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Question
Dear Father Angelo, I am Domenico, an evangelical colleague of mine asked me if you can lose your salvation. By the way, on that very day, another colleague of mine told me that he had been a practicing Catholic, that he had converted many people, that he had been person in charge and catechist in a movement within the Catholic Church, but today he claims to have abandoned God, he no longer wants to believe…
This and that, I got confused and thought about you.
One last thing, the Protestant brother told me about the words of Jesus when he said to some pseudo believers: “I never knew you” so this means that salvation cannot be lost, and whoever has it has always been predestined by God, therefore he cannot lose it.
I do not think so, honestly, I think that the error always lies in faith and in works …
I will wait to hear from you.
Thank you for the time you are dedicating to me and let us pray to Mary.
Answer of the priest
Dear Domenico,
1. As long as we are here, no one is sure of his salvation.
We must point out that, on the other hand, Protestants, and among them evangelicals, are sure of their salvation, because faith alone would be enough, regardless of the good deeds that we must do, and which show the consistency of life with our faith.
2. You could have replied to that evangelical by saying that those to whom the Lord will say I never knew you, were probably people certain of their salvation, just like the evangelicals.
Jesus uses those words referring to those who say that faith would have been enough, without works, without charity.
Here is the Gospel passage: “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name? Did we not drive out demons in your name? Did we not do mighty deeds in your name?’ Then I will declare to them solemnly, ‘I never knew you. Depart from me, you evildoers.'” (Mt 7: 21-23).
3. According to evangelicals, salvation would be assured by faith alone and according to your interlocutor it cannot be lost.
And yet the Sacred Scripture speaks of people who have made a shipwreck of their faith.
Saint Paul mentions two Christians, Hymenaeus and Alexander, who “have made a shipwreck of their faith” (1 Tim 1:19).
He also mentions Hymenaeus, along with another man, in his second letter to Timothy 2:17-18: “Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, who have deviated from the truth by saying that (the) resurrection has already taken place and are upsetting the faith of some“.
In the first letter to Timothy he also speaks of “some people in their desire for [money] have strayed from the faith” (1 Tm 6:10).
Even Judas, when he was called by the Lord, had faith. But then he lost it.
4. Also for this reason St. Paul says that “whoever thinks he is standing secure should take care not to fall.” (1 Cor 10:12).
With the wish to remain humble and to always entrust yourself to the Virgin Mary because this is what the Lord wanted from the cross saying “Son, here is your mother” (which the evangelicals like all Protestants unfortunately do not do) I assure you of my prayers and I bless you.
Father Angelo
Tradotto da Irene Ravegnani
