Protestants in Heaven without Confession?

[katholikos12]

Can Protestants go to Heaven without Confession?

If so, then what is the purpose of having confession if justification can be accomplished without Confession?

Especially so with Mortal Sins… If I commit a Mortal sin, feel remorse and decide I need to go to confession ASAP, and then die before getting there, I would still go to Heaven because I had every intention of heart change and confession before the priest.

Therefore it seems only necessary to have a heart change and not confession/absolution from a priest of ones sins?

Obviously if my third paragraphs assumption is incorrect then what I’m saying falls apart.

Also how is a protestant justified if he/she commits a mortal sin? Or are they not? If that is so it makes me feel like a lot of Protestants are going to Hell…

Confused… Help.

 

[Inquiringperson]

Can Protestants go to Heaven without Confession?

If so, then what is the purpose of having confession if justification can be accomplished without Confession?

Especially so with Mortal Sins… If I commit a Mortal sin, feel remorse and decide I need to go to confession ASAP, and then die before getting there, I would still go to Heaven because I had every intention of heart change and confession before the priest.

Therefore it seems only necessary to have a heart change and not confession/absolution from a priest of ones sins?

Obviously if my third paragraphs assumption is incorrect then what I’m saying falls apart.

Also how is a protestant justified if he/she commits a mortal sin? Or are they not? If that is so it makes me feel like a lot of Protestants are going to Hell…

Confused… Help.

Okay, first off, if you commit a mortal sin and die, you will go to Hell unless you have perfect contrition, which is when you are sorry for your sins because you love God. Perfect contrition also includes a desire to go to confession as soon as possible. However, you don’t know if you have perfect contrition, which is why you MUST go to confession whenever you commit a mortal sin.

Now, about the Protestant thing, it is possible for Protestants to go to heaven without going to confession if they either have perfect contrition OR if they had invincible ignorance and lived their lives as best they could. Invincible ignorance is when someone does not know the Catholic Church is the true church through no fault of their own.

Oh, and another thing. If someone who commits a mortal sin doesn’t have perfect contrition, but imperfect contrition, which is being sorry for your sins because you fear the punishment or you are disgusted by the sin, and they intended to confess their mortal sins but dies before they had a chance to confess, then we can only hope that since God isn’t bound by the sacraments, in his great mercy he will forgive the person.

 

[Mark1124]

Can Protestants go to Heaven without Confession?

If so, then what is the purpose of having confession if justification can be accomplished without Confession?

Especially so with Mortal Sins… If I commit a Mortal sin, feel remorse and decide I need to go to confession ASAP, and then die before getting there, I would still go to Heaven because I had every intention of heart change and confession before the priest.

Therefore it seems only necessary to have a heart change and not confession/absolution from a priest of ones sins?

Obviously if my third paragraphs assumption is incorrect then what I’m saying falls apart.

Also how is a protestant justified if he/she commits a mortal sin? Or are they not? If that is so it makes me feel like a lot of Protestants are going to Hell…

Confused… Help.

What is the purpose of having a car if you can just walk everywhere?
Justification is possible without Confession, but it’s a lot easier with it.

 

[Nimzovik]

Perhaps we Catholics messed up because we now know better… and **we **are now held accountable. Bummer.

 

[noobio]

Perhaps we Catholics messed up because we now know better… and **we **are now held accountable. Bummer.

So, would it be easier to be ignorant about confession completely. God wouldn’t be able to hold you accountable for something you did not know right ?

 

[batman1973]

The LCMS Church has confession and absolution! Good thing too

 

[Randy_Carson]

Can Protestants go to Heaven without Confession?

If so, then what is the purpose of having confession if justification can be accomplished without Confession?

Especially so with Mortal Sins… If I commit a Mortal sin, feel remorse and decide I need to go to confession ASAP, and then die before getting there, I would still go to Heaven because I had every intention of heart change and confession before the priest.

Therefore it seems only necessary to have a heart change and not confession/absolution from a priest of ones sins?

Obviously if my third paragraphs assumption is incorrect then what I’m saying falls apart.

Also how is a protestant justified if he/she commits a mortal sin? Or are they not? If that is so it makes me feel like a lot of Protestants are going to Hell…

Confused… Help.

Confession is normatively necessary but not absolutely necessary.

An absolute necessity is a necessity which holds in all cases with no exceptions. A normative necessity is usually required, though there are exceptions. An example of normative necessity in everyday American life is the practice of driving on the right hand side of the road. This is normally required, but there are exceptions, such as emergency situations. For example, if a small child darts out from behind parked cars, it may be necessary (and legally permitted) to swerve into the left hand lane to avoid hitting him. Thus the necessity of driving on the right hand side of the road is a normative rather than an absolute necessity.

 

[XRU]

Can Protestants go to Heaven without Confession?

If so, then what is the purpose of having confession if justification can be accomplished without Confession?

Especially so with Mortal Sins… If I commit a Mortal sin, feel remorse and decide I need to go to confession ASAP, and then die before getting there, I would still go to Heaven because I had every intention of heart change and confession before the priest.

Therefore it seems only necessary to have a heart change and not confession/absolution from a priest of ones sins?

Obviously if my third paragraphs assumption is incorrect then what I’m saying falls apart.

Also how is a protestant justified if he/she commits a mortal sin? Or are they not? If that is so it makes me feel like a lot of Protestants are going to Hell…

Confused… Help.

Yes

 

[katholikos12]

Where does the policy (sorry if thats not the right word…) of mortal and venial sins come from? I know that there is a list of sins that are enumerated in the New Testament and shortly thereafter something like surely those who do these things will never see the kingdom of God.

Is that the basis from where this policy came from? I’m new so forgive my ignorance, but it sounds like a mortal sin is a complete heart change or abuse of the grace given to us by Jesus and therefore merits removal of His grace from our lives.

But isn’t sin an abuse as regardless if it is venial or mortal? How does one determine what a mortal sin is? I’m still fresh out of the sola scriptura mindset, and I understand that the Church has determined what mortals sins are, but has the Church based their decision on scriptures? If so, which ones?

 

[katholikos12]

The LCMS Church has confession and absolution! Good thing too

What is LCMS?

 

[katholikos12]

Okay, first off, if you commit a mortal sin and die, you will go to Hell unless you have perfect contrition, which is when you are sorry for your sins because you love God. Perfect contrition also includes a desire to go to confession as soon as possible. However, you don’t know if you have perfect contrition, which is why you MUST go to confession whenever you commit a mortal sin.

Now, about the Protestant thing, it is possible for Protestants to go to heaven without going to confession if they either have perfect contrition OR if they had invincible ignorance and lived their lives as best they could. Invincible ignorance is when someone does not know the Catholic Church is the true church through no fault of their own.

Oh, and another thing. If someone who commits a mortal sin doesn’t have perfect contrition, but imperfect contrition, which is being sorry for your sins because you fear the punishment or you are disgusted by the sin, and they intended to confess their mortal sins but dies before they had a chance to confess, then we can only hope that since God isn’t bound by the sacraments, in his great mercy he will forgive the person.

What is perfect contrition? If one has committed a mortal sin, feels guilty about it and/or is disgusted by it, and has the intention of confessing as soon as they can, then what else can they do to achieve “perfect contrition”. It sounds like that description is about as perfect as one can get before actually confessing.

 

[Azygos]

The answer is relatively easy. Yes they can go to heaven without confession but it won’t be because of their Protestantism. It would be solely on the mercy of God who is the judge of all people unless you want to believe everyone outside the Catholic Church is damned to hell. Then you have to take into account all the people who have never even heard the gospel and ask are they damned to hell. It’s very deep theology that is beyond me but to say that no one makes it to heaven outside the Church is just cruel. I do believe however there is going to be a lot of souls in purgatory because they didn’t take advantage of what the True Church has to offer. I truly believe that the Church has the Keys to the Kingdom (Matt. 16:19) and we should take advantage of those keys like Christ wanted us to.

 

[Azygos]

Perhaps we Catholics messed up because we now know better… and **we **are now held accountable. Bummer.

I completely agree and now I feel like I must adhere to Gods calling but I feel more at peace now than I ever have in my whole life! All glory be to God in the highest!

 

[Azygos]

Can Protestants go to Heaven without Confession?

Also how is a protestant justified if he/she commits a mortal sin? Or are they not? If that is so it makes me feel like a lot of Protestants are going to Hell…

Confused… Help.

I’m not sure how many Protestants are going to heaven, purgatory, or hell but it’s good to keep in mind what Jesus said and it’s good to fear God.

Matthew 7:21
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.

Here is another good verse concerning Christians.

1 Peter 4
17 For it is time for the judgment to begin with the household of God; if it begins with us, how will it end for those who fail to obey the gospel of God?

18 “And if the righteous one is barely saved, where will the godless and the sinner appear?”

Notice the word sinner is referring either directly to Christians OR people who believe in the True God, hence NOT Godless.

I have faith in the mercy of God and the cleansing by fire as well. (Purgatory)

 

[thistle]

Can Protestants go to Heaven without Confession?

If so, then what is the purpose of having confession if justification can be accomplished without Confession?

Especially so with Mortal Sins… If I commit a Mortal sin, feel remorse and decide I need to go to confession ASAP, and then die before getting there, I would still go to Heaven because I had every intention of heart change and confession before the priest.

Therefore it seems only necessary to have a heart change and not confession/absolution from a priest of ones sins?

Obviously if my third paragraphs assumption is incorrect then what I’m saying falls apart.

Also how is a protestant justified if he/she commits a mortal sin? Or are they not? If that is so it makes me feel like a lot of Protestants are going to Hell…

Confused… Help.

Not all Catholics go to Heaven but everyone in Heaven is Catholic. The Church teaches there is no salvation outside the Catholic Church which means anyone captured under invincible ignorance is deemed Catholic.

 

[Mamanurse]

Can Protestants go to Heaven without Confession?

If so, then what is the purpose of having confession if justification can be accomplished without Confession?

Especially so with Mortal Sins… If I commit a Mortal sin, feel remorse and decide I need to go to confession ASAP, and then die before getting there, I would still go to Heaven because I had every intention of heart change and confession before the priest.

Therefore it seems only necessary to have a heart change and not confession/absolution from a priest of ones sins?

Obviously if my third paragraphs assumption is incorrect then what I’m saying falls apart.

Also how is a protestant justified if he/she commits a mortal sin? Or are they not? If that is so it makes me feel like a lot of Protestants are going to Hell…

Confused… Help.

The LCMS Church has confession and absolution! Good thing too

From my understanding since your church is not under the teachings of the catholic church and not under apostolic lineage the “absolution” you receive is not the same as absolution that a catholic would receive. If in fact you are receiving the same graces through absolution, then why does your church not acknowledge papal authority? Just wondering.

 

[inkaneer]

What is LCMS?

Lutheran Church Missouri Synod. While they do have a ritual of confession they have inherit problems of authority and with it validity. Catholics believe Jesus delegated the authority to forgive sin to the church and that authority is passed down through the generations by Apostolic Succession. Lutherans deny church authority. They also do not possess valid Apostolic Succession. While it is true that there were priests [like Luther] as well as nuns who left the church there is no record of any bishop doing so. Since Apostolic Succession and authority resides in the bishop any ability to forgive sin in Lutheranism died out when those original priests died out in the 16th century. So their ‘confessions’ are lacking in being valid.

By the way that is different than in the Church of England where some bishops did leave the church and retained their authority. But the ordination rite of the Church of England was changed significantly so that the Apostolic Succession authority essentially died out. The ordination rite was later changed back but there were no validly ordained or consecrated ‘bishops’ alive who could pass on the authority.

 

[COPLAND_3]

The Church is designed by God to lead people to Heaven, but since everyone does not have the same opportunity to be led by the Church into Heaven then there are exceptions. Just like those who have never had the opportunity to hear about Christ are judged by God with that in mind, and they are judged in a way that by God’s all-knowing power He is able to determine if they would have followed Him had they been given the chance. And God also looks at the way that they have responded to Him with what little has been revealed to them.

That being said, those who have had a portion of the Gospel revealed to them and has followed Him with all their heart, then God being a just Judge will judge them based on what they understand and respond to. But getting to Heaven with less Sacraments and understanding is not a blessing but a loss because the Sacraments and the Church is something precious and from God. Sure they get to Heaven but they miss out on extra blessings in this life. Its sort of like having a child. You could have gone through life never having that child and not knowing life with him or her, but what a loss to think of never having that child in your life! What a vacant part of Chrisitianity to go through life without the Sacraments!

 

[katholikos12]

The Church is designed by God to lead people to Heaven, but since everyone does not have the same opportunity to be led by the Church into Heaven then there are exceptions. Just like those who have never had the opportunity to hear about Christ are judged by God with that in mind, and they are judged in a way that by God’s all-knowing power He is able to determine if they would have followed Him had they been given the chance. And God also looks at the way that they have responded to Him with what little has been revealed to them.

That being said, those who have had a portion of the Gospel revealed to them and has followed Him with all their heart, then God being a just Judge will judge them based on what they understand and respond to. But getting to Heaven with less Sacraments and understanding is not a blessing but a loss because the Sacraments and the Church is something precious and from God. Sure they get to Heaven but they miss out on extra blessings in this life. Its sort of like having a child. You could have gone through life never having that child and not knowing life with him or her, but what a loss to think of never having that child in your life! What a vacant part of Chrisitianity to go through life without the Sacraments!

Thank you copland3 this really puts things in an understandable way.

 

[Inquiringperson]

What is perfect contrition? If one has committed a mortal sin, feels guilty about it and/or is disgusted by it, and has the intention of confessing as soon as they can, then what else can they do to achieve “perfect contrition”. It sounds like that description is about as perfect as one can get before actually confessing.

What you have just described is imperfect contrition. Imperfect contrition only forgives mortal sins through the sacrament of Confession. Perfect contrition, however, will forgive mortal sins outside of confession because that contrition arises from love of God. You still have to confess the mortal sin to get right with the Church, no matter if the contrition was perfect or imperfect.