[vladimir998]

You posted: “Pope Francis has written a ...letter ...stating that non-believers would be forgiven by God if they followed their consciences.”

Now back to the headline:
“You don’t have to believe in God to go to heaven”

“Forgiven” and “Go to heaven” are not synonymous. If they were synonymous, then we would be told the sinful woman (Luke 7:48) would have suddenly left the earth and gone to heaven or the paralytic man would instantly have gone to heaven (Matthew 9:1-7) BUT that IS NOT what we are told.

Here are a couple of passages which show that forgiveness and salvation are not equivalent: Psalm 103:12, Mark 2:5, Luke 23:43, Mark 1:4 (coupled that with Acts 19:3-4).

[editor-surveyor]

.
I agree.

The word of God says that “He that shall endure to the end, the same shall be saved”

Shall be saved, not is saved.

[editor-surveyor]

.

2Peter 2:20-22

[20] For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning.
[21] For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them.
[22] But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.

[ealgeone]

Good grief.

I don't even know where to begin.

[metmom]

Here are a couple of passages which show that forgiveness and salvation are not equivalent: Psalm 103:12, Mark 2:5, Luke 23:43, Mark 1:4 (coupled that with Acts 19:3-4).

Just staggering.....

When God forgives someone, their sin is no longer credited to their account. They are judicially declared righteous, the Christ's righteousness credited to their account, enabling them to stand in God's presence.

IOW, they are saved.