Question
A Protestant told me that just believing in Jesus is enough to get one into heaven. This isn’t what I was taught, or is my memory incorrect? Please clarify this. These born-again Christians can be very insulting to us.
Answer
Orthodox Christianity teaches that belief in Jesus must be combined with putting that belief into action—feeding the hungry, ministering to others, etc. Both essential.
We read in the epistles: “Faith without works is dead.”
One can indeed “believe” in Christ and yet lead a life that betrays that belief. Hence belief alone is not sufficient. “Not all who say ‘Lord, Lord’ will have a place in my Kingdom.”