There is a misconception that only
"good" people will go to Heaven. Perhaps you would like to know what the Scriptures say
about this.
A man came to Jesus. A man that most would consider to be a good
man. After all, it was the aim of this man's heart to worship and to serve the true and living
God. Jesus told him that if he wanted to see the Kingdom of God, he would have to be born
again (John 3:1-8) Now you would think that this would have been a good time for Jesus,
who always spoke the truth from God, to have said to a man such a this: "Just keep doing
what you are doing and you will enter the Kingdom of God." But He did not say that. He
told this very devout man that he had to be born again (in other words, born of the spirit
(John 3:8) if he wanted to enter the Kingdom of God.
Now, in contrast, in the
gospel of Luke 23:39-43, where it deals with the account of the two malefactors who were
crucified with Jesus (malefactor means evil doer), one of these men mocked Jesus, but the
other one reprimanded the mocker saying: Have you no respect? We are here because of
the evil that we did, but this man (referring to Jesus) is innocent. Then he asked Jesus if He
would remember him when He entered into His Kingdom. Jesus answered this man's
request by guaranteeing him a place in Paradise. A man who, even by his own
admission(Luke 23:41) was a criminal, was given this promise by Jesus Himself! Now ask
yourself, what good works did this man do (or would he ever get to do considering he was
about to die) to deserve to be in Paradise? What the man did do was to recognize that he
was a sinner and that Jesus was the Savior and by putting his faith in Jesus, he received
such mercy.
Time and time again Jesus was confronted with self-righteous men,
many of whom were religious leaders, who were offended at the idea of needing a savior.
These people believed that their own works made them righteous before God. Jesus' answer
to this "holier that thou" attitude was: "The crooks and the prostitutes will enter the
Kingdom of God before you". (Matthew 21:31) He also told them: "I came not to call the
'righteous' but sinners to repentance."(Luke 5:32)
Yes, we all have sinned and
fallen short of the glory of God.(Romans 3:21-24) If a person could make themself righteous
before God simply by doing what they think is right, then Christ died in vain. (Galatians 2:21)
In Matthew 26:36-44 it says that three times Jesus asked God if there was ANY OTHER
WAY that the sins of the people could be atoned for other than Him having to lay down
His life for them. If EVER there was a time for it to have been said from Heaven;
"Just tell them to do good works and they will be saved" this would have been the time.
But, as we know, it wasn't.
Now for those of us who have accepted the fact that
we are sinners, this puts us a better position to recognize our need for a savior. JESUS IS
THAT SAVIOR!
"I am the way, the truth and the life, no one comes to
the Father but through me."
"If you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord"(Ruler),
and believe in your heart that God raised Jesus from the dead, you will be
saved."
"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith and this, not from
yourselves, it is the gift from God, not of works so that no one can boast."
"Whoever believes that Jesus is the Messiah is born of God: and everyone who has love for
the Father has love for His child."
(John 14:6, Romans 10:9, Ephesians 2:8&9, 1 John 5:1)

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