Is salvation gaurnteed?

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I seem to be having a bit of an argument about it on another board, and I need help. How ban I be gaurnteed of my salvation? Is it possible? According to some protestant friends of mine it is. However, I have my doubts. Any help much appreciated.
 
We are not saved by faith alone, nor is Once Saved Always Saved in line with Catholic teaching.

Jesus said in Matt 24:13 *But he that shall persevere to the end, he shall be saved. *

Paul says we should work out our salvation with fear and trembling.
Phi 2:12 *Wherefore, my dearly beloved, (as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only but much more now in my absence) with fear and trembling work out your salvation. *
Phi 2:13 *For it is God who worketh in you, both to will and to accomplish, according to his good will. *

Here’s a more comprehensive article provided by Catholic Answers Assurance of Salvation?
 
I imagine you’re going to get a pretty big response to this as it is one of the great, historical sticking points between Catholics and most Protestants. I beleive it is safe to say that salvation is not guaranteed for anyone. We can never merit salvation of our own works, but we must *cooperate *with the Grace we are given. Only the Lord knows if we have cooperated to the level He would expect.

Keep in mind St. Paul said, “we must work out our salvation with fear and trembling” (Phillipians 2: 12) If salvation we’re guaranteed, why the fear? Why the trembling? My NIV Bible (the favorite Bible of many Evangelicals including myself when I was one) notes that this fear and trembling has to do with “an active reverence and a singleness of purpose in response to God’s grace.” Quite a stretch if you ask me.

In 1 Corinthians 9: 24-27, we find another reference often used to show that the Catholic understanding of cooperating with Grace is the proper one. St. Paul likens the situation to a race. One in which he fears that he himself may be disqualified. Here the question is simply put, how is it that so many of our Protestant brothers and sisters can know that they are saved, when St. Paul himself, yes the very same one who once persecuted the Christians until hearing the voice of the Lord, seems uncertain in his own regard?

Other passages you might want to look at are:
John 14: 21
Romans 2: 2-8; 11: 22
Matthew 7:21; 19: 16-17; 24: 13
James 2: 14-24
1 Corinthians 10: 11-12
Galatians 5: 4
2 Timothy 2: 11-13
Hebrews 6: 4-6; 10: 26-27

There are certainly others, but these passages might give those outside (and inside) the Church, something to think about.

Always remember, too, that we can throw Bible passages at each other all day. This is a good argument for why we need a Papacy and Magisterium, i.e. a group of ordained teachers who are guided by the Holy Spirit from error. If Christ had not so intended it, we would have no way of knowing who’s interpretations are correct.
 
Thanks, the problem with this topic is that it also leads into purgatory, which is also sticky. Corinthians to them means escaped by the skin of their teeth, not an actual purification.

Thanks anyways.
 
Mt. 7:21 not everyone saying “Lord, Lord” wil inherit.

Rom 11:23 remain in his kindness or you will be cut off.

Heb. 10:26-27 if sin after receiving truth, judgement remains.

Also the issue of free-will comes into play here, God wants us to come to him by our own free-will and by use of that free-will gives us the ability to turn away from him if we choose.

God Bless
 
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OAB:
Thanks, the problem with this topic is that it also leads into purgatory, which is also sticky. Corinthians to them means escaped by the skin of their teeth, not an actual purification.

Thanks anyways.
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If only our Lord had thought to establish a Church that the gates of hell would never prevail against (Mattew 16:18), a pillar and foundation of truth (1 Timothy 3:15) that we could turn to in order to authoritatively settle these differences. But I guess that just wasn’t possible. It would be silly to expect Jesus to be with such a Church forever (Matthew 28:20). 😉

James
 
I cant use the church arguments for these things because they dont accept it’s authority. They think that either jesus built the church on himself (ignoring all grammar) or built it as a christian church, not a catholic one, where the bible was the only authority.
 
Hello OAB,

The Church teaches us that we can be morally assured of our salvation as long as we co-operate with Jesus by being obedient to His command to love one another as He has loved us and taking up our crosses everyday by dying to our lusts and desires that tempt us to Mortal sin which effectively removes the Saving Grace freely given to us when we are baptized.

If sins after baptism did not harm our ability to remain in a state of Grace enough to allow us to get into heaven when we die why did the Lord Jesus emphasize so much the need to abstain from sinning if there were not any severe consequences for committing such sins? Most Protestants believe that if you commit sins here on Earth that you are relegated to a lesser status in Heaven but still experience the beatific vision of God. So they emphasize striving to live a Godly life on Earth only for the purpose of gaining a more glorious position of rank or status relative to the others that have made it to heaven.

This flies in the face of the fact that St. Paul has even stated in 1Cor 6:9-11.

In those verses the baptism of those Paul was speaking to erased the culpability for those past sins but it does not imply that they will remain in a “saved” state if they obstinately continue on in sin. Protestants read into it as if the washing has eliminated condemnation for any and all future sins to be committed. Nowhere in that chapter of Corinthians can that assumption be substantiated (nor anywhere else in the bible for that matter).

If one makes it to Heaven, there is no envy, hatred, embarrassment, or any other flawed emotional and fallen human tendencies that lead us to regard others in Heaven as more glorious or less glorious than others as to be a lesson to us that we should have been better Christians in how we lived our lives on Earth.

Anyone can figure out that if all they had to do was believe in the name of the Lord Jesus to be “once saved, always saved” and that no matter what they did would be fruitless for getting into Heaven because they’re already “guaranteed” a spot in Heaven (given the minimalist attitude that most of us human beings with our fallen nature have) most would ask ourselves “If all I need to do is just believe and be saved ‘once and for all time’ and I’m in, why would I deny the pleasures here on Earth and be miserable just because Jesus wants us to bear our crosses with Him? After all He’s not mandating it, He just wants us to get a better spot in Heaven by doing it. Heck, I’m just glad to be guaranteed a spot in Heaven, I’m not picky.”

That is the danger of Protestant belief. It is a false sense of security that does not require us to make the hard choices of being obedient to the Lord and striving to reign in our passions, which is true proof of our love for Him.

Through Him
With Him
In Him.

OseeMe
 
Hello OAB,

The Church teaches us that we can be morally assured of our salvation as long as we co-operate with Jesus by being obedient to His command to love one another as He has loved us and taking up our crosses everyday by dying to our lusts and desires that tempt us to Mortal sin which effectively removes the Saving Grace freely given to us when we are baptized.

If sins after baptism did not harm our ability to remain in a state of Grace enough to allow us to get into heaven when we die why did the Lord Jesus emphasize so much the need to abstain from sinning if there were not any severe consequences for committing such sins? Most Protestants believe that if you commit sins here on Earth that you are relegated to a lesser status in Heaven but still experience the beatific vision of God. So they emphasize striving to live a Godly life on Earth only for the purpose of gaining a more glorious position of rank or status relative to the others that have made it to heaven.

This flies in the face of the fact that St. Paul has even stated in 1Cor 6:9-11.

In those verses the baptism of those Paul was speaking to erased the culpability for those past sins but it does not imply that they will remain in a “saved” state if they obstinately continue on in sin. Protestants read into it as if the washing has eliminated condemnation for any and all future sins to be committed. Nowhere in that chapter of Corinthians can that assumption be substantiated (nor anywhere else in the bible for that matter).

If one makes it to Heaven, there is no envy, hatred, embarrassment, or any other flawed emotional and fallen human tendencies that lead us to regard others in Heaven as more glorious or less glorious than others as to be a lesson to us that we should have been better Christians in how we lived our lives on Earth.

Anyone can figure out that if all they had to do was believe in the name of the Lord Jesus to be “once saved, always saved” and that no matter what they did would be fruitless for getting into Heaven because they’re already “guaranteed” a spot in Heaven (given the minimalist attitude that most of us human beings with our fallen nature have) most would ask ourselves “If all I need to do is just believe and be saved ‘once and for all time’ and I’m in, why would I deny the pleasures here on Earth and be miserable just because Jesus wants us to bear our crosses with Him? After all He’s not mandating it, He just wants us to get a better spot in Heaven by doing it. Heck, I’m just glad to be guaranteed a spot in Heaven, I’m not picky.”

That is the danger of Protestant belief. It is a false sense of security that does not require us to make the hard choices of being obedient to the Lord and striving to reign in our passions, which is true proof of our love for Him.

Through Him
With Him
In Him.

OseeMe
 
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OAB:
I cant use the church arguments for these things because they dont accept it’s authority. They think that either jesus built the church on himself (ignoring all grammar) or built it as a christian church, not a catholic one, where the bible was the only authority.
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Some of the problems with the Scripture being the sole authority are, 1. Scripture specifically states "not all is written here. 2. Scripture says the Church is the pillar of truth, not Scripture, although Scripture is of course very important. 3. Protestant Scripture does not contain the entire Scripture, books that Jesus Himself used. These books teach a lot about those items protestants disagree with, like purgatory, marriage, Mary.
 
There is a closed thread entitled “John 6:44 and Eternal Security” on the Apologetics Forum. You might want to read this thread to get a sense of the argument from both sides.

Also, if they are making a case for “Once Saved Always Saved,” you can clearly refute it from scripture. I have researched and compiled over 65 verses from the New Testament that refute this teaching, and I will gladly email them to you upon request.
 
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