Salvation for Non-Catholics

[Jesusismyfriend]

[quote=grandfather;9410650]

Originally Posted by Trebor135

We can read the lives of the saints, the holy souls who preceded us, we know are with God, and they will all tell us that salvation can be lost. Indeed the Bible reveals the same. We need the grace of final perseverance to be saved.




I can give direct quotes from Luther that show he believed his doctrine of sola fide meant all that is necessary for salvation is faith. His famous horse with a saddle and bridle and rider quote, and lump of dung covered in snow come to mind. I can also find where he contradicted himself and said faith alone does not save. If it is the former the doctrine is unbiblical. If it is the latter then get rid of the sola. He must have thought it was the former given the fact that he tried to excise the Book of James from his scripture, but his followers and colleagues would not have it and would have left him.


Misunderstanding sola fide is definitely threatening to the soul.

All false doctrine threatens souls. That is why our forefathers understood that heresy was so dangerous and tried to supress it. If a society embraces a false understanding of who we are, why we are here and how we should live and rejects the truths of divine revelation it is doomed. We are seeing the consequences play out in the decay of western civilization right now in our day.

The danger of heresy is people think their false religious beliefs are true.

What we believe about reality does not effect reality. If I don't know or believe smoking causes cancer and smoke a couple of packs a day I still face the consequences of the act.

The moral law is the same. If I believe I am saved even though I am a swindler who cheats people out of their life savings won't impact salvation I will still go to hell.

I know very devout church going Christians who believe this. A minister told me he believed the impenitent woman who had three abortions was saved by the faith she confessed with her mouth in Jesus.

There are two sins against the theological virtue of hope. They are presumption and despair. Judas despaired. The person who believes no matter what evil they do they have a lock on heaven commits the sin of presumption. It is like daring God to not save you.

Some years ago I sat at a prolife booth at a county fair. The booth next to it had a sign that said "Are you going to heaven?" People came up to it and were asked if they were saved. They could know they are saved if they are born again and have a personal relationship with Jesus. That condition is created by admitting your sinfulness and asking Jesus into your heart. They were encouraged to say the sinners prayer. Then they were told they had been saved and would go to heaven. Salvation was theirs, a done deal.

This is DANGEROUS. It is fatal to souls if they believe this, a crazy fantasy. Jesus told His apostles to preach the gospel of repentance for forgivness of sins.

If you believe in your heart and confess with your mouth that Jesus died for your sins you will repent of them. When repentance is the fruit of faith you are saved.

I agree that the belief that "once saved, always saved" is dangerous. The young people's group where I live is always showing videos that point to those kinds of beliefs: "Do you know if you are going to heaven or hell? Well, if you are right and there is no hell so there is no problem. But if there is, you might go there for not accept Christ. So why not take a chance and accept Christ? Then if this is wrong or right, either way you still go to Heaven."
I dispise those kinds of teachings, because they suggest that you only need to pray "the Prayer" and be saved. So they do not even teach or emphaisze faith, because they say you don't even have to believe in Christ. Just say the words and you're saved. They can go and live however they want afterwards, they say. Christ will still save you because you said, "The prayer."