L
LatinRight
Guest
It is challenging, yes. The difficulty (and the heresies surrounding it) has caused some Catholics to water it down or abandon predestination entirely, failing to realize that predestination is a Catholic teaching and must be accepted. “Makes my head hurt” is an apt description for those still starting out.
But remembering that the following are non-negotiables, and accepting them as fact first, despite any surface contradiction (key word=“surface”), it can be an extremely stimulating study. The non-negotiables are these:
*]From eternity, God has predestined certain souls to salvation (predestination).
*]From eternity, in light of foreseen demerits, God has ordained certain souls to damnation (reprobation; predestination to hell without consideration of foreseen demerits is heretical double-predestination and is condemned).
*]Both predestination and reprobation are decreed, not merely foreknown. God ensures these decrees are secured (denial of this is a denial of divine providence).
*]The number of the predestined and the reprobate are both unknown and immutable (contrast to evangelical once-saved-always saved; we do not know the state of our being of the elect).
*]God desires the salvation of all (denial is heretical double-predestination and limited atonement)
*]God gives sufficient grace to all that they may be saved (contracted to double-predestination)
*]God has given man free will, i.e. the freedom to respond to or reject this saving grace (contrast with total depavity).
How all these mesh, the Church has not defined, allowing multiple and different schools of thought to flourish while remaining acceptable for Catholics to hold.
Blessings Porthos11,
Quote from your post: “Contrast to evangelical once-saved-always saved; we do not know the state of our being of the elect.” End quote.
What I don’t understand, what our benefits are that we don’t know our standing?
Do you have any idea for what our benefits are that we don’t know our standing?
We are supposed to be Christ’s ambassadors, if we don’t know we are among
the ELECT, logically we don’t know we are Christ’s ambassadors. The two cannot be separated.
What kind of a work an American ambassador could do in another country if he doesn’t know he is an American ambassador.
I have heard from several Catholics: We can know we are saved at the present time, but we
are not free to know that we will be saved in the future. Is this true?
Do you know Porthos11 what is the truth about that?
Are we free to know we are at the present time Christ’s ambassadors? – 2 Cor.5:20; “Therefore
we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us we implore you
on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled with God.”
Of course I welcome the view of the other members of the KAF as well.
Thanks in advance.
Blessings
LatinRight