God is your Heavenly Father and is not the righteous Judge that the world knows. Place your faith in the promises of God and not on yourself, and you will enter the Sabbath rest found in Christ alone.
You still have not addressed the issue. I can walk away from God tomorrow if I so choose. If I were to choose such then I would not be in Christ Jesus any longer.
Before I respond, let me just clarify what I believe regarding predestination as a Catholic. The Catholic Church affirms the truth of predestination as clearly taught by Scripture. The number of the elect is immutable, none can be added and none can be lost and there are a number of passages that make reference to this truth (Romans 8, John 6, 10, etc.) However, unlike Calvinism, we do not believe saving grace is limited to those who have been elect for glory. In other words, the number of the justified is not coextensive with the number of the elect. This is the position held by the Church - and taught by St. Augustine - for 1,500 years until John Calvin, because even Martin Luther did not believe in Calvinist perseverance of the saints. One of the verses that clearly demontsrate that not all of the just are predestined to glory is Hebrews 6. Though I am not an Arminian, the following Arminian article is a good rebuttal of the CalvinistI believe apostasy only applies to members of the visible church and not for those who makeup the invisble church (elect).Did we not see that same pattern for the Jew? Consider the end of Romans 2 and Romans 9, 10, 11 in regards to the true Jew (invisble church -remnant chosen by grace) in contrast to the nation of Israel (visible church). What did Jesus call the unbelieving Jew and why they couldn’t believe in Christ (John10)? God will never let his elect to apostate because it is impossible for God to lie. Do you believe Judas was an elect of God?
Hebrews 6
Therefore let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, and of instruction about washings, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. And this we will do if God permits. For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance, since they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt. For land that has drunk the rain that often falls on it, and produces a crop useful to those for whose sake it is cultivated, receives a blessing from God. But if it bears thorns and thistles, it is worthless and near to being cursed, and its end is to be burned.
Though we speak in this way, yet in your case, beloved, we feel sure of better things—things that belong to salvation. For God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love that you have shown for his name in serving the saints, as you still do. And we desire each one of you to show the same earnestness to have the full assurance of hope until the end, so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.
The Certainty of God’s Promise
For when God made a promise to Abraham, since he had no one greater by whom to swear, he swore by himself, saying, “Surely I will bless you and multiply you.” And thus Abraham, having patiently waited, obtained the promise. For people swear by something greater than themselves, and in all their disputes an oath is final for confirmation. So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath, so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us. We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.
Romans 8
26 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. 27 And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because [6] the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. 28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, [7] for those who are called according to his purpose. 29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.
God’s Everlasting Love
31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be [8] against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? 33 Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. [9] 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36 As it is written,
“For your sake we are being killed all the day long;
we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”
37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Please consider embracing and resting in the finished work of Christ. Therefore, your good works that pleases God is done with gratitude of what God has already accomplished in Christ on your behalf.
So Calvinists believe they can have absolute assurance that they are of the elect?
I think you have an ability to walk away from Christ and not return, by the very action you will show that you were never united to Christ in the first place. Who are the ones who profess Christ, try to walk away from the Faith and are miserable in the world, and come back to the Faith? They are the elect who cannot run from God very long. Christ stated that He would not loose one whom the Father gave Him to save.
We have God the Holy Spirit who dwells in us. Salvation is not a system but rather… salvation is of the Lord to the praise of His glory alone.
Do you consider yourself to be semi-pelagius? Our eternal standing before God is always by justification on the basis of the righteousness of Christ alone which does not change. Our personal righteousness fluctuates like the stock market. What happens if we die when our personal righteousness is in a downward market? Consider Romans 5:
Semi-Pelagianism was a heresy that was condemned by the Catholic Church in the Council of Orange. Since I consider myself an orthodox Catholic, I obviously do not consider myself semi-Pelagian. If believing that not all of the justified will persevere to the end is semi-Pelagian, then Augustine, the Council of Orange, and Martin Luther were also semi-Pelagian. Calvinists tend to use the term “semi-Pelagian” too loosely.There are many unanswered questions for all of us, because we all know in part… including the magestrium. God is such an infinte God with divine wisdom. In addition, salvation is such a lifetime process and pilgrimage. But these are great issues to reflect on, right?This question still remains unanswered.
God Bless,
Michael
So then, if a person can walk away, how can one ever have assurance that one is saved in the first place?
Eastern Orthodox Christians tend towards semi-pelegiansim. Not Catholics.
God Bless,
Michael
I was discussing and debating a Christian who is an Orthodox convert from Protestantism for about 8 months. Eventhough he always tried to support Roman Catholicism, he was clear that the Orthodox (Eastern Orthodox) Church claimed to be “The One True Church”.I meant orthodox as in not heretical, not Eastern Orthodox.
God Bless,
Michael
By enduring to the end.
Sure, they are great questions to reflect on. But there are questions that can be answered. What Paul says in 1 Corinthians 11 does not jive with the theological scenario presented by Calvinists. If justification is extensive (past, present, an future sins are forgiven) and regeneration fundmanetally changes the nature of a person and *irrevocably *sets the person on their spiritual journey, then why does God need to chasten us “so that we are not condemned with the world?” That seems to say that this once in a lifetime justification and regeneration is insufficient to ensure not being condemned and hence must be supplemented by divine chastening. Moreover, chastening is meant to correct behavior. Hence the implication being that God is preventing an act that can lead to condemnation. According to Calvinist theology, such an act is impossible, since all sins have been forgiven.
We have much in common with the Eastern Orthodox. We even have eastern rite Catholics (Orthodox churches who have reunited with Rome).I was discussing and debating a Christian who is an Orthodox convert from Protestantism for about 8 months. Eventhough he always tried to support Roman Catholicism, he was clear that the Orthodox (Eastern Orthodox) Church claimed to be “The One True Church”.
I understand. But there can only be One True Church in the world of One True Churches. Is the One True ChurchWe have much in common with the Eastern Orthodox. We even have eastern rite Catholics (Orthodox churches who have reunited with Rome).
God Bless,
Michael
