Perplexed Protestant

[Socrates4Jesus]

Socrates4Jesus

Your answer isn’t clear.

Do you believe that the scriptures teach that a Christian that dies unrepentant for deadly sin can be damned to eternity in Hell?

Or do you believe that every Christian has a guaranteed place in Heaven no matter how they live their lives?

For the past decade i have believed the former, not the latter.

The reasoning i use goes this way.

*** Premise 1.** St. Paul wrote, “…Forgive as the Lord forgave you.” (Colossians 3:13)

*** Premise 2.** Jesus said:

"So watch yourselves. If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him. If he sins against you seven times a day, and seven times comes back to you and says, ‘I repent,’ forgive him. (Luke 17:3-4)

*** Conclusion.** Since Paul tells us that we are to forgive each other the way God forgives us; & since Jesus tells us to forgive those Christians who repent; then God will forgive us our sins IF WE REPENT.

May i ask: Why did you assume i did not believe this?

 

[Socrates4Jesus]

Greg_McPherran:

Obviously how one lives their lives is important

Greg,

I agree. You may like this quote:

“How a child of God lives has far greater value in the eyes of the world then what he says. Men count his deeds as dollars but his words as only pennies.”

C.H. Spurgeon

 

[Socrates4Jesus]

Emmaus:

GONE FISHING

Ask Jesus if you should put your net on the other side.

 

[Matt16_18]

Socrates4Jesus:

God will forgive us our sins IF WE REPENT. May i ask: Why did you assume i did not believe this?

I am not assuming anything; I just want to be clear about what you believe (although you still have not given me a direct answer to the question if you believe in OSAS).

You say that you do NOT believe that every Christian has a guaranteed place in Heaven, and that how we live our lives is important. You also say if we commit deadly sin, that we cannot expect forgiveness for those sins unless we repent of those sins. From this we can rule out that you believe in the antinomian flavor of OSAS. That is, you believe that it is possible for a Christian to be damned by being unrepentant for commiting deadly sin. And you say that our good deeds are important.

Now let us go back to your first post where you say this:

The first two passages of Scripture seem to say that the good things we do somehow contribute to our salvation, while the last four passages seem to contradict this.

I’m a firm believer that “contradictions” in the Bible are not real but only apparent.

We agree that “contradictions” are only apparent, so there is no need to discuss that.

Let us rephrase the question you are asking. Do our good works help to keep us from damnation? We already agree that if we do evil works and do not repent of our sins that we can expect damnation.

The next situation to consider is this: What if we don’t do any evil works, but we also don’t do any good works either? Can the person that is lukewarm be assured that he won’t be damned? Scriptures present a God that finds the lukewarm as an abomination that he vomits out of his mouth – not good. There is no reason to assume that lukewarm vomit will enter heaven.

That leaves us with only one possibility. To avoid damnation, a person needs to avoid doing evil AND he must also do good works. Thus we answer your question, do good works somehow contribute to our salvation? The answer is “yes”, good works somehow contribute to our salvation, because doing those good works are necessary to avoid damnation.

But now we need to rule out that you believe in the Calvinist flavor of OSAS. Do you believe that “irresistable” grace will destroy your humanity and turn you into a robot that is incapable of committing sin, and capable only of doing good works? We can rule that out, because you have said that a Chrisitian is capable of being damned by not repenting of his sins. Therefore, you cannot believe in “Once Saved, Always Saved” in either the antinomian or Calvinist forms.

Now the only question left to answer is this: How perfect must we be to avoid damnation? To answer that question, we must ask, what did Jesus set as the standard of perfection? And we already know the answer to that question. Jesus said we are to be perfect as our Father in Heaven is perfect.

 

[Steve_M]

Socrates4Jesus:

Steve:

Please compare 1 John 3:3-6 with 1 John 1:8.

“If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.”

I’m just curious what you think. Given this comparison, what do you think the words “No one who abides in him sins” mean?

That’s not a hard comparison at all. You have to look at the historial context of the book. There was a split of some sort in the Church. Some members had left, while others apparently weren’t living in a Christlike manner. This book is more of a sermon to those left, than a letter. The whole book has examples of how a Christian should live contrasted how the world lives.

One of the early themes is very similar to James’ comparison of faith with faith and works. John is saying that just because you know Christ doesn’t mean you won’t sin. Some of the people aparently believed that. They thought they didn’t have strict standards to follow. That’s where 1 John 1:8 comes in. If you read the verses before and after 1:8 you’ll see what John says.

1. If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth;
   7 but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.
   8 If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us.
   9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
   10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us.

Remember, he’s writing to a group of Christians. He says in verse 9, that if they fall away, there’s a way to come back, but first they must acknowledge that they have sined.

In chapter 3 we see John telling the Christians how the are supposed to live. If they sin, they are separated from God. If they are with God, that is because they haven’t sinned. This goes back to chapter 1 verse 9. That’s how we get back to God, and our sins are cleansed.

John elaborates further in 3:9-10. We cannot continue to “practice sin” if we have God in us. If we practice sin we lose that seed and become separated from God. We become children of the Devil.

9 No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.
10 By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother.

If you read the entire book of 1 John, it becomes more clear than what I can squeeze into this space.

 

[Socrates4Jesus]

Matt16_18:

… Now the only question left to answer is this: How perfect must we be to avoid damnation? To answer that question, we must ask, what did Jesus set as the standard of perfection? And we already know the answer to that question. Jesus said we are to be perfect as our Father in Heaven is perfect.

Matt:

I find your reasoning clear, concise & cogent. Thank you!

I suppose i’m left with the same question Nick had when Jesus reasoned with him: “How can this be?” (John, chapter 3). For i’m assuming (perhaps incorrectly) that you are saying that a person can reach a state of sinless perfection on this side of eternity.

I’m interested in why you believe this. Will you explain how one can possibly obey Jesus’ command to “be perfect as your Father in heaven is perfect” (Matthew 5:48)?

 

[Socrates4Jesus]

Steve M:

…John elaborates further in 3:9-10. We cannot continue to “practice sin” if we have God in us. If we practice sin we lose that seed and become separated from God. We become children of the Devil.

9 No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.
10 By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother.

…

Steve:

OK, thanks.

Would you say you are not saying that a person may become perfect prior to his own death & resurrection? It appears that you (as do i) understand St. John’s words, “No one who is born of God practices sin” to mean that a person must continually repent of his sins & not give up fighting his own evil desires all together.

A Christian is one who continues to struggle with sin, as did St. Paul (Romans, chapter 8) & overcomes his sinful nature not by his own might, but by God’s Spirit. Hence, St. John is NOT saying that a person may reach a state of sinlessness while still in sinful flesh (1 John 1:8).

I think that is what you mean.

 

[Pax]

God’s grace goes out in power and nothing is impossible with God. It is certainly possible for someone to reach a level of sanctification that includes sinlessness prior to death. In fact we see what would appear externally to be examples of this all the time.

As Catholics, we accept the regenerative nature of baptism and its removal of all sin. Obviously, when baptized babies, small children, or mentally retarded adults die they are free from sin. Other possibilities would include our greatest saints, for it is likely that they died in a state of sinlessness. Naturally, we do not know this for sure, because only God knows the hearts of men.

The cycle of life itself gives us another clue as to how people reach this level of sanctification prior to death. If we take a sincere, prayerful, and worshipful person that leads a holy catholic life we might rightly presume that they do a minimal amount of sinning. If this person takes ill, and is dying, they will call for the priest who will hear their confession and give them the Eucharist. It is safe to say that few people in this situation will sin on their death bed. In fact, they are in the process of their illness, detaching themselves by God’s grace from all the things of this world. Their focus is solely on the Lord and their desire to be with him. By God’s grace they are being perfected and can be free of sin at the time of their death.

 

[Pax]

Socrates4Jesus,

I like analogies particularly when they enlighten us about truth. Expressing the relationship of faith and works as “two sides of the same coin” is quite apt. I’m not sure how many Protestants would approve of this analogy because it says, perhaps, more than they intend.

If “the coin” genuinely represents the idea of how we are saved by grace then it adequately reflects the Catholic position. The analogy shows two things (i.e. two sides of a coin) that by their nature cannot be be separated. If we keep what is on one side of the coin and remove the other, then we no longer have the coin. Instead, we have a counterfeit. It looks real enough from one side but it is, neverthess, incomplete. Without both sides it is not the full package of God’s grace. The “the genuine article” of God’s grace includes both faith and works, and not “faith alone.”

The Protestant statement that “we are saved by faith but faith is never alone” is a sincere effort, on the part of Protestants who use it, to reconcile their understandings of Paul and the teachings of James. While this is a good thing to do, the conclusions must, nevertheless, relflect the truth. Unfortunately, the phrase “we are saved by faith but faith is never alone” represents a change to the wording used by the apostle, and therefore changes the meaning and intent of the words. The Catholic understanding of Paul and James does not do this. Instead, it reconciles Paul and James teachings to their full congruency.

 

[Matt16_18]

Socrates4Jesus:

Will you explain how one can possibly obey Jesus’ command to “be perfect as your Father in heaven is perfect” (Matthew 5:48)?

Jesus gave us the command to be perfect as our Father in Heaven is perfect. Therefore, it must be possible to fulfill this commandment, because Jesus is our Lord and we must do what the Lord commands of us.

Read Matthew’s Gospel; just before Jesus gives us the command to be perfect, he is giving us the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus is explaining to us what perfection is. After giving us the commandment to be perfect in Matthew chapter 5, there is the story of the rich young man that further clarifies how it is that we can be perfect.

The rich young man that asked Jesus what he needed to do to enter kingdom of heaven, which is exactly the same question that you are asking. Then children were brought to him that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples rebuked the people; but Jesus said, “Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them; for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.” And he laid his hands on them and went away.

And behold, one came up to him, saying, “Teacher, what good deed must I do, to have eternal life?” And he said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good? One there is who is good. If you would enter life, keep the commandments.” He said to him, “Which?” And Jesus said, “You shall not kill, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother, and, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” The young man said to him, “All these I have observed; what do I still lack?” Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful; for he had great possessions. And Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly, I say to you, it will be hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” When the disciples heard this they were greatly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?” But Jesus looked at them and said to them, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
Matt. 19:14-26 So there you have the answer to your question. We must follow the moral commandments of the Torah. But that is not enough to be perfect. We must also totally abandon ourselves to divine providence, and we must follow Jesus, not just for a while, but for our entire lives. And we must know that total obedience to God is impossible for a man acting apart form God’s grace, but with God, all things ARE possible.

Saving faith is the belief that God’s grace is sufficient, and that it is possible to become perfect. If one doesn’t believe that, then one has no saving faith – one merely has, at best, intellectual assent to a series of theological propositions about Jesus and the atoning sacrifice of the Cross.

 

[Matt16_18]

Socrates4Jesus:

Hence, St. John is NOT saying that a person may reach a state of sinlessness while still in sinful flesh (1 John 1:8).

How did you reach that strange conclusion? John is only saying that if we do stumble and fall, that we can confess our sins and be reconciled to God. John is NOT saying that God’s grace is ineffective and incapable of bringing us to perfection! To deny that God’s grace is sufficient is to deny the Gospel.“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”
2Cor. 12:9

 

[Steve_M]

Matt16_18:

How did you reach that strange conclusion? John is only saying that if we do stumble and fall, that we can confess our sins and be reconciled to God. John is NOT saying that God’s grace is ineffective and incapable of bringing us to perfection! To deny that God’s grace is sufficient is to deny the Gospel.“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”

2Cor. 12:9

You took the words out of my mouth.

 

[Socrates4Jesus]

Pax, Steve & Matt:

I understand how Jesus was perfect, as He “has been tempted in every way, just as we are–yet was without sin” (Hebrews 4:15). So He was able to challenge His enemies with the question, “Can any of you prove me guilty of sin?” (John 8:46). Of course, this silenced His critics, for no one could. I’m sure you all agree that His sinlessness made Him the perfect sacrifice for your sins & mine.

But i’m not sure i understand how a person may become perfect prior to her death & resurrection. Are all of you saying that one may, with the help of the Holy Spirit, reach a state of sinlessness? Are you each in agreement that she may reach a point, on this side of eternity, where she no longer sins at all?

 

[Matt16_18]

Socrates4Jesus:

Pax, Steve & Matt:

But i’m not sure i understand how a person may become perfect prior to her death & resurrection. Are all of you saying that one may, with the help of the Holy Spirit, reach a state of sinlessness? Are you each in agreement that she may reach a point, on this side of eternity, where she no longer sins at all?

We can only become perfect by grace. Is it IMPOSSIBLE for God to help a person achieve such a level of holiness that they are no longer sinning?

At this point in the discussion we need to acknowledge that Christians have always believed in the distinction between mortal and venial sins. If you have any knowledge of Church history, you will know that the early Christians absolutely believed that a Christian could live a life free from committing mortal sins.

Can a person achieve a level of holiness where they no longer even commit even venial sins? “For God, all things are possible.”

Having Jesus as our Lord obliges us to imitate him in all things. We must make an effort to live a sinless life. If we fail, we must confess our sins and move on. If we aren’t moving forward in our vocation to holiness, we are moving backwards. If we think we can plateau out and become lukewarm in our effort to become holy, we will be vomited out of the mouth of God.

 

[Matt16_18]

For I am the LORD your God; consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am holy.
Lev. 11:44

As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, be holy yourselves in all your conduct; since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” And if you invoke as Father him who judges each one impartially according to his deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile.
1Peter 1:14-17

 

[Steve_M]

Socrates4Jesus:

Are all of you saying that one may, with the help of the Holy Spirit, reach a state of sinlessness? Are you each in agreement that she may reach a point, on this side of eternity, where she no longer sins at all?

I do not believe Jesus or the disciples would tell us to strive toward an unatainable goal.

Philippians 4:13 tells me I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

I actually had a similar conversation to this a few months ago with a Methodist friend of mine. I was taught as a Baptist that we are going to sin, because we are human. We just have to do the best we can, and when we sin ask forgiveness. After understanding baptismal regeneration, that we are new creatures after baptism, I began to notice throughout the New Testament that we are being to to be sinless. We will still be capable of sinning, but we are to strive to sinlessness. It’s just like everything we do in life. The more we do it, the better we get at it. In order to reach the state of sinlessness we have to put our trust in Christ. The more we do that, the more we will come to depend on him. To reach a state of holiness we would have to be absolutely dependent on Christ.

 

[Pax]

Socrates4Jesus,

This is obviously an area of difficulty for all of us. I think the greatest problem we have in appreciating the possibility of perfect holiness prior to death is an experiential one. As much as you and I love God, we know in our own lives that we continue to sin. And so it is with everyone else we talk to. Because I am weak does not mean that I cannot do better. Because I am weak does not mean that God cannot do great things in me. In fact, I thank God daily for what He has done in me. If it were not for His grace there is no telling what would have become of me.

Our experience misleads us and Satan uses this to discredit the clear message of scripture that “we are to be perfect as the heavenly Father is perfect.” We have a part to play in this but it is the Holy Spirit that does the heavy lifting. Whatever level of holiness we achieve prior to death is nothing less than the work of the Father’s hands in our hearts, minds, and soul. Dare we ask God to fulfill in us the heavenly perfection spoken of in scripture? I believe that we not only should but we must! This too is part of our “faith” relationship. Do we believe that we are so worthless that God couldn’t make us holy or that He doesn’t desire for us those things that Jesus spoke of?

When we doubt these things we demonstrate our weakness. We show that our faith is weak; we show that we don’t quite believe the promises God has made to us; and we show that we do not fully appreciate the love that God has for us. I struggle with this as you do, but I pray against my misgivings. I know that God wants me to be perfect and that He wants this more than I do. I know that God wants me to be with Him in heaven even more than I do. I know that He loves me beyond anything that I can comprehend. I also know that His grace goes out in power and that nothing is impossible with God.

I can only say, always pray and never lose heart. Your heavenly father loves his sons and daughters.

 

[Socrates4Jesus]

Well said, all! Sorry i did not get back to the three of you sooner; i spent the holiday weekend focusing on my time with my wife & sons.

I really like your last post, Pax (& your posts as well, Steve & Matt16). I’m not sure i agree that one may reach a state of perfection prior to death & resurrection, but i do agree every Christian should try!

It’s not an issue that we need to debate, as i do not think any of you are saying that reaching that state prior to death is the only way to escape hell. Rather, i think you are each saying it is a way to guarantee heaven; the problem being that one may never know if she has reached that perfect, sinless, state.

If you care to know why i believe people may not reach such a state prior to resurrection when we will receive bodies without sinful desire, then you may consider this:

St. John wrote, “If we claim to be without sin we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us” (1 John 1:8). By using the word we, i gather that he includes himself. Hence, it seems to me that even this saint admitted he was not sinless.

St. Paul wrote from prison, “Not that I have already obtained all of this or have been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ took hold of me” (Philippians 3:12).

And he also wrote the young priest Timothy:

“Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners–of whom I am the worst” (1 Timothy 1:15).

I do not believe he was using hyperbole, but really think that the closer a person draws near to Jesus, the more he understands Him & gets to know Him, the more he realizes how far from Him he really is. When i was living for all the sin i could get in college & thinking i was still heaven bound, i really thought myself to be a pretty good guy. Now, the more i spend time with Jesus in His word & in prayer, the less like Him i seem to be, even though many call me a nice fellow. I do sin less, but i’m not sinless!

I’m still living St. Paul’s nightmare: “I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do–this I keep on doing.” (Romans 7:18-19)

So i often find myself praying aloud (when no one is around to hear, of course) something like this: “What a wretched man i am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God–through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Romans 8:24-25)

And i thank God that righteousness is His gift to me (Romans 5:17).

I have not found anything in even St. Peter’s letters that suggests he had reached a state of perfect sinlessness.

But i want to be sure i understand each of you. Am i correct in thinking that none of you are saying that reaching a state of sinless perfection in this life is a requirement to reach heaven?

 

[Matt16_18]

Socrates4Jesus:

If you care to know why i believe people may not reach such a state prior to resurrection when we will receive bodies without sinful desire …

Whoa! Bodies without sinful desires? This is a very Gnostic thing to say, i.e. equating the body with sin. What Protestant denomination do you belong to? This is the kind of statement that Calvinists tend to make.

The sinful desires that are in the heart are what defile a man.“Are you also still without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach, and so passes on? But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a man. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, fornication, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a man; but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man.”
Matt. 15:16-20Obviously, when Jesus speaks of the evil thoughts in the heart he doesn’t mean that the muscle that pumps blood through the body contains evil thoughts. Jesus is speaking about the corruption that lies within a man’s spirit – his heart. I think that you misunderstand the scripture verses that you quoted because of a Calvinist/Gnostic view of sin residing in the flesh of the body.

I do not believe he was using hyperbole, but really think that the closer a person draws near to Jesus, the more he understands Him & gets to know Him, the more he realizes how far from Him he really is. When i was living for all the sin i could get in college & thinking i was still heaven bound, i really thought myself to be a pretty good guy. Now, the more i spend time with Jesus in His word & in prayer, the less like Him i seem to be, even though many call me a nice fellow. I do sin less, but i’m not sinless!

You are trying to be sinless, and you are making some progress. That is good! But you seem to lack faith that God’s grace is sufficient to bring you to a state of perfect holiness. A lack of faith can become a serious sin in itself, and obsintate doubt can bring about negative spiritual consequences. It is always good to pray to God increase one’s faith, especially when one begins to doubt the promises of God.

I’m still living St. Paul’s nightmare: “I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do–this I keep on doing.” (Romans 7:18-19)

Don’t stop reading Paul at this point! Keep on reading for a few more verses and you will see that there is escape from this state of being.For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set me free from the law of sin and death.
Romans 8:2

Am i correct in thinking that none of you are saying that reaching a state of sinless perfection in this life is a requirement to reach heaven?

Yes. We know that this is true because scriptures tell us that this is so.But nothing unclean shall enter it, nor any one who practices abomination or falsehood …
Rev. 21:27 We cannot enter heaven until we are purged of all inordinate self-love, which is the root of the abomination of sin. If we don’t learn how to love perfectly in this world, we will learn selfless love in purgatory (unless of course we are one of the damned – in that case we will never become holy).

Life on earth can be our purgatory, if we allow it. With the grace of God we can indeed love as Jesus loved.A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.
John 13:34

 

[Philthy]

Socrates4Jesus:

The flower analogy gives me an idea.

I suppose if we say that eternal life is a tree of life (like that which Adam & Eve enjoyed in the Garden of Eden), & if we say that what makes it a tree of eternal life is the Holy Ghost (for He is the one who is the seal that shows we have this life), as St. Paul wrote:

“And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession–to the praise of his glory.” (Ephesians 1:13-14)

If that be true, then this is also:

The good works are the evidence that we have the Holy Ghost & eternal life. For St. Paul writes: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control…” (Galatians 5:22-23).

For what i’m asking are Scriptures that say that this fruit of the Holy Ghost is more than just mere evidence that we have life. Does the New Testament teach that these good deeds done by God are what merit eternal life for us?

Hey Soc - sorry I’ve been away. I’ll give this request some thought, but allow me this: Who cares about the “evidence” of our faith? Does it do anything for anyone? Why would it even be mentioned? If it has no real purpose towards salvation then why would God have incorporated it into Scripture? My thinking is that if we believe certain verses are speaking of our good works as EXCLUSIVELY being for the evidence alone of our faith and we have no eternal benefit from producing such evidence, then we’re probably misinterpreting the meaning of Scripture in those instances. If I were you, I would immediately object that the evidence of our faith does indeed have a benefit: it draws OTHERS to Christ - but it does nothing, per se, for some one who already has the gift of faith. You might even support such a claim with: Matt 5:16 - “Just so, your light must shine before others that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly father.” NAB
But I would respond that this only increases our responsibility to do good in that in failing to do so we are turning our backs not only on our brethren, but on Jesus himself. And I would point out that in the very same Gospel Jesus gives us a glimpse of Heaven and who gets in: See Matt 25:31-46 " I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me. Then they will go away to eternal punishment…" Do you know why the word “faith” isn’t even mentioned here? I think it’s because doing the will of our Father is, in fact, the very same thing.