Where does the idea come from that all you have to do is believe in Jesus and you'll go to heaven?

Question

Matthew 5:20
For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.

Dennis: Since these two scriptures contradict each other, how do you know which one to ignore?

Answer 1

Same place as the idea of Jesus and Heaven: human imagination.

CD

Answer 2

John 14:4-11
4 You know the way to the place where I am going." 5 Thomas said to him, "Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way?" 6 Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him." 8 Philip said, "Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us." 9 Jesus answered: "Don't you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'? 10 Don't you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. 11 Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves

Answer 3

Both scribes and Pharisees scrupulously observed the law, but often rejected God's will and failed to show compassion to fellow human beings. For Jesus their legalistic righteousness was not enough. God's Word does not contradict.

Answer 4

John 3:16.

Answer 5

Jesus is teaching us that if we are saved by the works of
the law, no one will be saved. He does this so beautifully
in the 5th chapter of Matthew. Notice how He says repeatedly, "it was said by them of old time" followed by
"But I say unto you"; He always makes what the law
commanded even more impossible to be kept by sinful
man. Jesus is teaching us a glorious lesson; we can't
do all that He has said without a single fault, but He did
keep every single thing & as He illustrated and now, He
is our righteousness. We are to do as nearly to His
example as we can, but we cannot be perfect, except
IN HIM; Col 1:28.

We too often forget, that Jesus not only died and rose
again for us, but HE LIVED A PERFECT LIFE FOR US.
He took our sins upon Himself, who lived without sin, and
He became our righteousness.

Romans 3:20, "by the DEEDS of the law there shall no
flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the
knowledge of sin". Romans 4:5-8, "...blessedness of the
man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness WITHOUT
WORKS, Blessed are they whose iniquities ARE forgiven
and whose sins ARE covered. Blessed is the man to
whom the Lord will not impute sin". Christ Jesus is our
perfect life because we have none of our own. We are
imputed with His righteousness and because He died for
our sins, they are not imputed to us; impute means to count or reckon.

Answer 6

What you don't understand is that if you believe in Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior, your righteousness DOES exceed that of the Pharisees and teachers of the law.

Answer 7

the Bible doesn't tell you to get to heaven all you have to do is believe in Jesus. but it is the first step to salvation. you also have to ask Jesus to forgive you of your sins. and try to live a life free of sin and if you do sin ask for forgiveness.
The Pharisees did not believe that Jesus was God's son. They were only concerned with bending the (law) for their own profit and self promotion.

Answer 8

Suppose you were driving down an unfamiliar highway and came to a bridge across a deep gorge. Before you crossed it, you'd want to ask yourself two questions. First, do I really need to get to the other side? And second, can I trust the bridge to hold me?

Now that's something like what your friend is trying to tell you about Jesus. You see, we are separated from God, and the reason is because we have sinned. In other words, there is a deep gorge between us and God—one too big for us to cross. And yet we need to get to the other side, because we need God. We need His help right now, and we need His eternal salvation.

What we need is a bridge—and God has provided one, because He loves us! That "bridge" is Christ, who gave Himself to save us. Therefore, the Bible says, "he is able to save completely those who come to God through him" (Hebrews 7:25). I pray you will cross that bridge today by trusting Christ and committing your life to Him.

Answer 9

For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved! Rom 10:13

Marvel not I say unto thee ye must be born again John 3:7

John 3:16-18

16For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

17For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

18He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.


These verses clearly state all you have to do is believe in Jesus. Accept him as your savior! Repent! I dont know what else to say? God Bless

Answer 10

The word "belief" itself is abstract. Nothing one can say about belief that it is so and so.. In a similar way heaven is also another abstract word. There is absolutely no evidence about the existince of heaven. Under this situation it is very difficult to answer this question. Are there any previous evidences that "by believing in Jesus people went to heaven?". This is yet to be researched.

Answer 11

Read the book of Galatians, in which Paul gives a full disclosure of why the righteousness you are refering to is obtained by faith, and not by works. Just logically speaking, who has works that are so perfect, that they deserve to go to heaven all by their own efforts? No one, that's who. That is why righteousness has to be received as a free gift from God, by faith in the fact that Jesus did all of the good works on our behalf. He acheived righteousness and passed it along to us. All we have to do is receive it by spiritual means through faith.