Have you been saved?
I was saved the Bible way — through Baptism. John 3:5 says we must be born again "of water and Spirit" to enter into heaven. First Peter 1:10 says we should "be the more zealous to confirm [our] call and election." Therefore, as Paul says in Philippians 2:12, I'm working out my salvation "with fear and trembling."
Why do Catholics deny the Rapture when the Bible says, "Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left" (Matt. 24:40)?
Actually, that passage speaks about the unjust in the days of Noah being carried away by the flood. Those who are "left behind" are the just.
Why do Catholics deny the Rapture when the Bible says, "Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air" (1 Thess. 4:17)?
Jesus will come once more, not twice! It is true the just will be caught up to meet Him, but it will be a public event, not a hidden one. It says He will come with "the voice of an archangel" and "the trumpet of God" (4:16) — everyone on earth will witness His coming.
Why do Catholics say Christians can lose their salvation when Romans 10:9 says, "If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved"?
Saint Paul also says, "I do not even pass judgment on myself; I am not conscious of anything against me, but I do not thereby stand acquitted; the one who judges me is the Lord. Therefore, do not make any judgment before the appointed time, until the Lord comes" (1 Cor. 4:3-5).
Read more about salvation in the Catechism of the Catholic Church.
Why do Catholics say Christians can lose their salvation when First John 5:13 says, "These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life"?
Earlier in the same chapter, John writes, "This is the love of God, that we obey his commandments" (1 John 5:3). So what he's actually saying, then, is, "You may know that you have eternal life, if you obey God's commandments."
Why do Catholics say works are necessary for salvation when we're saved by faith alone?
James 2:24 says we are saved "by works and not by faith alone!" Faith and works are not two separate things. Works are merely our faith in God made active in our lives — "faith working through love" (Gal. 5:6). Ultimately, though, we're saved by grace. Faith and works don't originate in us, but come from God's grace earned for us by Jesus on the Cross. This grace is given freely, but we remain open to either accept or cooperate with it or to reject it.
Why do Catholics say works are necessary for salvation when all we have to do is love Jesus?
Yes, in a sense all we have to do is love Jesus, but we have to love Him on His terms, not our own. Jesus said, "He who has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me" (John 14:21). So loving Jesus requires us to learn all that He taught and to obey His teachings.
Why do Catholics say works are necessary for salvation when Ephesians 2:8-9 says, "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast."
The next verse, verse 10, says, "For we are his handiwork, created in Christ Jesus for the good works that God has prepared in advance, that we should live in them."