Is Believing Work?

And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. (Acts 16:31 KJV)

For by grace are ye 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 KJV)

We are saved by believing that Jesus died for our sins and not by good works. But is believing work? According to Jesus, believing is work and the only work required by God. This is God's only KPI.

They replied, "We want to perform God's works, too. What should we do?"
Jesus told them, "This is the only work God wants from you: Believe in the one he has sent." (John 6:28-29 NLT)

Putting God On Probation

When Jacob's parents bade him to go to Haran to get a wife, he had a dream of a ladder leading to heaven. He was thoroughly awed by this dream but did Jacob accept God straightaway? No. Instead, he set God a KPI.

Then Jacob made a vow, saying, "If God will be with me and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat and clothing to wear, so that I come again to my father’s house in peace, then the Lord shall be my God, and this stone, which I have set up for a pillar, shall be God’s house. And of all that you give me I will give a full tenth to you." (Genesis 28:20-22 ESV)

Did God respect Jacob's KPI? 

Setting KPI For God

For behold, I am raising up the Chaldeans - that ruthless and impetuous nation which marches through the breadth of the earth to seize dwellings not their own. (Habakkuk 1:6 BSB)

Men love to set KPI. They even set KPI for God on how a perfect God should be like. Did God accept the KPI?

Crime and Punishment
When Israel sinned, God ought to use a more righteous nation to punish Israel or punish Israel Himself. But God raised the cruel Babylonians to punish Israel (Habakkuk 1:6). And then God later punished the Babylonians for punishing Israel (Jeremiah 25:12).

Word Transmission
Until heaven and earth shall pass away, not one jot or one tittle shall pass away from the law (Matthew 5:18) but in the course of transmission of text of the Bible, there are some minor changes in the jot and tittle. It is less than 0.01%, but still, it is one missing jot or one additional tittle. But the KJV-only believers cannot believe that the almighty God could not preserve a perfect original text for us. God would fail our KPI for Him if He cannot do that. In fact, He did more than that. He even divinely inspired the KJV translation. God passed our KPI for Him with flying colours. Did God really care about our KPI for Him?

Word Accuracy
It is appointed for man to die once (Hebrews 9:27) but Lazarus died twice (John 11:43). Did the Bible contradict itself? Is the mustard seed the smallest of all seeds (Matthew 13:32, Mark 4:31)? If Jesus was to be in the grave three days and nights (Matthew 12:40), how do we fit those between Good Friday and Easter Sunday? Did Bible meant it to be 72 hours exactly because God is very precise? Three days and nights must be 72 hours because God is perfect to the jot and tittle. Are we celebrating Good Friday and Easter Sunday wrongly? Or are we interpreting the Bible more strictly than God Himself?

Christian Witness
The Bible recorded that God use holy men like the apostles to spread the gospel. But in our days, God chose to use the colonialist, the slave traders and drug traffickers to spread the gospel. Africans were enslaved, taken from their home and sold to Christian lands to be given the opportunity to hear the gospel. Opium traders humiliate China to bring the gospel to their land. Shouldn't a perfect and holy God do better than that? Maybe He should roll out the red carpet to welcome the Africans and Chinese into the Kingdom of God and today, there will be no Black Life Matter movement and there will be no Chinese Communist party harping on the century of humiliation by Western imperial powers. Looks like we have better ideas than God.

World Creation
Then the ultimate KPI, the favourite of unbelievers and atheists, why can't the perfectly good, almighty and all-knowing God create a world without sin? Then Jesus would not need to come to the world to die for sin. Atheists use God's failure in this KPI to prove His non-existence. If God exists, why are there evil and sufferings in the world? Why can't the One who knows the end from the beginning think ahead?

What are you going to do with a God that fail your KPI?

From that time on many of His disciples turned back and no longer walked with Him. (John 6:66 BSB)

So Jesus asked the Twelve, "Do you want to leave too?" Simon Peter replied, "Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words of eternal life. We believe and know that You are the Holy One of God." (John 6:67-69 BSB)

Salvation, Science And Truth

The one who believes in the Son has eternal life, but the one who rejects the Son will not see life; instead, the wrath of God remains on him. (John 3:36 CSB)

As I have said many times before, Christianity according to the Bible is the only religion where good people go to hell and wicked people go to heaven.

Other religions teach that good people go to heaven and wicked people go to hell and they ask you to be good but they do not give a specific KPI on what is good.

The law of gravity is true. When a good person decides to defy the law of gravity and jump from 100 storeys, will he die, or will he live because if his good works?

1 + 1 = 2 is true. When a good person decides that 1 + 1 is not 2, will he pass his mathematics because of his good works?

How did I know that Christianity according to the Bible is true? Because the law of salvation is designed in the same manner as the law of gravity and the law of mathematics. The same God created both.

So sinners and wicked people listen here. Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved. You and your household. This is the law of salvation.

Good people listen here. The same law applies to you.

And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. (Acts 16:31 KJV)

And this is what God has testified: He has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have God's Son does not have life. (1 John 5:11-12 NLT) 

Giving Glory To God By Believing Him

He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; and being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform. (Romans 4:20-21 KJV)

And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him. (Hebrews 11:6 NLT)

Let us once again re-visit God's KPI, that is, the only way to please God is to believe in Him and His Word.

For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, whom we proclaimed among you, Silvanus and Timothy and I, was not Yes and No, but in him it is always Yes. (2 Corinthians 1:19 ESV)

More On Joseph's Bones

Pharaoh said to Joseph, "I am Pharaoh, but no one will be able to raise his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt without your permission." (Genesis 41:44 HCSB)

Joseph achieved great things in life. But in Hebrews 11:22, Joseph commendation was not about what a great job he did in Egypt in managing the famine, but about his faith in God's Word regarding his bones.

Have we also have done a great job in our life? But whether we did a good or bad job, our commendation will be like Joseph's, based on our faith in God and His Word.

God's KPI is clearly stated in the Bible. Let us not missed it.

And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. (Hebrews 11:6 ESV)

Joseph's Bones

Then Joseph made the sons of Israel swear, saying, "God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones from here." (Genesis 50:25 ESV)

If we read about Joseph in the Bible, especially in Sunday School context, our focus will probably be his father's favouritism, his God-given wisdom in interpretation of dreams, how his brothers sold him to Egypt as a slave, how he became the vizier of Egypt and how Jacob and his sons went to Egypt.

There is an aspect of Joseph which is likely to be missed when we study about Joseph. He was a great manager. When he became a slave of Potiphar, Potiphar left everything he had in Joseph's care and he did not concern himself with anything except the food he ate (Genesis 39:6). Likewise for the prison warden who left everything under Joseph's care because the Lord was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did (Genesis 39:23). It was the same with Pharaoh, who put the whole Egypt under Joseph (Genesis 41:40).

We noted the Bible's emphasis on God being the source of Joseph's wisdom. Like Daniel (Daniel 2:28) later, Joseph told the Pharaoh that his ability to interpret dreams came from God (Genesis 41:16). The same he told the cupbearer and the baker of Pharaoh (Genesis 40:8). He did not take credit for his wisdom and ability.

So if you are a great manager and a good man who never harmed a fly, do not think that you will be going to heaven because of that. The Bible, which looks at things from God's perspective, emphasized on Joseph's faith in God, his belief and execution of God's will and not his managerial abilities.

For all of Joseph's great capabilities and how well he could run a country, God's commendation of Joseph was that he believed that God would bring the Israelites out of Egypt. This is God's KPI.

So likewise, God's commendation of you, if any, may be not what you expect it to be.

By faith Joseph, when his end was near, spoke about the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and gave instructions concerning the burial of his bones. (Hebrews 11:22 NIV)

God's KPI For Eternal Life

Jesus told them, "This is the only work God wants from you: Believe in the one he has sent." (John 6:29 NLT)

God's KPI for eternal life is very simple, clear and direct. The only key performance He requires from you is to believe in Jesus.

If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (Romans 10:9 NLT)

The criteria for eternal life is to believe in Jesus.

I Am Saved By The Works Of Jesus My God - 2

Because Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, to bring you to God, by being put to death in the flesh but by being made alive in the spirit. (1 Peter 3:18 NET)
He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption. (Hebrews 9:12 NIV)
He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification. (Romans 4:25 NIV)

This is good news for me. For Christ had died for my sins. I am saved because of what He has done on the cross. I have no confidence that if I have to work for my salvation, I can meet the KPI of a perfect God. By the standards of men, I cannot even make it to Harvard or Oxford. How can I expect to meet the standard of a perfectly holy God intent of keeping His heaven pure and unblemished? But it is Christ who saved me and worked in me and I will eventually be given a spiritual body at resurrection.

For it is God who is working in you both to will and to work according to his good purpose. (Philippians 2:13 CSB)
It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. (1 Corinthians 15:44 ESV)
And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified. (Romans 8:30 ESV)
He has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began. (2 Timothy 1:9 CSB)

Life And Death; Good And Wicked

I have always emphasize that Christianity is the only religion in the world where the good people go to hell and wicked people go to heaven. I say it again and again because people does not seem to get it.

Let us look at this man (identified as a ruler in Luke 18:18) who came to Jesus as an illustration.

As he was setting out on a journey, a man ran up, knelt down before him, and asked him, "Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?"

"Why do you call me good?" Jesus asked him. "No one is good except God alone. You know the commandments: Do not murder; do not commit adultery; do not steal; do not bear false witness; do not defraud; honor your father and mother."
He said to him, "Teacher, I have kept all these from my youth."

Looking at him, Jesus loved him and said to him, "You lack one thing: Go, sell all you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." But he was dismayed by this demand, and he went away grieving, because he had many possessions. (Mark 10:17-22 CSB)

This man honoured his parents, did not kill, did not tell lies, did not commit adultery. He was a good man. But Jesus asked him one question and he went away without eternal life.

At the judgement seat, Jesus is going to ask all the good people on earth one question and they will all be sad. They will not inherit eternal life.

Who are the wicked that go to heaven? The most prominent was the dying thief crucified beside Jesus. He was a thief. He confessed that he was punished justly, for he was getting what he deserved (Luke 23:41). He was a wicked man. But Jesus said to him, "Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise" (Luke 23:43).

The Bible is a big book with many words. Many times, it seems to tell us that the good will go to heaven and the wicked go to hell. But buried deep in the Bible, right at the beginning, in the book of Genesis, is this verse that tells us God's KPI:

Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness. (Genesis 15:6 NIV)

The righteousness of Abraham was credited to him by God, not something that he earned. It was there from the beginning, not something invented in the New Testament.

Finally, let us listen to the words of the most wicked sinner on earth (by his own confession in writing), none other than Paul the Apostle. Yes, SAINT Paul, the MOST WICKED man on earth.

This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it: "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners" - and I am the worst of them all. But God had mercy on me so that Christ Jesus could use me as a prime example of his great patience with even the worst sinners. Then others will realize that they, too, can believe in him and receive eternal life. (1 Timothy 1:15-16 NLT)

So let all the good people take heed. There is none so good that they do not need the saviour.

And let all the wicked people rejoice at this good news from Jesus Christ. There is no one so bad that he cannot be saved by the blood of Jesus.

Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked, declares the Lord GOD, and not rather that he should turn from his way and live? (Ezekiel 18:23 ESV)

Do Not Neglect Such Great Salvation

For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all people. (Titus 2:11 NET)

So what makes us think we can escape if we ignore this great salvation that was first announced by the Lord Jesus himself and then delivered to us by those who heard him speak? (Hebrews 2:3 NLT)

Remember what it says: "Today when you hear his voice, don't harden your hearts as Israel did when they rebelled." (Hebrews 3:15 NLT)

The law of God condemns all people because nobody can meet God's KPI. But the grace of God brings salvation to all people. Do not harden your hearts and ignore this great salvation, for there is no other salvation available under heaven except this.

And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved." (Acts 4:12 ESV)

What Can A Dying Man Do?

As long as you have life, you can repent and turn to Jesus Christ for salvation. Only the dead are without hope.

"No one is so bad that he cannot be saved, and no one is so good that he need not be saved. All who are saved will be saved by the precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ." - Adrian Rogers

Some think they are too wicked to be saved. They may be murderers or rapists, but as long as they have life, they can repent and turn to Jesus for their salvation.

Others think they are good enough to save themselves. They don't murder or rape. They don't cheat people of money. They even do charity. Their friends think they are good and nice people. But they did not stop to consider what is God's KPI. Some may even think that He does not exist.

Certain tasks are the exclusive work of God. Salvation is one of them. No one can save themselves. Only God can save because only God can forgive sins. Those who think they can save themselves are already committing blasphemy.

"Why does this man speak like that? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?" (Mark 2:7 ESV)

"And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved." (Acts 4:12 NASB)

Then he brought them out and said, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" And they said, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household." (Acts 16:30-31 ESV)

Righteous Man As Defined By The Law

"Now suppose a man is righteous and does what is just and right: He does not eat at the mountain shrines or raise his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel. He does not defile his neighbor's wife or come near a woman during her menstrual impurity. He doesn't oppress anyone but returns his collateral to the debtor. He does not commit robbery, but gives his bread to the hungry and covers the naked with clothing. He doesn't lend at interest or for profit but keeps his hand from wrongdoing and carries out true justice between men. He follows My statutes and keeps My ordinances, acting faithfully. Such a person is righteous; he will certainly live." This is the declaration of the Lord God. (Ezekiel 18:5-9 HCSB)

This is a righteous man:

1. He does not commit idolatry;
2. He is sexually pure;
3. He does not oppress;
4. He cares for the poor;
5. He does not commit usury;
6. He is just;
7. He keeps the commandments of God, acting faithfully.

It seems easy to fulfil and many, like the rich young ruler, thought that they can fulfil these KPI. But can they withstand the scrutiny of God?

And as he was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and knelt before him and asked him, "Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" And Jesus said to him, "Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. You know the commandments: 'Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.'" And he said to him, "Teacher, all these I have kept from my youth." And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, "You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me." Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. (Mark 10:17-22 ESV)

Jesus The Judge

Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent, because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead." (Acts 17:30-31 NASB)

In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel. (Romans 2:16 KJV)

Jesus will be the judge of all the living and the dead.

How do we know that it is Jesus, and not someone else? God had prove that Jesus is the appointed Judge by raising Him from the dead.

On what basis will the people be judged? What are the Key Performance Indicators, or KPI? The yardstick used will be the Gospel.

I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and doctrine. (2 Timothy 4:1-2 KJV)

The LORD is slow to anger and great in power, and the LORD will by no means clear the guilty. His way is in whirlwind and storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet. (Nahum 1:3 ESV)

God's KPI

A certain ruler asked Jesus, "Good Teacher, what must I do to obtain eternal life?" Jesus replied, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except the one God. (Luke 18:18-19 CEB)

Key Performance Indicators, or KPI, are used in many organisation as a tool to measure an employee's performance on the job. It is quite amazing to know that many people who have been working in a modern society, who have known about these tools called KPI, yet think that they can enter heaven if they are good, without finding out what is God's KPI, or how God defined "good".

The story of the rich young ruler (Matthew 19:16-22, Mark 10:17-22, Luke 18:18-23) tell us what is God's KPI. When the rich young ruler called Jesus "Good Teacher", Jesus quickly reminded him that "No one is good except God alone." In another word, God's definition of "good" is you have to be as good as God. If you are as good as God, you can enter heaven. Is there anyone as good as God? The Bible says no. Jesus said that no one is good except God alone (Mark 10:18).

If they sin against thee, (for there is no man that sinneth not,) and thou be angry with them, and deliver them to the enemy, so that they carry them away captives unto the land of the enemy, far or near; (1 Kings 8:46 KJV)

How then can man be justified with God? or how can he be clean that is born of a woman? (Job 25:4 KJV)

The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good. (Psalm 14:1 KJV)

The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. Corrupt are they, and have done abominable iniquity: there is none that doeth good. (Psalm 53:1 KJV)

They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one. (Psalm 14:3 KJV)

Every one of them is gone back: they are altogether become filthy; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. (Psalm 53:3 KJV)

And enter not into judgment with thy servant: for in thy sight shall no man living be justified. (Psalm 143:2 KJV)

Who can say, I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin? (Proverbs 20:9 KJV)

For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not. (Ecclesiastes 7:20 KJV)

As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: (Roman 3:10 KJV)

For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; (Romans 3:23 KJV)

But if all have sinned and come short of the glory of God, then how can anyone be saved? But whatever men cannot do, God provide a way. Salvation is of God, free, by His grace. What we need is to believe.

But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay that that I have vowed. Salvation is of the LORD. (Jonah 2:9 KJV)

The salvation of the righteous is from the LORD; he is their stronghold in the time of trouble. (Psalm 37:39 ESV)

For by grace are ye 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 KJV)

Morality Comes From Authority

In Leviticus 18 and 19, the phrase "I am the LORD" was used repeatedly, six times in chapter 18 and fifteen times in chapter 19. Each time a commandment is given, the reason for obedience is "I am the LORD".

This is the surest example that morality, codes of behaviour, standards of conducts, laws, Key Performance Indicator (KPI), right and wrong are defined by authority. Even when we refuse to obey any rules of any authority, we still obey rules set by ourselves, by our own authority. Laws and standards is always tied to authority. They cannot exist without one.

Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, Roman Emperor, Agnostic

"Live a good life. If there are gods and they are just, then they will not care how devout you have been, but will welcome you based on the virtues you have lived by. If there are gods, but unjust, then you should not want to worship them. If there are no gods, then you will be gone, but will have lived a noble life that will live on in the memories of your loved ones. I am not afraid." Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, Roman Emperor (161 to 180), last of the Five Good Emperors, Stoic Philosopher, Persecutor of Christians.

This is a good bet, live a good life and hope for the best. The problem is what is "good"?

Every employee knows of this thing call "KPI (Key Performance Indicator)". The Employer defines the KPI (i.e. what is good for the company) and the employee works towards it. Now, if Marcus Aurelius is an employee, he would probably say something like this, "I do not know what my company's objective is. I do not even know which company I am working for. I just do my best in my job. If the company is just, I would be rewarded. If the company is unjust, maybe I should quit. If I am actually not an employee, too bad, I worked for free, but at least, I found something to occupy my time."

A lot of religion does not give clear KPI. It is always a vague "live a good life" thingy, but never clearly stating how good is good enough. The Christian God gives a very clear KPI.

Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. (Mark 16:16 ESV)

Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. (John 3:18 ESV)

So it is very clear, and these verses are just two of the many verses stating the same fact. Salvation is not what you do, but what you believe.

By putting the KPI as what he did, "live a good life", Marcus Aurelius, the last of the Five Good Roman Emperors, the great Stoic philosopher and author of the book "Meditations", made a great mistake. This mistake led him to persecute Christians and he is now condemned in Hades, waiting for the Final Judgement at the Great White Throne (Revelations 20:11-15). His ultimate sin is to refuse to believe his Creator.

Can principals and teachers be evaluated fairly with yearly KPI?

Let say a new principal of a prestigeous top secondary school or junior college decide to try some new methods to train the students. As a result, the school's results drop a little, maybe no longer top, but still within top ten. After five years, the school's board call up the principal and said, "Ever since you took over, our school is no longer the best. Although we know that you emphasise on training the whole person, not just for academic results, but our school ranking has dropped and so you have to go. Maybe you should go to those school where the students are not so gifted and try your methods." Let say twenty years later, it turned out that most of the leaders of the country turned out to be from that school during the principal's term of office and they credit their success to him (or her). How shall we reward this principal, since the proof of his success takes twenty years to mature?

Our righteousnesses are as filthy rags

We all know the story of the Prodigal Son very well. While we know that the Prodigal Son is accepted by the Father, we do not if the Elder Brother accepted his Father's pleading to accept the Prodigal Son. The parable just ends with the pleading. Yesterday at a sharing during our Wednesday night prayer meeting, a pastor proposed this startling ending: the Elder Brother beat his Father to death. The Elder Brother cannot accept the fact that his good works is not acceptable. The same is Cain who killed Abel; and the Pharisees who put Jesus on the Cross. The righteousness of men cannot be compared to the righteousness of God. But many good people cannot accept that their righteousness’s are as filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6) in the sight of God. They have spent so much effort and time. They put in so many sacrifices to be good and have done so much charity. They have much assurance that they have must done well on the basis of their good works. It is a pity that many did not check the KPI (Key Performance Indicators) God had set for them because they ignored Him. Many assumed that God wanted them to be good, but did not seek out God's definition of "good". They are very sure that their KPI is better than that of the Prodigal Son. When they found out that all they have done is nothing in the sight of God, it is all too late.

In Christ, salvation is guaranteed

The minimum guarantee of any true Christian: eternal life in Heaven (Acts 16:31, Romans 10:9, Romans 10:13, Joel 2:32, Acts 2:21, 1 John 2:2). This is not a Lehman Brothers mini-bond guarantee. There are no small prints.

No other religion has offered this guarantee. No other religion can offer this guarantee legally and morally. They all teach you that a good man goes to Heaven and a wicked man goes to Hell. But what is "good"? What is the KPI (Key Performance Indicator)? How much "good" is needed? No religion state this clearly. Every good Human Resource Manager knows that performance is not exact science and how difficult it is to judge someone's performance. Those who do good works to earn merit to heaven just have to hope that their god or gods that he/she/it/they are a better or more perfect judge than the fallible Human Resource Manager.

I have asked a Muslim if he is going to Heaven when he dies. He replied, "Allah knows". He does not know. Nobody knows. Except the true Christian who believed in the Word of God.