Question

[Arafat]

Do you believe that people who do good things and work to make the World a better place, are going to hell because they may not be Christians?

 

[savvy24]

Ok ---
W-ell Just Becasue People Do Things
That Are Good
Does Not Mean They Will Go To Heaven -

U- --don-t Go T-o Heaven F-ro Ur Works
Or What U Have Done

-it Is By Haveing A Relatioship With God


Works Are Good And It Does Benfit And Make The World A Better Place
But It Wont Get Ur Way To Heaven

 

[savvy24]

The Reason
People
Go To Heaven
Is Becasue They Chose
Jesus

 

[savvy24]

.

 

[BroGinder]

Here is a scripture that may assist you in clarifying Gods directive or thought on this.

Matt 7:22-23
22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
KJV

 

[FallingWaters]

Do you believe that people who do good things and work to make the World a better place, are going to hell because they may not be Christians?

In a nutshell, yes.

The Bible teaches that the way to get into heaven is by faith in God's Son. It's not by works but by faith so that no one can boast about earning their own way into heaven.
Ephesians 2:8-9 - 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.

Jesus said I am the way, the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father except through me. [John 14:6]

Paul taught that in God's eyes our "good works" are like filthy rags. [Isaiah 64:6]

Romans 3:23 - "...for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God"

However, I believe that God is good and merciful. I believe that we don't know everything about God. I believe that there may be some people who are "saved" in non-typical ways, like tribespeople in the jungles who haven't heard specifically about Jesus, yet acknowledge the existence of God and humbly have faith in Him.

I never assume someone is going to hell just because they were not publicly known to have made a profession of faith. God can do whatever He pleases, and because He is a good and merciful and loving Father, I believe He has ways of saving people that we don't know about.

Look at Abraham. Abraham believed God and it was accounted unto him for righteousness. I can't fathom a loving Father who would send babies to burn in hell who had never had a chance to hear the gospel, and I don't think He does. I think He has ways we don't know about.

The bottom line is we don't know what God does in those special cases. The Bible doesn't say. It is alluded to in Romans...

Romans 2: 13(for not the hearers of the law are just in the sight of God, but the doers of the law will be justified; 14for when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do the things in the law, these, although not having the law, are a law to themselves, 15who show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness..."

Romans 1: 19 "because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. 20For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, 21because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful..." [Conversely, perhaps God has made a way to save those who are thankful and give God glory.]

I will probably get a barrage of criticism about this as I have never heard it taught and so it is my own personal understanding, and it is quite possible I am mistaken, but personally, I don't think there is solid proof that this doesn't occur.

 

[Loner]

Do you believe that people who do good things and work to make the World a better place, are going to hell because they may not be Christians?

It depend on who you ask, Evanglicals and Bathist belive that only threw Jesus can man get into heaven but others groupes like Persbatrians and Lutherin belive Non-Christian can get into heaven. Lutherins see hell as a medafor and not a real pyshical place. Persbaterians and some Cathlics belive that jesue death makes salvation posibal for any one. Meaning even a Athist can get in to heaven.

 

[JustAVessel]

Do you believe that people who do good things and work to make the World a better place, are going to hell because they may not be Christians?

Unfortunately, yes.

Let me put it this way:
God is an all-holy, perfect God. The ultimate sin is rejecting an all-holy, perfect God. If a person does not become saved through Jesus Christ, that person is rejecting God. That person will go to hell.
The thing is, though, that without Jesus, there would be no path to God except through the Mosaic law, which no one can fully keep. The question I ask myself is: why would Jesus die for a sinner like me? God is all-holy and all-powerful, but he is also merciful and abounding in love.

 

[Rafael]

Do you believe that people who do good things and work to make the World a better place, are going to hell because they may not be Christians?

That depends upon who they did them for and what God considers as truly good. Understanding that love takes sacrifice is one example He gives us as good.
I think God is able to take care of justice concerning eternity without our feeble attempts at judgment. He provides mankind with a way home, and depending upon their knowledge of His salvation and their decisions based upon what He has given them in that knowledge, only He would know how to judge perfectly on the eternal future of that individual.
People should be careful judging for God, because with the same measure they judge with; they will be judged also.

Mt 7:2 For others will treat you as you treat them. Whatever measure you use in judging others, it will be used to measure how you are judged.

I JOHN 3:16-19 This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with ACTIONS and TRUTH. This then is how we KNOW that we belong to the truth and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence whenever our hearts condemn us.

 

[LilLamb219]

but others groupes like Persbatrians and Lutherin belive Non-Christian can get into heaven. Lutherins see hell as a medafor and not a real pyshical place.

The statements above about Lutherans are incorrect and as a Lutheran I'd like to give the Lutheran explanation.

Lutherans believe that we get to heaven through God's Son Jesus Christ and not works. Our sin prevents us from being holy enough to work our way to heaven. The only one good enough is Jesus Christ who is Himself God who came to earth in the form of man and died on the cross in our substitute. Those who believe and trust in the forgiveness of sins won at the cross will have eternal life. Those who trust in their own works (that aren't perfect enough to earn a spot in heaven no matter how hard they try) reject the work of the cross and reject Christ. Rejection of Christ is how man damns himself.

Lutherans believe that hell is a real place.

It's nice for people to want to do good for others in this world. But Christianity is about realizing that we cannot work our way to heaven which is why we are all in need of a savior.

 

[The Virginian]

The Reason
People
Go To Heaven
Is Becasue They Chose
Jesus

In answer to the original question the answer is on the negative side of the ablove statement: People go to hell because they do not chose JesusChrist. Accepting Jesus as the Son of God, and that your sins keep you from union with God, and Jesus dying on the Cross for your sins, being raised from the dead by the power of God, ascended into heaven to sit at the Father's right hand, as the free gifts of the grace of the Father, is how one get into heaven.

Being, and or, doing good has absolutely no place in meriting the favor and grace of Almighty God!

God is the One who has created the criteria for citizenship in heaven, and if you think that His qualifications are unfair, ponder this: How fair is it that the holy, sinless Son of God should die for your sins, instead of you?

 

[MikeMcK]

Persbaterians and some Cathlics belive that jesue death makes salvation posibal for any one. Meaning even a Athist can get in to heaven.

Actually, this isn't true. Only the most liberal of Presbyterians, a very small minority, believe this.

As for Roman Catholics, Roman Catholics do not believe this at all. In fact, they believe that, regardless of one's relationship with God, that they will go to Hell if they are not a member of the Roman Catholic religion.

 

[MikeMcK]

Do you believe that people who do good things and work to make the World a better place, are going to hell because they may not be Christians?

You've gotten some good answers here. The only thing I can add is to say that we don't go to Heaven because we're bad people. We go to Heaven because we're made righteous in Christ and are reconciled to God through His death and resurrection.

Every one of us is a sinner and our sins make us enemies of God. Sin is the breaking of God's laws doing so makes us guilty and sin stained.

Since sin makes us unrighteous, we cannot enter Heaven. The only way to become righteous is through Christ.

Just as in a human court, a transgression of the law must be punished, so, in God's court, transgressions of His law must be punished. That is what Hell is.

If you were to go into a human court and stand before a human judge and say, "But your honor, I've done good works. You can't punish me."

The judge isn't going to buy that excuse because, while good works are good, justice must still be served.

God's righteousness is so great that the only justice for us is Hell.

That is where Jesus steps in. We used to sing a song in our church that went, "He [Jesus] paid a debt He did not owe because we owed a debt we could not pay".

We were not able to meet God's perfect standard, but Jesus was because He never did sin. He lived the perfect life that we could not.

I'll let the Bible take it from here:

Romans 5:6-21 6 For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. 8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. 10 For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. 11 And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement. 12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: 13 (For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law. 14 Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come. 15 But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many. 16 And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification. 17 For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.) 18 Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. 19 For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. 20 Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: 21 That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.

 

[Adstar]

Do you believe that people who do good things and work to make the World a better place, are going to hell because they may not be Christians?

One thing is sure. Those who reject the Messiah Jesus will not have salvation. Those who reject the Love of God will not spend eternity with Him.


All Praise The Ancient Of Days

 

[EdtheJesusfreak]

Do you believe that people who do good things and work to make the World a better place, are going to hell because they may not be Christians?

Ultimately, even the best of man kind sin. Without a Savior no one can enter Heaven. That Savior is Christ Jesus.

 

[ebia]

Do you believe that people who do good things and work to make the World a better place, are going to hell because they may not be Christians?

No.

 

[kamikat]

Do you believe that people who do good things and work to make the World a better place, are going to hell because they may not be Christians?

I haven't read all the answers yet, but the Orthodox church teaches that with God, all things are possible. God will save who He chooses to save. By man saying only certain people will go to heaven is placing limits on a limitless God. On judgement day, only God know what is in the hearts of man.

kamikat

 

[GrayAngel]

Good is in the eyes of the beholder. "Good" people do not exist outside of Christianity in God's eyes, and that's what matters. Now don't get me wrong. You can be a nice guy without being Christian, but if you don't serve the purpose of the One who created you, you are not good. But to answer your question, yes. I believe that people who are not born again in Christ will go to Hell because that is what the Bible says. I believe in the Bible 100%. And I honestly don't get how people can be Christian and not trust the Bible. That just doesn't make sense to me at all.

 

[hlaltimus]

Do you believe that people who do good things and work to make the World a better place, are going to hell because they may not be Christians?

Heaven is clearly represented in the Scriptures as being a perfect place.......Thank you Lord! I am so glad that there really is a truly perfect place for me to inhabit and delightfully explore after wading through this sin cursed, notoriously imperfect life in order to get to that one. There is the essence of the problem; Would you like to live forever in a realm where the gold tiles that line the inside vaulted dome of your mansion might just possibly fall in someday right on top of your head? "That's ridiculous! Heaven is a perfect place! No such thing could ever happen there." Correct, nor could any imperfect beings inhabit a truly perfect realm without marring that realm's perfection, it just can't be. If a man or woman is a philanthropic angel, yet not a true possessor of the pardoning blood and justifying righteousness of Christ, they still remain imperfect philanthropic angels and will not be found among the perfect angels and saints in heaven...it cannot be. Christ's bloody death perfectly cleanses from sin and preceptive righteousness perfectly justifies any believer and so qualifies them to inhabit that perfect realm. I am looking forward to a perfect eternity and rejoice in the fact that not a single glorious atom of it can be otherwise. Think about it carefully.

 

[LifeInChrist]

Do you believe that people who do good things and work to make the World a better place, are going to hell because they may not be Christians?

No, the Non-Christians who are good and loving are not going to hell just because they are not Christians. One can see that there are some Non-Christians better than some Christians.

God and Lord Jesus Christ are more broad-minded than we Christians think based on some Bible verses.

The Lord Jesus Christ had permitted a Christian Seer named E.Swedenborg to see the Heavens and Hells for a period of 27 years in the 18th Century. Swedenborg wrote a booklet titled "Heaven and its wonders and hells from things seen and heard". In this book swedenborg had mentioned that Non-Christians and Non-Church-Goers are also in Heaven although they may not be in the Higher Heavens because they have not recieved the Holy Spirit of God within them.

I would like to highlight a particular chapter in this regard.

The Non-Christians, or Peoples outside the Church, in Heaven - http://swedenborg.newearth.org/hh/hh36.html

Lord bless you.