Or Protestants only or Jehovah Witnesses only.
If there will be a mix, then why do denominations reject each other now? In the words of Rodney King - shouldn't they all get along? And why not a single denomination?
2006-06-09 15:19:42 · 30 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Those who believe God and have faith in Him that He will keep His promises, and also believe in His Son, Jesus Christ, and the sacrifice he made on the cross, and that he died, was buried, and was raised to immortalty and glorified by God, and those who live according to God's instructions, thereby demonstrating their faith, and who endure to the end, ...these will be saved.
What is your relationship to God and His Son? That is the question.
********************
Jesus said: "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father but by me." (John 14:6)
"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9)
"For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;" (Romans 3:23)
"Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:" (Romans 5:12)
"If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us." (1 John 1:10)
Jesus said: "I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish." (Luke 13:5)
"And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:" (Acts 17:30)
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16)
"But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners. Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8)
"That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved." (Romans 10:9)
"For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." (Romans 10:10)
"For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." (Romans 10:13)
"But he that shall endure to the end, the same shall be saved." (Matthew 24:13)
2006-06-09 15:27:28 · answer #1 · answered by rocketscientist 4 · 5⤊ 2⤋
The question is backwards. One is not saved because he is a member of the church, but one is a member of the church because he is saved. Acts 2:47 says that those who were being saved were added to the church, not the other way arround.
Now does it matter which church? Jesus only promised to build one. He said he would build "my church (Matt 16: 18) , he did not say "my churches".
Ephesians 1: 22-23 says the church is His body. The church and the body are the same. Then Ephesians 4:4 says there is "one body". The Lord only adds to that one body. This one body is not protestant, nor Catholic.
As for denominations, the bible says we should not be divided into denominations. Paul pleaded that we "all speak the same thing" and that there be "no divisions". (1 Corinthians 1:10). Jesus also prayed for this type of unity (John 17:20-21) Denominationalism is just the opposite of this in that it creats division and confusion. "God is not the author of confusion" (1 Cor 14:33). If God is not responsable for the confusion we see, then who is?
How do you find this one church? Do as those in Acts 17:11 did. Be of noble character, receive the word eagerly, and search the scriptures daily to see if that word is true.
To become a member of the one church, do what they did in Acts 2. When someone wants to be saved, and thus added to the church, they should follow this same plan. If someone asks "what shall I do?", why not give the same answer Peter gave in Acts 2:38? If we do what they did, we will become what they became. Christians and Christians only. They were members of no denomination.
If you wish to know more, may I suggest scripturessay.com. This, I think, is a web-site related to a TV program in Oklahoma. There you can sign up for a free correspondance course or ask more questions.
May I suggest that you always demand a bible answer to any bible question.
2006-06-13 22:38:55 · answer #2 · answered by JoeBama 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The only thing that will get you into God's heavens is to believe and trust in what the Lord Jesus Christ did for you on the cross. He died for your sins, He was buried and took your sins away and He rose again the third day so you can stand before God just. Man made denominations have nothing to do with it. All so called denominations require you do something. The only thing that is required is to believe and trust in what He did for you and He did it all. Faith is not a work. Ephesians 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Ephesians 2:9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
2006-06-09 22:29:38 · answer #3 · answered by Ray W 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The only people who go to heaven, regardless of denomination, are those who have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, not a religious association with him. He states clearly in John 14:6 I am the way, the truth and the life, no man cometh unto the Father but by me. Since the Fathe lives in heaven, this makes it pretty clear there's only one way to get there. All the works in the world won't get a person there. But if a person has the relationship, they will work out of love for Jesus, not out of fear of not getting to heaven because they didn't do enough. They won't dress a certain way to get to heaven because of fear that if they didn't dress that way they won't make it, but they'll dress in a way that shows of their love for Jesus. They won't want to be in a religious affiliation that teaches anything that goes against what Jesus teaches in the New Testament of the King James Version - all versions since then have so distorted and divided what used to never be questioned and this has to be the work of Satan to divide - Jesus says the division he would cause would be amongst relationships as people "gave" their lives to him, they would find there were relationships they would not be able to have on earth any longer because of the other persons unwillingness to accept them as Christ's.
2006-06-09 22:30:12 · answer #4 · answered by dph_40 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
if you look back in the Bible when the church was first starting, there were no "denominations" like we have today. i don't think that subscribing to any particular group makes you saved or unsaved. what matters is that you believe that Jesus Christ's death on the cross is the only way you can ever be made right with God, and to follow Him. other things that humans get all bent out of shape over (i.e. baptism, communion, etc.) don't really matter all that much in terms of whether or not you're save, and i think God is saddened when He sees His people fighting and separating over them. there are definately things that i think are right and are wrong that some people believe, but that doesn't make them any less a believer than me.
2006-06-09 22:45:24 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Once a very wise friend of mine said that a denomination was something that belongs on the bottom of a fraction. There are many denominations because there are many kinds of people. Everything comes down to Jesus. Jesus said no one can come to the Father, but by Him. In John 3:16 we find "believe on the Lord Jesus Christ an you shall be saved." Jesus said "if you love me you will keep my commandments" His commandment was "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart mind and soul. If you follow this you will go to heaven regardless of what religeon you choose to belong to.
2006-06-09 22:32:29 · answer #6 · answered by ooldroger 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Your question reveals proof positive that either God doesn't care about religion, or that God is not so benevolent and forgiving, after all. Will 90% of Christians go to hell for picking the wrong denomination, along with the billions of others who are not Christian? What if only the Mormons made it in? That would suck, huh?
2006-06-09 22:26:27 · answer #7 · answered by normobrian 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
well...(not trying to offend anybody) what i believe is that those who accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior and give their life to Him and devote themselves wholly to Him and keep their faith in Him will go to Heaven...i don't believe only Catholics or only Protestants or only Jehovah's Witnesses will go to heaven. yes there will be a mix. haven't you noticed the denominations are reaching out to each other? and only God is the judge of who will or will not spend eternity in Heaven with Him, so don't worry...and the reason there isn't just one denomination is that people believe different details. when we go to Heaven, there will be only one denomination of God...don't worry too much about it. hope this helps!!
God bless!
2006-06-09 22:25:29 · answer #8 · answered by jesus_freak1026 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
What the Catholic Church teaches is that the only way to heaven is through Jesus Christ. Most people will go to Purgatory after they die. Only those who choose to live life against the teachings of Jesus will go to Hell. Jesus taught love, so if you do not love, you would go to Hell. The Church also teaches that Hell is the state of existence away from God. Since God is love, those who do not love want to be in "Hell".
You do not have to be Christian to go to Purgatory. Once in Purgatory, it is up to the Church on earth to pray for the souls there that they may come to the full acceptance of God. Honestly, no matter how much Christians believe in God, nobody believes in him 100%. For instance, everytime we sin, we are denying God and that is what Purgatory is for. The death of Jesus allowed us to have the chance of going to heaven, but not immediately.
I'm hesitant to use the following example, but I'm going to give it a try. Going to heaven is like voting in the US in the sense that it is our right. However, not every US citizen can vote. You must be over 18 because (supposedly) that is when people are responsible and logical enough to make decisions on which candidate, proposition, etc is the best. Going to heaven is also our right (because of the sacrifice of Jesus) but not all can go to heaven immediately because we have not lived our lives completely according to the teachings of Jesus. Through the prayers of the earthly Church, souls in Purgatory are purified and become closer to God, and eventually join the communion of saints in heaven.
2006-06-11 20:39:49 · answer #9 · answered by the_alliance47 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Wow... quite an exclusive and explosive question! Ever play that parlor game appropriately called 'Trip To Jerusalem'? LOL.
When the music stops and you can't find your seat, then you're out. Hahaha!
Similar rules apply here: if you're not ready when the "time" comes to a halt, well... it's goodbye muchachos y companeras. It won't matter who, what, or where you are then.
It will certainly be quite a mix that goes beyond one's imagination, that's for sure.
2006-06-09 22:39:55 · answer #10 · answered by Arf Bee 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes, every true Christian will make it into Heaven. I think different denominations reject each other now because of our own shortcomings and sins.
2006-06-09 22:29:26 · answer #11 · answered by God's Honest Truth 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋