Holy Orders is the vocation into the life of ministry. It is a calling for many but not all. All are called to be witnesses of the faith, but not all are called to be pastors, priests, teachers, and nuns. We know this is so because the Holy Spirit appoints us overseers (Acts 20:28) and those overseers are ordained by the laying on of hands for those already appointed (Acts 6:6, 13:3). To further understand laying of hands, please read articles Confirmation and Apostolic Succession.
People have come and gone, asking the secular world, and even myself on the sole premise that I’m Catholic, “are you sure of your salvation?” or “do you know without a doubt you are saved by Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior and will go to heaven.” My answer is simply no. Does this sound appalling? It wouldn’t if we understood what the Bible says about salvation. People seem to overlook that salvation is guaranteed only to exist, but it is not guaranteed to us. When St. Paul states that faith is the assurance of things hoped for, give it some thought. We are told before we do not have assurance but hope in our salvation. St. Paul just said faith is assurance [in things hoped for] but not to have assurance [faith] in personal salvation, but hope. Why? Because we are to have assurance that salvation 100% exists, but it isn’t guaranteed to apply to us, therefore we are to have hope in receiving it. Following are the Bible verses that have to do with salvation and the assurance of.
As we read through this compilation of essays and an attached article, I will explain what the Bible says about the three tenses of salvation:
The biblical tenses of salvation have been constructed as such so that we can understand the dichotomy of God’s works. The past tense shows that Christ had come, what He has done, and what He is offering to us. The present tense shows what we must do – attaining our goal by working out our salvation with fear and trembling – to maintain salvation. The future tense is the completion of God’s work in salvation.
