Catholics & Salvation; And the answer is: Maybe.

A caller to our weekly radio program asked a question that has come up before: Are Roman Catholics saved? Let me respond to this as best I can. But I need to offer a qualifier because I think this is going to be somewhat dissatisfying for some because I am not going to say a simple "aye" or "nay." My answer is: It kind of depends. The reason I'm saying that is because of certain ambiguities.

My point is this, I think that in the area of the doctrine of salvation, Roman Catholic theology, as I understand it, is unbiblical because salvation depends on faith and works, not just faith alone. This was the specific problem Paul addressed in the book of Galatians and was the subject of the Jerusalem Council in Acts 15: Is simple faith in Jesus adequate, or must gentile followers of Christ now keep the Law as a standard of acceptance before God?

I know not all Catholics would agree that this is a fair way of putting it, but I think that most Catholics would actually say the faith/works equation is accurate. Your faith and your works are what save you. I was raised Catholic and that’s what I was taught. (For my take on the biblical relationship between faith and works, see “Faith & Works: Paul vs. James.”)

Now, I need to add this too. Many Protestants feel the same way. Many Protestants are confused on this issue, so this is not a Catholic vs. Protestant concern so much. It's just that Catholicism across the board has more of an official position that amounts this, where Protestants have a more diversity of views, some that don't even seem to be consistent with Protestantism.

But the fact that one believes Jesus is the Messiah and that He is the savior, not our own efforts, is critical. If you reject this notion, like the Jews do, then as far as I can tell from the biblical revelation, there is no hope for you. That seems to be clear. But when somebody says they believe in Jesus and He is their Savior, but somehow works are mingled in with the picture, then I can't really say to you how much faith that person is putting in Jesus and how much faith that person is putting in their own efforts to satisfy God. If a person has all their faith in their own efforts, then they are going to be judged by their own efforts. It's as simple as that. If they have their faith in Jesus, they will be judged by the merits of Jesus. Anyone judged by their own merits is going to be found wanting. Anyone who is judged by the merits of Jesus is not going to be found wanting because Jesus is not wanting.

What if you are kind of a mixture? I think most Catholics are, frankly. Many Protestants are, as well.

I reflect often on a comment that was made by a friend of mine named Dennis. He was a Roman Catholic brother in Christ that I knew when I was a brand new Christian. He asked me this: "Greg, how much faith does it take to be saved?" I said, "A mustard seed." And he said, "There you go."

And so, it seems to me, there are many Christians—Protestant and Catholic—who believe in Jesus as their savior and have a mustard seed of faith, but are confused about the role of works. I think that Jesus is still Savior in those cases.

Your understanding of English is better than you are letting on.

1. The doc was authored by a FREEPER RC.

2. The FREEPER RC does not feel authorized of God to widely release the doc as yet.

3. I was humbled to receive an advanced, first copy.

4. I was ready to post it entirely on my blog. I’m not yet authorized to do that.

5. It may be that it will never be fully released openly. It may be that it will be released after more confirmations roll in. It may be that parts of it will be released. I don’t know. It’s not my doc.

6. I just found it to be affirming of a lot of my own sensings. And it is warning in keeping with many other such docs from around the world.

The dreams and visions on this website includes similar content in many respects in terms of those visitations, dreams, visions which speak of the END TIMES:

http://www.spiritlessons.com/

Nope, I am not interested in your compilation of his links...

I prefer to get the information straight from the horses mouth so to speak...the original ‘RC FREEPER’ as you call this person, who wrote the document, would be the only one I would consider having the authority to speak for his own work...

Perhaps this particular ‘RC FREEPER’ is on this very thread, participating...perhaps this particular ‘RC FREEPER’ is only lurking on this thread....perhaps this particular ‘RC FREEPER’ will see interest in his document and reveal to all of us here, something of what this document entails...

In any case, I am sure that everyone here, would like to know what is in this prophetic document, but would also prefer that the documentation, comes from the author himself, and not from any second or third hand sources...

So no need to even think about providing me, or others, with any links...I eagerly anticipate the ‘RC FREEPER’, making his own statements...

Whenever one deals, with Alzheimers patients, regardless of the stage that they are in, there are always many sides, so to speak of that coin....

We had one Alzheimers resident, a very kindly man, whose wife died while he was in our care in the nursing home...he was in late stage Alzheimers, but because he wife visited each and every day, for several hours a day, he remained familiar with her....he just lit up, when she came in to visit...it was obvious how much they loved each other...

Then sadly one day, their son went to visit his mom at home, and found her dead....the son decided to tell his dad, the mom had passed away....even tho the old man was in late stage Alzheimers, he did indeed realize that the love of his life, had died...he went to the funeral, we dressed him all up for the day, and it was so hard on him....

Oddly enough tho, as far into dementia as he was, he still remembered that his wife was dead...you would come in, in the morning to wake him up,and he would just look at you, and say, “She’s dead”, and then he would look so sad...it just broke my heart...he lived for more than a year, after his wife died...when he did die, all I could think of, was, now he will be with his beloved wife, where he has wanted to be ever since she died...

My mom, in late stage dementia, always would ask me, where I was?....I would say, I am right here mom....she would look at me, in the strangest way, and say, “No , You are Shirley(not my name), the special nurse from out of town, sent to care for me....my daughter that I am asking for is only 8 years old”...I guess that was how mom remembered me, as being only 8 years old....not so young, that I needed 24/7 care, but not so old, that she had trouble controlling me....

It is very strange, what remains and what leaves, in the mind of an Alzheimer patient...they are all so different, in so many ways...

We had two residents that filled their days, with re-enacting those things that they loved in real life...one woman had been a concert pianist, and she spent her days, playing her ‘piano’ all day long, on the tables...her fingers never stopped...

Another very tall, very thin lady, used to be a clown, with Ringling Brothers Circus....her family, when they provided her clothing for her time in the nursing home, had nothing but shirts and sweaters, with clowns on them for her......we would get her dressed, and she would immediately head out for one of the full length mirrors in the hall, and then she would begin her clown routine, watch herself, and then either applaud or criticize her performance...

One other touching scene...the Alzheimers wings, are usually locked wings...that is so the Alzheimers patients do not get out onto the other wings, and disrupt the other residents, and also cannot make it to the front door for an escape...you can get onto the wings easily enough, the doors just open....but getting out and off the wing is the problem...there was always a digital lock, with a special code, that had to be entered in order to get the doors to open, to get out...visitors, and staff were given the special code number...

But many of the Alzheimers residents, who were not bedridden, did notice, that in order to get off the ward, you had to do something with that lock....and so sometimes we would find a group of maybe 3-6 of them, gathered round the digitial lock, jabbing at the digital lock, as they had seen us do...one resident would take a turn, when he was eventually unsuccessful, another resident would push him out of the way, and take his turn....and so it would go...they would spend a goodly amount of time, trying to find that combo of numbers, that would set them free...they never did figure it out, there always being the chance that one of them inadvertently would hit the right combo needed to open that lock...

But every single day, that was the mission of some of these Alzheimers residents....it was just part of their daily routine, and we just let them go at it, as we knew that they were safe, and actually seemed to be enjoying themselves, doing something they considered productive...

Alzheimers patients, can drive some people nuts, because the very nature of the disease is so destructive to ones mind...on the other hand, if they cannot be cured, it is best to allow them those small things, which bring them pleasure...

And in the case of your father, you made the right choice for him...each Alheimers patient is so unique, that each family has to make their individual decisions, about how to deal with each new situation as it arises...

I know all this talk about Alzheimers patients has nothing at all to do with this thread...so I apologize for veering off course..

"Oh, please. As if anybody likes a phony.

Pardon me—perhaps some here do?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

To answer your question, I have never felt anything but genuinely uplifted and heartwarmed by Alamo-Girl's expressions of Christian love...

Interestingly, a moment ago, when I returned to the main forum, the top post was,

"Pope warns Catholic youth of 'spiritual desert'", which included the following:

In his final mass, the pope said the worshippers' youthful energy helped reinvigorate the church and urged them to become "messengers of love" to counter a world that was increasingly spiritually barren.

Only you and Petronski can answer (to your own selves; we deserve no answer) what makes being "messengers of love" "creepy" to you.

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