A good story

A christian family went to Mid East countries for their missionary trip.
They live in a place where is surronding by Muslim. They did all they could do to help their community and preach gospel. They made some friends there and the muslim friend thought they are such a nice people and did all the good deeds that Qur'an tought them to do. So, the muslim friend told them
"Hey, you are such a good people and you did all the good deeds, you should become a Muslim and Allah will bless you go to heaven."
(Muslim believe that Allah will judge people to go to heaven by their good deeds.)
And then the Christian tells the muslim friend:
Ohh, No. You should become a Christian to go to heaven because you are not as good as you think you are.

This story is a real story from the witness I heard today in my church.
We were all laugh when she said that.

我們都認為自己是好人, 做好事. 應該上天堂. 實際上我們真的不如自己想像的那麼好. 可惜的是, 人們通常不這麼認為.

Ephesians 2:8-9
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God -- not by works, so that no one can boast.
你們得救是本乎神的恩典、因為對神的信仰、這並不是出於自己、乃是神所賜的禮物． 也不是因為我們做了什麼好事、免得有人自誇。

沒有人不認同做好事, 行善是應該的. 有些人是刻意的去做, 有些人是職業上的要求(例如, 醫生, 救生員), 有些人是出自內心, 毫無私心, 全心全意的做.

接著上面的章節, 在 Ephesians 2:10
For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.
因為我們人是上帝創造的傑作. 在(藉著)耶穌基督裡面衪已經製造了一個全新的我們, 因此我們可以行善做好事, 而這些是衪老早就為我們準備好的了.

結論就是行善是對的, 但是不會讓我們得救, 我們得救是來自上帝的恩典、因為對上帝的信仰. ---- it is the gift of God -- not by works ---