What about the other religions that use the Bible? For example, would Catholics or Presbyterians go to Heaven, or do they have to be Protestant? Hi! Good question. I've written a previous post concerning this issue. Read it HERE. To answer this question, let's get some terminology cleared up. Protestants and Roman Catholics both fall under the banner of "Christianity." You can read up on their differences HERE. Presbyterians are NOT a third category, but rather fall under the umbrella of Protestantism.
Among the chief differences between Roman Catholicism and Protestantism is this very issue of salvation. According to Roman Catholicism, man cannot be saved by faith alone in Christ alone. They teach that a person must rely on faith plus “good works” in order to be saved. Protestant teaching affirms Scripture, which says salvation comes from God alone through the death and resurrection of His incarnate Son, Jesus Christ (Eph. 2:8).*
So my answer is quite straight-forward: Anyone who receives and trusts in Jesus ALONE (& not their own merits/deeds/works) for the forgiveness of their sins gains salvation. If you genuinely hold to Roman Catholic doctrine and believe you can enter God's kingdom on his own merit, then please look at Scripture and instead put their faith solely in the fact that we are “justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus, whom God displayed as a propitiation in His blood through faith.” (Romans 3:24-25). Good works arise from faith in Christ and thus are an indication that one is truly born again. But in and of themselves, they do not justify or save us.
[Answered by Pastor HM]
*This, in fact, is where Protestants received their name; they "protested" against Roman Catholic teaching.
