A lot of people think accepting Jesus as their saviour is enough to get into heaven. The Bible tells us that this isn’t actually true and lists different reasons why Christians might go to hell.
In Matthew 7, Jesus tells us that at the end of it all, many people will claim to have known him but he will deny them because they are workers of lawlessness who disregarded God’s commands. The Bible then gives us specific examples of people that he will deny.
1 Corinthians 6:9-10 ~ Don’t you realize that those who do wrong will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Don’t fool yourselves. Those who indulge in sexual sin, or who worship idols, or commit adultery, or are male prostitutes, or practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor verbal abusers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God.
Revelations 21:8 ~ But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”
Does the Bible not say we are saved by faith?
Although faith is a prerequisite for salvation, it is not the only thing that qualifies you. In fact, the entirety of James 2 stresses the importance of works.
James 2:17 ~ So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.
James 2:19-20 ~ You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror. How foolish! Can’t you see that faith without good deeds is useless?
What about the mercy of God?
The mercy of God is available to those that chose it. It means that you can repent from these actions while there is time and God will forgive you if you truly repent. To truly repent means to ask for God’s forgiveness and depart from the sinful behaviour.
Hebrews 10:26-27 ~ Dear friends, if we deliberately continue sinning after we have received knowledge of the truth, there is no longer any sacrifice that will cover these sins. There is only the terrible expectation of God’s judgment and the raging fire that will consume his enemies.
