Will Most Baptized Christians Go To Heaven?

[pinochet]

Calvinists teach that a tiny percentage of baptized Christians known as the "elect" will go to heaven. But most Christians are not Calvinists. If human meritocracy is not needed to get to heaven, shouldn't the majority of baptized Christians go to heaven?

[Salvation]

John 3:5

Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.

[Chode]

yes

[Anitius Severinus Boethius]

A person of faith performs good works because the spirit of the Lord dwells within them. So if someone declares they are a person of faith, but there iare no works that can be seen in their life, then their faith is dead.

But works follow faith. Any works that get ahead of faith are useless, hollow attempts to be good enough to earn eternal life. And eternal life is far too precious for any sinner to earn. It must be freely given and freely accepted.

[kosciusko51]

Well said!

[MHGinTN]

The water Jesus referred to relates directly to Nicodemus’s reference of entering the mother’s womb again (a specious misdirection, so ...) so Jesus started at Nicodemus’s point (the water of birth, when we exit the water world and enter the air world where the life is in the blood) and took him to spirit birth, being born from above by God placing the spark of HIS SPIRIT LIFE in you.

[Salvation]

Nevertheless, I believe the Bible.

John 3:5
Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.

[MHGinTN]

Jesus was not being coy. That is exactly what the God inspired Word of God says. Now you task is to comprehend just when the more than three thousand converted on the Day of Pentecost became saved. Were they right there and then born from above? Have you been born from above?

[imardmd1]

>>> There are also some people who confess profess Jesus and then later turn from Him, either openly or by a slow falling away. Either way it isn’t good. <<<

[faucetman]

“believes”, “believed”

Ah, there’s the rub. You have to BELIEVE! Not pretend to believe, not attend church regularly, not tithe, not be a nice person. All great things, but they won’t get you to heaven.

You can’t pretend or act your way through this, as most so-called “Christians” do. They think God can be fooled.

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever BELIEVES in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

Many other verses (if not all) about salvation, require you to “believe”

So what does it mean to “believe”?

https://bible.org/article/do-you-really-believe-jesus

[daniel1212]

If human meritocracy is not needed to get to heaven, shouldn't the majority of baptized Christians go to heaven?

No, because the act of baptism does not make one a Christian. Scripture teaches that whole-hearted repentant faith is prerequisite for baptism:

Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. (Acts 2:38)

And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized? And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. (Acts 8:36-37)

Is there any church that explicitly teaches that the majority of its members will go to heaven?

Yes, the church of Rome for one, under the fantasy that the act of baptism ex opere operato (by the act itself) makes one good enough to be with God, even by proxy faith for the majority, who are not morally cognizant and are not personally culpable of sin, and that this state is regained (and sins atoned for) thru fiery torments commencing at death. Which is never preached in the life of the NT church in Scripture.

The only postmortem suffering for believers is at the judgment seat of Christ, that of the loss of rewards and the Lord's disapproval. (1Co. 3:8ff) Which one is saved despite of and which does not occur until the Lord's return! (1Cor. 4:5; 2Tim. 4:1,8; Rev.11:18; Mt. 25:31-46; 1Pt. 1:7; 5:4)

For in addition to being made accepted in the Beloved on His account, versus justified by their own holiness as per Rome, God recompenses faith (Heb. 10:35) for what it did, which also means the loss of rewards for building the church with tares.

Souls are to seek to be as Christ, but as with "be ye perfect as your Heavenly Father is perfect, such calls are not conditions for being with the Lord, but are an exhortations in response to already being children of God by faith, who spiritually have direct access into the holy of holies by the sinless shed blood of Christ. (Heb. 10:19)

Salvific faith must be the kind that effects holiness, and thus the holy are promised salvation as well as those who believe, but the effect is not the cause of justification and entering into glory, but that of being forgiven and accepted in the Beloved on His account. For He who is holy was numbered with the transgressors, the Lord laying on him the iniquity of us all (Is. 53:6,12) bearing our sins in His own body on the cross, (1Pt. 2:24) God making Him who knew no sin to become sin for us. (2Co. 5:17)

By which the believer is already accepted in Christ and positionally seated with Him in Heaven, (Eph. 1:6;2:6) and will be with Him at death or His return, (2Co. 5:8; Phil. 1:21-13; Acts 7:59; Lk. 23:39; 1Ths. 4:17) which is what the entire church was told in the first century.

The apostle Paul expressed that to depart from this life would be to be present with the Lord, though he confessed to the same people that he was not perfect, (Phil. 1:21-24; 3:12) but that he longed to practically be what he positionally was - which" high calling of God in Christ Jesus" is to be the hunger of a true believer - for which he consistently only pointed to the the resurrection as effecting any postmortem constitutional change. And it is then and only then that believers are said they will be like Christ.

For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself. (Philippians 3:20-21)

For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven...Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit. Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: (2 Corinthians 5:2,5-6)

Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure. (1 John 3:2-3)

Nothing unclean with enter the Heavenly City just as no unclean soul can have communion with God now, but it is by true faith in the Lord Jesus to save the damned and destitute sinner by His sinless shed blood that a believer is both spiritually with God now and will be after this life.

The idea that even a new convert has attained to perfection of character, or that the contrite criminal did in a few hours on the cross, is also absurd. growth toward perfection is a long process requiring manifold temptations, and not simply suffering. (1 Peter 1:6-7; 1Jn.2:14; 5:4,5; Rv. 2.7,11,17,26; 3:5,12,21) Thus the Divine Lord Himself in the mystery of His incarnation had to experience being tempted in every basic way we are. And being made perfect [in experience and overcoming] , he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey Him; (Hebrews 5:9)

It remains that the idea that one must "actually be perfect as the Father is perfect" "having the perfection of our heavenly Father" in order to be with God is indeed absurd, as it effectively turns salvation by grace thru faith into salvation under the Law - which required perfect conformity to be saved (Gal. 3:10) - except that one is given more grace to become as good as Christ, which is blasphemous.

[daniel1212]

In answer to your question three saints have seen many souls falling into hell, St. Therese of Lisseux, St. Faustina, and another saint who testified to someone living that only two people went to heaven the day he died and three went to Purgatory. The rest went to hell.

What a religion!

[daniel1212]

This is false teaching.

According to...?

That one is justified due to the merit of his works, or that the faith which is counted for righteousness is vindicated as being so by works of faith (things which accompany salvation" - Heb. 6:9) with continued impenitent sin testifying to the contrary?

One one hand you have such statements as teach that the one justified by the good works that he performs by the grace of God truly merits the attainment of eternal life itself (Trent, Canons Concerning Justification, Canon 320 and another that it is "

Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost." (Titus 3:5)

Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. (Romans 4:4-5)

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9)

A soul is made accepted in the Beloved on His account, while one who forsakes Christ does not lose Heaven due to a lack of personal merit, as per Catholicism, in which souls need to attain to perfection of character in purgatory in order to enter Heaven, but because they forsook the very faith which appropriated justification, and thus forfeit what faith appropiated. (Gal. 5:1-4; Heb. 3:12; 10:25-39) But God rewards obedient faith in the light of its works, which justify faith as salvific.

Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward. (Hebrews 10:35)

Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: (Matthew 25:34-35)

[Elsie]

Will Most Baptized Christians Go To Heaven?

I'd guess yes.

But since I have NO hard data on what % are baptized; or how many consider themselves to be 'christian'; or any number of other things; all I can do is guess.

[Elsie]

Is there any church that explicitly teaches that the majority of its members will go to heaven?

Which PART of 'heaven'?

Mormons think there are THREE levels to what it calls heaven.

And most Mormons acknowledge they will be on Level TWO for eternity; since only about 15% or so of them have a valid TR card.

[Elsie]

Will Most Baptized Christians Go To Heaven?,

I believe I know what will keep a person OUT of Heaven!!

---

Exodus 32:32-33
 But now, if you will forgive their sin—but if not, please blot me out of your book that you have written.”  But the Lord said to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against me, I will blot out of my book.

 

Daniel 12:1
 “At that time shall arise Michael, the great prince who has charge of your people. And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never has been since there was a nation till that time. But at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone whose name shall be found written in the book.

 

 

 

Philippians 4:3
 And I intreat thee also, true yokefellow, help those women which laboured with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and with other my fellowlabourers, whose names are in the book of life.

 

Revelation 3:5
He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.

 

Revelation 13:8
And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

 

 

 

Revelation 17:8
 The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.

 

 

 

Revelation 20:11-15
"Then I saw a great White Throne and him who was seated on it. Earth and sky fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and THE BOOKS WERE OPENED. Another book was opened WHICH IS THE BOOK OF LIFE. The dead were judged according to their works as recorded in the books. The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to their works.  Then death and Hades were thrown into the Lake of Fire. The Lake of Fire is the second death. If anyone's name was not found written IN THE BOOK OF LIFE, he was thrown into the lake of fire."

 

Revelation 21:27

Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.

[Elsie]

Is your name written there?

[daniel1212]

Is your name written there?

Not as a result of being sprinkled as an infant, but by being manifestly born again by effectual faith in the risen Lord Jesus to save me on His account, by His sinless shed blood. To God be the glory.

[Iscool]

As a Catholic I was taught there are three types of Baptism. 1. by water,2.Blood (martyrdom),and 3. desire. Which would cover the thief on the cross.

There is nothing anywhere that suggests the thief on the cross desired baptism, or even knew about it...It is falsely assumed that since the thief ended up with Jesus that he 'must have' desired baptism to fit the narrative that baptism is required...

[Iscool]

God is a faithful husband who will not forsake us, but that does not mean that we can’t divorce him! (Isaiah 50)

Naw...Once you are indwelt with the Holy Spirit and he is sealed in you and you in him, there's no way for him to leave...You're stuck with him...And he's stuck with you...

Christianity is not like joining the Boy Scouts or the Masonic Lodge or the Catholic Church...Christianity is a Spiritual Operation that Jesus performs on those who come to him in belief and trust...We can't unperform that operation...

[Iscool]

Mormon Christians? Christian Science Christians? JW Christians? Homosexual Christians? Wake up...not all who call Jesus Lord will be saved. The Bible tells me so.

Not all who call themselves Christians are Christians...