Do the Good People Go To Heaven?

"Does a good & noble person (like Ghandi, Oprah, or Buddha) get damned to hell because he or she isn't a Christian?"

Again, another great and pointed question...

First of all, we have to be careful when we use words like "good" and "noble." We tend to water those down quite a bit. For example, instant jello is "good" but it's not the same "good" as The CheeseCake Factory's classic strawberry cheesecake, is it?! And it's an even bigger distinction when talking about good in an ethical sense. Is someone who lies a good and noble person? What about someone who commits adultery? Or murder? Or steals? Or acts in selfishness? Absolutely not! And if we are honest, we all do those things...and on a relatively frequent basis.

So it is with Oprah, Buddha, Mother Theresa, and everyone else who walks the earth. We cannot be classified as "good" people...

That leaves a big problem for us when trying to relate to a holy and perfect God.

Plus, He is a righteous judge. That means He has to judge fairly. So if a murderer walks before a judge and is found guilty, if the judge is just then the criminal has to be sentenced accordingly. If the judge fails to do this, he/she will probably be removed from their office!

And so it is with God. He is bound to judge us truthfully...as people who are not good because we have, and continue to, defy Him.

So what is our only hope?!

A judge is bound to give out a sentence that is fitting of the crime. And this is where Jesus comes in...! You see, we all deserve a strong punishment for our actions...there is no getting around this. But thankfully, we were condemned but (Jesus) offered to step in and take our place.

What that means is really simple: When the day of judgment comes (and it will), either we will pay our fine or someone else will have paid it for us (Jesus). Only 2 options. And it is the same for Oprah, Buddha, Mother Theresa, you, and me. Those who CHOOSE to pay it themselves will do so...and those who have thrown themselves on the mercy of Christ will go free into eternal life...

How beautiful and easy is that?!!!!

What Do You Believe?

What do you believe? That's a great question... And I think that most people, if asked, do not really know what they believe. Oh sure, we can all spout out some stuff we've been taught, or regurgitate some one else's ideas or stances on an issue. In the church those are known as "Sunday School answers." In fact, one of the youth in our group (a large and personable football player - giving no names) throws out the answer, "Jesus," to every single question I ask - and he's often right! But that doesn't really tell me what he, or anyone, really believes, does it? But we all have a set of beliefs...even if we don't realize it. So how do we know what we believe?

It's really quite simple: our actions reveal our beliefs. So if you want to know what you believe about something, just look at what you do. If I woke up tomorrow and fully believed that I was the Tooth fairy, how would I begin my day? Well, I would wake up and look for my little tutu. I would grab my fairy's wand. I might brush my teeth and eat a little fairy breakfast. And then I would try to fly around to other people's houses looking for teeth under their pillows. I would be laughed at and arrested, but I would do those things because of my firm belief in who I was.

When we realize that actions stem from our beliefs, what does that say about what we believe? How are your grades? What do you believe about school? Is it important or just a waste of time? How do you treat your family and friends? Do you really love them like you say you do? How often do you converse with God about stuff or dig in to His word? What does that say about your beliefs? Who do you really believe you are? Scripture says that those in Christ are kings, priests, joint-heirs with Christ, friends of God, saints, ministers of reconciliation, sons of God...need I go on? What would our lives look like if we really believed this?!

I remember when I was really slammed with this question several months back. I asked myself how much I believed that God listened and answered prayer. I realized that if I really believed what I typically said I did, I probably would be talking to God more...much more, but I wasn't. Do I really want God to protect my wife and daughter? Do I really want my friends and family, who are not submitted to Christ, to have a great awakening? Do I really want Him to use me to do something amazing here and now for the glory of Christ? I would say yes...and yet the only One who could do any of that was not being talked to... It doesn't make sense, does it? Inconsistent.

This is a hard question to wrestle with. It is constantly showing me areas where my vocalized beliefs are not matching up with my actual beliefs.

So that's me...what about you? What do you believe?