How did Martin Luther believe one got to heaven?

Answer 1

While doing good things does tend to make the world a better place, it is not the key to getting to heaven. "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. It is a gift that God would like to give to all people, but he will not force it on anyone, nor can it be earned.

There a a few simple things we must know to gain the gift of heaven.

# All are sinners: "For all have sinned, and come short of the Glory of God." Romans 3:23. A clear evaluation of the world reveals this truth. While some are worse than others, all do some wrong or more.

# We deserve to be punished: "For the wages of sin is death..." Romans 6:23a. This will be seen as eternal death for it's comparison to eternal life in the same verse: "but the gift of God is eternal life thought Jesus Christ our lord." v. 23b. # While we deserve eternal death for our sins, God loved us so much that He sent Christ to die for our sins in our place. "But God commendeth His love towards us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8.

So, since we are sinners, we should pay for our sins by eternal death in Hell. Yet, Christ paid for all our sins, so that we would not have to do so, but could be forgiven. God's loving gift to us through Christ is salvation from sin and eternal life as His great blessing. It takes trust and belief in Christ as the Savior. Jesus said: "Verily,verily, I say unto you, he that believeth in me hath (right now) eternal life." John 6:47.

What we need to do is receive the gift by faith. Romans 10:9 says: "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." Verse 10 instructs for emphasis of importance: "For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." The belief should be genuine enough that we not only believe it in our heart, but we tell others of the marvelous love of God to us. Verse 11: "For the Scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed."

Again, verse 13 tells us that anyone can come to Christ to be saved: "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." A well known verse is John 3:16: "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." We will not perish in Hell, but will have life everlasting. That's "good news," which is what the word "Gospel" means! Jesus will turn nobody away, who truly wants to be saved. "All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out." John 6:37.

We need to be sorry for our sins, turning from that conduct and receive the gift of forgiveness and eternal life. The Holy Spirit brings this salvation to us and seals this gift to our heart. Then we are saved from sin's consequences and given God's promise of heaven.

It is through God's mercy that we can go to heaven, and that is only through Christ's sacrifice on the Cross. "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saves us, by the washing of regeneration, and the renewing of the Holy Ghost." Titus 3:5,6.

The next thing a person should do is join a Bible-believing and practicing church, to learn how to grow in the Lord and to be assured of the great gift of eternal life and Heaven. "And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved." Acts 2:47b.

Answer 2

i am a very strong catholic. in life, you have to be strong in faith, mind, and heart. believe in god, and you will be rewarded.

There is only one place in the Gospels where Jesus tells us what we need to do to receive eternal life on the day of judgment: Matthew 25 -- give food to the hungry, drink to the thirsty, visit the sick and imprisoned, shelter the homeless, clothe the naked, welcome the stranger, in other words, help those in need: "whatever you do for the least of these, you do for me."

Another answer:

A long time ago, Satan tried it and war broke out in heaven.

"For you said to yourself, 'I WILL ASCEND TO HEAVEN and set my throne above God's stars...'" (Isa.14:13 NLTNew Living Translation).

"Then there was war in heaven..." (Rev.12:7 NLT).

This is the only passage in The Bible that comes remotely close to saying "go to heaven." And it's Satan who says it!

The promises of God, which mankind may inherit, are the ones He made to Abraham:

"The real children of Abraham, then, are all those who put their Faith in God... And so it is: All who put their Faith in Christ share the same blessing Abraham received because of his Faith... now that you belong to Christ, you are the True Children of Abraham. You are HIS HEIRS, and now ALL THE PROMISES GOD GAVE TO HIM BELONG TO YOU." (Gal.3:7; 9 & 29 NLT)

And the Truth of the Bible is that "God NEVER promised Abraham heaven."

As stated above... the "desire to go to heaven" is the heartfelt passion and deception of Satan, the god of this world, that he set as a major tenet among the false religions of this world. The desire that deceived man believes is God's promise to man.

But, Truth be known... God promised Abraham THE EARTH!

"It is clear, then, that God's promise TO GIVE THE WHOLE EARTH TO ABRAHAM and his descendants was not based on obedience to God's law, but on the new relationship with God that comes by Faith." (Rom.4:13 NLT)

"...Because you have Obeyed Me and have not withheld even your beloved son... I will multiply your descendants into countless millions, like the stars of the sky and the sand on the seashore. They will conquer their enemies, and through your descendants, all the nations OF THE EARTH will be blessed [through his descendant, Jesus Christ] - all because YOU HAVE OBEYED ME." (Gen.22:16-18 NLT)

Even Jesus proclaims heaven OFF-LIMITS to man: "There is NO ONE who has gone up to heaven, but there is One who has come down from heaven, namely the Son of Man whose home is in heaven." (John 3:13 WEYWeymouth's New Testament)

"You will look for Me and will not find Me, and where I AM YOU CANNOT COME." (John 7:34 WEY)

So, "a person does not get to heaven." God won't allow it... and it's not in His plan for man -- it's SATAN'S DECEPTION and PERSONAL DESIRE.

God's promise to Abraham [and his Faithful Children] is the earth. The NEW EARTH!

"...I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth were gone, and the sea no longer exists. And I saw the Holy City, the New Jerusalem, COMING DOWN OUT OF HEAVEN FROM GOD... And I heard a loud voice... say, 'GOD'S DWELLING PLACE IS AMONG MEN and HE WILL DWELL AMONG THEM... Yes, God [the Father] Himself will be among them." (Rev.21:1-3 WEY)

The world believes the lies of Satan... and doesn't seem to be able to see or believe the plain, truthful scriptures as the one above.

"...I AM re-creating all things... Write down these Words, for THEY ARE TRUSTWORTHY and TRUE." (verse 5)

The Bible is a book of Faith. It's Words are TRUE: "...thy Word is TRUTH." (John 17:17 KJV) All man has to do is "believe" what it says. But, Satan speaks louder in the minds and hearts of men.

"The father whose sons you are is the Devil; and you desire to do what gives him pleasure... there is no Truth in him. Whenever he utters his lie, he utters it out of his own store; for HE IS A LIAR, and THE FATHER OF LIES.

"But because I speak the Truth, you do not believe Me... He who is a Child of God listens to God's Words. You do not listen to them: and why? It is because you are not God's Children." (John 8:44-47 WEY)

The Scriptures are simple and clear. Nowhere in them does God promise man [Abraham and his Faithful descendants and heirs, through Christ] heaven.

So, how does a person get to heaven? A person doesn't. Satan tried it once and was violently repelled:

"I saw Satan fall like a lightning-flash out of heaven..." (Luke 10:18 WEY).

The Father in heaven reveals that He is coming to earth... where His throne is to be ensconced as the Universal Headquarters of His Kingdom!

Satan once tried to "go to heaven" to become the "god of the universe"... and ended up the "god of this world." But, soon, God will come to earth to remove its god and to Judge his ancient crime.

"...angels - those who did not keep the position originally assigned to them, but deserted their own proper abode - He reserves [on earth] in everlasting bonds, in darkness, in preparation for the Judgment of the Great Day." (Jude 1:6 WEY)

Then, the harmony that Satan disrupted in the beginning, will, at long last, be restored to the universe.

Men don't "go to heaven"... and, except that they are blinded to this Truth by their god... shouldn't be wasting any more precious time on the deception. Heaven isn't promised to man, according to the Bible.

Answer 3

Martin Luther believed that people got into heaven through faith alone.

Not through paying off their sins to the priest.

But through prayer and an honest want for forgiveness.