salvation

[roanoker]

For you Catholics out there, if Catholicism is the only way to salvation, how do you explain John3:16? Roanoker

 

[NotWorthy]

For you Catholics out there, if Catholicism is the only way to salvation, how do you explain John3:16? Roanoker

To Roanoker out there, how do you explain belief?

How can you believe in Jesus if you don’t follow His teachings?
If Jesus gives the authority to forgive sins to men, who are you to deny this authority?
If Jesus tells you to eat His Body and drink His Blood, who are you to say, “well, he’s just talking symbolically”.
If Jesus leaves behind the Catholic Church, who are you do deny that Church?

You see, believing is not just saying, “I believe and confess that Jesus Christ is my Savior at an altar call”. Believing is following.

 

[canne]

For you Catholics out there, if Catholicism is the only way to salvation, how do you explain John3:16? Roanoker

The way to Salvation is thru the Lord Jesus Christ, it is his gift. In accepting his precious gift of grace, I also accept the Church Our Savior established. The Catholic Church. The Catechism of the Catholic Church, following historic Christian theology since the time of the early Church Fathers, refers to the Catholic Church as “the universal sacrament of salvation” (CCC 774–776), and states: “The Church in this world is the sacrament of salvation, the sign and the instrument of the communion of God and men” (CCC780).

Many people misunderstand the nature of this teaching.

Indifferentists, going to one extreme, claim that it makes no difference what church one belongs to. Certain radical traditionalists, going to the other extreme, claim that unless one is a full-fledged, baptized member of the Catholic Church, one will be damned.

…the early Church held the same position on this as the contemporary Church does—that is, while it is normatively necessary to be a Catholic to be saved (see CCC846; Vatican II, Lumen Gentium 14), there are exceptions, and it is possible in some circumstances for people to be saved who have not been fully initiated into the Catholic Church (CCC847).

As for me…
“As the Bible says, I am already saved (Rom. 8:24, Eph. 2:5–8), but I’m also being saved (1 Cor. 1:8, 2 Cor. 2:15, Phil. 2:12), and I have the hope that I *will be *saved (Rom. 5:9–10, 1 Cor. 3:12–15). Like the apostle Paul I am working out my salvation in fear and trembling (Phil. 2:12), with hopeful confidence in the promises of Christ (Rom. 5:2, 2 Tim. 2:11–13).”

catholic.com/library/Salvation_Outside_the_Church.asp

 

[ejreydrum]

To Roanoker out there, how do you explain belief?

How can you believe in Jesus if you don’t follow His teachings?
If Jesus gives the authority to forgive sins to men, who are you to deny this authority?
If Jesus tells you to eat His Body and drink His Blood, who are you to say, “well, he’s just talking symbolically”.
If Jesus leaves behind the Catholic Church, who are you do deny that Church?

You see, believing is not just saying, “I believe and confess that Jesus Christ is my Savior at an altar call”. Believing is following.

I agree! I could say more, but this seems good enough for now…
ejreydrm

 

[MarcoPolo]

To Roanoker out there, how do you explain belief?

How can you believe in Jesus if you don’t follow His teachings?
If Jesus gives the authority to forgive sins to men, who are you to deny this authority?
If Jesus tells you to eat His Body and drink His Blood, who are you to say, “well, he’s just talking symbolically”.
If Jesus leaves behind the Catholic Church, who are you do deny that Church?

You see, believing is not just saying, “I believe and confess that Jesus Christ is my Savior at an altar call”. Believing is following.

I think NotWorthy has explained this rather succinctly and correctly.

 

[NotWorthy]

How do you separate Belief and Obedience?

 

[COPLAND_3]

For you Catholics out there, if Catholicism is the only way to salvation, how do you explain John3:16? Roanoker

There is not much to add to what has been said. But since I have had to explain some things to my wife who is a life long Protestant, who has made comments at times hinting as if the Catholic Church believes that non-Catholics are going to hell for believing differently, I have tried to explain that, unlike some Protestant denominations, who believe thier group is the only ones going to Heaven, we as Catholic do not believe that. But we do believe that the Catholic Church is the fullness of the Christian Faith, and that it is the very Church that Jesus Christ came down and established, and has preserved the Faith to the fullest for 2000 years. It is the one Church established by Christ Himself, while all other Christian groups at some point in time broke off from the Catholic Church or broke off from a group that broke off from the Catholic Church. Many of the Protestant denominations are considered by the Church as being “seperated brethren.” We are united by baptism through Christ.

There is a fine line between believing that your church is the only ones going to Heaven verses believing that your Church is the fullness of the Christian Faith, the one established by Jesus Christ and fully preserved through the Holy Spirit.

There is a battle among non-Catholic denominations out there these days, and that is between those who believe that their groups is the only ones going to Heaven, while there is another modern day thought that really does not care about Doctrine or what the Bible says but believes that as long as you have some kind of belief in something then you are just fine (Liberalism).