Ask Your Preacher - Archives
“Earning Heaven”
Categories: EVIDENCES, GOD, RELATIONSHIPS, SALVATIONI'm worried. I don't go to church. I don't pray. I do good deeds, and I try to live right, but my friends keep saying I am gonna go to hell because I believe in evolution and the Big Bang. Will I end up in hell?Sincerely,
Good Enough?
Dear Good Enough,
Though evolution and the Big Bang are worthwhile issues, they aren’t the core values that impact our eternity – Jesus is. Jesus made a radical claim when He walked this earth; He claimed that sin had created a giant rift between mankind and God (Rom 6:23) and that He had come to heal that rift (Jhn 3:16). Either Jesus is telling the truth, and He is the only way to receive reconciliation with God in order that we may go to heaven (Jhn 14:6), or Jesus was a liar and should be disregarded like all other crazy people.
The validity of Jesus’ claims stand or fall on the authenticity of Bible. If God wrote the Bible, then Jesus is the only way to heaven, and all His teachings must become our roadmap to life. We here at AYP believe that the evidence very clearly points toward the Bible being divinely inspired and unique among literature. Read the article “Who Wrote The Bible?” for our favorite evidence that the Bible is God’s Word.
It is a sign of your character that you are anxious and worried about this issue. Where we will spend eternity is the most important question we have to answer in this life. We believe Jesus is God’s Son and that He is the redeemer of our souls when we put our faith in Him (1 Pet 1:9). If after seeing the evidence we present on this site (and if you have more questions, please continue to ask them), you agree that the Bible is God’s Word – then praying, attending a faithful church (we can help you find one – not all churches follow the Bible), and all the other details of behavior fall into line. We aren’t saved by doing good deeds; we are saved by faith in Jesus… good deeds are just part of a living and obedient faith (Jas 2:17-18).
If you have further questions about what it takes to be saved, the Bible, Jesus, or any other spiritual concerns, do not hesitate to e-mail us at askyourpreacher@mvchurchofchrist.org.
