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All Who Call Upon the Name of the Lord Shall Be Saved

 “Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have; for he has said, “I will never fail you nor forsake you. Hence we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid; what can man do to me?” (Hebrews 13:5-6)

Taking stock of one’s life from time and again is a necessary but forgotten tool with all the priorities of life vying for our attention.   While our pursuits of vocation and leisure time compete for our time,  we should never lose sight of our eternal perspective.  

Spiritual insight into the condition of our soul is primary.  If, in fact, we do have a Christian world view and wish to someday reside in heaven as a reward for a life lived in service to our King, the Lord Jesus Christ.  Then we should choose well the religion of our hearts and minds, knowing well the faith of our fathers.

To simplify our faith into a formulation that most can digest,  we must first look at the fundamental principles.  To be a Christian you must (1)Admit your sin,  (2)Believe in Jesus Christ, and (3)Make a public profession(ie. Baptism).  Our Christian faith rests on the the person of Christ, his ministry, and our commitment to his way.  

(1)Admitting our sin 

As we look inwardly, we see our own inability to do for ourselves what Christ was instrumental in completing through his sacrificial death on Calvary.  Because of our sinful nature which we inherited from our first parents Adam and Eve, we are void of the grace necessary to believe and carry out the life needed to gain heaven.  This is known as original sin.  God is the only one who can supply this prevenient grace, as well as, the actual grace which comes from the sacraments.  The Church is integral in supplying the grace we need through the sacraments:  Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist, Penance, Holy Orders, Marriage, and Extreme Unction.  But as God, he is not bound by his sacraments.  Other means of grace can flow through sacramentals(such as the Holy Rosary), the Baptism of desire, and to people who are invincibly ignorant.  However, the primary means is through water Baptism and the other sacraments.  Even with these alternatives to the primary means of salvation, we must remember the dogmatically defined principle of extra ecclesiam nulla salus(outside the church is no salvation).[Pope Eugene IV, Council of Florence 1441, ex cathedra].  

(2)Believing in Jesus Christ

The Christian faith is an exclusive faith and as Christ said himself, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father, if not by me.”(John 14:6)  By believing in his atoning death on the cross, we are made just or justified in Gods sight.  Baptism is an outward sign of an inward grace that puts a mark on our soul, and removes original sin.  Sacramental regeneration is at the heart of Catholicism; to save souls and comfort the conscience of the faithful.  We must work out our salvation with fear and trembling before an awesome God. And our works play a role in our justification(ie. Sanctification).  These works of love prove our faith in a practical manner.

(3)Make a Public Profession

The tangible experience of “doing what the Church does” is an intentional practice of our traditional faith that carries on the Apostolic tradition all the way back to Christ.   As Christ was Baptized by John, so we are to be obedient to his example.  But also to the authority of the Church he founded by receiving the grace supplied by this sacrament, in a right intention, and using the correct mater of water. 

The person of Christ and his ministry can be seen clearly by reading the Gospels:

Blessings and Woes

“And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said:[b]

“Blessed are you poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.

“Blessed are you that hunger now, for you shall be satisfied.

“Blessed are you that weep now, for you shall laugh.

“Blessed are you when men hate you, and when they exclude you and revile you, and cast out your name as evil, on account of the Son of man! Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for so their fathers did to the prophets.

“But woe to you that are rich, for you have received your consolation.

“Woe to you that are full now, for you shall hunger.

“Woe to you that laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep.

“Woe to you, when all men speak well of you, for so their fathers did to the false prophets.

Love for Enemies

“But I say to you that hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. To him who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also; and from him who takes away your cloak do not withhold your coat as well. Give to every one who begs from you; and of him who takes away your goods do not ask them again. And as you wish that men would do to you, do so to them.

“If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to receive as much again. But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return;[c] and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for he is kind to the ungrateful and the selfish. Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.

Judging Others

“Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For the measure you give will be the measure you get back.”

He also told them a parable: “Can a blind man lead a blind man? Will they not both fall into a pit? A disciple is not above his teacher, but every one when he is fully taught will be like his teacher. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take out the speck that is in your eye,’ when you yourself do not see the log that is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the speck that is in your brother’s eye.”(Luke 6:20-42)

“The way”, was a name given to early Christian communities and not until the book of Acts do we find the word “Christian “ first used.  Christ founded his Church through his disciples, Apostles, and Peter- the rock on which, he said, he would build his Church.  The Papacy can be seen earlier than this through the typology of the Old Testament Davidic kingdom and in Isaiah 22:22 where we learn of the Apostolic succession.