Query: Would Lance Armstrong’s great charity work in
cancer research overcome his lying and deceit so that he would get into heaven
when he dies?
Written by a lay minister who decided to provide a scriptural guide to allow one to answer the Query above ....rrepp
Useful info that will help us deal with such issues... Please take time to read 1/2013
The answer to this question is given from
a Christian perspective with the Holy Bible as
the reference and basis, for only God and His Word can give us the
direction we seek here.
With
such a question, it is not intended that any opinion of the author should be
included, nor any comments relative to
the fairness of the actions and results.
1) Who
controls the “keys” to heaven?
God very clearly in His Word describes
eternal life in heaven as a reward for those
who come to Him, accepting His offer and solution of the kingdom of
heaven.
2) Who is God?
God is the Triune God, (Father, Son,
& Holy Spirit), self described in His inerrant Word, the Holy Bible. He describes Himself as Creator, Redeemer,
and Eternal King, and is almighty, all knowing, eternal, and sovereign over all
things in earth and heaven.
3) How do we know about God?
God, through His Holy Spirit, caused
holy men of God to write the scriptures that became the Holy Bible, thus giving
to mankind His revelation of Himself, His creation, including mankind, how we
are to live, and how He loves us. Coming
from God Himself, this revelation in the Old & New Testaments is Self
proclaimed to be the only source of Truth.
Indeed, Jesus, the Son, declares Himself as the “Way, the Truth, and the
Life.”
4) Who is man?
In the first book of Genesis in the
Bible, we learn that God created man and woman in His own image, giving us free
will and residence in paradise in His created garden. Mankind had open access to God and sin did
not exist. Mankind was given authority
over all other living beings by God.
5) What is sin?
Sin is disobedience to God’s will for
mankind. The first sins were committed
by Adam & Eve in the Garden of Eden, when they obeyed Satan and ate fruit
from the Tree of Life which was forbiden to them by God. Since that first sin, all future generations
became burdened by God with sin by birth, as a punishment of this
disobedience. Sin, being total darkness,
cannot come into the presence of the Holy God who is light, perfect, and
sinless. Therefore, sin has been the
source of separation of God and His created mankind.
6) What is God’s penalty for sin?
God declares that the penalty for any
sin is death, eternal death and separation
from God. It is God’s way of
always being apart from the direct presence of any sin.
7) What is God’s answer and solution to
mankind for his sin and it’s consequences?
In the Old Testament, God’s people
brought numerous animal sacrifices to God’s altar so that the animal’s blood
could substitute for their sins and God would forgive them. But He also promised a Messiah who
would come as a permanent sacrifice for man’s sins. That Messiah, as prophesied in the Old
Testament, came as a baby named Jesus nearly 2,000 years ago. Jesus, the Son of God, and second part of the
Triune God, lived the
only perfect life on this earth and died on the cross as a permanent
sacrifice for all sins of mankind.
8) What can/must man do to gain God’s
forgiveness, and enter into eternal life with God in heaven?
God offers man the gift of eternal
life in heaven, if, and only if, we acknowledge our sinfulness before Him and
accept Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord for what He did for us on the
cross. God sent His only Son to earth to
live and to die, that through the sacrifice of Jesus and His blood, we would
have eternal life in heaven with God - IF we believe in Him and accept Him as
our Lord. So God gives us His one and
only means of entering into heaven as a gift, but we must accept the gift and
Him. God does not give us this gift based
on any good works that we may do while on earth, or any goodness on our part. Entrance to heaven is given
only on the basis of accepting and believing Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross for
our sins.
9) Answer to Original Query Relative to Lance
Armstrong
Therfore to answer the original query
relative to Lance Armstrong’s acceptance into heaven when he dies, it would be
based strictly and exclusively by God on Lance’s having acknowledged his
sinfulness before God, asked for forgiveness of his sins by God through the
sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross, and acknowledging his belief and faith
in Jesus Christ alone as his Savior and Lord.
While having sinned because of his lies and deceit, just as all of man sins since that original
sin of Adam, all the many good actions by Lance to greatly help in cancer
research for others do not meet God’s requirements for eternal life in heaven. God loves us and provides a way for our sins
to be forgiven, but it is not through our efforts of goodness. On the other hand, God does expect us to live
in kindness and with a giving heart to
all, once we become His believing children.
10) Answer to the Query is the Same for All
of Us
This response not only applies to the
query for Lance Armstrong,
but is
relevant to all of us.
11) Case for Reading (A major life turnaround
to a giving Christian)
“Born Again” by Chuck Colson
12) Some related Bible verses:
“These things I have written unto
you... that you may know that you have eternal life...”
1 John 5:13
“For all have sinned, and come short
of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23
“...the gift of God is eternal life
through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans
6:23
“Be ye therefore perfect, even as your
Father which is in heaven is perfect.”
Matthew 5:48
“For by grace are you saved through
faith; and that not of yourselves: it is
the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast.” Ephesians 2: 8,9
“God is love.” 1 John 4: 8
“...the soul that sinneth, it shall
die.” Ezekiel 18: 4
“God demonstrated His love for us in
this: while we were still sinners,
Christ died for us.” Romans 5: 8
“In the beginning was the Word
(Jesus)... and the Word (Jesus) was made flesh, and dwelt among us...” John 1: 1, 14
“All we like sheep have gone astray;
we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on Him (Jesus)
the iniquity (sin) of us all.” Isaiah
53: 6
“Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and
thou shalt be saved...” Acts 16: 31
“Behold, I stand at the door, and
knock: if any man hear My voice, and
open the door, I will come in to him....”
Revelation 3:20
“For with the heart man believeth unto
righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the
Lord shall be saved.”
Romans 10: 10, 13
“Truly, truly, I say unto you, he that
believeth on Me hath everlasting life.”
John 6: 47
“But as many as received Him, to them
He gave the power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His
name.” John 1: 12
“Which were born, not of blood, nor of
the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” John 1:13
“For whoever shall call upon the name
of the Lord shall be saved.” Romans
10:13
“For God so loved the world that He
gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him, shall not perish,
but have eternal life.” John 3:16
