To all catholics. Do you believe the only way to Heaven is salvation by Grace thru Faith?
374453
I was raised a Catholic but was never taught anything about faith and that you need it to be saved. I was mostly religious stuff like confessing your sins to a priest when all along I could have just talked to God myself. Why go to the priest anyway???  And the whole rosary thing I never understood. I was taught all the religious aspects  but never the way to know for sure that you have eternal life. Which is FAITH in Jesus and trusting that He is the ONLY way to get to heaven. For it is by grace we have been saved through FAITH and this is not from us but it is a GIFT from God, not by works so that no one can boast. I am so glad that I KNOW that I have eternal life!!!! -I am not saying anything bad about Catholics but just my experience. I actually know many catholics who believe it is by faith and that the other religious stuff means nothing. Besides "religion" is man made, it doesn't matter what one you are as long as you have faith in jesus for salvation.
570078
God's grace and mercy upon us, is the only way to reach heaven. so why should god? he shouldn't do any thing.\nbut as lord is great and merciful so his mercy contains us all.
77441
Yes!  The Only way to Heaven is through the acceptance of Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour.  \nSeveral years ago I came out of witchcraft and the occult! I got hooked up in that mess because I was searching for Spiritual Truth and ended up in a realm of hell!  Major contemplations of murder, suicide and the list goes on.  Physically attacked by demons and so on.  I had opened up doors that should've remained closed.  Today wish I had never opened them.  Needless to say I Thank God that He Literally Chased Me Down and Preserved My Life (because by all rights I should be dead) Until I Came To A Point Of Surrender And Allowed Jesus Into My Heart And Saved My Eternal Soul!  That day it literally felt like a HUGE Heavy weight had been lifted off of me!  I know for certain that my name is written in the Lambs Book Of Life, and that is only achieved by CONFESSING WITH YOUR MOUTH that Jesus Christ is Your Lord And Saviour.  There is NO other way to Heaven than that!
663714
The salvation that is of God by grace isn't the only type of salvation.\n\nMy thought- It is through childbirth that a woman comes into her glory, and I can't imagine an emptier life than that of a barren woman.
213896
Yes I have been saved by the grace of God for 15 years.thanks for asking this. I pray people will get saved. I pray for the lost everyday. God Bless you friend.
208988
According to my christian faith, if i die today, i would go to heaven, we are saved just by grace through faith in Christ, Ephesians 2:8-9
267920
My dad was a catholic,my mother another faith,I joined the babtist church as a child when I grew up I went to the church of God.Then I left there.All churches understand some part of the Bible differently,that is why different churches.I believe that all those who believe in Jesus Christ,The Father and The Holy Ghost will go to heaven as long as they keep their faith.That means that some out of all churches will go to heaven,but not all who go to church will enter there.
1029962
My personal opinion is that in order to get to Heaven one must believe that Jesus was the Son of God who came to earth, was crucified upon the cross, buried, rose to claim victory over death on the third day and ascended into Heaven.  It is through this faith that I am given grace and pardoned of my sins so that I may live eternally with my Savior and God.
169525
Praise God yes honey if they were a believer they most certainly will go to heaven.  Not going to heaven from suicide is something the catholics made up. The only way you can't go to heaven is if you were to deny Jesus as the son of God or that he didn't die for your sins.    .  Praise God there is NO sin too big for God to forgive through Jesus's blood >  Don't let anyone tell you any different.  If they do they are making it up  There is definately nothing in scripture to say anything different.(unless they take scripture out of content)  some people say that by killing yourself you are taking over for God so to speak. I mean that is like saying God isn't in control   God knew what we were going to do before we were made in our mothers womb.  In referenc to destroying the temple of God our bodies.  We are a spirit we live in a body and we have a soul (our mind will and emotions) our bodies are only temporary tents .  your spirit will return to be with God (this is a good example of taking scripture out of content)
931478
Purgatory...\n\nWhen I die, I will not enter the kingdom of Heaven immediately, either...\n\nThe Bible distinguishes between those who enter Heaven straightaway, calling them "the church of the firstborn" (Heb. 12:23), and those who enter after having undergone a purgation, calling them "the spirits of the just made perfect." (Heb. 12:23). \n\nChrist Himself stated: \n\n"Settle with your opponent quickly while on the way to court with him. Otherwise your opponent will hand you over to the judge, and the judge will hand you over to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison. Amen, I say to you, you will not be released until you have paid the last penny." (Matt. 5 :26). \n\nAnd: \n\n"I tell you, on the day of judgment people will render an account for every careless word they speak. By your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned." (Matt. 12:36-37). \n\nNO ONE ON THIS EARTH IS GUARANTEED TO GO TO HEAVEN JUST BECAUSE THEY BELIEVE IN JESUS CHRIST OR BY GOD'S GRACE ALONE!\n\nGod's grace, alone, won't do it...(you can fall from God's grace)\n\nMy faith, alone, won't do it...(you can lose faith)\n\nHow I live my life, by itself, won't do it...(you can do bad things in your life that can prolong your stay in Purgatory, and also prevent your entry into Heaven)\n\nI know that I can only get to heaven through Jesus. Also, it is not just by this faith in Jesus, nor just the Grace of God, nor just the works that I do. It is a combination of many things. \n\nWe receive God's saving and sanctifying grace in many ways, and Christ Himself, into our souls when we are baptized and through the Sacraments. Yet we also know that Christ Himself has established certain conditions for entry into eternal happiness in Heaven.\n\n"Jesus said to them, "Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him. Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died, whoever eats this bread will live forever."" (John 6:53-58)\n\nWe will be judged by this as well, so be warned...\n\n"Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord unworthily will have to answer for the body and blood of the Lord. A person should examine himself, and so eat the bread and drink the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body, eats and drinks judgment on himself." (1 Cor. 11:27-29).\n\nWe will also be judged by our faith, but not by this alone, we will also be judged by the works that we do (Justification by faith alone is a Protestant doctrine; it was unheard of in the Christian community before the sixteenth century.)...\n\nIf St. Paul meant that faith ruled out the necessity of good works for salvation, he would not have written: \n\n". . . and if I should have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing." (1 Cor. 13:2). \n\nIf faith ruled out the necessity of good works for salvation, the Apostle James would not have written: \n\n"Do you see that by works a man is justified; and not by faith only'? . . . For even as the body without the spirit is dead; so also faith without works is dead." (James 2:24-26). \n\nIf faith ruled out the necessity of good works for salvation, the Apostle Peter would not have written: \n\n"Therefore, brothers, be all the more eager to make your call and election firm, for, in doing so, you will never stumble. For, in this way, entry into the eternal kingdom of our Lord a
324541
Some say once saved always saved. As long as your keep your faith in Christ this is true. But I think salvation is a process over time, that you kind of grow into it. In the same sense I think you can fall away from it also. \n\nBut God is judge and Christ is able.\nLet's let Him do His work.
191662
Ephesians 2:8-9\n\n"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God — not by works, so that no one can boast."\n\nFor me this is the quintessential reason why so many people reject God's free gift of salvation.  To get something for nothing is contrary to our perception of the human condition.  Cults like the Mormons and the Jehovah's Witnesses and Scientologists all say that YOU have to accomplish some feat to EARN your place in eternity, and that's simply not true.  This verse reminds me of that.  To me, it's more "the Gospel in a nutshell" than is John 3:16.
405433
Here's One weird belief : "I can go to heaven by just doing good "\n\nAnd here's a response to that. ( just one reason ) \n\noh, let us consider the fallacy that "if I just do good I can Go to heaven". \nJoe believed in that. ( he was sincerely wrong ) \n \nWhen Joe died, he arrived at the gate of heaven. \nThe gatekeeper asked him only one question.. "Son, did you do all your good works out of sincererity? " \n \nJoe answered, " certainly,... um, wait, but not all of it, i guess." \n \nGatekeeper said " Well son, do u know the meaning of sincerity?".\n \nJoe answered, "Doing something without hoping anything in return". \n \nGatekeeper continued, "Yes. And if you did your good works not of sincerity it in itself is evil under the eyes of perfect judgement; now for your works that you claim "sincere", today you are trying to use them to enter heaven : which means that in the past when u performed them, u could have "felt sincere" but at the point where it matters most ( i.e. today ), you are simply trying to use them to enter heaven. And thus, sincerity is not a feeling but a state of action, a reason, so I just showed you that you CANNOT use your good works to enter heaven. For if you tried, then you are just being unsincere today, and thus that good work has turned "bad"."\n \n\n\n\n\n\nGatekeeper went on " That is why son you cannot enter heaven by just good deeds. Its evil that God would make a way of salvation based on how much good you did because this would imply that the reason of your good works is gaining heaven, making the works unsincere. Plus in this scenario of logic, you are the "hero". The way God would have made must make "God" the "hero" for the way to be pure as possible. Not only that, doing good must be out of LOVE  NOT DUTY and that is what Jesus taught. That is why good works CANNOT save you. Thus as a redemption for your sins, God himself, Jesus died as a substitute for you out of love. And consider also if God made a way, if it demands DUTY for salvation (e.g, doing rituals and good works) then its cruel. That is why the ONLY religion that teaches salvation is a FREE GIFT is christianity; by which Jesus died on the cross as a substitute of our sins."
607659
It is by Gods grace that we are granted mercy. This is the help in our time of need because we cannot earn our salvation, we recieve it as gift from God.\n\nHebrews 4:16 \nLet us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.\n\nEphesians 2:8\nFor it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—
663970
We are not saved by faith. We are saved by grace( Ephesians 2:5). Faith is the justification for grace. However, we are not justified by faith alone(James 2:17). We are justified by faith and works. If you continue to sin without repentance you cannot be saved even if you do have faith. \nHebrews 12:14 says it best:\n"Strive for peace with everyone, and for that holiness without which no one will see the Lord."
1183934
I'm sorry but I strongly disagree with dreis.  According to Gods word in Ephesians 2:8-9, Romans 6:23 salvation (entrance into heaven) is not by works but by grace and we do not earn our way to heaven.  Romans 10:13 says "9That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved."  \nJesus Christ is the meaning of life.  If Christianity is true, then Christ is true and if Christ is true then he is the meaning of life.  The greatest commandment sums up Christianity and the meaning of life.   In Matthew 22:36-40 it says "36"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" 37Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'[b] 38This is the first and greatest commandment. 39And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'[c] 40All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."\nGod created us to enjoy him, eachother and all that he has made.  He created us because he loves us.  Jeremiah 29:11 says "11 For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."  God loves you so much that he sent his Son to die for you so that you can be with him and live the life we were created to live forever.  \nI will leave some source information to answer any more questions you may have regarding this.
830138
I'm a Catholic Christian, and this is what the Catechism of the Catholic Church has to say about non-Catholics and non-Christians:\n\n"Outside the Church there is no salvation"\n\n846 How are we to understand this affirmation, often repeated by the Church Fathers? Re-formulated positively, it means that all salvation comes from Christ the Head through the Church which is his Body:\n\nBasing itself on Scripture and Tradition, the Council teaches that the Church, a pilgrim now on earth, is necessary for salvation: the one Christ is the mediator and the way of salvation; he is present to us in his body which is the Church. He himself explicitly asserted the necessity of faith and Baptism, and thereby affirmed at the same time the necessity of the Church which men enter through Baptism as through a door. Hence they could not be saved who, knowing that the Catholic Church was founded as necessary by God through Christ, would refuse either to enter it or to remain in it.\n\n847 This affirmation is not aimed at those who, through no fault of their own, do not know Christ and his Church:\n\nThose who, through no fault of their own, do not know the Gospel of Christ or his Church, but who nevertheless seek God with a sincere heart, and, moved by grace, try in their actions to do his will as they know it through the dictates of their conscience - those too may achieve eternal salvation.\n\n848 "Although in ways known to himself God can lead those who, through no fault of their own, are ignorant of the Gospel, to that faith without which it is impossible to please him, the Church still has the obligation and also the sacred right to evangelize all men."