You are absolutely correct in the statement about me not knowing your heart, but what I do believe is that the bible is the inerrant word of God, and that word says that "because if thou shalt confess with thy mouth Jesus as Lord, and shalt believe in thy heart that God raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved:for with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." (Romans 10:9&10)
I (and everyone else) can only know your spoken confession (or written in this case), but God knows your heart.
I haven't been a Catholic for 50 years, and have been a Christian for the last twenty. Nothing that I every learned in the Catholic church prepared me for eternal life so I put almost no value in their teaching.
Here is the bottom line. If you have a right relationship with Jesus as defined by His teaching, your name will be in the Book of Life. Only you and God can know that, although others can gain insight into your life by witnessing the type of fruit that you are bearing for the Kingdom. "Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but the corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit."(Matthew 7:17)
In the end, one thing is certain. We will all stand before the judgment seat of God. "And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne; and books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of the things which were written in the books, according to their works.And the sea gave up the dead that were in it; and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.And death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death, even the lake of fire. And if any was not found written in the book of life, he was cast into the lake of fire." (Revelation 20:13-15)
I pray that you make it!
Harry, you are a GOOD MAN, and a real FRiend.. I value your opinion, not just because you set forth a worthy argument with wisdom and backed up with the WORDS OF OUR LORD, as written through the Blessed, but you care enough to worry about me, a virtual stranger.. You are doing GOD’S work as a Christian should, from your heart..
You have given me much to think about, and I promise that I will, because my eternal soul depends upon it.. Thank you Harry, may GOD continue to Bless you and yours..
MERRY CHRISTMAS.. from your FRiend Carlo