Question

[sobob]

I was wondering. Would a prisoner that was guilty for murder converted to Christianity have a better chance to go to heaven than an Atheist who lived an almost sin free life?

 

[MrJim]

I was wondering. Would a prisoner that was guilty for murder converted to Christianity have a better chance to go to heaven than an Atheist who lived an almost sin free life?

Yeah~see that little "almost" in your question?

Rom 3:22 –Rom 3:25 KJV
Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;

 

[JustAsIam77]

I was wondering. Would a prisoner that was guilty for murder converted to Christianity have a better chance to go to heaven than an Atheist who lived an almost sin free life?

Of course. All have sinned. Christ is the way to heaven.

 

[CruciFixed]

I was wondering. Would a prisoner that was guilty for murder converted to Christianity have a better chance to go to heaven than an Atheist who lived an almost sin free life?

Yes. Not one of us are righteous or good but Christ alone is good and He is our way to salvation. If we don't accept him we don't have his blood to cover our sins.

I feel this question gets answered all the time but ignored more than its answered.

The problem seems to be entitlement issues. Why does anyone deserve Heaven? The answer is no one deserves Heaven. Jesus opened up Heaven for us. We did not do anything to deserve Heaven. Do you know that "righteous" Jews did not go to Heaven before Jesus died on the cross at calvary? I am talking about God fearing, law abiding Jews who sacrificed their best animals etc. I'm talking Abel , Noah, Abraham and those men... Do you think Heaven has always been an option? Now as far as whether these men are in Heaven now that's something someone who is better than me in theology about that stuff could answer but I believe I read that they are in Heaven but before that even they were in "hell". Heaven is not a right that we must receive.

See "righteous" men lived before even Jesus was born. Some of them may have even lived a nearly perfect life as you put it. But even they had to wait for Him to die for their transgressions. We all need Jesus. If we refuse Jesus, being in very nature God, we refuse Heaven. Your atheist person said "There is no God" Thus, turning away from Christ our Savior. By doing that he said he doesn't want Heaven anyway.


Also noting someone is a convicted murderer doesn't help an atheists case for going to Heaven. God doesn't put sins on a grocery store scale and say "Well this one weighs more than that one. Therefore this sin is gonna cost you more than that" In the eyes of our Sovereign Lord all sin is disgusting ad wrong. There's no "nicer" sin to God. We as humans try to put sin on a scale but murder=lie=adultery=sexual immorality=idolatry=sin to God. He loves us though, for some reason I cannot personally comprehend. He loves us and that's why he stepped down from his mighty throne and threw himself at the cross....Love. A love indescribable.

 

[CIAagent11]

I agree with the above post by Brikkz.

I wish to elaborate on that question.

Would an atheist, who insults Christ, who has a Christian family, that pray for him/her, have a better chance to heaven?

 

[Floatingaxe]

I was wondering. Would a prisoner that was guilty for murder converted to Christianity have a better chance to go to heaven than an Atheist who lived an almost sin free life?

You could be considered pure by your peers but if you don't know Jesus, and He's the judge, you will not see heaven. It is not a chance--it is a certainty!

It matters not to God what a sinner has done as long as he repents and comes to Jesus Christ. He will be forgiven and all his sins are covered by the blood of Jesus. The atheist has refused the sacrifice made for him on the cross--the divine exchange: his sin exchanged for life. We are all born sinners, so an atheist has a lifetime of sin burdening him.

The sad thing is that both the atheist and the converted sinner are both equally greatly loved by God.


John 3:16 says it all!
“For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.

 

[Zecryphon]

I was wondering. Would a prisoner that was guilty for murder converted to Christianity have a better chance to go to heaven than an Atheist who lived an almost sin free life?

The murderer who is saved by God through the blood of Christ WILL go to Heaven. The atheist who lived an almost sin-free life without salvation through God's grace will go to Hell. What you have to remember is that we are born in sin as Adam's descendants. When he sinned, he threw the whole of humanity into sin. It's not a question of who "has a better chance." It's a question of who will go to Heaven and who won't. The one who is in Christ Jesus will and the one who isn't won't. See John 14:6.

 

[BustedFlat]

The murderer who is saved by God through the blood of Christ WILL go to Heaven. The atheist who lived an almost sin-free life without salvation through God's grace will go to Hell. What you have to remember is that we are born in sin as Adam's descendants. When he sinned, he threw the whole of humanity into sin. It's not a question of who "has a better chance." It's a question of who will go to Heaven and who won't. The one who is in Christ Jesus will and the one who isn't won't. See John 14:6.

Rom 3:9 What then? Are we better than they? Not at all. For we have previously charged both Jews and Greeks that they are all under sin.
Rom 3:10 As it is written:
"There is none righteous, no, not one;

Without accepting the blood of Christ there is NO chance to have access to the Throne of God.

Rom 3:21 But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets,
Rom 3:22 even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference;
Rom 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
Rom 3:24 being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,
Rom 3:25 whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed,
Rom 3:26 to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

 

[Zecryphon]

Busted, I can't tell if you're taking issue with what I've said or not. Please clarify. I thought I made it more than clear it is the one who has been saved by God's grace through Christ that will go to heaven. Are you disagreeing with that by using those scriptures from Romans that were written to Christians whether they be Jew or Gentile?

 

[Criada]

I was wondering. Would a prisoner that was guilty for murder converted to Christianity have a better chance to go to heaven than an Atheist who lived an almost sin free life?

Yes. The murderer will go to heaven if he has truly repented. The atheist... I don't know, judgement is in God's hands. Both are loved by Him.

 

[BustedFlat]

Busted, I can't tell if you're taking issue with what I've said or not. Please clarify. I thought I made it more than clear it is the one who has been saved by God's grace through Christ that will go to heaven. Are you disagreeing with that by using those scriptures from Romans that were written to Christians whether they be Jew or Gentile?

Underlining the importance of what you say.

We are all eternal beings. The only question is where we will spend that eternity, with the Lord or in torment without the Lord.

 

[sweetMelody]

I think they both have an equal chance IF they repent. Jesus died for everyone, and He will rejoice more if the athiest became a believer

 

[Zecryphon]

Underlining the importance of what you say.

We are all eternal beings. The only question is where we will spend that eternity, with the Lord or in torment without the Lord.

Okay, cool. Glad to hear it. (How unLutheran of me).

 

[Zecryphon]

I think they both have an equal chance IF they repent. Jesus died for everyone, and He will rejoice more if the athiest became a believer

But that's not the scenario set up in the OP. In the OP we have a repentant murderer and an atheist, who is not repentant based upon the fact that he is an atheist, who lived an almost sin-free life, whatever that looks like. It's clear from scripture who is going where when they die and are judged.

 

[sweetMelody]

But that's not the scenario set up in the OP. In the OP we have a repentant murderer and an atheist, who is not repentant based upon the fact that he is an atheist, who lived an almost sin-free life, whatever that looks like. It's clear from scripture who is going where when they die and are judged.

ok, if he is unrepentant then we know he will not go to heaven. I believe that.

 

[Albion]

I was wondering. Would a prisoner that was guilty for murder converted to Christianity have a better chance to go to heaven than an Atheist who lived an almost sin free life?

Yes. But no Atheist lives a sin-free life. Sin is a condition, although we often think of specific acts we call "sins." Without Christ--which is stipulated when you say "Atheist" --there is no means of escaping the consequence of one's sins.

The way you worded the OP seems to suggest, IMO, that salvation is a matter of how much good one does compared to how much bad he does, something weighed against its opposite number. That, however, is not how God sees sin and salvation, at least not so according to what the Bible teaches us. It is a matter of forgiveness, of redemption, which is possible only through Christ, not through anything we earn.

 

[ReformedChapin]

Everyone deseves hell. Once you understand that you will see that it doesn't matter your deeds. It's only by grace through faith that we are saved.

 

[Simon_Templar]

The most important detail in this question is the phrase "almost sin free".

This is a very important point for many Christians as well as many unbelievers.

There is NO SUCH THING as an almost sin free life.
There was one completely sin free life and the rest have all been mired and wallowed in sin from their beginning.

Jesus addressed this when he was having dinner with a pharisee and an immoral woman came in and bowed down before Jesus.
The pharisee thought to himself, "if Jesus is really a prophet he will know what kind of woman this is and not allow her to touch him."

Jesus in response told the pharisee a story about two people. One owed a huge amount of money and one owed a small amount of money. Neither of them could pay their debt, so the creditor forgave both their debts.
Jesus then asked, which person will love the creditor more?

The pharisee answered correctly "the one who was forgiven much".

Jesus then said, that one who is forgiven much loves much, but one who is forgiven little loves little.

Most people read this story and think its about the fact that Jesus forgave even the worst sinners.

That really is not the point of this story. The point that Jesus was trying to make to the pharisee was that WE ARE ALL great sinners. There are no really bad sinners, and then those who only sin a little... there are only those who realize how great their sin is, and those who imagine their sins to be small.

 

[Aibrean]

I think it's pretty straight forward given we have the Bible to draw from.. remember Luke 23:39-43?

One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!" But the other rebuked him, saying, "Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong." And he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." And he said to him, "Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.

An Atheist doesn't believe in God or Jesus. Works do not get you to heaven.

 

[Tu Es Petrus]

I was wondering. Would a prisoner that was guilty for murder converted to Christianity have a better chance to go to heaven than an Atheist who lived an almost sin free life?

Yes