Expert: Griff Ruby - 10/9/2008

Question
it is said by some that everyone paints a diffrent picture. my perspective of the world and the things in it distinguish who i am more than my finger prints ever could. in saying that, the bible seems to be no diffrent. interpretation is clearly what divides christianity, wouldnt you say? lies clearly pollute doctrine. but what is a lie when you see somthing diffrent from another? what is a lie to them is an obvious natural truth to you by interprtation...again interpretation is only what you preceive personally distinguishing you from others... so i guess im trying to say that scripture can be interpreted diffrently and can never "till christ comes" be truly revealed to everyone the same. in so saying, a baptist believes that grace is our ticket to heaven, catholics are works with grace "works proving loyalty and true faith"...so in other words. lots of backsliding people who die are going to hell...people who once loved God and served with all their heart will rot in eternal damnation because they died in a time when life was getting them down. that seems like an insufferable assumption to make seeing that jesus knows the heart. his sacrifice was suppose to be a sin offering like none other could perform, taking our sins away for those who merely believe he was the son of God and rose on the 3rd day to the right hand of God. he said those who believe will be saved...words in red. an example of what im getting at "no offence"... an old catholic priest who is feeling unsually hormonal by nature "we all know how that is right?" is crossing the road and cant help but notice an unsually attractive young woman walking by. he looks and thinks to himself that the lady is very sexually attractive. we know that jesus said that the mere thought of sexual immorality was an adulterous sin... just the thought!! in crossing the street he is immediantly hit by a bus and dies without repenting, unfortunatley he is just caught in a state of sin in which their is no excuse according to a perfect God. tha priest spent all his life "working" for God and has met this unsual fate? baptist would probably say grace saved him, catholics would say what? did grace just so happen to save him? did the priest's past works save him combined with grace from God? we know that sin dillutes any so called good work right? sin is unecceptable to a perfect sinless God. therefore his past good works are irrelevant, not by works lest anyone boast is what ive read before. have an awesome day and know that i am an atheist looking for a spirtual ground in my life and you taking time out of your day is much aprreciated. :)

Answer
One significant role of the Church established by God is to serve as the arbiter in understanding the Scriptures.  Without such an arbiter one person reads it one way and another reads it differently and there can never be any real consensus.  All the same, the arbiter must also be careful to intervene with a light touch (so to speak), being careful to render decisions when they matter, and when the Church has had due time to consider them, so as to understand what they are saying, and how that fits in with all else known to the Church.  The arbiter serves to focus scholastic energies along paths that have proven fruitful in understanding the true meaning of the Scriptures, and squander much time exploring dead ends.
As to the case you cite of the priest happening to die at just some unique instant that finds him in a momentary state of mortal sin, it is rare that any real mortal sin could be so momentary.  The idea of the woman pops in his head, but instead of thinking "yea, wouldn't she be something to..." he pushes the thought away with other thoughts and (the key phrase here) does not give consent to such sinful thoughts.  It is not a sin to be tempted, only a sin to give in to the tempting thoughts, to find pleasure in them, to dwell on them, to make any kind of "commitment to sin" decision on the basis of them, and so forth.  but it is a salutary point that death can overtake a person while in a state of mortal sin and if that happens they are in deep trouble, so therefore one must avoid such sin at all times, and if one falls into it one must get out of that state as quickly as possible to avoid such a fate.  Any person in mortal sin is in great danger, for if anything happens that they die, that is not good.
One can also trust that a truly good and meritorious life led in a proper avoidance of sin will not be so ended, for one must also trust (but never presume) upon the Providence of God, that we will be given the grace to die a good death.  That is why we ask Mary in prayer to pray for us not only now, but "at the hour of our death" that we may be especially buoyed up in avoidance of sin in that most crucial time.