“Return of the Prodigal Son” (detail) by Murillo
Posted on 11/16/2014 1:42:01 PM PST by NYer
“Return of the Prodigal Son” (detail) by Murillo
In Acts 4, St. Peter delivers a powerful sermon. He concludes by saying, “There is no salvation through anyone else, nor is there any other name under heaven given to the human race by which we are to be saved.”
I have written before in these pages of the time when I was growing up in the southern part of the United States and how I would from time to time encounter young, protestant teens and adults who would excitedly take to the streets to witness for Christ.
Now for Catholics who may not be familiar with the phrase, “witnessing for Christ”, this was how they would refer to their efforts to evangelize and share their faith in Jesus Christ as personal Lord and Savior.
The conversation would often begin with me being asked, “Do you know Jesus?” or “Have you accepted Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior?” But the conversation would also frequently begin with the question, “Have you been saved?”
What in the world was a young, Catholic boy to make of this?
Of course I knew Jesus. And whether I understood the phraseology of the questions, yes, I knew that Jesus was a person; I received him in Holy Communion at least weekly; and I prayed to him. I knew he had come to save us and I sure hoped that I would be saved.
But the questions were still somewhat foreign to me. It seemed as if we had different understandings of the words being used. Inevitably, the discussion would lead to, “Do you know what you must do to be saved?”
The answer, I would be told, was that I must accept Jesus Christ as my personal Lord and Savior and believe in (on) him. Then out came the bibles to prove what was being asserted. Words such as justification, salvation, and believing faith would be tossed back and forth; and occasionally, sanctification.
Prior to third grade, I did not know many Protestants except for family members on my father’s side; he was a Southern Baptist, who with my Catholic mother was raising a Catholic family in 1950s Mississippi.
While the state was overwhelmingly Protestant, we lived in a city that was, to my experience, almost totally Catholic, populated with first- and second-generation Irish, French, Slavic and southern European Catholics. My father was able to help me understand where these questions were coming from and to help me form answers true to my Catholic beliefs.
In my ministry as a deacon today, I still hear non-Catholics speak these words and also of “justification” in connection to “being saved.” What does the Church teach about justification and salvation? What must I do to be saved?
Justification is wholly the action and work of God to cleanse a person of Original and Personal Sin, restoring him to friendship with God. Original Sin and Personal Sin separated us from that friendship. We could not restore the friendship, but Jesus Christ could and did. Not only is the justified person restored to friendship, he is adopted and made a child of God, a member of the family of God which is his Church. This action (a grace of the Holy Spirit) is merited for us by Christ’s Passion, Death and Resurrection. [cf. CCC 1987 – 1995 and 2017 – 2020]
Justification is the state of being in habitual grace freely given by God to man. This grace that justifies and places one in this state is called sanctifying (or deifying) grace. It is supernatural because it is totally dependent upon God and cannot be earned (initiated) by man. The justified person is said to be in a state of [sanctifying] grace. [cf. CCC 1996 – 1998, 2005, and 2021]
Justification presupposes man’s free act of will to accept and cooperate with this grace. God does not force this action or state on man. Human freedom is a secondary, but, essential element.
It is received by a person’s faith in Jesus Christ through which he freely accepts God’s forgiveness and righteousness. Justification makes possible cooperation between God’s grace and man’s freedom. [cf. CCC 2002 – 2004]
Justification is the beginning of the sanctification of the inner person. Man’s sins are not merely overlooked by God, as Martin Luther taught, rather, the human person is cleansed and by his cooperation with the grace is made truly holy. Through faith in Jesus Christ, man stands in this grace and merits increased (is strengthened in) grace and moves in charity by continued good works (the practice of the human virtues) toward perfection in Christ. Our good works, on our own initiative, do not directly save us, but they can strengthen our relationship with Christ and lead us to grow in holiness. [cf. CCC 1995, 1999, 2006 – 2016]
This grace is habitual because it endures and persists until we forfeit it. Man can lose this sanctifying grace by freely and knowingly committing a sin involving grave matter (referred to as being subjectively guilty of a mortal sin). [cf. CCC 1856, 1859, 2000]
The Protestant friends of my youth would tell me that once I was saved, there was nothing I could do, no matter how terribly sinful, that could separate me from God and cause me to lose my salvation. Their belief is the doctrine of some Protestants known as, “Once Saved, Always Saved”. But the New Testament Scriptures are filled with warnings that support the Catholic teaching that salvation can be lost.
St. Paul, writing to believers in 1 Corinthians 9:27 testifies, “…I drive my body and train it, for fear that, after having preached to others, I myself should be disqualified.”
That this speaks to his concern about losing his salvation is made obvious by the passage that immediately follows in 1 Corinthians 10 where he warns believers about giving in to sin and human confidence. In verses 12 and 13 he writes, “Therefore, whoever thinks he is standing secure should take care not to fall. No trial has come to you but what is human. God is faithful and will not let you be tried beyond your strength; but with the trial he will also provide a way out, so that you may be able to bear it.”
If this is not enough to convince us, he writes to the believing Gentile Christians in Romans 11:17-21, “But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, a wild olive shoot, were grafted in their place and have come to share in the rich root of the olive tree, do not boast against the branches. If you do boast, consider that you do not support the root; the root supports you. Indeed you will say, ‘Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.’ That is so. They were broken off because of unbelief, but you are there because of faith. So do not become haughty, but stand in awe. For if God did not spare the natural branches, he will not spare you either.”
Thus, St. Paul teaches us in Philippians 2:12-13, “So then, my beloved, obedient as you have always been, not only when I am present but all the more now when I am absent, work out your salvation with fear and trembling. For God is the one who, for his good purpose, works in you both to desire and to work.”
It is initially received at [the Sacrament of] Baptism.
This marks the beginning (not the end) of a person’s conversion and sanctification, man’s free response to the invitation to the Divine life from God where he turns from sin and toward God. Should a person lose the [sanctifying] grace of justification, it can be restored through sacramental confession (Sacrament of Reconciliation). [cf. CCC 1856, 1992, 2020]
The answer is so simple we often overlook it, so do not look for a long answer here.
The justified person attains salvation if he dies in a state of Sanctifying Grace.
“Yes, I believe in Jesus and received his justifying (sanctifying) grace when I was baptized into his Church. Jesus saved me. And at those times when I have sinned gravely and lost this grace, I returned to the Lord to be cleansed again by him in the Sacrament of Reconciliation (Confession) where I again received his justifying grace.
“I am strengthened in my personal relationship with him by my worship of him and receiving him in Holy Communion at Mass; through my prayer, devotion and reading of the Scriptures; by my study of the teachings of the faith; and through my good works prepared beforehand by him for me to perform while in his grace.
“I have been saved, am being saved, and have supernatural hope that I will be saved. I believe this because the Church, established by Jesus, through which this grace flows to me, teaches me that this is so.”
Into the deep…
Its unfortunate that you were not taught to read, or you could have read my post.
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So who can be in Heaven?
Or Hell?
Sheep can be in Heaven, Goats in Hell
“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit upon his glorious throne, and all the nations will be assembled before him.
And he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
Then the king will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.’
Then the righteous will answer him and say, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?’
And the king will say to them in reply, ‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.’
Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, a stranger and you gave me no welcome, naked and you gave me no clothing, ill and in prison, and you did not care for me.
Then they will answer and say, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or ill or in prison, and not minister to your needs?’
He will answer them, ‘Amen, I say to you, what you did not do for one of these least ones, you did not do for me.’
And these will go off to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”
Matthew 25:31-46
There is no such thing as purgatory anyway. It's not found in Scripture.
And if we have to pay for our sins, everyone is damned because without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sins.
If we could pay for our sins, Christ died for nothing.
Since Christ died and we are FORGIVEN, we don't need to pay for our sins.
It's clear that Catholics do not understand in the least what forgiveness is all about. Forgiven means forgiven. Not held to our account any more.
Otherwise, it's wages due for worked performed and puts God in our debt. He owes us because of what we did and that isn't the way it is.
I think you missed the point.
How about we are saved from God and his Wrath?
Then why invent purgatory and tell people they have to go there to be purged from their sins as someone upthread just told us?
Is this YOPIOC - Your Own Personal Interpretation of Catholicism?
Which is correct? Either heaven or hell, period, or purgatory thrown in the mix?
Saved from GOD?
The One who died for us that He might give us eternal life as a free gift?
Who made Him do that?
We need not worry about God’s wrath, that begins after the end of the trib, right after the first resurrection.
Those that adore the beast, on the other hand, will have to deal with it.
My point is we are saved from God by God. It is worthy to reflect on what we are saved from, even those who think they are saved...........................
Unless we truly understand what we are saved from, being saved does not have much meaning..............
I think all these Protestant attack stories you guys post are written by the same person...The stories are always identical with a few name changes...
Not wages due.
But reparation performed. As an example, let’s say I offended someone by what I said, but I never said “Please forgive me.” while I was on earth.
That reparation is then part of my stay in Purgatory.
Thank you. One of my favorite psalms to pray back to the Lord.
“he Protestant friends of my youth would tell me that once I was saved, there was nothing I could do, no matter how terribly sinful, that could separate me from God and cause me to lose my salvation.”
This article misstates the evangelical view.
Going by God’s Word, evangelicals know there are false Christians, people who profess to be Christians but are not, because God’s Word says so. A common way evangelicals speak of this today is that standing in a garage doesn’t make you a car. Going to church, or any other Christian practice, doesn’t make you reborn. If you’re not, then baptism only produces a wet sinner (another commonly used expression). In fact, evangelicals commonly speak of how Christians should examine themselves to make sure that they’ve actually accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, and haven’t just gone through the motions.
The assurance that one is saved, though, is important because it is an assurance, an assurance that salvation is a free gift to those who actually are heart-broken over their sin against God and want His forgiveness, and know that even with all their desire and effort to do right, they still commit sin. The Gospel is an assurance to “those who mourn” over sin, especially their own, and not to those who can’t truly be grieved about their sin in order to see their need for a Savior if they want to continue in sin.
Maybe this man’s teenage friends could have explained the Gospel a little better, but it’s unlikely they would have expected to meet anyone so hardened, twisted, and already so deep into evil and unafraid of God that the person would want to use Jesus’ sacrificial death as a license to deliberately and knowingly sin against God. The worst-case scenario of someone young coming to Christ and then later committing some “huge sin” is only that, and the person would be expected to repent.
ANd ultimately, as the Bible says, in this life only God knows for sure in every case what’s in people’s hearts. There are false Christians, and while Catholics would say they lost their salvation, evangelicals would say that those who turn out not to be Christians never truly were in the first place. As the Bible says, those who are the Lord’s persevere until the end.
I believe from some things the Bible says that it’s possible for there to be some form of punishment for believers after death, what the Catholic Church teaches about it is too definite for the little that we know.
Jesus already paid for every sin Himself, as we could not, so there would have to be some other reason or reasons for there to be punishment for Christians after this life, but that’s far from clear, especially since we don’t know how God will judge the sins of Christians or really much of anything else. If a starving Christian mother once stole for her children rather than having faith and not stealing, will she suffer some set punishment for it after death? The Bible says “the last shall be first, and the first last,” in the Kingdom of Heaven. We can’t actually fully understand that or anything else that’s been revealed about the afterlife, so how can we judge that such a Christian will deserve such and such a punishment. It is all quite presumptuous.
Forgiven is forgiven.
Semantics don’t change the fact that Catholics think they have to somehow atone for their sin.
It doesn’t happen and it can’t happen because the wages of sin is DEATH, not a stay in purgatory. If God intended that, He would have said that.
He didn’t.
There is answering for what you've done on earth, but that is NOT the same as losing your salvation.
Scripture makes it clear that born again believers stand before the judgment seat of Christ, but since they're there, it's not a matter of salvation. That's already settled by the fact that they are facing Christ.
It's to test their WORKS to see if they merit reward, not eternal life as it is already theirs, but reward for their faithfulness.
There is no paying off sin. It's paid in FULL. It's only rewards given, the icing on the cake.
Nobody is saved yet.
All who will be saved, will be saved at the same event, the Last Trump, and it will only be those that “Endured to the end” as Yeshua said.
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>> “It’s to test their WORKS to see if they merit reward, not eternal life as it is already theirs, but reward for their faithfulness.” <<
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Yes!
But all will face Yeshua, the elect at the first resurrection, and the rest at the resurrection unto death, 1000 years later. All judgment is given to him.
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Since you don’t admit to having the new man in you, you really don’t know if you can be saved.
I don’t have much more time to reply tonight, but I’ll just mention a couple of thoughts. We know that good works won’t get you into Heaven. Only Jesus’ shed blood can do that. And we know that even if someone is a Christian, and they’ve been forgiven by God and so are saved, if they do wrong here they may have to suffer the consequences here. And we know that despite God’S forgiveness which they have, there are reasons for that. And my thought is that, as we know so little about really anything, and there are passages such as the one saying the believer who doesn’t earn a reward is saved, but as through fire and will suffer loss (which may, of course, not speak of the afterlife, I know), I am not sure that there will be no suffering by any believers on account of sin done here. I do believe Jesus paid for sin in full, but I’m not sure if that may only be for the sake of salvation. I just believe there are some things not completely given to us here, including these answers, but on the other hand I don’t believe in the Catholic notions about purgatory. They are about paying off one’s sins (rather than being chastised, much like some criminals believe “doing their time” pays off the crime they committed) and judges sin by human means when we don’t know how God will judge it.
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