Can we know if we will go to heaven?

As a brief response to your question, I would say we can have “confident assurance” that we will go to heaven, but “knowledge” may be overstating things. Here’s why. We may “know” that we are right with God in the present moment—in Catholic parlance, in a “state of grace”—such that if we were to die right now (or if Christ were to come back right now!) we would certainly to go to heaven. This “being right with God” or persevering in a “state of grace” is not something that God is going to change His mind about. He is infinitely good and faithfully keeps His promises.

However, while we continue in this life, even in a state of grace, we are still prone to sin, possibly even to sin gravely. Since God respects our freedom to sin, there is always a possibility that we could turn away, even if we consider that possibility extremely remote at the moment. So, if I were to say that I “know” that I am going to heaven, I am either not taking seriously the possibility of sinning (which can be a tragic mistake), or I am committing the sin of presumption (i.e., that no matter how much I sin between now and when I die I know that God will forgive me). So I think “confident assurance” is a healthier and more precise way of putting it.

Really all this gets down to the importance of cultivating the theological virtue of hope, which is the virtue of a pilgrim, of one on a “journey.” It is ordered to a future good—life with God in heaven. Once we have attained that good, we no longer need hope, because then—and only then—will we have “arrived” (cf. 1 Cor. 13:12-13; Phil 3:12-14).

And yes, repenting and seeking forgiveness is key to getting right with God through Jesus Christ. We know that for serious sins committed after Baptism the sacrament of Reconciliation is the usual means of doing that.

Courtesy of Leon Suprenant