“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)
I had a friend telephone me this week. She has a close relative who may have contracted a terminal illness. I knew that she was deeply concerned for his soul when she asked me, “Will a Catholic go to heaven?”
As first blush I was caught a little off guard by her question because I am not that familiar with what Catholics believe. But you know what? I realized as I thought about her question that its answer had absolutely nothing to do with the doctrine of the Catholic Church.
What does the Bible say about who gets into heaven? I can tell you this: The denomination to which we belong will not be a factor in that decision. God is not concerned about the labels we wear. He cares about what’s in our hearts, which is exactly why Jesus once said of the Pharisees, “These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.” (Matthew 15:8)
When I regained my composure, I explained to her that the answer to her question could only be found in God’s Word. In fact, the Bible is our best source for any spiritual question. That’s why the Apostle Paul once told Timothy, an aspiring pastor who would one day field such questions, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.” (2 Timothy 3:16)
No one was more concerned about the soul of a man than Jesus. And it is in his teachings where we find the clearest language about what it takes to get into heaven. Jesus left no room for doubt. He said, “I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved.” (John 10:9) In other words, the only way to heaven is through the saving knowledge of Jesus.
I explained to my friend that the God didn’t care if her relative called himself a Catholic. The important question is does he believe that Jesus was the Son of God and gave his life on the Cross so that we could be seen as righteous in the eyes of God. “If he believes that Jesus died to save us,” I assured her, “then God promises that he will go to heaven.”
God does not mix words when he talks to us about salvation. Jesus said, “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.” (Mark 16:16) When I stop to think that it was God himself who made that statement, I become frightened for the unbeliever because I know God’s Word also promises, “…so is my word that goes out from my mouth. It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” (Isaiah 55:11)
It really doesn’t matter whether we call ourselves, Baptists, Methodists, Episcopalians, Presbyterians, Catholics, or Pentecostals. Those are labels and only define our styles of worship. God’s never been concerned with style, but you can believe he pays a lot of attention to substance, which is why Jesus said, “Anyone who believes in the Son of God has this testimony in his heart…And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.” (1 John 5:10, 11)
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