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The CHT statement says that you don't have to worry about Hell if you're a good person. As long as your heart's in the right place, and you treat people well, you'll be okay.

This is probably the biggest misconception, in the CHT statement. It's radically different than what Jesus has to say about the issue. The core of the issue boils down to the single word "good".

"Good" is a relative term. According to the world's standards, a large majority of people, are good. If you're a friendly person with a warm, positive attitude; that goes a long way towards being good in this world. In fact, as long as you have that attitude, and you don't steal from anyone, or maliciously try to hurt, or kill, anyone, then you can easily pass the world's standard of being good.

However, Jesus has a completely different standard of what "good" is. According to Jesus, when it comes to being deserving of Heaven, "good" means "perfect". Anyone who isn't perfect deserves to go to Hell.

That's a big conflict between the CHT statement, and what Jesus says. However, the difference becomes even greater. What some people consider to be good, or acceptable, Jesus considers to be evil.

First lets look at what Jesus says about human standards:



"There are people who think they are pure when they are as filthy as they can be. There are people who think they are so good -- oh, how good they think they are!"

-Proverbs 30:12-13


"The Lord looks down from heaven at us humans to see if there are any who are wise, any who worship him. But they have all gone wrong; they are all equally bad. Not one of them does what is right, not a single one."

-Psalms 14:2-3


"Whoever breaks one commandment is guilty of breaking them all. For the same one who said, 'Do not commit adultery,' also said, 'Do not commit murder.' Even if you do not commit adultery, you have become a lawbreaker if you commit murder."

-James 2:10-11


"everyone has sinned and is far away from God's saving presence."

-Romans 3:23



A married woman once told me that her husband can look, but not touch. She was talking about acceptable behvior in terms of how he may respond to other women.

According to the world's standards, this is fine. But this is what Jesus says:



You have heard that it was said, "Do not commit adultery." But now I tell you: anyone who looks at a woman and wants to possess her is guilty of committing adultery with her in his heart. So if your right eye causes you to sin, take it out and throw it away! It is much better for you to lose a part of your body than to have your whole body thrown into hell. If your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away! It is much better for you to lose one of your limbs than to have your whole body go off to hell."

-Matthew 5:27-30


"Why should God reward you if you love only the people who love you? Even the tax collectors do that! And if you speak only to your friends, have you done anything out of the ordinary? Even the pagans do that! You must be perfect -- just as your Father in heaven is perfect."

-Matthew 5:46-48



The difference between God's standards versus the world's standards, is immense. In fact, the difference is so great that no one can live up to God's standards.

It's often difficult for humans to accept that a person has to be perfect in order to avoid going to Hell. But Jesus says that God is holy, which means that he's not like us; or anything else, for that matter.

Here's some insight into God's holiness:



"One day while Moses was taking care of the sheep and goats of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian, he led the flock across the desert and came to Sinai, the holy mountain. There the angel of the Lord appeared to him as a flame coming from the middle of a bush. Moses saw that the bush was on fire but that it was not burning up. 'This is strange,' he thought. Why isn't the bush burning up? I will go closer and see.'

When the Lord saw that Moses was coming closer, he called to him from the middle of the bush and said, 'Moses! Moses!'

He answered, 'Yes, here I am.'

God said, 'Do not come any closer. Take off your sandals, because you are standing on holy ground. I am the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.' So Moses covered his face, because he was afraid to look at God."

-Exodus 3:1-6


"Once more David called together the best soldiers in Israel, a total of thirty thousand men, and led them to Baalah in Judah, in order to bring from there God's Covenant Box, bearing the name of the Lord Almighty, whose throne is above the winged creatures. They took it from Abinadab's home on the hill and placed it on a new cart. Uzzah and Ahio, sons of Abinadab, were guiding the cart, with Ahio walking in front. David and all the Israelites were dancing and singing with all their might to honor the Lord. They were playing harps, lyres, drums, rattles, and cymbals.

As they came to the threshing place of Nacon, the oxen stumbled, and Uzzah reached out and took hold of the Covenant Box. At once the Lord God became angry with Uzzah and killed him because of his irreverence. Uzzah died there beside the Covenant Box, and so that place has been called Perez Uzzah ever since. David was furious because the Lord had punished Uzzah in anger.

Then David was afraid of the Lord and said, 'How can I take the Covenant Box with me now?' So he decided not to take it with him to Jerusalem; instead, he turned off the road and took it to the house of Obed Edom, a native of the city of Gath. It stayed there three months, and the Lord blessed Obed Edom and his family."

-2nd Samuel 6:1-11


"You have not come, as the people of Israel came, to what you can feel, to Mount Sinai with its blazing fire, the darkness and the gloom, the storm, the blast of a trumpet, and the sound of a voice. When the people heard the voice, they begged not to hear another word, because they could not bear the order which said, 'If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned to death.' The sight was so terrifying that Moses said, 'I am trembling and afraid!'"

-Hebrews 12:18-21


"But when King Uzziah became strong, he grew arrogant, and that led to his downfall. He defied the Lord his God by going into the Temple to burn incense on the altar of incense. Azariah the priest, accompanied by eighty strong and courageous priests, followed the king to resist him. They said, 'Uzziah! You have no right to burn incense to the Lord. Only the priests who are descended from Aaron have been consecrated to do this. Leave this holy place. You have offended the Lord God, and you no longer have his blessing.'

Uzziah was standing there in the Temple beside the incense altar and was holding an incense burner. He became angry with the priests, and immediately a dreaded skin disease broke out on his forehead. Azariah and the other priests stared at the king's forehead in horror and then forced him to leave the Temple. He hurried to get out, because the Lord had punished him.

For the rest of his life King Uzziah was ritually unclean because of his disease. Unable to enter the Temple again, he lived in his own house, relieved of all duties, while his son Jotham governed the country."

-2nd Chronicles 26:16-21




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