Can I accept Jesus as my savior and ticket to heaven, and still be as selfish and greedy as I want?

Question

After all, we are saved by faith, not by works.
Right?

Valley R - Your statement is demonstrably false. Sorry.

Taliesin - but, we are saved by faith...right? Works don't matter.

Answer 1

Yep. Just repent regularly.

It's like apples; one a day keeps the doctor away. Or hellfire and damnation. Whatever.

Answer 2

Samurai, you are just not getting this Jesus thing down very well. His biggest message was love. Selfishness and greed do not foster any kind of love except love of self, which is important but becomes a corruption if that is the only love you have. Accepting him means you accept his love into your heart, not just his gifts of salvation and a seat in heaven. The idea is that if you truly let his love into your heart, it grows into vast love of others. Of course, that love chokes out greed and selfishness.

Samurai, it seems that there is maybe a part of you that seeks to get something for nothing. Usually people who live life in that style find themselves more and more dissatisfied with life. The way the universe actually works is that what we give comes back to us, in a bigger way than what we gave. People who love and give and share are usually the happiest. Skin flints rarely are happy, too busy trying to beat everyone else out of what they have to ever just enjoy the journey. A man who buys a guitar and learns the chords but doesn't have music in his heart rarely is a great musician. A Christian without love in his heart would be hard pressed to call himself a Christian.

Faith does not exist in a vacuum. To have real faith in Jesus you would need to know him and his message. Otherwise there would be nothing to have faith in. That knowledge of Jesus' message would compel you to do something, which would be "works." If you did not, you would be denying him and his message and you would not be able to sustain faith.

Samurai, you need to give up the idea of a "free lunch." Help with the shopping and cooking. Serve the meal. Do the dishes afterward. You may find you have more wealth than you ever could have dreamed of in your kingdom of greed and selfishness. Read the children's book, "The Gentle Giant." It is a good and simple illustration of what I have tried to say.

Answer 3

Our works DO matter.

James 2:20 "But do you care to know, O empty man, that faith apart from works is inactive?"

James 2: 24, 26 "YOU see that a man is to be declared righteous by works, and not by faith alone. Indeed, as the body without spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead."

Of course we can't "buy" salvation. It is an undeserved gift. But we certainly cannot be saved once for all time and then live exactly how we want from then on.

Matthew 24:13 says "But he that has endured to the end is the one that will be saved."

Answer 4

If you truly receive Christ into your heart, then you will want to serve Him, and this means repenting of your sin. Why do you think the Bible says if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus? Lord means master of, if you make Jesus your savior you also make Him your Lord. If He is your Lord then you will not continue to live in sin. Without repentance their is no salvation. It is faith that saves you, but if you have true faith then the repentance and good works will follow. Good question, more Christians need to understand this. God bless.

Answer 5

Theoretically, no. But then again, the Bible was written over a course of five thousand or so years by over thirty different people. Now flash foward to today; nobody follows the Bible like they used to back in the day. I dont think God cares if someone decides they want to smoke pot or if they get drunk at a party, so on and so fourth. Just dont break any of the ten comandments

Answer 6

You can accept Jesus now as your savior and be as selfish and greedy all you want, but repent quickly. Therefore you will be guaranteed to use your ticket to get into heaven.

Answer 7

When Jesus was on this Earth he taught by example and by word, he just didn't go and tech, he also did many good works for people, true you can't bring people back from the dead, but you can help at your local hospital, or volunteer somewhere. Good works is a close first key on getting a ticket to heaven, and not by being selfish and just exciting him. "They are close to me with their mouths, but their hearts are from me."

Answer 8

Yeah, already I like you a lot. Free ticket out of hell, just accept Jesus and you have a great future as a torturer of innocent souls.

Answer 9

James 2:14-20
14 What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?
15 If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food,
16 And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?
17 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.
18 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.
19 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.
20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?

Answer 10

No
The first word Jesus proclaimed was "Repent" - do a 180 degree turn around on your perverted thinking and your completely selfish living - and believe the Gospel.

Answer 11

Nope, if you have faith in Him, then you know Him, and know "NO" is the answer to your question.

Jesus is not a cheap trick or insurance policy, and having faith is not an easy task at all.