F. Assurance of Faith
F. Assurance of Faith
Another crucial difference between the Catholic and Protestant positions concerns the assurance of faith. Apart from the possibility of receiving insight through special revelation, the council fathers deny that a believer can know that he will persevere to the end.1125 According to Trent, it is only with the special help of God that anyone can indeed persevere,1126 always attended by the possibility of falling away from grace.1127 This notion is reiterated in the Catechism of the Catholic Church:
Mortal sin destroys charity in the heart of man by a grave violation of God’s law; it turns man away from God, who is his ultimate end and his beatitude, by preferring an inferior good to him.1128
In contrast to the Catholic position, Peter Martyr argued that one who is justified will most assuredly persevere to the end.
In general, it may be stated that faith cannot be completely extinguished because serious sins are committed by the justified and those destined to salvation. In such cases, faith is lulled to sleep and lies hidden and does not burst forth into action unless awakened again by the Holy Spirit. In such fallen ones, the seed of God remains, although for a time it produces no fruit.1129
In the “Assurance of Salvation” section of the JD, which Lane describes as “fairly bland,”1130 both sides affirm that the faithful can “rely on the mercy and promises of God” in spite of their weaknesses.1131 In the thirty-sixth paragraph, the Catholic position conveys what initially sounds like a robust statement on assurance, sharing the “concern of the Reformers to ground faith in the objective reality of Christ’s promise, to look away from one’s own experience, and to trust in Christ’s forgiving word alone.”1132 But this is quickly counterbalanced with the Catholic reminder that “every person, however, may be concerned about his salvation when he looks upon his own weaknesses and shortcomings.”1133 Thus, the substance of Trent’s position has not been changed significantly, although it is now conveyed in a way that recognizes validity in the Protestant claim to assurance of God’s saving intention.1134