Are You A Good Person?

[Evan-Ed]

If there is a Heaven, do you think you are good enough to go there? To answer this question, try taking this test to see if you are a good person: (I know that I'm not.)

1. Have you ever told a lie?("white" lies are still lies.) What do you call someone who tells lies and are you one?

2. Have you ever stolen anything? (Even when you were a kid.) What do you call someone who steals and are you one?

3. Have you ever looked someone with lust? Jesus said, "Whoever looks at a woman to lust after her has committed adultery with her in his heart." (Matthew 5:28)

4. Have you ever you used God's name to curse? That's called blasphemy. "The Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name." (Exodus 20:7)

This is only four of the ten commandments. So IF God were to judge you based on the ten commandments, would you be innocent or guilty? Heaven or Hell? If you have failed any or all of these commandments, than you are not a good person by God's standard.

Now the common response is: "Okay, so I'm not perfect." or "I haven't killed anybody."
But remember the standard is God's perfect law, not other people. God only considers good to be moral perfection! Which none of us are and therefore the whole world is guilty before him!

*The Bad News: We all have sinned (violated God's law: such as lying, stealing, and so on.) and fall short to the glory of God (Romans 3:23). God can not tolerate sin and will punish for it because of his holiness and justice (Isaiah 13:11). Which means that there is no one who is good, but God alone, and the wages of sin is death(Hell). (Romans 3:10-18, Romans 6:23)

Don't worry there is hope!

*The Good News: The good news is that God loved us so much that he sent his son to take the punishment for our sins, so who that whoever believes in him should not go to hell but have everlasting life (John 3:16, with emphasis). All you need to is repent from your sins and place your faith in Jesus Christ. The moment you do that you will be forgiven from your sins and know and will be granted everlasting life into heaven. (Romans 10:13)

Now, the final question is: Will you place your faith/trust in the Lord Jesus Christ and repent from your sins today and accept the free gift of eternal life?

[Evan-Ed]

"Atheists" don't have a belief? Really? Don't Atheists believe that there is no God? And @Naomi: People obviously practice on what they believe. You can see that in society today...

[humbersloop]

well, good for dictionary.com! Do they offer any clue to what the fundamental set of beliefs and practices generally agreed upon by a number of persons or sects actually is?

I think the nearest thing you'll find to that here is over at the First Church of Answerbank, Evan, do join us - pbuh Ab Editor !

Or try a decent entymological dictionary for a-theism

[Old_Geezer]

I'm not an evil person but I'm not as good as I could be. I'm only human after all.

Meanwhile I don't need to take other folks speculations as being truth, and allow myself to be manipulated into behaving according to their will.

Let those who wish to believe the unlikely live their life according to their belief. Let those less credulous not be bothered by their preaching.

[Answerprancer]

Evan, being without a god/religion is a passive blank setting, believing in a 'higher being'/god etc is actively holding onto something extra therefore the burden of proof of such entities lies with the theists not those who don't believe (IMO)

[argorstran]

In response to Keyplus90's point at 17.34 - I can only give my own opinion here - Jesus is speaking to his apostles after his resurrection and these two verses are the very last thing that he says to them (in Mark's gospel) . I freely admit that I can not fully explain these two verses other than by saying Jesus was speaking metaphorically (...they will speak in new tongues...they will pick up serpents...)
If you can explain it I would be happy to read your explanation.
I repeat - it is a bit unfair to take two complex verses and demand a concrete explanation for them as a test of a person's belief .

[Arksided]

I do consider myself a good person, but based on the OPs', Q...its a slipstream first class ticket to hell for me. with no chance of redemption.

I'll be damned!

[Evan-Ed]

@Old_Geezer: You should take God's word on truth, not mans. The Bible, God's word, is true from beginning to end.

[Answerprancer]

YOUR god

[jackthehat]

///The Bible, God's word, is true from beginning to end. ///

No room for doubt?.....or argument?......

[Evan-Ed]

You could ask anyone, and mostly everyone would agree that they a "good" person. Why? Because they compare themselves to other humans, who they believe are worse than them. Ex: "I am good person, because I don't kill anyone." This is why we should compare ourselves to God's holy law! "For the person who keeps all of the laws except one is as guilty as a person who has broken all of God's laws." (James 2:10)

[humbersloop]

//Now, the final question is: Will you place your faith/trust in the Lord Jesus Christ and repent from your sins today and accept the free gift of eternal life?//

Just to press this a little further, assuming a hypothetical yes to the first half of the question, how do you do the repenting bit, then the acceptance element and what happens next? For practical purposes?

[Answerprancer]

Evan, I know you've got a lot of work to do here answering the questions of all the nice folk here, but would you mind addressing the points that WaldoMcFroog raised earlier.

[Old_Geezer]

Show me your God. Let your God personally tell me what it thinks is true. Or accept it is all man's word, just that some will not/can not accept it.

[Answerprancer]

(Page 4: 08:58 Mon 07th Jan 2013)

[Answerprancer]

JTH - a biblical version of "...end of" ?!

[Answerprancer]

Har har, we'll make a heathen out of him yet |:-)

[humbersloop]

hang on, I'm still waiting for the joining instructions

[Evan-Ed]

@Humberslop: Repentance is acknowledging that we have sinned against God and therefore in need of his forgiveness. If you asking where can you repent, well that can be anywhere, God is omniscient so he can hear the prayers of true repentance anywhere. What follows next? You become born-again in the spirit! "This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!" (2 Corinthians 5:17).

[Evan-Ed]

@humbersloop: Here is a simple prayer you can offer to God. Saying this prayer, or any other prayer, will not save you. It is only trusting in Christ that can save you from sin. This prayer is simply a way to express to God your faith in Him and thank Him for providing for your salvation. "God, I know that I have sinned against You and deserve punishment. But Jesus Christ took the punishment that I deserve so that through faith in Him I could be forgiven. I place my trust in You for salvation. Thank You for Your wonderful grace and forgiveness - the gift of eternal life! Amen!"

[humbersloop]

Well, that all seems fairly straightforward.

Having begun a new life, what do you do next then?