The Highway Forums General Discussion Open Forum The Bible

I wrestle with the whole salvation issue especially when Catholics and even other free-will protestants are concerned....

so I'd like to speak as candidly as possible, and I'm trying to speak out of love for my fellow man and specifically to ALL the board members.....

I tend to have a pretty narrow view of salvation....and let me be clear, this does not mean a true Christian is some Holy, Pious, Super Christian or anything like that....if that were true myself and the family of whom I am the head would be in major trouble!

I'm thinking more along the lines of a true Christianity, not the type of Christianity that simply runs on the surface or simply fits God in here or there...and this is the type of Christianity I often fall prey to myself.

I'm thinking more of those moments in which His people feel separated and long for communion with Him and His people. The Christians whose life started when they were made to feel the vileness of their sins and have been in heavy pursuit of God and His grace ever since, daily putting their trust in Jesus and as a result there is a natural (spiritual) engaging in repentance and sanctified works of obedience.

So there is the concern for the Catholic Church....a concern that even the preaching and teaching is faulty and many of the laity and the leaders of the institution will go eternally lost.

No church saves, but I think many churches gloss over the starting point in which we enter into a right relationship with God where Jesus is made precious to the lost sinner.....I think of Peter who told Jesus to flee from Him for he is a sinful man, or Paul and how he was completely transformed by the spirit of God. There is David who daily walked with God and was chastised when he went astray. John who loved Jesus and rested on His breast. Mary who laid at His feet and washed His feet with her tears. And crooked Zacharias who repented of his wicked life, actively gave restitution and followed Jesus from the moment He was born of God. These are people who felt their sins and lived for God. I think it's a narrow road that leads to the promised land. I think a multitude are walking it. And I think the call is going out all over the world and Jesus will welcome those with open arms. But I think we're all looking for short-cuts and are seduced by many worldly distractions that are even taking root in the churches. This is my concern for myself and my fellow man, whether it be Calvinist, Roman Catholic or Jew, etc.....

I'll step off the soapbox now!
AC