You can't go to Heaven by Good Works...
God does not count good works in any form or fashion. The Bible says in Titus 3:5, "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us...." Ephesians 2:8,9 "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast."
There is not one verse in all the Bible that says anything about working to go to Heaven. The truth of the matter is, a man could go to church Sunday morning, Sunday night and Wednesday night every week of his life and still die and go to Hell. One does not become a Christian by getting into the church any more than one becomes an automobile by getting into the garage. Joining the church has nothing to do with going to Heaven. Once a man is saved, he ought to join a good church, a place where he can attend, enjoy the fellowship of other believers and learn from the Bible what God expects of him, a place where he can be involved in helping to get out the Gospel. But church membership comes after salvation, and no one should ever join a church until he is first sure that he is saved.
If salvation were by works of any kind, then somewhere the Scripture would have to tell us exactly how much one must work in order to be saved. Would Sunday morning and Sunday night church services be enough, or must one go to every service, including Wednesday nights? And must one also tithe his income and give to the poor? Exactly how much work is required before a man can go to Heaven?
There is no passage anywhere in the Bible that answers the question. If a man worked in order to be saved, then the motive for the work would render it ineffective. According to I Corinthians 13, any work not motivated by love for Christ is not acceptable.
Paul said in I Corinthians 13:3, "And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity [love], it profiteth me nothing." If a man worked in order to be saved, the motive for his service would not be love but fear. He would be working because he was afraid he was going to Hell, not because he loved God. Thus the motive would render the work unacceptable.
Matthew 7:22,23 makes it very clear that no one goes to Heaven on his good works. Here the Scripture says, "Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity."
Here is a judgment scene where people tell the Lord all about their good works, thinking He will let them into Heaven. But in verse 23 the Lord says, "I never knew you: depart from me." And then He calls their good works 'works of iniquity.'
Once we receive Christ as Saviour, we should set out to serve Him and do all the good works we can. Ephesians 2:10 says, "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works ...." But we work because we love Him, not in order to be saved. When it comes to salvation, good works, no matter how good or how many, are absolutely worthless.
Romans 11:6 says, "And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work." No, God doesn't count our good works. Salvation is not a result of what we do for Christ but rather a result of what He does for us.
You can't go to Heaven by your Righteousness...
If a man went to Heaven on his own righteousness, he would have to be as holy and as righteous as God Himself. And no man except Jesus Christ has ever been that righteous. God is so righteous that no man can look upon God and live. In Exodus 33:18 Moses said to God, "I beseech thee, shew me thy glory." And God replied in verses 20-23, "Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live.... Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock: And it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a clift of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by: And I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see my back parts: but my face shall not be seen."
The average Christian lives and dies and never has the foggiest idea of how holy and righteous God really is. In Isaiah 6:1-3 the prophet said, "In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory." According to these verses, the seraphims in Heaven are flying around the throne of God singing, "Holy, holy, holy!" They could be singing, "Justice, justice, justice!" for God is just. They could be singing, "Love, love, love!" for God is love. They could be singing, "Mercy, mercy, mercy!" for God is merciful. They could be singing, "Longsuffering, longsuffering, longsuffering!" for God is longsuffering. But, no, they are singing, "Holy, holy, holy!" And the seraphims that sang, "Holy, holy, holy!" have their faces covered with two of their wings. They are not even looking upon the God they are singing about.
John 3:3 says, "Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." Verse 5 says that he cannot enter the kingdom of God, but this verse says that he cannot see the kingdom of God. If I go to Heaven, then I must be as holy and righteous as God Himself. And I cannot be that righteous. Isaiah 64:6 reminds us, "But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags. . . ." In Romans 10:1-4 Paul says, "Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved. For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth."
Here Paul speaks of religious folks, zealous folks, but folks who do not know the way of salvation. They were trying to establish their own righteousness, not knowing that all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags in God's sight. How sad that multiplied millions of people throughout the world are trying to qualify for Heaven by living right, not knowing that their righteousnesses are as filthy rags in God's sight! They, like the people Paul wrote about, are going about to establish their own righteousness, not realizing that "Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth" (Rom. 10:4).
Heaven is not a reward for those who behave; it is a gift for those who believe.
You can't go to Heaven by Baptism...
Contrary to the teaching of many when it comes to salvation, God does not count baptism. Baptismal regeneration was first taught by the Catholic church and later picked up by several other denominations. Those who think that God requires water baptism as an entrance into Heaven teach that the water washes away sins. The only thing that remits sins is the blood of Christ.
Hebrews 9:22 says, ". . . without shedding of blood is no remission." If one had to be baptized to have his sins remitted, then what would he do with the sins he committed after he was saved? Suppose a man was baptized twenty years ago. Since then he has committed many sins. Remember, no one lives absolutely perfect and above sin. First John 1:10 says, "If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us." Now if baptism were necessary to remit sins, then this man would need to be baptized again in order to have remitted the sins he had committed since he had been saved. But if he is baptized the second time, then what will he do with the sins he commits after the second baptism?
Of course, if water were necessary to wash away sins, then he must be baptized again and again and again. Every time he commits a sin, he would have to be baptized again to have his sins washed away. If baptism is really necessary to remit sin, then a person not only should be baptized; he should get into the baptistry and refuse to ever get out lest he commit some sin after he gets out of the baptistry and die before he can get back into the water.
If baptism does remit sins, then Jesus Himself never remitted or forgave any man of his sins because the Bible plainly says in John 4:2, "Jesus himself baptized not, but his disciples." Those who teach that one must be baptized in order to be saved further teach that one can lose his salvation. Suppose a man believes in Christ, confesses Him, repents, is baptized and joins the church of the preacher who teaches baptismal regeneration. Then, according to this preacher, he is saved. After a few years he goes back into sin and loses his salvation. Being disturbed about his condition, he goes back to the church and wants to be saved again. Does that same church insist that he be baptized again? No, they do not. If water baptism were necessary for salvation the first time, then how could he possibly be saved the second time without being baptized? That is just one of the contradictions and inconsistencies of those who teach that water baptism is necessary for salvation. If water baptism were necessary for salvation, then none of the Old Testament saints were saved because baptism was not mentioned one single time in the Old Testament, and there is no record of a single individual ever being baptized before John the Baptist began baptizing converts in the New Testament. Those who argue that baptism is essential to salvation teach one plan of salvation for those in the Old Testament and a different plan of salvation for those in the New Testament. But the Scripture teaches that all men are saved the same way in every dispensation or age.
Acts 10:43 says, "To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins." Now notice very carefully: this was the message of all the prophets. The Old Testament prophets preached remission of sins by faith in Christ. The New Testament prophets preached remission of sins by faith in Christ. And those who preach the truth today are still preaching remission of sins by faith in Christ. When it comes to salvation, God did not count baptism in the Old Testament. He did not count baptism in the New Testament, and He does not count baptism today. The message today is the same message all the prophets witnessed: ". . . that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins."
IF YOU NEED TO KNOW HOW YOU CAN BE SAVED TODAY, PLEASE EMAIL US IMMEDIATELY, PLEASE DON'T WAIT!
Bro Dave Gindlesperger
CMBC Facebook Moderator
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