You're Catholic? Have You Been Saved?

by Brandon Jubar

"Have you been saved?" she said with a slightly condescending tone, as if she expected me to fumble with the answer. After all, I had just told her I was Catholic -- and Catholics don't really use that "saved" language. To an outsider it may seem that we hesitate to answer the question because we haven't been "saved". The problem of course has nothing to do with that. The problem is that the true answer is far more than a simple "yes" or "no".

The Ongoing Process of Salvation

I was shopping in the mall when she came up to me with her little tract. I'm not sure if I looked approachable or if I really appeared to need some divine intervention. Regardless, when an evangelical Christian walks up and asks the question, "Have you been saved?" the implication is that salvation is a single, past, moment in time. Nothing could be farther from the truth.

Salvation is an ongoing process, and it is outside of our reality. Simply because we are linear beings does not mean that God is confined to linear time and space. Thus it is that salvation is a past, present, and future reality. It is not a single moment when we "accepted Christ as our personal Lord and Savior".

Salvation: Past Tense

The prelude to salvation is redemption. When Christ suffered, died, and was resurrected from the dead, he redeemed us. Through His suffering, death, and resurrection (the Paschal Mystery) Jesus paid the price for our sins and, in effect, opened the gates of heaven to us. His death wiped away the guilt of original sin and pardoned our sins.

But we must realize that being pardoned is not the same as being holy. Much like the prisoner who has been pardoned, we once again have the freedom to choose which way to go. We can choose to walk the straight and narrow path, which leads through Christ and on into heaven. Or we can go another way.

Salvation: Present Tense

Catholics are very much in agreement with Protestants that the redemptive work of Christ is absolutely complete. Through the Paschal Mystery he has paid the price for everyone's sins, so it is possible for anyone to be saved. However, we also know that not everyone is automatically saved.

As Christians in the world, we must act upon the redemption that has been granted to us. According to Scripture we must repent (Mt 4:17), keep the commandments (Mt 19:16-17), believe in Jesus (Acts 16:31), and live a life of charity (1 Cor 13:1-3). Jesus has given us the chance to be saved -- which is the final goal -- so we must work toward that salvation and honor the Lord with our deeds. Catholics depend upon the completeness of Christ's redemption for without it, good works and humble living wouldn't mean a thing.

Salvation: Future Tense

Many fundamentalists, though not all, teach that once you have accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior, your salvation is assured. This doctrine is commonly known as, "once saved, always saved." And like many Protestant doctrines, this belief did not pop up until after the Reformation.

St. Paul tells us "if we endure, we will also reign with him". (2 Timothy 2:12) St. Paul is even clearer when he says, "I punish my body and enslave it, so that after proclaiming to others I myself should not be disqualified." (1 Corinthians 9:27)

St. Paul? Disqualified? If anyone would be assured of salvation, I think St. Paul would be a likely candidate! And yet he says that even he must be careful so as not to lose salvation. That is why the Catholic Church teaches that salvation depends upon faith and good works. The Church also instructs us to confess our sins and do penance, and we are encouraged to pray for the intercession of saints. These are not done in order to earn our salvation, for Christ has already purchased it for us. They are not done in addition to Christ dying on the cross -- they are done because of it!

Epilogue

The question still hung in the air. "Have you been saved?" And I found myself wondering how to explain all of this to a complete stranger, while standing in a crowded shopping mall. But instead of getting into a long, involved debate over salvation, I borrowed a line from an old friend of mine. I accepted a tract from her, smiled warmly, and in a very genuine voice said, "Yes, in a manner of speaking. It all started on a Friday afternoon about 2000 years ago, on a hill called Golgotha."

She just stared as I smiled and walked away.

Life Applications:

What would you say if someone asked whether or not you are saved?

What do you think about the doctrine "once saved, always saved?"

What good works do you perform?

Copyright 2002 by Brandon Jubar 
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