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some people refuse to get it



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How to Go to Heaven
CatholicAnswers ^ | May 12, 2015 | Jimmy Akin

Posted on 07/21/2015 4:48:44 PM PDT by Salvation

How to Go to Heaven

May 12, 2015 |

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.



TOPICS: Apologetics; Catholic; History; Theology
KEYWORDS: catholic; heaven
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To: terycarl

....”WOW, talk about misinterpreting scripture....that was it!!!!”....

Save us all the drama and instead offer the correct interpretation ‘as you see it’.... That is what debate is about.

I wrote:

The context simply is not what was happening at that moment, but what would happen at Pentecost, when the Apostles would be given that which was required to powerfully proclaim the gospel to all nations, beginning in Jerusalem.

Your interpretation therefore is??????...and please use scripture references as I have cared to use to substantiate my position.


201 posted on 07/21/2015 7:42:55 PM PDT by caww
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To: terycarl

Christ had no weakness Righteous anger is not a weakness and God is the only one with authority to punish sin

But before you call what He did unbridled anger all they had was sore backsides and the loss of some merchandise Christ is God incarnate He could have just as easily reduced them to smoking piles of ash.... I would say He exhibited restraint and mercy


202 posted on 07/21/2015 7:44:12 PM PDT by Mom MD
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To: MHGinTN

Yes!! We are on the same page!


203 posted on 07/21/2015 7:44:46 PM PDT by caww
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To: Mom MD

Good point.

I never thought of it that way before.


204 posted on 07/21/2015 7:49:55 PM PDT by metmom (...fixing our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith...)
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To: terycarl; metmom

.
>> “ if you don’t believe that, why not?” <<

.
by reading the scriptures, we know that most of what the corporate catholic church teaches is alien to God.

It is wholly the the ideas of men.

This is not limited to the catholic church, it is rampant in most churches. Men want to do the things that please men.
.


205 posted on 07/21/2015 7:50:13 PM PDT by editor-surveyor (Freepers: Not as smart as I'd hoped they'd be)
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To: caww
In retrospect I think God may very well have seen that moment as me agreeing with Him that I was a sinner... and no matter how I tried to weigh the scales favorably, and I was doing just that prior to that one verse,...obvious that verse lets no-one off the hook of damnation.

Very salient...As we can see on this thread, some people feel that their sins are minor enough so that they don't fear hell...They have no need of a Savior...Just do some good, some charity and they'll be good to go...

206 posted on 07/21/2015 7:51:16 PM PDT by Iscool
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To: terycarl

Check your tagline. Scripture says He mad Himself a little lower than the Angels for a time. It also says He was tempted in all ways as we are. Common sense would say He had weaknesses of a mortal nature, but Scripture also testifies that He did not sin and could not sin because His seed (the Godness of Jesus) remained within Him. The astonishing thing one might note right there is that when someone ids born from above, God puts that same seed in them! They have eternal life in them,. indwelling them, raising them up from infancy in the Way that they should go. THAT is the Gospel of Grace, the essence of the New Covenant that by believing on Him we have God-life in us, the Hope of Glory.


207 posted on 07/21/2015 7:51:41 PM PDT by MHGinTN (Is it really all relative, Mister Einstein?)
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To: johngrace
The Laying on of Hands is believed to be the unction of the Holy Spirit for authority. Remember Stephen and others already had the Holy Spirit as a Believer. This was especially for Authority why else they were already christians.

Since they already had the Holy Ghost, it was likely just an acknowledgment that they all agreed...

208 posted on 07/21/2015 7:54:21 PM PDT by Iscool
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To: jimmyray
Silly Martin Luther, how dare he question the indulgences!!! try reading his 95 theses, and determine which ones you will argue against.

Anyone, any time, can question whatever they desire...however, there is a right way and a wrong way....if he wanted to "reform" the church, he should have done it from within...ask for councils, approach leaders who were in charge...he didn't, instead he went outside the church and decided that he could do it better himself....he couldn't.

Most of the 95 "thesis" were complaints about everyday goings on in the church....were many of them wrong, absolutely, but you don't correct a situation by going outside the walls......When the U.S. revolted against England, that's exactly what they did....they weren't trying to reform England, they were, in effect, revolting and establishing a completely new system .....That's the mistake that Luther made....he revolted.

209 posted on 07/21/2015 7:56:32 PM PDT by terycarl (, COMMON SENSE PREVAILS OVERALL)
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To: Iscool

also have you ever prayed over someone while laying hands on them? It is very powerful and moving. While not a common practice I have had the chance to do it on occasion. One of the places was middle school graduation at the school my kids attended. Part of the ceremony was all the kids gathering with their parents in the auditorium. The parents were then told to lay their hands on their children and pray over them out loud. Not a dry eye in the place and an experience I will never forget.


210 posted on 07/21/2015 7:57:13 PM PDT by Mom MD
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To: terycarl; metmom
...."leaving the church and denying her teachings is a mortal sin".....

That belief needs "proof" that God has determined so.....for as I see it God has never established that leaving institutionalized churches constitute sin of any kind. For THE Church is a Body of believers with Christ as the head...represented throughout the World and in many denominations today..... One is "free" to Worship Him wherever the Gospel message and His Word is preached, and His Spirit oversees.

Least it be overlooked....The seven churches to which the Revelations of Christ speaks were Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea. Even in that day there were various gatherings of Christians in various locations....all under the headship of Jesus Christ....much as there is today.


211 posted on 07/21/2015 7:57:46 PM PDT by caww
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To: jimmyray

I choose both - that is the Church, both. Bible and Tradition are not exclusive of one another.


212 posted on 07/21/2015 7:57:50 PM PDT by 2tipsea (What can I say?)
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To: Arthur McGowan
Jesus never ONCE instructs his apostles or anyone else to write anything.

God instructed numerous people in the OT to write scripture...And Jesus referred to the written word constantly...Jesus told John to write scripture...What Paul wrote was acknowledged by Peter to be God breathed scripture...It's pretty cut and dried...

213 posted on 07/21/2015 7:58:22 PM PDT by Iscool
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To: terycarl
.was it O.K. for Him to deny these people the opportunity to make a living....to feed their children, perhaps giving their customers whatever benefits they were offering??

Cheating people is an "opportunity to make a living"?

God approves of that?

214 posted on 07/21/2015 8:00:05 PM PDT by metmom (...fixing our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith...)
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To: Iscool; caww
.
>> “As we can see on this thread, some people feel that their sins are minor enough so that they don't fear hell...They have no need of a Savior...Just do some good, some charity and they'll be good to go.” <<

.
But Y’shua said:

” Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.”

215 posted on 07/21/2015 8:00:06 PM PDT by editor-surveyor (Freepers: Not as smart as I'd hoped they'd be)
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To: editor-surveyor

He then went on to say that the will of the Father was to believe in the One He sent.


216 posted on 07/21/2015 8:01:28 PM PDT by Mom MD
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To: Mom MD

Yes, exactly my point.


217 posted on 07/21/2015 8:02:42 PM PDT by 2tipsea (What can I say?)
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To: Mom MD

.
And in the sense of the people to whom he said it, to believe on him is to completely mimic his actions, in the slightest detail.


218 posted on 07/21/2015 8:03:38 PM PDT by editor-surveyor (Freepers: Not as smart as I'd hoped they'd be)
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To: Mom MD

“Confessing in private to a man and having that person pronounce judgement and penance is not biblical, can be very harmful and most definitely not necessary for salvation”.

You been listening to Jimmy Swaggart again?


219 posted on 07/21/2015 8:04:45 PM PDT by NKP_Vet
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To: Mom MD

“Sin is sin....” -——

I used to think that, and said it often enough myself, but then someone pointed out to me, in scripture, about the “sin(s) unto death”, or, “mortal” sin. I can’t remember where, though, that scripture on mortal sin is.

That distinction matters.

And just because there were not reams of scripture on an instructional teaching such as this one, does not mean it wasn’t important, but rather it indicates something that was already known and being practiced— already a “given” in the early Church. It was already understood.

The purpose of writing it down, in what became known as the New Testament, was to pass it on. To pass it on to those being added almost daily to the Church and to the newly ordained into the priesthood.


220 posted on 07/21/2015 8:05:19 PM PDT by RitaOK ( VIVA CRISTO REY / Public education is the farm team for more Marxists coming)
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