Can Good Deeds Get You into Heaven?

The answer to this question has been a long and, at times, heated debate between the protestant and Catholic Church. It also is a question that is not bound to just Christianity. However, as controversial as this question may be, I believe the bible is very clear on this issue. Based on a vast array of scriptures in the bible, it is clear that good deeds can NOT get you into heaven. Now there are many verses that support this claim - some of which I will show you (I could not possibly mention them all in this post) - however there is one issue people focus on that causes many of us to wonder if God requires BOTH the acknowledgement of Jesus Christ as lord and Savior AS WELL AS good works in order to be permitted into Heaven and that is simply the many laws recorded and taught in the bible.

Romans 7:6 states, “But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code.” This means those laws are no longer serving the same purpose because we have been freed through the death of Christ. We can now live in hope and joy because we know that Christ’s sacrifice was enough. So if that is the case then what purpose do the laws have now? In fact the bible covers just that in Gal. 3:24, "Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, that we may be justified by faith." The laws God gave us to live by brings us closer to Christ, creating a better, stronger relationship with our heavenly Father. They are no way able to save us. They are simply a guide to living a purposeful life in Christ.

So, how do we know that God does NOT require  to us have a certain amount or a certain level of good works in order to enter into those pearly gates? Well if you wanted to count the scriptures in the bible that talk about God’s grace it would take you a VERY long time because the theme of the entire bible is how God desires a relationship with us and how that relationship is being played out to this day. Since shortly after the beginning, we (humans) chose sin over God in the Garden of Eden causing complete separation from the goodness of God. The only way for us and God to continue to have a loving relationship was for God to extend grace to us. Of course, Jesus did this by coming to Earth as a man, living a perfect life, and then dying innocent yet carrying the sins of the world, both past, present, and future on himself as his own debt instead of ours. His sacrifice enabled us to once and for all be freed from the debt that our sins created which was complete separation from God.

So let’s jump into some verses! Ephesians 2:8 states, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.” Clearly this scripture reminds us that God’s grace and our belief in his grace is enough. And then of course there is possibly the most direct scripture that confirms our salvation comes wholly by Jesus’ grace, “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God. ⁹Not by works, lest any man should boast." 

What happens if I believe in good works as well as grace for salvations? Is there really any harm in that? Aren’t we just doing good AND believing in God to save us? Well in Romans 11:6 it states,” And if by grace, then it cannot be based on works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace.” Once we put faith in something or someone OTHER than God we are then doubting his grace to us, his love for us, and his authority that he could conquer sin alone for all of us. Grace IS grace because it is freely given with no strings attached.

One very important point to add is the fact that we are saved by God’s grace alone causes Christianity to be unlike any other religion in the world, in that, we are not required to work toward our eternal reward. Yes, God speaks often about how we should live, what he wishes for us, and how we are called to respond to the world because we are his children, but living this way or choosing not to live in the way God would like for us doesn’t take away our inheritance as children of God. God promises those who simply believe will be saved, period. No strings attached. So in every other belief system it requires some sort or deed whether it be personal sacrifice or working to obtain a certain amount of peace within yourself to be in true heaven or, for some, true peace. You are in some way working toward your reward. However our God is more than willing to give it to us freely.

Christ’s walk on Earth was grace in action. One of my favorite stories in the bible is while Jesus is hanging on the cross, he was crucified with at least 2 thieves. One thief continued to mock Christ while the other thief came to Jesus’ aid clearly stating that Jesus was who he said he was. The thief asks Jesus to remember him in heaven and Jesus response, in my opinion is one of the most wonderful and gracious statements in the entire bible. Jesus replies to thief, I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise. To Jesus it didn’t matter that the man was a criminal, he might have been a criminal all his life but all it took was in the last few hours of that man’s life to the accept the truth of Christ for his destination to change for eternity.

Our God is truly awesome and I am consistently humbled by the length that God continues to go so that I (we) can still be a part of him. Could there possibly be any more perfect a demonstration of His unfailing love? Maybe it seems too easy, believe and be saved. It may seem easy because God intended it to be. We have a God who is so yearning to be a part of our lives that he is willing to make it so unbelievably simple. No matter what we've done, who we've been, what we've said, or even how much we might have hated God in the past - Once you believe and acknowledge your need for God, you're eternal destination has been finalized. God loves you he desires for you to feel that love everyday - this is all it takes.