How to Go to Heaven

CatholicAnswers ^ | May 12, 2015 | Jimmy Akin

[Salvation]

How to Go to Heaven

Jimmy Akin

May 12, 2015 |

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Sometimes people make it sound like the Catholic understanding of how to get to heaven is really complex.

It’s not.

While you can go into any of Christ’s teachings in a lot of very rich detail, he made sure that this one can be understood even by a child.

I can summarize it in two sentences.

The two sentences are these: To come to God and be saved, you need to repent, have faith, and be baptized. If you commit mortal sin, you need to repent, have faith, and go to confession.

That’s it. That’s all there is to it. And we can show each of these things from the Bible.

The need to repent is shown by the fact that, right at the beginning of his ministry, Jesus began preaching the gospel, saying “repent and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:14-15).

The need for faith is shown when the author of the letter to the Hebrews writes that “Without faith it is impossible to please him. For whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him” (Heb. 11:6).

And the need for baptism is shown when St. Peter flatly tells us: “Baptism now saves you” (1 Peter 3:21).

So that’s what you need to do if you want to come to God and be saved: Repent, have faith, and be baptized.

If you do these things, you’ll be in a state of grace, and as long as you remain in a state of grace, you’ll go to heaven.

But we still have free will, and we can still turn our backs on God and fall from grace, to use St. Paul’s phrase (Galatians 5:4).

St. Paul is very clear about the possibility of us committing mortal sin. He tells us: “Do not be deceived; neither the immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor robbers will inherit the kingdom of God” (1 Corinthians 6:9-10).

To turn away from God and commit mortal sin is the opposite of repenting. So when we fall into mortal sin, we need to turn back to God—to repent again.

We also need to have faith.

And then we need to go to confession. This is something Jesus indicated just after he rose from the dead. He came to his disciples, breathed on them, and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained” (John 20:22-23)

So Jesus empowered his ministers to forgive or retain sins. In order for a priest to know whether he is to forgive or retain a sin, he needs to know about the sin and whether we have repented of it. That means we need to go and tell him these things, and so we have the sacrament of confession.

So that’s what you need to do. To come to God and be saved, you need to repent, have faith, and be baptized. If you commit mortal sin, you need to repent, have faith, and go to confession.

It’s all thoroughly biblical.

[caww]

God would not allow the Israelites to live in the promised land unless they were faithful to the covenant God had made with Abraham..... Circumsion was ‘Abrahams part’ of the deal that they would indeed keep that covenant.....It ‘symbolized’ something ‘internal’....

God described idolatry and disobedience as a result of an uncircumcised heart... he described repentance as a circumcision of the heart..... This ‘spiritual meaning’ did not eliminate the need for the physical practice... the Israelites were to obey both the ‘letter of the law’ AND ‘its symbolic meaning’.....

However.... A man is one of God’s people if he is ‘inwardly’ circumcised, since the real circumcision is a spiritual matter, of the heart,.... “not by the written code” ....Paul explained that it is wrong to view physical circumcision as necessary, because that would imply that faith in Christ was not enough..... “If you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all”.

It is only through the blood of Christ, they have been brought near to God...... In Jesus’ own flesh, by his own obedience ‘to old covenant rules’ (law), he has ‘abolished the commandments and regulations that had separated Jews from Gentiles....which included the practice of circumcision as the outward “symbol of the law.

Leviticus 26:41..Deuteronomy 10:16;30:6...Galatians 5:2...Ephesians 2:11-13

[caww]

God would not allow the Israelites to live in the promised land unless they were faithful to the covenant God had made with Abraham..... Circumsion was ‘Abrahams part’ of the deal that they would indeed keep that covenant.....It ‘symbolized’ something ‘internal’....

God described idolatry and disobedience as a result of an uncircumcised heart... he described repentance as a circumcision of the heart..... This ‘spiritual meaning’ did not eliminate the need for the physical practice... the Israelites were to obey both the ‘letter of the law’ AND ‘its symbolic meaning’.....

However.... A man is one of God’s people if he is ‘inwardly’ circumcised, since the real circumcision is a spiritual matter, of the heart,.... “not by the written code” ....Paul explained that it is wrong to view physical circumcision as necessary, because that would imply that faith in Christ was not enough..... “If you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all”.

It is only through the blood of Christ, they have been brought near to God...... In Jesus’ own flesh, by his own obedience ‘to old covenant rules’ (law), he has ‘abolished the commandments and regulations that had separated Jews from Gentiles....which included the practice of circumcision as the outward “symbol of the law.

Leviticus 26:41..Deuteronomy 10:16;30:6...Galatians 5:2...Ephesians 2:11-13

[af_vet_1981]

“Prayer” is, as I said, a word with more than one meaning. It's more than asking for stuff. But twice now, when I have conducted campaigns of prayer for them, two people who said, angrily, that they were atheists have contacted me and said they had come to believe and were praying. That got my attention.

I don't like to say, “Prayer works,” or “Prayer is powerful.” To me it's like a beggar saying, “Begging works,” when I think the more important thing is the generosity of his donors. But I still pray.

I like these, your words.

[editor-surveyor]

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>> “This is found WHERE in Scripture?” <<

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Do we need to take up a collection to get you a Bible?

Rev.20

[1] And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.
[2] And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,
[3] And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.
[4]And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
[5] But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished.
(we're not talking about them, This is the first resurrection we're talking about now.)
[6] Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.
(the same thousand years that the "rest of the dead" have to wait through before being sent to judgment, and the second death)
[7] And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,
(now we're going to talk about "the rest of the dead")
[8] And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.
[9] And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.
[10] And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
[11] And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
[12] And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
[13] And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
[14] And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
[15] And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

[kinsman redeemer]

Thanks for your post. BRAVO!
I am completely IN AGREEMENT with you.

Yesterday, I gave my opinion in a PM directly to management.

I also expected to be banned. I wasn’t. You probably won’t, either.

Like you, I have been stretched in the process of preparing responses (and reading posts) on these RF threads.

As I said yesterday, I am personally “determined to not even get close to ‘making it personal’ I believe ‘making it personal’ is the equivalent to ‘bashing’ but I am left to make my own interpretation of [the new] mandate. I’m not even going to use the word ‘********’ or any of its forms.”

I’m taking that stance because I am a witness for Christ. I used to tell my sons, “Don’t even get close to the line that is drawn. It’ll go better for you - and me.”

Christians here have a great opportunity to do the work in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the uttermost parts of the world, too (I hope.) For that, I am in complete agreement with your expression of “appreciation to Jim for providing this website.”

Pray that we will be effective ministers. The outcomes have eternal consequences.

[caww]

As a new Christian I pretty much had stayed in the New Testament for quite a few years, only going to the Old Testament for references and the like. I think for me God wanted me to know the New quite well....But oh WOW! when I decided to read the Old testament completely through.....it was and continues to be without Words how the Lord lifted the meanings, symbols, and stories,... writings, events and happenings, and ‘tied it ‘all’ together’ with the NEW....So ‘many’ Ah hah! moments left me speechless and in complete AWE of God....and on occasion tears of humbleness for caring to teach me so....

[kinsman redeemer]

This article highlights this Pelagius heresy.

There's an ARTICLE? Who knew?

LOL

[editor-surveyor]

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>> “THIS sure sounds like EVERYONE to me” <<

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Sorry, but no!

The GWT comes 1000 years after the elect, the bride of Yeshua, have been raised,given their incorruptible bodies, and reigned with him for 1000 years.

Only “The rest of the dead” go to the GWT, and all that go there are sent to punishment, not to eternal life.
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[caww]

That comment really isn’t scripture feasible and so is coming from some other origin then Christianity. Likely one which cloaks with enough Christian verbiages to attract the uninformed. Most false religions do so as it’s “bait” often used.

[caww]

Thank you,...excellent post of which I agree.

To resolve the bashing issue might be better to just get “out of the kitchen” and let the RM’s do their job when the heat gets to hot..... And I say ‘none’ should be running to Jim Robinson with complaints...they have bypassed the RM’s who he trusts to do their job,...which I also agree they do well. Why not just pull away from the threads as most of us will do if things get too far off topic and the fur flys.....we do have that ‘choice’.

[Mad Dawg]

Thanks.

[Grateful2God]

***And I say ‘none’ should be running to Jim Robinson with complaints...***

That is your opinion. You're stating it without getting yourself or whatever you believe bashed.
It would be nice if we Catholics were able to state our beliefs without the bashing.
Simple: common courtesy.

[caww]

If you feel you must “Run “ to someone to ease your discomfort at being confronted with the truth and it's not being presented as you “feel” you need to be addressed then THAT is what the Moderator is for.

You are just as free as any other to state your beliefs....you should not though “expect”, as so many do, that your beliefs will not be addressed when they oppose other beliefs.

Otherwise opposing false doctrines as others might believe is what debate is about and how the truth is revealed when allowed to be expressed.

BTW..I certainly have been bashed by catholics so you have presumed wrongfully....I either respond, don't respond, or leave the thread until the heat cools down a bit.....you too have that same choice....nobody has taken that from you.

[Jim Robinson]

If you can’t live with my no bashing rule, you are always welcome to post elsewhere.

[BlueDragon]

It's more like I'm saying, “Holy Trinity, Mary:

Hear O Israel, the Lord is our God; the Lord is One

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To me, praying a Rosary is partially, in some respects, not only spending time with Mary but praying with her, being with God with her.

??? Our Father (and Jesus's momma -- who is Our momma too) in heaven,

hallowed be your (and momma's) name.
Your (and momma's) kingdom come.
Your (and momma's) will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven. ???

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To me it's like a beggar saying, “Begging works,” when I think the more important thing is the generosity of his donors. But I still pray.

"N'ayez pas peur Madame, ce ne sont que des gueux"

translation:
Fear not madam, they are nothing but beggars

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And every road I walked would take me down to the sea
With every broken promise in my sack
And every love would always send the ship of my heart
Over the roar-ing sea

[ealgeone]

Jim, how do we define "bashing"?

I'm not trying to be argumentative here by any means.

If I disagree with another's position on an issue while using facts, some just don't like it and consider it "bashing".

Seems like a no-win situation for people with differing positions on an issue.

However, your post is understood and it is your website to do with as you please and I respect that.

[Jim Robinson]

It’s self evident. This is not complicated. It’s not like we’re trying to discover what the definition of is is.

Not going to waste any more time on this nonsense. Take it or leave it.

Jim out.

[HarleyD]

Paul says they have eternal life in them; use it to learn to choose the good.

Exactly. But you can't use what you don't have.

[servantboy777]

I'm not arguing your point. I am simply stating that God does see some sins as more egregious than others.

My position is Christians should focus on the essentials of salvation and stop all the bickering back and forth. Besides, the bible does not fully explain the mysteries of God. He is much more. Scripture was given to help us understand, but God gave us only what our small minds could comprehend. We will never know the full nature, power and presence of the Almighty until we come into His heaven.

I believe in grace. God is a merciful God. He sent His son because He knew we could never hold up to the burden of the law.

Praise God.

[Elsie]