1 John 5:13-15
I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life.
“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…
I suspect the root of our differences begins with a few assumptions.
We both recognize the old man has an old sin nature.
We understand that in our eternal state, we will be with God without sin (I need Scriptural support of this statement).
So somehow we must transition between our present state to the other.
In part, we have the new man who is sinless, which I would identify with our saved self.
We also have guidance from the epistles upon how we are continually sanctified by the work of God the Holy Spirit in us, while we remain in fellowship with God and intake the Word.
We know that he also have predestined rewards, which if we remain in fellowship with Him and perform good works through faith in Him, we might be rewarded at the bema seat with them.
We also know that prior to the first death, we will still sin or else we call God a liar.
Therefore we know that at the first death, there will remain a part of us in our old man, which is still sinful, both in body and soul. Our spirit though, as identified with our soul as the new man will ascend to be present with the Lord.
We know we (our bodies) will be raised incorruptible at the Rapture.
We also know we will be sifted/sorted as if by fire, to burn off that which is not pure, ... to remove the dross. This also happens before the first death, as we are tested in our sanctification processes on our daily walk with God through faith in Christ.
We also know we do not earn our salvation.
We know we are redeemed from the slave market of sin, regenerated in our human spirit, justified through faith, reconciled to God the Father by the work of Christ on the Cross, and all our sins have been judged at the Cross, allowing us to be forgiven upon acceptance of faith in Him and confession of our sins to Him.
We also know that God provides for our salvation.
I don’t see the necessity of our suffering Purgatory to justify God’s work in saving us.
I’m reminded of a fellow who recently was warned about an Internet/email scam going around, where the recipient was informed they had won a great sum of money, and in order to collect the reward, they had to pay the taxes and processing fees before the funds would be transferred.
The fellow understood, when did receive the offer, that it was a scam, a fraud, but he paid the $140 fee anyways.
When asked why we paid the fee, he responded it was to receive the reward. Again he was reminded this was a fraud. He acknowledged he knew it was a fraud, but if he didn’t pay it, he wouldn’t have a right to the reward.
Again, he was corrected, this was a fraud, no such reward existed. The fellow still replied that by his paying the fees, he remained entitled to the reward.
The fundamental flaw in his thinking, is that he presumes the reward to be real. He never gets around that assumption. He continues to act knowingly, after that state of faith in the existence of the reward.
The fraud laughs all the way to the bank, realizing ssom people will still give him money, even when they know it is a fraud.
I am reminded of this story when faced with many believers who study the Word.
For many of us, there is a tendency to read our assumptions INTO the Word, even when it is shown to us to correct our thinking.
I observe this frequently when discussing issues with Roman Catholics, although I also know the same weakness is present with all believers.
I’ve found the real trick is to keep short accounts and strive to accept what He provides when studying the Word,... building faith upon faith, doctrine upon doctrine, developed by Him in us, rather upon a soulish understanding from tainted doctrine.
It’s a remarkably simple process. It is only as hard as we make it, when we try to do the work ourselves, instead of allowing God the Holy Spirit to perform His work in us.
There probably isn’t an easier method to understand Him. He is the one who is doing all the work in our sanctifying process. All we have to do is have faith in Him.
My child; you may THINK you know what that verse means; but you CAN rely upon what the Church has taught you.
Go and sin no more.
Listening to Protestants will only confuse you.
HOW would this happen?
Can you explain (or link to an explanation) to help this PROTESTant understand how this process of self-cleansing works?
We get this; but WHY do you believe it?
I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life.
How do you reconcile your interpretation of this verse with the following?
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love.
HEY!!!
Only those that hold the OSAS viewpoint.
Could you POST these things?
If loss of some rewards is considered 'punishment'...
Nope; for ALL will face Christ.
It's 'settled' because our names will be found in the Book of LIFE.
It’s the old...
Saved by Grace; Kept by Works
thingy.
I shudda read ahead...
Why do you have this belief?
Says who?
Ah...
The old Hand in the Cookie Jar thingy...
That's the fact that was revealed to John:
Revelation 20:11 "Then I saw a great White Throne and him who was seated on it. Earth and sky fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and THE BOOKS WERE OPENED.
John 3:18
Ha ha!
Catholics on FR are continually crowing about the uniqueness of there church and how you'd BETTER join it or else you'll lose out!
No force at all; it it!
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