Saved or self deceived?

[Roman_Catholic_1]

Is there one that I can search individual versus. I put John 20:23, but the entire chapter appears; am I doing something wrong?

I don’t think you did anything wrong. By putting John into the search engine you will search the entire Bible for the word “John” and all those entries will be displayed. So you have to do it the old fashion way.

This is a site to the NRSV:


http://www.devotions.net/bible/00bible.htm

But this is not the Catholic edition you were looking for.

Someone else may be able to help you out with that.

By the way great verse :

If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained. (John 20:23)

God bless

 

[Church_Militant]

Is there one that I can search individual versus. I put John 20:23, but the entire chapter appears; am I doing something wrong?

DRBO has a great search feature and because the Douay-Rheims Bible came out 2 years prior to the King James Bible, they share some of the same period wording and as a result you can pretty much search for anything from KJV and get the same hits in the DRV.:bible1:

 

[Church_Militant]

I have a couple of articles that I wrote about this on my blog. Perhaps they will help a bit.
How Is A Catholic Saved?

Who REALLY Preaches “A Different Gospel”?

 

[KingAlfred]

Help…what must I do to be saved? How can I know that I am saved and won’t be in hell?

You *can’t *know with certainty in this life. No one living is ‘saved’. As long as you’re alive, you can sin. Only on Judgment Day, after you’ve died, will you know, when God Himself passes judgment upon you. The whole concept of being ‘saved’ in this life is based on a gross misinterpretation of Paul, he who didn’t personally know Jesus.

 

[guanophore]

You *can’t *know with certainty in this life. No one living is ‘saved’. As long as you’re alive, you can sin. Only on Judgment Day, after you’ve died, will you know, when God Himself passes judgment upon you. The whole concept of being ‘saved’ in this life is based on a gross misinterpretation of Paul, he who didn’t personally know Jesus.

While I agree with you that the nature of sin has not changed, and that sin still separates us from God, even after we are born again, and that we await judgement before God, your post seems to imply that it was paul who misinterpreted the gospel.

I also disagree that Paul did not personally know Jesus. Acts 9:27-28
27 But Barnabas took him, and brought him to the apostles, and declared to them** how on the road he had seen the Lord**, who spoke to him, and how at Damascus he had preached boldly in the name of Jesus.

Jesus personally catechized Paul.

2 Cor 12:2-5
2 I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven - whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows. 3 And I know that this man was caught up into Paradise - whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows - 4 and he heard things that cannot be told, which man may not utter. 5 On behalf of this man I will boast,

Gal 1:11-13

11 For I would have you know, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not man’s gospel. 12 For I did not receive it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came through a revelation of Jesus Christ.

Paul’s acquaintance with Christ did not come until after the Resurrection, but it was quite extensive.

I will agree that some people read the Pauline epistles, and create a doctrine of salvation from them which is a misunderstanding of Paul.

 

[jhash1]

One of the most interesting responses to the question “have you been saved” comes from my understanding of a teaching from our parish priest. He has shared that an appropriate answer to this question would be:

1. I have been saved, through Baptism.
2. I am being saved, through my continual conversion on the walk of life with Jesus.
3. I will be saved, when our Lord Jesus comes again in glory at the end of time.

Thinking about this process in these dimensions has been helpful and inspiring for me personally.

Many blessing and prayers for all who seek our Lord, now and forever.

Amen.

 

[fatimadotorg4tr]

In humility, I suggest we take the Word of God at face value, literally. (Consider the warnings in Revelation about those who add or subtract from the “words…written in this book” .)

Now read:
Romans 10:9 For if thou confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in thy heart that God hath raised him up from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

Why shouldn’t somebody who confesses that Jesus Christ is the Lord and believes in his/her heart that God has raised Him from the dead have ABSOLUTE certainty that he/she is saved thereby.
Seems to me that to doubt would be to call God a liar.
Belief in Jesus and His resurrection is key. God can do the rest for His elect.
Psalm 127:1 Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it.
Jeremiah 17:5 5Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man.
Galatians 3:10-11 For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in ALL things which are written in the book of the law to do them. But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.
2 Peter 2:9 The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished.
Philippians 1:6 Being confident of this very thing, that He, who hath begun a good work in you, will perfect it unto the day of Christ Jesus.
John10:26-29 But you do not believe, because you are not of my sheep. My sheep hear my voice: and I know them, and they follow me. And I give them life everlasting; and they shall not perish for ever, and no man shall pluck them out of my hand. That which my Father hath given me, is greater than all: and no one can snatch them out of the hand of my Father.

Seems to me you can believe the Word, or you can gainsay God and think you have a better opinion. If you believe what you read, you can in faith know for a certainty that you are saved and that God will perfect you to His satisfaction and for His glory despite your depravity and sinfulness.
Proverbs 16:9 A man’s heart deviseth his way: but the LORD directeth his steps.
2Corinthians 3:4-5 And such confidence we have, through Christ, towards God. Not that we are sufficient to think any thing of ourselves, as of ourselves: but our sufficiency is from God.

You CAN have confidence. That’s the Good News. To deny it would seem to be a denial of your Savior, and to have the spirit of antichrist.

God grant you peace. Find comfort in the Scripture. Don’t read with a heart hardened by preconceptions. Trust in what is written.
John 6:64 … The words that I have spoken to you, are spirit and life.

 

[guanophore]

In humility, I suggest we take the Word of God at face value, literally. (Consider the warnings in Revelation about those who add or subtract from the “words…written in this book” .)

Now read:
Romans 10:9 For if thou confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in thy heart that God hath raised him up from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

Why shouldn’t somebody who confesses that Jesus Christ is the Lord and believes in his/her heart that God has raised Him from the dead have ABSOLUTE certainty that he/she is saved thereby.
Seems to me that to doubt would be to call God a liar.

Certainly they do! But there is no guarantee that said person will continue to believe and profess this unto salvation until they die. Some stop believing, and stop professing.

Belief in Jesus and His resurrection is key. God can do the rest for His elect…

Seems to me you can believe the Word, or you can gainsay God and think you have a better opinion. If you believe what you read, you can in faith know for a certainty that you are saved and that God will perfect you to His satisfaction and for His glory despite your depravity and sinfulness.

The scriptures you posted are excellent to our comfort and assurance. However, they do not erase scriptures that say other things, some to the contrary. God will perfect us, if we remain in Him.

You CAN have confidence. That’s the Good News. To deny it would seem to be a denial of your Savior, and to have the spirit of antichrist.

Taking comfort in these words is good, but it is not a denial of the saviour to recognize that other things are also true. Matt 10:32-33
33 but whoever denies me before others, I also will deny before my Father in heaven.

Do you imagine that a person can be “saved” if Jesus denies such a person before His father in heaven?

God grant you peace. Find comfort in the Scripture. Don’t read with a heart hardened by preconceptions. Trust in what is written.
John 6:64 … The words that I have spoken to you, are spirit and life.

Good advice. Equally good advice is to heed the warnings of scripture that we can fail to finish the race, or become disqualified.

 

[fatimadotorg4tr]

John 3:27 John answered, and said: A man cannot receive any thing, unless it be given him from heaven.
John 3:33 33 He that hath received his testimony, hath set to his seal that God is true.
John 6:43-44 Jesus therefore answered, and said to them: Murmur not among yourselves. No man can come to me, except the Father, who hath sent me, draw him; and I will raise him up in the last day.
John 6:47 Amen, amen I say unto you: He that believeth in me, hath everlasting life.

See that? “He that believeth in [Him] hath everlasting life.”
Consider how many SAW and HEARD the Incarnate Word of God in the flesh, working miracles before their eyes AND DID NOT BELIEVE.
Consider how Peter’s confession that Jesus IS the Son of God is not attributed to Peter’s perspicaciousness but to God the Father’s decision in the matter:
Matthew 16:17 And Jesus answering, said to him: Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-Jona: because flesh and blood hath not revealed it to thee, but my Father who is in heaven.
Galatians 3:2-3 Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Are you so foolish, that, whereas you began in the Spirit, you would now be made perfect by the flesh?
Matthew 10:20 For it is not you that speak, but the Spirit of your Father that speaketh in you.
Faith is a gift (NOT a work). Salvation is by faith. Salvation is a gift, therefore it cannot be earned.
If the law were efficacious unto salvation the Sacrifice of the Cross would not by itself be the total propitiation for sin that we dogmatically believe it is. Christ is ALL. Our works are of the Spirit which is ours by God’s election, His gift, freely given that we may NOT BOAST. (Eph 2:8)
And look at Ephesians 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus in good works, which God hath prepared that we should walk in them. (See? God has prepared the good works we do. Remember? Prov 16:9 the Lord must direct his steps.)
John 6: 28-29 28 They said therefore unto him: What shall we do, that we may work the works of God? Jesus answered, and said to them: This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he hath sent.
2 Kings 10:12 Be of good courage, and let us fight for our people, and for the city of our God: and the Lord will do what is good in his sight.
Ephesians 1:4 As he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and unspotted in his sight in charity
God’s will not ours be done.

 

[graceandglory]

Help…what must I do to be saved? How can I know that I am saved and won’t be in hell?

I’ll just accept that you are asking in truth how Catholic “know” we can be saved.

Pope Benedict’s encyclical explains the biblical and Catholic understanding of Salvation and “assurance of salvation.”
What scripture teaches is that we have a “hope of salvation.”
*
Spe Salvi * (In Hope are we saved.)
vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/encyclicals/documents/hf_ben-xvi_enc_20071130_spe-salvi_en.html

Please read for your own understanding and edification. Then if you still have questions, post them here.

 

[guanophore]

I’ll just accept that you are asking in truth how Catholic “know” we can be saved.

Pope Benedict’s encyclical explains the biblical and Catholic understanding of Salvation and “assurance of salvation.”
What scripture teaches is that we have a “hope of salvation.”
*
Spe Salvi * (In Hope are we saved.)
vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/encyclicals/documents/hf_ben-xvi_enc_20071130_spe-salvi_en.html

Please read for your own understanding and edification. Then if you still have questions, post them here.

Unfortunately, I think he is just trolling… he has indicated in other threads that he considers himself saved already, and that he does not accept Catholic teaching.