I have never been able to resolve how a bad person can get salvation and go to Heaven while a good, religous person who does not get salvation is denied heaven. At least by those that believe the literal word of the "bible".
"I have never been able to resolve how a bad person can get salvation and go to Heaven while a good, religous person who does not get salvation is denied heaven. At least by those that believe the literal word of the "bible"."
A "bad" person who recognizes in his heart, that he is a sinner, (as we all are) and who repents and accepts Jesus as his Lord and Savior will be saved.
It's what is in your heart. I can be a "religious" person, show up for church every Sunday, put money in the collection plate, and look and act "religous", but that won't get me to Heaven. Epesians 2:8-9 "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God — 9 not by works, so that no one can boast."
Good works don't get you to Heaven, we are saved through faith in Jesus and no one else. If we could save ourselves by doing good works, then Jesus died for nothing. But thats not correct, Jesus paid the price for all sins of those who believe in HIM.
Here's one way of looking at it that might help...
Heaven is not a reward for being good. It is a return to God.
And to return to Him, reparation must by paid to Satan (with whom mankind allied itself in leaving God in the original "Fall of Man").
Jesus paid that Reparation on the Cross...He has tossed us a Life Saver. But to be saved, we must grab onto the Life Saver...we must accept Salvation.
The explanation is very easy. The first one, who believed and confessed openly that Jesus Christ was his Lord and Savior, died saved. The second person did not, because he believed the lie that he could get to Heaven by his good deeds alone--in short, making himself his own Savior and his own God (idolatry) and thereby rejecting the free gift of salvation from God through Jesus Christ.
Sitting in a church doesn't make a person a Christian anymore than sitting in a garage makes him a car. There are people--and churches--who profess Christ, but do not possess Christ. They have ritual without righteousness. They want to feel good without making any effort to BE good. It is not that easy to follow Christ--it is almost, but not quite, beyond human capacity.
Still we--his disciples--do our best, because of who HE is and what HE has done, paying a debt we can never repay--which clears the way for an inward, lasting joy right here on earth and the anticipation of knowing we will live with him in paradise when we die.
Christ came to save sinners. He didn't come to spend his time with people who thought themselves already good enough (the Pharisees) and by telling the truth he insulted them and was crucified. He came for you and me. All we have to do, is accept the gift of salvation, invite him in our hearts, live for him and love one another as he loves us. He offers us a divine guarantee and we would be fools not to take him up on his offer.