How are you saved?

[Vesper_Jaye✝️]

Recently I learned about the Catholic meaning of born again - being baptized. There seems to be verses in the Bible that agree with this. I studied it a little bit more, and - correct me if I’m wrong - it seems like Catholics also think that there are certain sins that you can’t commit or else you don’t go to heaven? I’ve only ever heard that you have to believe in Jesus, and then you are saved, and I never thought that anyone could think differently. Now I understand that people DO think differently, so I was wondering- according to your denomination, what must you do to be saved? What Bible verses back up your viewpoint? I’m specifically asking because I have younger siblings that my parents won’t let get baptized until they act more like Christians. Would they make it into Heaven?

 

[High Fidelity]

I’ve only ever heard that you have to believe in Jesus, and then you are saved

Even the demons believed in Jesus.

 

[Vesper_Jaye✝️]

Even the demons believed in Jesus.

Good point!

 

[jackwallar1000]

Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you’re saved. Repentance means to change your mind about who God is. Who is Jesus Christ to you? Check out Acts chapter 16. Once you repent, then baptism is a fruit of faith.

 

[Petros2015]

Recently I learned about the Catholic meaning of born again - being baptized.

Catholicism tends to treat salvation as a process rather than an event. Sacraments such as baptism, confession, communion promote enable and ensure this process. Baptism, I think might not equate with being "born again" in the Catholic world so much as it is like giving an infant a vaccination shot. This is a big topic... I was raised Protestant Charismatic and did not investigate any Catholicism until much later in life, bumped into Tolstoy, was introduced to Roman Catholicism, and there by curious accident discovered the East. I have a bit of appreciation for all the walks though.

I’m specifically asking because I have younger siblings that my parents won’t let get baptized until they act more like Christians.

I would say often baptism is one of the first actions a Christian takes, or a parent for their children in many of the Catholic traditions

 

[d taylor]

To receive God's free gift of Eternal Life. Believe that Jesus is the promised Messiah from the prophecies of The Tanakh and trust in The Messiah for God's free gift of Eternal Life.

That is it that is the only way to receive God's free gift of Eternal Life (salvation).

This is basically all this group does is to study God's / The Bible's Soteriology. Grace Evangelical Society

You need verse read The Gospel of John, it was specifically written to tell people how to have life (Eternal Life) John 20:31

​

 

[jackwallar1000]

Amen’

To receive God's free gift of Eternal Life. Believe that Jesus is the promised Messiah from the prophecies of The Tanakh and trust in The Messiah for God's free gift of Eternal Life.

That is it that is the only way to receive God's free gift of Eternal Life (salvation).

This is basically all this group does is to study God's / The Bible's Soteriology. Grace Evangelical Society

You need verse read The Gospel of John, it was specifically written to tell people how to have life (Eternal Life) John 20:31

​

Amen!

 

[jackwallar1000]

Titus 3:5-8 "He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by His grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life."

 

[Ivan Hlavanda]

You are saved by grace alone in Lord Jesus.

That's it. We lost our relationship to God when Adam and Eve sinned, making us dead spiritually i.e. we have no connection to God who is Life. That is why Jesus came, He is the only one that can redeem us, He is the only way to Father, Heaven and Eternal life.

There is no other way. If you try to get there other way than by faith in Jesus Christ, who has done all the work on the cross, work that we are not capable to do, and He finished, then you are lost.

You will not get there by your efforts, nor your works and deeds, nor by anything you ever do, because there is nothing you can do. You, I and everyone else is in sin, and we all should have been in hell yesterday. Humanity should have ceased to exist/ be all in hell, the moment Adam and Eve sinned. God's grace postponed this judgement on humanity, so He could save some and reveal His eternal love and glory.

Baptism by water does nothing if you do not have faith. It won't save as anyone can get baptized by water. Same as circumcision in the OT. It did nothing if they had no faith. Abraham was called righteous by God when he believed God's promise and not when is circumcised himself.

Should we then get baptized by water? Absolutely. Why? Because God commanded it, but do it by faith in His promises and faith in Jesus, otherwise it's pointless. What about little babies? They must be raised faithfully by their parents.

God is all about the heart. Circumcise your heart as He says. The human heart is naturally very evil, it is like a stone in sin. That is why humans constantly sin and cannot stop. Because we are evil by nature. Look at the book of Exodus. God did all these wonders and yet the Hebrews complained all the time, and built a golden calf. Do not think we would have acted any different.

Or even worse, in the times of Jesus, He did all these miracles, and yet many did not believe, because there heart was sinful. There is a reason why God said that no one is righteous, not one, not one truly seeks Him, not one wants to do His will. There is a reason why God repent creating us in Genesis 6, because we are all evil and helpless. No one deserves Heaven. Therefore, it is God's grace that some are saved, not because the people who go to Heaven are any better that those in hell. And how He can save us and die for us despite all of this...I have no idea, but this is the true love of God we can't even comprehend.

 

[Taodeching]

To be saved we must run the race, fight the good fight (2 Timothy 4:7). We begin our journey but don't complete it until the end of life. When we sin we can go to confession and be restored to Christ. Salvation is a life long journey not a one time event. I hope I have given an adequate answer

On edit: I found this How Are We Saved? hope it helps

 

[Thatgirloncfforums]

Even the demons believed in Jesus.

What sincere Christian has the 'faith' of demons or thinks that God's oneness is the point of it all? I ask because I don't understand why James (one of my favorite books btw), is always cited in response to other Christians.

 

[Vesper_Jaye✝️]

To be saved we must run the race, fight the good fight (2 Timothy 4:7). We begin our journey but don't complete it until the end of life. When we sin we can go to confession and be restored to Christ. Salvation is a life long journey not a one time event. I hope I have given an adequate answer

Why do you have to go to confession to be restored? Can’t you ask God for forgiveness yourself? I’m not trying to attack your beliefs, really I just want answers

 

[Thatgirloncfforums]

Recently I learned about the Catholic meaning of born again - being baptized. There seems to be verses in the Bible that agree with this. I studied it a little bit more, and - correct me if I’m wrong - it seems like Catholics also think that there are certain sins that you can’t commit or else you don’t go to heaven? I’ve only ever heard that you have to believe in Jesus, and then you are saved, and I never thought that anyone could think differently. Now I understand that people DO think differently, so I was wondering- according to your denomination, what must you do to be saved? What Bible verses back up your viewpoint? I’m specifically asking because I have younger siblings that my parents won’t let get baptized until they act more like Christians. Would they make it into Heaven?

I hope you get a lot of responses especially regarding the question of Catholic mortal sin, which has always confused me.

 

[d taylor]

What sincere Christian has the 'faith' of demons or thinks that God's oneness is the point of it all? I ask because I don't understand why James (one of my favorite books btw), is always cited in response to other Christians.

What they are missing is that salvation was never offered to demons in the first place. As they were born, being the seed of fallen angels and un-savable.

But quoting that verse is used to attack the faith alone stance for salvation

 

[Vesper_Jaye✝️]

I hope you get a lot of responses especially regarding the question of Catholic mortal sin, which has always confused me.

I’ve tried to read articles about mortal sin, but it confuses me, too.

 

[Thatgirloncfforums]

What they are missing is that salvation was never offered to demons in the first place. As they were born, being the seed of fallen angels and un-savable.

But quoting that verse is used to attack the faith alone stance for salvation

They (we) need to move on..... seriously. It's the same sort of logic as when some Protestants say that Catholics ought not to regard Mary as Queen of Heaven, since the title is nowhere in Scripture except Jeremiah where it is condemned. This is why I don't like quote mining either Scripture or the Church Fathers.

I'm sorry, I'm babbling, I've just encountered this a lot lately for some reason.

 

[Ivan Hlavanda]

To be saved we must run the race, fight the good fight (2 Timothy 4:7). We begin our journey but don't complete it until the end of life. When we sin we can go to confession and be restored to Christ. Salvation is a life long journey not a one time event. I hope I have given an adequate answer

On edit: I found this How Are We Saved? hope it helps

You are saved when you are born of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit acts as a seal that cannot be broken. You are forever a child of God.

Then an argument that I hear a lot is 'so you just sit on your bed and do nothing?' Absolutely not. When you are born again, at that moment you realise who Jesus is and what He has done for you. And you just have to tell everyone, like a woman who just been proposed by the person she loves, just much better. You will be like the Samaritan Woman and go and tell everyone about what Jesus has done for you.

When you are born again, God rips away the sinful heart and gives you a new one, with God's law written in it. This new heart wants to please God all the time, and hates when it doesn't. Therefore Christians will always desire to praise God and do His will.

You cannot lose salvation. Not even when you sit on bed and do nothing for the rest of the life after you are saved. But no Christian ever does that because our heart burns with love for Jesus. And also God loves you, you are His now, and He will surely discipline you, when you are not behaving

 

[Taodeching]

Why do you have to go to confession to be restored? Can’t you ask God for forgiveness yourself? I’m not trying to attack your beliefs, really I just want answers

Yes you can confess directly to God but confession comes from Scripture in John 20:23 and James 5:16 so many liturgical Christians go to confession. I hope I am being clear

You are saved when you are born of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit acts as a seal that cannot be broken. You are forever a child of God.

On this I disagree, I am not OSAS or evangelical

 

[Taodeching]

Found a good article on confession and seems to answer a lot of questions

Orthodox Research Institute

 

[Ivan Hlavanda]

Yes you can confess directly to God but confession comes from Scripture in John 20:23 and James 5:16 so many liturgical Christians go to confession. I hope I am being clear

John 20:23 is often misunderstood. 'If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.”

This verse does not give authority to Christians to forgive sins, only God can do that.
Jesus was saying that the believer can boldly declare the certainty of a sinner’s forgiveness by the Father because of the work of His son if that sinner has repented and believed the gospel.

The believer with certainty can also tell those who do not respond to the message of God’s forgiveness through faith in Christ that their sins, as a result, are not forgiven.