You're Not Going To Heaven Just Because You Love God

Matthew 15:7-9, “Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.”

What an indictment against manmade religion! There are billions of religious people in the world, who sincerely think they love God. An estimated 1.6 billion Muslims reject Jesus as the Messiah, worshipping instead a false god called “Allah.” According to the Koran, Allah has no biological son. But the Christian Holy Bible teaches that God has a biological Son, whose name is Jesus. John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Galatians 3:22, “But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.” Before the world began, God promised eternal life through faith in Christ. Titus 1:2, “In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;”

There are an estimated 1.2 billion Roman Catholics who are infatuated with the Blessed Virgin Mary. Of course, we know from the Bible itself that Mary did not remain a virgin. Matthew 13:55-56, “Is not this the carpenter's son? is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas? And his sisters, are they not all with us? Whence then hath this man all these things?” In this passage of Scripture we learn that Jesus had at least four biological half-brothers and two half-sisters. Joseph was NOT Jesus' biological father, God Himself is. Jesus was conceived of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:23). Please note that all Scripture references are only to the inspired King James Bible, because all of the modern Bible revisions have been corrupted by the Devil.

So just between Muslims and Roman Catholics, and another 200 million Orthodox Catholics and Europe and Russia, this amounts to 3 billion people who have religion without salvation. There is no salvation apart from faith in the name of Jesus (Acts 4:10-12). Bible salvation excludes the 1.6 billion Muslims who are trusting in Allah to save them, based upon their works. According to the Bible not one of them will ever enter into the Kingdom of God. John 3:3, “Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” There is no true salvation in Islam.

And then there are 1.4 billion Roman and Orthodox Catholics, who elevate the traditions of men above the inspired Word of God, keeping their own commandments, “teaching for doctrines the commandments of men” (Matthew 15:9b). I say that with love, and a kind heart, upon the authority of God's Word. Galatians 1:6-8, “I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.” 

The Apostle Paul defines “THE GOSPEL” in 1st Corinthians 15:1-4, “Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:” The Word of God defines “THE GOSPEL” as Christ's death on the cross, burial, and bodily resurrection three days later. This is the GOOD NEWS (which is what the word “Gospel” means), that you must BELIEVE to be saved (i.e., to receive eternal life).

What saith the Scripture? Mark 1:15, “And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.” The word “repent” in this verse simply means “to change one's mind,” but not to turn away from sinful living (which many heretical preachers teach today, like Ken Ham, John MacArthur, Ray Comfort and Bob Jones University). Evangelist John R. Rice (1895-1980) offers this helpful explanation...

There are those hyper-dispensationalists who think that John the Baptist preached a different Gospel from Christ when he commanded repentance (Matt. 3:2). But it is the same repentance Jesus commanded in Matthew 4:17, in Luke 13:3 and 5, and the same repentance that Paul preached in Athens that God “now commandeth all men every where to repent” (Acts 17:30 31). Repentance is not a different plan of salvation from having faith: it is part of the same plan of salvation. Or rather repentance is simply another way of describing or looking at the plan of salvation. One who turns from sin to God has done so by trusting in Jesus Christ. A change of mind toward sin is necessarily involved in saving faith. 

Everyone who genuinely repented under the preaching of John the Baptist put his trust in the Saviour John the Baptist preached, and was regenerated. There is no such thing as being “a disciple of John the Baptist” in any honest sense without being a disciple of Jesus, that is, without trusting Christ for salvation.

There are those who think that Peter in Acts 2:38 and 39 preached that baptism was essential to salvation when he said, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.” But the phrase “for the remission of sins” could well be translated “referring to the remission of sins” for the indefinite preposition of reference and so used many, many times in the Bible. People are not baptized in order to be saved, but baptized with reference to the salvation they had when they repented. So it has always been among Bible-believing Christians who follow the Scriptures.

So here in Acts 10:43 we have the statement by Peter, “To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.” Get this great doctrinal matter settled: God has only one plan of salvation and that is all He ever had! He has only one Saviour, and that is Jesus Christ. Every Old and New Testament prophet agrees in this that “whosoever believeth in him shall have remission of sins.” [emphasis added]

SOURCE: Evangelist John R. Rice, “Acts: Filled With The Spirit,” pp. 250-252; Sword Of The Lord, Murfreesboro, Tennessee; ©1963

Amen and amen! John the Baptist didn't preach a different plan of salvation than Jesus or Paul, but one and the same Gospel. Repentance is not a different plan of salvation from having faith—it is part of the same plan of salvation. Or rather, repentance is simply another way of describing or looking at the plan of salvation. This is so important to see dear reader! One repents toward God has done so by trusting in Jesus Christ. A change of mind toward sin is necessarily involved in saving faith. A person does not have to forsake sinful behavior to be saved; but rather, they must see them self as a needy sinner.

What saith the Scripture? Romans 3:19, “Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.” The purpose of the law is to show humanity our need for Christ (Galatians 3:24-26). We are all guilty sinners (Romans 3:23). Galatians 3:19, “Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator.” Jesus Christ is the “seed,” unto Whom God the Father promised that all men could be saved through faith in Him. The law was given because of man's sins, to show us our need for salvation through Christ. This is all part of God's sovereign plan for the human race—eternal life through faith alone in Christ—which was promised before the world began (Titus 1:2). The law was never given as a way of salvation; but rather, as a means to facilitate salvation by grace through faith.

Dear reader, you are not going to Heaven just because you love God. A man named Cornelius loved God in Acts 10:1-2, but he was not saved. You are not going to Heaven just because you are devoutly religious (as evidenced by the religious Pharisees in Jesus' time). Matthew 5:20, “For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.” Dear friend, you must be BORN AGAIN to get to Heaven! You are not going to Heaven because of your own goodness, charity, love, kindness, dedication, hard work, nor anything else that you can do. Salvation is of the Lord (Jonah 2:9b). Salvation is not doing your best, it is having Christ's best put to your account through receiving Him by faith.