Do good deeds help get you to heaven?
Every person has sinned, and even the most basic sins will keep you out of heaven. Romans 3:23 tells us that every person has sinned, and once a person has sinned they fall short of being able to work a way to heaven. No matter how many good things we’ve done in our life, in God's eyes it cannot overshadow the sins and mistakes we have made.
Once we have sinned, there no longer is any way we can become good enough to get to heaven. There are no amount of good deeds we can do, no turnaround that will make up for our sins. God knew this, and because of His love for us provided a way. The ONLY way to heaven is be receiving it as a gift based on the sacrifice from Jesus by His death. Because we cannot earn it, it is a free gift, with no strings attached.
In fact, relying on good deeds to help get you to heaven will actually have a negative affect, because you are trying to pay in some way for the free gift that Jesus gives us. It takes away from the majesty and sacrifice of what Jesus did.
But realize that Jesus gift is available to every person, no matter how grave the sins have been. Through Jesus' gift, every one of our sins are forgiven by God - every one, if we just reject (repent) what we have done and accept Jesus as our Savior and Lord.
Once we have Jesus in our life, all our sins are forgiven, and we have begun a new life. We still will make mistakes and sin, but Jesus and the Holy Spirit are now helping us to fight temptation.
In our new life as Christians, our life will be different. We will start doing good deeds because of the relationship with have with God, and because the Holy Spirit is working within us to do these. The Bible does warn though, that if our life has not changed, if good deeds aren't visible in our life, then we likely have not brought Jesus into our life. Good deeds do not earn us anything, but they are a visible evidence that we have Jesus. Faith without good deeds shows that there is no real faith - it is a dead faith.
Compare what Christianity says about not needing good deeds with what other beliefs say, at the bottom of this page.
Ephesians 2:8-9 — For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, {it is} the gift of God;
not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.
Romans 5:1 — Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
Romans 3:28 — For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law.
2 Corinthians 5:17 — Therefore if anyone is in Christ, {he is} a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.
1 John 1:9 — If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
James 2:26 — For just as the body without {the} spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.
What a contrast are the requirements for Christianity (faith, not works), to what other religions require, i.e. some goodness from the person to get out of the grave.
Atheism - there is no grave to get out of, so any reward is in this life, and life is only what you can make of it
Baha'i Faith - The soul is eternal and essentially good. We are already in a state of goodness.
Buddhism - through the cycle of rebirths you get better lives by how you live each life (what if you digress?)
Followers of Deepak Chopra - we have limitless potential in ourselves, but do not recognize this. It is up to us to improves our whole self (mind, body, spirit).
Christian Science - Salvation is "Life, Truth, and Love understood and demonstrated as supreme over all; sin, sickness and death destroyed." It is up to each person. Matter and evil do not exist. Heaven is "not a locality, but a divine state of Mind."
Confucianism - Purpose of life is to fulfill one's role in society with propriety, honor, and loyalty. It is up to you. After life is not discussed.
Falun Gong - The Falun (wheel) is an energy source located in the navel. Goal is spiritual transcendence, achieved by practicing Falun Gong. It is up to you. There are countless gods and spiritual beings.
Hare Krishna - Salvation from this Age of Kali is by a return to Godhead, accomplished through Krishna-Consciousness. It is up to you.
Hinduism - Humans are in bondage to ignorance and illusion, but are able to escape. Purpose is to gain release from rebirth, or at least a better rebirth. It is up to you.
Islam (Muslims) - Humans must submit (islam) to the will of God to gain Paradise after death. Five Pillars (to acceptance): Faith, Prayer, Alms, Pilgrimage, Fasting. HQ chapter 103 (of 114), verse 3 describes the four conditions required to avoid the loss and gain heaven "except those who believe and do good works, and exhort one another to the truth and exhort one another to persevere with patience."
Jehovah's Witnesses - Salvation is through faith in Christ and obeying Jehovah's laws. Much of it depends on you.
Mormonism (Latter Day Saints) (12.2 M) - Humans existed as spirits before this life, salvation is returning to God. Salvation by faith in Christ, good works, ordinances, and evangelism.
New Age - Dawning of a New Age of heightened consciousness and international peace. Individuals can obtain a foretaste of the New Age through spiritual transformation ("Ascension"). Evil comes from ignorance.
Scientology - Human consists of body, mind and thetan; capable of great things. Gain spiritual freedom by ridding mind of engrams. It is up to you.
Seventh-day Adventists - salvation is by faith in Christ; later prophets like Ellen White are inspired and authoritative over Scriptures.
Taoism - Purpose is inner harmony, peace, and longevity. Achieved by living in accordance with the Tao. It is up to you.
Unification Church - Purpose is true love and world peace instead of selfish love. True love and the kingdom of God on earth will be restored by the creation of "true families.
Bible Answer From: The Holypop Team
Once we have sinned, there no longer is any way we can become good enough to get to heaven. There are no amount of good deeds we can do, no turnaround that will make up for our sins. God knew this, and because of His love for us provided a way. The ONLY way to heaven is be receiving it as a gift based on the sacrifice from Jesus by His death. Because we cannot earn it, it is a free gift, with no strings attached.
In fact, relying on good deeds to help get you to heaven will actually have a negative affect, because you are trying to pay in some way for the free gift that Jesus gives us. It takes away from the majesty and sacrifice of what Jesus did.
But realize that Jesus gift is available to every person, no matter how grave the sins have been. Through Jesus' gift, every one of our sins are forgiven by God - every one, if we just reject (repent) what we have done and accept Jesus as our Savior and Lord.
Once we have Jesus in our life, all our sins are forgiven, and we have begun a new life. We still will make mistakes and sin, but Jesus and the Holy Spirit are now helping us to fight temptation.
In our new life as Christians, our life will be different. We will start doing good deeds because of the relationship with have with God, and because the Holy Spirit is working within us to do these. The Bible does warn though, that if our life has not changed, if good deeds aren't visible in our life, then we likely have not brought Jesus into our life. Good deeds do not earn us anything, but they are a visible evidence that we have Jesus. Faith without good deeds shows that there is no real faith - it is a dead faith.
Compare what Christianity says about not needing good deeds with what other beliefs say, at the bottom of this page.
not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.
What a contrast are the requirements for Christianity (faith, not works), to what other religions require, i.e. some goodness from the person to get out of the grave.