Posted on 02/06/2010 8:21:23 PM PST by Salvation
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excellent source materials.....
Seems like a long diatribe about something so simple as asking Jesus to come into your heart and be your savior. IMHO
Catholic Biblical Apologetics: Foundation: Apologetics Without Apology
Catholic Biblical Apologetics: Foundation: An Incomplete Picture
Catholic Biblical Apologetics: Foundation: Dearly Beloved Catholic Brothers and Sisters
Being Catholic and Christian: Faith and Salvation
Catholic Biblical Apologetics:Being Catholic & Christian:Faith and Salvation-Authoriative
Catholic Biblical Apologetics: Being Catholic & Christian: Apostolic Confessions of Faith
Catholic Biblical Apologetics: Post-Apostolic Confessions of Faith
Catholic Biblical Apologetics: Salvation: A Biblical Portrait
Catholic Biblical Apologetics: Salvation: "Being Saved"
Catholic Biblical Apologetics: The Catholic Response to "Are You Saved?"
It’s just expanding on this former thread — http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/religion/2444697/posts?page=1
Sorry it seems so ordinary to you. It’s very important to all Catholics.
Yet so simple for mankind.
You wrote:
“Seems like a long diatribe about something so simple as asking Jesus to come into your heart and be your savior.”
So, you think Jesus just asks for us to ask Him to come into our hearts as our Savior? No repentance is necessary? I guess we should just ignore those verses about obeying commandments while we’re at it?
“But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments” (Matthew 19:16-17).
It may be simple, but it is not necessarily easy. As Catholics we know we need to set our salvation goal daily. Yes, Christ died for our sins, (past); He is with us today to guide us (present); and He will be with us to lead us through the turmoil of modern life (future).
But our eternal salvation is not something we take lightly or for granted. It is an ongoing process, hopefully, for everyone — not just Catholics.
As a non-catholic, all three of the responses at once can also be given. Just like we can say we have been redeemed, are being redeemed every day we are still both sinner and saint, in the process of sanctification, and that we will be redeemed (glorification) when we die.
You’ve got it! It’s not a one thing cure all, is it?
People, no matter what denomination, who think being a Christian is ‘easy’, don’t understand that you don’t just say words you don’t really mean and somehow get a free pass.
For those of us that understand the price that had to be paid so we can confidently say “we are saved”, it’s trying to do our best to live a life the way Christ wants us to, but not having to worry when we fail, because we know we can have forgiveness when genuine repentance is there.
For those that don’t realize this, Christianity appears to be cheap grace. To those that have learned a little more about it, they find it is hardly cheap grace.
“A one thing cure all”
Not exactly sure what you mean. In a way of speaking it is, if you are genuine about your belief in Christ and genuinely ask for forgiveness when you fail. For those people they are not taking it for granted or of the opinion “I just say the words and God has to forgive me no matter what?” For those who think it’s just a game and forgiveness is easy, I just have to ask, and God has to forgive me or He violates His word, they don’t have it. They never did.
Make salvation as hard as you want to, biblically salvation is easy … just ask Jesus to be your savior (and mean it) and salvation is yours.
As for “easy”, Jesus died for our sins, once and for all. If we accept this premise, then our sins are forgiven “once and for all” if we accept him as our savior.
I have yet to find, in scripture, that we have to spend hours or days or eons in penance to get salvation.
If such were the case then heaven would be a hit and miss circumstance as with the Muslims.
Not what these hands have done,
Can save this guilty soul;
Not what this toiling flesh has borne,
Can make my spirit whole.
Refrain:
Thy work alone, my Saviour,
Can ease this weight of sin;
Thy blood alone, O Lamb of God,
Can give me peace within.
Not what I feel or do,
Can give me peace with God;
Not all my prayers, or sighs, or tears,
Can ease my awful load.
Thy love to me, O God,
Not mine, O Lord, to Thee,
Can rid me of this dark unrest,
And set my spirit free.
No other work save Thine,
No meaner blood, will do;
No strength, save that which is divine,
Can bear me safely through.
I praise the God of grace,
I trust His love and might;
He calls me His, I call Him mine;
My God, my joy, my light!
And your point?
You are misunderstanding me, I think. I’m not saying that we must earn salvation. I am saying that because we are sinners, we need to work toward eternal salvation each and every day.
(And it’s not always easy, because we all are sinners.)
Some people speak of once saved, always saved. (OSAS) It’s just something that Catholics don’t agree with in totality.
Once saved forever saved. Nothing to work towards. I asked Jesus to be my saviour over 30 years ago, I have nothing to work toward. My salvation is assured.
And yet whenever I have asked a Catholic the question “If you died tonight, do you know if you’d go to Heaven?” the answer is always along the lines of “I hope so.” So no matter how you play your word dance, my experience with Catholic is that they don’t have assurance of salvation. My experience is that Catholics are on a “works-based” idea of salvation. Very sad, in my opinion.
If a person knows they are saved, then they know they are saved from the punishment for sin, which is death. The gift of being saved or salvation is eternal life with God (in Heaven).
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