There are only two worldviews about what a person should do to go to heaven. The Christian worldview and all the other religion's worldviews. All the other worldviews say that there's something a person can do to have peace with God, but the Christian worldview claims that there is nothing anyone can do to make him/her have peace with God.
According to the Bible, the best that anyone can do is considered as filthy rags in God's sight. There's no one that is good except God. The dictionary defines good as moral excellence, and only God is morally excellent. What this means is that there's no one who can stand justified before God on the merit of their conduct. God gave the Ten Commandments to show us how far from being good each of us is. For example, it says, "thou shalt not steal; thou shalt not lie; thou shalt not take the name of the Lord in vain; thou shalt honour thy father and mother; thou shalt not commit adultery...".
When any of us sincerely puts ourselves through a test using the Ten Commandments as the standard for judging whether or not we are good, we cannot but conclude that we are not good. But someone may say that he tries to keep some of the Commandments. Here is the problem! When you stand before a judge, accused of a crime you committed, how plausible would it be for you to point the judge to some good things that you have done before? The same is true when a sinner stands before a holy God on the day of judgment, he cannot appeal to the seemingly good things he had done. But more pertinent is the fact that in the economy of God, when you fail in one command, you fail in all.
This is the dilemma that everyone who thinks that he can stand before God on some good things he has done. To bring man out of this dilemma, God, who is perfect in morals, became a man, and took man's place in judgment, and suffered the punishment that was due to man. On the cross, Jesus said, "It is finished", implying that man's indebtedness on account of sin has been fully paid. Now, if anyone repents and puts his trust in what Jesus did on the cross, God will be righteous to discharge and acquit him from all charges that His law brought against him.
According to the Bible, the best that anyone can do is considered as filthy rags in God's sight. There's no one that is good except God. The dictionary defines good as moral excellence, and only God is morally excellent. What this means is that there's no one who can stand justified before God on the merit of their conduct. God gave the Ten Commandments to show us how far from being good each of us is. For example, it says, "thou shalt not steal; thou shalt not lie; thou shalt not take the name of the Lord in vain; thou shalt honour thy father and mother; thou shalt not commit adultery...".
When any of us sincerely puts ourselves through a test using the Ten Commandments as the standard for judging whether or not we are good, we cannot but conclude that we are not good. But someone may say that he tries to keep some of the Commandments. Here is the problem! When you stand before a judge, accused of a crime you committed, how plausible would it be for you to point the judge to some good things that you have done before? The same is true when a sinner stands before a holy God on the day of judgment, he cannot appeal to the seemingly good things he had done. But more pertinent is the fact that in the economy of God, when you fail in one command, you fail in all.
This is the dilemma that everyone who thinks that he can stand before God on some good things he has done. To bring man out of this dilemma, God, who is perfect in morals, became a man, and took man's place in judgment, and suffered the punishment that was due to man. On the cross, Jesus said, "It is finished", implying that man's indebtedness on account of sin has been fully paid. Now, if anyone repents and puts his trust in what Jesus did on the cross, God will be righteous to discharge and acquit him from all charges that His law brought against him.
Jesus paid the wages for the sins that we committed. And like a just judge, God will forgive and give eternal life to anyone who repents and believes in Jesus Christ. But all who reject God's free offer of salvation through Christ will be judged and sent to the prison of God, which is hell fire. Such is the difference between the Christian worldview and all other worldviews regarding facing a perfectly holy and just God on the day of judgment. Please don't wait until you come before God on judgment day, act now, repent and believe that Jesus died to save you from the law's condemnation.
Toni
