"Christ, the redeemer of the world, is the one mediator between God and men, and there is no other name under heaven by which we can be saved (cf. Acts 4:12). As we read in the Letter to the Ephesians: 'In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the richness of his grace, which he has lavished upon us' (1:7)" (Tertio Millennio Adveniente, 4). Thus does John Paul call to our attention the nature of Christ as Savior and Redeemer. In this context, let us consider the question: Can we have an absolute assurance that we are saved once and for all?

Protestant response “Yes”! Accept Christ as your personal Lord and Savior and then you know you are saved and can never lose your salvation. How does one accept Jesus as personal Lord and Savior? "Confess with you lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead" then you are saved (cf Rom. 10:9; Acts 16:31). Salvation comes through faith (cf. Eph. 2:8), not through baptism, nor through the Church

Catholic response: We can have absolute assurance that Jesus came ''to take away sins once for all by His sacrifice" (Heb 9:26). Our Savior "has robbed death of its power and has brought life and immortality into clear light through the Gospel” (2 Tim. 1:10). The work of redemption has been accomplished, once and for all. Yet redemption is not the same thing as salvation. Redemption is what Jesus accomplished by taking away the sins of every man from the creation of the world to its end. Salvation is what begins to happen in us when we renounce our sins through repentance and receive the forgiveness of sins which Jesus offers to each man; salvation is not complete in us until Jesus comes to take us to the place He has prepared for us (cf. John 14:2), for up to that point we can lose our salvation.

Is their any Scriptural basis for this distinction between redemption and salvation? We look to Hebrews 9:28: “Christ was offered up once to take away the sins of many, he will appear a second time not to take away sin but to bring salvation to those who eagerly await him " Note that in His first coming Jesus redeemed many, He took away their sins. In His second coming, Jesus won't redeem us again, because that has already been accomplished. What He will do is offer us eternal salvation by which the fruits of His redemption are worked out in our souls.

Is their any Scriptual basis for saying that we can lose our salvation? We look to Hebrews 6:4 6: "For when men have once been enlightened and have tasted the heavenly gift and become sharers in the Holy Spirit, when they have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, it is impossible to make them repent again, since they are crucifying the Son of God for themselves and holding Him up to contempt." We look also to 2 Peter 2:20: “When men have fled a polluted world by recognizing thee Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and then are caught up and overcome in pollution once more, their last condition is worse than their first" and 1 Corinthians 15:2: "You are being saved by it [the Gospel] at this very moment if you hold fast to it as I preached it to you. Otherwise you have believed in vain." Among various other passages, I Corinthians 9:27; 10:12 and Philippians 2:12 also indicate that the gift of salvation may be lost.

Furthermore, according to Revelation 21:27, nothing impure will enter heaven. Therefore, to declare oneself infallibly saved is to judge oneself to be innocent. St Paul says, "I have nothing on my conscience. But that does not mean that I am declaring myself innocent. The Lord is the one to judge me, so stop passing judgment before the time of his return" (1 Cor. 4:4-5).

Is it true to say that salvation comes through faith, not through baptism, nor though the Church? We look again to the Scriptures as the common source of truth that we have with our Protestant brothers and sisters. Turning to Mark 16:15 16, we read: “Go into the whole world and proclaim the good news to all creation. The man who believes in it and accepts baptism will be saved” and in 1 Pt 3:21 we read, “You are now saved by a baptismal bath which corresponds to this exactly. This baptism is no removal of physical stain, but the pledge to God of an irreproachable conscience through the resurrection of Jesus Christ." Thus we see that acceptance of baptism is necessary for salvation (the Church has always recognized baptism of blood [i.e. martyrs] as well as the baptism of desire [e.g. the good thief] for those who could not be baptized by water due to extraordinary circumstances). At the end of Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus sends His apostles to make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Baptism, which is necessary for salvation, is made available to mankind through the Church, by the will of Christ.

Only the Catholic Church follows all that the Bible teaches on salvation. One must work out one's salvation in fear and trembling, thus growing in virtue which produces a hope of salvation that does not disappoint (cf. Romans 5:3 5; 8:24-25). Furthermore, it is not only through repentance and belief in the Gospel, but also through baptism that we are saved. The Church in her compassion does not subject her members to reliance on a false assurance based on the mere feeling that one has met Jesus (for even the devil can give one good religious feelings [cf. 2 Cor. 11:14]). Rather, she exhorts her children, “Be solicitous to make your call and election permanent, brothers; surely those who do so will never be lost. On the contrary, your entry into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be richly provided for" (2 Pet. 1:10 11).