God’s reputation is on the line when we say what a loving God requires to be accepted into heaven after death. Just ask those who have loved ones that may have been less of a sinner against God than those who said the sinner’s prayer before dying. It is often said that one must pray the sinner’s pray in order to get into heaven. The sinner’s prayer goes something like: “God, I confess my sins, I ask for your forgiveness, I believe Jesus died for my sins, and I put my trust in you.”
There are many, many reasons why a loving God doesn’t determine one’s eternal destination based on a set of beliefs supposedly found in a Book (Bible).
The majority of people born into this world never had a Bible? But, how is it wrong for God to communicate though human means available to as many people as possible what God is really like through Jesus, which can be freeing to those who read it but uncondemning of those who can’t read it? The truth is the majority of people accept or rebel against a certain religion based on the family born into whether it be Christian, Muslim, Buddhist, etc. Suggesting a loving God insists one can only come to God through Jesus is to ignore the realities of our world.
A loving God would never base one’s destiny on accepting certain beliefs a short time while on earth even if everyone had a Bible.
Those trained in the original languages that the Bible was written in teach different interpretations of the same words and sentences. The Bible was never meant to replace one’s personal relationship with God. We are not dependent on one’s interpretation or even if a biblical writer misrepresented God when writing. You decide if God would crush the spirits of gay people because they can’t stop being who they are. You decide if God would crush the dreams of millions of girls by denying them the privilege of exercising their spiritual gifts because the Bible supposedly teaches women can’t teach men but only women and children as if they are less important than men! God may be what you imagined a loving God would be like.
Jesus, who represented God here on earth, didn’t act as if certain truths were more important than love. Jesus didn’t pray the sinner’s prayer with those He encounter though surely aware they were last chance encounters because of His future destination on the Cross. Jesus’ closest friends doubted His resurrection, despite all the miracles He performed. How much easier is it to doubt events that happened 2000 years ago for which we have to trust history since we weren’t eye witnesses. Besides, when Jesus was asked how to obtain eternal life, His words sounded nothing like the sinner’s prayer (Lk. 10:25-28).
A loving God would never determine one’s destiny on chance encounters.
Do we really think salvation depends on a prayer prayed? Did the thief on the cross get lucky while others he knew were out of luck because they didn’t sin enough to get a Cross next to Jesus. If so, you may want to plan on not dying before being able to have one last thought. Jesus never spoke of salvation as finding a “get out of hell” free pass. Jesus spoke of eternal life as a quality of life beginning on earth that leads to fewer regrets now and forever. Believing our destiny depends on a set of beliefs or totally on our circumstances has led to some wacky baptizing practices or hoping your skeptical child hasn’t reached that age of accountability before being thrown into Hell.
There are so many rational reasons why one may or may not believe or put their total trust in a Reality greater than themselves, must less call that Reality God. A loving parent much less a loving God doesn’t stop desiring a relationship because one doesn’t accept them. Now, if one thinks they can treat everyone in their life like Hell, but expect to be treated by others how they want to be treated, good Lord! Salvation, heaven, life after death isn’t dependent on a set of beliefs but on a loving God that we can hope exist.
Do you really think God is going to judge all based on their beliefs during a short time here on earth influenced by so many random factors?
A loving God isn’t going to judge one when they didn’t truly understand God or God was misrepresented by others. A loving God can’t all of a sudden stop being forgiving at the moment of one’s last breath. Do you really think a God of a thousand chances here on earth isn’t a God of second changes after death? God surely seeks our love because loving God can empower us to love others to the fullest, unless you want your legacy to be about toys accumulated. When meeting our Creator all causes that led to erroneous thinking will be removed, but Jesus wanted Heaven to begin here on earth through loving relationships.
What God May Really Be Like - Misbeliefs About God 