Evidence for God from Science

"Not everyone who says to me 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the Kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in Heaven." Matt 5:20 this seems to contradict what is written in John 3:16."16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." Only reason I even discovered this is because I was looking up if both Catholics and Christians go to heaven. Luke seems to be saying that salvation through Christ is not enough and that we need to live our entire lives as close to Jesus as humanly possible or we surely won't make it into heaven.. HELP thank you!









"I am a Christian. A Christian with a lot of a questions!" -Christopher Palmisano. AKA (ME!!)

The verse you are referring to is Matt 7:21.

Anyway, the issue here is Context. Jesus says this after talking about a lot of false prophets and their actions. The people He is referring to is them. Some people who aren't saved think they are, justifying themselves via their works or alternatively were con artists from the start and fell for their own shtick.

I think you mean Matthew 7:21
"Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.

What is the will of the Father?

John 6:29

Jesus answered and said to them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent."

"Luke seems to be saying that salvation through Christ is not enough and that we need to live our entire lives as close to Jesus as humanly possible or we surely won't make it into heaven" It says That those who do the will of my Father will enter the kingdom of heaven. So yes my questions is, what is the will of the Father. That is the question I am trying to figure out, because if everyone has to live their entire lives once they accept Jesus in their hearts, how God wants us to live our lives, then thats going to cut the people going into heaven by Half!. Because half the people who have accepted Jesus into their hearts may not be thinking of God every single day of their lives and living their lives how God wants us to.

militarynewb wrote:
"Luke seems to be saying that salvation through Christ is not enough and that we need to live our entire lives as close to Jesus as humanly possible or we surely won't make it into heaven"

Then I guess Jesus was wrong when He told the theif on the cross that he'd be with Him in Paradise that very same day. I'm devastated.

militarynewb wrote:That those who do the will of my Father will enter the kingdom of heaven. So yes my questions is, what is the will of the Father.

The Will of the Father is to worship the One He sent. All other ''requirements'' are bunk.

FL

It goes in hand with His comment on "even demons believe..." in James 2:19.

There is SAYING 'Lord' Lord" and there is believing that Jesus is The Christ, the SON of God, the word of God incarnate.
There is believing that there is a God and then there is belief AND worship of that God.

To follow the will of God is, like FL sated above, to worship and obey the commandments of the ONE He sent, Jesus.

Now, James makes it clear that their are certain fruits of that faith that are apparent in the good works of those that believe, of course BUT it is NOT those works BUT the source of those works ( faith and love and worship of Christ) that are key.
James also criticizes (rightly) those that SAY they believe ( "lord, Lord..) but show no evidence of that belief at all.

That is the something that Matthew writes about, Jesus' condemnation of those that pay LIP SERVICE to Him and God YET go against what they teach and ask Us to do.

militarynewb wrote:"Luke seems to be saying that salvation through Christ is not enough and that we need to live our entire lives as close to Jesus as humanly possible or we surely won't make it into heaven" It says That those who do the will of my Father will enter the kingdom of heaven. So yes my questions is, what is the will of the Father. That is the question I am trying to figure out, because if everyone has to live their entire lives once they accept Jesus in their hearts, how God wants us to live our lives, then thats going to cut the people going into heaven by Half!. Because half the people who have accepted Jesus into their hearts may not be thinking of God every single day of their lives and living their lives how God wants us to.

I'd venture to say that not a single person can live up to that standard. So either you're right, and we're all doomed. Or, you're misinterpreting scripture.

And FYI, in case you missed it, the will of the Father, regarding salvation, is spelled out clearly in John 6:29.

Don't complicate the simple gospel.

In my view there is no "real" contradiction between these two verses. The fact is that one is not demonstrating "FAITH' if one does not practice the same beliefs that Christ Jesus did. The act proves our faith! Lloyd Thompson.