Lee Strobel

But to be judgmental is to be sort of like the Pharisees in the New Testament who were, you know, they would make a show of their faith and they would pray on the street corners. And Jesus said, you know what, you're gonna pray, go to your prayer closet and pray in private. Don't make a show of it. the way these hypocrites do. And that's kind of judging others by, I'm better than you. Look at me.

I'm praying on a street corner. Boy, I must be really loved by God. No, that's judgmentalism. That's hypocrisy.

I'm praying on a street corner. Boy, I must be really loved by God. No, that's judgmentalism. That's hypocrisy.

I'm praying on a street corner. Boy, I must be really loved by God. No, that's judgmentalism. That's hypocrisy.

Oh, definitely. Here's how I would envision it. I'm kind of, I like mathematics. So here's kind of the equation as I see it, and as I believe the Bible presents it. Jesus plus nothing equals eternal life plus good deeds. So in other words, coming to faith in Christ is a gift. We can't earn it. We don't deserve it. We don't merit it. We can only receive it in a prayer of repentance and faith.

Oh, definitely. Here's how I would envision it. I'm kind of, I like mathematics. So here's kind of the equation as I see it, and as I believe the Bible presents it. Jesus plus nothing equals eternal life plus good deeds. So in other words, coming to faith in Christ is a gift. We can't earn it. We don't deserve it. We don't merit it. We can only receive it in a prayer of repentance and faith.

Oh, definitely. Here's how I would envision it. I'm kind of, I like mathematics. So here's kind of the equation as I see it, and as I believe the Bible presents it. Jesus plus nothing equals eternal life plus good deeds. So in other words, coming to faith in Christ is a gift. We can't earn it. We don't deserve it. We don't merit it. We can only receive it in a prayer of repentance and faith.

I'm sorry for my sins. I want to turn from that. I want to receive you as my Lord and savior, my forgiver, my leader. I want to follow you all the days of my life. Thank you for forgiving my sins. Jesus plus nothing that we can merit equals eternal life. But then there's the other part of the equation. So now you've become a Christian. Now you have eternal life.

I'm sorry for my sins. I want to turn from that. I want to receive you as my Lord and savior, my forgiver, my leader. I want to follow you all the days of my life. Thank you for forgiving my sins. Jesus plus nothing that we can merit equals eternal life. But then there's the other part of the equation. So now you've become a Christian. Now you have eternal life.

I'm sorry for my sins. I want to turn from that. I want to receive you as my Lord and savior, my forgiver, my leader. I want to follow you all the days of my life. Thank you for forgiving my sins. Jesus plus nothing that we can merit equals eternal life. But then there's the other part of the equation. So now you've become a Christian. Now you have eternal life.

So it's Jesus plus nothing equals eternal life plus good deeds. The good deeds are on the other side of the equation. They don't earn your way to heaven. They come because now you've become a follower of Jesus and you do good deeds because the Holy Spirit is working in you. And you wanna, you know, like I did this abortion, set up this abortion for this woman when I was an atheist.

So it's Jesus plus nothing equals eternal life plus good deeds. The good deeds are on the other side of the equation. They don't earn your way to heaven. They come because now you've become a follower of Jesus and you do good deeds because the Holy Spirit is working in you. And you wanna, you know, like I did this abortion, set up this abortion for this woman when I was an atheist.

So it's Jesus plus nothing equals eternal life plus good deeds. The good deeds are on the other side of the equation. They don't earn your way to heaven. They come because now you've become a follower of Jesus and you do good deeds because the Holy Spirit is working in you. And you wanna, you know, like I did this abortion, set up this abortion for this woman when I was an atheist.

Now, as a Christian, I do fundraising for crisis pregnancy centers that help women who have a pregnancy that is unwanted to realize that they could keep their child or they can adopt it out and to help them through that crisis. So am I doing good deeds to earn my way to heaven? No, I'm doing that because God has changed my life. I'm doing that because God has changed my values.

Now, as a Christian, I do fundraising for crisis pregnancy centers that help women who have a pregnancy that is unwanted to realize that they could keep their child or they can adopt it out and to help them through that crisis. So am I doing good deeds to earn my way to heaven? No, I'm doing that because God has changed my life. I'm doing that because God has changed my values.

Now, as a Christian, I do fundraising for crisis pregnancy centers that help women who have a pregnancy that is unwanted to realize that they could keep their child or they can adopt it out and to help them through that crisis. So am I doing good deeds to earn my way to heaven? No, I'm doing that because God has changed my life. I'm doing that because God has changed my values.

You're doing good deeds, not in a desperate attempt to claw your way to God. I hope I do enough. I hope my balance between good and bad is, no, you're doing good deeds because when you come to Christ as a free gift, Now your values change and now yes, you do do good deeds. You do serve others.

You're doing good deeds, not in a desperate attempt to claw your way to God. I hope I do enough. I hope my balance between good and bad is, no, you're doing good deeds because when you come to Christ as a free gift, Now your values change and now yes, you do do good deeds. You do serve others.

You're doing good deeds, not in a desperate attempt to claw your way to God. I hope I do enough. I hope my balance between good and bad is, no, you're doing good deeds because when you come to Christ as a free gift, Now your values change and now yes, you do do good deeds. You do serve others.

You do live as hopefully with a sense of the way Jesus lived in helping other people who are in need and so forth. So yes, good deeds have a role in the Christian life, but not a role that contributes in any way to salvation. it comes after salvation, after we've received Christ as our forgiver and leader, then we do good deeds because we're changed.