Heaven; what is NECESSARY to get there?

[PJM]

Matt. 7: 13-14… "Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide **and the way is easy, that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. **2.[14] For the gate is narrow and the way is hard, that leads to life, **and those who find it are few. **

It’s in the Bible and therefore it MUST BE True?

It seems reasonable that NOT everyone; not even all “Christans” are going to get to heaven.

So my friend, WHAT is necessary; what is essential to getting to heaven"

Can One know fo SURE in this life; where they will spend Eternity?

 

[antihippy79]

You must love Jesus Christ with all of your heart. He tells us this means both following the Father’s commandments and loving your brothers and sisters.

John 15:
9 “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10 If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. 11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command. 15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. 17 This is my command: Love each other.

You can know “for sure” you will return to Christ if you love him with all your heart. Only you and He know if you do. We know that Christ loves us (he loved us before we knew him) and the only uncertainty is if we love him back.

Also, you quote Matthew on the issue of “many” perish and “few” are saved. Try looking at it from the standpoint of our Father in heaven. Imagine you have 10 children and one dies before his time. You would always say that “too many” perished and “too few” remain because you love all your children! It is not a mathematical measurement of 51% is many and 49% is few. If even one soul is lost to hell, Christ would say it is many and there would be too few in Heaven.
That’s it.

 

[Publisher]

God’s astounding grace.

 

[itsjustdave1988]

Matt. 7: 13-14… "Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide **and the way is easy, that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. **2.[14] For the gate is narrow and the way is hard, that leads to life, **and those who find it are few. **

It’s in the Bible and therefore it MUST BE True?

It seems reasonable that NOT everyone; not even all “Christans” are going to get to heaven.

This verse can be interpreted as “admonitive” and not necessarily “predictive.” It seems like a warning to me, not so much a prediction of the population of heaven. However, there’s no reason it cannot be both.

 

[itsjustdave1988]

So my friend, WHAT is necessary; what is essential to getting to heaven"

Can One know fo SURE in this life; where they will spend Eternity?

In one word “seek.”

As it seems it is those that seek who find.

 

[itsjustdave1988]

…Can One know fo SURE in this life; where they will spend Eternity?

According to St. Augustine:

I HAVE now to consider the subject of [final] perseverance … I assert, therefore, that the perseverance by which we persevere in Christ even to the end is the gift of God; and I call that the end by which is finished that life wherein alone there is peril of falling. Therefore it is uncertain whether any one has received this gift so long as he is still alive." A Treatise on the Gift of Perseverance, Ch. 1]

God draws close to man. He calls man to seek him, to know him, to love him with all his strength. (CCC 1). We can have hopeful confidence, not cannot judge ourselves with absolute assurance. We leave the judgment to God.

 

[rben20]

I think Matthew here is being misinterpreted. It’s not that very few people are in heaven…it’s that one lost soul is already too many. Remember the parable about the lost sheep. Though there are many sheep there is joy in bringing back that lost sheep, not the fact that we already have the rest of the sheep as a shepherd. Christ is alluding this to the Father.

As far as what is necessary we must do what is commanded by God. Be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.

 

[GaryTaylor]

Now I as a Catholic I always thought that it was this way…

Catholics get to Heaven by the power and grace of God. The good works that we do are in obedience to Christ and in order to purify ourselves so that we can become holy as He is holy. But it is all of Grace. We cannot do anything worth while on our own. But specifically GOD communicates His Grace to save and strengthen us to journey towards Heaven, in the following primary ways.

By receiving Communion and going to Confession at the CC of course.

John 6:50 “This is the bread which comes down out of heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die.

John 6:51 I am the living bread that came down out of heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread also which I will give for the life of the world is My flesh.

John 6:53-58-So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in yourselves.

By being Baptised in the Father, Son and Holy Spirit in the CC of course.

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

Baptism now saves you by being Born Again in the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Also I always was taught since Jesus Christ is the Redeemer. That is He redeemed man. That we also co-redeem through prayer intercession for others who are not Christians/Catholics or are in Purgatory. Also that the Blessed Mother, Archangel Michael and the Saints through prayer recitation interceed through God for us.

And it also continues on in other ways which we receive Grace through God. Devotions, Involvement in Mass, Public Rosary recitation, or Vocation, and on and on.

 

[Jim_Dandy]

Belong to the Church founded by Jesus Christ for the salvation of the world – the Catholic Church – and do everything she tells us do to. One may be saved outside the Church but this is the only God-given guarantee. But we must be obedient to the Church, who speaks for Christ (Luke 10:16).

Jim Dandy
Ex-Southern Baptist, ex-agnostic, ex-atheist, ecstatic to be Catholic!

 

[Third_Day]

Matt. 7: 13-14… "Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide **and the way is easy, that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. **2.[14] For the gate is narrow and the way is hard, that leads to life, **and those who find it are few. **

It’s in the Bible and therefore it MUST BE True?

It seems reasonable that NOT everyone; not even all “Christans” are going to get to heaven.

So my friend, WHAT is necessary; what is essential to getting to heaven"

Can One know fo SURE in this life; where they will spend Eternity?

Some will say here that Jesus doesn’t really mean that few will enter heaven even though we are to always accept the literal meaning of a passage first.
In the companion verse of Matthew 7 we have Luke 13:23
And a certain man said to him: Lord , are there few who are saved? And he said th them: Strive to enter by the narrow gate, for I say to you, many shall seek to enter and shall not find."

In Jesus’ answer “Many shall seek to enter and shall not be able” responds directly to the question of , “are there few who are saved.”

His answer is yes, that many will not be able to enter heaven, which contrasts with the word, “few” in the question that was asked.

The remaining context of Luke 13:25-28 is a parable about a householder who shuts the door and people continue to knock and persist by appealing to the times they ate and drank in his presence but the Lord says to depart from him.

To believe that many are saved and few are lost doesn’t seem to be even implied in scripture.

 

[SpiritFire]

Now I as a Catholic I always thought that it was this way…

Catholics get to Heaven by the power and grace of God. The good works that we do are in obedience to Christ and in order to purify ourselves so that we can become holy as He is holy. But it is all of Grace. We cannot do anything worth while on our own. But specifically GOD communicates His Grace to save and strengthen us to journey towards Heaven, in the following primary ways.

By receiving Communion and going to Confession at the CC of course.

John 6:50 “This is the bread which comes down out of heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die.

John 6:51 I am the living bread that came down out of heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread also which I will give for the life of the world is My flesh.

John 6:53-58-So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in yourselves.

By being Baptised in the Father, Son and Holy Spirit in the CC of course.

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

Baptism now saves you by being Born Again in the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Also I always was taught since Jesus Christ is the Redeemer. That is He redeemed man. That we also co-redeem through prayer intercession for others who are not Christians/Catholics or are in Purgatory. Also that the Blessed Mother, Archangel Michael and the Saints through prayer recitation interceed through God for us.

And it also continues on in other ways which we receive Grace through God. Devotions, Involvement in Mass, Public Rosary recitation, or Vocation, and on and on.

So true!

 

[Joe_5859]

Sanctifying grace is what is necessary.

The ordinary way we receive sanctifying grace is through Baptism and (when lost because of sin) Reconciliation. But, of course, even though God has bound salvation to the Sacrament of Baptism, he himself is not bound by the sacraments. So we hold out hope for the salvation of all.

Of course, we cannot presume to know where we will end up in the future with 100% certainty, but that doesn’t mean our salvation is one big enigmatic crapshoot. If we have been baptized and are not aware of any mortal sins on our soul since our last Confession, then we really can know that we will go to heaven. That doesn’t mean we can presume to know whether or not we will commit any mortal sins in the future, but any good Catholic’s response to the question “Are you saved?” should be “Absolutely!”

I have been saved (Ephesians 2:4-5), I am being saved (1 Corinthians 1:18), and – provided I persevere – I will be saved (Mark 13:13).

 

[Gabriel_of_12]

First of all one enter’s the Kingdom of God from the sacrament of “baptism which saves you now”, now once in the Kingdom of God, one must recieve their celestial food for the journey of ones soul into eternal life by consuming the Eucharist = body, blood of Christ. If one has reached the age of self responsibility the Sacrament of Confirmation completes the Christian intiation into the body of Christ residing in the Kingdom of God on earth as it is in heaven.

It is from here when one is “working out your salvation with fear and trembling”.

Peace be with you

 

[jessep28]

I’m not one to go into an elaborate explanation with Bible verses to back my position up because honestly, I’m a terrible theologian. However, I would argue that the gate comes to us through Christ via His Word and Sacraments vs. us sinful children of God passing through the gate because of our own works.

 

[PJM]

=rben20;7604656]I think Matthew here is being misinterpreted. It’s not that very few people are in heaven…it’s that one lost soul is already too many. Remember the parable about the lost sheep. Though there are many sheep there is joy in bringing back that lost sheep, not the fact that we already have the rest of the sheep as a shepherd. Christ is alluding this to the Father.

As far as what is necessary we must do what is commanded by God. Be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Strongs Defination from GREEK: 2425. hikanos hik-an-os’ from hiko (hikano or hikneomai, akin to 2240) (to arrive); competent (as if coming in season), i.e. ample (in amount) or fit (in character):–able, + content, enough, good, great, large, long (while), many, meet, much, security, sore, sufficient, worthy.

God Bless,
Pat

 

[rben20]

Again, not literal. One lost is already too many.

 

[ignatius777]

Matt. 7: 13-14… "Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide **and the way is easy, that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. **2.[14] For the gate is narrow and the way is hard, that leads to life, **and those who find it are few. **

It’s in the Bible and therefore it MUST BE True?

It seems reasonable that NOT everyone; not even all “Christans” are going to get to heaven.

So my friend, WHAT is necessary; what is essential to getting to heaven"

Can One know fo SURE in this life; where they will spend Eternity?

Well if something is in the bible then yes it MUST be true

James tells us it is by works and not faith alone that we are saved.

If we are christians then we believe we are going to heaven otherwise you arent a christian. The questions then is WHEN will we get to heaven.

 

[PJM]

=ignatius777;7607535]Well if something is in the bible then yes it MUST be true

James tells us it is by works and not faith alone that we are saved.

If we are christians then we believe we are going to heaven otherwise you arent a christian. The questions then is WHEN will we get to heaven.

My dear friend in Christ;

Your final point is in opposition to to what the verses I shared say; and you admit are true.

Here is another one for you:

Mt. 7: 21-23 "Not every one who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you evildoers.”

2nd. Cor. 9: 13 “Under the test of this service, you will glorify God by your obedience in acknowledging the gospel of Christ,”

They support; not contradict the verses in my previous post.

The MOST signifiant rule in understanding what the Bible actually means; is: 'No-one passage can contradict another passage." Were this permitted; NOONE would be able to rely on the Bible as THRTH.

2Tim.3 Verses 16 to 17 " All scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, "[17] that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work."

Now, my friend; who’s correct you or what the Bible clearly and repeately teaches?

May God Continue to Bles You!
Pat

 

[cooterhein]

Matt. 7: 13-14… "Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide **and the way is easy, that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. **2.[14] For the gate is narrow and the way is hard, that leads to life, **and those who find it are few. **

It’s in the Bible and therefore it MUST BE True?

Pretty much, yeah.

It seems reasonable that NOT everyone; not even all “Christans” are going to get to heaven.

I would say instead that the number of people who’d prefer eternal bliss to eternal torment is significantly greater than the number of people who are actually Christians.

So my friend, WHAT is necessary; what is essential to getting to heaven"

What’s essential is that God takes necessary action in such a way that He causes a person to become a Christian. And here, I’m using the word “Christian” to cover all the narrow gate people and only the narrow gate people. It’s a transformation thing that God does.

Can One know for SURE in this life; where they will spend Eternity?

Yep.

 

[AveChriste11]

According to St. Augustine:

God draws close to man. He calls man to seek him, to know him, to love him with all his strength. (CCC 1). We can have hopeful confidence, not cannot judge ourselves with absolute assurance. We leave the judgment to God.

The Orthodox would agree to some extent, although they tend to use more of St. John Cassian’s logic who had a HIGH respect for Augustine. The Orthodox tell me that salvation is a process of synergy, of allowing your will to work with God’s will. There is no perseverance of the saints, or once saved always saved. We can not know with absolute epistemological certainty that we will go to Heaven when we die. Nor can we know with absolute certainty that we will go to Hell either, but we can have hope.

Someone once said we do not live in anxiety, we live in hope. I’ve been learning that it’s really good to live in this creative tension, while we’re learning to bend the knee to God. Yet at the same time, we shouldn’t let that tension consume us. The Christian life is inherently a struggle, yet some have forgotten that the struggle is good.

If we do our part, I KNOW that God will do the rest that we are not able to do in the end. That is what is meant by grace, for grace is just like God and is uncreated to the Orthodox. But with everything else that has been said, receive the Eucharist, go to confession when you need to, and participate in the Life of the Sacraments.

We too maintain that there is no salvation outside the Church, but we can never know where the Church is not – we can only say where the Church is, centered around the Eucharist.