If good acts won't get you into heaven, then are the missionaries after sales?

Question

Don't all 'good acts' from christians actually mean -- Hey, we're trying to convert you for heaven points -- ? Why else do it? Isn't it hypocritical to train ESL teachers to go to foreign countries to convert people? Those people THINK they're signing up for English courses only to have their beliefs fiddled with. Isn't that unchristian? Seems to me that any good acts done by a christian comes with a pretty hefty price tag. Or is it that I'm not a christian so I can't see any sense in anything?

Answer 1

It's likely the motives of missionaries can vary immensely from quite sincere to cloaked political power grabs.

Many missionaries to the Hawaii Islands eventually gave up religion for capitalism.

Answer 2

You are misinformed. There is no such thing as "Heaven points," and these people do not work on commission. They are genuinely concerned and want others to know about God.

There is no "hefty price tag" for any good act I do. I feel good when I am kind to others and when I help someone.

Do you really think that you have to be paid to be nice to someone? Do you charge a price for being kind to people?

That's very sad.

Answer 3

Paul tells us: "For [God] will reward every man according to his works: to those who by perseverance in working good seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. There will be . . . glory and honor and peace for every one who does good, the Jew first and also the Greek. For God shows no partiality" (Rom. 2:6–11; cf. Gal. 6:6–10). In the second century, the technical Latin term for "merit" was introduced as a synonym for the Greek word for "reward." Thus merit and reward are two sides of the same coin.

Protestants often misunderstand the Catholic teaching on merit, thinking that Catholics believe that one must do good works to come to God and be saved. This is exactly the opposite of what the Church teaches. The Council of Trent stressed: "[N]one of those things which precede justification, whether faith or works, merit the grace of justification; for if it is by grace, it is not now by works; otherwise, as the Apostle [Paul] says, grace is no more grace" (Decree on Justification 8, citing Rom. 11:6).

The Catholic Church teaches only Christ is capable of meriting in the strict sense—mere man cannot (Catechism of the Catholic Church 2007). The most merit humans can have is condign—when, under the impetus of God’s grace, they perform acts which please him and which he has promised to reward (Rom. 2:6–11, Gal. 6:6–10). Thus God’s grace and his promise form the foundation for all human merit (CCC 2008).

Virtually all of this is agreed to by Protestants, who recognize that, under the impetus of God’s grace, Christians do perform acts which are pleasing to God and which God has promised to reward, meaning that they fit the definition of merit. When faced with this, Protestants are forced to admit the truth of the Catholic position—although, contrary to Paul’s command (2 Tim. 2:14), they may still dispute the terminology.

Thus the Lutheran Book of Concord admits: "We are not putting forward an empty quibble about the term ‘reward.’ . . . We grant that eternal life is a reward because it is something that is owed—not because of our merits [in the strict sense] but because of the promise [of God]. We have shown above that justification is strictly a gift of God; it is a thing promised. To this gift the promise of eternal life has been added" (p. 162).

Answer 4

You are not understanding Gods pre-requisite for doing good "Works"...We are not to do good works apart from Gods direction. Apart from Gods direction, our good "Works" are detestable to Him. When we submit to God and allow Him to perform His Works through us, this pleases God. We don't take credit for the Works that God causes us to do, rather, we give all Praise and Glory to Him for producing His good Works in us. This is what scripture teaches us. "Works" are important, they are a spiritual "Barometer" of our devotion to Christ Jesus. The more we submit to His authority in our lives, the more this will be evident in our lives by the works He causes us to do.
Born Again Christian.

Answer 5

Granted, you righteous acts (doing what's right) will not get you into heaven, but they are all that follow you. They make up your clothes there. Some will be naked, while others will have flowing robes.

Answer 6

We don't work our way to heaven. We would hardly need a Savior if that were the case.

Answer 7

True belief on one real God who created heavens and earth, worship of God and good deeds will surely get us in Heaven.

Mere belief even on real God and crimes won't get us in heaven.