For Christians: Do you follow God to go to heaven, or because He is good?

Question

This is a reposting of an earlier question. I wanted to add some follow up questions.

Christians, do you follow God to go to heaven? Or do you follow God because He is good? What if there had been no promise of heaven? Or what if there is a promise of heaven, but you have to do BAD things (in other words what if God had been BAD).

Please don't take offense. I've wanted to ask this question for a while. Thanks.

Would you still have followed God if he asked you to slaughter your own child (or anyone for that matter), like he asked of Abraham? And I know God was just testing and didn't let Abraham go through with it. But pretend you didn't know that. Or what if He asked you to leave your family in the desert? (And Abraham did actually do that.) Would you do it for God?

For those who say they would agree to harm their family, can you also please say whether you actually have children of your own?

I think I know which one I will select as Best Answer, unless something new comes. But I would like to recap with my comments on the replies so far.

On the question of whether you follow God because of heaven, or because he is good, I have grouped the replies as follows:

1. I follow God because God is the Creator. -- I don't know if it implies that one would follow God even if he were not good.

2. I follow God because God is the Creator, AND because he is good.

3. I follow God because he forgave my sins/because Jesus died for my sins. -- This reads heaven to me. [ I am curious about Lu's implication that it is wrong to follow God 'just to enter...heaven'. Forgive me if I misunderstood. Jesus died to so that our sins may be forgiven, and that we may have eternal life (i.e. heaven), so I would think that this is a very valid reason for a person to convert to Christianity. ]

4. I follow God because he has been good to me/has allowed me to have a

happy life here on earth.

5. I follow God because he is good.

6. I follow God to have eternal life. -- Same as #1, I don't know if this implies that they would follow God even if he were not good.

7. I follow God to have eternal life, AND because he is good.


Most didn't actually answer whether they would sacrifice their child if God asked them to. Some commented that God was just testing Abraham, well this was true in the case of Isaac. But Abraham really did
leave Hagar and Ishmael in the wilderness, when God told him to do what Sarah wanted. Leaving them with some bread
and water in the desert -- this could really have lead to their deaths. And it appears that he was attached to Ishmael, after all he was the first born. But God did tell him that the two would be okay and that
Ishmael would be a great leader. All in all, Abraham showed astounding obedience on these two instances.

Answer 1

I follow God because He is Good, no matter what happens to me, I don't feel panicked because He's always there to help me through.
Your asking a lot of brutal hypotheticals about the nature of God and man, I don't think I would feel the same about the god your posturing, I don't think I would follow a hateful vindictive god. Yes God did ask Abraham to offer Isaac, but Abraham is the father of a nation, his descendents as numerous as the stars in the sky, Abraham was visited by three angels and had a child when he was almost 100 years old, based on his experience of God, He would have the faith to do so knowing that God is faithful to keep His promises, my experience of God is not as strong of course, I couldn't put one of my daughters on an altar, but if I was told to renounce Christ or my family and I would be killed, I would not do it, it's better for us to be gone than to live without Christ.

Answer 2

That's a hard question man. I'd like to say I'm a strong enough Christian to follow all that God commands of me, but in so many ways I'm still weak.

I think something your misunderstanding is that God can't ask you to do bad things. God by definition doesn't do bad things because he defines good and bad. The definition of a sin is an act that goes against God's will. So if God's will was to kill Abraham's son then it would not be a sin nor bad to do it.

You'll find though a basic theme of the Bible is God's mercy. That's probably the greatest of God's traits. We all deserve death (I most likely more than most) yet through his gift he promises new life.

You mentioned Abraham about to sacrifice his only son for God. God, in his mercy, stopped Abraham. Later he would sacrifice HIS only son for us.

Answer 3

I don't think most people could answer that question until they were truly in that position (would you sacrifice a child or die for the Lord). My pastor often asks, "If a gunman put a pistol to your head and said, 'Deny the Lord or die,' what would you do?" I believe I would proclaim Jesus as my Savior, but I don't know that I would truly have the curious in a real situation like that. In that situation, I would proclaim the name of the Lord because of my belief in eternal life (I would give up life on earth to have life in God's kingdom). My belief in the Lord came because of a feeling though - a presence I felt in a time of need. I believe in the Lord because of that presence. I follow the teachings of Jesus to achieve eternal life.

Answer 4

I follow Him because "Jesus is the way, the truth and the life, and no man cometh unto the (Heavenly Father- Heaven) except through Jesus"!....(John 14: 6)...so in other words, I feel that Jesus has got everything I need...not just to go to heaven, but I can live a happy fullfilled life on earth before going to Heaven!.....

Answer 5

This is a strange branch of theology that I like to call "Whatifism". The point is that He did promise heaven, He was (and is) good, and He has not yet asked me to do any of the things at the end of the question. I follow God because he has rescued me from the guilt and depression of my sin, not a ticket to heaven. He has been so good to me, so I will repay Him with my life.

Answer 6

I can only speak for myself when I say, I follow God because his way seems to be the most peaceful and logical way to live among society. If I knew God was truly commanding me to do something then I would do it. God comes before friends, family , job, etc. God gave me all these things and in one breath can take them all away. And the concept of GOD being bad is incomprehensible to me. It is an anathema and flies in the face of all I believe to be true. I do not belief God would ask me to leave my family or kill any of them unless they were just completely reprobates. In which case I would have to disassociate with them anyway. You cannot surround yourself with evil and continually do good without being slowly drawn to the easier course.

Answer 7

i follow jesus because he is the way, the truth & the life/light.
god knows our hearts, whether we're sincere or not.
i serve & love god because he died upon that cross for me. what he's redeemed me from, the person i am today, for forgiving a wretched sinner like me, for all the issues god's delivered me out of.
all the worthiness, peace, joy, happiness, love he's restored back into my jacked up past life.
for dying for my sins,
giving us an unconditional hope & joy.
so, no i don't serve & follow god just to enter into the kingdom of heaven.
remember: god knows our hearts better then we do. so if we're serving * following god/jesus for the wrong reasons, god already knows & guess what? we'll all be judged....

Answer 8

Sometimes I wonder this about myself. I kind of feel selfish sometimes because I don't want to serve God just so I wont go to hell. If I serve him I want it to be because of how he is completely, not just because of what he can do for me. When I am scared sometimes, (happens alot, I get scared for no reason sometimes) I find myself praying for God to be with me and even inadvertantly pray for forgiveness of my sins and I have to stop myself because I don't even realize that I am praying, it just comes out and I don't want to be the person who only prays when things go wrong, so I have actually made the mistake of not praying at all and I don't know how to get back on the right track.

Answer 9

As a Christian,and still growing in the Lord, I would rather trust in Him than in anything this world has to offer, i fully realize that there are many people who dont want to make that choice of becoming a Christian, its there own choice, but I would much rather have the hope of eternal life than live with the doubt that unbelief brings........just my own opinion,of course, its not my job to force people to believe in Christ, its the Holy Spirits........s. t. from ohio
PS
by using the word "hope" i would rather use the words I know so, see lJohn 5: 11-15
I am trusting the Lord with my eternal soul and destiny.......and that gives true joy to my heart and gives me the courage to go on in this life as long as He gives me breath.

Answer 10

I follow God because I believe in him, not because of good or bad, but I can tell you right now, there isn't anything in this world or anywhere else that could ever make me harm my daughter or my baby on the way.