Thanks for the response. It was a little to detailed and spread out for me. I had a hard time understanding it. So can’t say you are right or wrong. I did some searching on my own and from what I found I would say you are probably mostly correct, you are just leaving out another part to the story.
This is what I found, I bolded what you sited and other important parts
I’m sorry if I am miss understanding this, I’m still learning, but I thought it was a process not one event. Could you please add some links or something. I am having a hard time seeing if you are giving your opinion or true Catholic teaching. I am also having a hard time understanding the point you are trying to make.
Sure there are elect, sure there are reprobates. However, we have no way of judging who is elect and who is reprobate.
I think the extension, of your quote, that I quote pretty much contradicts the statement:
Not only are we able to know if we are reprobate or elect. I believe God wrote or didn’t write our name in the book of life because he was able to see if we were elect or reprobate in an instant, because he could see the summation of our entire life in an instant.
The thread is about the debate “Can a Christian lose their Salvation”. Are you saying no? Because your post seems to allude to that response but never comes right out and says it.
Thanks
God bless MT1926,
Your question:
The thread is about the debate “Can a Christian lose their Salvation”. Are you saying no?
My answer:
I don’t believe a reprobate can be saved. As a Catholic, this is the best answer I free to give.
Justification is a one instant event (initial justification), and a continues event from baptism until we die.
As God’s child/elect, Initial Justification gives us the irrevocable legal right to enter heaven as God’s free gift.
The continues event in our justification starts after baptism and continues until we die.
At this time period we work on to improve our justification and sanctification and we do every kind of Christian works by co-operating with the grace of God.
For this works is up to supernatural merit God gives us reward at the judgment of our works. – 1 Cor.3:12-15.
If all our works rejected by God we will enter heaven without any reward.
For enter heaven is God’s free gift, our position and glory in heaven is determined by God at the judgment of our works.
Concerning your quote MT1926. I never read it before. There are countless teachings and reading materials around which are not accepted by the Catholic Church.
What I have quoted on predestination the Catholic Church affirmed as DE FIDE Dogma. So we not only can trust it, but it is on the highest level of binding theological certainty, we can be certain it is correct.
I made a point that an elect predestined to heaven cannot end up in hell and a reprobate predestined to hell cannot end up in heaven.
In my opinion, when we quote a DE FIDE Dogma of the Catholic Church we can believe that quote is correct.
To do supernatural works which God rewards is not easy, the standard is very high.
**CONDITIONS THAT OUR WORKS (OUR DEEDS) COUNT FOR ANYTHING
Conditions MUST BE PRESENT to make SUPERNATURAL MERIT possible.**
The meritorious work must be morally good, that is, in accordance with the moral law in its
object, intent, and circumstances.
It MUST be done FREELY, WITHOUT any EXTERNAL COERCION or INTERNAL NECESSITY.
It MUST be SUPERNATURAL, that is, AROUSED and ACCOMPANIED by ACTUAL
GRACE, and
proceeding from a SUPERNATURAL motive.
Strictly speaking only a person in the STATE OF GRACE can merit, as defined by the
Church (Denzinger 1576, 1582).
JUSTIFICATION IN CATHOLIC TEACHING by Jimmy Akin
Quote: “The essence of supernatural love is unselfishness—doing something **NOT
BECAUSE IT WILL HELP US SOMEHOW,** but because we want to do it **out of SHEER
LOVE** for the other person, whether that person is God or one of our fellow human beings
out of the love of God.
This is
THE ONLY KIND of love that ultimately pleases God and therefore the **ONLY
KIND** that ultimately gets us a reward IN heaven.” End quote. Emphasize mine.
God bless.
LatinRight