Do nice people go to Heaven?

Question

Early Chrisitian attitudes: (Written by non-Christian historians before the New Testament was written)

1. If you hurt me, I will forgive you.
2. If I have hurt you, I am sorry.
3. If I am nice to you, I will go to Heaven.

I posted these three precepts in an earlier post, and;

Some Christian lady wrote me and screamed at me saying, "Nice people don't go to Heaven, only Christians go to Heaven".

How do the above 3 guidelines relate to you belief system?

This is so sad. Jesus spent his entire life teaching us to be nice to each other and to forgive each other. -- Now, church Christians are ignoring Jesus' words in favor of their particular church doctrines based on early church leaders such as Paul and Peter.

Forgiveness?

I hear Church Christians screaming that they are forgiven. What a selfish view of the term forgiveness.

Jesus never emphasized God forgiving you. He emphasized you forgiving others.

Finally, Jesus warned us: He said,

"If you do not forgive others, then, your father will not forgive you."

Dear "locut" - How about the Sermon on the Mount, or turn the other cheek, or forgive your enemy. or love one another, or the Good Samaritan, or forgive them for they know not what they do. -- What is it you don't know about the term "nice people".

Answer 1

These attitudes predate christianity, they can be seen even in the old testament teachings. Sorry the Christian lady screamed at you... that wasn't very nice - but I know why she did it.

Jesus epitomized the first two. He even went as far to say that if I hurt you, you are to come to me and tell me you forgive me for it - whether I care or not.

Now #3 is the tough one, read to the end before you make a snap decision. - and remember, this is the Christian take on who gets to heaven.

He said things like - so what if you're nice to your friends, be nice to your enemies. Jesus taugh us to not judge others. To seek God first. To love God with all our being and to love others.

I think there are many christians in the world who don't realize they are christians. Much of what is portrayed as christianity is really churcianity - adherence to rules and regulations that show how good you are while condemning everyone else. The teachings have the sounds of Jesus' teachings, but when you look closely - you will see that it's only words. The actions show that they are not really following Jesus.

Only Christians? Jesus himself taught that Abraham was there. Paul writes about a large cloud of witnesses such as Moses, David, Elijah, and so on - all being there - these folks are all Jews.

But - a yes - the but. We cannot in our own power be "nice" enough to get into heaven. It is using our own term of reference in the face of a God who requires us to be sinless.

Jesus taught that he was the only way to heaven. That it was only through him... not being nice. It was what the christian faith calls the atonement of sins, through Jesus' crucifixion - where the sins of all who accept Jesus were accounted to Him - that we can be acceptable for heaven.

It was one of Jesus' last commands to his followers that stirs the pot - they are told to go spread the news about his teachings to everyone.

For all this to work though, you must believe Jesus was God in human form. That he was more than a great moral teacher or a great philosopher. Otherwise, he is just another guy with some good ideas and we're left trying to be nice.

So sorry - #1 and 2 are good, but #3 doesn't necesarily hold.

Answer 2

My belief system is based on the Bible - in its entirety. From a Christian perspective, where do we learn about heaven? From the Bible. Therefore, we can look upon the Bible as the touchstone of Christianity.

Does the Bible teach that there are criteria to be met in order to go to heaven? Yes. Are those criteria limited to being nice? No. Must one be a Christian? Yes. What is a Christian? A Christian is a follower of Christ. What did Christ say about gaining heavenly life? Quite a bit.

Really, the standards for attaining to heavenly life are found in God's word the Bible, the same writings to which Christ deferred time and time again. And those standards involve a lot more than the average person meets. By the way, I do not meet the criteria for heavenly life. My eternal life, if I an judged worthy, will be spent in a restored paradise on earth.

Hannah J Paul

Answer 3

Jesus Christ said, "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."
Being a nice person, alone is not going to get you to heaven. You have to have faith and belief in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
If being a nice person was all that was required, then a person could go out and do something against another person, but still say I'm really a nice person. That's why we need to repent, ask forgiveness, and ask Jesus Christ to come into our hearts.

Answer 4

There is more to the Bible than the new testament and it will not stand alone. Nice people may go to heaven they may not. Find me the transcription of Christs words that state that nice people go to heaven and your point will be pondered if not then you for all purposes are flying kites.

The fact that a non Christian misunderstood as they do today I take it has not registered.

Answer 5

No, being nice is not the criteria. That would be what is called a "works gospel" and the Bible is repeatedly clear that works are not the way. Faith is the way.

I'm sorry that the lady who claimed to be Christian screamed at you. Sounds like she needs to turn off her computer and read her Bible.

Question for you: What is this writing you quote but don't cite? If it was written before the NT, there must be scrolls you can refer us to.

Answer 6

Those are written attitudes for an idiot man who is not using his intellect or his brain in analyzing such precepts or such wordings. Always use the bible as your guide in obtaining forgiveness of your sins in order to enter heaven for eternal life.

Answer 7

I agree with Melissa M and that is the kind of answer you can expect if you want to ask good Christians about Heaven.

People who serve our Lord and Savior go to Heaven. Sorry if you don't like it but GOD and others who know GOD'S WORD are the only ones who can say who is going to Heaven and who isn't, and a lot of people think they're going to Heaven and they arent. Too bad for them, they should have thought about it when they had the chance dont you think? God is our father and sometimes you have to be cruel to be kind, its called TOUGH LOVE.

Answer 8

I don't know who wrote what you quoted but that is not right. It sounds strange unless you understand but you don't get to heaven by good works, by being a good person. Isaiah in the bible wrote that all of us have strayed from God, there is no one who is good, no not one. So you see, there are no good people, there are just sinners who do good things sometimes. But the good new is getting to heaven isn't based on your good works. It's based solely on your faith in Jesus. Just acknowledge Him as your Lord and Savior and you will go to heaven. It's all about faith.

Answer 9

Well even though I don't go to church, I do believe in God and I honestly tell you that no one who got to see if there is Heaven got back to tell us. So they're all assumptions. Anyway, to answer your question, I *think* there's an eternal resting place, Heaven or not. Or maybe it's just that I think that because I kinda feel safer and less afraid of death. Who knows? There are more important things to do and think of when you're alive.

Answer 10

If the lady screamed at you, she should not have, but she is right. The Bible states that no man is good. It states that we are all sinners and fall short of the Glory of God. The only way to redemption is through the blood of Christ. You must accept Christ in order to receive it and be saved from Hell.

Besides, why would anyone who does not accept Christ want to live in His kingdom for eternity? I can't think of a reason why anyone would, it truly makes no sense.

God is not going to drag us into His kingdom, knowing that is not what we want.