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Catholic Assurance of Salvation

Have you been saved? Do you know if you are going to heaven?

I’m sure many people reading this have seen or heard of this before.

A funny thing is this “assurance” of salvation

I have seen and experienced many times when a Catholic Christian is conversing with some other Christians about their faith that they decide to not answer the questions the Catholic is posing to him or her, but instead asks, “does the Catholic Church guarantee you are going to heaven?”

The answer any Catholic should be able to say without fear is yes.

This is an enigma of sorts because what one encounters are 2 very different theologies – of course I’ll argue that one is a little further from the truth than the other.

There is nothing wrong with your church not guaranteeing your salvation instantaneously – there is something seriously wrong if you are told you are going to heaven for sure after saying a little prayer.

How can we actually know that we are going to heaven?

Well, in a sense, the Bible does guarantee salvation to those who want it bad enough, but on certain conditions.

It is not as simple as only believing in and proclaiming Jesus as the Savior.

Matthew 7:21 says:
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.”

From this we can gather that not only are we to call on the Lord, but we must also do what the Lord wants (doing his will).

For Jesus came to fulfill the Law and not to abolish it (Cf. Mt. 5:17-18). His healing people on the Sabbath brought up great debates about what the Mosaic Law meant. Jesus fulfills the Law with love.

Jesus says in Mark 2:27:
“The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.”

The purpose of the Law was not to observe it just because it was prescribed, but the Law was designed to make access to God easier.

Jesus changed the focus of the Jewish-Christians from how they approach God to how God approaches them.

Jesus healed people on the Sabbath because he loves his people, good and bad (Cf. Mt. 5:44-48). We are given a commission to be perfect just as God is perfect meaning we are to love all.

We are to help others gain access to God, through his Son, Jesus.

So, in order to have a good relationship with God, we must also have a good relationship with the rest of humanity, else we are not doing the will of God.

Simply attempting to have a right relationship with God and neglecting our duty to the poor, sick and other people that need help is essentially a sin. It is the sin of formalism.

Through formalism we are killing ourselves (Cf. Mk. 7:15).

A simple act of accepting Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior is not enough to assure anyone of going to heaven. There is much more to it and that is by doing the will of God.

It is essential to being a Christian to love those you hate and to help those that need your help. It is not enough to “win souls” or prophesy or send Bibles to China.

As the Bible says in Matthew 7:22-23:
“Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name? Did we not drive out demons in our name?

Did we not do mighty deeds in your name?’ Then I will declare to them solemnly, ‘I never knew you. Depart from me, you evildoers.'”

Faith alone is not enough. For faith without works is dead (Cf. James 2:24, 26) and Jesus said that he will know people by their fruits (Cf. Mt. 7:20) and not just their tongues.

It is true that those who call upon the Lord will be saved (Cf. Romans 10:13), but the Scripture also says that we must also do the will of God; we are to love our fellow humans as God does by what we do, by our actions, by our deeds, by our works.

If we do all this, with the help of God’s grace, then we will be saved!

Catholic Teachings

If you want to learn more about the different Catholic Teachings and beliefs, check out our posts on the Catholic Church’s view on Cremation, Faith, Works and Salvation.

56 thoughts on “Catholic Assurance of Salvation”

  1. Matthew 7:21 says:
    “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who DOES the will of my Father in heaven.” WORKS!
    “Thou art Cephas and on this Cephas I will build My Church. Only 1 Church was founded by Jesus, the rest by humans.

  2. Christ said: Do not call anyone on earth father, for you have one father and he is in heaven. (Matt. 23:9) Christ also said; On this rock I will build my church and the gates of hell will not overcome it. (Matt. 16:18) I warn everyone who hears the words of prophecy of this book: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book. And if anyone takes words away from this book of prophecy, God will take away from him his share in the tree of life and in the holy city which are described in this book. (Rev. 22:18)
    Brothers and sisters read and follow the Bible only, don’t let the great deceiver Satan cost you your soul through any man’s or organization false version of God’s true church and plan of salvation.

    1. Sally alder jablonski

      We are all in trouble who think our denomination will save us. There is but 1 Church, and that’s the church started by the followers of Christ. Then the Romans too over and corrupted the power. Luther left to re-establish church unity God’s way. We need to work together. But all believers need to read the Bible, and test what the preachers say, God’s word instructs each of us to be responsible for verifying truth. Read your Bible, you don’t learn God’s will through one weekly sermon. The Catholic Church does not have the power to save one soul. Salvation is through Christ, by faith alone, look that one up. Not faith in any man, because we are all sinful by nature, including the pope.

    2. You quoted, “Do not call anyone on earth father…” Why then does Paul refer to himself as father to many he taught about Christ? Father is used many times in the Bible to refer to people other than to God our Father. What do you call your father? You must be sinning every time you call him father, dad, papa, etc. “Read and follow the Bible only,” you said. Really? The Bible was written long after Jesus died. It was written from tradition. You quoted, “If anyone adds anything… if anyone takes words away…” In that case every Protestant is in big trouble because Luther removed 7 books from the Bible and added “only” or “alone” so that he could claim faith alone. The one place in the Bible where “faith alone” or “faith only” exists outside of Luther’s changed version is in James where he says, “not by faith alone.” I agree with not to let Satan cost you your sole but you need to read the whole Bible, not just a few clips that distort it’s meaning to fit Luther’s agenda and that of many others. Simply, Luther seems to have started with good intentions but became a heretic.

  3. I have read many of the remarks about how to go to Heaven. I was just talking to a friend at my church about this subject. We have met such wonderful people who do good things. My question is have they been “Born Again”? Do they understand when they stand before Him who, willingly gave His life for us, the question will not be, “What is your record of doing good things”? The only thing that matters is has our hearts been washed in the blood of Jesus?
    If doing good works are needed to assure we are saved the question is,”How many good works are needed. When will I know I have done enough? When Jesus died on the cross and said, It is finished, the plan of salvation was completed. Nothing else was necessary.
    So why should we care for others? If we don’t help others, does that mean we want go to Heaven? We may lose our rewards but we will still go to Heaven. We do good works because we love Him and not to add to our salvation. Eph. 2:8-9; Romans10:9-10; 2 Cor. 5:21.

    1. Are you telling me that Jesus was a liar? If good works are not necessary then why did He lie by saying in Matthew 25:41-46 “41 [q](J)Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 (K)For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, 43 a stranger and you gave me no welcome, naked and you gave me no clothing, ill and in prison, and you did not care for me.’ 44 [r]Then they will answer and say, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or ill or in prison, and not minister to your needs?’ 45 He will answer them, ‘Amen, I say to you, what you did not do for one of these least ones, you did not do for me.’ 46 (L)And these will go off to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

  4. I believe that Catholic believers will go to Hell because of one truth and very critical verse in the Bible.
    John 14:6 ” Jesus saith unto him, I am THE WAY, THE TRUTH, and THE LIFE: NO MAN COMETH UNTO THE FATHER, BUT BY ME.”
    So, if you have sat down in a confessional booth at a church and confessed your sins to a priest behind the little window in hopes that his hell mary’s and promises of him pleading your sins for you to The Father, it was totally in vein. THE Bible is clear to this. Confess your sins to Jesus Christ not a priest behind a window, that priest cannot save your soul from Hell, only Jesus Christ is the great mediator between God THE Father and man, 1 Timothy 2:5- “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” King James version.

    1. I struggle with this everyday. I confess directly to God, everyday to cover myself. But then I think what if it doesn’t count because a didn’t go to a priest? Jesus, said, to the apostles, those sin you forgive, they are forgiven, those that you retain, they are retained.(something like that). So that makes me think I have to go to a priest.

      1. As you indirectly quoted, Jesus delegated His power to His priests. Is it possible to reach salvation without confessing to a priest and receiving absolution in the sacrament that Jesus established? I think so, but with a great deal of difficulty. Why take the risk? The sacrament was established by Jesus for us. Why not take advantage of the blessing He gave us?

    2. Are you serious? Perhaps you could read more of your Bible. Jesus gave the power to forgive sins to His Church to His apostles, “Whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven. Whose sins you shall retain, they are retained.” He forgives through His priests in the Church that He founded upon Peter, His rock upon which He built His Church. I CHALLENGE YOU: WHERE IN THE BIBLE DOES IT SAY, “CONFESS YOUR SINS TO JESUS CHRIST NOT A PRIEST BEHIND A WINDOW?” I agree, Jesus is the mediator between God and men. Being God, did He perform miracles? Did He die and rise from the dead? Does He have the authority and power pass on His authority? If He can’t pass on His authority and power as He chooses, is He even God? If He can’t delegate His authority then He isn’t almighty and He isn’t God! Now that is quite a dilemma isn’t it?

  5. There has only been one person to perfectly do the will of God. His name was Jesus. To say that we have to do the will of God in order to be saved means that hell is going to be pretty full. We all get distracted and don’t follow God’s will at times. Is there some percentage mark that we have to reach to get to heaven? If you follow God’s will at least 75% of the time that you are on earth, then you’re in? If you miss the mark one time, you’re out? This sounds a lot like a works-based salvation, which we can never attain.

    1. Dear Colby
      Sorry for late reply but it’s the first time that I’m on this website:)
      Our deeds do count if they’re done with love. We’ll be asked if we loved our neighbours.
      Repentant sinners can count on God’s mercy like the one on the cross(but its absolutely necessary not to postpone one’s conversion). Each one will be paid according to their deeds. Some will need to be purified in Purgatory.
      God bless

      1. There is NO purgatory, Jesus Christ himself abolished that when He died on the cross and went to Hell and took the keys to Hell from Satan.

        1. AMEN!!! Jesus is the only way and when you take your final breath here – your next will either be in His glory or far from it. God wants you to choose him while you are still on this earth – that’s why He gave us a free will.

          1. Purgatory is alluded to 2Maccabees: 12: 43 -45. And we know Maccabees are not in the Holy Bible but only in the Catholic Bible. And by the way based on this we also have to pay for the purgatory with cash. I thought that I wanted something in about God or mammon, hmmmm.

  6. THE THIEF ON THE CROSS
    Luke 23:39, 41-43
    It is the position of the comma that changed the meaning on this text, these punctuations were not inspired, the comma in verse 43 which follows “thee” if you are using KJV should lie between “Today” and “shalt”. The correct reading should be as follows
    “And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee TODAY, SHALT thou be with me in paradise” Luke 23:43
    Notice the comma between “TODAY, SHALT”, in the Bible this lies between “thee” and “Today” by putting it between “TODAY” and “SHALT” which should read correctly, this would mean Christ was giving the promised on that day (Friday), which He refers as Today in the verse, saying He will be with the repentant thief in paradise, Christ did NOT ASCEND TO THE FATHER at His death, when He was resurrected the scriptures plainly state that “Jesus said unto her, touch me not; FOR I AM NOT YET ASCENDED TO MY FATHER…” John 20:17. Surely, if the dead go to heaven or hell as you allege then there is no resurrection contrary to 1 Thessalonians 4:14-16. Who will Christ resurrect at His comng?

    1. Basically your whole comment about the comma is misguided.

      You statement that the punctuations “were not inspired” may be right, but then again, maybe they WERE inspired for our understanding, we don’t know for sure.

      What we DO know is that the K.J.B. translators were scholars, who were chosen because they had been reading & writing Hebrew & Greek since childhood, & the translations were diligently compared & examined among more than 40 of them around the world before being put in the K.J. Bible, so whether inspired or not, I believe their punctuations are obviously more accurate than yours (no dis-respect intended), after all, you’re one person & how long have you been reading & writing Hebrew & Greek?

      Furthermore, your claim that Jesus said “verily I say unto thee TODAY, SHALT thou be with me in Paradise.” doesn’t make sense.

      IF the Lord said “verily I say unto thee today,” that would imply that he either had said something different about the topic earlier, or would say something different to the man about it later. It was obviously the last day the man would be alive, so how would that make any sense, or do you really think the Lord Jesus couldn’t make up His mind? I haven’t done a diligent search for it, but I’ve read the Bible cover to cover many times & can’t remember anywhere else in Scripture that Christ spoke that way, so your statement apparently isn’t supported by Scripture that way either.

      Secondly, if the Lord had said “shalt thou be with me in Paradise.” that would have been a question, why would the Lord, the 2nd person of the Godhead, ask a mere man if he (the man) would be going to Paradise with Him?

      As far as the verse you used to determine the context of Luke 23:43, which was John 20:17, apparently the answer is that the Lord was not referring to Heaven as many today assume, but that He was referring to “Abrahams bosom” (Luke 16:22) where the righteous were waiting for the Lord to take His blood sacrifice to the Father, but had not yet taken it when Mary saw him in.

      Finally, the Catholic Churches teaching that the Lord was Crucified on Friday & resurrected on Sunday is not accurate either, since the Lord stated in Matt 12:40 that He would be in the grave “3 days and 3 nights” which would make His resurrection on Monday.

    2. Are you a Jehovah’s Witness?
      And your comma placement makes absolutely NO SENSE!!!
      When Jesus was talking to the theif, what day was He talking to him?
      That was only day Jesus ever spoke to the theif.
      Joe
      7865123881

  7. In regards to what you’ve said above that the Catholic Church can guarantee that a person will be save, I disagree with that. You are talking about religion, but it is not the religion itself that can save you, rather your relationship with God. Because if you have an intimate relationship with God, you will be able to do His commands. Furthermore, relationship has it all: FAITH and DEEDS.

  8. Ephesians 2:8-9 KJV

    For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.

    1. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. Ephesians 2: 8-9. This verse clearly states what salvation is. No one is saved by works, and no one maintains their salvation by works. Jesus was our sin bearer and His death on the cross redeemed all people who sincerely make Him their Lord and Savior. Jesus is not impressed by works; salvation is a free “gift”. If works had anything to do with salvation, salvation would not be a “gift”. The passage above makes it very clear that no one is going to boast to Jesus that their works saved them. When one receives Jesus as Lord of their lives, good works are expected due to Jesus being their Lord. However, these good works have nothing to do with their salvation. This theology is consistent throughout the New Testament.

    2. I agree with you as a catholic,we are saved by grace,but read verse 10 you have to read the whole context
      Verse 10 For we are his workmanship,created in Christ Jesus for GOOD WORKS,which God prepared beforehand,that we should walk in them.
      I was a Baptist for many years cames into he church that Jesus started in 2010.
      I am a Evangelicl,Charismatic Bible Believing Christian,Saved by the blod of Christ. And was brn anew.
      baptizem saves you 2 Peter 3:20-21.

      1. If God prepared the works why then are we getting the glory for them? Do you not see that salvation is NOT OF WORKS. Yes, works will accompany salvation but they are not the vehicle. Don’t forget in the gospels where He talked about those who did works but Jesus said to them, “I never KNEW you.” Works are not sufficient. Works can never be sufficient. Works are an outworking of salvation. It’s like if you say that you love your husband or wife, yet you beat them and lie to them and cheat on them. Those deeds prove that you do not love your husband or wife. It’s the same with Christ. He saves us, we receive His salvation, and in gratitude our lives change and we do His will. Not the other way around. We don’t do works to try and prove we know and love Him. We do our works BECAUSE we love Him. (hope that makes sense 🙂

  9. United We Stand...

    Jesus left His self appointed magisterium for the very reason that if everyone is free to decide what is right or wrong, true or not true; there would be no definitive guidelines. That is why He left His Holy Spirit to guide us through the ongoing magisterium, His Holy Catholic church.

    1. The Catholic church has never saved anyone. The truth be known, it has caused many to lose their souls. If you will prayerfully read your bible you will understand why I say this. You can be a Catholic and be a Christian, but being a Catholic will not get you to heaven!

  10. The bible says, “My sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow Me.”

    What do you say to these verses?

    Colossians 2:8-23

    8 Don’t let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers[a] of this world, rather than from Christ. 9 For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body.[b] 10 So you also are complete through your union with Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority.
    11 When you came to Christ, you were “circumcised,” but not by a physical procedure. Christ performed a spiritual circumcision—the cutting away of your sinful nature.[c] 12 For you were buried with Christ when you were baptized. And with him you were raised to new life because you trusted the mighty power of God, who raised Christ from the dead.

    13 You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave all our sins. 14 He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross. 15 In this way, he disarmed[d] the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross.

    16 So don’t let anyone condemn you for what you eat or drink, or for not celebrating certain holy days or new moon ceremonies or Sabbaths. 17 For these rules are only shadows of the reality yet to come. And Christ himself is that reality. 18 Don’t let anyone condemn you by insisting on pious self-denial or the worship of angels,[e] saying they have had visions about these things. Their sinful minds have made them proud, 19 and they are not connected to Christ, the head of the body. For he holds the whole body together with its joints and ligaments, and it grows as God nourishes it.

    20 You have died with Christ, and he has set you free from the spiritual powers of this world. So why do you keep on following the rules of the world, such as, 21 “Don’t handle! Don’t taste! Don’t touch!”? 22 Such rules are mere human teachings about things that deteriorate as we use them. 23 These rules may seem wise because they require strong devotion, pious self-denial, and severe bodily discipline. But they provide no help in conquering a person’s evil desires.

    1. I think it’s fantastic! Here’s a little background on Paul’s letter to the Colossians: http://usccb.org/bible/colossians/0

      1. I am saying I don’t believe in purgatory based on Colossians 2:8-23, nor am I trying to work for my salvation. In Him, I’m righteous and my sins are paid in full by the blood of Christ.

        What’s your comment on this?

          1. Ecc 12:7
            and the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it.

            I still stand firm on my belief that nobody can work for salvation and there is no purgatory.

          2. Somewhere in Revelation says, “it is by the blood of the Lamb that we are purified.” Not because of purgatory.

  11. We are saved by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ our lord and savior. We can not work our way into heaven, remember john 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son. That whosoever BELIEVETH in him shall not parish but have ever lasting life. But I think believeth also means to Love and have obedience as well, which is automatic when we truly believe. It is not something you can develop on you own or create. When we truly accept Christ in our hearts, our hearts change and we see things differently. Our conscience itself is changed, convictions we did not have before we have now, It is a wonderful and blessed transformation from God. But we are saved by “Grace” Not by “Works”. Doing things for God and obeying him is just another pleasure and honor in believing in him.

  12. Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery; You shall not murder; You shall not steal; You shall not covet”; and any other commandment, are summed up in this word, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law. [Romans 13:8-10].

    from above scriptures it clearly says,
    1. Love is the fulfilling of the law. (Romans 13, verse 10)
    2. One who loves another has fulfilled the law. (Romans 13, verse 8)

  13. Carlos Angelito D. Morales

    We are save by grace. It is written, it’s not my might nor by my power but by the Spirit says the Lord-Zechariah 4:6. Also the thief in the Cross remember? The Lord said on this day you shall be with me in partadise.

    1. Remember, saved by grace alone is in existence for 500 years only, the other 1500 years of teaching are missing. Grace alone is a human teaching, whereas Grace and Works is the divine Teaching.
      The Holy Spirit does not change His mind. He inspired the early Fathers, in the IV century, to compile the books for the Bible we, all, enjoy today, for He is the same yesterday, today, and for ever.
      May the Peace of Jesus Christ be always with you!

  14. I must respectfully disagree with your statement: “The purpose of the Law was not to observe it just because it was prescribed, but the Law was designed to make access to God easier.”
    The law does not make access to God easier:
    The Bible says: Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin. Romans 3:20.
    What then is the purpose of the law? It is to show us that we need a Saviour:
    Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. Galatians 3:24-25
    Faith without works is dead. Yes. But our works are proof that our faith is real. Our works do not add to Christ’s finished work.

    1. About Catholics

      The Law was the old covenant God made with his people and Jesus is the new covenant which supersedes the old. “Make access to God easier” is my simplified language to refer to this covenantal relationship. It is only through this covenantal relationship that we can become people of God.

      Even by your logic, that works are proof that faith is real, if we have no good works then our faith is not real and therefore a person is not truly justified. Ergo, a person is justified not by faith alone, but by faith and works.

  15. I would have to slightly disagree. Faith without works is dead, but why? In order to answer this question, you must understand what “faith” is. It is obviously different from what the demons have, they have intellectual faith, not saving faith. You can have intellectual faith that the sky is blue, and that is not given to you, you observe and then take away a conclusion. The difference is that saving faith is given by God because the human mind is wretched and totally depraved. We see in Romans 3:23 that all men are sinfull, and in John 6:65 and in John 1:12 that God gives the right to be saved because we cannot earn that right. So where does works come in?

    We know that faith without work is dead, so what are the works? The works is the fruit we produce because Chist saved us. He is the vine and our works is the fruit He allows because He is within us and His “life juice” or “sap” is flowing through us. That is the principle here in James. Just as a vine that has no grapes is dead, so a faith without works is dead.

    The big misconception on our part is to assume that our works are must come from us. But just the very opposite is true. It is Christ who produces the fruit a.k.a works in our life because He is the vine and therefore the source of life and fruit for the branches. The works will be there if you are truly saved.

    1. “The big misconception on our part is to assume that our works are must come from us.”
      Well, if the Lord commanded us to feed the hungry, to cloth the naked, to tend the sick, etc. who is the doer? What about when one kills, steals, or commits adultery? Is Christ doing the works, too?
      Or, do you mean God gives us the desire to do these works, therefore we can say it is Christ who performs the works?
      Our Blessed Lord said, “I am the branch, you are vine…” Which means, He is the Head and we are the members of His Body; therefore, the Head cannot subsist without a member of the Body, nor a member of the Body can subsist without the Head. Here, we can say, if we abide in Him and He in us, we are uniting our will to His perfect Will, then we can produce good fruits.

  16. It’s rather funny that you included that last bit of Scripture.

    Matthew 7:22-23:
    “Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name? Did we not drive out demons in our name?

    Did we not do mighty deeds in your name?’ Then I will declare to them solemnly, ‘I never knew you. Depart from me, you evildoers.’”

    These people recognize Jesus is Lord. They performed good works in his name.
    And yet…. Jesus says “I never knew you.”

    This makes everything you have said void. This disproves that on faith and works you get to Heaven, since clearly, these people in the verses aren’t going to heaven.

    So what does this mean?

    The answer lies in what Jesus said. “I never knew you.”

    Jesus doesn’t want people to just do good works and call him Lord. He wants us to love him and each-other with our whole hearts. He wants a relationship with us, not a list of our good works.

    Salvation is reached by accepting Jesus as your savior. And, like you said above, it is much more than saying a little prayer. Accepting Jesus means to desire and have a relationship with him. It is a transformation. We are saved by faith alone. The good works come out of our relationship with Christ, as he guides us.

    1. About Catholics

      Hi Megan. Actually, Matthew 7:22-23 doesn’t make everything I have said “void.” It only underscores the point that both faith and works are essential for salvation. It proves that works without faith are dead. The people in that passage were healing in Jesus’s name but living evil lives otherwise. Of course they wouldn’t be saved. Nowhere have I promoted that works alone bring salvation.

      However, the Scriptures clearly say that faith without works is dead. Faith alone, as you claim, is actually insufficient. Good works, through faith, are necessary. What good is it to believe in Jesus but not do anything about it?

      I think we are actually closer in agreement than you might think.

          1. Exodus 20:4-5 KJV

            Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;

  17. It is not an intellectual faith that saves you. i.e..I believe Jesus died for my sins and paid the full price so I could go to heaven. It is a saving faith belief…I believe God gave his only son Jesus to die for my sins and he paid the price in full. He knew me before the foundation of the world and he chose me. He first loved me. I love him for what he has done for me. I put him first in my life. My spirit has been transformed into a new creature. The Holy Spirit who is now working in me will help me transform my soul (which in the past seeks the flesh) into a new being more and more like Jesus.

    1. Excellent understanding of Holy Scripture!
      He first loved us and we in return must love Him by loving our neighbor as ourselves; He commands us to do it, even when it is difficult to do it, we must love the sinner, hate the sin. Of course, we cannot accomplish this without blending our will to His Holly Will -as you say, this manner, we are another Christ.

  18. I don’t wish to offend. But asking Christ into your life is more than saying a few words. God looks at the heart and He knows if you are sincere. I am sure their are some in every religion that just go thru the rituals and think they are saved. But it only pertains to those who are sincere. I felt like I was on the breaking point and could not endure this life if I wasn’t assured of salvation. When My daughter died and I wasn’t assured she was in heaven–I knew I would have lost my mind

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