Biblical “Hope” & Catholic Moral Assurance of Salvation

All passages RSV.

Hebrews 3:6-8, 12-14 but Christ was faithful over God’s house as a son. And we are his house if we hold fast our confidence [parrésia: Strong’s word # 3954] and pride in our hope. [elpis: #1680] [7] Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says, “Today, when you hear his voice, [8] do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, . . .” [12] Take care, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. [13] But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. [14] For we share in Christ, if only we hold our first confidence [hupostasis: #5287] firm to the end, (cf. Rev 2:10: “Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.”)

Romans 8:16-17, 24-25 it is the Spirit himself bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God, [17] and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. . . . [24] For in this hope [#1680] we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? [25] But if we hope [elpizó: #1679] for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

Galatians 5:1, 4-5 For freedom Christ has set us free; stand fast therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. . . . [4] You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace. [5] For through the Spirit, by faith, we wait for the hope [#1680] of righteousness. (cf. 6:9: “in due season we shall reap, if we do not lose heart.”)

Colossians 1:21-23 And you, who once were estranged and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, [22] he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and irreproachable before him, [23] provided that you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope [#1680] of the gospel which you heard, . . . (cf. Phil 3:11-12, 16: “that if possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect; but I press on to make it my own . . . let us hold true to what we have attained”)

Hebrews 6:4-6, 11-12 For it is impossible to restore again to repentance those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, [5] and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, [6] if they then commit apostasy, since they crucify the Son of God on their own account and hold him up to contempt. . . . [11] And we desire each one of you to show the same earnestness in realizing the full assurance of hope [#1680] until the end, [12] so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises. (cf. 2 Tim 2:12: “if we endure, we shall also reign with him . . .”)

Hebrews 10:23, 26-29  Let us hold fast the confession of our hope [#1680] without wavering, for he who promised is faithful; . . . [26] For if we sin deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, [27] but a fearful prospect of judgment, and a fury of fire which will consume the adversaries. [28] A man who has violated the law of Moses dies without mercy at the testimony of two or three witnesses. [29] How much worse punishment do you think will be deserved by the man who has spurned the Son of God, and profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and outraged the Spirit of grace? (cf. 2:3: “how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation?”)

Hebrews 10:35 Therefore do not throw away your confidence [#3954], which has a great reward.

1 Peter 1:13-14 Therefore gird up your minds, be sober, set your hope [#1679] fully upon the grace that is coming to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. [14] As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance,

1 John 3:21 Beloved, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence [#3954] before God; (cf. 1:7: “if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, . . . the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin”; 1:9: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just, and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness”; 2:3; 4:12)

The biblical data above proves beyond a doubt that the “hope” and “confidence” we have in Christ are not the same thing as “absolute assurance” or “eternal security.” Elsewhere I have collected 150 Biblical Passages showing that true believers in Christ can fall away from God’s grace and salvation through their own freely willed rebellion, and have written about the Catholic notion of a very strong moral assurance or confidence of salvation, provided we persevere and repent if in mortal sin, and the related notion of examination of conscience (1 Jn 3:21: “if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God”).

We’re very confident, for example, and have every hope that tomorrow we will continue to breathe and that our hearts will be beating as they are today. But we’re not absolutely certain of that. We could suddenly die tonight, after all.

Catholics view salvation in the same way: we have a very strong confidence in that, provided that we examine ourselves and determine that we aren’t in mortal sin. But since we don’t infallibly know the future, short of a direct revelation of God, we can’t be certain that we won’t ever fall away (nor can any Protestant who makes the claim of absolute assurance or eternal security). But an examination of conscience can make us abundantly assured, confident, and hopeful that right now, in this moment of time, we are in God’s good graces, and would be saved if we were to die.

The data may be summarized or differently understood in a more systematic way, by noting and categorizing what is mentioned in conjunction with “hope.” First, we see in the Bible the conditional notion of obtaining salvation “if we hold fast our confidence” (Heb 3:6); “if only we hold our first confidence firm to the end” (Heb 3:14; “hope” being mentioned in context in 3:6); “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope” (Heb 10:23); “do not throw away your confidence” (Heb 10:35).

Secondly, we observe other conditional factors for being saved in the end, such as “provided we suffer with him” (Rom 8:17; “hope” of salvation mentioned in 8:24-25); “provided that you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel” (Col 1:23); “show the same earnestness in realizing the full assurance of hope until the end” (Heb 6:11).

Thirdly, we have many associated biblical warnings about the danger to everyone of possibly falling away or committing apostasy: “do not submit again to a yoke of slavery” (Gal 5:1); “You are severed from Christ, . . . you have fallen away from grace” (Gal 5:4; “hope” mentioned in 5:5); “if they then commit apostasy” (Heb 6:6; “hope” appears in 6:11); “without wavering . . . the man who has spurned the Son of God . . . and outraged the Spirit of grace” (Heb 10:23, 29; “hope” in 10:23); “do not harden your hearts . . . Take care, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God . . . hardened by the deceitfulness of sin” (Heb 3:8, 12-13; “confidence” and “hope” in 3:6; “confidence” in 3:14); “do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance” (1 Pet 1:14; “hope” in 1:13).

In conclusion, the old Catholic Encyclopedia (article, “Hope” from 1910) offers further clarification:

It is defined to be a Divine virtue by which we confidently expect, with God’s help, to reach eternal felicity as well as to have at our disposal the means of securing it. . . .

By the formal object of hope we understand the motive or motives which lead us to entertain a confident expectation of a happy issue to our efforts in the matter of eternal salvation notwithstanding the difficulties which beset our path. . . .

A thing is said to be certain conditionally when, another thing being given, the first infallibly follows. Supernatural hope is evidently certain in this way, because, granted that a man does all that is required to save his soul, he is sure to attain to eternal life. This is guaranteed by the infinite power and goodness and fidelity of God. . . .

Our hope is unqualifiedly certain if we consider only the Divine attributes, which are its support, and which cannot fail. If, however, we limit our attention to the sum total of salutary operation which we contribute and upon which we also lean as upon the reason of our expectation, then, prescinding from the case of an individual revelation, hope is to be pronounced uncertain. This is plainly for the reason that we cannot in advance insure ourselves against the weakness or the malice of our free wills.

This doctrine is in direct antagonism to the initial Protestant contention that we can and must be altogether certain of our salvation. The only thing required for this end, according to the teaching of the Reformers, was the special faith or confidence in the promises which alone, without good works, justified a man. Hence, even though there were no good works distinguishable in a person’s earthly career, such a one might and ought, notwithstanding, cherish a firm hope, provided only that he did not cease to believe.

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