Can non-Catholics enter the Kingdom of Heaven?

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HEisRISEN

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Hi, I’m a Christian and I have attended the same baptist church since I was a young child. I was baptized when I was 7, but only in my recent teenage years have I started to truly look into the Bible and seek God’s Will.
So, my question is: Do you have to be Catholic to enter the Kingdom of Heaven? I know that James 1:26-27 (NIV) says this: Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight reign on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless. Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

So if we believe that Jesus died for our sins on the cross and rose again to justify us, believe that what the Bible says is true, and seek God’s will – is that enough to get to Heaven?
 
HEisRISEN said:
Hi, I’m a Christian and I have attended the same baptist church since I was a young child. I was baptized when I was 7, but only in my recent teenage years have I started to truly look into the Bible and seek God’s Will.
So, my question is: Do you have to be Catholic to enter the Kingdom of Heaven? I know that James 1:26-27 (NIV) says this: Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight reign on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless. Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

So if we believe that Jesus died for our sins on the cross and rose again to justify us, believe that what the Bible says is true, and seek God’s will – is that enough to get to Heaven?
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No. Believing is only the beginning on what you have to do. You have to live the Gospel, every single word of it. If you do not do as God has commanded, then what is belief worth? What is saying you accept Jesus Christ as a savior worth?

Can non-Catholics enter heaven? Absolutely. God can save whomever He wishes. He is not bound by the Sacraments. BUT, and its a big but, we should not expect this to happen more than we hope it will. God established a way to get to heaven. Its the normative way to get there. Its better to follow what God has established, than to hope for something that we know takes extra ordinary circumstances. It like saying, the best way into the house is through the front door. God has shown us the way to and through the front door through the Church and through the Sacraments. People can enter through the windows or through the garage, sure. But it doesn’t happen often, it isn’t assured, and if it does happen it does only for a few. So why insist on it?
 
I am not a theologian ; but I believe that one should grow where you are planted unless God decides to replant you . I do believe that non Catholics can enter heaven but if God begins to cause a calling in a Non Catholic and they Ignore it ; who knows ? 😃
 
HEisRISEN said:
Hi, I’m a Christian and I have attended the same baptist church since I was a young child. I was baptized when I was 7, but only in my recent teenage years have I started to truly look into the Bible and seek God’s Will.
So, my question is: Do you have to be Catholic to enter the Kingdom of Heaven? I know that James 1:26-27 (NIV) says this: Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight reign on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless. Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

So if we believe that Jesus died for our sins on the cross and rose again to justify us, believe that what the Bible says is true, and seek God’s will – is that enough to get to Heaven?
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Hello and welcome HEisRISEN to CAF. I hope your time here will be informative for you.

This is what the Catholic Church teaches: form the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC)

818 “However, one cannot charge with the sin of the separation those who at present are born into these communities [that resulted from such separation] and in them are brought up in the faith of Christ, and the Catholic Church accepts them with respect and affection as brothers . . . . All who have been justified by faith in Baptism are incorporated into Christ; they therefore have a right to be called Christians, and with good reason are accepted as brothers in the Lord by the children of the Catholic Church.”

819 “Furthermore, many elements of sanctification and of truth” are found outside the visible confines of the Catholic Church: "the written Word of God; the life of grace; faith, hope, and charity, with the other interior gifts of the Holy Spirit, as well as visible elements."Christ’s Spirit uses these Churches and ecclesial communities as means of salvation, whose power derives from the fullness of grace and truth that Christ has entrusted to the Catholic Church. All these blessings come from Christ and lead to him, and are in themselves calls to “Catholic unity.”

My personal opinion:

With that said and as a convert, I was Southern Baptist; I came to the Catholic Church after living several years in a spiritual wasteland. Having lived as a Baptist, as nothing, and now as a Catholic, for the life of me I do not see myself being anything but Catholic. Once you are immersed into the fullness of truth, you don’t want to leave. To me it is like sitting at the banquet (Catholic) or at a fast food restaurant (Protestant). Both are feed and both are sustained, it is just a matter of the fullness of one vice the other. I am not trying to offend, just maybe poorly trying to draw an analogy.

My advice is to pray, pray, pray, surrender to Christ, live the best possible Christian life you can, and live your Christian faith by example and good works. Trust in the Holy Spirit and he will guide you. Peace of Christ be with you.
 
After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you. - 1 Peter 5:10

I consulted on this with a priest, who also had converted from a fundamental Protestant faith. The conclusion is similar to what we were taught as Protestants, only it explains the Catholic belief of Purgatory.

Yes, it is possible for a non-Catholic to receive the grace of Christ and enter the Kingdom of Heaven. The caveat: you must accept Christ when He makes Himself known to you. For Catholics, this means that you must accept the Church, as we believe this is His church, when you are presented with it as Truth. The suffering you endure will occur in Purgatory, where you will purge your sin and period of non-belief that you did not purge on this Earth. If you do not experience His intervention during life, you will at your death. Accept it when it is presented to you.

It is difficult for those born into Catholicism to understand why we (born Protestant) cannot accept the Church at face-value, so many will instantly say “join the Church or perish”. As the priest and I discussed, it is much more complex than that.

On a personal note from one Protestant to any out there going through this, and for my dear Catholic friends who cannot understand why we struggle with converting: It is hard for my Catholic family to understand why it has taken this long for me to come around, but as I tell them, “what if I told you that everything you knew as the truth is actually not? Would you be able to walk away and pick up a virtually new faith just on my word alone?” The answer is, of course, no. They cannot understand why now for me. The reason? Christ made His intentions and Truth known to me. I cannot say “no” to my King. I’m doing this backward - I’m following His lead, and learning why as I go. It’s a leap of faith - literally. 🙂
 
icamay said:
After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you. - 1 Peter 5:10

I consulted on this with a priest, who also had converted from a fundamental Protestant faith. The conclusion is similar to what we were taught as Protestants, only it explains the Catholic belief of Purgatory.

Yes, it is possible for a non-Catholic to receive the grace of Christ and enter the Kingdom of Heaven. The caveat: you must accept Christ when He makes Himself known to you. For Catholics, this means that you must accept the Church, as we believe this is His church, when you are presented with it as Truth. The suffering you endure will occur in Purgatory, where you will purge your sin and period of non-belief that you did not purge on this Earth. If you do not experience His intervention during life, you will at your death. Accept it when it is presented to you.

It is difficult for those born into Catholicism to understand why we (born Protestant) cannot accept the Church at face-value, so many will instantly say “join the Church or perish”. As the priest and I discussed, it is much more complex than that.

On a personal note from one Protestant to any out there going through this, and for my dear Catholic friends who cannot understand why we struggle with converting: It is hard for my Catholic family to understand why it has taken this long for me to come around, but as I tell them, “what if I told you that everything you knew as the truth is actually not? Would you be able to walk away and pick up a virtually new faith just on my word alone?” The answer is, of course, no. They cannot understand why now for me. The reason? Christ made His intentions and Truth known to me. I cannot say “no” to my King. I’m doing this backward - I’m following His lead, and learning why as I go. It’s a leap of faith - literally. 🙂
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This is the most helpful post I have seen yet. I, at the present, am distrustful of all churches. This has nothing to do with biblical reasoning, well in a way it does; but not in the sense of which is right or wrong (Protestant vs. Catholic). In my experience politics are running rampant in today’s churches, Bible passages are being picked apart and misconstrued,and in many cases whole lessons are being avoided due to how the majority in the church feel about it. I read the Bible I have discussions with other Christians, Catholic and Non. I am not doubtful of my salvation or my faith in Jesus.

I am at this point trying to decide what is right for my family and I. My wife and I have a strong Christian foundation, my kids do not. That blame is on me alone. I am trying to rectify that, but I have to find a place where all in the family can find a place to worship and enjoy our faith together. What is the point of going to church if you cannot enjoy the experience of going? At that point, to me, it becomes a ritual and not true faithful worship.
 
icamay said:
After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you. - 1 Peter 5:10

I consulted on this with a priest, who also had converted from a fundamental Protestant faith. The conclusion is similar to what we were taught as Protestants, only it explains the Catholic belief of Purgatory.

Yes, it is possible for a non-Catholic to receive the grace of Christ and enter the Kingdom of Heaven. The caveat: you must accept Christ when He makes Himself known to you. For Catholics, this means that you must accept the Church, as we believe this is His church, when you are presented with it as Truth. The suffering you endure will occur in Purgatory, where you will purge your sin and period of non-belief that you did not purge on this Earth. If you do not experience His intervention during life, you will at your death. Accept it when it is presented to you.

It is difficult for those born into Catholicism to understand why we (born Protestant) cannot accept the Church at face-value, so many will instantly say “join the Church or perish”. As the priest and I discussed, it is much more complex than that.

On a personal note from one Protestant to any out there going through this, and for my dear Catholic friends who cannot understand why we struggle with converting: It is hard for my Catholic family to understand why it has taken this long for me to come around, but as I tell them, “what if I told you that everything you knew as the truth is actually not? Would you be able to walk away and pick up a virtually new faith just on my word alone?” The answer is, of course, no. They cannot understand why now for me. The reason? Christ made His intentions and Truth known to me. I cannot say “no” to my King. I’m doing this backward - I’m following His lead, and learning why as I go. It’s a leap of faith - literally. 🙂
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Thank you! Maybe I am not the most educated catholic, but in the bible it does quite simply say that god will accept into his glory those who accept, and or believe in him… plus… i think it’s a good idea for one to indoctrinate themselves fully into any religion regardless of whether he be a christian or not, so that may have full knowledge and appreciation of their choice to return/convert… I beg you all, please be kind, and do not mock my limited knowledge of all things catholic, as I am re-indoctrinating myself.
 
The Church’s views on this are beautifully put in the Cathecism, however mine is at home and i’m in school.

People who know the truth of GOD (The Catholic Church), then shy away from it, are to be damned. However, if you are never exposed to the truth (Raised protestant, or some other religion and never have the opportunity of the catholic church) you shall be saved.

Something like that. I believe Catholic’s who convert away are to be damned.
 
I think that in the end it really boils down to standing before God on judgment day and answering for our sins. Then it will be up to God as to enters and who does not, whether Catholic, Jew, Protestant, or whatever.
 
HEisRISEN said:
Hi, I’m a Christian and I have attended the same baptist church since I was a young child. I was baptized when I was 7, but only in my recent teenage years have I started to truly look into the Bible and seek God’s Will.
So, my question is: Do you have to be Catholic to enter the Kingdom of Heaven? I know that James 1:26-27 (NIV) says this: Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight reign on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless. Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

So if we believe that Jesus died for our sins on the cross and rose again to justify us, believe that what the Bible says is true, and seek God’s will – is that enough to get to Heaven?
Click to expand...
Is disobedience a sin against God? If God build a Church is because He wants everyone in that Church. Jesus said: unless you eat my Flesh and drink my Blood, you have no life in you.
 
ConstantineTG said:
Can non-Catholics enter heaven? Absolutely. God can save whomever He wishes. He is not bound by the Sacraments. BUT, and its a big but, we should not expect this to happen more than we hope it will. God established a way to get to heaven. Its the normative way to get there. Its better to follow what God has established, than to hope for something that we know takes extra ordinary circumstances. It like saying, the best way into the house is through the front door. God has shown us the way to and through the front door through the Church and through the Sacraments. People can enter through the windows or through the garage, sure. But it doesn’t happen often, it isn’t assured, and if it does happen it does only for a few. So why insist on it?
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Very good answer 👍
 
I’m very intrigued by this subject, and I have ordered a Divine Mercy package from the Marians of Immaculate Conception. I am overwhelmed when I think about Jesus’s message: “Bring my children to me, all of them.” That is awesome. I cannot wait to read St Faustina’s diary to learn more about his desire for us.

I whole-heartedly believe that Christ means everyone when he says he wants all of us. If he didn’t, he wouldn’t bring himself into the life of non-believers and make them Christians; he wouldn’t take those Christians and bring them into the Church. It’s a process, and with literally billions of different personalities with billions of different experiences, it won’t happen the same for all of us, nor will it happen at the same time. I just want to help him make it happen!
 
Let’s seek the proper authority on this subject, the Bible: John 3:3, John 3:16 which says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”, John 14:6, Acts 4:12, Acts 15:11, Acts 16:31, Romans 3:22-24, Romans 6:23, Romans 10:9-10, Romans 10:13, Ephesians 2:8-9 and Titus 3:4-7 which says, “But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.” The Bible makes no distinction between Catholic and non-Catholic. On the contrary, in the Gospel of Luke 23:40-43, one of the criminals hanging on a cross next to Jesus, after having a change of heart, was promised eternal life. This criminal was not Catholic, not baptised, didn’t receive sacrements, didn’t attend Mass, didn’t make confessions to a priest, did not have intervention with Mary, did not pray the rosary, not from good works. All this criminal did was make a open acknowledgement, confession and acceptance that Jesus is Lord and Savior.
 
The teaching of the Church is that the Sacraments are the only normal means of salvation. The Church does recognize that God-seakers may win his respect by pursuing him as best they know how (Acts 10:35) or through abnormal means not known to the Church.

read my articles at:

colewebbharter.com/
 
AndrewJMason said:
The Church’s views on this are beautifully put in the Cathecism, however mine is at home and i’m in school.

People who know the truth of GOD (The Catholic Church), then shy away from it, are to be damned. However, if you are never exposed to the truth (Raised protestant, or some other religion and never have the opportunity of the catholic church) you shall be saved.

Something like that. I believe Catholic’s who convert away are to be damned.
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I fully agree. I’m raised in a Protestant family, living in what I think is the second most secularised country in the whole world, Sweden. The official church here is the Lutheran church, which has been the official church of this country ever since Martin Luther gave the power of the church to the king of Sweden. Consequently, the Catholic church is only in minority. Not more than 100 people every year convert to the Catholic faith in Sweden. But even so, my brother decided to convert to catholicism 5 years ago, and now God has revealed the truth about the Catholic church also to me through my brother.

Therefore I feel that I just can’t reject the Truth any longer. I’ve never thought about which church I belong to, I’ve just been grown up here, and it’s the most natural for every Swede to belong to the Lutheran church. But the truth is, the Swedish church only gets worse and worse as it is democrately controlled through its members, meaning that ANYONE being a member of the Swedish church (REGARDLESS of what you believe) may vote in the official church election. I can’t live with this any longer! Even if I would get my parents and friends against me, I can’t say no to God now that he’s made the beliefs of the Catholic church known to me.

What I mean is: If I wouldn’t have known about the Catholic church and its beliefs, then I don’t think God would condemn me. But know that I do, I don’t see how I can reject God’s calling on me any longer. I think that’d be a sin. It’s a tricky question because it depends on wheather God has revealed the whole Truth for you or not.

Jesus says belief without actions is dead. I agree with Him. It is not just a matter of believing in Him. Believing is the first step, but then there’s more to come. If He reveals the Truth for you, you’re obeyed to follow Him and what He asks of you with all your heart.

Elisabeth
 
emirubio30 said:
Thank you! Maybe I am not the most educated catholic, but in the bible it does quite simply say that god will accept into his glory those who accept, and or believe in him… plus… i think it’s a good idea for one to indoctrinate themselves fully into any religion regardless of whether he be a christian or not, so that may have full knowledge and appreciation of their choice to return/convert… I beg you all, please be kind, and do not mock my limited knowledge of all things catholic, as I am re-indoctrinating myself.
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And may the Holy Spirit guide you.
Happy Easter
jesus g
 
Absolutely they CAN. No one enters the kingdom, except for those who know the son of God. If you believe in God, believe that he sent his son Jesus to Earth, to die for our transgressions on the cross, then rose again, the bible says you will go to Heaven. I believe all Christian denominations believe this. Why would they not go to Heaven because they are another “Denomination”… I do however wonder about the Jews. They do not believe this. Will they go to Heaven???
 
Short answer, Yes, non-Catholics can enter Heaven.

However, it is important to note that nobody ever saves themselves. It is Jesus who saves, so when we say non Catholics can be saved it does not mean that a muslim is using his Islamic faith as a vehicle for his salvation, or a baptist is using his baptist faith as a vehicle for his salvation, but rather if such people are saved, they are saved solely by the mercy of Christ, and Christ saw fit for whatever reason to unite these individuals into the Church, that is His mystical body, upon death meaning such people would be saved. In the end we should remember, that God knows the heart, and there are no secrets with God, He knows the things that you do not even know about yourself, and there is not a more understanding and fair judge then He, and He alone knows the true nature of our culpability so we need to strive to to our best to cooperate with His will, and trust in His mercy in a spirit of humility and not a spirit of presumption.
 
_L said:
Short answer, Yes, non-Catholics can enter Heaven.

However, it is important to note that nobody ever saves themselves. It is Jesus who saves, so when we say non Catholics can be saved it does not mean that a muslim is using his Islamic faith as a vehicle for his salvation, or a baptist is using his baptist faith as a vehicle for his salvation, but rather if such people are saved, they are saved solely by the mercy of Christ, and Christ saw fit for whatever reason to unite these individuals into the Church, that is His mystical body, upon death meaning such people would be saved. In the end we should remember, that God knows the heart, and there are no secrets with God, He knows the things that you do not even know about yourself, and there is not a more understanding and fair judge then He, and He alone knows the true nature of our culpability so we need to strive to to our best to cooperate with His will, and trust in His mercy in a spirit of humility and not a spirit of presumption.
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That’s one of the best answers I’ve heard.
 
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