One of our visitors to TheReformedCatholic.com asked the question “Is it a sin for a Catholic to say they are going to heaven?” That’s a very good question!

I’ll say right off the bat that no, it’s not a sin to say that you know you are going to go to heaven. This is not just my opinion but is written in the infallible pages of the Bible, God’s Word to us, and Christ has many statements to back that up as well! (We’ll review this in a moment.) I will add, however, that you can certainly be mistaken about the assurance of salvation, that you may think you are saved when really you are not, but an error of judgment or fact isn’t necessarily a sin. (Which I will certainly extrapolate upon in this discussion!)

Interestingly, the Catholic Church teaches that it is a sin to assume you are saved. They call this the sin of presumption, but it is in direct contradiction to the words of the Bible, and the words and assurances of Jesus Christ, the very person in whom we presume to even have this assurance.

The Catholic Church makes the following statement in their catechism:

“There are two kinds of presumption. Either man presumes upon his own capacities, (hoping to be able to save himself without help from on high), or he presumes upon God’s almighty power or his mercy (hoping to obtain his forgiveness without conversion and glory without merit.” Pg. 507, #2092

What?!?!?! Interestingly, this statement is found under the subheading titled “Hope.” I have to admit, I can’t find a lot of hope in this statement. The Catholic Church implies a perpetual works-based earning of merit that in the end, you “hope” you will be allowed into heaven.

Can you imagine a loving God that would tease you all your life, up until your dying breath, when at your last gasp as the world dims you still carry the fear and uncertainty of tottering over the brink of hell and eternal separation from God because of some unconfessed sin or not knowing if you had gained enough of God’s favor, or that you didn’t say the Lord’s prayer enough times or didn’t pray the Rosary on a regular basis? What’s up with that?

Do you think a God of love would act in that manner towards his children? Is that a God you would want to worship in love and thankfulness and gratitude or like the pagans of old are you constantly running up the volcano, throwing your sacrifice into the pit, and then running down the mountain before He has a chance to spit up a lava bomb on you?

That’s not our God. Our God wants you to know that you are His child; that you will be with him forever; that nothing can take you from His grasp.

Let’s open the Bible… Let’s listen to the Words of Jesus:

Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.
(John 5:24 ESV)

For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”
(John 6:40 ESV)

Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life.
(John 6:47-48 ESV)

Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
(John 8:12 ESV)

I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.
(John 10:9 ESV)

And most assuredly:

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.”
(John 10:27-30 ESV)

Jesus, the man who lived a sinless life, told us these things. Therefore, it is not a sin to have this assurance of our salvation.

The Apostle John tells us this as well

I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life.
(1 John 5:13 ESV)

The Apostle Paul displayed this confidence… Does that mean that he was wrong or presumptuous to make such an assumption? Faced with the threat of death Paul looks forward to being with Christ but also knows he still has work to do here on earth:

I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better.
(Philippians 1:23 ESV)

How can you have this confidence? Listen to the words of Jesus above: have faith in Him that he took on your burden of guilt and sin; that he paid the price to get us into heaven. Then you will have the confidence of your salvation and not a blind hope.

When you put your hope in Christ, there’s nothing keeping you out of heaven. As he said, he is the door. And opening that door is to walk the road less traveled. But the way is narrow. If you put your faith and hope in earning your way to heaven as the Muslims and Buddhists and Mennonites and countless other false doctrines do, you may have confidence in your salvation, but it will be a false one.

It’s too easy. We have a hard time accepting it. That salvation is free; and all we have to do is believe on Jesus Christ’s work on our behalf. But God’s ways are not our ways, and Glory be to God for that!

In closing, I’ll ask you to reflect on the popular Hymn, Blessed Assurance, which celebrates the assurance we have in the work of Jesus Christ for our salvation and eternal security in heaven with God our Father.

Don’t just listen to these verses… read them, comprehend them, and be assured… when you accept Christ and His work on the cross, you inherit the righteousness you need to be assured you will spend eternity with God.

May the peace and blessed assurance of our salvation given by God be with you.

He wants you to have that assurance, and to praise Him all day long!

May God Bless you, and may your light shine among men in the darkness.

-Anthony

 

Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!
O what a foretaste of glory divine!
Heir of salvation, purchase of God,
born of his Spirit, washed in his blood.

Refrain: This is my story, this is my song,
praising my Savior all the day long;
this is my story, this is my song,
praising my Savior all the day long.

 

 

Perfect submission, perfect delight,
visions of rapture now burst on my sight;
angels descending bring from above
echoes of mercy, whispers of love. (Refrain)

 

 

Perfect submission, all is at rest;
I in my Savior am happy and blest,
watching and waiting, looking above,
filled with his goodness, lost in his love. (Refrain)