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[Jambalaya]

Christians - tell me if I've got this wrong. Who would go to heaven in this example?

person 1. Some one who is selfless and does great acts of kindness but doesn't believe in a god.
person 2. A child murderer who finds god, repents his sins and accepts Jesus as his lord and savior.

According to christianity, wouldn't person 1 go to hell and person 2 go to heaven?

[jimwalton]

You make the common mistake of thinking that heaven depends on morality or goodness, behavior or kindness. In the Bible heaven depends on one's nature. There are two possible natures for humans: the nature of sin or the nature of Jesus. Those who have the nature of sin cannot see the kingdom of God; those who have the nature of Jesus (by accepting the free gift of salvation by faith) enter heaven. Those who have the nature of sin are separated from God; those who have the nature of Jesus have been reconciled with God.

So your question shows that your thinking is just in the wrong direction. You're thinking it's selflessness vs. murder. In truth it's a matter of one's being. I can make a silly analogy, but maybe it will help. Suppose you had to be a dog to go to heaven, and all of us were born as cats. You might be the best cat there ever was, but what difference does that make? Maybe as a cat you learn to bark, fetch, and get the paper for your master. So what? You're still a cat. It is only by a miracle that a cat could ever be changed (all its DNA in all of its cells, as well as its nature and appearance). The cat can't do this miracle by itself—it doesn't have the capability. Only an outside, powerful source can effect the change in its nature so that it is no longer a cat, but a dog—a REAL dog. That's how one goes to heaven. God offers us a free gift of salvation—we can have our nature changed from the nature of sin to the nature of Jesus. It's nothing we can do ourselves, earn our way to, or deserve. God does the miracle in us, and our very nature is changed. Oh, we're still human (that's at least one place where the analogy falls apart), but now we are justified, redeemed, reconciled, and forgiven.

You may also be toying with the illegitimacy of hell for the good person as well as the illegitimacy of heaven for the murderer. Remember that all punishments in hell and rewards in heaven are not the same. People will get what they deserve. Good people with a sin nature will have a very different punishment than evil people with a sin nature. There will be a vast difference in how they are treated. And as far as heaven is concerned, people who are less moral will receive a very different version of heaven than others. Along with that, there are many Christians who believe that possibly God will continue to work (even after death) to reconcile sinners to himself so that their time in punishment is appropriate to what their life had been, not just eternal torment. So, with all that has been said, and with all the disagreements, even from Christians, about hell, I can conclude with confidence with this statement: Those who turn away from God will be separated from the life of God. Though we can’t be sure about the form or duration of that separation, this we can be sure of: God will be fair about the form and duration of it. If you reject God, you take your chances.

So I invite you to come to Christ and be saved. Have your nature changed as a free gift, and enjoy the salvation of God.