http://www.reclaimingthemind.org/blog/2007/04/will-one-white-lie-send-you-to-hell-for-all-eternity/

I understand what you are saying, but I think salvation is much too complex to be determined by the answer to one simple question. St. Paul tells us to work out our salvation with fear and trembling. I think salvation is more of a process leading to the final future event of being saved at death. Salvation is punctuated by faith, repentance, reconciliation, redemption, restoration, justification, sanctification, among others. I believe that we must be careful not to be over-confident in our salvation. My point was that the Bible does not support the idea that there will be such a question to be answered at the great throne judgment, although we will have to answer for the way we lived our lives, whether we are in the book of life or not. And if that is what this question is meant to represent, well, ok then.

Thanks for your clarification.

Perhaps you misunderstood my expression “What have you done with my Son.” That is, “what is your response to the work that Christ did on the cross. Do you believe that he died on the cross for your sins and have you made him Lord of your life?”

Our answer to that question is what determines whether or not we are written in the book of life.

Yes we are judged according to what we have done, but it is only through faith in Christ that we can be seen as doing anything. As Paul says, “All our righteousness is as filthy rags.”

Enjoying your blog. You have many thoughtful things to say. Thank you. As a former Catholic I agree that such converts can be the strongest critic of the tradition they left. We must show more mercy.

Two other comments:
1) It would be interesting to see a discussion on the Orthodox Church verses the Catholic Church. They both claim Apostolic origins, but their theologies are very different.

2) You say ““What have you done with my Son?” How we answer that question is going to determine our future destiny. ”
This is not Biblical. Both Christians and the unrighteous will be judged on their works (Rev 20:12-13), and Christians not that they accepted Christ as their Lord and Saviour. That’s a given. A Christian’s destiny is determined by whether their name is in the book of life (Rev 20:15). Correct me if I am wrong.

God bless,
John

[moderator edited]