Why should I let you into my heaven, asks God. How do you reply?

BruceLeiter · Mar 26, 2026

user1234 said:
You shouldn't.

But Jesus saved me.

Hallelujah! Thanks be to God for His unspeakable gift!

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:
Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:
Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.
~1Peter1:3-9~

I pray this to be for EVERY member and visitor here...May God bless you with His love and grace and salvation in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

And I pray for the same blessings in your life, @user1234!

MoreCoffee · 2026-05-14T03:41:04-0400

the 2017 thread is resurrected! Praise persistence.

Lamb · 2026-05-14T04:59:45-0400

MoreCoffee said:
the 2017 thread is resurrected! Praise persistence.

And I still point to Jesus as to the reason why

MoreCoffee · 2026-05-14T05:40:41-0400

Lamb said:
And I still point to Jesus as to the reason why

Fair enough.

I too point to Jesus, but not as a substitute for my own person; rather, I entrust myself to the mercy He won for us in His Passion, knowing that the Father welcomes me because I am united to Christ in faith, baptism, and a life being transformed by His grace, so that what God crowns in me is truly His own gift.

Lamb · 2026-05-14T08:36:44-0400

MoreCoffee said:
Fair enough.

I too point to Jesus, but not as a substitute for my own person; rather, I entrust myself to the mercy He won for us in His Passion, knowing that the Father welcomes me because I am united to Christ in faith, baptism, and a life being transformed by His grace, so that what God crowns in me is truly His own gift.

Jesus most certainly is our substitute because His death and resurrection is why we have salvation. Your life being transformed is only the result of what HE accomplished.

MoreCoffee · 2026-05-14T10:48:35-0400

Lamb said:
Jesus most certainly is our substitute because His death and resurrection is why we have salvation. Your life being transformed is only the result of what HE accomplished.

Can you show me a verse or verses that say that Jesus is "our substitute"?

Scripture teaches that Christ truly died “for us” in a vicarious and redemptive way, but it nowhere teaches the specifically Lutheran claim that our transformation is merely a passive result of His work; rather, the Bible consistently presents salvation as the fruit of Christ’s atonement received through faith, baptism, and our real cooperation with grace, so that the holiness required to see God is both God’s gift and something we must freely live out.

Scripture clearly teaches that Christ died “for us” — in our place.

This is the part Catholics and Lutherans both affirm, though we articulate it differently.
Examples:

Isaiah 53:5 — “He was wounded for our transgressions; crushed for our iniquities.”
1 Peter 3:18 — “Christ also suffered for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous.”
2 Corinthians 5:21 — “He made Him to be sin for us.”

These teach substitution in the sense of vicarious atonement, which Catholic doctrine fully accepts.

There is no verse that says sanctification is only a result of justification, nor that human cooperation with grace is excluded. That is a Lutheran theological inference, not a biblical statement.

Consider these passages:

Philippians 2:12–13 — “Work out your salvation… for God is at work in you.” (Both divine action and human cooperation.)
James 2:24 — “A person is justified by works and not by faith alone.” (Directly contradicts the Lutheran formula.)
Hebrews 12:14 — “Strive for… holiness, without which no one will see the Lord.” (Holiness is not merely a result; it is a condition.)
Romans 2:6–7 — God “will repay each according to his works… to those who persevere in doing good, eternal life.” (Final judgement includes our lived transformation.)
John 15:1–10 — Remaining in Christ requires ongoing obedience; fruitlessness leads to being “cut off.” (Union with Christ is not a passive consequence.)

Frankj · 2026-05-14T15:18:15-0400

MoreCoffee said:
Can you show me a verse or verses that say that Jesus is "our substitute"?

Scripture teaches that Christ truly died “for us” in a vicarious and redemptive way, but it nowhere teaches the specifically Lutheran claim that our transformation is merely a passive result of His work; rather, the Bible consistently presents salvation as the fruit of Christ’s atonement received through faith, baptism, and our real cooperation with grace, so that the holiness required to see God is both God’s gift and something we must freely live out.

Scripture clearly teaches that Christ died “for us” — in our place.

This is the part Catholics and Lutherans both affirm, though we articulate it differently.
Examples:

Isaiah 53:5 — “He was wounded for our transgressions; crushed for our iniquities.”

1 Peter 3:18 — “Christ also suffered for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous.”

2 Corinthians 5:21 — “He made Him to be sin for us.”

These teach substitution in the sense of vicarious atonement, which Catholic doctrine fully accepts.

There is no verse that says sanctification is only a result of justification, nor that human cooperation with grace is excluded. That is a Lutheran theological inference, not a biblical statement.

Consider these passages:

Philippians 2:12–13 — “Work out your salvation… for God is at work in you.” (Both divine action and human cooperation.)

James 2:24 — “A person is justified by works and not by faith alone.” (Directly contradicts the Lutheran formula.)

Hebrews 12:14 — “Strive for… holiness, without which no one will see the Lord.” (Holiness is not merely a result; it is a condition.)

Romans 2:6–7 — God “will repay each according to his works… to those who persevere in doing good, eternal life.” (Final judgement includes our lived transformation.)

John 15:1–10 — Remaining in Christ requires ongoing obedience; fruitlessness leads to being “cut off.” (Union with Christ is not a passive consequence.)

What is the Catholic view of the Jewish (God mandated) practice of the sacrifice to atone for sins in relation to Jesus being called lamb of God and his crucifixion?

I'm thinking that the original sacrifice was a substitution of a sacrificial animal in place of the sinner as well as the sinning of the nation of Israel as a whole, but maybe I see it differently than others.

FWIW, In my view this sacrifice is necessary to make 'the wage of sin is death' a truth with the sacrificed animal receiving that wage in place of the sinner himself.

MoreCoffee · 2026-05-14T15:55:37-0400

Frankj said:
What is the Catholic view of the Jewish (God mandated) practice of the sacrifice to atone for sins in relation to Jesus being called lamb of God and his crucifixion?

I'm thinking that the original sacrifice was a substitution of a sacrificial animal in place of the sinner as well as the sinning of the nation of Israel as a whole, but maybe I see it differently than others.

FWIW, In my view this sacrifice is necessary to make 'the wage of sin is death' a truth with the sacrificed animal receiving that wage in place of the sinner himself.

1. What the Old Testament sacrifices were really doing
In Catholic theology, the animal sacrifices of the Old Covenant *did* involve substitution, but not in the strict “the animal receives the exact punishment due to the sinner” sense.

The Church teaches that:

The blood of animals **could not** truly take away sins (cf. Hebrews 10:4).
These sacrifices were **real**, **God‑mandated**, and **efficacious**, but only in a **symbolic and anticipatory** way.
They expressed repentance, covenant loyalty, and the desire for reconciliation.
Their power came not from the animal itself, but from the future sacrifice of Christ, which they pointed toward.

So yes, they involved substitution — but more as **ritual representation** than literal transfer of guilt.

2. Why Jesus is called the “Lamb of God”
When John the Baptist calls Jesus *“the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world”*, he’s drawing together several Old Testament threads:

**The Passover lamb**, whose blood saved Israel.
**The daily Temple lambs**, offered morning and evening.
**The sin‑offering lambs**, offered for purification.
**The Suffering Servant** in Isaiah 53, “like a lamb led to the slaughter”.

Catholic theology sees Jesus as the **fulfilment** of all these types — not just one of them.

3. How Christ’s sacrifice differs from animal sacrifice
Here’s the key Catholic point:

Animal sacrifices symbolised atonement.
Christ’s sacrifice accomplishes atonement.

The Catechism puts it this way: Christ’s death is:

**once for all** (Hebrews 10:10)
**perfect** and **sufficient**
offered by a **divine person** in a **human nature**
an act of **obedient love**, not simply a legal transaction

So while the Old Covenant sacrifices were shadows, Christ is the reality they were pointing toward.

4. About “the wages of sin is death”
You’re right that sin leads to death — spiritually and physically. But Catholic theology doesn’t say that the animal “receives the wage” in the strict sense. Instead:

The animal’s death **symbolises** what sin deserves.
Christ’s death **actually bears** the consequence of sin — not as a punishment inflicted by the Father, but as Christ freely entering into the human condition of suffering and death caused by sin.

The Church avoids the idea that the Father “punishes” the Son. Instead, Christ offers Himself in love, and the Father accepts that offering.

5. So how does substitution work in Catholic theology?
Catholicism affirms **substitution**, but not **penal substitution** in the strict Protestant sense.

Christ:

stands in our place
offers Himself on our behalf
bears the consequences of sin
reconciles us to the Father

But He does this as a **loving self‑offering**, not as a victim of divine wrath.

[Composed with the help of Microsoft Copilot, seriously altered by me]

Why should I let you into my heaven, asks God. How do you reply?

BruceLeiter

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MoreCoffee

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Lamb

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Lamb

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Frankj

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Why should I let you into my heaven, asks God. How do you reply?

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God's Lil Lamb

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God's Lil Lamb

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