Christians can’t go to hell because of how they live. Really? By Alan Ballou
Which of these two men leaves justified before God; the Pharisee who says that I’m glad I’m not like this sinner, or the sinner who realizes that he needs Jesus?
Luke 18:10-13
10 “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other men – extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.’ 13 And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’ NKJV
The sinner went home justified, but does that mean that he will “not” end up in hell if he doesn’t change his ways? What does the Bible say? Does how we live after we become a Christian matter or can we say “Jesus is Lord” and go straight to Heaven when we die?
If we can find the verses that tell us how to be justified, we should be able to find the verses that answer these questions too. The fact is that the person who is justified, “must continue” in his faith or he will lose his soul.
Hebrews 10:36-39
36 For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise: 37 “For yet a little while, And He who is coming will come and will not tarry. 38 Now the just shall live by faith; But if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him.” 39 But we are not of those who draw back to perdition, but of those who believe to the saving of the soul. NKJV
Notice that “after we have done the will of God, we receive what is promised” (verse 36 above). That is in line with the doctrine of Jesus, Who said that it is not those who call Him Lord that will make it, but those who “do” the will of the Father (verse 21 below).
Matthew 7:21-23
21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’ NKJV
We come to know Jesus just like Ephesians 4:20-24 and 1 John 2:3 says that we do, which involves obeying Him, and putting off our old way of life. Check the verses yourself. I want you to know the truth so that you will not end up in hell, all the while thinking you are Heaven bound. The will of the Father includes us “living a holy life” here on Earth (1 Thessalonians 4:1-4). You better check.
Those who believe will hear those verses and receive the truth. Those who do not believe will try to find fault in me as usual, but the same Bible they use to make grace a license to continue in sin will condemn them on the last day according to the Words of Jesus, the very one they claim to follow (John 12:47-49).
Look at this. Anyone who follows Jesus will not do what according to the Words of Jesus written just after He did not condemn the woman caught in adultery.
John 8:10-12
10 When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, “Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?” 11 She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.” 12 Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” NKJV
Jesus didn’t condemn her, but He gave her instructions. So we too do not condemn those who continue in sin after coming to the Lord, but like Jesus, we don’t hide the instructions or purposely suppress the truth in order to build a crowd or following. No, we preach the Word (2 Timothy 4:1-4).
If all you want to know is every good sounding verse in the Bible, then get your gospel from a different book or from a song on the radio. There are plenty best-selling authors today that will tell you what you want to hear. They will scan the Bible for you and only give you the verses that sound good. As it is written, many will follow them to destruction as they willingly blaspheme the truth for greed (2 Peter 2:2-3, 2 Timothy 4:3-4).
They keep saying Jesus, but they never teach the doctrine of Jesus, and never make disciples of Jesus, which includes teaching people to obey Jesus (Matthew 28:19-20). Therefore, their desire is evident; more money, more fame.
That is the way it is going to be in the last days and our instructions are to turn away from them (2 Timothy 3:1-5).
2 Timothy 3:1-6
But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: 2 For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3 unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, 4 traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away! NKJV
Never go to listen to anyone who is unwilling to teach you the doctrine of Jesus, because if you do, then you share in their wicked work according to the Word of the Lord written in 2 John 1:9-10.
2 John 9-11
9 Whoever transgresses and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God. He who abides in the doctrine of Christ has both the Father and the Son. 10 If anyone comes to you and does not bring this doctrine, do not receive him into your house nor greet him; 11 for he who greets him shares in his evil deeds. NKJV
If they are unwilling to teach you that you must “abide” (remain) in Christ or be cut off according to the doctrine of Jesus Christ (John 15:1-6), then they are unwilling to see to it that you make it to Heaven. They are preaching to fulfill their own desires, and do not care anything about where you end up.
The only way to abide in Jesus is to keep His commands (John 15:10), and He commanded us to love “one another” (John 15:12, 17). The way we love one another is spelled out in detail in 1 John 3:16-19. You need to know that.
Check the verses because I have met hundreds who have been in church for years, but do not know the doctrine of Jesus Christ. It’s that bad already because we stopped making disciples of Jesus long before I was born (Matthew 28:19-20).
In order to make a disciple we have to teach people to obey Jesus. Check it! If you have gotten a million people saved, but have not taught any of them to obey Jesus, then you haven’t made the first disciple. Tell me this. If I didn’t love you, would I not just tell you what you want to hear so that I could sell more books? I’m Alan Ballou; a servant. If you have a question or a comment please post it below. http://www.howtostopsinning.com
Do the following verses warn us that “how we live” can end up preventing us from entering the Kingdom of God? Some say that you already entered the Kingdom of God when you got saved, but read Acts 14:22 and again say to them, “really?”
Galatians 5:19-21
19 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, 21 envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. NKJV
1 Corinthians 6:9-11
9 Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, 10 nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. NKJV
Ephesians 5:3-7
3 But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints; 4 neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. 5 For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. 6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. 7 Therefore do not be partakers with them. NKJV
