I have noticed that in the Lives of the Saints, so many of them needed to have adult conversion experiences, even though they had been raised in the Church.
St. Benedict, St. Francis of Assisi, St. Ignatius, Bartolome de Las Casas (and of course Augustine, St. Elizabeth Seton, Newman and Chesterton, who in mid-life encountered Christ in a much more immediate way)-- they all became solidly committed Catholics after they had a really up-close-and-personal contact with Our Savior Himself. This resulted in their living their whole lives for Jesus Christ Our Lord.
We no longer have a Christian culture. One of the pluses of a "Christian culture" is that many people are exposed to virtuous cultural practices which keep them from reverting to habitual vice, or at least they are culturally "warned" that there is danger in sin, and they are steered by local customs toward the Gospel.
But one of the less-than-good aspects of a Christian Culture is that many people follow along more from conformism or inertia than from conviction. Some people seemingly have to lie sick in a dungeon as a prisoner of war or take a cannonball to the knee before they really realize that God has come with power, God claims them and God ain't into compromise.
Absolutely. Heaven is not obtained but going through the Door, one by one. The Door is Christ.
It’s entry is simple but not given through one’s geneology, ancestry, works education or church attendance (or non-attendance). Christ laid it out and the Apostle Paul explains it further.
There will be a great many surprises as to whom has been let in.
Well said. A couple of thoughts. Scripture refers to all believers as saints. Also the comment “committed Catholics” is dangerous for any true believer. The warnings to the churches in Revelation indicate that their are true and faithful believers in each of those churches but they are still warned to change what they are practising. It would also be wise for Catholics (and those in all churches) to watch as the Catholic Church works to unite all religions into one. That will be the “come out of her my people” religion.
Oh, I heard a statistic this week: about 9/10 of those who have accepted Christ as their Savior are in their teens. So while it is a statistical impossibility that an adult comes to know the Lord and accept Him as their Savior, God is still in the business of impossibilities and the Holy Spirit still can get through to whomsoever God the Father has called.
You are correct, we certainly do not now live in a Christian culture. It’s more akin to the Days of Noah, there is wickedness and violence in the hearts of man continually (including perversity of all kinds).
I agree. I'm reminded of the saying, "Sometimes you have to be flat on your back before you look up."