if God is just, how can a person do good things all their life, and go to hell?

Question

but a murderer, child molester, or rapist can repent two seconds before they die, and get into Heaven?

Answer 1

You cannot repent 2 seconds before you die, the proof is the story of Pharaoh. When he was drowning he asked god for forgiveness, he said i believe in the god of moses. But he was never forgiven

Answer 2

There is no difference between making a little white lie now and then and being a serial killer. It's all sin, and those who sin do not deserve to see the kingdom of heaven. How would you feel if you lived your life sinning and when you were on your deathbed, you were told that there was a way to be forgiven, but it was too late? As long as murderers, molesters, rapists, and such are given their just punishment here on earth, that's what matters. They will be perfect in heaven. However, I believe that there will be different crowns in heaven, and that, say, Billy Graham will have more than a murderer who repents just before his execution.
"The wages of sin is death."
"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."
"But God so loved the world that He sent His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes upon Him should not perish, but have everlasting life."
ALL have sinned. You can never be perfect. Name one person who has never done anything wrong. Even if you could, I guarantee that person has done something that you don't know about it. Even thinking a wrong thought is sin. Because we all sin, none of us are worthy to enter heaven. But because Jesus took up all our sins and died for us, we are no longer guilty if we choose to accept Him. Because He rose from the grave, we have victory over death and hell! The only way to heaven is to accept Jesus as our savior and king, as the Lord of our life. If we do that, then we are seen as perfect in the eyes of God our Father. Isn't it wonderful how much He loves us?

Answer 3

Merry Meet.
Okay, I am having a little problem with your question. If a person did good things and thus, was a good person, then why would they go to hell? I am a bit confused about that part. (Maybe they were just a member of the "wrong" religion?)
As far as why all the despicable persons that you mention would go to heaven, you have to be of the Christian faith to understand that one , which I am not.
I am sure you have heard the query......"The Christians believe that God is all powerful, and that God is all good. Now if he is all good, he must want to prevent evil, if he is all powerful he could prevent evil. Yet, evil exists, so either God is NOT all powerful or he is NOT all good." There in lies the conundrum.
I personally do not believe in heaven or hell anymore than I believe in Never-NeverLand. You make your own hell here on earth and I believe that you go to Summerland when you die. From there reincarnation takes over. Works for me.
You do pose a good question tho. I am afraid it is going to take a devout Christian to answer that little puzzle and that, thankfully, leaves me out.
Love and Blessings
Lady Trinity~

Answer 4

I think you over simplified a touch. None of us know who God will admit to Heaven. It will be up to Him as judge of all men and not to us to decide. He knows your heart as he knows the hearts of the rapist, murderers, child molesters. Do not think that simply asking forgiveness will grant immunity from evil. It must be heartfelt repentance. You cannot simply say the words. He knows if it is a real feeling of sorrow or just a 12th hour lipservice being paid. Do not sweat who will get there and who will not. Simply be the best you that you can be and believe.

Answer 5

Because no one can do enough good deeds to make up for just one sin in their life. A holy God cannot tolerate sin. The only answer to our dilema is Jesus. In our pride we want to fix it ourselves, but it's totally impossible. "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." Rom. 6:23

Many people are trying to make it to heaven by their religion of good works. If this were possible, Jesus would never have come and died for us to pay our penalty. You don't really think that God would have sent His only Son to suffer all He had to suffer and die in our place, if there had been any other way,do you?

We either get justice, what we have coming to us, or we get mercy through Christ. I don't know about you, but I definitely want mercy and not my just due!

Answer 6

Because no one is without sin. The bible says if you transgress in one point of the law, you have broken them all. One sin is enough to keep you out of the presence of a holy God, who cannot look upon sin. Only the blood of Jesus Christ, imputed to those who believe, can wash away that sin. You look at a person from the outside...God knows our every thought. There is no perfect person. The only one who was ever without sin was Jesus Christ.

Answer 7

The first shall be last and the last first.
The righteous judge will execute justice, do not doubt it.
Everyone shall praise Him for his mercy. Attitude is important all through life, remember the Lord said a cup of cold water given to a little one in His name will not go unrewarded.

Answer 8

Sorry this is so long, but I think it answers your question well.

Everyone is a sinner, me, you, your mom, my mom. Sin is sin in God's eyes. Unlike us, he does not differentiate between murder and lying. They are all the same to him.

Our sins create a gap between us and God. It's a gap that can't be filled just by doing good things. Why? Because even if you do good things, you still sin--whether its telling a white lie or yelling at the person driving slowly in front of you, etc.

He sent His son Jesus, as the bridge to that gap, to die on the cross for all the world. By repenting and accepting Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you are accepting and receiving forgiveness for your sins. God no longer looks at your sins, but instead looks at Jesus who lives in you. By rejecting Jesus, you are rejecting God, and instead choosing Satan. By believing that your good works can save you, you also are rejecting God because you believe you can do it on your own, which is pride, which is the same sin that got Satan kicked out of Heaven. There is no in between route. It's either you choose God, or you choose Satan. If you choose God, then you are saved. If you choose Satan, you go to hell. It is fair.

Now, do you still not believe that everyone sins? Consider this--
Have you ever told a white lie? That makes you a liar.

Have you ever looked at a woman or man and thought sexual thoughts about him or her? That makes you an adulterer.

Have you ever been so mad at someone that you feel hatred towards them? That makes you a murderer.

Have you ever talked back to your parents? Then you dishonored them.

All of these things are just among the many sins that a person can commit, even good people. All of these things gives us a reason to go to hell, but also a reason to need a savior to bridge the gap between us and God.

Read this story. It explains why the murderer can be saved minutes before dying. It's from Matthew 20.

For the kingdom of Heaven is like a man, a housemaster, who went out early in the morning to hire laborers into his vineyard And when he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. And he went out about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the marketplace. And he said to them, You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you. And they went. And he went out about the sixth and ninth hour and did likewise. And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing idle, and said to them, Why do you stand here all day idle? They said to him, Because no one has hired us. He said to them, You also go into the vineyard, and you shall receive whatever is right. So when evening had come, the lord of the vineyard said to his steward, Call the laborers and pay them their wage, beginning from the last to the first.And when they who were hired about the eleventh hour came, they each one received a denarius. But when the first came, they supposed that they would received more; and they also each one received a denarius And receiving it they murmured against the master of the house, saying, These last have worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden and heat of the day.But he answered one of them and said, Friend, I do you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? Take yours, and go; I will give to this last one the same as to you. Is it not lawful for me to do what I want with my own? Is your eye evil because I am good? So the last shall be first, and the first last, for many are called, but few are chosen

Answer 9

First you have to know what is good and what is bad. Second He is love and Just and the laws of nature are automatically acting. If one does a good action they get a good result, and if one does a bad action they get a bad result. God never sends one to hell forever. (that is the Catholic Church hierarchy who made that up to con troll the people. To understand Gods unlimited mercy and love one must understand Karma and Reincarnation or he definitely looks like a merciless God. GO to http://www.essene.org for the lost teachings of Christ Everything is there and as you read Christs actual teachings you can see just how loving God actually is. Not what dogmatic religious misconstrued doctrines have made Him out to be also go to http://www.stephen-knapp.com for universal truths

Answer 10

God is no respecter of persons, we are all sinners even our so called good deeds are but filthy rags compared to his righteousness. Until the fallen condition of a person is taken care of we are all but sinners and we need a savior. PS God also knows our motives for our so called good deeds too, so we can not fool him.