Many celebrities nowadays are either starting charitable foundations,
raising millions of dollars through charitable events or
contributing massive amounts of money to charitable organizations.
Sadly, no amount of kindness, care or generosity can merit a person eternal life. Jesus plainly stated in John 3:3, "...Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." Most people falsely think that God's Scale of Justice operates on the basis of human self-righteousness. It does NOT.
God knew that there was absolutely no way for mankind to redeem himself, so He sent His only begotten Son into the world to pay for our sins because He loves us... "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:16).
No matter how much good we may do in this earthly life, our SINS are still on our eternal record. Even one sin is enough to condemn us to Hell for ever (James 2:10). Thus, we need the Savior, Jesus Christ, Who paid for OUR SINS with His own literal precious blood... "Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot." Only the blood of Jesus Christ can balance God's divine Scale of Justice.
In this USA TODAY list of top celebrities who gave the most money to charity, I dare say even one of them is a born-again Christian. Gene Autry is in the list, but his Christian testimony at best seems to be that his grandfather was a Baptist minister. In Gene Autry’s famous song "Here Comes Santa Claus," he begins with the words, "Speakin' of Christmas spirit." Well, that's not the Holy Spirit of God. The entire notion of Santa Claus has been a curse to America's children, whose hearts are filled with adoration and praise every Holiday Season for a fictional character who doesn't exist. Meanwhile, the precious Lord Jesus Christ Who died for our sins is horribly ignored.
Many people profess to be Christians, like C.S. Lewis, but they are as lost as Satan himself. I've heard much lately about famous and wealthy celebrities giving large amounts of money to charitable causes; such as to AIDS victims, or to feed the hungry, or to help deformed children; but that won't help them one bit on Judgment Day when God casts them into the Lake of Fire forever... "And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God... And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire" (Revelation 20:12a,15). All the generosity in the world cannot buy anyone a ticket into Heaven. Good works are a guaranteed road to Hell, because they are rooted in one's own self-righteousness. Our most noble acts of benevolence cannot undo the SINS we have committed. The answer is the righteousness of Jesus Christ... "For he [God the Father] hath made him [God the Son] to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him" (2nd Corinthians 5:21). Jesus paid a debt He did not owe, because we owed a debt we could not pay.
I am not diminishing the importance of charity, nor am I being unkind or critical in any way towards those who have donated their wealth to assist others. I am simply saying that even wonderful heathens are still hellbound in their sins without Jesus Christ. Just because some famous country singer donates a home to a poor family doesn't make them any more righteous in God's eyes. Just because Oprah Winfrey donates millions of dollars to poor children in Africa doesn't make her any more righteous in God's eyes. Just because Frank Sinatra's will designated a hundred-and-fifty-million dollars of his estate to help needy children won't help him escape the fires of Hell on Judgment Day. God is NOT impressed with our own self-righteousness...
"But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away."
Oh listen my friend, you need HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS...
"But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS; and all these things shall be added unto you."
If you want to please God, then you need to do so by trusting upon Jesus' righteousness, which is only made possible by the precious literal blood that He shed for OUR SINS...
"And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood."
The world is filled with some wonderful heathens; but they will all be cast into hellfire on Judgment Day to be punished for the SINS they have committed throughout their life, because they refused to OBEY the Gospel of Jesus Christ...
"In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power."
