Hello, I have a question. My father, a religious man, told me something I found shocking during one of our debates. A man who believes Jesus Christ is the son of God can go to Heaven no matter what he's done, no matter how awful. But a good, moral, nonbeliever will get sent to Hell. The way I see it is: a just man is punished while an unjust man is rewarded. Faith teaches a dangerous lesson; that you can do what you want and be exempt of any punishment. How is this at all right?
Thank you for your question! It is indeed a very good question that I’m sure many people who are trying to understand Christianity often times get confused over. I will try to explain it the best I can.
I will start off by saying there are none righteous, no not one (Romans 3:10). We all fall short of perfection. Whether it is greed, lust, anger, jealousy, murder, etc. We all fall short of perfection. Sin is what separates humans from God. Any little imperfection is an infinitely large chasm to a holy and righteous God. The bible tells us that “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). Death is the penalty of sin. No matter how small or large that sin is, the result is always the same - death. That is why God sent His perfect Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross so that all who put their faith in Him will not have to die because believers are justified by the blood of Jesus. So I will help you define what a true believer of Jesus looks like. It is someone who understands his wretchedness and sinfulness and confesses it to God and puts his faith in Christ. It is someone who longer lives for himself but now lives for God and finds joy in obeying the commandments of God. It is someone who delights in the Truth of God through His Word. It is someone who no longer delights in the sinfulness that was once pleasurable. It is someone who is being sanctified and being conformed to the image of Christ. It is NOT someone who just says he believes in Jesus but lives a life unchanged. It is NOT someone who says he believes in Jesus but enjoys getting drunk over the weekend, sleeping with as many people possible.
Being a believe in Jesus is characterized by an inward change. It is evident through a renewed heart and a mind that is set on things above and not the things of this earth (Colossians 3:2). There are so much more to be said, but I truly hope this helps you understand Christianity a little bit better. Hope this helps.
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