Originally published at National Catholic Register
One has to be in a state of grace, and not in a state of mortal sin, in order to be saved in the end.
We don’t need to know about every person’s eternal destiny. We simply can’t know that. Even early Protestant leader John Calvin held that no one could know for sure if someone else was in the elect or even (absolutely) if they themselves were. But we can believe and know that God is both just and merciful, and that every person will end up where they deserve to be.
We do know that we have to believe that Jesus died for us, and wholeheartedly serve him as our Lord and Savior and Redeemer — as a disciple.
One has to be in a state of grace, and not in a state of mortal sin, in order to be saved in the end. That’s why we Catholics are big on examination of conscience and confession. We’re not “out to sea” without any hope or joy, because we’re not absolutely certain of our salvation. God wants us to be vigilant and to persevere. This is a good thing, not a bad thing, because human beings tend to
