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Why should I go to hell if I am sincere?
Being sincere is not the
way to have your sins forgiven. If it were, then Jesus didn't need
to die on the cross. But He did die, so being sincere isn't good
enough. Besides, if someone appeals to their own sincerity as a
worthy effort before God, then they are appealing to their own character
as a means to satisfy an infinite and holy God. But this is
impossible, first because we can never satisfy an infinite and holy God
based on our finite sin-stained efforts and second, because to make such
an appeal is really an appeal to pride since it is an appeal to
something good in ourselves. The problem is, that we are all
touched by sin and as the Bible says, "no one does good," (Rom. 3:12).
Unfortunately, people erringly think that because they
claim to have a good and sincere heart, that that is good enough for
them to escape God's judgment. But this is a misplaced appeal
since it is based on feelings, and not biblical revelation.
Furthermore, someone can be sincere but be very wrong in what they
believe. Since we are justified by faith (Rom. 5:1), we must believe in the true
God since faith in something false is useless. It doesn't matter
how sincere you are because sincere belief or faith in something false
can't help you. People are sincerely wrong all the time.
Does anyone expect God to overlook the necessity of the sacrifice of His
Son based on someone saying on judgment day, "But God, I was sincere."
No, it won't happen.
So if someone is sincere yet believes in a false God like the
Mormons or the Jehovah's Witnesses, will they get to go to heaven?
No. They won't. They will go to hell. This is why it
is so imperative that we preach the truth of God's word to everyone.
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Questions Skeptics Ask
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