{"id":1833,"date":"2004-04-15T00:32:00","date_gmt":"2004-04-15T00:32:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/2004\/04\/reflections-on-judgment-and-sufficient-knowledge-for-salvation.html"},"modified":"2017-06-03T17:33:59","modified_gmt":"2017-06-03T21:33:59","slug":"reflections-on-judgment-and-sufficient-knowledge-for-salvation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/2004\/04\/reflections-on-judgment-and-sufficient-knowledge-for-salvation.html","title":{"rendered":"Salvation and Judgment: Reflections on Sufficient Knowledge"},"content":{"rendered":"<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC \"-\/\/W3C\/\/DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional\/\/EN\" \"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/TR\/REC-html40\/loose.dtd\">\n<html><head><meta http-equiv=\"content-type\" content=\"text\/html; charset=utf-8\"><meta http-equiv=\"content-type\" content=\"text\/html; charset=utf-8\"><\/head><body><div style=\"text-align: center;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-9146 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/572\/2004\/04\/LastJudgment3.jpg\" alt=\"LastJudgment3\" width=\"640\" height=\"426\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><em>The Last Judgment<\/em>, by Hans Memling (c. 1433-1494)<\/span> [public domain \/ <a href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:Das_J%C3%BCngste_Gericht_(Memling).jpg\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Wikimedia Commons<\/a>]<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: center;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: center;\">***<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: center;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: center;\">\n<p><span style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: -1;\"><span style=\"font-family: inherit;\">(7 June 2002: from prior papers)<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p>***<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: -1;\"><br>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: -1;\">It is quite morally reasonable to assume that God would give every person enough knowledge and revelation of Himself, thus ample opportunity, to repent. Romans 1:18-32 and 2:12-16 would seem to make that clear. Romans 1:20 is a general statement, applying to <i>all <\/i>people. In other words all people know there is a God, through creation (cf. Job 12:7-9; Ps 19:1-6; Jer 5:21-24). Romans 1:19 says it is plain to the wicked as well. So all know that God exists, but some wickedly suppress what they know to be true (1:18,21,25,28,32). The truth of God and the moral law <i>is<\/i> known intrinsically by humans, but it is suppressed.<\/span><br>\n<span style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: -1;\"><br>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-family: inherit;\"><span style=\"font-size: -1;\">Also, passages about sudden death seem to me to imply that judgment follows, with no further chance of salvation: e.g., \u201cThou fool! This very night thy soul is required of thee!\u201d or, \u201cThe Son of Man will come as a thief in the night\u201d (i.e., some people will be unprepared). Many people never hear the gospel preached, but I do think that God gives sufficient knowledge and grace for all to know Him and to repent.<\/span> <\/span><br>\n<span style=\"font-family: inherit;\"><span style=\"font-size: -1;\"><br>\n<\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: inherit;\"><span style=\"font-size: -1;\">The ones who haven\u2019t heard the gospel still know enough \u2014 simply by being made in God\u2019s image, conscience, etc. \u2014 to possibly be saved. No one will have any excuse on Judgment Day, whether they heard the Christian gospel or not, because the law is \u201cwritten on their hearts.\u201d Scripture teaches that sufficient grace is available for all <i>regardless<\/i> of circumstances of time, place, and other variables. The damned reject what they <i>know.<\/i> They are not merely ignorant of what they could have known, given a different, more fortunate circumstance. This is the biblical position.<\/span> <\/span><br>\n<span style=\"font-family: inherit;\"><span style=\"font-size: -1;\"><br>\n<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<div style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: -1;\">++++++++++<\/span><br>\n<span style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: -1;\"><br>\n<\/span><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: inherit;\"><span style=\"font-size: -1;\">Purgatory offers an aspect of further grace after death, but it is not a second chance. Whoever goes there is <i>already<\/i> \u201csaved\u201d in the sense that they are destined for heaven. Purgatory is the anteroom to heaven; not a fire escape from hell. It is not a \u201cminimum security\u201d hell, but rather, a beastly and uncomfortable \u201chot room\u201d of the heavenly mansion. Even so, there are more pleasures to be had there than on earth. One is much closer to God there.<\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: -1;\"><br>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: -1;\"><br>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: -1;\">++++++++++<\/span><br>\n<span style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: -1;\"><br>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: inherit;\"><span style=\"font-size: -1;\">The law is already on everyone\u2019s heart. If a further chance for salvation after death existed (as some theological liberals claim), why the biblical warnings about sudden death? I would say the nonexistence of a second chance after death is presupposed in, e.g., the parables of the wedding feast (Matthew 22:1-14) and the talents (Matthew 25:14-30). This is even more evident in the parable of the ten bridesmaids (Matthew 25:1-13), where the damned persons in the parable went to Jesus (i.e., after the 2nd coming: 25:6,10), but the \u201cdoor was shut.\u201d It was already too late. Jesus did not \u201cknow\u201d them (25:12). So the moral of that story is:<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: -1;\">Keep awake therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour. (Matt 25:12; NRSV)<\/span><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: inherit;\"><span style=\"font-size: -1;\">All of this makes little sense on the assumption that there exists another chance for salvation after death. Note that they are described as \u201cfoolish,\u201d not merely ignorant. They obviously knew about the bridegroom. This is all harmonious with Romans 1:18-32. Hebrews 9:27 is clear anyway:<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: -1;\">. . . it is appointed for mortals to die once, and after that the judgment. (NRSV)<\/span><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: inherit;\"><span style=\"font-size: -1;\">Furthermore, there is another frightening passage where Jesus discusses the coming of the Kingdom: Luke 17:20-37 (cf. Matt 24:26-28,37-44; Mk 13:32-37; Lk 21:34-36). He makes analogies to the Second Coming, which is alluded to in 17:24 and 17:30. \u201cIn the days of Noah\u201d men were \u201ceating and drinking, and marrying . . .\u201d until \u201cthe flood came and destroyed all of them.\u201d (17:26-27). They did have a hundred years or so to listen to old man Noah, but then that was all in <i>this<\/i> life, not the next. They rejected his counsel, and were judged and killed, and this is later compared to being thrown into hell, as I will explain shortly.<\/span> <\/span><br>\n<span style=\"font-family: inherit;\"><span style=\"font-size: -1;\"><br>\n<\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: inherit;\"><span style=\"font-size: -1;\">Then Jesus compares Sodom to those who will be alive at the time of the Second Coming. They were \u201ceating and drinking, buying and selling,\u201d etc. (17:28). Then \u201cit rained fire and sulfur from heaven and destroyed all of them\u201d (17:29). Jesus says that\u2019s how it will be when He returns (17:30). Our Lord urges vigilance and preparation in order to avoid damnation and judgment (17:31-33). Then the climax: He proceeds to explain that \u201con that night [when the Son of Man returns] there will be two in one bed; one will be taken and the other left\u201d (17:34). He reiterates the point in 17:35. This is our warning of (sudden) judgment, as compared to the situations before the flood and the destruction of Sodom. The disciples ask Jesus where the persons who are \u201ctaken\u201d go. He answers:<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: -1;\">. . . Where the corpse is, there the vultures will gather. (17:37)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: inherit;\"><span style=\"font-size: -1;\">Now, apparently it is variously interpreted by commentators, but it seems to me that Jesus is here referring to hell, specifically Gehenna, which was His own word-picture for hell. Gehenna (from valley of Hinnom) was the garbage-heap of Jerusalem, outside the city walls. Much evil had previously taken place there (false idols, child sacrifice, pagan ceremonies, etc.). Gehenna\/hell is described by Jesus in Mark 9:48 as a place \u201cwhere their worm never dies, and the fire is never quenched\u201d (cf. Isa 14:11). Dead bodies of executed criminals used to be cast into Gehenna (see, e.g., Jer 31:40). Worms used to feed upon the bodies, and fires were kept burning, for obvious reasons. In Isaiah 66:24, we read:<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: -1;\">And they shall go out and look at the dead bodies of the people who have rebelled against me; for their worm shall not die, their fire shall not be quenched, and they shall be an abhorrence to all flesh.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: inherit;\"><span style=\"font-size: -1;\">Interestingly, the latter statement is also in the context of the Second Coming of Christ, as indicated by Isaiah 66:15-16,22. The conclusion I draw, therefore, is this: Jesus is showing how judgment is very sudden. There will be no time to repent, and judgment will be swift. Physical death is clearly analogous to spiritual death in these passages. No second chance for salvation is even remotely implied. If we had such a further hope as this, the Bible would explicitly mention it somewhere.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n<div style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: -1;\"><br>\n++++++++++<\/span><br>\n<span style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: -1;\"><br>\n<\/span><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: inherit;\"><span style=\"font-size: -1;\">What is truly callous is a view which lets people do whatever they want, until they stand before God and \u201cmake it right\u201d when all the cards are on the table. They had more than enough time while on earth. God reveals Himself to all who seek Him. Someone who willfully rejects God all their life will not accept Him once they meet Him face to face, except out of a desire to save their own skin. Human rebellion and wickedness is often greatly underestimated. Self-preservation is not a good enough reason for God to save someone. There must be real repentance, and an acceptance of salvation as a free gift, and a true desire to follow God. Jesus taught (recounting Abraham\u2019s words) that if people didn\u2019t believe Moses and the Prophets, they wouldn\u2019t believe even if someone were to rise from the dead (Lk 16:27-31). This is sheer rebellion, not mere ignorance.<\/span> <\/span><br>\n<span style=\"font-family: inherit;\"><span style=\"font-size: -1;\"><br>\n<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<div style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: -1;\">++++++++++<\/span><br>\n<span style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: -1;\"><br>\n<\/span><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: inherit;\"><span style=\"font-size: -1;\">Hell is the equivalent of a son \u2014 properly raised and loved \u2014 going out and joining the Mafia or KKK and totally rejecting his upbringing. His parents love him but alas, he goes further astray with each passing day. They reach out \u2014 he spurns them repeatedly. Now whose fault is that? Is this lifestyle choice by the son directly attributable to a lack of love from the parents? God didn\u2019t make robots. He made free agents whom He will allow even to reject Him if they so choose. If that free will is real and not just illusory, then hell is inevitable. There has to be a place reserved for people who want nothing to do with God. Free will makes both evil and hell inevitable. God has the power over life and death, and He is Judge. \u201cThe Lord giveth; the Lord taketh away.\u201d (Job, who understood this very well). All people know there is a God, through creation (cf. Job 12:7-9; Ps 19:1-6; Jer 5:21-24). Romans 1:19 says it is plain to the wicked as well. So all know that God exists.<\/span> <\/span><br>\n<span style=\"font-family: inherit;\"><span style=\"font-size: -1;\"><br>\n<\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: inherit;\"><span style=\"font-size: -1;\">When Hitler or Stalin stand before God, they will be forced to explain themselves and their evil actions. They will be made to know beyond any doubt, beyond any of man\u2019s foolish rationalizations, delusions, blame-shifting, and excuses, that their penalty is just; that they chose it of their own free will, and that God respects free will so much that he will let them spend eternity without Him. In a realm where God is not, there is undescribable evil. That is all that is necessary to explain the existence and nature of hell. It is not God\u2019s fault at all. Rather, it is Satan and man which have created the aberration of hell.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n<div style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: -1;\"><br>\n++++++++++<\/span><br>\n<span style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: -1;\"><br>\n<\/span><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: inherit;\"><span style=\"font-size: -1;\">In the Catholic view, salvation is a process of continual growth. Righteousness (and sanctification) is an acquired habit, which we must cultivate, guard and \u201cpamper\u201d \u2014 all due to the enabling power of God\u2019s grace. Everyone makes a choice at every moment of the day to follow the path of righteousness or the path of death and destruction. Choices become habits; habits form character. Someone who gives little thought to God all during their life is not likely at all to accept God, even after death. They have coddled and babied their rebellion and wickedness throughout their life. Many have concluded that God is evil, and are willing to say that to His face when they meet Him. I have heard people say this, many times. What folly man commits! This is what Malcolm Muggeridge (in his inimitable manner) called \u201cunresisting imbecility\u201d or \u201cfathomless incredulity.\u201d<\/span> <\/span><br>\n<span style=\"font-family: inherit;\"><span style=\"font-size: -1;\"><br>\n<\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: inherit;\"><span style=\"font-size: -1;\">This psychological\/spiritual dynamic is amply verified by the treatment of Jesus. The truly humble and repentant ones instinctively understood who He was, or at least that they should follow His teachings and He Himself. Those who were prideful and trusting in their own works or the fact of their Jewishness to save themselves (Pelagianism) rejected Him, no matter what He did. When He performed miracles, they simply said He had a demon, and performed miracles by the power of Beelzebub. They saw Him as a threat to their political and ecclesiastical power, and so trumped up charges to dispose of Him (as John the Baptist was also treated).<\/span> <\/span><br>\n<span style=\"font-family: inherit;\"><span style=\"font-size: -1;\"><br>\n<\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: inherit;\"><span style=\"font-size: -1;\">This is similar to our rationalizations by which we pretend that God doesn\u2019t exist, so that He doesn\u2019t mess up <i>our<\/i> lives. Finally, even His Resurrection didn\u2019t move these people at all (as He had predicted: Luke 16:31). They immediately adopted a ludicrous view that the disciples stole the body. It\u2019s obvious that human rebelliousness knows no bounds. Yet some people simplistically assume that once such a person dies they will immediately repent. Such a \u201crepentance\u201d is likely only the self-preservation instinct and not true contrition. I can conceive of a situation in which God does offer one last chance right before He commences judgment, but the Bible doesn\u2019t reveal it that way, and the Church has never held such a view. In any event, I think people\u2019s minds and wills are already made up by the time they die \u2014 by virtue of the life choices they have made.<\/span> <\/span><br>\n<span style=\"font-family: inherit;\"><span style=\"font-size: -1;\"><br>\n<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<div style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: -1;\">++++++++++<\/span><br>\n<span style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: -1;\"><br>\n<\/span><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: inherit;\"><span style=\"font-size: -1;\">God is Judge, and He is holy. He has the prerogative to judge His creatures, who have rebelled against Him and rejected His infinite love and mercy. I don\u2019t know why this is so hard for so many to comprehend. It all follows as soon as free will is accepted. People want to blame God (or, in effect, change His nature to fit the image they have of what God should be like); I put the blame squarely on man. It is a fundamentally different approach. I accept God\u2019s Revelation and His self-description on their own terms; those who reject the biblical revelation try to judge God and His teachings recorded there by a moral sense which was given to them by God in the first place. The stream can\u2019t rise higher than the Source . . . Without a moral and loving God (\u201cGod <i>is <\/i>love\u201d) there can be no absolute and binding standard of morality in the first place.<\/span> <\/span><br>\n<span style=\"font-family: inherit;\"><span style=\"font-size: -1;\"><br>\n<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<div style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: -1;\">++++++++++<\/span><br>\n<span style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: -1;\"><br>\n<\/span><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: inherit;\"><span style=\"font-size: -1;\">As to people\u2019s knowledge of God\u2019s character and mercy: all men have <i>enough<\/i> knowledge to choose to follow and adore God, but some men are granted <i>extra<\/i> knowledge. And some choose not to accept what is self-evident. This necessarily follows in a fallen world, in which much unfairness exists. And it is always ultimately a great mystery why some are saved and others are not.<\/span> <\/span><br>\n<span style=\"font-family: inherit;\"><span style=\"font-size: -1;\"><br>\n<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<div style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: -1;\">++++++++++<\/span><br>\n<span style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: -1;\"><br>\n<\/span><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: inherit;\"><span style=\"font-size: -1;\">It is folly for us to try to perceive God as if He is limited in knowledge and in time, like ourselves. He is not. God is all-loving, all-holy, and all-knowing. He knows what people <i>would<\/i> have done, given the chance, and I believe He incorporates that into His Final Judgment of each individual, just as I believe this is particularly true for infants (e.g., those slaughtered in their mother\u2019s wombs). God looks at the heart. We look at outward appearances. God is not arbitrary and petulant. A far different God is revealed in Scripture, history, and in our own individual experiences of His ever-present mercy and forgiveness.<\/span> <\/span><br>\n<span style=\"font-family: inherit;\"><span style=\"font-size: -1;\"><br>\n<\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: inherit;\"><span style=\"font-size: -1;\">All false beliefs come from below, and we allow ourselves to be deceived by the Evil One to a far greater degree than we are aware. All of us no doubt have sincere, false beliefs at this very moment. But there is an underlying spiritual battle to which Romans 1 refers. I believe that all individuals can arrive at spiritual truth if they just seek it wholeheartedly, and that this (necessarily) derives from the same grace which makes our salvation possible, because God is Knowledge as well as Love. Truth and salvation go hand in hand.<\/span> <\/span><br>\n<span style=\"font-family: inherit;\"><span style=\"font-size: -1;\"><br>\n<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<div style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: -1;\">++++++++++<\/span><br>\n<span style=\"font-family: inherit; font-size: -1;\"><br>\n<\/span><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: inherit;\"><span style=\"font-size: -1;\">God distributes His grace sufficiently for all, despite differential circumstances and willingness to receive and act upon it. And God \u201cevens things out\u201d by taking into account the individual\u2019s circumstances and environment, which affect both his judgment and culpability. Middle Knowledge allows God to know what people <i>would <\/i>have done, and I believe He acts accordingly, where the salvation of individuals is concerned.<\/span> <\/span><br>\n<span style=\"font-family: inherit;\"><span style=\"font-size: -1;\"><br>\n<\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: inherit;\"><span style=\"font-size: -1;\">\u201cEqual opportunity salvation\u201d is grounded in God\u2019s sufficient grace for all, universal atonement, and God\u2019s recognition of the unfair burdens and deficiencies that many of us labor under, through no fault of our own (without undermining man\u2019s profound and willful rebellion and wickedness at all). God knows everything, including future conditionals, and this makes His final judgment fair and just and loving, whether or not we fully comprehend it. I submit that we <i>will<\/i> one day, as we will be given extraordinary knowledge in heaven. We will have all of eternity to ponder these questions and God\u2019s ineffable character and Providence which trouble many people so much now.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n<div><span style=\"font-family: inherit;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Last Judgment, by Hans Memling (c. 1433-1494) [public domain \/ Wikimedia Commons] *** (7 June 2002: from prior papers) *** It is quite morally reasonable to assume that God would give every person enough knowledge and revelation of Himself, thus ample opportunity, to repent. Romans 1:18-32 and 2:12-16 would seem to make that clear. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2331,"featured_media":9146,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[583],"tags":[197,3236,224,3374,3383,1647,2341,3382],"class_list":["post-1833","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hell-satan-last-things","tag-damnation","tag-elect","tag-judgment","tag-judgment-day","tag-last-day","tag-reprobate","tag-salvation","tag-sheep-and-goats"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Salvation and Judgment: Reflections on Sufficient Knowledge<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"No one will have any excuse on Judgment Day. Scripture teaches that grace for salvation is available for all: even those who haven&#039;t heard the gospel.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/2004\/04\/reflections-on-judgment-and-sufficient-knowledge-for-salvation.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Salvation and Judgment: Reflections on Sufficient Knowledge\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"No one will have any excuse on Judgment Day. Scripture teaches that grace for salvation is available for all: even those who haven&#039;t heard the gospel.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/2004\/04\/reflections-on-judgment-and-sufficient-knowledge-for-salvation.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Biblical Evidence for Catholicism\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/dave.armstrong.798\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2004-04-15T00:32:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2017-06-03T21:33:59+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/572\/2004\/04\/LastJudgment3.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"640\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"426\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Dave Armstrong\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Dave Armstrong\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"13 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/2004\/04\/reflections-on-judgment-and-sufficient-knowledge-for-salvation.html\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/2004\/04\/reflections-on-judgment-and-sufficient-knowledge-for-salvation.html\",\"name\":\"Salvation and Judgment: Reflections on Sufficient Knowledge\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2004-04-15T00:32:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2017-06-03T21:33:59+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/#\/schema\/person\/471eaa20e441eca4bb1ea50393cf632e\"},\"description\":\"No one will have any excuse on Judgment Day. 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Formerly a campus missionary, as a Protestant, Dave was received into the Catholic Church in February 1991, by the late, well-known catechist and theologian, Fr. John A. Hardon, S. J. Dave\u2019s articles have appeared in many influential Catholic periodicals, including \\\"This Rock\\\" (now called \\\"Catholic Answers Magazine\\\"), \\\"Envoy Magazine\\\" (Patrick Madrid), \\\"The Catholic Answer,\\\" \\\"The Coming Home Journal,\\\" \\\"Gilbert Magazine\\\" (American Chesterton Society), and \\\"The Latin Mass.\\\" He also writes a featured column for every issue of \\\"The Michigan Catholic\\\": published by the archdiocese of Detroit, and was editor for most of the apologetics tracts published by the St. Paul Street Evangelization apostolate. Dave\u2019s apologetics and writing apostolate was the subject of a feature article in the May 2002 issue of \\\"Envoy Magazine.\\\" He served as the staff moderator at the Internet discussion forum for The Coming Home Network, from 2007-2010. Dave has been interviewed on many nationally syndicated Catholic radio shows, including \\\"Catholic Answers Live\\\" (twice), \\\"Faith and Family Live\\\" (Steve Wood), \\\"Kresta in the Afternoon,\\\" \\\"Son Rise Morning Show,\\\" \\\"Catholic Connection\\\" (Teresa Tomeo), and \\\"The Catholics Next Door.\\\" His large and popular website, \\\"Biblical Evidence for Catholicism,\\\" was online from March 1997 to March 2007, and received the 1998 Catholic Website of the Year award from \\\"Envoy Magazine.\\\" His blog of the same name (now transferred to Patheos), begun in February 2004, contains more than 1,500 papers, at least 500 debates or dialogues, and over 50 distinct \\\"index\\\" web pages. Unsolicited correspondence has indicated many hundreds of conversions (or returns) to the Catholic faith as a result, by God's grace, of these writings. Dave's conversion story was published in the bestselling book \\\"Surprised by Truth\\\" (edited by Patrick Madrid; San Diego: Basilica Press, 1994). Sophia Institute Press has published six of his books: \\\"A Biblical Defense of Catholicism\\\" (Foreword by Fr. John A. Hardon, S. J., 1996 \/ 2003), \\\"The Catholic Verses\\\" (2004), \\\"The One-Minute Apologist\\\" (2007), \\\"Bible Proofs for Catholic Truths\\\" (2009), \\\"The Quotable Newman\\\" (editor: 2012), and \\\"Proving the Catholic Faith is Biblical\\\" (2015). He is co-author (with Dr. Paul Thigpen) of the inserts for \\\"The New Catholic Answer Bible\\\" (Our Sunday Visitor: 2005), and editor for \\\"The Wisdom of Mr. Chesterton: The Very Best Quotes, Quips, and Cracks from the Pen of G. K. Chesterton\\\" (Saint Benedict Press \/ TAN Books: 2009). \\\"100 Biblical Arguments Against Sola Scriptura\\\" was published by Catholic Answers in May 2012. His \\\"Quotable Wesley\\\" compilation was published by (Protestant \/ Wesleyan publisher) Beacon Hill Press in April 2014. Several of his 49 books are bestsellers in their field. Dave maintains a popular personal Facebook page, a Facebook author page, and has a Twitter account as well. He offers almost all of his books in e-book form on his own Biblical Catholicism site (http:\/\/biblicalcatholicism.com\/), at a permanent deep discount: only $2.99 for ePub, mobi, and AZW, and $1.99 for PDF. His writing has been enthusiastically endorsed or recommended by many leading Catholic apologists, authors, and priests, including Dr. Scott Hahn, Fr. Peter M. J. Stravinskas, Marcus Grodi, Patrick Madrid, Steve Ray, Tim Staples, Devin Rose, Mike Aquilina, Al Kresta, Karl Keating, Fr. Dwight Longenecker, Brandon Vogt, Marcellino D'Ambrosio, and Fr. John A. Hardon, S. J. Dave has been happily married to his wife Judy since October 1984. They have three sons and a daughter, and reside in southeast Michigan (metro Detroit).\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/biblicalcatholicism.com\/\",\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/dave.armstrong.798\",\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@LuxVeritatisApologetics\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/author\/davearmstrong\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Salvation and Judgment: Reflections on Sufficient Knowledge","description":"No one will have any excuse on Judgment Day. 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Formerly a campus missionary, as a Protestant, Dave was received into the Catholic Church in February 1991, by the late, well-known catechist and theologian, Fr. John A. Hardon, S. J. Dave\u2019s articles have appeared in many influential Catholic periodicals, including \"This Rock\" (now called \"Catholic Answers Magazine\"), \"Envoy Magazine\" (Patrick Madrid), \"The Catholic Answer,\" \"The Coming Home Journal,\" \"Gilbert Magazine\" (American Chesterton Society), and \"The Latin Mass.\" He also writes a featured column for every issue of \"The Michigan Catholic\": published by the archdiocese of Detroit, and was editor for most of the apologetics tracts published by the St. Paul Street Evangelization apostolate. Dave\u2019s apologetics and writing apostolate was the subject of a feature article in the May 2002 issue of \"Envoy Magazine.\" He served as the staff moderator at the Internet discussion forum for The Coming Home Network, from 2007-2010. Dave has been interviewed on many nationally syndicated Catholic radio shows, including \"Catholic Answers Live\" (twice), \"Faith and Family Live\" (Steve Wood), \"Kresta in the Afternoon,\" \"Son Rise Morning Show,\" \"Catholic Connection\" (Teresa Tomeo), and \"The Catholics Next Door.\" His large and popular website, \"Biblical Evidence for Catholicism,\" was online from March 1997 to March 2007, and received the 1998 Catholic Website of the Year award from \"Envoy Magazine.\" His blog of the same name (now transferred to Patheos), begun in February 2004, contains more than 1,500 papers, at least 500 debates or dialogues, and over 50 distinct \"index\" web pages. Unsolicited correspondence has indicated many hundreds of conversions (or returns) to the Catholic faith as a result, by God's grace, of these writings. Dave's conversion story was published in the bestselling book \"Surprised by Truth\" (edited by Patrick Madrid; San Diego: Basilica Press, 1994). Sophia Institute Press has published six of his books: \"A Biblical Defense of Catholicism\" (Foreword by Fr. John A. Hardon, S. J., 1996 \/ 2003), \"The Catholic Verses\" (2004), \"The One-Minute Apologist\" (2007), \"Bible Proofs for Catholic Truths\" (2009), \"The Quotable Newman\" (editor: 2012), and \"Proving the Catholic Faith is Biblical\" (2015). He is co-author (with Dr. Paul Thigpen) of the inserts for \"The New Catholic Answer Bible\" (Our Sunday Visitor: 2005), and editor for \"The Wisdom of Mr. Chesterton: The Very Best Quotes, Quips, and Cracks from the Pen of G. K. Chesterton\" (Saint Benedict Press \/ TAN Books: 2009). \"100 Biblical Arguments Against Sola Scriptura\" was published by Catholic Answers in May 2012. His \"Quotable Wesley\" compilation was published by (Protestant \/ Wesleyan publisher) Beacon Hill Press in April 2014. Several of his 49 books are bestsellers in their field. Dave maintains a popular personal Facebook page, a Facebook author page, and has a Twitter account as well. He offers almost all of his books in e-book form on his own Biblical Catholicism site (http:\/\/biblicalcatholicism.com\/), at a permanent deep discount: only $2.99 for ePub, mobi, and AZW, and $1.99 for PDF. His writing has been enthusiastically endorsed or recommended by many leading Catholic apologists, authors, and priests, including Dr. Scott Hahn, Fr. Peter M. J. Stravinskas, Marcus Grodi, Patrick Madrid, Steve Ray, Tim Staples, Devin Rose, Mike Aquilina, Al Kresta, Karl Keating, Fr. Dwight Longenecker, Brandon Vogt, Marcellino D'Ambrosio, and Fr. John A. Hardon, S. J. Dave has been happily married to his wife Judy since October 1984. 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