>>>Do you mean that it is predestined who goes to heaven and hell? Despite a person's best efforts?
>>
>>Unfortunately or fortunately, depending on how you look at it, it's not your effort that counts, because you can't earn your way into heaven. There is only one thing you need to do.

>What is that?

Christian theology states that you'll never be good enough to be with God (go to heaven) no matter how many good deeds you do. In other words, you can't earn salvation. The Bible states that the "wage of sin is death". Not only the physical death, but also the spiritual death, or being without God for eternity... or hell.

So what did God do to bridge the gap? He sent his only Son to be put to death on the cross after He took on all the sins of man kind, past and future.

The bible states that when Chirst took on the sins of the world, God the Father couldn't even look at Him because God and sin can't co-exist, thus, Jesus' famous line "Father, why have you forsaken me?"

So see, according to Christian theology Christ did what we could never be able to do, pay for our sins. He paid for our sins and all we have to do is accept the free gift of salvation by accepting what Christ did on the cross.... that's all. It's a free gift. One can either accept it or reject it. But it takes a humble person to accept it because by accepting it what you're admiting is that you can't do it on your own and that you are TOTALLY relying on God for your salvation.


Other religions, Islam for example, is salvation based on one's "good" works or "good" deeds performed. Which brings up several questions.
1) What is good? Every religion has their own definition on what is good.
2) If you have to work for your salvation, how do you know that you've earned enough points to go to heaven?
3) If Evan performed 10 good deeds and Sam performed 15 good deeds, Does Sam go to heaven and Evan is doomed to go to hell?
4) If Salvation is strictly based on your good works, why do we need God or religion? Why not just try to be good and hope that you're good enough?