James,
No, it does not mean that your salvation
is not real, it means that you can
now have a correct understanding
of what salvation means.
Union with God demands a relationship,
as union with any earthly friend
or relative would.
There is, at least hypothetically,
the possibility of us turning our
back on our friend in the future
or harming him to the point of breaking
our relationship with him. The same
principle would apply to our relationship
with God.
This grave act on our part
is specifically called mortal sin.
It is mortal because it is serious
enough to break our relationship
with God, Our Source of salvation
and cause mortality (or death) to
our soul.
Nevertheless, thank God for the Sacrament
of Confession! Through this sacrament
Jesus forgives us and reconciles
us to the Father and His Church.
After Confession, we are back on the road to salvation.
You see, the Protestant claim, that
once you accept Jesus, you are saved,
regardless of your future acts of
the will, find no place within Catholicism
nor right reason.
Free will necessitates
that our love for God, not only in
word but expressed in our lives,
must be chosen and not rejected. To claim that it is not possible
for people to reject God after they
had once accepted Him would call
into question human freedom.
Final impenitence, the unpardonable
sin, is not pardonable because the
person refused to repent of their
grave sins which broke the relationship.
- Cooperate with God's grace
- Live according to God's Will
as expressed through His Body,
the Church, and
- Receive God's forgiveness in
Confession when you fall . . .
and you can take some solace in knowing
you're on the right track. The track
that Christ established as the Way,
the Truth, and the Life. (John 14:6)
Paul
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