Does a Christian have to be good
Intro
Does a christian have to be good to go to heaven.
(Matthew 19:16-26 [KJV])
[16] And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?
[17] And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.
[18] He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness,
[19] Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
[20] The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet?
[21] Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.
[22] But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.
[23] Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven.
[24] And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.
[25] When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved?
[26] But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.
As you can see in Mt19:17 Jesus says that there are none good but one, that is God the Father in Heaven.
So as a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ you are redeemed rather than good.
You don't go to heaven by being good. You go to heaven by being redeemed.
Comment
You could claim that Jesus is God, which he is and therefore he is good, just like God the Father in Heaven and the Holy Ghost.
I don't know really how to interpret it.
There are two ways I think. One way is that this statement in Matthew 19 was before the resurrection. The other way I think to interpret it is that the rich young man didn't have the discernment to understand that Jesus was God. Just like the rich young man didn't get saved because he didn't call Jesus Lord as the others did who got saved in the gospels.