Q. How does a Catholic get to Heaven?
A. By Faith and the Grace of God. Catholics get to Heaven by the power and grace of God. The good works that we do are in obedience to Christ and in order to purify ourselves so that we can become holy as He is holy. But it is all of Grace. We cannot do anything worth while on our own.But specifically GOD communicates His Grace to save and strengthen us to journey towards Heaven, in the following primary ways:
By being born again in baptism:
- John 3:5 5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
- 1 Peter 3:20-21 who once were disobedient, when the patience of God kept waiting in the days of Noah, during the construction of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through the water. Corresponding to that, baptism now saves you…
By receiving communion in the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ
- John 6:50 “This is the bread which comes down out of heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die.
- John 6:51 I am the living bread that came down out of heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread also which I will give for the life of the world is My flesh.
- John 6:53-58-So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in yourselves.
- He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will (CH)raise him up on the last day.
- “For My flesh is true food, and My blood is true drink.
- “He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him.
- “As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats Me, he also will live because of Me.
- “This is the bread which came down out of heaven; not as the fathers ate and died; he who eats this bread will live forever.”
By living life so that at death you are friends with God. This means that you die without mortal sin on your soul and live life so as to avoid mortal sin. But if we sin we must confess mortal sin to a priest in the sacrament of confession with true repentence and avoid it in the future.
MORTAL SIN
- I John 5:16 If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death, he shall ask and God will for him give life to those who commit sin not leading to death. There is a sin leading to death; I do not say that he should make request for this.
SACRAMENT CONFESSION
- John20:22-23And when He had said this, He breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, their sins have been forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they have been retained.”
Filed under: Baptism, Confession, Eucharist, Salvation
You cannot not get to Heaven by good works. You must confess to God..not a priest..that you believe and you must have faith whole heartedly. Romans 10:9 – That if you shall confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you shall be saved.
Correct.
Breanne,
Agreed. No one can get to Heaven by good works alone. But of course as James says, “Faith without works is dead.”
We must, of course, have faith. We confess to a priest our mortal sins in order to receive absolution and grace to strengthen us to stay on course to Heaven. We obey Christ in this matter since He conferred upon His apostles, the first priests and Bishops, the authority to hear confession and bind or loose the sins of the penitent. John 21.
The Romans 10:9 passage is certainly true as long as one does not fall away from Christ and commit mortal (as in DEADLY) sin as explained in I John 5:16-17
If you believe in the Bible, it says that there is no other way to Heaven but through him. You cannot work your way there. God is a perfect and holy being and we are pitiful and sinful by nature. Therefore there is no way for us to get to heaven. That’s why Jesus died on the cross, to forgive our sins, so we can go to Heaven. But, on the matter of going through a priest and Mary to communicate with God, that directly against the Bible. Mary was a simple human being was chosen by God to be the mother of Jesus. That does not mean that Mary is in anyway higher than God. I urge you to read through the BIble, and everything I have said will be proved.
Correct! Plain and simple!! I was a catholic and now I am a Christian.
Catholics are Christians.
Daniel: If you believe in the Bible, it says that there is no other way to Heaven but through him. You cannot work your way there.
Daniel: God is a perfect and holy being and we are pitiful and sinful by nature. Therefore there is no way for us to get to heaven.
Daniel: That’s why Jesus died on the cross, to
forgive our sins, so we can go to Heaven.
Daniel: But, on the matter of going through a priest and Mary to communicate with God, that directly against the Bible.
Daniel: Mary was a simple human being was chosen by God to be the mother of Jesus.
Daniel: That does not mean that Mary is in anyway higher than God.
BFHU: That is very true.
Can you please tell me where in the bible it states that Mary was given the gift of unfallen human nature?
Mary wasn’t perfect, just obedient by accepting God’s call on her life to bear Jesus. Mary was no different than anyone else, she was born into a fallen world just as you and I. If I answer God’s call on my life and choose to serve Him by going on the mission field, becoming a pastor, priest, or nun, that doesn’t make me anything special, but just as every one else of a sinful nature in need of Jesus to die for my sins. Jesus died for Mary just as much as he died for the rest of the world to atone for our sins.
Dear Donna,
I will tell you the answer to your question if you can tell me where in the Bible it says that all religious truth is to be found in Scripture alone?
What scripture tells us that any religious belief that is not spelled out clearly in scripture is a lie?
Isn’t your reliance on Scripture Alone, the dogma of Sola Scriptura, itself unscriptural?
And, yes, Mary certainly did need a Savior. And her savior is Jesus Christ. But He saved her before she sinned and by His power and her cooperation with His grace she was able to to keep from sinning. Just like Adam and Eve could have done, but did not.
gb57, the truth is this, if one stays in the catholic church, believes in its teachings, and ways, then you will go to hell.believe it or not. read the , bible, mary, praying to dead saints, lighting candles, and confession, all lies. bless you all.
What you wrote is true. Thanks to our Lord and Savior, I am no longer a catholic. Now I can call myself a Christian!!!! Which is a sinner saved by Grace!
Catholics are Christians. We are sinners saved by grace.
Dear George,
Could you explain, using scripture, why Catholics who believe the teachings of our Church are going to Hell?
I have read the Bible many times. I can find NOTHING about Mary, praying to Saints, (alive in Heaven, only their bodies are dead) lighting candles or confession, that the Bible condemns or contends is a lie. Please may we see your verse?
To be clear, I contend that there is NOTHING in Sacred Scripture that contradicts anything we believe. As you search the scriptures ponder about this:
Is it possible that ONLY PROTESTANT INTERPRETATION OF SCRIPTURE CONTRADICTS CATHOLIC THEOLOGY?
Thank you so much for providing this material. I am in a Bible Study and this is a huge point of contention with me. I was raised a Catholic and am now a Methodist but I find it very frustrating to hear the slams against Catholics in our study. My mother and several of my friends are Catholic and they are some of the most devout Christians I know. And it’s also interesting to me that when you see this argument it is mostly Protestants saying that Catholics are going to hell with usually something less than a loving Christian attitude.
I agree that it is a harsh statement to say that catholics are going to hell. Actually, that isn’t true. It doesn’t matter what you “call” yourself. If you are a sinner saved by grace, you are a Christian. Therefore, you will go to Heaven. But, of course, works without being saved are like “filthy rags”, as the Bible puts it.
So, if you are a sinner saved by grace, but still going to the catholic church, it’s ok. I just wonder why you would still want to go there. I learn more from a non-denominational church.
Don,
We are saved by Grace not our learning. We Catholics are all sinners saved by the grace of God through the death and resurrection of Jesus. Our good works do not save us. They begin the purifying process or sanctification process.
We still want to go to the Catholic Church because it is the ONE, HOLY, CATHOLIC AND APOSTOLIC CHURCH founded by Jesus Christ. Why would anyone want to go to any church founded by mere men.
And we also receive grace through the sacraments, especially the body and blood of Jesus in the Eucharist and Confession.
It is really sad in these days that with everything that is going on Christians can’t unite and lift each other up. I am very sad to say that I hear much more negative spoken about Catholics from Protestants than I do Catholics speaking negatively about Protestants. That is just in my expierience. I don’t know how anyone can claim to be filled with the spirit of the Lord and make those kind of comments.
Tom’s comments make me sad. My mother is a retired Methodist pastor. I am so sorry for the pain that brings to you,Tom. I pray for those hearts to be softened.
Tom,
Try to understand that there are essentially two ways to look at God’s organization of the Church:
1.) Catholics teach that God set order in the church by placing Apostles and their successors in charge.
OR
2.)Protestants teach that Jesus is the head of the Church
but while he’s in Heaven, he never intended anyone on earth to have the authority to lead.
Now ask yourself, where in your entire life experience have you ever found it to be a good idea to tell people that no one is in charge and that they are unregulated?
Recall that the VERY FIRST lie Satan ever told was that they(Adam and Eve) could be in charge. As the saying goes; old tricks are the best tricks.
Also I should probably point out I am Daniel H., not the other Daniel on this thread. *lol*
Hello, Well you’ve answered my question with a question. What is the basis of your belief then? It’s simply an assumption. I understand why you would think Mary was saved prior to her birth, but it simply doesn’t line up with what Jesus said. He died once for all of us. The perfect sacrifice without spot nor blemish. It had to be a blood sacrifice! He didn’t die once for Mary and then again at Calvary for the rest of us. It simply doesn’t make any sense at all. Ref: Romans 6:10
10The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.
Jesus’ death saved everyone Before Christ (including Mary’s immaculate conception) and AD =Anno Domine. We do not think Jesus had to die twice.
Then how could Mary be born without sin, if Jesus died after her. Makes no sense at all.
Dear Donna,
Just as all of the OT saints were saved in anticipation of the atonement of Christ, so Mary was saved from sin before she ever sinned by Christ her savior, her son. Her sinlessness was a great gift of grace from God. She was fully human, free of the stain of original sin she was created in innocence and purity just like Adam and Eve. Just like we all might have been born (free from sin), if not for the fault of our first parents.
With God all things are possible. He is not bound by TIME. He is outside of it and able to save Mary from the stain of original sin by the merits of Christ Jesus. Don’t you agree that He could do this if He wanted to? I am sure you don’t think that this is too hard for the Almighty.
Mary is exactly the same as Adam and Eve were before the Fall. The difference is she kept herself pure,with the grace and power of God to assist her. Jesus is the new Adam and Mary is the new Eve.
Yes Jesus died for the saints of old~the priest’s were no longer required to burn offerings for the remission of sin, because Jesus was the final sacrifice~the lamb without spot nor blemish, but This is no way infers that Mary was born without original sin. It’s a romantic idea, but nothing in scripture old or new testament points to this idea. Her immaculate conception didn’t make her holy. She was simply faithful and obedient to the call God had on her life. No different than anyone else who’s obedient to the call of God.
No different than anyone else who received a miracle from Jesus.
Jesus said, All have sinned and All fall short of the Glory of God. No where does it infer All, but Mary.
Mary had other children. (She was not ever virgin) I believe the Catholic church still teaches that and it clearly states in the word that Jesus had Half Brother’s and Sisters as well.
If Joseph kept her a virgin throughout their entire marriage then he should get the kudos x a million!
Poor Joseph~not much is stated about him in the word, nor is much honor given him, but he was an obedient servant of the Lord by keeping Mary a virgin till Jesus was Born. Under Jewish Law he could have had her stoned.
In response to a previous point regarding sola scriptura , read John’s warning
Revelation 22:18-19.
18. I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book. 19. And if anyone takes words away from this book of prophecy, God will take away from him his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.
God takes His Word very seriously. He’s a God of order and that’s what I love about Him and His Word. It follows very logical patterns of thought. He doesn’t mince words.
You still have no basis for your belief that Mary was born without original sin and lived a sinless life. And yes Jesus was sinless~He’s God! As a believer in Jesus Christ I will infer that He was sinless! My only proof I need is my belief that He’s God!
And of course I take the whole counsel of God and read it in context. The Old Testament was a foreshadowing of the New. It doesn’t make the New illegitimate.
I was raised Catholic and never encouraged to read the bible. I started reading it when i was in my late 20’s. By the power of the Holy Spirit God showed and continues to show me who He is and the meaning of His word. My belief hangs on the Word of God and not on the doctrine of any denomination.
Do you believe what you believe because Catholic doctrine says it’s truth or have you searched out the word and sought out the truth from God Himself? I can’t put my trust in man, now that I have Jesus.
My parents think I’ve left the true church and I believe I haven’t left anything~I’ve just met my Saviour in a very personal way and the Holy Spirit leads me to all truth. Besides Jesus said, The True church is without spot nor blemish and I don’t believe any church will lay claim to that.
When I first started reading the Word, I just found some encouragement and comfort there~especially from the Psalms, but without the holy spirit, it was just that.~words When I accepted Jesus as Lord and Saviour, repented of my past, then the Word became life to me.
Donna, It is unfortunate that you are equating knowing the Holy Spirit and Jesus and reading the bible with not being Catholic.
I am a protestant headed toward Converting and I don’t find your statements to be accurate in what I have seen and experienced in the Catholic Church.
“~I’ve just met my Saviour in a very personal way and the Holy Spirit leads me to all truth. “(Donna)
You make it sound like that is impossible in the Catholic Church. I find very much the opposite. I have enjoyed the emphasis put in Scripture, the impact of the Holy Spirit in our lives and the relationship that we have with Jesus all strongly supported in the Catholic Church.
Blessings.
I’m speaking from personal experience when I said that I was not encouraged to read the bible as a Catholic. If you’re converting to the Catholic church from the protestant faith, then perhaps it would be a reasonable conclusion to assume you’ve read the bible and had some understanding of the holy spirit and have some type of relationship with Jesus. I never had any teaching about the holy spirit nor did I ever have any classes on the bible. I grew up in the 60’s and was taught by nuns. Never owned a bible until my 20’s in the 80’s. I’m speaking from personal experience & from talking with my family & friends who are Catholic. When I asked my Dad if he thought I had to be Catholic to be saved, he said he didn’t know what you had to believe to be saved. I find that terribly sad. When I first started talking about the bible he seriously got angry with me. Anytime I mention the bible both he and my Mom act as though I’m speaking a foreign language. It’s possible that the Catholic church is changing and I have heard that some are offering bible classes. Glad to hear that.
I’m a born-again believer, so I don’t know how that compares to what you’ve been taught as a protestant. I don’t know that I was ever taught to pray to Jesus. I do remember being taught to pray to Mary and various saints. I remember that on my own I chose to pray to God. Before I read the Bible, I didn’t know about Jesus being our advocate to the Father. Now I pray only to God in Jesus name. Until I was saved, born again, there’s no way I could understand the bible or God. I had to be born~again of the spirit. I had to realize I was a sinner in need of a savior. My Catholic baby baptism didn’t save me. I had to repent of my sin as an adult~ I was 30~and put my faith and trust in Jesus Christ. He had to become my Lord, my everything! A question was put to me, “If you died today, would you go to heaven?” My snap response was yes, but after I thought about it, I really didn’t know the answer to that. I thought I was a pretty good person, so why wouldn’t I go to heaven. Fact was, I was a rank sinner, desperately in need of Jesus. I’ve broken every commandment! Jesus said if you hate your brother, you’ve got murder in your heart~if you lust after anyone, you’ve committed adultery in your heart and on goes the list.
I don’t know where you’re at with the Lord. I was going to ask if you were a Priest or Deacon. Maybe you’re a seeker still trying to figure it out. All I know is Jesus saved me and I’m forever grateful. I love the Lord and put my hope & trust in Him, not in the doctrines of man.
I hope you search the scriptures for yourself, before taking the word of anyone else. I believe there are Catholics who’re saved, but it’s not because they were Catholic, it’s because they are born of the spirit and put their hope and trust in Jesus their Lord and Savior.
Hope that clarifies what I said.
Donna,
I agree with what you have said and yes, as a protestant, that is all what I was raised in. I have a relationship with Jesus and know the holy spirit and know where my salvation lies.. … I just don’t personally know ANY Catholics who believe they are saved because they are baptized. Your upbringing is unfortunate, but perhaps not the norm? I love the Church and the sanctity and the emphasis on worship while in the presence of the Lord. I was raised in a non denominational Christian Church and then have spent the past 20 plus in the Methodist Church. I get tired of every church I have been to the elders bustling around to fit church to the people. The whole set up changes and beliefs are altered as time goes on and adjusted to what the people want to hear. God doesn’t Change!??! Also, it is not like being in a worship situation. People waltz in wearing WHATEVER(including pajama bottoms and bare feet!) Drinking cokes and coffee… eating, visiting and even when service begins none of this stops. No reverence at all.
I love the Church I go to know. When you walk in, BE QUIET! People are praying. It is such a sweet attitude of worship, adoration, prayer and repentance. I have yet to meet a Catholic who has been taught to pray to Mary and not Jesus. And certainly no one who believes that anyone, but our Lord answers those prayers.
“I confess to almighty God,
and to you, my brothers and sisters,
that I have sinned through my own fault,
in my thoughts and in my words,
in what I have done,
and in what I have failed to do;
and I ask blessed Mary, ever virgin,
all the angels and saints,
and you, my brothers and sisters,
to pray for me to the Lord, our God.”
I have said this before, but when you look at the prayer we pray at Mass. This is obvious who it is directed to. I am asking Mary, angels, saints and YOU to pray for me to the Lord. That is pretty obvious that we are asking for prayer. Also, don’t be deceived that Catholics are the only ones who pray to Saints. Other protestant groups do to.
Blessings in your journey.
And just to briefly add to what happy said, technically, Protestants who believe in and confess their faith through the Apostles’ Creed should have no problem with praying to the Saints, either. The Apostles’ Creed clearly confesses, as translated by every mainline Protestant denomination (believe me, I checked), a belief in the “communion of saints.” This can be defined as a union of all Christians, both living and dead. Check the book of Revelation, especially the second half, where images of the Catholic Mass are clearly present – ex. the Great Amen and the Holy, Holy, Holy sung during the Eucharistic prayer. Not only can we pray to the saints, but we can worship with them each Sunday. And one final note on the topic – Catholics have multiple types of prayer, including intercessory, whereas Protestants seem to have only one type. When we pray to the Saints, we are asking them to intercede on our behalves; we’re not praying in a worshipful manor to them. The way I look at it, you can never have too many people praying for you – especially if they’re people of that caliber.
Amen!!
Please go to this web site and it clears up allot of misunderstandings…
http://www.protestanterrors.com/#20
(WWW.protestanterrors.com)
To claim that the Protestant reformers were given direct mission by God to reform the church requires undeniable proof, otherwise people all over the world could easily claim direct mission from God on all sorts of beliefs, then where would we be? Then each time we thought we were following the truth we would be forever interrupted by men claiming an extraordinary vocation. Is that how Jesus intended His Church to be?
Consider the miracles sent by God through Moses so that others would believe his mission. Also consider the miracles performed by Jesus and the Apostles so that the people would believe their word. Yet the Protestant reformers, despite making the most drastic changes to the Catholic Church since its founding, have never shown a miracle or any other sign to prove their mission, as would have occurred elsewhere in Scripture with such a drastic change to the faith. Jesus did not hesitate to show signs when reforming the Church, so what audacity do the Protestant reformers have to propose changes as drastic as Jesus made without showing any signs? “Believe you not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? Otherwise believe for the very works’ sake. Amen, amen I say to you, he that believeth in me, the works that I do, he also shall do; and greater than these shall he do.” John 14:11,12
Why should we take the Protestant reformers mere word without a sign? He who boasts an extraordinary mission from God without immediately producing undeniable signs cannot be believed.
If there was a true immediate mission from God to reform the church, then we ask which one had the true mission; Luther, Calvin, or another reformer? Each of these men had opposing beliefs from the start which resulted in different denominations so it is quite obvious these men did not have an immediate mission from God.
For those who would like to claim the Protestant reformers were true prophets, why did they act contrary to all other prophets before them by not showing any undeniable signs to prove their words, and by opposing the one true Church which no other true prophet has ever done?
It is as simple as this.
There is but one way to get to heaven, and that is to confess to the Lord that you have sinned, believe that Jesus Christ came to Earth and died on the cross for every man’s sins. Then ask God to come into your heart and save you. When I say that Jesus died on the cross for every man’s sins, this does not mean that every man is saved. No not at all. It means that God sent his son to die on the cross for our sins, and that if we ask him to save us then we will be saved. We do not have to do works to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. However I do believe that once saved, Christians should witness for Christ.
And by the way, Mary was a sinner just like every other human that has been on this planet, is on this planet, and will ever be on this planet, except for Jesus.