A question for all people who really really believe that Jesus is the way to eternal life?

Question

In the interest of disclosure, I'm an atheist. I don't believe in heaven or hell.

But if I did believe that Jesus was the literal son of god and saw how he lived his life as written in the bible, I would spend my entire life tirelessly emulating him. I mean if you think that this whole life is a "test" to see if you deserve ETERNAL life with god, why would you waste time buying a fancy car? Going to fancy restaurants? Pushing for a certain president? Working overtime? Jesus didn't do any of those things (okay he had some wine now and then). And he specifically said to care for the lowest among us. I would be terrified of hell and doing everything in my power to avoid it. Why aren't more christians more motivated to be like that? Do they really think it's enough to do a few little things now and then while focusing on earthly comforts? And I don't mean every single xian, I mean the majority.

Matthew 5:16
Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works.

1 Peter 2:12
Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that ... they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation.

Matthew 16:27
For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works.

John 5:29
And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.

James 2:14, 17
What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him?
Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

Answer 1

I think you show exceptional insight in this question. I wish Christians would listen to what you have to say. Many Christian leaders today are horrified at the lightness with which Christans view Christianity, calling it "easy believeism". The Bible refers to it as "the lukewarm church" in Revelation 3.

Answer 2

Hello,
As a Christian myself, I think I can answer. Sure, I am terrified of hell. But the way to eternal life isn't to earn it, or trust me, no one would qualify. God would take one look at me and say "NEXT!" LOL
Christians are sinners just like everyone else. That is why Jesus died for our sins. In essence, belief that he is the son of God and our savior is the only way to get eternal life. Of course, as Christians we still want to please God and live in a righteous manner though we are far from perfect. Far!
As far as the fancy cars etc... It's like this, God doesn't want us solely focused on money, material things, etc. That would be greed. But God does want us to be happy and have a good life, enjoy life, and have nice things. As long as we don't become materialistic to the point where we are worshiping these things. I just bought an LCD tv. I don't feel guilty because just the day before I had an old tv of 15 years and it worked just fine. But I decided to buy a new one because my old one broke. And I thank God for giving me the means to buy it. But even if my new TV was taken away, I would be fine, because I have my health, my family, food, a home and more importantly God. Material things are nice, but not to be obsessed with. I am just as happy eating a fried egg that God has provided me with as going to a fancy restaurant. But we can treat ourselves every so often.

Your question shows that you have a least some? interest in Christianity. I am not going to push it on you, but I will pray for you if that's ok. Not because you're a "sinner" or need God, but because I'd like to. Hey, Kirk Cameron (the man of my teen dreams ;) was an atheist too and he became a Christian. Just saying it's not impossible and hope you keep an open mind. All the best and Merry Christmas

econ476

Answer 3

You're right to a certain extent but also wrong in some parts of your comments.

Agree with you that we who claim to believe in Jesus should not focus so much on fancy cars and fancy other things...

However, just to clarify that there's nothing wrong being rich as a Christian, provided we use our wealth correctly.

What's wrong with pushing for a certain President?

Common sense tells you that if you get the wrong president in , life will not be the same anymore.

There's nothing wrong working overtime is there ?
Believers are to work hard to earn a proper living.

If we are so contended, ppl will then say : "Why are Christians so lazy ?"

Will anything a Christian do make you happy ? Be honest.

The ppl against Christianity want to pick on every little thing they can think of to make us look like fools from every angle.

If that makes them happy, we leave the whole thing to God.

But still we must give a proper stand and reply, like what I'm doing now.

The millionaires in my church give millions to church work and do not boast about it. It is the pastor who says it to encourage us, without mentioning names.

Yes, Christians should be terrified of hell. I'm careful with what I do in this life.

Have you made a proper survey to come to the conclusion that the majority are like that ? Or is it your gut feel only ?

Answer 4

You're looking at outward acts. This alone doesn't get you into heaven. You must say that Jesus is Lord and accept him into your heart. Acknowledge that He is the son of God. Confess your sins and he will forgive then go and sin no more.

I think the typical Christian now a days doesn't live according to the way the Lord wants us to live. For one thing, fornication is a sin and yet most people have premarital sex.

So on one hand I can see how people can look at those that call themselves Christians but don't walk the walk and how you can get the wrong idea of Christianity.

To me...it's about having a relationship with the Lord. All other things fall in line. Charity, being unselfish, giving to others, etc....

There's nothing wrong with a nice car. As long as it's not your idol then why not?

Answer 5

Most people's faith is less powerful than their human needs and wants, and seems less real than the pressure of society to conform..

Organized religion, in an effort to make people feel good, often side steps the truth, and so empowers people to feel good about their lukewarm faith.

There are many devout and serious Christians, who have set aside much of what the world offers, in order to follow in the footsteps of Christ ... and they set a great example for the rest of us.

The late Mother Teresa instantly comes to mind.

In my experience, those who actually live the true Christian faith are the ones who have managed to hear the voice of God, recognize him for who he is, and then, move ahead in faith, without concern for the consequences.

Answer 6

USA is not the only Christian country in the world, just the most vocal, and we really don't have a lot to be proud of here. You should learn of Christians and how they live in Russia, China, India, Indonesia, Africa (many different countries). These are the ones who know how to live like Jesus did and they do it every day
These are people who die for their faith in Jesus, willingly..

Answer 7

You are Honest and upfront with your question.
The :time" you are on this Earth,we are to tell others what Jesus
has done for us,.--We deserve Hell-But God has A pardon-with
your name on it,You can:t do enough to please God.

Trying to do more and more good works,means It is Jesus +
works,That is what religion will tell you/ No it is gift
Now you will meet those who God sends your way.Help them
in the Name of Lord.

Answer 8

it has been said that the only true christian was jesus.
It is obviously a good question. I asked it myself here on yahoo answers. I REALLY suggest you look at my QandA profile were i asked the question very articulately. it is probably about 20 questions backward from most recent. I got a lot of people who did there best but couldn't really account for the fact that jesus did not ask them to live such a shallow form of his faith.

Answer 9

I wouldn't say this life is a "test" as much as it is a journey. Like the song says, "Walkin's easy when the road is flat...God gave us mountains so we could learn how to climb." It's all about what we do with the obstacles that God puts in front of us. Stepping stone or stumbling block? It's all up to you, and the whole point is to learn to be a better person, and to gain a deeper understanding and deeper relationship with God. Moulding us like clay.

The bottom line is that Christians are just ordinary people. Calling yourself a Christian just means that you believe that Jesus Christ was the Son of God and that he sacrificed Himself, and that His Father sacrificed Him, because He loved you enough that He didn't want you to suffer being shut off from God for all eternity. Think of your kids. Would you want them to experience the equivalent of being buried alive in a cold dark place they can't escape from, no comfort from anyone, no one to save them, knowing that all the tears in the world can do nothing for them? Would you want this for your child? Well...this is a fragment of the kind of pain God feels for those who choose to reject Him. Free will is an amazing thing. It is 100% necessary, because without it, our love and obedience would be meaningless. You can't force someone to love you. I suppose God could force us to love Him, but then what would be the point?? It just means that it's not real love. No, God is honourable and anything less than real love is not acceptable. But he recognizes our flaw. We were designed to live as animals do, by our instincts in oblivious peace. But we screwed up and ate the damned fruit from the Tree of Knowledge, and now we know more than we should. In short, we think too much. But, disobediant little sh*ts that we are, He still loves us. So He could choose to sacrifice His one perfect beloved child - who would suffer greatly for a crime he did not commit, but had the ability to defeat death - or He could lose us forever. We also can't blame God if we end up in hell. Again, that's where free will comes in to play. By not choosing to accept God's freely-given gift of unconditional love, we are choosing to completely reject God. We are given a choice! Can't whine about that, now can we?

The thing is, people are imperfect. Christian or no. We do our best to follow in Jesus' footsteps, but we are our own worst enemies.

Answer 10

Good works has nothing to do with earning salvation or passing a test. The Bible teaches that good works are a fruit/evidence of your salvation.
The reason why I do good and try to be like Jesus is because I want too. I want to please Him, not out of fear of going to Hell, but out of love for Him. Love is my motive & the kinetic energy that moves me.
Some equations to help clarify:
1. belief/trust/faith in Jesus Christ=salvation
2. salvation->good works NOT good works->salvation