Help Me Out With This Argument Please

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Starwynd

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I’m arguing with a protestant over the anture of being a Christian.

Her contention is that you only have to believe to go into heave and you don’t have to follow God’s rules. Why? Because if you ask for forgiveness you will be forgiven and you will be allowed into heavne.

I’m telling her that God does give you rules to follow for being a good Christian on earth, and that He gives you rules to follow to get into heaven.

So how would you respond to her argument?

Essentially it sounds like she is saying that you only have to believe to be a good Christian and that mere belief alone is the way to get into heaven.
 
I know there will be people on here who are more qualified to give you a good answer for your friend but I was curious as to where your friend found it in the bible that you can do whatever you want, not follow God’s rules and still go to Heaven? You said that she said as long as she believes she can go to Heaven; well what would she be believing if she’s not believing the very rules He had given us.
 
First of all, I would bring up the fall of Adam and Eve. Certainly they believed in God, right? They did talk to Him. But after they sinned, it was not enough for them to believe, and Christ came as a redeemer to pay for their sins.

From Catholic Answers:
“Are you saved?” asks the Fundamentalist. The Catholic should reply: “As the Bible says, I am already saved (Rom. 8:24, Eph. 2:5–8), but I’m also being saved (1 Cor. 1:8, 2 Cor. 2:15, Phil. 2:12), and I have the hope that I *will be *saved (Rom. 5:9–10, 1 Cor. 3:12–15). Like the apostle Paul I am working out my salvation in fear and trembling (Phil. 2:12), with hopeful confidence in the promises of Christ (Rom. 5:2, 2 Tim. 2:11–13).”
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Starwynd said:
Her contention is that you only have to believe to go into heave and you don’t have to follow God’s rules.
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You “only have to believe” what? That Jesus was God? Big deal. Even the demons believe that, yet I’m pretty sure they’re not getting into heaven. Mere belief in the existence of God isn’t going to cut it.
Why? Because if you ask for forgiveness you will be forgiven and you will be allowed into heavne.
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I love my children. However, if one of my children kept robbing me, burning down my house, and hurting my other children, I would forgive him if he asked, but I sure wouldn’t give him the keys to my house. Jesus Himself said as much when he said, “Not everyone who cries, ‘Lord, Lord’ will get into heaven”.
I’m telling her that God does give you rules to follow for being a good Christian on earth, and that He gives you rules to follow to get into heaven.
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If you believe in Christ, AND FOLLOW HIM, then you will follow His rules. Remember the whole parable about the sheep and the goats? Or the weeds and the wheat? He couldn’t make it any clearer that not everyone who claims to be a Christian is “getting in”, so to speak.
So how would you respond to her argument?
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I’d look up the Scriptural references for what I alluded to above- the separation of the sheep and the goats, the weeds and the wheat, etc. Scriptural proof that one’s actions play a part in where one is going to spend eternity.
Essentially it sounds like she is saying that you only have to believe to be a good Christian and that mere belief alone is the way to get into heaven.
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This is called Sola Fidae, and it’s a heresy.
 
wow what a great site. This will be a great help for me in defending my faith with Protestants and it’s also nice because I haven’t been in the church that long either so it will also give me a greater understanding of my faith in fact it already has. For instance people sometimes think that I am a seven-day evangelist because I attend vigil Mass on Saturday. I had no idea what they were even talking about but now that I read the article about the seven-day evangelists I can give an educated response. Thanks for sharing:)
HappyPerson said:
For an excellent essay on justification, please click here.
staycatholic.com/justification.htm

For the Early Church Fathers on justification, please click here.
staycatholic.com/ecf_justification.htm

I hope these help.
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Matthew 7:21 Not everyone who says to me, “Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.

James 2:14-22, 24 What good is it, my brothers,** if someone says he has faith but does not have the works?** Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister has nothing to wear and has no food for the day, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, keep warm, and eat well,” but you do not give them the necessities of the body, what good is it? So also** faith of itself, if is does not have works, is dead.**
Indeed someone might say, “You have faith and I have works.” Demonstrate your faith to me without works and I will demonstrate my faith to you from my works. You believe that God is one. You do well. Even the demons believe that and tremble. Do you want proof, you ignoramus, that** faith without works is useless**? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered his son Isaac upon the altar? You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by the works…See how a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.
 
Ask her to explain this passage to you:

Galatians 5:19-21 The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. ***I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. ***
 
I would add that heaven has many mansions. A soul’s capacity to experience the beatific vision varies.
 
simply ask her to define “active faith”. You will find that you are closer together than you think. Herbews 11 would be a good text to discuss active faith with her from.
 
She says you do not have to obey God’s rules? Well if that is the case then ask her why did he make rules? Then she says that if you ask forgiveness you will go to heaven. Listen, God is no dummy. If she thinks that she can do anything she wants and then at the last minute before death to ask forgiveness she does not know God or what the bible says. Trying to put one over God is not going to work as he knows what is in our minds and heart. She better follow St. Paul’s advice and “work out her salvaton in fear and trembling of the Lord”.
 
Faith comes before anything else. We must have faith or everything else is invalid. After faith comes action that verifies we have faith. The bible tells us that faith without works is dead. “What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works?”, James 2:14. “You believe that God is one. You do well. Even the demons believe that and tremble. Do you want proof, you ignoramus, that faith without works is useless? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered his son Isaac upon the alter?”, James 2:19-21. Jesus death on the cross wiped away all of our sins, true, but we have to do our part. The bible tells us among many other things that if we confess our sins God is faithful and will for give us. To verify this please read 1 John 1:9 which state, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” God forgives but we must do our part, too. If nothing else, at least confess your sins, acknowledge you are a sinner and ask God for forgiveness. Continue to do this every time you sin and God will help you to stop sinning. You will see that your life will have a drastic improvement.
 
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