Taut This!

—from "Honor Societies," in xkcd.

What is a tautology?

I get tired of tautologies. Taut this, taut that. They are unfalsifiable since they are ways of simply saying the same thing twice. Here's a few examples:

1. Skinny people are thin.

2. Good tasting ice cream is ice cream and good tasting.

3. Those in heaven were saved.

Let's look at this last one more closely. A few months ago, I entered the combox with a gentlemen who makes a claim close to this one. I've read versions of it elsewhere, and it is one that is impossible to argue against because the premise is false.

If someone gets to heaven, obviously, they are saved. Who can argue against that? Thus, the proposition "Those in heaven are saved" is a true and accurate description of a future state of affairs. However, what one cannot adduce from this proposition is anything regarding the state of affairs of someone now, nor does it follow from either the premise--which virtually contains the conclusion (hence a tautology)--that the conclusion can bear on any present judgment.

In other words, I cannot use this proposition to "prove" anything about right now. I cannot use it as a measure by which to either include or exclude any description of any present state of affairs. In plain English:

To say that "everyone who finishes a race finishes the race" doesn't tell me anything about who finished the race in relationship to who started the race.

"Brent, why are you writing about this on your blog? What does this have to do with theology or Catholicism?"

Good question. It has everything to do with the pernicious heresy of "Once Saved, Always Saved" (OSAS). This doctrine says that once you "accept Jesus", "put your faith in Christ", etc. you will never fall away. You can never fall away. If you start a race, you will finish it. This idea sounds familiar, doesn't it? It should. But to those who affirm OSAS, the wrong Scripture passage comes to mind. They think:

"Being confident of this very thing, that he, who hath begun a good work in you, will perfect it unto the day of Christ Jesus" -Philippians 1:6

When they should be thinking about:

"Wherefore, my dearly beloved, (as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but much more now in my absence,) with fear and trembling work out your salvation. For it is God who worketh in you, both to will and to accomplish, according to his good will. And do ye all things without murmurings and hesitations; <-----That you may be blameless, and sincere children of God, without reproof, in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation; among whom you shine as lights in the world. Holding forth the word of life to my glory in the day of Christ, because I have not run in vain, nor laboured in vain."-Philippians 2:12-16

"Not as though I has already attained, or were already perfect; but I follow after, if I may by any means apprehend, wherein I am also apprehended by Christ Jesus. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended. But one thing I do: forgetting the things that are behind, and stretching forth myself to those that are before, I press towards the mark, to the prize of the supernal vocation of God in Christ Jesus."-Philippians 3:12-14

The beauty of Sacred Scripture is that every non-Catholic interpretation of a given passage is usually proceeded or preceded by a number of passages that make the previous rendering nearly impossible. Saying that "the elect will be in heaven" does little good for us down here on earth. St. Paul makes it explicitly clear that we should not presume as to that which we have obtained. The prize is yet still before us. We press on towards it.

We should be confident, but confidence is not the same as sure knowledge. When speaking about our own salvation, that is pride. Such a stance toward salvation leads to a "not-so-certain certainty". But, I've already covered that.

Peace to you on your journey

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