How would you say one gets to heaven? I am especially interested in your response if you have an unchurched background. Thanks.
I need help with my sermon tomorrow.
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Get to west virginia and look around because you’re pretty close
I am going to assume this is a legitimate question. This is coming from someone with a somewhat church upbringing but a moralistic approach to religion rather than a worship based approach
Being a moral person who does the right thing for your loved ones and people you don’t know. This includes helping the homeless, people in need, caring about others as much as you care about yourself. Accept people for who they are instead of judging them (think lgbt/mental health) Leave the world better than you found it
Being a moral person who does the right thing for your loved ones and people you don’t know. This includes helping the homeless, people in need, caring about others as much as you care about yourself. Accept people for who they are instead of judging them (think lgbt/mental health) Leave the world better than you found it
There is no debate. There is only one answer. Jesus said He is THE Way, THE Truth, and THE Life... No one goes to heaven except through Him. Period!! So no, not all roads go to heaven and sadly everyone talking about heaven isn't going there. The biggest majority of people are not. 
That's why it's our responsibility to tell others the Good News of Jesus Christ. That He lead a perfect life. The life God demands of us, but that we can never live up to, because even 1 sin ruins that perfection required to enter. Yet the good news is that Jesus lived the life we couldn't live and died the death and suffered the punishment we all deserve (and He didn't) so that we could be saved and have the everlasting life not a single one of us has earned or deserves. He paid the penalty for our crimes. Just like a judge can let you go free if someone pays your fine, God let's us go free of we put our faith and trust only in the payment Jesus made in our place on the cross. There. Is. No. Other. Way!
That's why it's our responsibility to tell others the Good News of Jesus Christ. That He lead a perfect life. The life God demands of us, but that we can never live up to, because even 1 sin ruins that perfection required to enter. Yet the good news is that Jesus lived the life we couldn't live and died the death and suffered the punishment we all deserve (and He didn't) so that we could be saved and have the everlasting life not a single one of us has earned or deserves. He paid the penalty for our crimes. Just like a judge can let you go free if someone pays your fine, God let's us go free of we put our faith and trust only in the payment Jesus made in our place on the cross. There. Is. No. Other. Way!You are gonna step on a few toes but start with a question: who in this building thinks YOU have done enough good to get into Heaven?
Thanks for your response. Would you mind if I quoted you? Just a heads up though. It's something I would disagree with.
I am saved through the blood of Jesus Christ
Sure. Do you mind PM why you disagree. I am genuinely curious
Post why you disagree. I would love to hear your honest thoughts on the situation. What are your thoughts on the dozen other religions and why they are wrong and Christianity is correct. Can you not get to heaven thru Buddha or Mohamed?
It is not a systematic approach that includes a formal process or five points. It is extremely simple and the message can be found in the gospel of John. All you have to do is believe in the promise of eternal life that Jesus promised us.
10-20 years ago the prosperity gospel folks were everywhere and today it is now a reformed or 5 point Calvinist slant that you can’t get away from. I’ve never met a reformed person that had assurance in their eternal life that can be so easily found in the gospel of John and it’s really disheartening.
10-20 years ago the prosperity gospel folks were everywhere and today it is now a reformed or 5 point Calvinist slant that you can’t get away from. I’ve never met a reformed person that had assurance in their eternal life that can be so easily found in the gospel of John and it’s really disheartening.
These actions would be the fruit of your salvation/faith received through the grace of Jesus’s blood.
Or if you don’t believe in any of it, there’s not anywhere to “get” — this is as good as it gets. You die and same thing happens to you that happens to all other animals
Good works and being a good person cannot get you into Heaven. Being saved by God’s grace through faith will. A born again Christian will hate sin and do things differently than before they were saved. I used to think I was good to go because God loved me and I knew that God loved me. I was baptized and went to church, but I wasn’t really saved. God loved me then as he does now, but if I died then I would go to Hell. Since I’ve been saved I can no longer be part of the world and feel comfortable. I still sin, but I hate my sin whereas before I didn’t notice sin as much.
The simple answer is faith. None of us truly know. My slant, it's not the gospel of John, but it's our faith to believe the gospel of John is true. I've traveled the world and met plenty of non-Christians who I believe will go to heaven - or their version of it. I've also met several Christians, some of which are in my small group, who I don't believe will. I do also believe the allegory of the elephant I was told by a Buddhist monk in Thailand. He said describing religion is like taking the world's best religious scholars, blindfolding them, and having them all touch an elephant and describe it. Heaven, God, and spirituality are all much bigger than what the human brain can absorb. I am always wary of people with conviction. What they need is faith.
Faith is the bridge that joins us between the known and the unknown.
Faith is the bridge that joins us between the known and the unknown.
From the apostle Paul in Romans chapter 10 verse 9-10:
9 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.
In Jesus’s own words:
John 14:6
New International Version
6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
Good works are great, but no amount of good works will get you into heaven. There is no way that we can earn our way into heaven. We are all sinners and none of us are worthy of it.
Our only way into heaven is through God’s Son Jesus Christ who lived a perfect life and was the ultimate sacrifice for our sins. He was raised from the dead and ascended into Heaven where he lives today.
9 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.
In Jesus’s own words:
John 14:6
New International Version
6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
Good works are great, but no amount of good works will get you into heaven. There is no way that we can earn our way into heaven. We are all sinners and none of us are worthy of it.
Our only way into heaven is through God’s Son Jesus Christ who lived a perfect life and was the ultimate sacrifice for our sins. He was raised from the dead and ascended into Heaven where he lives today.
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Probably too late to be included, but I believe the Bible is very clear about salvation. I can paste multiple verses if someone is genuinely interested in having the discussion, but for the sake of time and readability, I’ll summarize where I stand.
You obviously have to first come in contact with the Word and what it has to say about being saved.
It does you no good to hear it if you don’t believe it, so you have to do your own research to determine if you think the Bible is real or hogwash.
If you conclude that it’s real, you’re going to have to turn away from your current lifestyle outside of Christianity and repent of (turn away from) your sins. This is not a big deal for some people who were already living a life similar to the principles taught in the Bible, but living what the world defines as a “good” life isn’t necessarily the same as what God says is.
You are then agreeing/confessing that you do believe that the Bible is genuine and that Jesus is indeed the son of God.
You are then baptized for the remission/washing away of those sins, which is the doctrinal method of contacting the blood of Jesus.
Many people erroneously believe it ends there, that once you are saved you’re always saved, but the Bible refutes that in numerous passages along with salvation by saying the “sinner’s prayer”. Baptism is simply the beginning, as Christians have a responsibility to follow the tenets of the Bible throughout life and be faithful until they pass on.
It’s impossible to convey tone through a typed message, so if anything I say comes across as anything other than a humble explanation of what I believe the Biblical plan of salvation is, forgive me and let’s discuss it respectfully. I hope this wasn’t too wordy.
You obviously have to first come in contact with the Word and what it has to say about being saved.
It does you no good to hear it if you don’t believe it, so you have to do your own research to determine if you think the Bible is real or hogwash.
If you conclude that it’s real, you’re going to have to turn away from your current lifestyle outside of Christianity and repent of (turn away from) your sins. This is not a big deal for some people who were already living a life similar to the principles taught in the Bible, but living what the world defines as a “good” life isn’t necessarily the same as what God says is.
You are then agreeing/confessing that you do believe that the Bible is genuine and that Jesus is indeed the son of God.
You are then baptized for the remission/washing away of those sins, which is the doctrinal method of contacting the blood of Jesus.
Many people erroneously believe it ends there, that once you are saved you’re always saved, but the Bible refutes that in numerous passages along with salvation by saying the “sinner’s prayer”. Baptism is simply the beginning, as Christians have a responsibility to follow the tenets of the Bible throughout life and be faithful until they pass on.
It’s impossible to convey tone through a typed message, so if anything I say comes across as anything other than a humble explanation of what I believe the Biblical plan of salvation is, forgive me and let’s discuss it respectfully. I hope this wasn’t too wordy.
the bible states he who endures to the end will be saved.
It is spelled out very clearly in the Bible. A lot of the literature in the Bible is not followed by the preachers or institutions that espouse sai teachings. How can a church have lesbian preachers or celebrate pride month ? I guess gay people tithe too
Start by sitting under a pastor who does not get his sermon prep from a sports message board.
Accept Jesus Christ as your lord and savior.
then love the lord your god with all your heart mind and soul. Difficult and a little unclear.
AND
Love your neighbor as yourself. Very clear. Sometimes difficult.
Majority are going to say "being a good person" or "earn it". There's only one way. Better tell your flock to "church" them.
Much like your sermon prep, one can wait until the last minute. Just better be sure you know when that last minute is going to occur.
You're almost there. Once in West Virginia, you must locate a certain stairway... I believe it's going to be near a tree by the brook with a songbird who sings or behind a bustling hedgerow.
I do not know about the getting in part, but I can tell ya how to get kicked out.
Just be the best person you can possibly be. Do good things for people whenever you can and in general just be a good person. Do we all make mistakes? Of course. Do we all sin? Everyday. We are not perfect but I just want to leave this earth knowing I did everything I could to leave this place better than when it was when I got here.
M R Dawg is the only one who got it right. If everyone will study their bible as we are commanded to, they too will agree.
Thanks for your input. The sermon was from Galatians and how we are Christians by faith alone apart from good works (Ephesians 2:8-9) and how to witness to people about that. This forum is the closest thing I get to being around non-Chrsitians, which is really sad. I especially appreciate topbulldawg, but others who answered as well. I just didn't have time to ask permission to use other's quotes.
That's right. Anyone who studies the bible will come to the same exact conclusion as you and everyone else***
I'm not being a smart aleck. I have a great respect for those like you (and a couple of my relatives) who've heard and answered the call to try and lead. I'm glad you came back and qualified the reason for your question. I've checked out several religions and even in very similar denominations you'd get a straighter answer asking for the steps to making a good chili. Most might all follow the same pattern but they would extensively vary on the ingredients needed. It's crazy but I'm sure you know that.
I live in Brandon so it could be different for everyone else but I take HYW 25 N then turn east on HWY 12.. ****
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All of that is good but being a good person alone won’t get you into heaven.
But if you are getting in heaven you will also be a good person bc you’ll have Jesus in your heart.
Importantly, did I get the proper citation to the congregation. "Topbulldawg" a 15 year veteren on Sixpackspeak posted at 12:20 this morning....
Go to Iowa go into the corn behind right field
Which in itself is an absolute.
Indeed.
what I always find interesting when studying world religion, is that there are lots of people with multiple different views that are 100% in that their way is the way and the truth. most often they believe that because it is in the culture in which they were raised and believing anything else is wrong or a sin. Several versions of god throughout the world. Most all believe their god is the one true god or their way or denomination is the only way. Not many strike to think they could be wrong. Not many flip the table and realize the way they view their faith is the same way another views theirs. Only way to find out is death. There in, lies the faith. If you believe in something or someone, you have faith that it's right or at least hope it is. I have faith but I also realize other people feel the same way about their faith or belief. The reaching point is making someone want to have the belief or faith they have. Very few actually show anything like that or are any thing different than anyone around them.
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Good one. I'm really glad you don't deal in absolutes.
God definitely has a decent sense of humor. Just look at a platypus.
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