Expert: Sal - 1/8/2007

Question
Hey,

I'm sorry... I didn't add this to my previous follow up.

"I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." (John 14.6) Jesus is the truth, if you don't even believe in the truth of God existence or Jesus Christ, how can you enter heaven? Heaven, God's kingdom. Those good people who didn't believe in God can enter his kingdom and have eternal life? I read the whole Chapter of John 14. From verse 1-6. "How can we know the way?" Jesus said that he is the way and the light. He is the WAY. The way... If someone doesn't even follow his way and the truth of him, how can that person ever enter God's Kingdom? That is God's Kingdom and who is that "good person" to enter heaven without having trust in God before they die? It wouldn't be fair to the Christians or the Protestants who had FAITH IN GOD. It wouldn't be fair... Unless there are more examples. Do Catholics tend to go more into what each sentences really means and interpret it? Because that is what i see from my point of view. While for Christians who aren't Catholics, they just read the Bible in a very straightforward manner.

Also, what proof do Catholics have that they did not add seven more books into the Bible? Instead, it was the Christians who aren't Catholics who removed the seven books?

Catholic now seems to be the minority as most Bibles are without the seven books. Like New King James. Not sure about the New International Version. Also, since Catholic Church was the first, who interpreted the Bible? What made that person think that the interpretation is correct?

Also, getting back to Matthew 25.32-46. What makes you think that Jesus was referring to the non-Christians? He could be referring to the Christians but weren't good in taking care of the sheeps/goats. Whom also did not repent to not taking care of them. Thus, since they did not repent, for what reason shall they enter heaven? Don't you think so?

You didn't say anything about, "Nobody is good in God's eyes". I remember reading it somewhere in the Bible.
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The text above is a follow-up to ...

-----Question-----
Hello,

I want to ask, Catholics teach that good people will go to heaven and bad people will go to hell. But if that person believes in Jesus Christ, he/she will still go to heaven?

For Christians who aren't Catholics, they disagree that good people will go heaven. Someone said to me that this person can be very good, doing many good deeds. But in the end, God will say to him/her, "Who are you?" Is that true?

A Catholic showed me Matthew 25.32-46. From that part, she told me that even if a person does not believe in Jesus, he/she will still go to heaven. Because that person was good to like give clothes, feed the goats or the sheep etc. That is one thing to support Catholics saying that good people will go to heaven even if that person does not believe in God.

But read this, "For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." (John 3.17 and 3.18).

Those who do not believe in the Son of God IS CONDEMNED ALREADY. With that being said, what if that person who does not believe in the Son of God is a good person who does a lot of good deeds?

The Bible was written in Hebrew and translated to English. Even for Catholics, the meaning the each sentences didn't change at all? I also remembered reading somewhere in the Bible that NOBODY IS GOOD IN GOD'S EYES. So...? The good person judging my people's point of view as someone doing good deeds, isn't good in God's eye. I can't find where I read that from. But I remember reading it somewhere.

Also, Catholics didn't adopt other beliefs? Like nuns should not get married. Did it say anything like that in the Bible?

I remember someone telling me that Jesus said, "I am the way and the light. Nobody goes to the Father but through me." Again, NOBODY.

So?... I'm confused.
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The text above is a follow-up to ...

-----Question-----
Hello, I'm 14 years old and searching for God. But I'm really confused by what other people are saying. Because they all say different things.

Like, what is the difference beween Catholics and Christians? Isn't Catholicism one of the denominations under Christianity? Somebody told me that it's like Christianity has many branches. Catholicism, Methodist, etc. Adding that Catholicism is actually the original one.

But who even created all these denominations? If Catholic is really the original one, then why is it under Christianity and not Christianity or Catholic itself? In the Bible, it doesn't say anything about Catholics or Methodists and the other denominations the world has now. So, what is the real one? I'm so confused.
-----Answer-----
Dear Jessica:

Jesus prayed for his Church to be united as one. “I pray that they may be one in us, that the world may believe that you sent me” (John 17:21). Therefore, it is not an acceptable situation that the Christianity of today is so divided. The Christian Church was united as one until some people now known as the Orthodox Church broke away from the Catholic Church in 1054 AD. Then in 1517 Martin Luther further split the Church with the Protestant Reformation. The True Church of Jesus Christ is the Catholic Church. The Book of Acts contains the very early history of the Catholic Church.

When the Christian Church became known as the “Catholic Church” is unknown. We do know that in 107 AD St Ignatius of Antioch wrote a letter in which he mentioned the “Catholic Church”. Therefore, we know that the Church was first called “Catholic” sometime prior to 107 AD because Ignatius was not making up the name in his letter. It is quite possible that the Church was named the Catholic Church in the time of the Apostles or immediately thereafter.

All Catholics are Christian, but not all Christians are Catholic. Our religion is Christianity which means followers of Christ (Jesus). We are Catholic Christians because we are a universal Church. The meaning of the word Catholic is universal.

The Catholic Church is the only one begun by Jesus. All other Churches were begun by fallible men and women. The Catholic Church today is the only one that fits the Bible definition of the Church founded by Christ. Jesus is very clear that his church would be founded on Peter (Matthew 16:18). Only the Catholic Church claims this for itself. The Catholic Church can trace in an unbroken line from the current pope, Benedict XVI, back to the first pope, St. Peter.

If I can be of further help please let me know.

God Bless You in your study,
Sal  

-----Answer-----
Dear Jessica:

Thank you for writing again.

You ask if a bad person who believes in Jesus will go to heaven. If by “bad” you mean an unrepentant sinner then no, he will not be able to go to heaven. One cannot believe in Jesus and at the same time sin with impunity.

The Protestant idea that a good person that does not believe in Jesus will go to hell is incorrect. If that person does not know about Jesus then he can still be saved. If he knows Jesus is the savior and still rejects him then he will be condemned to hellfire.

Matthew 25:32-46 indicates that non-Christians can be saved by doing good works.

John 3:17-18 is another passage that means that people that know about Jesus and know that he is the savior, but reject him are lost.

The Bible was not written in Hebrew. Most of the Old Testament was written in Hebrew and the New Testament was written in Greek. There are differences in translation because each Hebrew or Greek word has more than one possible meaning. The translator must judge which word best fits the context; therefore, the various translations of the Bible. The original meaning has not been lost.

St. Paul quotes Psalm 14 in Romans 3:10. "There is no just man, not even one." Paul uses this to illustrate that both Jews and Gentiles need Jesus as savior. It does not mean that all individual people are unjust and so they are lost.

Nuns are not mentioned in the Bible as far as I know. They are celibate in immatation of the Blessed Mother. A single person can devote more time to god then a married person (see 1 Corinthians 7:32-34).

The statement of our Lord, "No one comes to the Father but through me" (John 14:6), does not mean that all non-Christians are lost. All people who enter heaven do so because of the fact that Jesus opened heaven to us by his sacrifice. So that even if a person doesn't know Christ at all, but is righteous enough  to enter heaven he does so "through Jesus".

God Bless You,
Sal

Answer
Dear Jessica:

Jesus gave the world the Catholic Church as the normative way to heaven. God does make exceptions as the Catholic Church notes in the Catechism #846-848.

Another possible biblical example indicating that non-Christians may be saved is Romans 2:14-16.

The Catholic Church reads the Bible in its fullness. It does not restrict its meaning to only the literal sense. Protestants that say they only accept the literal sense really do not. They do not accept the literal reading of John 6 and the Eucharist or Matthew 16 and the papacy for instance.  

The Bible that the Catholic Church uses has 7 more Old Testament books than the Protestant Bible. The Bible that the Catholic Church uses contains the same Old Testament that Jesus, the Apostles, and the early Christian Church used.

Mt. 25:32-46. I did not say that it was non-Christians, but that it indicated that non-Christians may be saved by works done in good conscience. The passage may be speaking of Christians.

I didn’t know what passage you were referring to when you said, "Nobody is good in God's eyes". I thought that it might have been Romans 3:10 which I did comment on.

Thanks,
Sal