells us "If anyone sees his brother sinning a sin which does not lead to death, he will ask, and He will give him life for those who commit a sin not leading to death." But 1 John 5:16 also tells us "There is such thing as sin leading to death. I do not say that he should pray about that. " [emphasis added]. And in Hebrews, "For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins." Mortal sins, because simple prayer does not get them forgiven, and "there remaineth no more sacrifice" for them, must be forgiven through acting upon "actual graces" from God. God will send us a message. And He always does (cf. 1 Tim 2:4). "Help that hungry person on the street!" "Go to Confession!" "Give up your money for that poor family!" When we mortally sin, God constantly gives us a chance to recover our active charity. When we obey God's command and follow His message, thereby cooperating is His grace, He grants us back our charity, and once again we are in a state of sanctifying grace. For Catholics, a call to Confession is always available (and is the normal means of forgiveness for mortal sins), and that is one of the reasons why it was instituted by Our Lord as a Sacrament (see "The Sacrament of Reconciliation"). The actual graces given by God are His very own gifts that bring us to supernatural life. The classic analogy is that of sickness and health. When a person becomes sick, he can simply look to drugs or take medicine that will heal him, and thereby be brought back to health. When a person dies, however, he can do absolutely nothing. Rather, the only way that a dead person can be brought back to health is by the action of an outside person or party. In the same way, when in a state of mortal sin, God must personally send an actual grace, and assuming that you cooperate with this grace, you will be brought back to Spiritual life.

Without works (active charity), we cannot have salvation, for our "faith is dead" (James 2:17). And if our faith is dead, we are destined to eternal punishment (John 3:36). Is there a Biblical example of a faithful believer losing salvation? Yes. After his adulterous and murderous sin with Bathsheba, an undoubtedly mortal sin, David sings to God on high in solemn repentance, asking Him, "Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast Spirit within me. Restore me the joy of your salvation." [emphasis added] (Psalm 51:12) David is not begging for redemtion from a mere venial sin; he is pleading for God to restore his very Salvation which he lost through mortally sinning.

Another probable Biblical example is that of Peter. It is commonly believed that Peter mortally sinned thrice by rejecting Christ thrice. Rejecting Christ is a prominent and clearly mortal sin, and by denying Christ he was denying the very means of his Salvation. Peter had ceased to follow Christ, thereby losing divine Charity. However, Peter was forgiven. Later, after the resurrection, Christ came to Peter. He asked Peter first, "Do you love me?" Peter replied, "Yes, Lord; you know that I love you." And so his first denial of Christ, his first mortal sin, was absolved and forgiven. Christ asked again, Peter answered the same. And Christ asked once more, and Peter answered the same a third time. For each of Peter's mortal sins, he was absolved. Not through prayer, but by action upon grace. And after Peter had been restored, where he had formerly ceased to follow Christ, Christ said, "Follow me." (John 21:19) (Entire text: John 21:15-19).

And so I conclude in acknowledgement of the Church's teachings: Faith, Hope, and Charity must be present in a person for the inheritance of the kingdom of Heaven. Without any one of these, hell is the proper destination.