"Not everyone who says to me, “Lord, Lord”, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only one who does the will of my Father in heaven. On that day many will say to me, “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many deeds of power in your name?” Then I will declare to them, “I never knew you; go away from me, you evildoers.” Matthew 7:21-23
You don't get to heaven just because you believe Jesus exists. You get to heaven because you believe exclusively that Jesus's self-sacrifice is what washes you of your sins, and that your own deeds do not contribute to your salvation. The reason why God is saying that not everyone who calls him "Lord" will enter into heaven is because of exactly what I just said. The overwhelming majority of Christians do not believe that their good deeds do not contribute to salvation. Rather, the vast majority believe that you have to be a good person to get to heaven. The majority of people are believing in themselves, not Jesus.
user734 2 points 3.4 years ago
You don't get to heaven just because you believe Jesus exists. You get to heaven because you believe exclusively that Jesus's self-sacrifice is what washes you of your sins, and that your own deeds do not contribute to your salvation. The reason why God is saying that not everyone who calls him "Lord" will enter into heaven is because of exactly what I just said. The overwhelming majority of Christians do not believe that their good deeds do not contribute to salvation. Rather, the vast majority believe that you have to be a good person to get to heaven. The majority of people are believing in themselves, not Jesus.