“If serving others is an inevitable side effect of being “Saved”, why do some non-believers have this same “side effect” but are still labeled as “unsaved” and therefore “can be sure” they will not go to heaven?”
The first “You can Be Sure Post” I wrote was a rabbit trail off of Heaven Pt. 47. I really didn’t expect to be this long down this side avenue, but Noel one of my readers asked some very compelling questions. So I thought it necessary to linger here awhile until the answers were laid out. In bold above you will see the question I want to address today and Monday.
Noel has asked a good question. If a servant’s heart is a side-effect of being saved, how is it then that non-Christians can be just as service oriented (indeed sometimes more) and why then are they considered unsaved?
The answer to the first part of Noel’s question is that there is more than one method of causality for a servant’s-heart. Salvation by grace is one cause of servanthood but there are many others. A person can become charitable because they were taught charity by a parent or a mentor, or because they knew great want at some point in their lives and are by that memory spurred to protect others from want. A person can achieve a servant’s heart because it is part of their job description and they are daily forced into service or even because they are part of a community which values servanthood. A person can even be born with a natural bent towards servanthood.
But it is not serving others that saves. Being kind or loving, giving or good does not qualify a person for Heaven. What qualifies a person for Heaven according to the Bible is either sinless perfection OR redemption. It has to be one or the other. Either you have to live every second of every day without sin of thought, word or deed OR you need someone to take the blame for the sin you do.
I’ve met many good people in my time. I’ve met many kind hearted servants; But I have never met anyone perfect in thought, word and deed. Everyone I know is in need of redemption! Everyone I know needs someone else to take the blame for their sin if they are going to make it to Heaven.
The only one ever qualified by God to take that blame was Jesus Christ. That is why He is called the Savior!
More on Monday!
Reinventing the We'll 
Thanks, Pastor J for this post, it is so good. You can serve, be kind, help others, and still not go to Heaven. After being saved for me the reward of helping others went to a new level of joy because now my joy of serving comes from God. A-men!
This is so true Deb! There is a powerful satisfaction that comes knowing that our good works not saving us bring joy to our King!
Jelillie, what I have learned in this life about salvation is that it is being saved from our selfish nature. To be free from having to defend our fabricated egos, and selfish agendas, is what I consider true Salvation. Yet, this definition does not necessarily disqualify the possibility of the existence of a loving God who created us to learn how to love as He loves us. It does not discredit what Jesus did either. On the contrary, it gives us a more profound view of what Jesus meant (“love your neighbor as yourself” “deny yourself” “follow the narrow path” etc).
It is this but so much more Noel! There is a coming kingdom according to the Bible. When Paul the apostle writes about salvation in his letters He is writing primarily about an event that will take place in the future. While we are being made new we shall be saved from the wrath to come!
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After I accepted Jesus as my Savior, a kind co-worker came up to me and was so thankful. He had wanted to say something to me . ..could see my desire to “do good” . . .but knew that wasn’t going to save me. I have realized now that some of my serving before knowing Jesus came from a desire to please people . . .something that He has had to change, for me to please Him and love others. (and sometimes not be able to please them though!) God bless you as you take time to answer questions and deepen our faith!
This is a good word Deb! People Pleasing is a difficulty I struggle with. SAnctified serving comes from a heart desiring to please God not from a heart afraid of displeasing people. I have had to learn that the hard way!
Wow, you and Debbie have described me. For years I did serve and even looked like I was saved by serving to please others…so much I only knew who I was as it was defined by who I thought others wanted me to be…Serving and pleasing HIM and loving others is POWERFUL STUFF! Thank you Debbie!!
“Serving and pleasing Him and loving others!” A divine order to life! 🙂
A business man I dealt with was a strong worker for charities and for the community. I asked him why he did so much good work and he replied “Well, it is a step up the ladder”. Further talk confirmed that he thought his good deeds would help get him to heaven. Although he was shown the ONLY way I don’t know that he ever accepted God’s Gift of salvation.
This is the saddest thing isn’t it? People remain blind to the truth even when it is plainly shared from the Word? How many will come into His presence on the day of judgment only to hear Him say “I never knew you.”? The Word indicates it will be a great multitude hoping to gain entrance on the basis of what they have done rather than on the basis of who they belong to.
“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many
wonders in Your name?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’ ……”Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock:…” (Mathew 7) It brings me joy to read that Jesus emphasized on us “doing” his Father’s will, not simply “belonging to Him”. Also, He describes as wise those who DO his sayings. Again, I don’t imply that we should simply do things to “earn” heaven, but it sure is essential to live the Kingdom of Heaven right now.
You are right Noel! The truth though is that anyone who truly knows God will do the things He commanded. The two things go hand in hand but true faith produces works while works do not necessarily produce faith. Faith is the essential key to salvation.