Good Deeds vs. Bad Deeds?

A well-known sports figure was once asked in a magazine article, "What does your faith mean to you?" This is certainly a good question. The sports figure replied, "One day, we're all going to die and God's going to judge us, our good and bad deeds. If the bad outweighs the good, you go to Hell. If the good outweighs the bad, you go to Heaven."

While many would probably agree with this statement, one must ask whether or not it is a true one. Does God have a "heavenly scale", and is He going to weigh our good deeds and bad deeds in order to determine if we will spend eternity in Heaven or Hell? This teaching, or belief, is held by many different religions in our world.

What does the Bible, God's inspired Word, have to say about this question? In the Book of Ephesians (chapter 2, verse 8), Paul the Apostle states, "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God:" and in verse 9 he continues, "Not of works, lest any man should boast." Salvation, or "being saved", means that you will not spend eternity burning in Hell. Paul states, "...it is the gift of God", and it comes by faith. In other words, we can't earn our salvation. We cannot escape the burning flames of Hell simply by being good or moral and boasting about our good deeds.

Contrary to the belief held by the famous sports figure, and contrary to the belief taught by many religions around our globe, God does not have a scale on which He places our good and bad deeds to determine if we are good enough to enter Heaven and escape Hell. Rather, as the apostle Paul says, our salvation is by faith, "it is the gift of God". Jesus Christ stated, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16)

Jesus Christ is The Way

Our only hope of living eternally in Heaven is by believing in, trusting in, and surrendering to the Son of God, Jesus Christ. He, Himself, said in the Gospel of John (chapter 14, verse 6), "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." He didn't mention any scale.

One thing that the sports figure was correct about is that one day we're all going to die and appear before God, our Creator. The Bible states in the Book of Hebrews (chapter 9, verse 27), "And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:" On that judgment day however, the Lord is not going to pull out a "heavenly scale" and weigh our good deeds against our bad ones to determine our eternal destiny. Instead, God the Father will want to know what we did with His Son, Jesus Christ, while we lived on this earth. Did we forsake our sins and commit our lives to Him? Did we love, worship, honor, and obey Him? Did we trust in His precious blood that He shed on Calvary's cross for our salvation? Or, did we put our faith and hope in our own good deeds to save us?

Repent and Live for Christ

In fact, to believe that we could be allowed into Heaven by our good deeds only, would be to imply that we could get there on our own strength without the need for Jesus Christ as our Savior. The Bible tells us that we need to repent (turn away from all forms of evil) first, then bring forth fruits (deeds) worthy of repentance. In other words, become Born Again first, then live for Jesus with good works to testify of your salvation and the great change that He has made in you. To do so otherwise, is to "put the cart before the horse".

My friend, you are a precious soul to God. He desires you to live with Him forever in His heavenly kingdom. The only way that this can happen is for you to get on your knees right now and talk to Jesus Christ personally. Admit to Him that you are a sinner and that you need His blood to wash your sins from you. Ask Him to save you from the penalty of Hell. Tell Him you are surrendering the remaining days of your life to Him, and that you want His will for your life. Ask Him to place you in the church where He wants you to be. Most importantly, read your Bible and apply its teachings to your life. These simple acts of faith will keep you from the flames of Hell.

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