123-D Snapshot: Am I Going to Heaven If I’m Good
February 28, 2023
Katherine Schultz
1 Topic: Being a Good Person
Does being a good person get me into heaven? How can I know I’m going to heaven when I die?
2 Scriptures
Romans 10:9 “that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”
John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life.”
3-D Worldview
Being a good person is a great idea. But the Bible says it’s actually impossible! Because we always end up doing things we ourselves think are morally bad. So being a good person is out of reach. But what about if my good works are more (in number or impact) than my moral failures? What if I’m trying to do enough good so I can go to heaven?
Romans 10:9 makes it clear that the way to know you are going to heaven is to confess and believe that Jesus is Lord. And John 3:16 tells us that everyone who believes will have eternal life.
What’s the proper place of good works in a person’s life? Do I even bother if I’m saved by confessing and believing in Jesus? Again, the Bible has the answer. Galatians 6:9 says, “Let’s not become discouraged in doing good, for in due time we will reap, if we do not become weary.” Being a good person is a result of being saved because we want to do what Jesus commands (John 3:36).
What is my worldview, really?
So what is my worldview if I believe in God, but try to do good to earn my way to heaven? The name for that worldview is “moralistic therapeutic deism.” Its key beliefs are
- God is distant from people’s lives
- People should be good to each other (i.e., moral)
- The purpose of life is to happy and feel good about yourself
- There is no such thing as absolute moral truth
- God lets “good people” into Heaven
- God makes very limited demands of anyone
It’s not a Biblical worldview, and it’s not likely something a person would want to have, or try to seek out. It’s more likely something a person just “falls into” by default. If a person holds these beliefs, then he or she may be trying to earn a place in heaven, rather than believing in Jesus as Lord. But interestingly, moralistic therapeutic deism is the most common worldview in the United States today: “New findings from the American Worldview Inventory 2021 show that nearly four of 10 adults (38%) are more likely to embrace elements of Moralistic Therapeutic Deism than other popular worldviews, including Biblical Theism (or the biblical worldview), Secular Humanism, Postmodernism, Nihilism, Marxism (along with its offshoot, Critical Theory) and Eastern Mysticism (or “New Age”)” (source).
What do I do now?
Having a biblical worldview is not the test of whether a person will be going to heaven. The only biblical test for that is the Romans 10:9 test: have you confessed with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believed in your heart that God raised him from the dead? If you have done that, you are going to heaven when you die. If you want to understand more about that, please go to this page.
Once you have a relationship with Jesus by confessing and believing, you are going to heaven. And then you can begin the lifetime delightful journey of becoming more like him in your beliefs, behaviors, and attitudes. That’s what it is to have a mature biblical worldview.
Understanding a person’s worldview is complicated, but you can gain some insight. If you struggle to know if you have a mature biblical worldview, or you work with students whose worldview you are trying to develop, asking questions can be a great place to start. Grab a copy of the free PDF “10 Questions to Understand Your Worldview” linked below.
