Locke on the Saving Faith

Abstract

Locke conceived of human life as a path towards salvation or damnation in the afterlife. Acknowledging the limits of human knowledge in matters of morality and religion, he relied on God’s Revealed Word as an infallible source of moral and religious truth. Accordingly, he endorsed a Scripture-based theological ethics affirming the need to repent for sin and obey the God-given Law of Nature, which he described as eternally valid, universally binding, and inherently rational. Nonetheless, being aware of the weakness and imperfection of human nature, he argued that repentance for sin and a sincere effort to obey the divine moral law are necessary but not sufficient to achieve eternal salvation. He highlighted the role of faith in salvation, and by faith he meant assent to revealed things “above reason” (such as an afterlife with rewards and punishments) and fiducia – namely, trust or confidence in Christ’s salvific message, which, besides restoring the Law of Nature, emphasizes otherworldly rewards and sanctions, as well as God’s mercy of the faithful. Locke’s soteriology has been interpreted as resulting from irenic intentions and, thus, as ecumenical in nature. But, given that Locke admitted that all humans are liable to sin, his soteriology actually derived from his preoccupation with the question of justification (i.e., the question of what it is that “justifies” people who have sinned and thus enables their salvation). Moreover, his soteriology was moralist in nature, in that it described repentance and obedience as at least as important as faith. Therefore, this paper argues that Locke’s soteriology, far from extending salvation to virtually all Christians, but denoting several similarities with Socinian and Arminian moralism, limits salvation to those who repent for sin, endeavor to obey the divine moral law, have faith in Jesus the Messiah, and read Scripture to live a Christian life.