I get goose bumps when I think about the very early days of my journey home to Catholic Church. I had no idea where I was headed or what God had in mind. Just as they put blinders on horses when they are leading them through distressing places, God kept me blind to what he was up to. I had just started investigating what Catholics believe and I was feeling uneasy. I started realizing that what I had been taught about the Catholic Church was inaccurate. In a moment of anxiety I decided to inoculate myself from what I was reading by spending some time on my brother’s web site. That ought to cure me, right? Problem was I had forgotten his web address. So I did a search on his name. I got a number of hits, but one jumped out at me right off. "James White does it again." I chuckled because my brother tends to stir up a lot of trouble with people, so I figured he had picked another internet fight. I clicked the site and a page came up that said something along the line of "700 verses of scripture that disprove the once saved, always saved theory." At that point I was a dyed in the wool Calvinist and I believed firmly in the once saved, always saved theory. I gave a humph and started to close the site. But then the Holy Spirit seemed to stop my hand. How often did I read past verses that seemed to clearly teach the necessity of enduring to the end? How many warnings were given about believing in vain, being disqualified, or being caught up in the world and falling from grace? God clearly reminded me that indeed there were hundreds of verses that I was accustomed to rushing by that flew in the face of my presumptuous theology. What right did I have to inflict what I believed on scripture that so clearly contradicted my position? I was shaken. I knew the Lord was challenging my thinking; but I wasn’t going to go down without a fight. (I discussed my fight in my last piece.)

One thing that protestants, particularly fundamentalists, will try to use as a inducement to get Catholics to leave the Church is their belief in eternal security; that there is no way to lose your salvation no matter what sin you commit. They know that Catholics do not claim to have this assurance and therefore we are living in terror that we might slip up and lose our salvation any minute. Your fundamentalist friend or family member is eager to tell you that they KNOW beyond a shadow of a doubt that they are going to heaven when they die. Keep in mind that their intentions are charitable. They want you to be safe from the fires of hell, as they believe they are. But are they?

Because protestants assume that we are living in terror of the loss of our souls, they feel they have a foot in the door. They feel certain that we would be eager to abandon a faith that leaves us uncertain while they hold their ticket to heaven securely in their hands. It would surprise them to find that since your relationship with Christ is so alive and vital, the last thing you spend time worrying about is your Beloved Lord abandoning you to hell. (I'm praying that this does indeed describe your relationship with Our Lord.) The story I related last time definitely takes the wind out of their sails.

I think the belief in eternal security is the single most dangerous teaching being spread in the name of Christianity. It leaves people in a state of presumption and laxity concerning the condition of their souls. It makes pursuit of holiness optional. It is completely contrary to scripture. It was not heard of or even dreamed of in the Early Church. I noticed from my first reading that the Early Fathers did not share my assumption (more like presumption) that because I had made a commitment to Christ as some point in my life, I was forever saved no matter what else happened. They weren't dancing around singing "If You're Saved, and You Know It, Clap Your Hands." The focus was God's abundant grace and His eagerness to see us through to the end. But our cooperation and the necessity to endure to the end was universally understood and taught. The following are just a few of the many passages you might direct them to. Most amazing to them though will be your trust in the mercy of God. They're not expecting that.

Matthew 10:22;19:17

John 15:6, 10

I Cor. 9:24-27; 11:32;15:2

Gal 6:7-9

1 Timothy 1:18-19

2 Timothy 2:12

Hebrews 3:12; 10:26-29

2 Peter 2:20-21