If you're not a hermit, you've probably heard the question "are you saved," or one of its derivatives such as "are you born again."
But haven't you ever worried that, in fact, you aren't saved and that you aren't born again? I mean, how can you really know?
You can imagine my absolute delight when I found this list, then! Finally, a sure-fire, 100% proof-positive way to figure out whether I'm saved or not. The Bible doesn't even provide one of these handy-dandy checklists. What an absolutely beautiful invention (please note the dripping sarcasm).
Well, if you've ever wondered, wonder no more! I've reproduced the article in orange with comments in (red) and my answers in... well... regular print.
Occasionally, some well-meaning Christian thinks he knows a "saved Roman Catholic" (I'm assuming that the author includes Eastern Rite Catholics, and not just Latin Rite Catholics in this statement). We invite such a person to introduce us to his friend so that we may, in his presence, ask the Roman Catholic the following questions. His answers will easily determine that he is not saved in the true, Biblical sense.
The new "accommodation" approach of the Roman Church (Roman Church? I thought we were talking about the Catholic Church. Oh! you mean the derogatory word to refer to the Catholic Church. I get it now) in these ecumenical days of apostasy is to use the same expressions as Fundamental Christians. But Christian love is not shown by permitting these people to believe they are saved when they are not. Christian love is shown by making the true Gospel plain and clear so that the "religious but lost" person will recognize his unsaved condition and his need of a Saviour, the true Christ of the Bible, not a counterfeit, as in the Roman, Greek and many other churches (I agree with the author's intent. It's important to be loving, but the most loving thing to do is to correct when it's appropriate).
The Apostle Paul said that he was free from the blood of all men. May the same be true of every genuine witness for Jesus Christ! Here are the questions:
When were you converted?
I was converted to Christ when I was 10 years-old. I told G-d that I loved him, and that I was sorry for my sins not only from a fear of Hell, but because of what He did on the Cross for me.
I gave my life fully to the Truth of Christ and joined the Church founded by Christ on the Rock of St. Peter when I was 19 years-old, after a journey of 3 years.
How were you converted?
To Christ: I prayed.
To the Church, Truth, and Fullness of Christ (Catholic Church): Through the Sacrament of Confirmation
To what, or to whom, were you converted?
In both cases: To Christ! The first time was imperfect. Sure, I gave my life to Christ when I was 10, but it took until I was 19 to convert to the fullness of Truth and to the Church that Christ founded.
What do you believe now that you did not believe before your conversion?
There are A LOT! Here are just a few:
That salvation is by Grace alone, through faith and works/love (James 2:24).
The Seven Sacraments.
The infallibility of the Church.
What does it mean to be saved?
It means to be living in G-d's Grace. This is done by a mental assent (faith) and a physical assent (works/love). "Being saved" is about the entire person, not just a part of him or her. One must give one's entirety to G-d, but in one's beliefs and in one's actions.
On what Scriptural promises do you base your salvation?
Many verses, but here are a few:
James 2:24 "Do you see that by works a man is justified; and not by faith only?"
Ephesians 2:8-10 "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith- and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God- not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."
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."
What does it mean to be born again?
It means to become a new creation. This is done at Baptism, where one becomes a new creation in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17). To be born again is to be born in Christ, as contrasted to being born in sin (Original Sin).
Are you sure today that if you die tomorrow, or at any time in the future, you will be in heaven immediately after death?
I have a moral certitude that if I died at this moment, I would go to Heaven. I also have a moral certitude that if I continued to live in G-d's Grace (that is, my entire being is directed towards G-d) I will go to Heaven in the future.
I, of course, do not have an absolute certitude. After all, I'm not G-d and wouldn't presume to know anything with absolute certitude.
What do you believe about Purgatory?
I believe it exists. It is a state of being, after death, that purifies those who die in the Grace of G-d but are not yet pure. It is not a second chance! Rather, it makes us perfectly clean (not just appear clean... sorry Martin Luther).
What do you believe about the Mass?
I believe it is a form of worship that peaks at the reading of Scripture and fully culminates at the Consecration of the Eucharist.
Do you still participate in the Mass?
Yes, I do. I go every Sunday and every Monday... and I love it! I have never been more fully immersed in the worship of G-d in my life, and I feel and know that I am worshiping G-d to the fullest when I attend Mass.
Do you believe that to miss Mass voluntarily on Sunday would be a mortal sin, so that if you did not confess it before you died, you would not go to heaven?
Yes. Hebrews 10:25 warns us "let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another- and all the more as you see the Day approaching."
G-d commanded us to worship Him, particularly on the Sabbath. This Holy Day was transferred to Sunday (the L-rd's Day) by the Apostles.
Do you believe that any sinner can be saved who dies without trusting in Jesus Christ alone for the salvation of his soul and forgiveness of his sins?
I have moral certitude that one can only go to Heaven by the Grace of G-d and the sacrifice of Christ on the Cross. The normal way for this to occur is through faith and works/love, as mentioned before.
Do you believe that Mary and Roman Catholic saints can help you get to heaven?
They encourage us, they pray for our salvation and conversion, but it is only G-d who can save us by His Grace, through our faith and our works/love (our giving of ourselves completely to G-d).
How do you believe that the blood sacrifice of Jesus Christ is applied to your soul?
It satisfied the punishment that we all deserved. Furthermore, Christ's blood atones our sins and provided the perfect sacrifice, unlike the sacrifices under the Old Covenant.
Have you told your priest you have been saved (converted)?
No. Neither did I tell my Protestant pastor that I was "saved." It has simply never come up in conversation. I have, however, spoke to my friends about it. Besides, the priest was there at my Confirmation, and so was there for my conversion to the fullness of Truth and the Church that Christ founded. My father was there for my conversion to Christianity.
Do you believe you will still go to heaven if you leave the Roman Catholic Church, receive believer's baptism and join a fundamental Protestant church?
No. If I left the Catholic Church, I would be denying the Truth. And because Christ is the "Way, the Truth, and the Life", to deny the Truth is to deny Christ.
Furthermore, Christ said that "he who listens to you listens to me; he who rejects you rejects me; but he who rejects me rejects him who sent me" (Luke 10:16). In other words, if I left the Catholic Church and rejected the Truth, I would reject Christ and be condemned to Hell.
When and where do you plan to do this?
I don't.
If you really want to check out the website, you can check it out at Bible Believers
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