If god knows who's going to heaven and who's not, why even bother trying?

Question

I was raised christian, and have tried several times to lead that lifestyle. I have also failed several times at it. I feel its just not in me. So my question is, if God knows whether or not your name is written in the book of life at the beginning of time, before you were even born, why even bother trying? Only he knows if you are going to make it to heaven or not. I feel as if I'm reaching for something that, for me, is not possible. I have tried reading the bible, praying, going to church...and trying to do right. But, I don't agree with everything, and I feel it would be wrong to pretend because God would know if one was pretending anyway. So, why should I even bother trying?? I have prayed several times for Jesus to come into my heart and change my ways...but it has not worked. Is it my destiny for my name to NOT be in the book of life? If so, that seems so cruel.

Answer 1

Matthew 7:24-29

Did you ever see an elaborate, masterfully crafted sandcastle? That's one of the most delightful experiences of a trip to the beach-you get to see some beautiful works of art in an unusual form. The best builders are painstaking in every little detail-the towers are straight, the windows are even . . . sometimes the outline of individual bricks can be seen on each wall. The end result is often stunning, rivaling the elegance of homes in the wealthiest neighborhoods of the world.

There's a catch, however. For all its splendor, a sandcastle's hours are numbered. From the moment the first grain of sand is set in place, you can be sure that the miniature building is on its way to oblivion. Within hours, the details are destroyed. Wind, rain, the tide, and overanxious spectators can wreck in seconds what took hours to create. There is simply no future for a house of sand.

Sometimes a believer's faith is like a sandcastle. Even though everything looks perfect on the outside, the slightest nudge from the elements can bring the whole thing crashing down. An unexpected hardship, an unkind word from a friend, a health or financial crisis... and faith turns to rubble. How can that be possible?

Weak foundations produce weak faith. If your life of faith is centered around church attendance, ministry work, discipleship programs, and other seemingly "good" things, then your sandcastle is on its way down. Only a faith built on the rock-solid foundation of Jesus Christ - and Christ alone - can withstand the winds of adversity.

Certainty About Salvation

1 John 5:13

One of the primary reasons that many Christians fail to serve the Lord joyfully is their uncertainty about where they stand with God. They may simply not understand the overarching nature of their relationship with God and as a result don’t want to commit themselves fully to His service.

You probably see this hesitancy played out in day-to-day life all the time. Perhaps you are acquainted with a man and a woman who are known as the “on again, off again” couple — the pair who seem to dance around the idea of relationship but somehow never quite seem able to fully commit. It is difficult to make a life-changing commitment when you’re not sure how the other person feels about you, isn’t it?

The same thing holds true in your life of faith as well. No one wants a spouse — or a Savior — who could leave at any time, for any reason. No, we want certainty. When that is missing, the whole context of the relationship is out of balance.

The apostle John was surely thinking about this as the Holy Spirit inspired him to write the beautiful little word of encouragement in 1 John 5:13. What was his purpose in writing? “That you may know that you have eternal life” (emphasis added).

John was writing to bring certainty to uncertain believers. He wanted them to know that there was no “off again” time for anyone who had engaged in a relationship with the Father. Because God is your constant companion, you can trust that He is faithful — eternally.
Hebrews 12:1-3

Sometimes our life seems like a long, dark tunnel. Perhaps we are unable to discover a solution for a problem, or we cannot find relief from pain. Regardless of the direction we turn, we find no hope for anything better than our present circumstances.

Thankfully, we serve a God who feels our pain and knows our limitations first-hand.

Jesus Christ walked through the valley of the shadow of death and cried out, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?"(Mark 15:34). This means that when our faith is stretched to the breaking point, our strength is exhausted, and our dreams are broken like shattered glass, Jesus understands. And He asks us to hold out when everything in us screams to give up.

Giving up means abandoning God's help for our own puny strength. We try to manipulate a situation or simply avoid pain. In essence, we're choosing to believe that Satan in his worldly power is stronger than Christ within us - which is the exact opposite of what the Bible says is true. (1 John 4:4) Of course, the Devil is not more powerful, but we let him win a battle if we give up on the assurance that God will see us through difficulty. When we have that attitude, we miss the Father's blessing and limit our usefulness in His kingdom.

Even when we cannot detect His involvement, God is working every moment on our problem. But we must trust His perfect timing for revealing the answer. Your Father knows your hurt, and He will bring you through that dark tunnel. Do not give up before reaching His blessing.

Answer 2

GREAT QUESTION!! I am SO GLAD that people of intellect are still asking those kinds of questions, because that seems to be the central issue! If God supposedly knows everything, and he's supposed to be all-loving, why do some of us fall by the wayside, and he doesn't care at all?! Like George Carlin says, "I wouldn't want that on the resume of a Supreme Being!". After reading your well-thought-out question and well-chosen words, it reminds me that I, too have searched my entire life to no avail!! There will come a point, I hope, when you stop torturing yourself, and just give up on God, like he has given up on you!! There is NO SIN in questioning the sanity of a completely faith-based philosophy!! I'm sorry but I'm not buyin' it all, and I refuse to put all of my eggs in that weak basket!! I'm not trying to "convert" you into something you don't want to believe, mind you! I'm just grateful that there is someone out there who has the intellect to challenge those things that he or she cannot comprehend!! And you are SO RIGHT about the Christian God! If he indeed exists, he is a cruel and sadistic god!! THANK YOU--you have renewed my "faith" in humanity!!

Answer 3

Yeah! We might as well be wind up toys! Consider the following:

1) According to Christian beliefs god is omniscient, that is, he knows everything that will ever happen. That said, one must conclude that god knows whether you are going to hell before he even creates you. Therefore, if you are damned, you were always damned. In essence, god, knowing full well your fate before your creation, plucks you from nothingness and puts you on the fast track to hell. In that sense, you might as well be a wind up toy that god winds up and points towards heaven or hell. This would also apply to the Devil and his legion of angels. (God was not surprised by Satan's rebellion...). Think of god as the creator of the old SNL skit Mr. Bill. Remember that? "Oh, nooooo, Mr. Bill!" Do some research on Calvanism or simply predestination.

2) In line with the above, it must also be assumed that god knows everything he will ever do. If god knows everything he will ever do then the one thing god can NOT be is spontaneous. That is, god can never change his mind because he knew he was going to change his mind an infinity before it happened. Consider: if god can not change his mind, and knows everything he will EVER do, does god really have free will or is he bound by his perfect nature (the so-called mandate of heaven)? If god has no free will, do you? Which also begs the question, why does god do the things he does - what forces predestined him to create the universe? Is that force more powerful than god (and therefore the 'true' god)?

3) Consider the implications of this statement: The above is not true because god is not all knowing or all powerful. There are things god does NOT know, and there are limits to his power. If that is the case, god is simply more powerful than us, and therefore has the right to torture and damn us at will. Might makes right...

A poem I found on FanStory.com that explains all of this pretty well:

If God knows everything
He will ever do,
But changed his mind
Did he know that too?

And if I burn
In the eternal fire,
But He knew always
What would transpire;

Then damned I was
And damned I be,
My sentence passed
The day before eternity.

Where do You end
And I begin?
In eternal battles
You cannot when.

Hello, Satan,
My elder son,
The road is wide,
The path is one.

Hush, my child,
Sleep again;
For all these things
You have been fore given.



Predestination sucks!

Answer 4

God gives us free will to choose what we want to do, and IF we want to accept his gift of eternal life. I know it's hard sometimes. I'm a Christian and I struggle too. But if we truly believe that God sent Jesus to die for us, so that we can live forever in Heaven after we've left earth, then He will forgive us when we fail. He knows we're going to fail because we aren't perfect, but if we believe, we'll always be forgiven. Email me if you'd like to talk some more. I'd be glad to listen to/read your specific problems, and maybe I can help, or can point you in the direction of someone who can.

Answer 5

Find a Jehovah's Witness and start a Bible study. God gave humans free will but they inherited sin from Adam. Thus, as Paul said, "When I try to do what is right, what is wrong is always with me." (Paraphrased) It is obvious that your motivations are genuine and if we could see the book right now I would be very surprised if your name were not in it, but the book wasn't written at the beginning of time--it is an ongoing process. A person's name can be put in and taken out depending upon heart condition and actiions. NO man or woman on earth has ever been born without sin except for Adam and Eve and Jesus. Adam and Eve blew it and Jesus died for all of us to be able to gain life. Don't give up in your struggle to do what is right. He who endures to the end is the one who will be saved.

Answer 6

Ohhhhh, your gonna get alot of loaded answers on this question.......

You can still believe in god through Jesus, and not try and fit the mold of the religion. If you don't think it's right for you, then it isn't. Maybe it'll happen for you later on, but don't let anyone tell you there is something wrong w/ you for being like this. Forcing yourself to be someone your not isn't being fair to you, and I can't image it's being fair to god.

And like said. You can still be spiritual toward a God, and not be in a religion.

Answer 7

This is a very intelligent question to ask. Especially in regards to Christian teaching.

What you are really asking about is the question of God and did he create a universe based on Deism (or did he)? This is the belief that God not only created the universe, but also does not wish to be a willing participant in it. Philosophers have long debated Deism versus Theism versus Atheism.

To find an answer we must ask more questions. Questions like if God is all knowing and all-powerful, what does God allow suffering to exist in the world? Isn't it cruel for God to allow even just one person to suffer? If it's cruel then how could God be God, as wouldn't a God who is good, all-powerful, and all knowing prevent everyone from experiencing any pain whatsoever?

The answer is yes and no, but how could that be?

The answer if yes if God is a being in which he essentially wants to micro-manage the beings he created in order to make them do what he wants. However if this were the case human beings would not be human beings as we know it and instead would be more like robots with a master and slave relationship. God would be the master, while we would essentially be slaves to a God who controlled us, protected us, and therefore prevented us from learning and coping with our own lives. Note that this type of God takes on more of a human characteristic than the human beings that God would protect.

The answer is no if God doesn't want to prevent pain because this type of God wants human to be their own beings without being under his direct control. As if human beings chose to worship him, they would do so not because God made them that way but because such humans would so knowing that they may still have to deal with facing of cruelty and pain in their own lives. This type of God ironically also has human characteristics, the human characteristics of a parent. I believe that your answer lies within dealing with this type of God.

So which is it? What is God and why does God do (or not do) the things that God does? Well if I knew that I wouldn't be human so this is the best explination that I could come up with. :)

Answer 8

This is the truth. God is the Creator and the Sovereign Lord of the Universe. His ways are FAR higher than our ways could even possibly imagine. Even if all the humans on earth got together for a "think tank" of the most brilliant minds (that we think we have), it wouldn't even reach the place where God rests His feet over His enemies. People just don't understand the power and majesty and authority of God Almighty. God sends us to earth, each of us, with a purpose. Since each of us is a unique individual, obviously each of us will have a different purpose to fufill for God. The whole point of living on the earth is to FIND OUT what that purpose is and FULFILL it. For example, we all know what Jesus' purpose in His life was. He was sent here to earth to bring the Word of God to the people, teach it to His disciples and followers, who He then instructed to go "tell the nations" about everything He taught and commanded them. That's why we have Christianity today. Jesus told His disciples to do as He asked, and they obeyed Him. Just as Jesus obeyed His Father. He came to give His life as a ransom for many. A sacrifice of atonement to cleanse the sins of those who believe in Him. Jesus took on the wrath of God on our behalf so that we who believe in Him may have eternal life. God's children pay attention - because they do NOT want to die!

Answer 9

If god knows all he also knows in advanced you will sin! and that means he knows you will go to heaven in advanced, god cant know everything or there would be no sin, yet if god doesn't know every thing then how could he make something(the universe) out of nothing. RIGHT ON! There is god he just is limited to knowledge, why would perfection need to be perfected upon with US!

Answer 10

1st Peter 4:12-13 . Do not give up . That is not an option . Wasn't Him dying on the cross enough for you . He gave His life so we could have life . John 14:6 . This world is not for you , but for unbelievers . Try again . I will pray for you right now , pray with me and everyone out there that is part of the body of Christ . God be with you and bless you .

Answer 11

Religion is all about creating morals for society. Without it there would be no laws against theft, murder, rape, etc.

Don't let the religion choose the morals for you. Choose your own but be selective. Make yourself a better person and you can make things better for those around you.

You'll be happy devoting more time to others instead of worrying about something you have no control over.