All of us are on a Journey

FAQ#10: It seems that Christians believe you can accept Jesus, then be evil, and still go to heaven.

By the way some Christians live, it would seem that this is a doctrine of Christianity. And this certainly has become a stumbling block for those who are trying to live a moral life. The moral person cannot understand how a 'good person' can go to hell and a 'bad Christian' can go to heaven.

• The moral person does not understand that none of us are good enough to go to heaven. The concept of a moral person without Christ in them, is a false belief according to the Bible.
  

• A Christian who accepts Jesus and then continues on sinning and in fact, sins worse, does not understand the biblical concept of grace. They are reflecting the concept of Cheap Grace.

A good person should go to heaven.
According to the Bible, no man can do anything to earn God's favor or approval. A person cannot be 'good enough' to earn the right to go to heaven. Man cannot earn the right to go to heaven. We are all sinners and none of us are righteous according to the Bible; and heaven is a place without sin where a holy God lives.

There is only one man who is righteous and has fulfilled the commandments of God- the Lord Jesus Christ. And when we turn our lives over to Jesus, by God's grace, we have eternal life and can go to heaven. This is the gospel.

The Bible says the following:
Eph 2:4,5, 8-10 (NIV) But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions--it is by grace you have been saved. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

If a person goes to heaven, it is not based upon how good they were. It is based upon them trusting in Jesus. And since all of us are sinners, it means that you can sin and do wrong things and still go to heaven. Otherwise no one could go to heaven. A true Christian may struggle with sin, but will have a desire to no longer sin, will ask God to forgive them for their sin, and will experience victory over sin in time. Those who have trusted in Jesus will receive a glorified body and will no longer sin when in heaven.

Cheap Grace
Christians who willfully do evil things do not understand the grace of God. Christians who think they can accept Jesus and not change do not understand grace and the teaching of the Bible.

The Bible says:
Romans 6:1-2 "What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace might increase? May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it?"

Cheap grace says you don't have to be concerned about purity, holiness, and obedience—Jesus already did all that so that you don't have to. Absolutely not! He did all that, empowered by the Holy Spirit, so that His life could live again through us. Grace is given to Christians so that they can have victory over sin.

Jesus raises the bar, not lessen it. He said, It is not enough that you not commit adultery, if you think it in your heart you have committed it. It is not enough that you not murder your brother, if you have hatred in your heart for him it is the same. It is obvious that the only way a person can live such a life is to have the power of God in their life through God's Holy Spirit, which is obtained by God's grace.

Summary
A person goes to heaven based upon receiving Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, not by their good works.

Once a person becomes a Christian they will still sin at times. But by God's grace a Christian can have victory over sin. And God calls Christians to walk in purity, holiness, and obedience. But remember, you obtain eternal life through Jesus and you keep eternal life by Jesus, not your good works. Christianity is a religion based upon faith and the merit of Jesus alone, not the merit of Jesus and our good works.

For more information on God's grace and cheap grace, go to our study on God's Grace.

So are you ready, to give your life to Jesus and experience victory over sin through His grace?