Is it easy or hard to be saved?

[souldiver]

1 Peter 4:18
And, “If it is hard for the righteous to be saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?”

So it’s possible that even church goers, charity givers, the chastised to not be saved?

Also, it is said to be easy, with sola fide(faith only requirement).

What’s the truth? Or at least your opinion.

 

[fhansen]

1 Peter 4:18
And, “If it is hard for the righteous to be saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?”

So it’s possible that even church goers, charity givers, the chastised to not be saved?

Also, it is said to be easy, with sola fide(faith only requirement).

What’s the truth? Or at least your opinion.

Well, it’s certainly not a matter of faith alone. Jesus’ burden is light, not nonexistent. We must take up our cross, following Him in whatever He would have us do, pursuing righteousness, persevering, doing the good works set out for us in Christ Jesus, striving, struggling, fighting the good fight, cooperating with grace, growing in justice. In the end God judges-how well we’ve done with what we’ve been given.

 

[JerryZ]

1 Peter 4:18
And, “If it is hard for the righteous to be saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?”

So it’s possible that even church goers, charity givers, the chastised to not be saved?

Also, it is said to be easy, with sola fide(faith only requirement).

What’s the truth? Or at least your opinion.

unfortunately we have many that claim to be Christians and yet reject the means that the Christ imposed on us to achieve salvation.
Yes I used the word imposed, for if HE is GOD HE has the right to impose this to us.

Faith alone is a non sequitur for the same people often also claim “Bible alone” and yet the only time the words “faith” and “salvation” occur together in the Bible they are preceded by the word NOT.

James 2:24
Do you see that a man is justified by means of works, and not by faith alone?

We are told that salvation is like a race, we must endure and be faithful till the end, none should boast to be saved while still alive but await with patience the judgement of the Lord.
Faith and works are both necessary, faith is a gift, works are the natural result of using that gift. Salvation IS a gift, totally unmerited by us.

 

[Latinitas]

What St. Peter means here is that even the just man must continuously pray and do penance and mortify himself, or he will lose the divine grace. If the just must still do this, what will happen to sinners who have many vicious habits, and who do not pray etc.? Hope, as St. Thomas says, is properly defined as confidence in obtaining some arduous good. With that said, however, since God, in His love and goodness, desires all men to be saved. He will grant to everyone who asks of Him, with the determination to do what he can himself, the graces necessary to attain salvation. Hence despair is a very grave insult to the Divine goodness. Cf. End prayer of the Divine Mercy Chaplet.

I hope this was helpful,
Benedicat Deus,
Latinitas

 

[Billy_Buescher]

In my opinion, it is easy to be saved. I was saved as an infant with the faith of my father and mother.

But, it is very hard to stay saved. There is so much in this world that make it difficult to stay saved. It seam like pretty much all is against a Christian and their faith.

 

[IgnatianPhilo]

Depends on what one means by hard or easy. Easy for some in that they sincerely repented before death and have been received into heaven. Hard for some because they spent their entire lives attempting master the passions and sinful nature.

 

[petra22]

Faith alone is a non sequitur for the same people often also claim “Bible alone” and yet the only time the words “faith” and “salvation” occur together in the Bible they are preceded by the word NOT.

:clapping: Good one. I’ve never heard this stated like this and it blew my mind this morning!!!

 

[Reuben_J]

1 Peter 4:18
And, “If it is hard for the righteous to be saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?”

So it’s possible that even church goers, charity givers, the chastised to not be saved?

Also, it is said to be easy, with sola fide(faith only requirement).

What’s the truth? Or at least your opinion.

Is it hard to be saved? St. Peter said it clearly, yes, it is hard, even for the righteous. And that is right, simply because of our fallen nature. We have the propensity to sin, an action that is against the righteousness of God. What hope therefore do we have? None. But God gives us the grace that we can do it if we try, if we believe. Then again, we may fall along the way, but we will raise up again when we come before God in repentance as He forgives our sin. So that is the nature of the road, a journey rather, towards being saved.

God does not have any favorite, anybody can receive that grace if they come to him in repentance. By the same token, if one does not, no matter what position we have in the church, our unrepented sins will condemn us.

There is no such thing as faith alone to get being saved. That is simply a delusion, an escapist view to pretend that sins do not matter.

Reuben

 

[petra22]

What St. Peter means here is that even the just man must continuously pray and do penance and mortify himself, or he will lose the divine grace. If the just must still do this, what will happen to sinners who have many vicious habits, and who do not pray etc.? Hope, as St. Thomas says, is properly defined as confidence in obtaining some arduous good. With that said, however, since God, in His love and goodness, desires all men to be saved. He will grant to everyone who asks of Him, with the determination to do what he can himself, the graces necessary to attain salvation. Hence despair is a very grave insult to the Divine goodness. Cf. End prayer of the Divine Mercy Chaplet.

I hope this was helpful,
Benedicat Deus,
Latinitas

Very good explanation, IMHO!!!

 

[petra22]

In my opinion, it is easy to be saved. I was saved as an infant with the faith of my father and mother.

But, it is very hard to stay saved. There is so much in this world that make it difficult to stay saved. It seam like pretty much all is against a Christian and their faith.

 

[Dorothy]

In my opinion, it is easy to be saved. I was saved as an infant with the faith of my father and mother.

But, it is very hard to stay saved. There is so much in this world that make it difficult to stay saved. It seam like pretty much all is against a Christian and their faith.

The grace of God can triumph in us if we follow the Lord, pray, and obey the Church in what she teaches.

When we follow Him daily we have His deep peace, that only He can give, and that spurs us on to continue on His Way!

 

[Vico]

1 Peter 4:18
And, “If it is hard for the righteous to be saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?”

So it’s possible that even church goers, charity givers, the chastised to not be saved?

Also, it is said to be easy, with sola fide(faith only requirement).

What’s the truth? Or at least your opinion.

John 3:5 Douay-Rheims-Challoner: Jesus answered: Amen, amen I say to thee, unless a man be born again of water and the Holy Ghost, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
Luke 16:13 Douay-Rheims-Challoner: No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or he will hold to the one, and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.
Matthew 24:3, 25:31-46 Douay-Rheims-Challoner:3 And when he [Jesus] was sitting on mount Olivet, the disciples came to him privately, saying: Tell us when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the consummation of the world? …
31 And when the Son of man shall come in his majesty, and all the angels with him, then shall he sit upon the seat of his majesty.
32 And all nations shall be gathered together before him, and he shall separate them one from another, as the shepherd separateth the sheep from the goats:
33 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on his left.

34 Then shall the king say to them that shall be on his right hand: Come, ye blessed of my Father, possess you the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.

35 For I was hungry, and you gave me to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave me to drink; I was a stranger, and you took me in:
36 Naked, and you covered me: sick, and you visited me: I was in prison, and you came to me.
37 Then shall the just answer him, saying: Lord, when did we see thee hungry, and fed thee; thirsty, and gave thee drink?
38 And when did we see thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and covered thee?
39 Or when did we see thee sick or in prison, and came to thee?
40 And the king answering, shall say to them: Amen I say to you, as long as you did it to one of these my least brethren, you did it to me.

41 Then he shall say to them also that shall be on his left hand: Depart from me, you cursed, into everlasting fire which was prepared for the devil and his angels.

42 For I was hungry, and you gave me not to eat: I was thirsty, and you gave me not to drink.
43 I was a stranger, and you took me not in: naked, and you covered me not: sick and in prison, and you did not visit me.

44 Then they also shall answer him, saying: Lord, when did we see thee hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister to thee?
45 Then he shall answer them, saying: Amen I say to you, as long as you did it not to one of these least, neither did you do it to me.
46 And these shall go into everlasting punishment: but the just, into life everlasting.

 

[petra22]

Is it hard to be saved? St. Peter said it clearly, yes, it is hard, even for the righteous. And that is right, simply because of our fallen nature. We have the propensity to sin, an action that is against the righteousness of God. What hope therefore do we have? None. But God gives us the grace that we can do it if we try, if we believe. Then again, we may fall along the way, but we will raise up again when we come before God in repentance as He forgives our sin. So that is the nature of the road, a journey rather, towards being saved.

God does not have any favorite, anybody can receive that grace if they come to him in repentance. By the same token, if one does not, no matter what position we have in the church, our unrepented sins will condemn us.

There is no such thing as faith alone to get being saved. That is simply a delusion, an escapist view to pretend that sins do not matter.

Reuben

I agree with you, Reuben…
Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy!

 

[Reuben_J]

I agree with you, Reuben…
Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy!

That you said it. Considering how important it is, in the mass right after the greeting, before anything else, before the liturgy of the Word and the liturgy of the Eucharist, the celebrant will proceed to the Penitential Act, bringing the congregation into corporate repentance, for in repentance we are made right with God.

Yes, Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.

Reuben

 

[ffg]

I think the most difficult part about this whole salvation thing (assuming it is a potential reality) is mentally accepting that God has a gift for us, which is himself in eternity. Our difficult act is to accept.

It is our nature to think we get ourselves our own things, and that which we can’t get to, we don’t get or shouldn’t have…

In this case, we can’t get to salvation, it comes to us. Can we knock down our pride and say ‘yes’.

I think God knew our pride is our sticking point, thus God gifts us with laws that can help our ‘yes’ become a little easier to say, even as we become more aware of our sinfulness.

Something about following a particular way and our burden will be light.

 

[JustaServant]

If it were easy, everyone would be saved.

 

[Techno2000]

1 Peter 4:18
And, “If it is hard for the righteous to be saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?”

So it’s possible that even church goers, charity givers, the chastised to not be saved?

Also, it is said to be easy, with sola fide(faith only requirement).

What’s the truth? Or at least your opinion.

The intercession of the Blessed Mother is a big help.

 

[SalusaSecondus]

1 Peter 4:18
And, “If it is hard for the righteous to be saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?”

So it’s possible that even church goers, charity givers, the chastised to not be saved?

Also, it is said to be easy, with sola fide(faith only requirement).

What’s the truth? Or at least your opinion.

Depends I would say on what is easy or hard. It’s hard to have faith sometimes especially in the face of life’s hardships and tragedies. Thankfully we can rest on Jesus word that he has overcome the world. Since we are saved by grace alone through faith alone, all we are doing is waving the proverbial white flag. Then again it was hard to be saved because to be saved Jesus had to become sin for us and die on the cross. That must have been the hardest thing anyone has ever done.

 

[JerryZ]

Depends I would say on what is easy or hard. It’s hard to have faith sometimes especially in the face of life’s hardships and tragedies. Thankfully we can rest on Jesus word that he has overcome the world. Since we are saved by grace alone** through faith alone**, all we are doing is waving the proverbial white flag. Then again it was hard to be saved because to be saved Jesus had to become sin for us and die on the cross. That must have been the hardest thing anyone has ever done.

Would you kindly point to us where in the Bible you find that we are saved by “faith alone”

Thanks.

…

 

[souldiver]

Would you kindly point to us where in the Bible you find that we are saved by “faith alone”

Thanks.

…

I’m not the one you’re talking to but I think this verse is what some Protestants point out as proof of the “faith only” doctrine:

Ephesians 2:8
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith–and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God–