Christian: Do you deserve to go to heaven?

[tomspug]

I decided to resurrect this thread! (no pun intended)

 

[Charity]

I decided to resurrect this thread! (no pun intended)

Your divine power amazes me Tom............"resurrection" your closer to God than I thought.....
None are really deserving but thanks to Christ and The grace of God it has been made possible......

 

[Asdfghjkl]

That’s exactly right. No one deserves to go to Heaven, we are only promised that because God is a forgiving merciful God. Jesus dying for our sins was definitely a sacrifice because he took the weight of the world’s sins on his shoulders and in turn, gave us the hope of Heaven. Okay, so yes he loves us all equally… he loved Hitler as much as he loved anyone else. But the difference is he didn’t love what he did. He loves everyone the same, it’s just separated by how those people please him with their lives. The decisions people make affect how much God likes us …not how much he loves us. And to answer your last question, yes, Mother Theresa deserves heaven more than binLaden BUT only because she lived her life according to him and only because Jesus died on the cross. Otherwise no, they would be as unworthy as everyone else on the earth.

 

[Heneni]

My perspective is that if you are a citizen of a country you dont deserve access you have access based on your nationality.

Christians are citizens of heaven, and that citizenship does not change.

Of course we did not deserve to be made citizens....again...and i say again...because some of us were there before time started.

heneni

 

[ukMethodist]

No, I don't deserve it. Nobody really does.

 

[ἀλήθεια]

No, I don't deserve it. Nobody really does.

It's why we have be found in Him, isn't it?

As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: (Romans 3:10)

And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:
(Philippians 3:9)

Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works,
Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin. (Romans 4:6-8)

Aletheia

 

[Katzpur]

I think the answer to that question depends on your frame of reference. Obviously, we have all sinned. Since no unclean (i.e. impure, sinful, etc.) thing can enter into God's presence, we do not deserve -- on the basis of our own merits -- to go to Heaven. On the other hand, if Christ has atoned for our sins, the debt has been paid. As long as we remain faithful to Him, acknowledging His redeeming grace and doing our best to live as He told us we should, we are in a sense made worthy. In Isaiah, we read, "though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool." To me, this means that our "worthiness" to go to Heaven is contingent upon Jesus Christ's sacrifice. If that sacrifice failed to cleanse us, we would be remain unworthy. By letting us into Heaven though unworthy, God would have turned a blind eye to our sins, which is something God cannot and would not do.

 

[tomspug]

I think the answer to that question depends on your frame of reference. Obviously, we have all sinned. Since no unclean (i.e. impure, sinful, etc.) thing can enter into God's presence, we do not deserve -- on the basis of our own merits -- to go to Heaven. On the other hand, if Christ has atoned for our sins, the debt has been paid.

As long as we remain faithful to Him, acknowledging His redeeming grace and doing our best to live as He told us we should, we are in a sense made worthy.

Aren't these two statements contradictory?

To me, this means that our "worthiness" to go to Heaven is contingent upon Jesus Christ's sacrifice.

If that sacrifice failed to cleanse us, we would be remain unworthy.

Both of these quotes are ALSO contradictory.

By letting us into Heaven though unworthy, God would have turned a blind eye to our sins, which is something God cannot and would not do.

You're view of the value of Christ's sacrifice confuses me.

 

[Katzpur]

Aren't these two statements contradictory?

No.

Both of these quotes are ALSO contradictory.

I don't see them as contradictory. To me it is a much greater contradiction to say that (1) We have all sinned and are unworthy to go to Heaven, (2) God is perfectly just, meaning that He will punish disobedient behavior. (3) God ignores what would be a just consequence of our unworthiness and allows us to live in His presence.

You're view of the value of Christ's sacrifice confuses me.

Obviously. What can I say to help you understand?

 

[ἀλήθεια]

No.

I don't see them as contradictory. To me it is a much greater contradiction to say that (1) We have all sinned and are unworthy to go to Heaven, (2) God is perfectly just, meaning that He will punish disobedient behavior. (3) God ignores what would be a just consequence of our unworthiness and allows us to live in His presence.

Obviously. What can I say to help you understand?

God is just and merciful. His mercy is evidenced by the fact that He imputes Christ's righteousness to believers/followers of Christ. The believers have done nothing in and of themselves to deserve God's mercy.

impute

1. Theol. to ascribe (goodness or guilt) to a person as coming from another

 

[ukMethodist]

It's why we have be found in Him, isn't it?

As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: (Romans 3:10)

And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:
(Philippians 3:9)

Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works,
Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin. (Romans 4:6-8)

Aletheia

:yes:

 

[sojourner]

That’s exactly right. No one deserves to go to Heaven, we are only promised that because God is a forgiving merciful God. Jesus dying for our sins was definitely a sacrifice because he took the weight of the world’s sins on his shoulders and in turn, gave us the hope of Heaven. Okay, so yes he loves us all equally… he loved Hitler as much as he loved anyone else. But the difference is he didn’t love what he did. He loves everyone the same, it’s just separated by how those people please him with their lives. The decisions people make affect how much God likes us …not how much he loves us. And to answer your last question, yes, Mother Theresa deserves heaven more than binLaden BUT only because she lived her life according to him and only because Jesus died on the cross. Otherwise no, they would be as unworthy as everyone else on the earth.

Actually, I think Mother Theresa would disagree with you. God loves us. Period. No matter what we do, or don't do. No one "deserves" heaven, but God opens the gates to all who will come. I am confident that, some day, all will come.

 

[RomCat]

Only God knows.