Hey Deacon!

That question is often heard from well-meaning Christians who want to help others know Jesus Christ. As Catholics whose faith is centered in Him, we can appreciate their good intentions and admire their willingness to talk about God.
 
Most often, Christians who asks this view salvation as a past event that took place when they made a confession of faith in Jesus as Savior and Lord. This act of faith, they believe, guarantees them a place in heaven, no matter what they may do for the rest of their lives. Okay, that statement might be too general but there is the belief that once saved, always saved -- that you will not face the punishment of hell for your sins.
 
The teaching of the Catholic Church helps us understand that this is actually a mistaken notion of salvation. Jesus Christ came to give us much more than a kind of eternal fire insurance policy. Salvation in the fullest sense is an ongoing process that won’t be complete until after we die. And in the meantime, it’s still possible to turn away again from God.
 
If someone asks you if you are saved, perhaps the best short answer is to paraphrase Philippians 2:12 and say, “I’m doing what the apostle Paul tells us to do in the Bible: I’m ‘working out’ my salvation day by day.”
 
We love Jesus and His Church, but we sometimes get intimidated when asked questions about our faith. We know that God loved us so much that He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to save us from the terrible fate of sin, so that we might have eternal life with Him. We know that Jesus’ life, death and resurrection offers the hope of eternal life and an escape from eternal punishment. He reconciles us from sin, opening the door to a full restoration with Him.
 
Salvation, in its fullness, is God’s new creation (born again). To save us, He remakes us in His likeness — a lifelong process requiring our cooperation so that we can once again think and love as He thinks and loves and aligns our will to that of the Father. This process finds its completion only in heaven, where eternal life is enjoyed in perfect harmony with Him. Those who are joined there with God forever will achieve their greatest destiny. We will become what we were made to be.
 
All Christians know that salvation isn’t guaranteed by something we’ve done. The gift of free will is part of God’s likeness in us. But with free will we still have the ability to turn away from God. It’s a chilling possibility because there is so much temptation, so much evil in the world.
 
We can be confident that God desires our salvation, and He’s faithful to help us. God created us for himself, for nothing less than to know, love, serve and enjoy Him in this life and the next. And if we are ever tempted to forsake Him, He’ll grant us the power to resist that temptation.
 
Praise be Jesus Christ, now and forever. Amen.


Author Bio:
 Deacon Dan Vaughn