Justified by Faith Alone cf. James 2:24

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Confusing and mixing up universal redemption (which is true), with universal salvation (which is false), is erroneous too.

Universalism is NOT Catholic doctrine.
 
Affirming God initiating (drawing us to Him in faith) and later animating grace for someone who is saved (deepening of faith, as well as supernatural hope and charity, etc.) is true but has never been denied by anyone on here (so its pointless to just keep repeating it with more bolds, more caps, snd more colors).

But once man has God’s Divine life within us, things changed (which is just what you’d expect).

Now man who has God’s Divine life within him, MUST cooperate in these graces.

Otherwise he will have his “talents” that was GIVEN to him, removed, given to others, and tossed out where there will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
 
This amounts to filibustering.

You don’t assert predestination ALONE, based on the affirmation of predestination and ignoring free will.

When God predestines mankind, He knows their free will.

It is a mystery as to how this works (predestination along WITH free will). But Catholics affirm BOTH.

Trying to manufacture predestination without free will is an invention.
God bless Cathoholic and every readers of the CAF.

I don’t know how can anyone manufacture predestination without free will, when God knows everyone’s free will.

**God knows the free will of both the un-regenerated men and the regenerated men as well.
**

ACCORDING TO GOD: THE FREE WILL OF THE UN-REGENERATED MEN

Rom.3:9-18; (NIV)
9 What shall we conclude then? Do we have any advantage? Not at all! For we have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under the power of sin.

10 As it is written:
“There is no one righteous, not even one;

11 there is no one who understands;
there is no one who seeks God.

12 All have turned away,
they have together become worthless;
there is no one who does good,
not even one.”[a]

13 “Their throats are open graves;
their tongues practice deceit.”**
“The poison of vipers is on their lips.”[c]

14 “Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.”[d]

15 “Their feet are swift to shed blood;

16 ruin and misery mark their ways,

17 and the way of peace they do not know.”[e]

18 “There is no fear of God before their eye.”

**GOD ALSO KNOWS THE FREE WILL OF THE REGENERATED MAN BECAUSE GOD IS THE ONE WHO “CONTROLS” THEIR FREE WILL WITHOUT VIOLATING IT
**

Phil.2:13; “For it is God who works in you BOTH TO WILL and TO ACT for His good pleasure.”

ST. AUGUSTINE ON GRACE AND PREDESTINATION

De gratia Christi 25, 26:

“For not only has God given us our ability and helps it, but He even works [brings about] willing and acting in us; not that we do not will or that we do not act, but that without His help we neither will anything good nor do it.”

De gratia et libero arbitrio 16, 32:
“It is certain that we will when we will; but He brings it about that we will good. . . . It is certain that we act when we act, but He brings it about that we act, PROVIDING MOST EFFECTIVE POWERS TO THE WILL.”

Aquinas said, “God changes the will without forcing it.
But he can change the will from the fact that He himself operates in the will as He does in nature,” De Veritatis 22:9.

CCC 2022; “The divine initiative in the work of grace PRECEDES,PREPARES, and ELICITS the free response of man. …”

The salvation of God’s children always based on God’s initiative.

Yet the ability to respond is also His gift.

You see Cathoholic, no one can manufacture predestination without free will when God “CONTROLS” the free will of the regenerated ones without violating it and the will of all un-regenerated man is: Run from God as fast as they can and as far as they can.

John 6:44 … NO ONE can come to Me unless the Father DRAWS him.

Continue**
 
Continuation

NOW LET’S SEE PREDESTINATION

**FR. WILLIAM MOST TEACHES THE SAME ABOVE THEOLOGICAL FACTS

Tuesday, April 2, 2013 Fr. William Most
What does the Catholic Church teach on Predestination? **

Predestination is gratuitous: For even before God considers human merits, He predestines, and because the sole and total cause of predestination is the goodness and love of the Father which moves spontaneously WITHOUT stimulus, merit, or condition.

Meaning, man does NOTHING to enter the state of justification.

**COUNCIL OF TRENT **
. . . None of those things which precede justification - whether faith or works - merit the grace itself of justification.

You see cathoholic, God predestines WITHOUT stimulus, merit, or condition.

I believe I don’t have to explain to you Cathoholic, what it means God predestines WITHOUT stimulus, merit, or condition.

God bless Cathoholic and every readers of the CAF.

Latin Right
 
There has also been a misguided mixing up of God’s prevenient grace (God making the first move towards us), with justifying grace.

This is a serious error.
**God bless Cathoholic and every readers of the CAF.
**
I don’t think I ever mixed up prevenient grace with sanctifying grace, both is very clear.

Prevenient grace is a Christian theological concept rooted in Arminian theology,[1] though it appeared earlier in Catholic theology.[2] It is divine grace that precedes human decision.

1999 The grace of Christ is the gratuitous gift that God makes to us of his own life, infused by the Holy Spirit into our soul to heal it of sin and to sanctify it. It is the sanctifying or deifying grace received in Baptism. It is in us the source of the work of sanctification:
Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself.

2000
Sanctifying grace is a habitual gift,
a stable and supernatural disposition that
perfects the soul itself to enable it to live with God, to act by his love.
Habitual grace, the permanent disposition to live and act in keeping with God’s call, is distinguished from actual graces which refer to God’s interventions, whether at the beginning of conversion or in the course of the work of sanctification.

The Catholic Church holds that “by grace alone, in faith in Christ’s saving work and not because of any merit on our part, we are accepted by God and receive the Holy Spirit, who renews our hearts while equipping and calling us to good works.”[22][23] Both the Council of Orange (529) and the Council of Trent affirmed that we are “justified gratuitously, because none of the things that precede justification, whether faith or works, merit the grace of justification”.

God bless Cathoholic and every readers of the CAF.

Latin Right
 
Confusing and mixing up universal redemption (which is true), with universal salvation (which is false), is erroneous too.

Universalism is NOT Catholic doctrine.
God bless Cathoholic and every readers of the CAF.

If you think Cathoholic I mixing up universal redemption with universal salvation** then you must think as well:**

1. The Second Vatican Council mixed up universal redemption with universal salvation too.

2.
The newly appointed (02/07/2017) Head of the CDF, Archbishop Luis F. Ladaria, a Jesuit theologian who is the new Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith also mixing up universal redemption with universal salvation too because he is teaching since long time Universal Salvation in harmony with the Second Vatican Council and with the Scriptures.

3. You also have to think Cathoholic, Pope Francis also mixing up universal redemption with universal salvation because he is the one who replaced Cardinal Gerhard Müller who was the prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith until 02/07/2017, with Archbishop Luis F. Ladaria, a Jesuit theologian who is openly teaching Universal Salvation.

The Second Vatican Council taught that all will be saved in the Apokatastastasis, the Final Restoration of All Things.

The doctrine of universal salvation (also known as Apokatastasis or Apocatastasis) has usually been considered through the centuries to be heterodox but has become orthodox.

It was maintained by the Second Vatican Council and by Pope John Paul II.

The doctrine of universal salvation has become very popular in the modern Roman Catholic Church.

Universalism is Catholic doctrine and very much Catholic teaching and certainly, it is the teachings of the Scripture.

The Second Vatican Council maintained
the doctrine
that all will be saved in the Apokatastasis or Final Restoration of All Things.

The following excerpt is taken from the constitution Gaudium et Spes (1:45, 2:57).

Quote:
The Lord is the goal of human history, the focal point of the longings of history and of civilization, the center of the human race, the joy of every heart and the answer to all its yearnings.

He it is Whom the Father raised from the dead, lifted on high and stationed at His right hand, making Him judge of the living and the dead.

Enlivened and united in His Spirit, we journey toward the consummation of human history, one which fully accords with the counsel of God’s love:

‘To reestablish all things in Christ, both those in the heavens and those on the earth’ (Eph. 1:10)

Moreover, by the impulse of grace, he is disposed to acknowledge the Word of God, Who before He became flesh in order to save all and to sum up all in Himself was already ‘in the world’ as ‘the true light which enlightens every man’ (John 1:9-10).” End quote.

Continue
 
Continuation

**There is also a very good book on Universal Salvation:

Jesus Christ Salvation of All by Luis F. Ladaria SJ (Author)

EDITORIAL REVIEWS**
“Luis F. Ladaria SJ presents a powerful statement openly advocating the doctrine of universal salvation.
His advocacy of universal salvation is openly and undeniably proclaimed.” – David Sielaff, Associates for Scriptural Knowledge, ASK " David Sielaff, Associates for Scriptural Knowledge, ASK"

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Archbishop Luis F. Ladaria, a Jesuit theologian who is the Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, has been a professor of theology at the Pontifical Gregorian University of Rome since 1984.

He was also a professor at the Comillas University in Madrid, and from 1992 to 1997 he was a member of the International Theological Commission.

Since 2004 he has been the general secretary of that commission. His works have greatly contributed to contemporary theological debates.

Archbishop Ladaria has been secretary, the second in command, of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith since 2008 until 02/07/2017 and from this date on Pope Francis appointed Ladaria SJ. to the position of the Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

Quote from: Jesus Christ Salvation of All by Luis F. Ladaria SJ.

Jesus includes everyone and excludes no one, and all of us have received his fullness (cfr. John 1:16).
The universality of salvation and unity of Christ’s mediation mutually affirm each other [p. 144].

Yet by dying, he gave us life, that is the life of his resurrection.

Even those who do not know him are
called to this divine vocation,
that is, to the perfect son-ship in and through Christ.

Christians and non-Christians reach this goal by virtue of the gift of the Spirit that associates us with the unique paschal ministry of Christ even if it is through diverse paths known only to God [p. 148-149]. End quote.

The following early Fathers of the Church are said to have taught that all will finally be saved.

Pantaenus; Clement of Alexandria; Origen; Athanasius; Didymus the Blind; Macarius of Egypt; Gregory Thaumaturgus; Ambrose; Ephraim; John Chrysostum; Gregory of Nyssa; Gregory of Nazianzus; Jerome of Bethlehem; Evagrius Ponticus; Titus of Bastra; Asterius of Amasea; Cyril; Methodius of Tyre; Pamphilius Eusibius; Hillary of Poitiers; Victorinus; Macrina the Younger; Dionysius the Areopagite; John Cassian; Maximus the Confessor; Proclus of Constantinople; Peter Chrysologus; Diodorus of Tarsus; Stephen bar Sudaili.

I’m sorry Cathoholic, you still didn’t answer my question on posts # 861-862:
Do you think Cathoholic the third line of reasoning is corrector or the fourth and fifth lines of reasoning correct?

As there is no between position, then the third line of reasoning is correct or the fourth and fifth lines of reasoning correct?
What do you think Cathoholic?

God bless Cathoholic and every readers of the CAF.

Latin Right
 
I said in post 863 . . . .
Trying to manufacture predestination without free will is an invention.
LatinRight you countered in post 867 . . .
I don’t know how can anyone manufacture predestination without free will, when God knows everyone’s free will.
God knows the free will of both the un-regenerated men and the regenerated men as well.
But I am not talking about man merely having a “free will” and God “knowing” it.

I am talking about how you won’t affirm . . . . man’s free-will . . . . mysteriously enters into their own salvation somehow ALONG WITH God’s gifts of grace.

You said in post 860 (sic) . . . .
man does NOTHING, to enter the state of justification.

But that is irrelevant.

Why?

Because I have already affirmed that man does nothing to “merit” initial salvation (including “faith” by the way) and I quoted the Council of Trent teaching this.

But AFTER you “enter the state of justification” you NEED to cooperate with grace. You NEED to WORK.

That’s WHY I have said (repeatedly) that justification is a moment followed by a lifelong process.

LatinRight. You made a big deal our of how we need grace to “count” for anything in post 856.
CONDITIONS THAT OUR WORKS (OUR DEEDS) COUNT FOR ANYTHING
That too is irrelevant (I have already affirmed that too).

The question is, do you NEED to DO anything after you are in a state of grace?
And the other aspect of this is, do you need to use your free will too (not just the aspect of “predestination”).

And the Catholic answer is “yes”.

What do you think these grace-works “count” for if not for salvation? (Ad if they don’t “count” for salvation, WHY bring it up here?)

You NEED to DO something after you become children of God (via Baptism) that reflects your state in life.

That’s WHY St. James says at least in some sense . . . you are justified by WORKS, and not by faith ALONE (notice St. James assumes the NEED for “faith” here, but not “faith ALONE”).

That’s WHY Jesus said: “To whom much is given, MUCH is REQUIRED” (c.f. Luke 12:48).

Working “WITH Jesus” (that IS being in a state of grace is) as St. Paul says, is necessary.

And if you refuse to work “WITH” Jesus (notice you CAN refuse to work WITH Jesus), your saving grace will be “in vain” (you will not be saved).
2nd CORINTHIANS 6:1-2a Working together with him, then, we entreat you not to accept the grace of God in vain.
2 For he says,
“At the acceptable time I have listened to you,
and helped you on the day of salvation.”
 
God bless James.

John 10:30; “I and My Father are one.”

God bless James.

Latin Right
So if God draws ALL to him, how come everyone doesn’t come to Him? Because of free will!

God has given sufficient grace to ALL. Our eternal destination depends on whether we accept or refuse that grace.
 
LatinRight:
I’m sorry Cathoholic, you still didn’t answer my question on posts # 861-862
Sorry about that Latin Right. Honestly I didn’t know you had questions for me.

Your replies have been long enough where I just don’t have time to prioritize reading them all.

Not trying to insult your long multi-post statements (I do that too sometimes), but I wasn’t aware you had a question for me.

I’ll go back to your posts 861 and 862 and see what you are alluding to later.

In the meantime just try to shorten your posts or I’ll continue to have to just skim them.
 
I said in post 863 . . . .

LatinRight you countered in post 867 . . .

But I am not talking about man merely having a “free will” and God “knowing” it.

I am talking about how you won’t affirm . . . . man’s free-will . . . . mysteriously enters into their own salvation somehow ALONG WITH God’s gifts of grace.

You said in post 860 (sic) . . . .

But AFTER you “enter the state of justification” you NEED to cooperate with grace. You NEED to WORK.

You NEED to DO something after you become children of God (via Baptism) that reflects your state in life.

That’s WHY St. James says at least in some sense . . . you are justified by WORKS, and not by faith ALONE (notice St. James assumes the NEED for “faith” here, but not “faith ALONE”).

That’s WHY Jesus said: “To whom much is given, MUCH is REQUIRED” (c.f. Luke 12:48).

Working “WITH Jesus” (that IS being in a state of grace is) as St. Paul says, is necessary.

And if you refuse to work “WITH” Jesus (notice you CAN refuse to work WITH Jesus), your saving grace will be “in vain” (you will not be saved).
**God bless Cathoholic and every readers of the CAF.

Thank you for your post. **

I believe we are going to the right direction to understand Catholic teachings. 🙂

It seems to me we are agree on initial justification, which is the hardest part in general to agree on in Catholic and Protestant circles, because a lot of lack of knowledge going on in this area.

Of course even in this area we need to clear up the fine prints, not for our benefit, because I thing we don’t have disagreement on it, but for the benefit of other readers.

**There are two major issues we need to agree on, which are: **

(1.) Progressive justification/progressive salvation.

(2.) Is it a possibility that even one Christian who has God’s gift of initial justification/salvation can lose his initial justification/salvation.

** INITIAL AND PROGRESSIVE JUSTIFICATIONS**

In theology the word, Justification has two separate and different meanings.

1. Initial Justification: Meaning, those who has this irrevocable (Rom.11:29) free gift of God, are permanently saved for heaven. – They are set for heaven for eternity, to lose it is a theological impossibility. Period.

No faith or works precedes initial Justification, it is done by WITHOUT stimulus, merit, or condition and can never be revoked!!! Period!!!

2. Progressive Justification: Takes place from initial Justification until the person physically die.

Progressive Justification is by faith + works (works of love).

**Works of love is: **

Doing something, DECIDED FREELY without the fear of hell,

**work done **NOT BECAUSE IT WILL HELP US SOMEHOW,

**but because **we want to do it out of SHEER LOVE for the Glory of God, or help other person out of sheer love.

Our Progressive Justification is the time to put as much works of love under our belts as we can.

If we deceived, and instead of our works of love, all our works will be graceless faithless works, wood, hay and straw, rejected by God at the judgment of our works, we still keep God’s gift of heaven and we enter to heaven without rewards. – 1 Cor.3:12-15; Rom.4:4-6; etc.

This would be a great loss, because our position and glory in heaven is determined by God, according to the outcome of the judgment of our works.

SUMMARY

1. For God’s IRREVOCABLE gifts of Initial Justification
we have Heaven.

2. For our works of love during our Progressive Justification we have rewards in heaven.

3. If we are deceived, and all our works during our Progressive Justification happen to be graceless faithless works (all works done for the reason not to lose salvation/heaven or to obtain salvation/heaven), all our works rejected by God, we still keep God’s IRREVOCABLE gift of heaven.

If you Cathoholic don’t agree with my above post, we can go down to the nitty-gritty.

I believe, you know Cathoholic, my above post is official Catholic teachings.

But if you like to clear up something in the post I’m ready to do it.

God bless Cathoholic and every readers of the CAF.

LatinRight
 
**

**There are two major issues we need to agree on, which are: ****

(1.) Progressive justification/progressive salvation.

(2.) Is it a possibility that even one Christian who has God’s gift of initial justification/salvation can lose his initial justification/salvation.

** INITIAL AND PROGRESSIVE JUSTIFICATIONS**

In theology the word, Justification has two separate and different meanings.

1. Initial Justification: Meaning, those who has this irrevocable (Rom.11:29) free gift of God, are permanently saved for heaven. – They are set for heaven for eternity, to lose it is a theological impossibility. Period.

No faith or works precedes initial Justification, it is done by WITHOUT stimulus, merit, or condition and can never be revoked!!! Period!!!

2. Progressive Justification: Takes place from initial Justification until the person physically die.

Progressive Justification is by faith + works (works of love).

**Works of love is: **

Doing something, DECIDED FREELY without the fear of hell,

**work done **NOT BECAUSE IT WILL HELP US SOMEHOW,

**but because **we want to do it out of SHEER LOVE for the Glory of God, or help other person out of sheer love.

Our Progressive Justification is the time to put as much works of love under our belts as we can.

If we deceived, and instead of our works of love, all our works will be graceless faithless works, wood, hay and straw, rejected by God at the judgment of our works, we still keep God’s gift of heaven and we enter to heaven without rewards. – 1 Cor.3:12-15; Rom.4:4-6; etc.

This would be a great loss, because our position and glory in heaven is determined by God, according to the outcome of the judgment of our works.

SUMMARY

1. For God’s IRREVOCABLE gifts of Initial Justification
we have Heaven.

2. For our works of love during our Progressive Justification we have rewards in heaven.

3. If we are deceived, and all our works during our Progressive Justification happen to be graceless faithless works (all works done for the reason not to lose salvation/heaven or to obtain salvation/heaven), all our works rejected by God, we still keep God’s IRREVOCABLE gift of heaven.

If you Cathoholic don’t agree with my above post, we can go down to the nitty-gritty.

I believe, you know Cathoholic, my above post is official Catholic teachings.

But if you like to clear up something in the post I’m ready to do it.

God bless Cathoholic and every readers of the CAF.

LatinRight

You’re not presenting and accurate picture of Catholicism. We do nothing to merit initial justification. But the graces of initial justification are lost through sin. Which is why we have confession. A person can be predestined to initial salvation and not be predestined to eternal salvation.

This is from Trent:

In what manner it is to be understood, that the impious is justified by faith, and gratuitously.

And whereas the Apostle saith, that man is justified by faith and freely, those words are to be understood in that sense which the perpetual consent of the Catholic Church hath held and expressed; to wit, that we are therefore said to be justified by faith, because faith is the beginning of human salvation, the foundation, and the root of all Justification; without which it is impossible to please God, and to come unto the fellowship of His sons: but we are therefore said to be justified freely, because that none of those things which precede justification-whether faith or works-merit the grace itself of justification. For, if it be a grace, it is not now by works, otherwise, as the same Apostle says, grace is no more grace.

Against the vain confidence of Heretics.

But, although it is necessary to believe that sins neither are remitted, nor ever were remitted save gratuitously by the mercy of God for Christ’s sake; yet is it not to be said, that sins are forgiven, or have been forgiven, to any one who boasts of his confidence and certainty of the remission of his sins, and rests on that alone; seeing that it may exist, yea does in our day exist, amongst heretics and schismatics; and with great vehemence is this vain confidence, and one alien from all godliness, preached up in opposition to the Catholic Church. But neither is this to be asserted,-that they who are truly justified must needs, without any doubting whatever, settle within themselves that they are justified, and that no one is absolved from sins and justified, but he that believes for certain that he is absolved and justified; and that absolution and justification are effected by this faith alone: as though whoso has not this belief, doubts of the promises of God, and of the efficacy of the death and resurrection of Christ. For even as no pious person ought to doubt of the mercy of God, of the merit of Christ, and of the virtue and efficacy of the sacraments, even so each one, when he regards himself, and his own weakness and indisposition, may have fear and apprehension touching his own grace; seeing that no one can know with a certainty of faith, which cannot be subject to error, that he has obtained the grace of God.

Rome has spoken: the matter is settled.
 
So if God draws ALL to him, how come everyone doesn’t come to Him? Because of free will!

God has given sufficient grace to ALL. Our eternal destination depends on whether we accept or refuse that grace.
God bless James and every readers of the CAF.

D o you think James; In all Christian history even one man saved by and went through the Pearly Gate having sufficient grace under his belt???

As far as I know, sufficient grace is only sufficient to enter trough the Gates of hell, am I correct???

As far as I know, only efficacious grace is sufficient to open the Pearly Gate, am I correct???

I/we like to have your answers of the above questions. Thank you James in advance.

Those whom God draws ALL come to Christ, **but the timing when He draws someone is His.
**

God doesn’t need our will or our faith for our initial justification.
It is done by
WITHOUT stimulus, merit, or condition

AFTER OUR INITIAL JUSTIFICATION, God “controls” our will without violating it, and AFTER OUR INITIAL JUSTIFICATION, God gives us His gift of formed faith and we can positively respond to it because we are in the state of grace and we are in Christ.

CCC 2022; “The divine initiative in the work of grace PRECEDES,PREPARES, and ELICITS the free response of man. …”

The salvation of God’s children always based on God’s initiative.

In other words, when God commands, He capacitates the hearer to respond. – No exception, everyone positively responds, no one say no to God.

Yet the ability to respond is also His gift.

The exact time when God will calls the whole human race into His service is:

Eph.1:10; In the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth—in Him.

Col.1:20; and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.

**Do you James looking forward to the fulfillments of Eph.1:10 and Col.1:20?
**

I looking forward to it, and I have God’s gift of faith to believe the fulfilment of the above Bible verses with Archbishop Luis F. Ladaria SJ. who is the Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and with Pope Francis and with the creations of the whole world. – Rom.8:19-23; Acts 3:21; etc.

God bless James and every readers of the CAF.

LatinRight
 
God bless James and every readers of the CAF.

D o you think James; In all Christian history even one man saved by and went through the Pearly Gate having sufficient grace under his belt???

As far as I know, sufficient grace is only sufficient to enter trough the Gates of hell, am I correct???

As far as I know, only efficacious grace is sufficient to open the Pearly Gate, am I correct???

I/we like to have your answers of the above questions. Thank you James in advance.

Those whom God draws ALL come to Christ, **but the timing when He draws someone is His.
**

God doesn’t need our will or our faith for our initial justification.
It is done by
WITHOUT stimulus, merit, or condition

AFTER OUR INITIAL JUSTIFICATION, God “controls” our will without violating it, and AFTER OUR INITIAL JUSTIFICATION, God gives us His gift of formed faith and we can positively respond to it because we are in the state of grace and we are in Christ.

CCC 2022; “The divine initiative in the work of grace PRECEDES,PREPARES, and ELICITS the free response of man. …”

The salvation of God’s children always based on God’s initiative.

In other words, when God commands, He capacitates the hearer to respond. – No exception, everyone positively responds, no one say no to God.

Yet the ability to respond is also His gift.

The exact time when God will calls the whole human race into His service is:

Eph.1:10; In the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth—in Him.

Col.1:20; and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.

**Do you James looking forward to the fulfillments of Eph.1:10 and Col.1:20?
**

I looking forward to it, and I have God’s gift of faith to believe the fulfilment of the above Bible verses with Archbishop Luis F. Ladaria SJ. who is the Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and with Pope Francis and with the creations of the whole world. – Rom.8:19-23; Acts 3:21; etc.

God bless James and every readers of the CAF.

LatinRight
Sufficient and efficacious grace are not covered in the Cathecism, the rule of faith ALL Catholics must follow.
 
A person can be predestined to initial salvation and not be predestined to eternal salvation.
God bless James and every readers of the CAF.

As far as I know God predestines no one to hell and God definitely predestines no one positively to hell.

Do you believe James my above statement is correct?

God’s predestination to grace/initial salvatin is a positive predestination.

So, What is the destination of those people whom God positively predestined to grace it is heaven or it is hell?

I/we all waiting for your answers. Thanks for your answers James in advance.

God bless James and every readers of the CAF.

LatinRight
 
God bless James and every readers of the CAF.

As far as I know God predestines no one to hell and God definitely predestines no one positively to hell.

Do you believe James my above statement is correct?

God’s predestination to grace/initial salvatin is a positive predestination.

So, What is the destination of those people whom God positively predestined to grace it is heaven or it is hell?

I/we all waiting for your answers. Thanks for your answers James in advance.

God bless James and every readers of the CAF.

LatinRight
My answer is this: It depends on whether the person accepts God’s gift of final perseverance.
 
My answer is this: It depends on whether the person accepts God’s gift of final perseverance.
**God bless James and every readers of the CAF.

I’m sorry James, but your answer is not in line with Catholic teachings.**

From your answer, seems to me you don’t know the differences in Catholic teachings on predestination to final salvation/heaven and predestination to initial salvation/predestined to be saved for a while.

**James Akin explains this two predestinations in his article Tiptoe through TULIP very clearly and easy to understand.

Quote:** If one is predestined to be saved, it does not follow he must persevere to the end?

**This involves a confusion about what people are predestined to: **

Is it predestination to initial salvation or final salvation?

The two are not the same.

A person might be predestined to one, but **this does not mean he is predestined necessarily to the other. **

One must define which kind of predestination is being discussed.

If one is talking about predestination to initial salvation, then the fact that a person will come to God does not of itself mean he will stay with God.

If one is talking about predestination to final salvation, then a predestined person will stay with God.

Some might genuinely come to God (because they were predestined to initial salvation) and then genuinely leave (because they were not predestined to final salvation).

Either way, predestination to initial salvation does not entail predestination to final salvation.

There is no reason why a person cannot be **predestined to “believe for a while.” **

A Catholic must affirm that there are people who experience initial salvation and who do not go on to final salvation.

Catholic may believe in perseverance of the saints, since a person predestined to final salvation must by definition persevere to the end.

Catholics even have a special name for the grace God gives these people: “the gift of final perseverance.”

The Church formally teaches that there is a gift of final perseverance.

Aquinas (and even Molina) said this grace always ensures that a person will persevere.

Aquinas said, "Predestination [to final salvation] most certainly and infallibly takes effect."

**But not all who come to God receive this grace.
**
Aquinas said the gift of final perseverance is "the abiding in good to the end of life.

In order to have this perseverance man…needs the divine assistance guiding and guarding him against the attacks of the passions.

[A]fter anyone has been justified by grace, he still needs to beseech God for the aforesaid gift of perseverance, that he kept from evil till the end of life.

For to many grace is given to whom perseverance in grace is not give."

The person can be predestined to come to God
yet not be predestined to stay. End quote.

**SUMMARY

There are two predestinations in Catholic theology:

PREDESTINED TO FINAL SALVATION / HEAVEN – This is a positive predestination, God’s choice.**

Every predestined at their initial justification is a receiver of God’s special grace The Gift of Final perseverance, which is an Eternal Protection of their salvation.

Without this Gift of Final Perseverance,** every predestined to final salvation/heaven, would end up in hell.** – Infallible teaching.

God predestined His chosen ones to final salvation WITHOUT stimulus, merit, or condition

PREDESTINED TO INITIAL SALVATION / PREDESTINED TO BE SAVED FOR A WHILE – This is also a positive predestination, God’s choice.

As they are predestined only to be saved for a while, **at their initial justification they did not received God’s special grace The Gift of Final perseverance, which would be an Eternal Protection of their salvation. **

Every predestined to initial salvation end up in hell.

Now as you see James I explained the two predestinations.

To tell the truth, it wasn’t me who explained it, I only borrowed the explanation from James Akin, so the reward in heaven is not mine.

God bless James and every readers of the CAF.

LatinRight
 
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