1. Unabridged Christianity Chapter 10. “Have you been saved?” Unabridged Christianity pp. 167-190

2. Things to remember for your last Theology Unit  This unit is predicated on a belief in God, any God, as proposed in Natural Apologetics.  This unit is predicated on the belief that if there is a God, then the God of the Christians makes the most sense. IE, Christ was who He said he was as proposed in Christian Apologetics.  You may not accept either supposition, or neither. If so, recognize you are only being assessed in this unit for your understanding of the principals and not on whether or not you believe.

3. What do Catholics Believe?  Obtaining Christ’s salvation requires us to believe in Him and Him that sent Him.  Salvation can be lost.  Living, growing, and persevering in the faith requires that faith be nourished by God’s Word.

4. “But it says in the Bible that ALL we have to do is believe, and then we are saved!  Some protestants believe the Sacraments were invented by Catholics to get people to “work” their way into Heaven.  Protestants explain justification by saying The saved Christian puts on an outer cloak of righteousness that covers his sin but doesn't remove it.  All sin is purged on the cross, therefore there is no need to remove guilt in a person that is saved.

5. Catholics respond:  Baptism literally cleanses the whole person of sin, it doesn’t just cover it up. We become adopted sons and daughters of God.  Catholics see the sacraments as vehicles of grace.  Think of a child sent out to play all nice and clean. Each day he comes home filthy. His mother provides the means for him to become clean again at the end of each day.

6. Does the Bible really say all we must do to be saved is profess our faith?  Professing personal faith in Jesus...is the first step in an adult Christian's journey of salvation (Rom 10:9)  Faith without works is dead (James 2:14)  Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life in you. (John 6:53)

7. If you are saved once, and cannot lose salvation, what kind of person was Judas Iscariot?  He appears to have initially accepted Christ as his Lord and Savior.  It does not appear, however, that he cooperated in God’s grace throughout. If so he could have ended up in hell.  Redemption vs Salvation:  Redemption is a one moment event that happened when Christ shed his blood on Calvary. Salvation is a life-long journey with Christ beginning at Baptism and ending when you get to heaven.

8. Another Objection: The Bible calls living people saints  “ Now therefore you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God” (Eph 2:19)  Not so fast the Catholic says.  Catholics believe that Paul was saying that we become saints in heaven if we follow the commandments of God.  Catholics believe that anyone who get’s dirty and refuses to clean up will stay dirty.

9. What is more important? To build up oneself or build up others?  St. Paul said to build up others (the Church)  “Whoever speaks in tongues builds himself up, but whoever prophesies builds up the Church… I would rather speak five words with my mind so as to instruct others than 10,000 in a tongue.” I Cor 14  Sometimes protestants will suggest that only by speaking in tongues can one know he or she is saved.