How does a person get into Heaven, according to The Catholic Church?

Question

I know most Protestant denominations emphasize faith in God. Traditionally The Catholic Church has emphasized performing the sacraments. Is this still the case?

Thank you.

Answer 1

The Roman Catholic Church teaches that salvation is by baptismal regeneration and is maintained through the Catholic sacraments unless a willful act of sin is committed that breaks the state of sanctifying grace.

Answer 2

The Catholic church has a different belief than Christianity. Christianity believes that Jesus is the one who saves and gives eternal life, but Catholics believe that it is the Catholic Church that saves and gives eternal life. It is given to those who are part of the church, partake of the sacrements, confess their sins to the church, and accept the traditions of the church. In Catholocism it is entirely works that saves, rather than faith as you mentioned.

Answer 3

By enduring in faith untill final salvation, through God's grace.

In Christ
Fr. Joseph

Answer 4

If you want my advice read this to know the truth

http://islamicweb.com/index.asp?folder=bible

Answer 5

1. Baptism, the Holy Spirit and Faith

**Foreshadowing

2 Kings 5

14
So Naaman went down and plunged into the Jordan seven times at the word of the man of God. His flesh became again like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.

Isaiah 44

3
I will pour out water upon the thirsty ground, and streams upon the dry land; I will pour out my spirit upon your offspring, and my blessing upon your descendants.

Ezekiel 36

25
I will sprinkle clean water upon you to cleanse you from all your impurities, and from all your idols I will cleanse you.
26
I will give you a new heart and place a new spirit within you, taking from your bodies your stony hearts and giving you natural hearts.
27
I will put my spirit within you and make you live by my statutes, careful to observe my decrees. **

Matthew 28

9
Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit,

Mark 16

16
Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; whoever does not believe will be condemned.

John 3

3
Jesus answered and said to him, "Amen, amen, I say to you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above."
4
Nicodemus said to him, "How can a person once grown old be born again? Surely he cannot reenter his mother's womb and be born again, can he?"
5
Jesus answered, "Amen, amen, I say to you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit.

Acts 2...8...9...10...16...18...19...22

19
And I will work wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below: blood, fire, and a cloud of smoke.
20
The sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the coming of the great and splendid day of the Lord,
21
and it shall be that everyone shall be saved who calls on the name of the Lord.'

38
Peter (said) to them, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the holy Spirit.
...

12
but once they began to believe Philip as he preached the good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, men and women alike were baptized.
13
Even Simon himself believed and, after being baptized, became devoted to Philip; and when he saw the signs and mighty deeds that were occurring, he was astounded.
35
Then Philip opened his mouth and, beginning with this scripture passage, he proclaimed Jesus to him.
36
As they traveled along the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, "Look, there is water. What is to prevent my being baptized?"
...
17
So Ananias went and entered the house; laying his hands on him, he said, "Saul, my brother, the Lord has sent me, Jesus who appeared to you on the way by which you came, that you may regain your sight and be filled with the holy Spirit."
18
Immediately things like scales fell from his eyes and he regained his sight. He got up and was baptized
...

43
To him all the prophets bear witness, that everyone who believes in him will receive forgiveness of sins through his name."
44
While Peter was still speaking these things, the holy Spirit fell upon all who were listening to the word.
45
The circumcised believers who had accompanied Peter were astounded that the gift of the holy Spirit should have been poured out on the Gentiles also,
46
for they could hear them speaking in tongues and glorifying God. Then Peter responded,

47
"Can anyone withhold the water for baptizing these people, who have received the holy Spirit even as we have?"
48
He ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.
...
15
After she and her household had been baptized, she offered us an invitation, "If you consider me a believer in the Lord, come and stay at my home," and she prevailed on us.
30
Then he brought them out and said, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?"
31
And they said, "Believe in the Lord Jesus and you and your household will be saved."
32
So they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to everyone in his house.
33
He took them in at that hour of the night and bathed their wounds; then he and all his family were baptized at once.
34
He brought them up into his house and provided a meal and with his household rejoiced at having come to faith in God.
...
8
Crispus, the synagogue official, came to believe in the Lord along with his entire household, and many of the Corinthians who heard believed and were baptized.
...

2
He said to them, "Did you receive the holy Spirit when you became believers?" They answered him, "We have never even heard that there is a holy Spirit."
3
He said, "How were you baptized?" They replied, "With the baptism of John."
4
Paul then said, "John baptized with a baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, in Jesus."
5
When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
...

16
'Now, why delay? Get up and have yourself baptized and your sins washed away, calling upon his name.'

Romans 6

4
We were indeed buried with him through baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might live in newness of life.
5
For if we have grown into union with him through a death like his, we shall also be united with him in the resurrection.

1 Corinthians 6

9
Do you not know that the unjust will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators nor idolaters nor adulterers nor boy prostitutes nor sodomites
10
nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor robbers will inherit the kingdom of God.
11
That is what some of you used to be; but now you have had yourselves washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.

Galatians 3

26
For through faith you are all children of God in Christ Jesus.
27
For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.

Colossians 2

12
You were buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead.

Titus 3

4
But when the kindness and generous love of God our savior appeared,
5
not because of any righteous deeds we had done but because of his mercy, he saved us through the bath of rebirth and renewal by the holy Spirit,
6
whom he richly poured out on us through Jesus Christ our savior

Hebrews 10

22
let us approach with a sincere heart and in absolute trust, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed in pure water.
23
Let us hold unwaveringly to our confession that gives us hope, for he who made the promise is trustworthy.

1 Peter 3

18
For Christ also suffered for sins once, the righteous for the sake of the unrighteous, that he might lead you to God. Put to death in the flesh, he was brought to life in the spirit.
19
In it he also went to preach to the spirits in prison,
20
who had once been disobedient while God patiently waited in the days of Noah during the building of the ark, in which a few persons, eight in all, were saved through water.
21
This prefigured baptism, which saves you now. It is not a removal of dirt from the body but an appeal to God for a clear conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,
22
who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers subject to him.

1 John 5

6
This is the one who came through water and blood, Jesus Christ, not by water alone, but by water and blood. The Spirit is the one that testifies, and the Spirit is truth.
7
So there are three that testify,
8
the Spirit, the water, and the blood, and the three are of one accord.

accord  /əˈkɔrd/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[kawrd]

–verb (used without object)
1. to be in agreement or harmony; agree.

–verb (used with object)
2. to make agree or correspond; adapt.

3. to grant; bestow: to accord due praise.

4. Archaic. to settle; reconcile.

–noun
5. proper relationship or proportion; harmony.

6. a harmonious union of sounds, colors, etc.

7. consent or concurrence of opinions or wills; agreement.

"To put it most simply, the power, effect, benefit, fruit, and purpose of Baptism is to save. No one is baptized in order to become a prince, but as the words say, to 'be saved.' To be saved, we know, is nothing else than to be delivered from sin, death, and the devil and to enter into the kingdom of Christ and live with him forever."

-- Martin Luther The Large Catechism

2. Living the Faith through Grace


Matthew 3...16...25


12
If anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, or straw,
13
the work of each will come to light, for the Day will disclose it. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire (itself) will test the quality of each one's work.
14
If the work stands that someone built upon the foundation, that person will receive a wage.
15
But if someone's work is burned up, that one will suffer loss; the person will be saved, but only as through fire.
...

27
For the Son of Man will come with his angels in his Father's glory, and then he will repay everyone according to his conduct.
...
31
"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit upon his glorious throne,
32
and all the nations will be assembled before him. And he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.
33
He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
34
Then the king will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
35
For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me,
36
naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.'
37
Then the righteous will answer him and say, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink?
38
When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you?
39
When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?'
40
And the king will say to them in reply, 'Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.'
41
Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.
42
For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink,
43
a stranger and you gave me no welcome, naked and you gave me no clothing, ill and in prison, and you did not care for me.'
44
Then they will answer and say, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or ill or in prison, and not minister to your needs?'
45
He will answer them, 'Amen, I say to you, what you did not do for one of these least ones, you did not do for me.'
46
And these will go off to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."

Luke 14

13
Rather, when you hold a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind;
14
blessed indeed will you be because of their inability to repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous."

John 1...3

1
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2
He was in the beginning with God.
3
All things came to be through him, and without him nothing came to be. What came to be
4
through him was life, and this life was the light of the human race;
5
the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
6
A man named John was sent from God.
7
He came for testimony, to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him.
8
He was not the light, but came to testify to the light.
9
The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world

...

19
And this is the verdict, that the light came into the world, but people preferred darkness to light, because their works were evil.
20
For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come toward the light, so that his works might not be exposed.
21
But whoever lives the truth comes to the light, so that his works may be clearly seen as done in God.

2 Corinthians 11

15
So it is not strange that his ministers also masquerade as ministers of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds.

Ephesians 2

8
or by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not from you; it is the gift of God;
9
it is not from works, so no one may boast.

1 Timothy

18
Tell them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous, ready to share,
19
thus accumulating as treasure a good foundation for the future, so as to win the life that is true life.

2 Timothy 2

11
This saying is trustworthy: If we have died with him we shall also live with him;
12
if we persevere we shall also reign with him. But if we deny him he will deny us.
13
If we are unfaithful he remains faithful, for he cannot deny himself.

Hebrews 6...10...11

36
You need endurance to do the will of God and receive what he has promised.
37
"For, after just a brief moment, he who is to come shall come; he shall not delay.
38
But my just one shall live by faith, and if he draws back I take no pleasure in him."
39
We are not among those who draw back and perish, but among those who have faith and will possess life.
...
10
For God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love you have demonstrated for his name by having served and continuing to serve the holy ones.
11
We earnestly desire each of you to demonstrate the same eagerness for the fulfillment of hope until the end,
12
so that you may not become sluggish, but imitators of those who, through faith and patience, are inheriting the promises.
26
If we sin deliberately after receiving knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains sacrifice for sins
27
but a fearful prospect of judgment and a flaming fire that is going to consume the adversaries.
...
1
Faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen.
2
Because of it the ancients were well attested.
3
By faith we understand that the universe was ordered by the word of God, so that what is visible came into being through the invisible.
4
By faith Abel offered to God a sacrifice greater than Cain's. Through this he was attested to be righteous, God bearing witness to his gifts, and through this, though dead, he still speaks.
5
By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death, and "he was found no more because God had taken him." Before he was taken up, he was attested to have pleased God.
6
But without faith it is impossible to please him, for anyone who approaches God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

James 2

14
What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him?
15
If a brother or sister has nothing to wear and has no food for the day,
16
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?
17
So also faith of itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
18
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.
19
You believe that God is one. You do well. Even the demons believe that and tremble.
20
Do you want proof, you ignoramus, that faith without works is useless?
21
Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered his son Isaac upon the altar?
22
You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by the works.
23
Thus the scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness," and he was called "the friend of God."
24
See how a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.
25
And in the same way, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she welcomed the messengers and sent them out by a different route?
26
For just as a body without a spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.

1 Peter 2

11
Beloved, I urge you as aliens and sojourners to keep away from worldly desires that wage war against the soul.
12
Maintain good conduct among the Gentiles, so that if they speak of you as evildoers, they may observe your good works and glorify God on the day of visitation.
13
Be subject to every human institution for the Lord's sake, whether it be to the king as supreme
14
or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and the approval of those who do good.
15
For it is the will of God that by doing good you may silence the ignorance of foolish people.

Revelation 2...20...22

19
"I know your works, your love, faith, service, and endurance, and that your last works are greater than the first.
20
Yet I hold this against you, that you tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, who teaches and misleads my servants to play the harlot and to eat food sacrificed to idols.
21
I have given her time to repent, but she refuses to repent of her harlotry.
22
So I will cast her on a sickbed and plunge those who commit adultery with her into intense suffering unless they repent of her works.
23
I will also put her children to death. Thus shall all the churches come to know that I am the searcher of hearts and minds and that I will give each of you what your works deserve.

...

12
I saw the dead, the great and the lowly, standing before the throne, and scrolls were opened. Then another scroll was opened, the book of life. The dead were judged according to their deeds, by what was written in the scrolls.
...
14
Blessed are they who wash their robes so as to have the right to the tree of life and enter the city through its gates.
15
Outside are the dogs, the sorcerers, the unchaste, the murderers, the idol-worshipers, and all who love and practice deceit.