For those of us who have many non Catholic friends and relatives there is one question that you are sure to be asked. Are you saved? The question could be rephrased this way. Do you know that you will go to heaven if you were to die at this exact moment? The fundamentalist belief is that anyone who seriously repents of sin and accepts Jesus as their personal Lord and Saviour is saved. This means that if you die; you have infallible assurance of going to heaven. Most also believe that this one sincere act, accepting Christ as Lord and Saviour, determines your eternal destiny forever. In other words, once a person is saved that person will always be saved. No matter what happens in the future your salvation is certain. It does not matter if you commit serious sin; once you have professed your belief in Christ and accepted Christ as Lord and Saviour your salvation is guaranteed according to those who embrace this doctrine of "Eternal Security." Where you spend your eternity is settled once and for all.
The Catholic position is quite different. The Church declares that the state of your soul at time of death will determine your eternal destiny. If not in the state of sanctifying grace at death you will go to hell. Not being in the state of sanctifying grace means basically that you have not repented of mortal sins. If in the state of God's sanctifying grace at death heaven is your eternal reward. Being in the state of Sanctifying grace means you have confessed and repented of all serious sin. If you remember your Baltimore Catechism or your CCD classes you know there are two kinds of grace, Sanctifying grace and Actual grace. Time for a quick refresher.
Grace
First of all what is grace? Grace is a free supernatural gift of God bestowed on us through faith in Jesus and the merits of his death. It is a gift unmerited by us in any way.
Ephesians 2:7-9
That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.
He bestowed this gift on us because he loves us.
Romans 5:8
But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
We can not live on the moon without oxygen nor can we live in heaven without Sanctifying grace. It is God giving us a share of himself. This part of Himself that He gives us is called Sanctifying grace. That's why Jesus told Nicodemus we must be born again. This grace makes us children of God. Naturally we don't become gods but we become children of the true God by adoption. We are new creatures.
John 3:5-6
Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
Galatians 4:4-7
But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.
2 Corinthians 5:17
Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
Catholics believe this life can be lost when they commit mortal sin. We also believe that there are less serious sins called venial that though they offend God will not cause us to lose this grace.
1 John 5:16-17
If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it. All unrighteousness is sin: and there is a sin not unto death. God must have thought there were degrees of sin too because he not only gave us the gift of Sanctifying grace but He also gave us another gift called actual grace.What is Actual Grace?
Actual grace is a supernatural help of God which enlightens our mind and strengthens our will to do good and to avoid evil. It's God's way of urging us to repent of serious sin. It's His wake up call to repent again. It's the small voice many hear that tell them and me too it is time to confess our sins.
Philippians 2:13
For it is God who of his good pleasure works in you both the will and the performance. To cover grace in more detail read the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Better yet buy it!Let's now look at some scripture passages to determine what the Bible declares on this subject. After all this is what our fundamentalists brothers base their belief on, the Bible alone (sola scriptura). Some of the positions or beliefs I will now discuss will be as follows:
Can Salvation be lost or is the doctrine once saved always saved true?
What does belief actually mean?
Is faith alone all that is necessary to achieve eternal life?
Can we have any assurance about our salvation?
As you read these verses take time to reflect on the once saved always saved position and the Catholic Church position that declares this salvation or Sanctifying grace can be lost.Once saved always saved?
John 15:1-6
I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.
We are told in this passage that just as the branch cannot have life without being attached to the vine; the Christian cannot have eternal life without clinging to Christ. We know the person in this passage is a Christian because we are told that he has become clean by adhering to the gospel message (v.3). The passage goes on to tell us that more than belief is necessary; we must bear fruit if we don't want to be cast into fire.
Hebrews 6:4-6
For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.
The above verses refer to Christians. How do we know that? They were enlightened. They heard the gospel message. They tasted the heavenly gift. This means they not only heard the gospel message but tasted or digested it. We know they were believers because they were made partakers of the Holy Ghost. You can only be a partaker of the Holy Spirit if you are born again. Now do not become confused by this passage and think that if you sin it will be impossible for you to come to repentance again. God's love for you is greater than the human mind is able to comprehend. This passage is not referring to people who sin or backslide. This passage refers to those people who know the message, know Christ is necessary for salvation but prefer the ways of the world over the way of Christ. They knowingly reject Christ and the joys promised in the next world for the immediate pleasure of this world. By this act of open and deliberate rebellion they blaspheme the Holy Spirit. Scripture says of this sin the following:
Luke 12:10
And whosoever shall speak a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but unto him that blasphemeth against the Holy Ghost it shall not be forgiven.
God's plan for our salvation requires us to respond to His graces throughout our lifetime by denying ourselves and taking up our crosses on a daily basis.
Luke 9:23
And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.
The Christian commitment, to live for and follow Jesus and His gospel message, is to be a lifelong commitment made daily not a one time commitment that lasts for a lifetime. Paul reaffirms this daily commitment by urging us to keep encouraging one another daily so we won't be hardened by sin (Heb 3:13). In the next verse Paul says that we will remain co-heirs with Christ only if we keep grasp of our first confidence to the end (Heb 3:14). This simply means that as long as we abide in Christ we remain co-heirs.
Hebrews 3:13-14
But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end;In all fairness to many of my non Catholic brethren I must say this. Most of the non Catholics I know are very holy people. They try never to sin or backslide after accepting Jesus as their Lord and Saviour but I believe their position of eternal security is very unscriptural. I hope the passages I quoted supports the Church’s position and that of Scripture; each of us must persevere until we die.
Matthew 10:22
And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.What does belief actually mean?
The New Testament that we possess today, with the exception of Matthew's gospel which was written in Aramaic, was written originally in Greek. Scholars used the word believe when they translated the word pisteuo. The word pisteuo has a far deeper meaning than mental assent or affirmation. Pisteuo can also mean to trust on, to rely on, or cling to. So in all fairness to our separated brethren if a person trusts on, relies on, and clings to Christ and his message he can say with some degree of moral certainty that he is saved. If a person wishes to cling to Christ then he must cling to Christ's body which Scripture tells us is the Church he founded. This is where we are in some disagreement. I firmly believe it to be the Catholic Church others just as strongly believe it is some other church. In my opinion it isn't the theology keeping us separated it is the theologians but then that's just my opinion.
Colossians 1:18
And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.
1 Corinthians 12:27
Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.
Is faith alone all that is necessary to achieve eternal life?
Matthew 7:21
Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
James 2:14
14 What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?
James 2:24
Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.
James 2:26
For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.
Titus 1:16
They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.Can we have infallible assurance about our salvation?
I could have put the following with the paragraphs in the above "Once saved Always saved" always saved but I wanted to bring out the difference between infallible and moral certainty of salvation. Please forgive me if this seems redundant. Now let's address the question above. Can we have infallible assurance about our salvation?
No, we can't have infallible assurance of our salvation because we aren't infallible. Only God is infallible. Yes, we can be morally sure we will go to heaven. Maybe this little example can help explain the difference.
I am morally sure I will never go to the state prison in my state of Nebraska. The reason I can't be infallibly sure is because I can't see future circumstances. Maybe a situation will arise and for some reason I need money desperately. A great deal of money. I am pressured, desperate and I see only one way out, I rob a store at gun point. Armed robbery is a felony. The police catch me and I find myself in a cell at state prison. Something I was certain wouldn't happen.
God on the other hand can be infallibly sure. He sees everything as happening right now; my past, my present and my future. He knows if I will rebel and abuse my free will by sinning. I can only speak about the now I am aware of. I can not experience the now of God; which is past, present, and future. At this moment I am in the state of God's sanctifying grace. That means I am believing in Jesus according to the Greek definition of belief. The definition in Greek to refresh your memory is to trust on, rely on, and cling to. I am trusting in Jesus to be merciful as he promised, clinging to His body the Church (this means utilizing the sacraments) and I am relying on His promises to His followers. If one of my fundamentalist friends were to ask me at this moment if I were to die right now would I go to heaven. I could answer Yes with moral certainty. This is the moral certitude John spoke of in his epistle.
1 John 5:13
These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.
Oh yes I know all about the assurance scriptures. You will hear many quoted. Here are a few of the most common
John 3:16
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
John 3:36
He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.
John 5:24
Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.Remember what the word believe means. You must cling to Christ. This includes clinging to His Body the Church. I sometimes substitute the phrase in the state of Sanctifying grace for the word believe. This is usually helpful when discussing salvation with Catholics because terminology they understand is used. Let's rephrase the above verses to make them more understandable to Catholics. We will substitute the phrase in the state of Sanctifying Grace for the word believe. Relax it's supposed to be a fun thing.
John 3:16
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever is in the state of sanctifying grace should not perish, but have everlasting life.
John 3:36
He that is in the state of sanctifying grace hath everlasting life: and he that is not in the state of sanctifying grace shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.
John 5:24
Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and is in the state of sanctifying grace, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.
I used this word substitution exercise with two friends of mine one a Baptist and the other a member of a Pentecostal church. When I explained the Church's teaching on grace and once they understood what was meant by the terminology used; they agreed the paraphrased verses were consistent with scripture.