How is it everlasting life if salvation can be lost?

[CurtisHouse]

Hello,

I have come across this thought in the past. Since Catholic doctrine clearly teaches that salvation can be lost through mortal sin, if we have received eternal life (or everlasting life) when we believed (look at John 5:24 for reference) and committed an unconfessed mortal sin, how could it have been eternal life to begin with even if we lost our salvation for one second? Any Scripture or CCC reference too would be greatly appreciated. Thank you. God bless.

Curtis

 

[White_Tree]

Okay. Let’s break it down. Here’s what the verse says:

Amen, Amen, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. – John 5:24

What does it mean to “hear”?

Well, to hear is to take a sound, which is a vibration outside of yourself, and bring it, through direct perception, into yourself.

What is “His Word”?

John has the answer:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. – John 1:1

So the Word is Christ Himself.

What does it mean to “believe”?

Well, the Greek word there is πιστεύων, from the root πιστεύω, which actually means a lot more than just the English word “believe.” A lot has been written about this word, and its close cousin, πίστις. Here is one article by Fr. Patrick Henry Reardon. But basically, it means more broadly “to be faithful to,” in the same way one might be faithful to a covenant, or to a spouse.

So to satisfy Jesus’ requirements for everlasting life, we first need to have Christ dwelling in us, and it must be as clear and unmistakable as the experience of hearing the sound of a bell. And secondly, we must be faithful to the Father who sent Him.

That seems like a really high bar to me. I’m pretty confidant that someone who can fulfill both of those requirements is fairly secure their salvation.

 

[Neithan]

It is called eternal life because it is the presence of the Holy Spirit in your soul that sanctifies you (CCC 1995) — sanctifying grace. It is a call to spend eternity with God in heaven if we die in the state of grace (CCC 2002).

“See how all the gifts that make for life and holiness in us belong to his divine power; come to us through fuller knowledge of him, whose own glory and sovereignty have drawn us to himself! Through him God has bestowed on us high and treasured promises; you are to share the divine nature, with the world’s corruption, the world’s passions, left behind.” 2nd Peter 1:3–4.

 

[EloyCraft]

In theend when we enter into eternal life we may look at our earthly life and think “at every moment I was saved.” Or maybe we’ll see what peril we sometimes were in.

Eternal reality is 1 changeless and that is everlasting.

 

[Vico]

…

Due to a real change in the soul from friendship or enmity with the Holy Trinity, there is either everlasting life or everlasting death. There may be many changes to the soul due to grace and sin during a person’s life.

 

[fhansen]

how could it have been eternal life to begin with even if we lost our salvation for one second?

Why not? We already exist eternally anyway, finally either in heaven or hell, hell being a sort of “eternal death”. When we’re born again/saved we’re justified, made just, forgiven, cleansed, washed, made new creations, filled with righteousness, not a merely imputed one as per Protestantism generally speaking. This righteousness or justice consists basically in the virtues of faith, hope, and, most importantly, love, even if these reside in us only in nascent or seedling form at first, waiting to be expressed, tested, refined, confirmed, strengthened and grown. IOW, we’re given the life of God, a communion entered into via faith, and now we’re expected to walk and live like it, to remain in Him and He in us, to struggle and fight the battle against sin, “invest” our talents (the Parable of the Talents sheds great light on this whole dynamic), to strive, to be vigilant, to persevere, to do “for the least of these”, feeding the hungry and clothing the naked, to love, to be perfect, to be holy, to do good.

“Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.” Hen 12:14

“To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life.” Rom 2:7

Love is the primary aspect of man’s justice or righteous, it’s the goal, love of God and neighbor, which is why the Greatest Commandments are what they are and why the Church can teach that, at the end, we’ll be judged on our love. Love fulfills the Law (Rom 13:10) and produces obedience by its nature. Mortal sin directly opposes and destroys love by its nature, it’s to turn directly back away from God. Of course we can lose our state of justice and therefore our salvation, by acting unjustly. Scripture says that our own sins won’t even be forgiven unless we forgive others their sins. John 15 says we can be branches grafted in but later cut back off, Heb 6:4 tells us it’s possible to taste of the heavenly gift but later reject it, returning to sin, life in the flesh.

Salvation is not simply a one time event; that would be absurd. It’s “worked out“ as per Phil 2. Man’s will is never totally uninvolved. We’re judged based on how we did, how we loved, properly understood, with the gifts given: time, opportunity, experience, revelation/knowledge, and grace, with more demanded of those given more (Luke 12:48).

 

[Montrose]

That seems like a really high bar to me. I’m pretty confidant that someone who can fulfill both of those requirements is fairly secure their salvation.

There is no salvation security. That is only the position of some Protestant groups.
We are only saved if we die in a state of grace. If we die in a state of mortal sin then we go immediately to Hell.

 

[fhansen]

look at John 5:24 for reference

And John 5:24? Do you really think that everyone who’s heard those words down through the centuries and applied them to themselves was necessarily saved? And have you read much of the Bible? The New Testament is replete with warnings, admonition, encouragements, etc, to believers to wash their robes, to do the kinds of the things and more listed at the end of my first paragraph in post #6, generally with the loss of place in God’s kingdom at stake. Jesus also said this to the rich young ruler in Matt 19:
“If you want to enter life, keep the commandments.”
“Which ones?” he inquired.
Jesus replied, “‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, honor your father and mother, and ‘love your neighbor as yourself.’

 

[Dan_Defender]

‘that if possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect; but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own.’ Philippians 3:11-12

If St Paul, who was known for mighty works, did not feel assured of his own salvation, why should we?

 

[mdgspencer]

.
What if you give a million dollars to someone and he squanders it and so loses it? He can’t say he never had a million dollars.
Similarly a person can have eternal life in this world, and lose it.
Eternal life does not mean continuing forever. Everyone continues forever. Evil people continue forever, though it may be in a bad place. Eternal life is a state of the soul, which can be lost.