What Difference Does it Make?

“But to answer your question—if you want to receive eternal life, keep the commandments.” —Jesus

If you want to promote a works based salvation all I can tell you is you will come up short. If you want to provide book, chapter & verse I can look up what you're trying to say and see if it really fits the context.

Catholics don’t really distinguish the two. We would call “justification,” “initial sanctification.”

I suppose that would make sense from your church leadership's perspective. Having family members on my wife's side who are still Roman Catholic it's really sad to see how the more devout anguish over eternal security. One uncle goes to church services every day and he's terrified that he hasn't done something right.

John 6:29 ..."This is the work of God that you believe in Him whom He sent."

If this uncle would "just let go of the rope" and have FAITH ALONE everything else would fall into place.

If this uncle would "just let go of the rope" and have FAITH ALONE everything else would fall into place.

Luther's doctrine of "faith alone," like his other doctrine of "the Bible alone," isn't in the Bible. He added the word "alone" to Romans 3:28. Below is his justification:

"If your Papist annoys you with the word ('alone'), tell him straightway, Dr. Martin Luther will have it so: Papist and ass are one and the same thing. Whoever will not have my translation, let him give it the go-by: the devil's thanks to him who censures it without my will and knowledge. Luther will have it so, and he is a doctor above all the doctors in Popedom."

So the phrase "faith alone," isn't in the Bible. But St. Paul advises:

Therefore, let anyone who thinks he is standing up be careful not to fall!

And Jesus commands us to "remain" in Him:

Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me."

A "devout" Catholic who is anguishing over his eternal security is either guilty of a serious sin (doubtful), but more likely suffering from scrupulosity.

Far worse, however, is Luther's erroneous doctrine of eternal security, which led him to utter this absurd blasphemy:

“Be a sinner and sin boldly, but believe and; rejoice in Christ even more boldly.”

Also, Luther isn't mentioned in the Bible. Why "Bible alone" Protestants put faith in his teachings is beyond me.

Also, Luther isn't mentioned in the Bible. Why "Bible alone" Protestants put faith in his teachings is beyond me.

Neither is your pope.

Just who puts their trust in Luther and his teachings?

Show us the posts of someone who claims to or admits to doing that.

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