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I have a problem figuring out where original
sin is in the Old Testament. It seems that
I can only find proof in the New Testament.
I would like some Scriptural proof that
before Jesus Christ came, all people who
were born had original sin.
If this is true, that means they were all
destined to go to Hell, unless of course,
they were forgiven through animal sacrifice.
I do know when Jesus Christ came He took
all the people, who were waiting for the Messiah
and believed in the God of the Old Testament,
up to Heaven with Him. One other question I have is:
Do non-Catholics
go to Heaven?
I know that there are many Catholics who will
not be going to Heaven, because they are Catholic by name only and don't live out their faith
in action.
What about Christians who are Christian
by faith but seem to lack the wisdom that
the Catholic Church is the True Church
of God?
Are they saved?
I know many people who constantly claim that
Jesus Christ did not choose Peter to be the
rock of the Church of Christ, and no matter
how many sources I give to them, they are
still very much opposed to the Church and stick to their
beliefs. They still believe in Jesus Christ
but they miss many of the core values of the
Catholic Church.
How could they go to Heaven if they do
not believe in the laws that the Catholic
Church has created through the Catechism,
19 Whatsoever
you shall bind on Earth will be bound in
Heaven. (Matthew 16:13-20)
It's my understanding, that if Christians are not
following the Law of God established by the
Catholic Church, they are going against it,
but they still may enter the Kingdom of Heaven
if they believe in Christ.
My opinion is this: a very faithful Catholic
Christian would be greater in the Kingdom
of Heaven compared to an equally very faithful
non-Catholic Christian.
Are all Christians going to Heaven?
Or do you have to be a Catholic
Christian in order to enter the Kingdom
of Heaven?
Jesus said it Himself, narrow is the Gate
that leads to the Kingdom of Heaven, and wide
is the gate that leads to destruction. (Matthew 7:13)
Are the non-Catholics part of this group
of people who are entering this wide gate
that leads to destruction? or . . .
Will Purgatory play a part in this,
where they will need to spend more time
in Purgatory to be cleansed of the many
sins they committed against God and His
Church on Earth.
I believe that non-Catholic Christians and
Catholic Christians will be in Purgatory but
that the
non-Catholic Christians will be spending most
of their time in Purgatory and not in the
Kingdom of Heaven, for they will need to be
cleansed of their sins.
It's my understanding that mortal sins cannot
be forgiven unless you go to Confession. Since
evangelical Christians do not believe in this,
they will most likely have many sins that
are unforgiven, but since they believe in
Christ, they will still be saved but will
need to be cleansed of their sins before they
enter the Kingdom of Heaven.
Is this line of thinking correct?
Thank-you!
Stevin
{
Where
is original sin in the Old Testament, will non-Catholics be saved, and what about Purgatory? }
John
replied:
Hi, Stevin —
Thanks for your question.
You won't find a clearly spelled
out doctrine of Original Sin in the
Old Testament, especially as it is
understood by the Western Church.
Bear in mind, that our understanding
is based on a juridical model developed
by Augustine and that model is, just
that, a model or paradigm.
The Eastern
Catholic Church, just as the Eastern
Orthodox, have an entirely different
understanding, based on a different
model developed by the Cappadocian
fathers.
All that said: the idea that the
consequence of Adam's sin is passed
on to his seed is evident
in Genesis, Chapter 3. All of creation
is cursed. The relationship between
husband and wife is changed. While
we don't see a spiritual effect,
we certainly see a temporal effect
that is passed on from generation
to generation. Man is cast out of
Eden and he must work and sweat.
Woman would bear children and labor
would be accompanied by pain.
John
Stevin
replied:
John,
Thank you for the reply!
I talk with a lot of non-Catholics
and occasionally the topic of Purgatory
comes up and how it will affect them.
If you could address this issue,
it would be great.
Regarding Original Sin, I understand
and I definitely believe it, but
I just wanted something to show non-Catholics
who try to claim that Original Sin
does not exist because it is nowhere
in the Scriptures.
I did look at the Purgatory
section on your website,
but couldn't find too much detail.
If you can answer my original question,
it would be greatly appreciated.
Stevin
John
replied:
Stevin —
You seem to be asking several questions
so let me generally answer the question
of Salvation.
Everybody is saved the same way — by
grace alone. It's all
about God's Mercy and it is only
possible because of Christ's Sacrifice
on Calvary. That means if a Buddhist (for
example) is saved, he is saved
because he responded to whatever
grace God gave him; and not because
of Buddhism.
The same applies to
both us, as well as our Protestant
brothers. Of course, Christians have
a lot more to be held accountable
for. We have heard the Gospel and
will be responsible for our response.
The normative way mortal sin is confessed
is through the sacrament of Confession.
However,
if one does not know of the need
for Confession, or if one knows the
need, but can not get to Confession,
one is not responsible.
Similarly, our culpability for sin
is related to how much we know. For
a sin to be mortal, it must:
include grave matter and we
must know it is grave matter
we must have sufficient time
to reflect upon the action before
we commit it, and
we must give full consent of
the will
So if a Protestant doesn't know
that artificial contraception is
a grave sin. It is still grave matter,
but they don't know it, so their
culpability is mitigated.
Ultimately, we know that God wants
all men to be saved so He's not sitting
in Heaven trying to make it more
difficult for us to receive Mercy.
He's not trying to find every excuse
to keep us out. Just the opposite,
all God knows is how to love us.
Confession is the means He has given
us to access His grace but God is
not limited by the limitations He
puts on us.
He can save, in ways only known to
Himself, anyone who is willing to
receive and accept His Mercy.
I would also like to go back and
address the matter of Original Sin
again as it relates to Protestants.
Much of the difference between our
beliefs boils down to semantics and not substance.
Protestants understand that everyone
is born with an inability to come
to Christ on our own.
In fact, most of
them believe that we are born completely
spiritually dead and totally depraved.
When they hear us use the term Original Sin, they assume that we are
guilty of Adam's particular sin.
They think, we believe an infant
is guilty of that original sin, but
we don't believe that.
We believe that we suffer from the
effects of that sin. We
inherit a spiritual disease for
lack of a better term.
They believe something similar. They
believe in a sin nature which remains
after they are born again. This sin nature is always at war with our
spirit which seeks to do the Will
of God.
Well, that's pretty close to the
Catholic belief, which is at Baptism
we are forgiven and regenerated,
but concupiscence (the desire to
sin) remains.
Remember, as I stated in my first
reply, the Western Church developed
this whole juridical model or way
of talking about sin and punishment.
It's based on Augustinian thought but it's only a model or a paradigm.
It's an explanation of a mystery,
it's not the substance of the doctrine.
The Eastern Church, went down an
entirely different road. Where we
deal with right and wrong, they deal
with life and death. Both are correct.
So it's really important to get to
the substance of the doctrines when dealing
with our separated brothers. Many
time we simply express the same truth
in different terms.
John
Stevin
replied:
John,
Thank you so very much.
I am still not 100% on how Purgatory
works, but I would like to know:
How it is that a Buddhist would
be able to get into Heaven if
(he|she) did not believe that
Jesus Christ is God and that He
died on the cross for our sins?
Salvation to me only comes to people
who accept Jesus Christ as their
Lord and Savior. A Buddhist does
not accept Jesus Christ as their
Lord and Savior; and of course, the
God they believe in is not the God (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) Catholic
Christians believe in.
The following quote from Matthew's
Gospel appears to tells us that God
will not be so merciful toward people
who are against His Church, and especially
those who are non-Christians.
13 Enter by the narrow gate.
For the gate is wide and the way
is easy that leads to destruction,
and those who enter by it are
many.
As you can see, this quote is telling
us that the gate that leads souls
to the Kingdom of Heaven is narrow,
meaning that most of us will not
experience the ecstasy of the Kingdom
of Heaven.
I understand we don't believe an
infant is guilty of original sin,
but that we believe that we suffer
from the effects of that sin. I'm having trouble understanding
the difference between original sin and sin.
Is there a difference?
Is Original Sin greater than
other sins , especially the unforgivable sin
against the Holy Spirit?
Also, is it safe to say that
because God tells us that there
is such a thing as an unforgivable
sin, that Purgatory does,
in fact, exist?
Wouldn't someone who believes
in God who sinned against the
Holy Spirit go to Hell if the
sin is unforgivable and Purgatory
does not exist?
Maybe those who sinned against the
Holy Spirit would be in Purgatory
for all eternity.
The word Baptism comes from a Greek
word that means to plunge or immerse. To plunge someone in water represents the person
dying, being buried and resurrecting
with Christ as a new creature. (CCC
#1214) Some call this sacrament the washing of regeneration and
renewal by the Holy Spirit because
Baptism results in a new birth of
water and the Spirit. Without it,
no one can enter the Kingdom of God.
(John 3:5)
Why then do you claim that it
is possible for someone who is
Buddhist and who has never been
baptized, to enter the Kingdom
of Heaven?
Wouldn't that go against the
infallible Jesus Christ?
5 Amen, amen, I say to you,
no one can enter the kingdom of
God without being born of water
and Spirit. (John 3:5)
This no one includes
infants as well, so in my eyes, I
feel as though even infants would
not go to Heaven if they were not
baptized, and that's why so few will
enter the Kingdom of Heaven.
Explain the following quote:
20 The person who sins will
die. The son will not bear the
punishment for the father's
iniquity, nor will the father
bear the punishment for the son's
iniquity; the righteousness of
the righteous will be upon himself,
and the wickedness of the wicked
will be upon himself.
This claims that the father and mother
who neglect to baptize their child
will die, but the child would not
bear the punishment for the parent's
failure to baptize the child. Then
it says nor will the father
bear the punishment for the son's
iniquity(immoral behavior).
So this really cancels each other
out . . . Right?
The parents of the child who was
not baptized are not going to bear
the punishment for the child's failure
to think morally and for the child
not being baptized.
I'd appreciate a solid answer that
directly answers my questions.
Thank you brothers and sisters,
Stevin
Mary
Ann replied:
Stevin,
Jesus also said that the gentiles,
the pagans, who never knew Him or
knew of Him, would be saved by serving
Him in giving food to the hungry
and drink to the thirsty, etc.
One who knows that Christ is the
Savior and refuses to put faith in
Him will not be saved. One who has
never heard of Christ can be saved
by following Him who is the Truth
and the Life, the Light that enlightens
every man who comes into the world.,
as St. John said at the beginning
of his Gospel. (John 1:1-18)
As for the narrow and the wide gate,
Christ, as always, speaks of the
way, the direction. Most of us, most
of the time, do seek the easy way
that leads to destruction. That does
not mean we cannot be saved. People
convert, they continue to struggle,
or they turn to God at the last moment.
Jesus is saying that we should seek
the narrow gate, seek the safest
way, seek the harder way, because
it is more sure.
Don't be lax and
lazy and rely on some formula or
some ritual to get you into Heaven.
It won't. Only by following Christ, the Word of God (written
in the hearts of all men), will we get
into Heaven.
Mary Ann
Paul
replied:
Hello Stevin,
To throw my two cents in, Jesus'
death saved all humanity that do
not reject Him.
Him is not only the Incarnation
but, as He calls Himself in Scripture, the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
(John 14:6) To those who, through no fault of
their own, do not know the Son in
His Incarnation, Jesus can still
save by their sincere cooperation
with Him as the Way, Truth, and Life.
As for Baptism, get to know Christianity's
tradition of Baptism
by blood and Baptism by
desire as well as Baptism sacramentally
by water.
1257 The Lord himself affirms that Baptism is necessary for salvation.
(cf. John 3:5) He also commands his disciples to proclaim the Gospel to all nations
and to baptize them. (cf. Matthew 28:19-20; cf. Council of Trent (1547) DS 1618; Vatican II, Lumen Gentium 14; Vatican II, Ad Gentes 5) Baptism is necessary for salvation for those to
whom the Gospel has been proclaimed and who have had the possibility
of asking for this sacrament. (cf. Mark 16:16) The Church does not know of any means
other than Baptism that assures entry into eternal beatitude; this
is why she takes care not to neglect the mission she has received from
the Lord to see that all who can be baptized are "reborn of water
and the Spirit." God has bound salvation to the sacrament of Baptism,
but he himself is not bound by his sacraments.
1258 The Church has always held the firm conviction that those who
suffer death for the sake of the faith without having received Baptism
are baptized by their death for and with Christ. This Baptism of blood,
like the desire for Baptism, brings about the fruits of Baptism without
being a sacrament.
1259 For catechumens who die before their Baptism, their explicit desire
to receive it, together with repentance for their sins, and charity,
assures them the salvation that they were not able to receive through
the sacrament.
1260 "Since Christ died for all, and since all men are in fact
called to one and the same destiny, which is divine, we must hold that
the Holy Spirit offers to all the possibility of being made partakers,
in a way known to God, of the Paschal mystery." (Vatican II, Gaudium et spes 22 § 5; cf. Vatican II, Lumen Gentium 16; Vatican II, Ad Gentes 7) Every man who
is ignorant of the Gospel of Christ and of his Church, but seeks the
truth and does the will of God in accordance with his understanding
of it, can be saved. It may be supposed that such persons would have
desired Baptism explicitly if they had known its necessity.
1261 As regards children who have died without Baptism, the Church
can only entrust them to the mercy of God, as she does in her funeral
rites for them. Indeed, the great mercy of God who desires that all
men should be saved, and Jesus' tenderness toward children which caused
him to say: "Let the children come to me, do not hinder them," (Mark 10:14; cf. 1 Timothy 2:4) allow
us to hope that there is a way of salvation for children who have died
without Baptism. All the more urgent is the Church's call not to prevent
little children coming to Christ through the gift of holy Baptism.
Peace,
Paul
Mike
replied:
Hi, Stevin —
Let me address several issues you
have brought up:
The difference between sin and Original
Sin, and sin against the Holy Spirit.
396 God created man in his image and established him in his friendship. A spiritual creature, man can live this friendship only in free submission to God. The prohibition against eating of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil spells this out: for in the day that you eat of it, you shall die. (Genesis 2:17) The tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 2:17) symbolically evokes the insurmountable limits that man, being a creature, must freely recognize and respect with trust. Man is dependent on his Creator, and subject to the laws of creation and to the moral norms that govern the use of freedom.
Man's first sin.
397 Man, tempted by the devil, let his trust in his Creator die in his heart and, abusing his freedom, disobeyed God's command. This is what man's first sin consisted of. (cf. Genesis 3:1-11; Romans 5:19) All subsequent sin would be disobedience toward God and lack of trust in his goodness.
398 In that sin man preferred himself to God and by that very act scorned him. He chose himself over and against God, against the requirements of his creaturely status and therefore against his own good. Constituted in a state of holiness, man was destined to be fully divinized by God in glory. Seduced by the devil, he wanted to be like God, but without God, before God, and not in accordance with God. (St. Maximus the Confessor, Ambigua: PG 91,1156C; cf. Genesis 3:5)
399 Scripture portrays the tragic consequences of this first disobedience. Adam and Eve immediately lose the grace of original holiness. (cf. Romans 3:23) They become afraid of the God of whom they have conceived a distorted image — that of a God jealous of his prerogatives. (cf. Genesis 3:5-10)
400 The harmony in which they had found themselves, thanks to original justice, is now destroyed: the control of the soul's spiritual faculties over the body is shattered; the union of man and woman becomes subject to tensions, their relations henceforth marked by lust and domination. (cf. Genesis 3:7-16) Harmony with creation is broken: visible creation has become alien and hostile to man. (cf. Genesis 3:17, 19) Because of man, creation is now subject to its bondage to decay. (Romans 8:21) Finally, the consequence explicitly foretold for this disobedience will come true: man will return to the ground (Genesis 3:19; cf. 2:17) for out of it he was taken. Death makes its entrance into human history. (cf. Romans 5:12)
401 After that first sin, the world is virtually inundated by sin There is Cain's murder of his brother Abel and the universal corruption which follows in the wake of sin. Likewise, sin frequently manifests itself in the history of Israel, especially as infidelity to the God of the Covenant and as transgression of the Law of Moses. And even after Christ's atonement, sin raises its head in countless ways among Christians. (cf. Genesis 4:3-15; Genesis 6:5, 12; Romans 1:18-32; 1 Corinthians 1-6; Revelation 2-3) Scripture and the Church's Tradition continually recall the presence and universality of sin in man's history:
What Revelation makes known to us is confirmed by our own experience. For when man looks into his own heart he finds that he is drawn towards what is wrong and sunk in many evils which cannot come from his good creator. Often refusing to acknowledge God as his source, man has also upset the relationship which should link him to his last end, and at the same time he has broken the right order that should reign within himself as well as between himself and other men and all creatures.
402 All men are implicated in Adam's sin, as St. Paul affirms: By one man's disobedience many (that is, all men) were made sinners: sin came into the world through one man and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all men sinned. (Romans 5:12,19) The Apostle contrasts the universality of sin and death with the universality of salvation in Christ. Then as one man's trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one man's act of righteousness leads to acquittal and life for all men. (Romans 5:18)
403 Following St. Paul, the Church has always taught that the overwhelming misery which oppresses men and their inclination towards evil and death cannot be understood apart from their connection with Adam's sin and the fact that he has transmitted to us a sin with which we are all born afflicted, a sin which is the death of the soul. (cf. Council of Trent: DS 1512) Because of this certainty of faith, the Church baptizes for the remission of sins even tiny infants who have not committed personal sin. (cf. Council of Trent: DS 1514)
404 How did the sin of Adam become the sin of all his descendants? The whole human race is in Adam as one body of one man. (St. Thomas Aquinas, De Malo 4, 1) By this unity of the human race all men are implicated in Adam's sin, as all are implicated in Christ's justice. Still, the transmission of original sin is a mystery that we cannot fully understand. But we do know by Revelation that Adam had received original holiness and justice not for himself alone, but for all human nature. By yielding to the tempter, Adam and Eve committed a personal sin, but this sin affected the human nature that they would then transmit in a fallen state. (cf. Council of Trent: DS 1511-1512) It is a sin which will be transmitted by propagation to all mankind, that is, by the transmission of a human nature deprived of original holiness and justice. And that is why original sin is called sin only in an analogical sense: it is a sin contracted and not committed — a state and not an act.
405 Although it is proper to each individual, (cf. Council of Trent: DS 1513) original sin does not have the character of a personal fault in any of Adam's descendants. It is a deprivation of original holiness and justice, but human nature has not been totally corrupted: it is wounded in the natural powers proper to it, subject to ignorance, suffering and the dominion of death, and inclined to sin - an inclination to evil that is called concupiscence. Baptism, by imparting the life of Christ's grace, erases original sin and turns a man back towards God, but the consequences for nature, weakened and inclined to evil, persist in man and summon him to spiritual battle.
406 The Church's teaching on the transmission of original sin was articulated more precisely in the fifth century, especially under the impulse of St. Augustine's reflections against Pelagianism, and in the sixteenth century, in opposition to the Protestant Reformation. Pelagius held that man could, by the natural power of free will and without the necessary help of God's grace, lead a morally good life; he thus reduced the influence of Adam's fault to bad example. The first Protestant reformers, on the contrary, taught that original sin has radically perverted man and destroyed his freedom; they identified the sin inherited by each man with the tendency to evil (concupiscentia), which would be insurmountable. The Church pronounced on the meaning of the data of Revelation on original sin especially at the Second Council of Orange (529) (DS 371-372) and at the Council of Trent (1546). (cf. DS 1510-1516)
The sin against the Holy Spirit happens when someone says
My sin is so terrible, even God
could not forgive it.
The root of this sin is the vice
of despair which that bastard satan
plants into our minds.
No matter what type of sin anyone
has committed, there is always a
Catholic priest ready to:
(if you are a Catholic) hear
your Confession
(if you are not a Catholic) give
you spiritual guidance and direction.
1030 All who die in God's grace and friendship,
but still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured
of their eternal salvation; but after death they
undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness
necessary to enter the joy of heaven.
1031 The Church gives the name Purgatory to this final purification of the elect, which is entirely different from the punishment of the damned. (cf. Council of Florence (1439):DS 1304; Council Of Trent (1563):DS 1820; (1547):1580; see also Benedict XII, Benedictus Deus (1336):DS 1000) The Church formulated her doctrine of faith on Purgatory especially at the Councils of Florence and Trent. The tradition of the Church, by reference to certain texts of Scripture, speaks of a cleansing fire: (cf. 1 Corinthians 3:15; 1 Peter 1:7):
As for certain lesser faults, we must believe
that, before the Final Judgment, there is a purifying
fire. He who is truth says that whoever utters
blasphemy against the Holy Spirit will be pardoned
neither in this age nor in the age to come. From
this sentence we understand that certain offenses
can be forgiven in this age, but certain others
in the age to come.
St. Gregory the Great, Dial. 4,39:PL
77,396; cf. Matthew 12:31-32.
1032 This teaching is also based on the practice
of prayer for the dead, already mentioned in Sacred
Scripture:
"Therefore (Judas Maccabeus) made
atonement for the dead, that they might be delivered
from their sin." (2 Maccabees 12:39-46)
From the beginning the Church has honored the memory
of the dead and offered prayers in suffrage for
them, above all the Eucharistic sacrifice, so that,
thus purified, they may attain the beatific vision
of God. The Church also commends almsgiving, indulgences,
and works of penance undertaken on behalf of the
dead:
Let us help and commemorate them. If Job's sons
were purified by their father's sacrifice, why
would we doubt that our offerings for the dead
bring them some consolation? Let us not hesitate
to help those who have died and to offer our
prayers for them.
St. John l, Homily in 1 Corinthians 41, 5: PG 61, 361;
cf. Job 1:5.
1032 This teaching is also based on the practice of prayer for the dead, already mentioned in Sacred Scripture: "Therefore (Judas Maccabeus) made atonement for the dead, that they might be delivered from their sin." (2 Maccabees 12:46) From the beginning the Church has honored the memory of the dead and offered prayers in suffrage for them, above all the Eucharistic sacrifice, so that, thus purified, they may attain the beatific vision of God. (cf. Second Council of Lyons (1274):DS 856) The Church also commends almsgiving, indulgences, and works of penance undertaken on behalf of the dead:
Let us help and commemorate them. If Job's sons were purified by their father's sacrifice, why would we doubt that our offerings for the dead bring them some consolation? Let us not hesitate to help those who have died and to offer our prayers for them. (St. John Chrysostom Hom. in 1 Corinthians 41, 5: PG 61, 361; cf. Job 1:5)
1033 We cannot be united with God unless we freely choose to love him.
But we cannot love God if we sin gravely against him, against our neighbor
or against ourselves: He who does not love remains in death.
Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer
has eternal life abiding in him.(1 John 3:14-15) Our Lord warns us that we shall
be separated from him if we fail to meet the serious needs of the poor
and the little ones who are his brethren. (cf. Matthew 25:31-46) To die in mortal sin without
repenting and accepting God's merciful love means remaining separated
from him for ever by our own free choice. This state of definitive
self-exclusion from communion with God and the blessed is called Hell.
Purgatory is not a second chance.
Those in Purgatory are saved by the
merits of Our Blessed Lord Jesus
Christ but have remaining self-love
attached to their souls. Purgatory
has nothing to do with salvation
or justification; Purgatory has to
do with the personal holiness of
our souls.
We usually refer to it
as the Holy Hospital of Heaven. Remember:
Finally, if you know of any parishioners
in your area that have a strong devotion
to the Holy Souls, tell them to check
out my other website dedicated to
purifying the forgotten, but saved, Holy Souls in Purgatory. We are trying to
start Purgatory Prayer Programs across
the United States and can send anyone
interested a FREE
Purgatory Prayer Program starter
kit.
