Question:  Won’t my good works get me into Heaven?

Answer:  No.  Despite what you may have heard from others, the Scriptures are clear that no amount of good works will get us into heaven.  For example, former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, a billionaire, made a spiritually incorrect statement in a recent interview with the New York Times.   He said that because he had donated millions of dollars to various causes he deemed worthy, he had earned his way into heaven.    He told the newspaper:   “I am telling you if there is a God, when I get to heaven I’m not stopping to be interviewed.  I am heading straight in.  I have earned my place in heaven.  It’s not even close.”   (You can read more about what he had to say in this Weekly Standard magazine article by clicking  http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/michael-bloomberg-i-have-earned-my-place-heaven_786943.html .)

The  former mayor may have been joking, but he still had it totally wrong!   Believers know that we cannot “earn” our way to heaven by doing a bunch of good deeds.   God tells us in His holy word, the Bible, that there is one way into heaven and that is by accepting Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.  We are all sinners, and our sin separates us from a holy God.  By taking the punishment for our sins on Himself and giving His life for us on the cross,  Jesus is our one and only Savior!   By believing in Him and asking God to forgive our sins, we are saved — having everlasting life in heaven!   In John 3:16,  Jesus says,  “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” (NKJV)  Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves;  it is the gift of God,  not of works, lest anyone should boast.”

However, once a person has accepted Jesus Christ as Savior, then God’s Holy Spirit will be dwelling inside him or her resulting in them wanting to do good works in the name of the Lord.  Ephesians 2 goes on to say in verse 10, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works,  which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”  James 3:26 says, “For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.”

So, while God expects Believers to do good works, His word makes it clear that works will not save you.  By accepting Jesus as our Savior, we are able to receive God’s free gift of grace.  Believers should be thankful that Jesus lived a sin-free life, died on the cross as our substitute, and rose to life again.    We need to continue to pray for all those who remain lost to God because of their unbelief.  We need to pray that they will come to know that God’s holy word is true and  know that good works are not their ticket to heaven.  Pray that they accept Jesus Christ as their Savior, for He is their only way to heaven!

Helpful Links:

Focus on the Family   http://www.focusonthefamily.com

Crown Financial Ministries   http://www.crown.org

The Christian Broadcasting Network   http://www.cbn.com

World Magazine    www.worldmag.com