Analysis of a Conversion - Why I left the Catholic Church, I didn't like the Mass
The Lord speaking to Job says:
“Adorn yourself with majesty and dignity;
clothe yourself with glory and splendor.
Pour out the overflowings of your anger,
and look on everyone who is proud and abase him.
Look on everyone who is proud and bring him low
and tread down the wicked where they stand.
Hide them all in the dust together;
bind their faces in the world below.
Then will I also acknowledge to you
that your own right hand can save you." (Job 40:10-14)
That is faith alone. God is facetiously telling Job to save himself. People who believe in that doctrine act as though they can save themselves by their own act of faith and declare it to the whole world in just that manner. They stand on street corners and ask everyone, “are you saved?” And when you give the proper response, “I don’t know, but I hope so.” They look down their nose at you and try to entice you to go against the teaching of Almighty God and presumptuously declare yourself saved, as they have done.
Whereas, we, Catholics are taught to await the Judgement of God. We don't save ourselves. We obey God and HOPE in His salvation:
For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.
This is the Teaching of the Church. This is the Teaching of Scripture. You will not find Abraham, Job or any other of God’s beloved Saints proclaiming themselves saved by their faith alone.
But St. Paul declared himself saved.
St. Paul also went to the third heaven. Have you? I would say that if you have been taken up to the third heaven, by God, you have every right to declare that God has saved you. I certainly won’t question it. Here is what the Church says:
Council of Trent, Session VI, Canon 16.
If anyone says that he will for certain, with an absolute and infallible certainty, have that great gift of perseverance even to the end, unless he shall have learned this by a special revelation, let him be anathema.
I’d say, being carried up to the third heaven, counts as a special revelation. What about you?
As for the rest of us, we need to await God’s judgment. It is HE, who judges our souls.